Helena was born 23 April 1884 in Borowice, Mazowieckie, Poland to Stanislaus Mierzejewski and Anna Keijewska. I have not yet been able to locate her birth record in Poland; however, her husband, Walter did provide her birthdate and place of birth on his naturalization paperwork.
Helena married Władysław in Troszyn on 9 February 1908. Two children, Walclaw (Walter) and Czeslawa (Celia) were born in Borowce, Poland. My father, the youngest of the family, was born after the family arrived in the US in 1924.
Helena’s maiden name was Mierzejewska, and was no relation to her husband, Władysław. The surname is very common in Poland, particularly in the region of her birth. See https://nazwiska-polskie.pl/Mierzejewski#google_vignette and zoom in on the Masovian Voivodeship and zoom in on the Mazoweicki area. In the Ostrołęka alone there are today 695 families with this surname. In Lomza, there are approximately 201 families with this surname. And in Warsaw, a fairly large city, there are 830 families with this surname. While the name can be found in other regions, I have found a few instances of it in Poznan, it seems to be fairly concentrated around Warsaw and within the Mazowieckie/Masovian voivodeship,
There were at least four families that I have found in the Toledo area with the Mierzejewski surname, and I believe I am related to one line, my grandmother’s, and possible two of these lines–if I can establish a relationship to other Mierzejewski families to my grandfather. I have not yet established a connection to other Mierzejewski families in the Toledo are to either my grandfather or my grandmother; however, I do believe there is a possibility with one family (Konstanty MIerzejewski).
The Mierzejewski surname is probably so common in Poland because it’s toponymic, meaning it relates to the geography of the land they came from. The name refers to a marsh, marshy land, or wetlands. Surnames were not in wide use in Poland until the 18th century, except for nobility. So it seems many decided to use a surname that described the area they came from when it came time to choose a surname.
Helena and Walter arrived at Ellis Island on 20 February 1923, with their two children. Walter had been admitted to the Ellis Island hospital on 9 March and the family was indicated a LPC QE (likely public charges, quota exceeded), and Helena was noted as unable to read and write in her native language. It’s not yet known the reasoning why they were admitted to the country, but Walter was discharged from the hospital on 23 March and they were admitted on 24 March and headed toward the address listed on the manifest: 1763 Buckingham. This is where her brother, John, had been living and the address at which my father, Edward, had been born.
By 1928, my grandparents Walter and Helena were living on Woodstock Ave. The 1930 census shows that Walter had submitted his papers for naturalization, Helena and the children were indicated as aliens. The first two children, Walter and Celia, were 21 and 19 at the time of this census. Walter and these two children were employed in factories (I believe Walter was employed at Overland and son Walter and daughter Celia were employed at Champion.) They owned their home and it was valued at $5300. Helena is indicated as unable to read and write and both Walter and Helena were noted as unable to speak English.
It seems Helena may have been illiterate most of her life. The 1930 census indicates she could not read and write for most of her life. She certainly did not naturalize at the same time as her husband. I have not found her naturalization paperwork yet; however, I did find a voter registration card for her first time registration. This record was signed on 23 September 1943, and it does provide a signature by Helen. So it’s possible she became literate enough to sign her name. The voter registration states that was was naturalized in the US District Court at Toledo in 1942.
The family lived on Woodstock Ave. until sometime in the late 1930s. They owned the home, and it was valued at $5,300. However, the 1940 census shows them renting a home on Hamilton Ave. The family did lose their home on Woodstock during the Great Depression. Eventually, they had a residence on Evesham Ave., in back of St. Hyacinth’s parish. Helena’s husband, Walter, died 1 May 1946.
Helena stayed at the Evesham address with her daughter, Celia and her husband, Joe. Helena died 7 May 1959 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Toledo.
