NEIGHBORHOODS

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Our Family's Parishes and Neighborhoods:

St. Adalbert Church
Near Paulina and 17th Streets
Contributor: Sandra Healy

ST. ADALBERT CHURCH (1905-1913)
1650 West 17th St.
Chicago, IL 60608

General location: Chicago's near South Side. Pilsen area.

Residence(s): 16th St. & Wood St., probably 1601 S. Wood St.

Children Joseph, August, Nicholas, Frank, Elizabeth and Edward were born here. Brother Jozef Bieniarz lived with Stanislaw and Michalina here from 1906 until about 1913.

Harrison Park is very close, about a block down the street. It was recently site to an outdoor Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert and an address by President Fox, visiting from Mexico.

The "L" passes to the east near Paulina Avenue, and the south near 21st Street. It's now the "Blue Line".

Wood and 17th Streets
The center of our Pilsen Neighborhood
Contributor: Sandra Healy

JUNCTION CITY, WI (1914-1916)

Theophilus and Evelyn Bieniasz were born here. The births were recorded in Stevens Point, WI.

Doctors suggested that, for reasons of health, Stanislaw Bieniarz should leave the city and find alternative rural employment. So, he and Michalina bought a farm.

There was a large Polish community around Stevens Point. And, of course, a lot of German settlers as well. But the probable deciding factor was that the Gawle family had settled in nearby Rosholt WI by 1905, so this wasn't entirely alien territory.

It was here while playing in the forbidden tool shed, that August Bieniasz nearly killed his brother Joseph with a shotgun blast.

The harvests were not very bountiful. Stanislaw, a trained machinist, yearned to resume his career.

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in 1995

ST. STANISLAUS KOSTKA CHURCH (1917-1957)
1351 W. Evergreen St.
Chicago, IL 60608

General location: Chicago's near North Side. Wicker Park area. Goose Island is nearby.

St. Stanislaus is really on Noble Street, facing Pulaski Park. It was founded in 1867 as the first Polish Roman Catholic Parish in Chicago. It became, around 1900-1910, the largest Catholic parish in North America.

It took the pilgrims a while to get here, but this is the Plymouth Rock of the Bieniarz family.

Residence: 1421 N. Noble Street

The balance of the children (Edmund, Casimir, Chester, George and Daniel) were born here.

Michalina's sister, Angeline Rak Balon, was conveniently raising her family right across the street.

All the the Bieniasz boys and girls attended school at St. Stan's. An enormous pain in the "dupie" for the patient nuns and priests who tried to mold these zealous pupils.

Pulaski Park is right across the street from St. Stanislaus. Johnny Weismueller (Tarzan) was a lifeguard there.

The Bieniasz family tenure here ended with the construction of the Northwest Expressway (now the Kennedy Expressway ) which caused the razing of many structures to the east and north of St. Stanislaus Church. The church itself was saved, because highway planners feared the wrath of citizens had they even suggested razing the church. Instead, the expressway makes a curious "curve" around the church.

Noble Street in 1933
St. Stanislaus Kostka Church
On Noble Street in Chicago
(And above in 1995)

Click for map of attractions along Milwaukee Avenue in 1930

Additional Photos, Footnotes, and Things:

	The Bieniarz Garden
	Junction City, WI
	Pilsen, Chicago 1
	Pilsen, Chicago 2
	St. Adalbert Church
	St. Stanislaus Kostka Church
	Kostkaville, Chicago IL
	More Chicago Parishes
	Webster, MA

FOOTNOTES

Please understand that the above dates are approximate, but pretty close. We have a pretty good idea from births, census records, jubilee books and memories where the Bieniarz family settled in those days.

It's become evident that Stan & Michalina had more than one apartment in the St. Adalbert neighborhood. Can anybody help with an address?

Stan apparently swapped the farm in Wisconsin for a brick three-flat on Grand Avenue. Any guesses as to where on Grand Avenue?

The apartment building on Grand Avenue apparently had substantial plumbing and electrical problems, and was not to Stanislaw and Michalina's liking. They couldn't have stayed on Grand Avenue very long because they were members of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish in 1917.

TRIVIA FACT

Now, all of the above is true for the FAMILY, but the very first American parish for Stanislaw Bieniarz is believed to be St. Joseph Parish in Webster MA. In 1901, he stayed with "sister Veronika Bieniasz" in Webster at 8 Harris Street. St. Joseph's original church, shown below, has been replaced by a second building that is now St. Joseph Basilica. This is the St. Joseph Church that existed in 1901.

Webster MA was a popular destination for nearly everybody from our Straszecin parish. I've spotted the surnames Bieniasz, Niemiec, Rak, Pekala, Klisiewicz, Knych, Gawle and others either heading to or residing in the Webster area. We have more distant cousins living in New England than you can imagine!