The Wesselowski Van Wert Family Tree

My Relation:

Description:

Biography:

John A. Kruszynski was born on April 21st 1897 ¹ to Leon Kruszynski and Rosie Kruszynski. Of their 7 children he was one of the only 3 to survive to adulthood. ²At the age of three he lived with his family in his home at 720 Minnehaha Avenue. On a typical day his father would go to work as a machine operator at a box factory while his mother stayed home to look after him and his little sisters Helen and Katherine.³


Sometime within the next year (when John was 4 years old) the family moved to what would be his home for (aprox) the next 30 years. 558 N Western avenue. In that same year (1901) his little sister Halie was born.⁴Sadly, Halie would die sometime before the year 1910, the last known record (and only known record) she was a part of was in the year 1905.


John started his first job at the age of 14 on August 9th of 1911. He was a clerk in the Office of the Auditor of Freight Receipts. They were pleased with his services and on October 13 of 1915 they gave him a position as Clerk in the Stationary Department.By the time he became a repair clerk on March 5, 1916 his rate of pay was $40.⁵
Luckily the Great depression hadn't hit the Kruszynski family as hard as it did many, however it did prevent John from being able to leave his childhood home and from searching for a wife. The financial burden of independence would have been too much. At the age of 32, in 1930, he was still living with his parents.⁶ In the early 1930s more and more people began to purchase radios.⁷The kruszynski family was no different, by 1930 they had purchased a radio for their household.⁶ Like so many other families at the time, they probably spent evenings sitting in front of the radio, listening intently to FDR's fireside chats for news of an end to the economic turmoil. Or perhaps they tuned in to their favorite programs as a way of cheap entertainment and escape from the outside world.
Several years later (the exact date is not known) John married Lillian R. Penas. Together they had 2 daughters: Joan Rose and my grandmother, whose name I won't mention as she is still alive. He died when my grandma was just 15 years old on September 10th of 1957. When I was younger, and she was of sound mind, my grandmother told me some stories about him and what he was like. She said he was a firm, but kind man. He was also a perfectionist and capable of making things and toys for her and Joan. One year he made her a kite. He painstakingly measured each mark to the millimeter over and over until he was sure that it was exactly right, and carefully chiseled each hole making sure it was perfectly sanded and free of splinters. At Christmas time he would put an orange in their stocking, and my grandma and her sister would switch off who would get the privilege to eat the orange and who would get to eat the peel every year. Regardless of which they got they were both happy, as an orange was a rare treat. He was also very strict with food. After living through the great depression, he knew its value and if My grandma or her sister put food on their plates they were expected to eat all of it.

1 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918;Registration State: Minnesota; Registration County: Ramsey; Roll: 1682637; Draft Board: 07;Draft Card: K^↩
2 Year: 1910; Census Place: St Paul Ward 8, Ramsey, Minnesota; Roll: T624_719; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0115; FHL microfilm: 1374732^↩

3 Year: 1900; Census Place: St Paul Ward 8, Ramsey, Minnesota; Roll: 785; Page: 25A; Enumeration District: 0132; FHL microfilm: 1240785^↩

4 Year: 1905; Census Place: St Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota; Schedule Sheet number: 15; Enumeration District: 35 1/2 ^↩

5 Personnel Files, circa 1909–1960s. Personnel Dept. records. Northern Pacific Railway Company records. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota.;Box File Number Range : File Numbers 085691-085840 ^↩

6 Year: 1930; Census Place: St Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota; Roll: 1119; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0112; Image: 860.0; FHL microfilm: 2340854 ^↩

7 "Radio 1929-1941." Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression. . Encyclopedia.com. 25 Mar. 2017 . ^↩

Census Citations and Information for John A. Kruszynski
Note: all sections with no answer are logged as n/a. If it was logged as ‘none’ then ‘none’ is written in
Compiled by: Renée Schmidt, Great granddaughter of John A. Kruszynski

Events are listed in document in order of occurrence.

Included Census years:
1900
30 Jun 1905
1910
1920
1930

US City Directories included (additional notes for these include only the people who lived with them that also had jobs):
1912
1914
1915
1916
1919
1920
1922
1923
1924
1925
1928
1929
1931
1933
1955

Death Indexes:
Minnesota, Death Index, 1908-2002
_____________________________________________________________________

Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: St Paul Ward 8, Ramsey, Minnesota; Roll: 785; Page: 25A; Enumeration District: 0132; FHL microfilm: 1240785
Enumerated on: June 15, 1900 by Henry R. Lange
Information:
Location:
Street: Minnehaha
House Number: 720
Number of dwelling-house in the order of visitation: 430
Number of family, in the order of visitation: 479
Name: Krurinski John
Relation: Son
Personal Description:
Color or race: White
Sex: Male
Date of birth: April 1897
Age at last birthday: 3
Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced: single
Number of years married: n/a
Mother of how many children: n/a
Number of these children living: n/a
Nativity:
Place of birth of this person: Minnesota
Place of birth of Father of this person: Poland
Place of birth of Mother of this person: Poland
Citizenship:
Year of immigration to the United States: n/a
Number of years in the United States: n/a
Naturalization: n/a
Occupation, Trade, or profession:
Occupation: n/a
Months not employed: n/a
Education:
Attended school (in months):n/a
Can Read: n/a
Can Write: n/a
Can speak English: n/a
Ownership of home:
Owned or rented: n/a
Owned free or mortgaged: n/a
Farm or House: n/a
Number of Farm Schedule: n/a

Additional note: Lives with his dad “Leo Krurinski”, mom “Rossa Krurinski”, and younger sister “Helen Krurinski”
_____________________________________________________________________
Citation: Year: 1905; Census Place: St Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota; Schedule Sheet number: 15; Enumeration District: 35 1/2
Source information: Original data: Minnesota Historical Society. Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 1977. Microfilm. Reels 1-47 and 107-164.Minnesota. Minnesota Territorial Census Schedules, 1849-1855. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 2000. Microfilm. Minnesota. Minnesota 1857 Territorial Census. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN, USA.

Information:
Consecutive number of enumeration: 47
Name: Johny Kruszynsky
Street or Avenue or Number rural free delivery: Western
Number of street or Avenue: 558
Sex: male
Age: 8
Color: White
Nativity:
Place of birth of this person: Minnesota
Place of birth of father of this person: Poland
Place of birth of mother of this person: Poland
Period of residence:
Length of residence in state: 8 years
Length of residence in enumeration district: 4 years
Regular Occupation: n/a
Army Service: n/a
Wars: n/a
Additional Note: Living with M.S. Kruszynsky (likely incorrect, and probably father), Rosa Kruszynsky (probably mother), Hellen Kruszynsky (probably sister), and Halie Kruszynsky (probably one of the of his siblings that died as infants/babies)

Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: St Paul Ward 8, Ramsey, Minnesota; Roll: T624_719; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0115; FHL microfilm: 1374732
Enumerated: 15 April 1910
Information:
Location:
Street: Washina Avenue
House Number: 558
Number of dwelling-house in the order of visitation: 10
Number of family, in the order of visitation: 10
Name: Kruszynski John
Relation: Son
Personal Description:
Sex: Male
Color or race: White
Age at last birthday: 12
Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced: single
Number of years married: n/a
Number of these children living: n/a
Nativity:
Place of birth of this person: Minnesota
Place of birth of Father of this person: Ger. Polish
Place of birth of Mother of this person: Aust. Polish
Citizenship:
Year of immigration to the United States: n/a
Whether Naturalized or alien: n/a

Speaks English: Polish
Occupation, Trade, or profession:
Occupation: none
Industry: n/a
Whether an employer, employee, or working on own account: n/a
If an employee:
Whether out of work on April 15, 1910: n/a
Number of weeks out of work during year 1909: n/a
Education:
Can Read: yes
Can Write: yes
Attended school any time since September 1, 1909: yes
Ownership of home:
Owned or rented: n/a
Owned free or mortgaged: n/a
Farm or House: n/a
Number of Farm Schedule: n/a
Whether a survivor of the Union or Confederate army or navy: n/a
Whether Blind (both eyes): n/a
Whether death and dumb: n/a
Additional note: Lives with his dad “Leon Kruszynski”, mom “Rosie Kruszynski”, younger sisters “Helen Kruszynski” and “Kathryn Kruszynski”

Citation: Title : St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1912; page 987
Transcription:
Kruszynski Jno A clk N P Ry b 558 Western av N
Additional Note: Lives with Leon

Citation: Title : St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1914; page 938
Transcription:
Kruszynski Jno A clk N P Ry b 558 Western av N
Additional Note: Lives with Leon and Helen

Citation: Title : St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1915; page 941
Transcription:
Kruszynski Jno A clk N P Ry b 558 Western av N
Additional note: “clk” means clerk, lives with Helen and Leon.

Citation: Title : St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1916; page 964
Transcription:
Kruszynski Jno A clk G N shops b 558 Western av N
Additional note: “clk” means clerk, lives with Catherine and Louis (probably another name for Leon).

Citation: Title: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1919; page 699
Transcription:
Kruszynski Jno b 558 Western av N
Additional note: “clk” means clerk, lives with Katherine, Helen, and Louis (probably another name for Leon).

Citation: Title : St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1920; page 825
Transcription:
Kruszynski Jno A clk Minn Trans b 558 Western av
Additional note: “clk” means clerk, lives with Katherine and Louis (probably another name for Leon).

