Michael Glinka, was born on April 17, 1870 somewhere in Occupied Poland (possibly East Prussia or Austria-Hungary). As of this date, we aren't sure of his birth town but hopefully with the help of the Family History Center of the Church of Latter Day Saints, we will be able to find him in historical records. We only know about his mother, who he was very devoted to, according to his children. From his second child's baptismal certificate, John Stephan Glinka, it looks as if his mother's maiden name might be "Jumann". It's a very obscure surname and we are not sure whether it is German or the Germanization of a Polish surname. From the Oral History taken by Ann Collette (granddaughter of Michael), of Mary Glinka Burford (Michael's fifth surviving child) and Sophia Glinka Lainey (Michael's sixth surviving child), Michael's mother was burned to death in a house fire. Before his marriage to Mary Bereta, he was a Cavalry Soldier.
Michael married Mary Bereta, a Pastry Maid, around 1896; possibly a year before. Their first child, was a daughter Anna, born in 1897. Next came John, born in 1899. Then came Charles, born in 1903. Between John and Charles, two sons were born, Michael and Carl, who only survived within six months of their birth. The three oldest surviving children, were all born in Europe. It was in 1904, Michael left for America, leaving Mary with the three children, with plans on joining him within the next two years.
According to the Oral History of Mary Glinka Burford and Sophia Glinka Lainey, Michael was a very loving father. He knew no English but spoke in Polish and German. He could read in Polish but not write in this language. Mary Glinka Burford remembers teaching him to sign his name in English. Mary and Sophia remember sitting on his lap a lot as children and being able to play with his moustache. Sophie remembered a touching story when she was nine years old. She remembered having to walk two miles to the store when a windstorm came up and carried not only the goods away from her, but herself as well. She recalls her father coming with the horse and cart to rescue her.
Michael was described as a quiet, gentle man, who wasn't always healthy but worked hard. He helped a lot of neighbors when they were in trouble and never refused anyone with help. He was always concerned about his children and was protective of them. In the farming community of Lublin, Wisconsin, Michael was known to be the horse expert, probably due to his experience as a Cavalry Soldier in Europe. He knew how to use herbs as medicinal ways to help the horses of the town.
On April 3rd, 1922, at the age of 51 years, 11 months and 3 days, Michael Glinka passed away from Influenza. On his death certificate, it lists the major cause of death as "endocarditis" and the contributory cause as "edema of the lungs". Sophie remembers the day of his funeral and recalled it to me, Gayle Glinka Weyland, on one of their visits. Sophie was ten years old at the time and she had to stay in the house to watch the younger children. She remembers looking out the window watching the neighboring men place her father's coffin on to the horse cart. As soon as the coffin was placed on the cart, Michel's beloved horses threw themselves up in the air, as if to salute their master one last time.
When Michael died, he was buried in what was once the town and village cemetery instead of the Catholic cemetery because he did not attend church that past Easter Sunday, even though he helped build the Catholic cemetery. Thanks to his son, Charles Glinka, Michel's grave is now part of St. Stanislaus Catholic Cemetery in Lublin, Wisconsin. Charles had the fence that seperated the town and village cemetery from the Catholic cemetery removed. He had a new headstone made for him as well. St. Stansislaus Cemetery in Lublin, Wisconsin is found on County Highway F as you are entering the town. Across the road is another Catholic cemetery, St. Mary's Polish National Catholic Cemetery. When you enter St. Stansislaus Cemetery, enter at the sign and go toward the back, even with the last graves in the cemetery. Then go 10 - 20 yards to the left and you will find his grave. These directions were give to me from Jeffrey Glinka, grandson of Michael Glinka, from his 2001 trip to Lublin, Wisconsin. A big thanks to him for these great directions. All of us ancestors of Michael Glinka are thankful for his bravery coming to a new country in order to give opportunities to his children, grandchildren, and so forth, that he never could experience living in his own birth country.
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Re: Michael Glinka's Grave:
ReplyDeleteMy oral history of Michael's grave is different from the one you have. I heard that Michael could not make his Easter pledge to the church, so when he passed the church would not let him be buried in the church cemetery. As was the custom at the time, he was buried just outside of the cemetery in the farmer's field in back. About 1957 when I was 11 or 12, a number of visiting Glinkas (including the Collette family from California) went from Chetek to Lublin to find Michael's grave. My father, Henry Glinka, found it almost right away, I think he may have been a child of 6 when he last saw it. It was beyond the fence in the farmer's field, along with the tall marker that is next to Michael's grave and further out in the field. The farmer had tall corn there at the time, and I don't know how he missed the tall marker with his farm machinery. Michael's marker at that time was off white in color, flush to ground and written in Polish.
Much later, Charles Glinka wanted his father's grave moved to inside the church cemetery, but he local priest was against disturbing the dead. The cemetery was expanded and the fence was removed, and the rest of the farmers field is now a meadow. That's the way it was in 2001 when I visited. There were no or few graves further back than Michael's indicating the town cemetery was not in back of the St. Stanislaus cemetery. So I don't think the linking of the town and church cemetery is what brought Michael's grave into the church cemetery, but rather expanding the church cemetery to the rear. I don't know where the town cemetery is located.
Also, Michael's modern above ground marker says that he was born in 1872, which is probably inaccurate.
Jeffrey Glinka
The reason why I put 'town and village" cemetery is because that is what it said on Michael's death certificate. He said he was to be buried in the town and village cemetery. And you are correct, Michael was born in 1870. I have to look at the picture of the headstone again to see what it said. Rachel was supposed to put those pics on Picassa last night so as soon as she does, I'm going to forward them to you and the gang. And yes, I remember the large gravemarker next to MIchael's - you can't miss it being so tall. I was trying to imagine where the fence line was when I was there.
ReplyDeleteBefore I sent you the last email I reviewed the video I took in 2001. The fence line I talked about was just on the road side of Michael's grave. The tall stone is from a Kazimer somebody who also died in 1922 and was further out in the farmer's corn field in 1957. In 2001 there was a difference in the grass and mowing, with rougher less frequently mowed grass starting where the fence was.
ReplyDeleteI think the "town and village"cemetery was what the town/village/county/family had to put in there, I think they had to fudge it, they couldn't say "outside of St. Stanislaus Cemetery" or "in farmer John's field near the cemetery".
As I said before, the original marker I saw in 1957 was in Polish, and I remember that I could make out one of the words "Michael Glinka" but the other I could not make out due to the Polish spelling and alphabet.