The Zarnochs

Robert Louis Zarnoch (Jan. 23, 1926 - Sep. 5, 1983) was born in Cohoes, NY to Walter and Mary (Gwara) Zarnoch. He was the youngest of 9 siblings, though he was the only one to graduate high school, graduating from the Utica Free Academy in 1944. He is often known as "Frank," and according to family lore this is because his mother wanted to name him Francis but his father did not. He gave the name Robert Louis for the birth certificate, but told his wife it was Francis as she wished. This may or may not be true, it's possible that after his father died, his mother just started calling him Francis. He did not discover his real name until February 1944 when he wrote to the town clerk of Cohoes requesting a copy of his birth certificate. He enlisted in the army in 1945 and was stationed at Camp Croft in South Carolina. He held the rank of staff sergeant (ID tag #42165289). Three of his older brothers also enlisted; Bill enlisted but was discharged due to his heart, Val was stationed in Italy, and Benny in the Philippines. In July 1947 he married Marcella Pinsinski at the Holy Trinity Church in Yorkville, NY. He owned and operated his own business, Bob Zarnoch and Sons Construction Co., building custom homes. His older siblings include Walter (1908-1988), Mildred (1910-1945), Stanley (1913-1990), Stephanie (1917-2002), William (1919-1976), Valentine (1921-2014), Wladyslawa (1922-1923), and Benny (1923-2004). He is buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery, Yorkville, NY.

Left is a picture of Bob on May 23, 1964 at his goddaughter Jo-Ann Kaplan's wedding, he gave her away.

Władysław (Walter) Zarnoch (Mar. 14, 1885 - Jul. 10, 1926) was born in Tartak, Łomża, Poland (now Tartak, Ostrołęka, Poland) to Walenty and Margaret (Kogersko) Zarnoch. He had at least 3 sisters and 1 brother; 2 sisters remained in Poland, the rest came to America. Walt came to the United States for the first time in 1906. He arrived on the S.S. Batavia in April 1906 at Ellis Island in New York, NY. Upon his arrival he went to Easthampton, MA to join a friend, Stanislaw Tozyek. On January 6, 1908 he married Marianna (Mary) Gwara at the Holy Trinity Church in Yorkville, NY. The first time he filed for citizenship was about 1924 in New Bedford, MA where the Zarnochs were currently living. These papers were never completed as shortly after filing he relocated his family to Cohoes, NY in early spring of 1925. They resided at 110 Heartt Ave. in the rear of the house. There he began the process for citizenship again. Both papers state he was 5'5" with brown hair and either brown or grey eyes and weighed 150-170lbs. While in Cohoes, he was employed at the Full and Hatch Mill as a spinner. The summer of 1926, New York State was experiencing a heat wave, and on July 10, 1926 Walter drown in the Mohawk River near Peebles Island just after 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Witnesses report that he had been swimming in a swift current and when he realized how far out he had gone, he began to fight the current to return to shore. Unable to do so, he tired and went under. Most of the bystanders were children who were unable to help him, but someone alerted Police officer Bronislaw Gorski who attempted a rescue but was unsuccessful. Walter's body was not recovered from the river until the next morning. He is buried in St. Michael's Cemetery in Waterford, NY. Right is a picture of Walter in Cohoes, NY in 1925 or spring 1926.

Mariana (Mary) Gwara (Aug. 22, 1890 - Jul. 13, 1945) was born in Wydmusy, Ostrołęka, Poland to Mateusz and Marcina (Lis) Gwara. Her paternal grandparents were Jan and Eva (Medźwiecka) Gwara. Mary had at least 1 full brother and sister, and at least 1 half brother and sister, all of whom came to America. She came to the United States for the first time in 1907, probably not long before her marriage to Walter. Although she was married in Utica and bore her first two children there in Nov. 1908 and Nov. 1910, she did return to Poland, possibly with her children. She officially immigrated in 1912. She did not need to file papers to become a citizen while her husband was alive, as she would be included with his citizenship. Since he died before becoming one, Mary had to file for citizenship herself. She filed her Petition for Naturalization in 1936 and was granted citizenship on June 8, 1939. According to her papers, she was only 5'3" with blue eyes and light brown hair. She weighed about 160lbs in 1936. In September 1927, she relocated the family back to Utica, presumably because not only did her late husband have a brother and sister living there, but because she also had 4 siblings in Utica. They made their home at 707 Bristol St. Utica, NY, but moved to 608 W. Spring St. in 1931 and by 1936 the family was living at 1318 Francis St. in Utica. Mary is buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery, Yorkville, NY.Left is the photo she included in her Petition of Naturalization in 1936. Her signature accompanies it.