Citation: Year: 1920; Census Place: St Paul Ward 8, Ramsey, Minnesota; Roll: T625_855; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 95; Image: 237
Enumerated: January 1920
Information:
Location:
Street: Western Avenue
House Number: 558
Number of dwelling-house in the order of visitation: 222
Number of family, in the order of visitation: 313
Name: Kruszynski John
Relation: Son
Tenure:
Home owned or mortgaged: n/a
If owned, free or mortgaged:n/a
Personal Description:
Sex: Male
Color or race: White
Age at last birthday: 23
Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced: single
Citizenship:
Year of immigration to the United States: n/a
Whether Naturalized or alien: n/a
If naturalized, year of naturalization: n/a
Education:
Attended school any time since September 1, 1919: n/a
Can Read: yes
Can Write: yes

Nativity:
Person:
Place of birth: Minnesota
Mother Tongue: n/a
Father:
Place of birth: Germany; Poland
Mother Tongue: Polish
Mother:
Place of birth: Germany; Poland
Mother Tongue: Polish

Speaks English: Polish
Occupation, Trade, or profession:
Occupation: Clerk
Industry: Railroad
Whether an employer, salary or wage worker, or working on own account:
Wage
Number of Farm Schedule: 994
Additional note: Lives with his dad “Leo Kruszynski”, mom “Rose Kruszynski”, younger sisters “Helen Kruszynski” and “Katherine Kruszynski”

Citation: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1922; Page: 867
Transcription:
Jno T clk Minn Trans r 558 N Western av
Additional note: Lives with Catherine, Helen, and Leon

Citation: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1923; Page: 738
Transcription:
Jno A clk Minn Trans r 558 N Western av
Additional note: Lives with Katherine, Helen, and Leo

Citation: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1924; Page: 719
Transcription:
Jno A clk Minn Trans r 558 N Western
Additional note: Lives with Helen and Leo

Citation: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1925; Page: 714
Transcription:
Jno A clk Minn Trans r 558 N Western av
Additional note: Lives with Helen and Leo

Citation: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1928; Page: 751
Transcription:
John A clk Minn Trans r 558 N Western
Additional note: Lives with Helen

Citation: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1929; Page: 751
Transcription:
Jno A clk Minn Trans r 558 N Western
Additional note: Lives with Helen and Leo

Citation: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1931; Page: 713
Transcription:
John lab r 558 N Western av
Additional note: Lives with Helen and Leo

Citation: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1933; Page: 655
Transcription:
John r 558 N Western av
Additional note: Lives with Helen and Leon

Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: St Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota; Roll: 1119; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0112; Image: 860.0; FHL microfilm: 2340854
Enumeration Date: April 2, 1930 by Evelyn Allen
Information:
Place of Abode:
Street, avenue, road, etc.: Western Avenue
House Number: 558
Number of dwelling-house in the order of visitation: 13
Number of family, in the order of visitation: 16
Name: Kruszynski John
Relation: Son
Home Data:
Home owned or rented: n/a
Value of home if owned, or monthly rental if rented: n/a
Radio set: n/a
Does this family live on a farm?: n/a
Personal Description:
Sex: Male
Color or race: White
Age at last birthday: 32
Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced: single
Age at first marriage: n/a
Education:
Attended school any time since September 1, 1929: no
Can Read and write: yes
Nativity:
Person:
Place of birth: Minnesota
Father:
Place of birth: Poland
Mother:
Place of birth: Germany; Poland
Mother tongue (or native language) of foreign born:
Language spoken in home before coming to the United States: n/a
Code (for office use only do not write anything in these columns):
State or M.T.: 64
Country: 14
Nativity: o
Citizenship, etc.:
Year of immigration to the United States: n/a
Naturalization: n/a
Whether able to speak english: yes

Occupation, Trade, or profession:
Occupation: Office Clerk
Industry: Steam Railroad
Code (for office use only do not write anything in these columns): 7X77
Whether an employer, salary or wage worker, or working on own account:
Wage
Employment:
Whether actually at work yesterday (or the last regular working day): yes
If not, line number on unemployment schedule: n/a
Veterans:
Whether a veteran of U.S. military or naval services:
Yes or No: No
What war or condition: n/a
Number of Farm Schedule: n/a
Additional note: Lives with his dad “Leon J Kruszynski”, mom “Rose E Kruszynski”, younger sister “Helen R Kruszynski”

Citation: State of Minnesota. Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2002. Minneapolis, MN, USA: Minnesota Department of Health.
Info:
Name: John A. Kruse Aka Kruszynski
Death Date: 10 Sep 1954
Death County: Crow Wing
State File Number: 003277
Certificate Number: 003277
Certificate Year: 1954
Record Number: 1253819

Citation: St Paul, Minnesota, City Directory, 1955; Page Number:415;
Transcription:
Lillian R (wid John A) maid Bethesda Hosp
H1112 N Lexington pkwy