Marcin Bambenek

Marcin Szymon Bambenek (1821 Kashuba - 1878 Winona)
Magdalena Stoltman (1826 Lesno -1883 Winona)

The Bambenek family (listed in the 1870 US Census as "Bine") emigrated from Widno via Quebec in 1867 or 1868. Marcin started a general merchandise business at 271-273 East Second Street (a garage of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company now stands there). After Marcin’s death, the Bambeneks’ second son Jan Baltasar took over the store until 1886, when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy’s railroad track was built along Second Street, thereby driving most of the retail establishments away.

Eight of the Bambeneks’ eleven children lived to adulthood:
Wojciech “Albert” Bambenek (1849-1929);
Marianna Bambenek Wicka (1852-1934); Jan Baltasar “John B.”  Bambenek(1854-1938); Walenty “William” Bambenek(1856-1888);
Veronica Bambenek Ramczykowski (1859-1925);
Katarzyna "Kate" Bambenek Czapiewski Bronk (1861-1887); Karol “Charles” Bambenek (1864-1937); Paul Bambenek (1869-1942).

The picture at right was discovered on ancestry.com; I have tried to contact the original poster to convey my thanks and ask for permission to share it. The original poster suggests a date of around 1869 and identifies those pictured as (left to right) Marcin, Walenty, Marianna, Jan Baltasar, Wojciech, and Magdalena. I'm not quite so sure myself, but on the other hand I don't have any better guesses either.

Joseph (1889-1977), Dominic (1887-1969), and Alfred (1900-1988) Bambenek, the sons of Jan Baltasar and Mary née Milanowski Bambenek, founded the Peerless Chain Company after the First World War.

John Charles Bambenek (1891-1966), son of Charles and Franciszka née Negowska Bambenek, served as Winona County Treasurer from 1920 to 1947.

So we go inside, and gravely read the stones

As far back as I can recall, I have been mesmerized by cemeteries. St. Mary's Cemetery in Winona, Minnesota has always been my favorite. The mortal remains of my beloved kitten wife, Lisa Gray Hughes, now lie buried here. Someday my remains will lie beside my Moopy's, alongside those of my parents and of my maternal grandparents, John C. and Laura Pellowski Bambenek. So far from depressing me, this thought gives me an unbelievable comfort. As does the idea that the little boy I was back then was not just visiting his ancestors, but his future neighbors. But then, I have always been a seriously weird dude.

The purpose of this blog is to collect data on the Kashubian American families of Winona. Of course no mere rock with names and dates engraved upon it can capture the loves, and hates, and passions of the separate lives Moopy and I lived, or of the twenty-one joyous years God gave us to spend together. Multiply this glaring discrepancy by the number of those buried at St. Mary's Cemetery and the result is a universe - a virtual Spoon River of lives to sample and explore as best we can. And now, in the autumn of my life, they have summoned me to share their stories as best I can. If by some chance you have actually read this far, please consider yourself summoned too. I would welcome your contributions and (even more) your company.