beloigings and come with their seven children to this
country. They came on the first steamship to cross the
Atlantic to this country in seven days.
Anton (deceased 1931) and Maryanna (deceased
1933) had 12 children. The first seven of them were
born in Poland. They are as follows: Theodore,
Johanna (died on ship and dropped into the Ocean),
Julia (Martin Trawicki), Frances (John Nowicki),
Josephine (Leo Platta), John J. (Mary), Caroline
(Stan Senski), Frank born in U.S.A. (Mary), Joseph
(Regina), Leo, Alex (Helen), and Thomas. Their
homestead is where Florian Witucki now lives.

L-R Back Row: Frances (Nowicki), Caroline (Senski); L.R Front Row: Josephine
(Plata), Julia (Trawicki)
As the children were getting older, they all helped
with the clearing of the lands; and some went out to
work. Anton hauled mail from Poniatowski to Edgar
and later handed that job to his oldest daughter,
Julia. She held the job until her marriage in 1898 to
Martin Trawicki. (Picture in Trawicki write-up). Her
sister Frances continued to haul mail until her
marriage to John Nowicki in 1906. After this time the
rural carriers took over.

In 1910, Anton and Maryanna bought the Lukowicz
property, Section 14, located across the road from
the Literski's, where they spent their remaining years.
Raising a family of seven boys and four girls meant
a lot of mouths to feed. They raised geese so that the
feathers could be used for pillows and featherbeds.
The sheep were raised not only for meat, but the wool
was sheared from them, washed, and carded, to be
spun into yam, and put onto skeins for knitting stock-
ings, caps and mittens. However, their main meat was
pork. In the fall of the year, 7 porkers was the usual
number to be butchered. Their grandson Art Nowicki
recalls that when he attended the Holy Family School
at Poniatowski, he usually stayed with them; and his
job, at this time, was to turn the meat grinder by
hand and stuff about 1-1/2 to 2 washtubfuls of
sausage meat into the casings. These were long
tedious hours.
As more clearing was made to grow more feed for
the animals, Anton started to buy up more land in
the surrounding area of Poniatowski. He purchased
land that is now operated by Richard Schroeder
(the former Mleczek farm). His son Joseph recalls
how they chased the cows three miles every morning
to this pasture land. For convenience sake, they later
sold this tract of land.
When the sons grew up, some helped at home;
others went out to work. Theodore the oldest, went
out west to the Dakotas to harvest grain, then on to
Iowa to pick corn. Joseph farmed with his brother Leo
on the homestead and with lands joining across the
road and the John Myszka land south of Poniatowski.
As Theodore came home, his father handed down the
home place (Lukowicz's); later it was transferred to
Thomas, another son. Frank, who married Mary
Laska, was given the Jacob Murkowski land by his
father. It is now owned and operated by James
Witucki. Theodore, Joseph, and Thomas each also
owned land along the Black Creek.
Besides farming, Joseph succeeded M.M. Schaetzl
as a cheesemaker at Poniatowski. He made cheese for
seven years, until the factory was closed in 1945.
Joseph and Regina (Myszka) who married in July of
1928 had six children, namely: Donald, who was the
treasurer for the Town of Rietbrock from 1965-1977
until his resignation, Edmund, Ervin (deceased),
Norbert, Lorraine (Nowicki), and Marvin.
Joseph's wife Regina passed away November 1, 1958.
The farm is now owned by Norman Witucki, and
Joseph lives with his daughter, Lorraine.
Thomas sold his interests to his nephew Ervin and
wife Mary Wisnewski in 1962. Ervin lost his life in an
accident while unloading the Marathon County
caterpillar from the trailer truck, which overturned
and pinned him underneath. He died December 2,
1970. Thomas then went to live with another nephew,
Norbert, until he took up residency at the Abbotsford