Urshula and Jozef Maziuk 

Ursula and Joseph Maziuk . 

They were married June 19, 1911 in Salace, Grodnov, Poland, in the village of their births. Their daughter Rose tells the story about their wedding: Joseph's family left the village in 1899 to live in Siberia. Years later, Joseph's father came back to Salace to visit . He asked Urshula if she would marry his son, Joseph. She answered she might if he wasn't too ugly. I guess he pleased her because they were wed and Joseph took his bride to Siberia for their honeymoon. They remained married for their entire lives, until Urshula's death in 1980. Their marriage lasted 69 years and gave forth seven children.

After their marriage, they set out for Siberia to homestead land for their first home together. In 1913, Jozef left to establish a new home in America. He sent for Urshula and their two young children once he found a job. She traveled across Europe with the children and a friend. She arrived in America August 17, 1914. They settled in Stamford, Connecticut. Later Jozef established Maziuk's Market, a butcher shop. Soon they moved to 41 Orchard Street, a short walk from the store. They lived in that house until their deaths.

Through the war years, their children who lived in the area helped at the store, while Babcia watched the children. This gave some of the grandchildren an opportunity to know their grandparents well. Their son Paul joined his father in running the store after the war. The family remained close. Every visit from a child who lived far away was a reason for a family gathering. So there were many family gatherings, with the parents dining in the kitchen and the children eating in the laundry room when the weather was too cold to picnic outdoors. One of the highlights of each gathering was when Dziadiu would toss coins high into the air and all the grandchildren would scramble to gather as many of the coins as they could.

They were used to hard work and sacrifice and passed these as values to their children. The most important thing was your job. It was the only permitable excuse to miss a family gathering. For years Babcia had a chicken coop in the back yard, with fresh eggs daily and fresh chicken when the time was right. Of course Dziadiu butchered them in the back yard, chopping their heads off on a block and letting the chickens run until their nervous systems realized there was no head to guide them. Babcia saved the blood to make her famous "Blood soup". Nothing was ever wasted. .      50th Wedding Anniversary at Knight's of Columbus Hall        Sophie,   Francis,  Stanley,  Ursula,   Joseph,    Paul,      Rose,      Fred,     Vickie . In 1961, the children gave their parents a party to celebrate their 50th anniversary, inviting all the family and friends. It was held at the Knights of Columbus Hall. No one's job interfered that day! All children and grandchildren were present. . 

Later in life, every visit resulted in them rustling through their belongings to give the visitor something to take home with them. Dziadiu enjoyed one drink at the end of each day - a hefty glass of vodka. One of their favorite pastimes was playing pinochle with friends or family, although no one could match Dziadiu in remembering cards.

Paul and Vickie were the only children still living nearby, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude for the care they gave, first through Babcia's fight against cancer and later when Dziadiu refused to leave his home, although by this time he was blind. While each was facing their own personal tragedies, Paul and Vickie tended to Joseph and Ursula on a daily basis, lovingly taking care of all their personal and household needs.

Their chapter in life ended February 10, 1986 when Joseph joined Ursula. Their lives ended, but the family lives on with the values they taught their children, which in turn are handed down. Perhaps none of us would have the guts to do what they did - leave their homeland and everyone they knew - to search for a better life in a strange land where they couldn't speak the language, with no guarantees of success. But I like to think that their genes are in us all, to take that chance, willing to risk it all on a promise of a better life. We can be very proud of our heritage.  

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Updated 8/29/05

Created 1/15/2000 .