The Challenging Jagodzinski / Barry Family - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic Info:
What would genealogy be without a few challenges. (And yes, this is similar to a theme we had at the beginning of the year. I'm willing to bet you have more than one challenging ancestor -- I know I do!) Who has been a challenge to find? What location is challenging to research?

Honestly, I could have sat here and done a few different areas of the family as I still have brick walls around, but nothing frustrates me more than the Jagodzinski or Barry area of my family. This is my grandmother and her father's side of the family.

Janet Dorothy Jagodzinski Gauquie. Credit J. Gauquie

Using the Jagodzinski (also used Jagodrinski) and Barry as last names
As far as I've been told, my maternal grandmother was born Janet Jagodzinski in May 1911 in Pennsylvania. I have not been able to find her birth entry, certificate or church entry as yet. Her life from 1911 until 1930 is basically a mystery.

I found her father's Declaration of Intention in 1930 and what I think is their entry in the 1930 US census which matches basic information in 1930, but this is it until....

In 1934 and 1935 I found she was living in Newburgh, NY and going by the name of Janet Barry according to some US City Directories. I believe this is her as I've found other information as Janet Barry which I'll get to later.

The highlights above show my grandmother and her sister Pauline living and working at the same place. Credit

I have not found her entry in the NY state marriage index either, but where they married in NY or in Pennsylvania? This is the question...

In the 1940 census, Grandma Janet is married and located with my grandfather, Louis, my uncle and mother and in Newburgh, NY. It backs up she was born in Pennsylvania and she was living in Salisbury Mills, NY in 1935 and on a farm. This farm would have been my great grandfather, Jules Gauquie's, farm I believe (below).

This is the family farm which Janet probably mentioned on the 1940 census about where they were living in 1935. Credit. J. Fitzgerald taken Jan 2019

It wasn't until I ordered in 2 more pieces of information which started to unlock the name confusion information and mystery - but not completely.

I ordered in my grandmother Janet's Social Security Application she filled out (below). There it listed her mother and father reminding you she filled out the form, so she should know who her parents are right? On the form, her father, my great grandfather, was listed as Leo Barry and her mother's name Bernice Ostrzycki. My mother told me her grandfather's name was Appolanus Jagodzinski and her grandmother's name was Bernice but didn't know what her maiden name is/was. Yep I'm confused...who was the correct father? Where they the same?

Janet's Social Security Application. Credit: Social Security Administration

The other form I ordered in was my grandfather Louis' Railroad Board record. On this, he put my grandmother's name down as Janet Barry Gauquie. Interesting as she was actually born as Janet Jagodzinski I was told. I cannot find her birth certificate to find out and I've looked several times, so what's going on?

My grandmother's name on my grandfather's RailRoad Retirement Board application. Credit: RailRoad Retirement Board 

This locked in my grandmother's maiden name as Janet Barry, which then I found the city directories I mentioned above, but as far as I knew my mother told me her birth name was Janet Jagodzinski.

Anyhow, I asked my cousin Jason if our grandmother's name was Barry or Jagodzinski. He didn't know anything about this side of the family and said he'd try to ask his father. My mother had 2 brothers - one had died in California and Uncle Jimmy was still living in New York. Uncle Jimmy is Jason's father. However, no one, not even other cousin's who knew of our grandmother, knew about the last name, so it was an unanswered question.

Earlier this year (2019), we had to go back to New York, and I met up with my uncle and cousin's. As we were talking, he came out with "You know they used the Barry name right?" meaning his mother's family.

My mouth dropped open and I nodded slowly saying I had some idea they did but nothing of proof. Then I asked the one question I wanted to know - why? The answer was as easy as "They were having problems getting employed because of the name so they changed it to get jobs and to sound more American." Standard answer but it was the answer I had come down too, but didn't have any confirmation until then.

The feeling I felt after my uncle told me the information on the Barry/Jagodzinski last name connection. Credit

One question answered, but many more to go about this family.

Janet Jagodzinski / Barry's father
I had found out about Grandma Janet's mother, Bernice, and had found her HUGE family. I do mean huge and some are still in Pennsylvania and others have moved south for different reasons.

