JAN DYCH ~ Helen’s Great Great Great Grandfather

Note: I don’t know anything personal about my third great grandfather, so I am culling from research here. I’d like to thank Grazyna from GuidingPoland.com for some preliminary research as well as Lukasz Bielecki from the Poznan Project for being our genealogical guide on our 2012 foray into Dych country.

According to research of the Grylewo Parish registers, Jan was born 11 Mar 1844 to Wojciech (Adelbertus) Dych and Francisca Piechowiak in Danaborz, Wagrowiec, Wielpolska Poland. Danaborz was known as the center of the Cistercians in Poland…see the link on the blog sidebar.The nearest big city that you could locate on a map would be Poznan. He was baptized on the 14 of March. Jan’s godparents were Jan Wota (inquilinus or farmer who did not own any land) and Fransisca Wota.

His father was a famulus which is a personal assistant or servant, but by the time Marianna was m. to Jozef, he was listed as a custos or keeper which is like a custodian. There was a Monastery located in the village, and we conjecture that he might have been a sacristan in the church, assisting the priests by laying out the garments and preparing the altar fro Mass.

Jan had 7 siblings born in Danaborz: Anna, b. 5 Jul 1835, Tomasz b.20 Dec1827,  Marianna b. 30 Nov. 1830, Katarzyna born 1832 died 1833, Agnes b. 11 Jan 1838, Jozef b. 19 Feb 1845,  Helena b.24 Feb 1849.

While he was still a child, several older siblings married and began their families which created an even larger extended family with boatloads of young cousins for Jan and now for us!

Jan’s sis, Agnes b. 11 Jan 1838  who marries Michael Nowicki~27~11Oct 1863 in Grylewo. They had 4 children:  Ignacy, Marianna, Stanislaus, and Michael.

In 1852 Jan’s big sis Marianna married Jozef Konewinski. One year later, Jan was 9 years old in 1853 when brother Tomasz married Appolonia Sass.

On 10 Oct 1858, Jan’s sis, Anna married Josef Luzkowiak in Grylewo. They had 5 children: Marianne, Jan, Francis, Walenty, and Catherine.

JAN’S MARRIAGE and early family life: In 1867, when Jan was 23 years old, he married Catharina Biscup who was 21 from Legowo, Wagrowiec.

They had seven children, the first 5 of of whom  were born in Grylewo. The last two were born in Detroit. Augusta, Marianna b. 1871, Michalina b. 1872 (Helen’s great-great gramma who married Antoni Lasecki)  who had Marry, Walter, Paul, Leo, Angeline, Stanley, Alec, and Rose. Constancia b.1875 who married Joseph Pryzstup and had John, Bernard, and William,

After Constancia, came two more daughters, Josepha b. 1876 who died in Grylewo at the heart-breaking age of 3 years old, Agnes b.1882 who married Walter Pryzstup and had Edward, Bernice, and Lucy, and last son of Catharina and Jan was  Stanislaus b. 1891. It appears only Michalina, Constancia and Agnes survived childhood.

In Danaborz, Jan is listed as an inqulinus or a farmer who lives with another, and who doesn’t own any land or house. With his father being a servant, probably to the church, it would make sense that he had no land. And that he was probably living in poverty dreaming about the new world overseas.

IMMIGRATION: Jan came to the US with his wife, Katarzyna, and daughters Michalina and Constancia on the SS Weser sailing from Bremen.  On the ship manifest, Jan is listed as a workman. As with many of the older records, the ages are off on this one, probably due to language issues. We have Michalina’s birth record and she would have been 9 and Konstancia 4. At any rate, the Dychs arrived in New York on 26 Apr 1881.

 DETROIT   

Shortly after arriving, Jan and Catherine’s daughter Agnes was born in Detroit on the 13 Feb 1882.

The young family lived at 29 Martin St. at the time their first son, Stanislaus was born in 1891. Baptized at the Polish parish of Sweetest Heart of Mary RC church, Stan’s godparents were Jan Wisniewski and Jozefa Krajenka ( a variant of the name Krajniak perhaps). We can’t locate further information regarding Stan, so we surmise he did not survive, as so many of his siblings.

On the 1898 Detroit City Directory John is living at 945 Riopelle and works as a laborer. Joseph and Stanislaus are the same as 1899.

In the 1899 Detroit City Directory John is living at 945 Riopelle as are Michael Krajniak, Joseph Prystup, and Michael Powalski. In the same issue, he’s listed as a laborer. Joseph (his brother) at 375 Alexandrine street is also a laborer.Stanislaus is a bartender boarding with his father on Alexandrine Ave E. NOTE: Jozef has a son Stanislaus b. 1878 (Jan’s is b. 1891and I don’t think he survived long).

On the 1900 US census at 945 Riopelle in Detroit. Joseph Pryzstup is listed at the same house number living with his wife, Bosfy or something like that. Note: Michalina’s sister Katarzyna married Joseph Prystup. Also living at 945 are Michael Krajniak with sons, Andrew, Frank, Victor, and daughter Mary. NOTE: Josefa Krajenska is Jan Dych’s son Stanislaus’s godparent…along with Jan Wisniewski in 1891.

John Dych is listed as widowed and living with Michalina, who is single and possibly 19, but we think this is a mistake and he lived with Agnes.  If it was Michalina, escaping her alcoholic husband, she was 29 and probably pregnant with her 4^th child. At any rate, the census lists Jan as 51 years old. Lists his date of birth as Jun of 1848 and Michalena’s as Aug 1880. I’m searching for another Michalina – there were several – who may have been living with John and been a young single woman.It says he is 51 years old. Lists his date of birth as Jun of 1848 and Michalena’s as Aug 1880.They have lived in the US for 20 years at this point. Jan is a day laborer while Michalina does laundry, though neither are employed at the time. Jan cannot read or write, but Michalina can.

The last time Jan is listed in the Detroit Directory is in 1903. It simply says John Dych (aged 56) died 19 Sept. 1902.

The death cert. lists his address as 945 Riopelle Street. His correct age is 58. He’s suffered from Bright’s Disease of the kidney that he’d had for 6 months and Uraemia. His death cert. says that he was the parent of 9 children, of whom 3 are still living in 1902. Michalina and Konstancia were married by this time; Agnes married one year later.

Looking for this grave in the summer of 2010 was an amazing adventure! I’ve written an account called Hunting for Jan Dych’s grave.

Jan’s address at death is 945 Riopelle Street. He is buried at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Row number 1, stone number 1, behind the garage in the old section of the cemetery. His gravestone says PLEASE REMEMBER ME O VIRGIN MARY.

We don’t have any photos of Jan Dych. If you have anything that shows his likeness, we would dearly love to see it, or a copy.