Marriage record of Adam Tanajewski and Marianna Kaczyńska - 1883 Entry no. 62, Żyrwiny Adam Tanajewski with Marianna Kaczyńska This took place in Puńsk on 25 October/6 November 1883 at 1 pm. We declare that in the presence of the witnesses Szymon Kalinowski, age 36 and Józef Tanajewski, age 22, both minor farmers residing in the village of Mikołajówka, on todays' date took place a religious marriage ceremony between Adam Tanajewski, a bachelor, age 25, born in the village of Sitkowizna and residing on a farm in the village of Żyrwiny, son of both deceased Antoni Tanajewski and Małgorzata née Burdyn; and Marianna Kaczyńska /Maryanna Kaczyńska, a spinster, age 21, born in the village of Pokomsze and residing in the folwark = estate Sejwy as a servant, daughter of Andrzej Kaczyński and Marianna née Burzyńska. Three banns to this marriage were announced in the local parish church on 2/14, 9/21 and 16/28 October of the current year. No pre-marital agreement has been contracted. The religious ceremony was performed today by the Rev. Mateusz Ruszyński, a vicar of the local church. This document was read to the illiterate newlyweds and the witnesses and it was signed only by us. Rev. Narkiewicz, administrator of the Puńsk parish and the civil records keeper.

1920 - She immigrated to the US, arriving at the Port of New York on 17 Sep 1920 on the ship New Rochelle, departing from Danzig,
line 13: Bronislawa Tanajewski, 21, female, single, sewing, can read and write Polish, a citizen of Poland of the Polish people, last permanent residence Suwalka Poland, no relatives in the country from which came, final destination Jersey City, NJ, did not have a ticket to final destination, passage paid by her brother-in-law, had $20, never before in the US, going to join her brother-in-law, Maryian Bielecki at 173 Morgan St, Jersey City, did not intend to return to native county, intend to become a US citizen, in good health, 5’2” tall, fair complexion, brown hair, blue eyes, no identification marks, from Suwalka, Poland.
line 14: Tanajewski, Marya, 60, female, widow, houseworker, can read and write Polish, a citizen of Poland of the Polish people, last permanent residence Suwalka Poland, no relatives in the country from which came, final destination Jersey City, NJ, did not have a ticket to final destination, passage paid by her son, had no money, never before in the US, going to join Maryian Bielecki at 173 Morgan St, Jersey City, did not intend to return to native county, intend to become a US citizen, in good health, 5’2” tall, fair complexion, grey hair, brown eyes, no identification marks, from Suwalka, Poland.

1920 - Her daughter, Blanche, who emigrated to the USA with her, recorded their story of the emigration process.
One of the hundreds of thousands who fled Europe in the wake of World War I, was twenty-one-year-old Bronislawa Tanajewski, who arrived at Ellis Island in 1920. Blanche, as she came to be called in America, and her mother had left their home in Suwałki, a small town in rural eastern Poland, in early spring of 1920. From the beginning, things didn’t go according to plan, but they were anxious to leave and made the best of their circumstances. Blanche’s father was too sick to make the journey. He told Blanche and her mother he’d join them later in America. He never made it.
Blanche traveled alone to Warsaw to collect money for the journey that had been sent by relatives already living in America. She returned home, then she and her mother traveled from Suwałki to the American consulate in Warsaw, where they got documents giving them permission to enter America. They then traveled north to the port city of Danzig (Gdansk) where Blanche bought tickets for the passage on a boat to New York.
Months went by while the agents Blanche bought the tickets from promised that their boat would arrive “in a few days.” Finally, in August, Blanche and her mother boarded a boat for America. They had little luggage. Earlier, thinking that her mother had packed too much (including goose-down pillows - her mother didn’t think there were suitable geese in America), Blanche “lost” some baggage off the side of a train.
Before they were allowed on the boat, kerosene was poured over their heads to kill any lice they might have brought. When they finally boarded the boat, they discovered it had been used to transport cattle-and hadn’t been converted to carry passengers. Blanche and her mother shared a stall, its floor covered with straw, during the three-week journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
When they finally arrived at New York Harbor, US immigration officials took down their names, then required them to hand over all their clothes and take disinfectant showers. Blanche handed over her nice traveling dress; when she got it back, disinfected, it was a wrinkled mess.
Blanche and her mother stayed on Ellis Island for three days, in quarantine to make sure they didn’t carry infectious diseases into the country, sleeping on cots in a large open room. Compared to their gruesome ocean voyage, it made Blanche feel as if “we came into heaven.” They spoke no English. When the quarantine was completed, relatives, including Blanche’s sister, took Blanche and her mother to live with them in Jersey City, New Jersey.

1930 - Listed in the US Census, living at 420 Beech St, New Jersey, Town of Kearny, Hudson County, part of ward 4, e.d 9-319, sheet 13B taken on Apr 15, 1930 lines 57-64 as:
Adam Tanajewski, head of house, owned his home worth $3,000, not a farm, did not have a radio, male, white, 36,married at age 22, did not attend school, can read and write, born Poland, father born Poland, mother born Poland, native tongue Polish, immigrated in 1910, a naturalized US citizen, speaks English, works as a body builder for buses, working for wages, employed last year, not a veteran
Stella, wife, female, white, 34, married at age 19, did not attend school, can read and write, born New Jersey, father born Poland, mother born Poland, speaks English, a storekeeper of a confectionery, owned her business, employed last year
Frances, daughter, female, white, 13, single, attended school, can read and write, born New Jersey, father born Poland, mother born New Jersey, speaks English, no occupation
Joseph, son, male, white, 11, single, attended school, can read and write, born New Jersey, father born Poland, mother born New Jersey, speaks English, no occupation
Agnes, daughter, female, white, 8, single, attended school, can read and write, born New Jersey, father born Poland, mother born New Jersey, speaks English, no occupation
Ruth,daughter, female, white, 4, single, did not attend school, born New Jersey, father born Poland, mother born New Jersey, speaks English, no occupation
Clair, daughter, female, white, age 5/12, single, born New Jersey, father born Poland, mother born New Jersey
Mary, mother, female, white, widowed, don’t know age, did not attend school, can not read and write, born Poland, father born Poland, mother born Poland, immigrated 1920, an alien, does not speak English, no occupation

1930 - Listed in the US Census taken Apr 14, 1930 New York, Queens County, e.d. 41-60, sheet 22B lines 83-85 living at 2317 Thirty Fifth St, Queens, NY, a six-family building:
Lanski, Adolph, head of house, renting his home for $55, owned a radio, not a farm, male, white, 41, married at age 32, did not attend school, reads and writes, born Poland, both parents born Poland, mother tongue Polish, immigrated in 1907, a naturalized US citizen, can speak English, a manager for letter signs business, working for wages, not at work last week, unemployed for 51 weeks, not a veteran
Bronislawa, wife, female, white, 30, married at age 21?, did not attend school, reads and writes, born Poland, both parents born Poland, mother tongue Polish, immigrated in 1920, and alien, can speak English, a dressmaker of women’s dresses, working for wages, at work last week,
Mary Tanajewska, mother-in-law, female, white, 69, widowed, married at age 17, did not attend school, can not read and write, born Poland, both parents born Poland, mother tongue Polish, immigrated in 1920, can speak English, no occupation.

Find a Grave:
Mary Tanajewski, birth 1869, death May 29, 1948 buried Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City, NJ plot N 96 C