When did Walter & Blanch Stefanski die?

I have taken quite an interest in Walter Stefanski since my great-grandfather, George Faustmann, lived with Walter and his family in the same home for many years. The only information I previously had on him was that he was buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery.

I have since learned that he came to the USA in 1906, married Bronislawa (Blanch) Fabiszewska in 1907, lived in Milwaukee during the 1910 and 1920 Census, but is not in the 1930 Census. In trying to find his children in the 1930 Census, I found them listed with their mother, Blanch, who now had the last name of Kulczynski, and a head of household named Louis W Kulczynski. So either Walter died before 1930 or they were divorced before 1930.

Searching in the Milwaukee City Directories (see below), the Kulczynski person's name is listed as Ladislaus and Walter, so for a while I was convinced that it was the same Walter, but that he had changed his last name for some reason. But then I searched in 1926 and found Blanch listed as a widow. That entry told me for sure that Walter had died between 1925 and 1926, so I can now order a death certificate to get the exact date.



There is no record of his burial at Holy Trinity Cemetery. I spent some time walking around looking at graves, but even though it is much smaller than St Adalberts, it is still quite a large cemetery. And on top of that, many of the older graves are very hard to read and some have fallen over. When I receive his death certificate, that will hopefully solve the mystery of where he is buried. If it is in Holy Trinity, someone will have to walk the entire cemetery to see if his grave is still there.

As for Blanch, after the death of Walter, she continued living in the 3rd Avenue home with her children and George Faustmann in 1926 and 1927 before marrying Ladislaus Kulczynski sometime in 1928 or 1929. They are listed as husband and wife in the 1930 Census together. The last entry of Blanch in the city directories is 1938. I have sent for a death certificate to get the exact date, but she most likely died between 1938 and 1940. The last entry for her second husband was in 1947.

Milwaukee City Directories
1919 Stefanski Walter blksmth h rear 534 3d av
1921 Stefanski Walter (Bernice) blksmith h534 3d av
1923 Stefanski Walter (Blanch) blksmith h rear 534 3d av
1924 Stefanski Walter (Blanch) blksmith h rear 534 3d av
1925 Stefanski Walter (Blanch) blksmth h rear 534 3d
1926 Stefanski Blanch (wid Walter) h rear 534 3d av
1927 Stefanski Blanche (wid Walter) h rear 534 3d av

1928 Kulzysenski Ladislaus coremkr h679 S Delaware av

1929 Kulczynski Ladislaus W (Blanch) coremkr h679 S Delaware av

1930 Kulczynski Ladislaus W (Blanch) coremkr h679 South Delaware av

1931 Kulczynski Walter (Blanche) coremkr h3203 S Delaware av

1932 Kulczynski Walter L (Blanche) coremkr h2318 E Euclid av

1933 Kulczynski Ladislaus (Blanche) coremkr h3782 S Kansas

1935 Kulczynski Walter L (Blanche) coremkr h2754 S Logan av

1936 (No Kulczynski listed)

1938 Kulczynski Walter (Blanche) coremkr r3444 S 9th

1939 (No Kulczynski listed)

1940 Kulczynski Lawrence L (Ladislaus) uphol CMSt P&PRR r RD1 Box 561 Cudahy

1941 Kulczynski Lawrence L hlpr CMStP&PRR r RD 1 Box 561 Cudahy

1944-45 Kulczynski Lawrence L uphol CMStP&PRR r Rd 1 Cudahy

1947 Kulczynski Lawrence L uphol MilRd r Cudahy

uphol=upholsterer
h=householder
r=resides or rooms
hlpr=helper
MilRd=Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific Railroad
CMStP&PRR=Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific RR

Chapel at Holy Trinity Cemetery

How long were the Faustmann's in Milwaukee?