On the other hand Grandma Janet's father, Appolanus Jagodzinski / Barry, is more of a question mark. On Grandma Janet's Social Security Application she put down Leo Barry, which the last name matches if you believe the Barry story above.

Where did the Leo come from? Talking to some other Polish researchers and I found many people with the name Appolanus had Americanized it to Leo. This makes my great grandfather's whole name Americanized now and very common unfortunately.

However, where did he come from? Where is he?

I have very little information on Appolanus I have to admit. I've had the US Immigration Service do searches on him and found a Intention for Naturalization which wasn't completed and in Pennsylvania. Of course the arrested for Robbery which was a mistake and he can't remember anything probably wasn't a good thing. However, it did contain something interesting. It confirmed he was in Pennsylvania and in New York - both places I know my ancestors were.

Appolanus' Declaration of Intention Paperwork from US Naturalisation Service

Appolanus' 2nd page - love the Robbery line above.

Further it contained Alien Cards from the 1940s and early 1950s so I could track where he had lived.

One of the many Address cards Alien's had to fill out until the 1950s. Credit: US Naturalisation Service

I was able to locate another Declaration of Intention in September 1930 where my great grandmother, all great aunts, uncles and grandmother are listed on this paper.

Appolanus' Declaration of Intention paperwork in the 1930s with wife and children listed. Credit

The problem is the information just - stops - until his obituary shows up in 1967 which I had just located in January 2019. He wasn't even listed on his wife's obituary which was interesting but not fully unexpected. My mother told me everytime someone referred to him as a pain and no one wanted him or anything to do with him because he was mean.

As for where he's buried, I found in January 2019, he's buried next to his wife, Bernice in New Windsor, New York.

Where they are buried with my grandmother behind the cross. Credit: J. Fitzgerald Taken 2019

The information he gives out is very little and I can't trace it back at all. I would love to know where in Poland he comes from, but even with using the ship manifest and Declaration of Intentions, it doesn't narrow it down at all to me because there could be many places called the same thing in Poland.

This is what I feel like doing everytime I try to unravel this side of the family. Credit

Janet Jagodzinski's siblings?
This is another huge problem I have. It seems like the surviving sons, stayed in Pennsylvania for some reason. I have no idea why other than they must have wanted to stay close to their mother's side of the family, but have no idea if they had done this. However, talking to the Ostrzycki's, and their ancestors, and they always said that Bernice and her family just disappeared. They used to hear some news when Bernice called, but lost contact once she passed away.

My grandmother's sisters? I found them around the Newburgh area too.
Aunt Honey, or Genevieve who was the youngest sister, was married and had children. My mother and her were very close until my mother left my father.

Aunt Honey, Genevieve Jagodzinski, in her later years. Credit 

Pauline, or Apolonia I think was her formal name listed on the Alien Cards, was the oldest. I know she had married and had children. At least one of these, Alberta, went to school with my father. He says she lives in Florida now, but hasn't told me where or how to contact her. There is very little information on Pauline other than the census information I've been able to find and according to my father.

Wilma, who was the second youngest sister, I found lived with Pauline at one point but went under the name of Vilma which was Americanized name, and she lived in Newburgh, NY as well.

I obtained this information from the 1930 census, which had Bernice as Virginia, Leo Jagodzinski, and the kids which all match the obituaries I had found. And I found Pauline and Vilma on the 1940 census, by then all the kids had up and married and/or moved out like Vilma.

The 1930 Census listing the Jagodzinski's including Leo and ages. Credit: US Government

However, once again, they all disappeared. I know very little information on most. The one I have the most information, but even this is spotty, is Genevieve. I think this is because my grandmother and mother were close, so they stayed in touch until the early 1970s. However, this is only a guess as my father said my mother and Genevieve were always talking on the phone and I can't remember them speaking after my parents divorced in the 1970s.

Who were and are these Jagodzinski's? Do they still go by the name Barry or have the reverted back to the name Jagodzinki's?

Last week, I was in a meeting and one person brought up a statement which was "Most of the time people just have to ask and others have a hard time saying no."

I'm now taking the time to ask - Where ARE you??? Please come and talk to me....

Credit