Other Zarnochs in America

Walter had two siblings come to America. His sister Marianna (Mary) C. Zarnoch sailed aboard the S.S. Wittekind with her sister-in-law Rozalia Gwara. They departed from the Port of Bremen in Germany on March 23, 1909 and arrived at the Port of New York and went through Ellis Island on April 10. Both traveled to Utica to live with Walter and Mary Zarnoch. Mary's last residence in Poland was Tartak, and her brother paid for her passage (this could mean Walter who was waiting for her stateside, Valentine who was still living in Poland, or another brother if one existed.) According to her ship manifest, Mary was 4'11" with blond hair and blue eyes. She had $10 with her. Mary was born Mar. 3, 1889 in Tartak. On May 19, 1912, she married Francisjek "Frank" J. Rakowski at the Holy Trinity Church in Utica, NY. They had 11 children: Helen (1911-2001), Stefania (1913-2004), Jane (1915-1993), Bertha (1919-1994), Frank (1922-2009), Mary Jane "Myrna" (1923-1977), Gladys (1924-2003), Stanley (1926-1982), Stella (b. 1927), Alice (1928-2002) and Walter (1931-1997). She and Frank had a home on Merriline Ave. in Utica. Mary died on April 17, 1954, she is buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery, Yorkville, NY. According to her obituary, she had 2 sisters still living in Poland.

Walter's only other sibling known to have left Poland was his younger brother, Walenty Frank (Valentine) Zarnoch. Valentine was born on Oct. 15, 1894 in Tartak, Poland. He left the Port of Antwerp, Belgium on November 2, 1912 aboard the S.S. Vaderland. Sailing with him were his brother Walter and his nephew Walter (who was only 3 at the time). They arrived at the Port of New York on Nov. 12. According to the ship manifest, Valentine could read and write (Polish), he was not heading to Utica, but to Caperon, NJ to join his sister Mary. He had $20 with him. He is reported as being 5'2" (but so is 3 year old Walter...), with brown hair and blue eyes. For most of his life, Valentine was a day laborer and a heavy drinker. On January 25, 1932 he married Jadwiga (Agnes) Gnatek, herself a widow. They had no children of their own, but Agnes had one daughter from her first marriage. They lived at 715 Huntington St. Prior to their marriage, Agnes ran a boarding house at that address in which Valentine rented a room. She died in 1950 and for a time after that Valentine lived with his nephew, Val, on Mallory Rd. He and Mary, his brother's wife, probably did not get along well, as in 1916 he sued her for $1000 (today that would be just over $22,000!) claiming that after she broke a china pitcher over his head, he suffered multiple lacerations on the face and neck, and needed stitches under his eye and several days of physician supervision. According to family lore, after his brother Walter died, he tried to marry Mary, but she would have none of it. By Mary's grandchildren, especially the younger ones, he was often called "dziadzia" or "grandpa" in Polish. He died October 6, 1957 and is buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery, Yorkville, NY.

Above is a picture from his Petition for Naturalization, filed in 1936.

Other Gwaras in America

Rozalia (Rose) Gwara was born Sep. 29, 1889 in Wydmusy, Poland. She is the full sister of Mary. Traveling with her sister-in-law Mary Zarnoch, she arrived in New York on April 10, 1909, having left Bremen, Germany on the S.S. Wittekind. Her ship manifest lists her as 4'8" with blond hair and grey eyes. On August 12, 1912 she married Frank Rachubka at Holy Trinity Church in Utica, NY. They had 4 children: Stella (1913-1997), Victoria (1915-1988), Rose (1919-1979) and Francis (1924-1963). After her marriage, she lived on Lincoln Ave, and later at 608 W. Spring St. in a two-family house. She died November 8, 1968, and is buried in Saints Stanislaus-Casimer Cemetery in Whitesboro, NY.

Left is a picture of her from her grandson, Ron Rachubka. Date unknown, possibly late 1950s.

