The ZOROWSKI Family History

The ZOROWSKI Family does not have a long history in the United States of America. In fact, the genealogical research done on this family has found all of the ZOROWSKI immigrant ancestors. Four families came to this country in the late 1800's and the early 1900's. Two of the families immigrated from Poland while the other two immigrated from Ireland.

Wojeic WASZCZUK came to America from Krasne, Poland around 1898. Behind he left three year old son, Stanislaw, who's mother, Michaliny ze SNARSKICH, had died during or shortly after his birth. Wojeic had remarried twice within those first three years in an effort to give his son a mother. Both women died. Wojeic decided that he would leave his son with his sister's husband and head for America. Maybe there, he would find a better life for him and his son. He settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and worked in the coal mines. It would be thirteen years before he saved enough money to bring young Stanislaw to America.

Stanislaw KOZUCH and his wife Agata KOWALSKI came to America from Poland between 1902 and 1905 with their two children Wojeic /Albert/ and Marya /Mary/. While in America, they had another child, John. However Agata did not like America and was homesick, so she took the children and returned to Poland. Stanislaw followed his wife, and they had three more children, Jakub, Adam and Henryk, before returning to America. This time, they were here to stay and had two more children, Peter and Stanley. It is unknown when Stanislaw returned to America, but Agata and their children returned in 1913 on the Imperitor passing through immigrations at Ellis Island. The KOZUCH family also settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Eventually, the KOZUCH family and the WASZCZUK family were joined by the marriage of Mary KOZUCH and Stanislaw WASZCZUK.

Robert BALMER and his wife Sarah Jane CRAIG, left Ireland sometime before 1875. They first traveled to Barrows-in-Furness, England. While there, they had six children, James, Robert, Elanora, Martha Jane, William, and Selena. Then in 1888, they immigrated to America, settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There, they had three more children; Florence, Mary Mabel, and Victoria. In 1900, they adopted a child named Thomas Crossley, the third child of James CROSSLEY and Mary STEEL.

James CROSSLEY and Mary STEEL have been the hardest family to trace. While it is known that both were born in Ireland, it is not known when they immigrated to America. They had three children; Agnes, William James, and Thomas. In 1900 Mary died, leaving James to take care of the three children, then ages 6, 4, and 2 respectively. Between June and December of 1900, James went back to Ireland taking Agnes and Thomas with him. He probably took William too, but this has not been verified. However, it has been verified that James returned from Ireland in December of 1900 on the Teutonic with Agnes and Thomas. They also came through Ellis Island and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Thomas was adopted by the BALMERs above. Agnes was adopted by a family named CRAIG, no proven relation to Sarah Jane CRAIG. William does not show up in any records until he married his brother's adopted sister, Victoria, in 1930.