George Faustmann lived with the Walter Stefanski family (his brother-in-law) on Third Avenue upon arriving in the US in 1923 (pg.2). Walter's name and address are listed on page two of the ship manifest as his destination. He lived here with their family for over five years. Then, in 1928, the Stefanski's apparently sold the home to George and moved out. This is the first year it lists George as a householder (h) rather than a roomer (r). George continued to live at the Third Avenue home for several more years after his wife, Antonia, and children arrived in the US in 1929. After this, they appear to have moved around quite a bit with George working most of these years at St Luke's Hospital. Antonia ended up in California with their daughter, Augusta, but I don't know exactly when they made the cross-country trip from Milwaukee to Southern California. From the listings below, it appears she may have left sometime around 1938, three years before George died in Dec 1941, since the last listing of her is in 1937. She was for sure in California by Jan 1941 - almost a year before George died - since her Social Security application is dated 08 Jan 1941 with an address in Los Angeles.

While visiting this week, it turns out I was looking for this Third Avenue home in the wrong location. According to the 1929 street entry (listed below), 534 is between Greenfield and Orchard. I didn't find a 534 because today the numbering would have put it farther north, between Virginia and Bruce, which is where I was looking. I didn't realize my mistake until I was on the plane flying home...

534 3d av
Greenfield av intersects
534 Heilemann Alma Mrs
rear Faustmann Geo
Orchard intersects

But I believe I found the old Second Avenue home they lived at for several years (1934-35). Today it would be found on 7th Street. From the street entry in 1933 (listed below) we find that the home is between Orchard and Lapham which is where the home pictured below is still standing (with my rental car in front):

1549 S 2nd (formerly Reed) – from Canal south to limits
W Orchard intersects
1549 Fustmann Geo
W Lapham intersects


1549 S 2nd Avenue (Now 7th Street)

Finally, listed below are all the entries I found on the Faustmann family in Milwaukee. It appears to list other adults in the home if they were working, even if they were not the head of the household, so there are a few entries that list the adult children, George and Augusta, separately.

Milwaukee City Directories
1923 Faustmann Geo eng r rear 534 3d
1924 Faustmann Geo eng r rear 534 3d av
1925 Faustmann Geo eng r rear 543 3d av
1926 Faustmann Geo r rear 534 3d av
1927 Faustmann Geo eng r rear 534 3d av
1928 Faustmann Geo eng h rear 534 3d av
1929 Faustmann Geo (Antonia) mach hd h rear 534 3d av
1930 Faustmann Geo (Antoinette) eng h rear 534 3d av
1930 Kland Geo appr r521 3d av
1931 Faustmann Geo eng St Luke’s Hosp h1203 S 5th
1931 Kland Augusta student r1203 S 5th
1931 Kland Geo appr r1203 S 5th
1932 Faustmann Geo (Antonie) firemn h324 W Scott
1932 Kland Augusta r324 W Scott
1932 Kland Geo appr r324 W Scott
1933 Faustmann Geo (Antonia) eng St Luke’s Hosp h633 W Mineral
1934 Faustmann Geo (Antonia) eng St Luke’s Hosp h1549 S 2d
1935 Faustmann Geo (Antonia) sta eng h1549 S 2d
1935 Kland Augusta H student r1549 S 2d
1936 Faustmann Geo (Antonia) night mn St Luke’s Hosp h522 S 6th apt 21
1936 Kland Augusta r522 S 6th apt 21
1937 Faustman Geo F (Antoinette) eng St Luke’s Hosp h1654 S 6th
1937 Faustman Augustina maid r522 S 6th apt 21
1938 Faustmann Fred eng St Luke’s Hosp r1654 S 6th
1939 Faustman Geo r906 S 4th
1940 (No Faustmann listed)
1941 (No Geo or Antonia Faustmann listed)

eng=engineer
h=householder
r=resides or rooms
mach=machinist
hd=hand
appr=apprentice

What's in a name?

I have always been curious about my family name - Kland. It is quite unusual. My goal is to find my family origins. According to family tradition, my paternal grandfather received the name Kland from his mother's previous husband since the father and she weren't married. So it is possible that I should be a Faustmann. However, the origins of this name are also a mystery.

Many unanswered questions, such as these, remain about my family origins which I hope to uncover through my research. Along with new discoveries, I will also be posting items I have learned over the past two years of work so that this will be as complete as possible a record of my family. I hope you will enjoy the journey.