Stanisław (Stanley) W. Gwara was born June 29, 1893 in Lipniki, Poland. He and his half-sister Frances left from Bremen, Germany on April 12, 1913 and arrived at the Port of New York on April 24 on the S.S. Barbarossa. According to the ship manifest, Stanley could not read or write. He was headed to the home of his sister and brother-in-law, the Rachubkas. He paid his own passage and had $15 with him. He is listed as 5'4" with blond hair and blue eyes. After going through Ellis Island, Stanley settled in on Lincoln Ave. with his sister Rozalia. On July 23, 1922 he married Olga A. Kozlowska (usually goes by Alice). They had 2 sons, Chester (1923-1984) and Felix (1925-1990). They divorced around 1927. Within a year he married Leona, but it does not seem like they had any children. In the 1940s Stanley was living in Valley Falls, RI. Stanley died May 22, 1973, and is buried in Saints Stanislaus-Casimer Cemetery in Whitesboro, NY.

Right: Possibly Stanley Gwara at the wedding of his sister Frances, c. 1917. Photo from Betsy Cohen.

Franciszka (Frances) Gwara was born in either Wydmusy or Myszyniec, Poland to Mateusz Gwara and his second wife Maryanna Dabek on December 24, 1896 (or 1901). She is the half-sister of Mary, Rose, and Stanley. She traveled with her brother, Stan, aboard the S.S. Barbarossa from April 12-24, 1913. She could not read or write, and is listed as 4'11" with blond hair and blue eyes. About 1917, Frances married Kazimierz (Casimer) Tkaczyk either in Utica or Buffalo, NY. In April of 1918, they moved to Cleveland, OH, returning to Buffalo in May of 1921. Frances and Casimer had five children: Agnes (1918-before 1940), Gladys (1919-2008), Helen (1923-1993), Louis (b.1924), and Mary (1926-2008). Their marriage appears rocky, as she had one other son, Stephen Williams (b.1932) while still married to Casimer. In September 1922, the Tkaczyks returned to Utica, but moved to Syracuse in April 1925. In April of 1930, Frances was living with her ex-sister-in-law Alice in Utica, but returned to Casimer in Syracuse that May. In 1933 she moved back to Utica. Casimer and she either divorced, or he died before 1935, because Frances married Glenn Austin on August 31, 1935. The marriage was short lived and they were divorced in 1940. She filed her Petition for Naturalization in Buffalo, NY and was granted citizenship in 1940. In the 1950s and 60s she lived at 715 Huntington St. She died April 17, 1961 and is buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery, Yorkville, NY.

Left: Frances, c.1918. Photo from Betsy Cohen.

Franciszek (Frank) Gwara was born about 1906 in Wydmusy, Poland to Mateusz and Maryanna (Dabek) Gwara. He is the half-brother of Mary, Rose, and Stan, and full brother of Frances. He departed on the S.S. Lapland from Antwerp, Belgium at the very end of September or the very beginning of October. He arrived in New York on October 12, 1923. He was able to read and write, and was a laborer by trade, he had $25 with him. He was coming to join his brother Stan at 608 W. Spring St. in Utica, but he appears to have not stayed long. (Both he and Stan have not been found in the 1930 or 1940 US Federal Census). He is described as 5'3" with fair (blond?) hair and blue eyes. Under distinguishing marks, he is listed as having an undescended testicle. Frank died in 1946, his burial place is unknown. In 1945 he had been living in New York, according to Mary's obituary, it is possibly he died and is buried there.

Right: Frank Gwara, date unknown. Photo from Betsy Cohen.

Additional Photos

Above: Bob and Marcella, c.1960.

Left: The Zarnoch brothers, c. 1935. Back row (L-R): Bob, Val, Benny. Front row (L-R): Bill, Walt, Stan. The photo was taken to commemorate Walt joining the Free Masons, you can see the ring on his left ring finger.

Above: Open casket of Walter Zarnoch, Mary Zarnoch is visible on the right, July 13, 1926.

Left: Wedding photograph of Walter and Mary (Gwara) Zarnoch, c. Jan 1908.

Left: Marcina (Martha) Lis, Mary's mother. This is a postcard she mailed to her daughter Rozalia (Rose) Rachubka while she resided at 608 W. Spring St., date unknown. The Rachubkas had been living at 608 W. Spring St. since about 1925 and stayed there until November 1968 when Rose died. The back of the postcard has written in Marcina's hand:Macjna Wara (Marcina Wara)

Kalmoe Deci (? possibly an address)

5656

Matk (Mother)

and along the side:

Porełem swoim fotografju (I ?-ed your own photographs)

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