Like many people, I know relatively little about my ancestors.
My family immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s and settled in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My grandparents manufactured candy. They
first worked for a manufacturer, then later ran their own small
family operation. Ultimately, they acquired a number of lots and
residences in St. Francis (Milwaukee) for candy making, and to house
family and renters.
I've put together an abbreviated form of my family tree below.
Not that this is news to anyone, our name appears to be Polish.
While some seem to think all Polish names must end in "-ski",
I think we can say conclusively that Plonka is not a shortened or
changed name. There are many Plonkas in the "old country" today.
For some more information about the name itself and possible origins,
see the Plonka Trivia page.
Unfortunately, Poland has had a very turbulant history. Its borders
have changed many times, it has gone out-of and come back into existence,
and has suffered numerous economic problems. All these factors have
contributed to the dispersion of Plonkas to other countries. Based on
what I've seen on the World-Wide Web and in personal contacts by email,
there are currently many Plonkas in both Poland and Germany.
Here's my lineage on the Plonka side of the family:
| Ancestor | Born | Married | Died |
|---|
| Martin Plonka |
b. 1873
Poland |
m. 1901
Apolonia Kazmerciak |
d. 1909
Germany |
Stephen Plonka
SSN 393-22-4270 |
b. 1903-AUG-27
Berlin, Germany |
m. 1929-JUL-15
Apolonia Bednarowski
SSN 397-44-3271 |
d. 1961-JUL-10
Milwaukee, WI |
| Eugene (Richard) Plonka |
b. 1930-JUL-11
Town of Lake (Milwaukee), WI |
m.
Living |
d. 1991-SEP-22
Milwaukee, WI |
| David Plonka |
b. 1969 |
m.
Living |
|
|
|
The emphasized entries or those saying Living are
deliberately vague for the privacy of living persons.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Apolonia and Stephen Plonka (Milwaukee) |
Eugene Plonka (Northern Wisconsin) |
Eugene's wife (high school) |
Eugene Plonka (Korean War, New Jersey) |
Gerald Plonka (Eugene's brother, Korean War) |
'57 Chevy (Eugene's?) |
My grandfather, Stephen Plonka had a brother named Al (perhaps
Albin?),
whose wife was named Jane (probably SSN 395-01-6436).
They lived in Detroit, and in Milwaukee for a
time, and later in California. Al and Jane had two daughters.
One of the daughters had at least two children, one by adoption,
who were close in age.
