Dad's Family: the Porowskis
My Grandpa Peter Porowski came from Poland to America via Canada. He met my Grandma Mary Porowski in Chicago, where they lived all their lives.
Peter Porowski and His Family -
Early Days in Poland and Chicago
My Grandpa Porowski was born in Russian occupied Poland in 1896 and lived until he was 67, dying in Chicago in 1963. One day n 1911 when he was 15, the Russian army came to his townn to conscript soldiers for the army. Peter and a friend hid in a haystack in the fields. The soldiers sought him, stabbing the haystacks to forcee them out. But both kept silent, despite Peter being stabbed in his arm by one of the soldiers. Soon after, Peter fled via Canada to the U.S. He and Mary met and married in Chicago, IL. He worked as a machinist all his life, as many Polish immigrants did. He loved art, and painted his whole life whenever he could find the time.
Mary Porowski and Her Family -
Early Days in Poland and Chicago
Here are some old photos of relatives on my grandma Mary Kardyzs' side who came from Poland and settled in New Jersey. My grandma first came to New Jersey as well and later moved to Chicago where she met my grandpa and married in 1921.
Peter and Mary Porowski's Life Together
My grandparents spent their whole life in Chicago. They could not speak English very well, but lived in a Polish neighborhood in the city, full of Polish immigrants. My dad was born in Chicago and his first language was Polish. My grandpa was a machinist and my grandma enjoyed being a homemaker.
My Grandpa's Love of Art
My grandpa's passion was art. He loved to paint, and was involved in various art clubs. He also loved to take vacations whenever possible to national parks like the dunes in Indiana to paint from nature.
Click on Grandpa's painting here to go to his art
