Tomasz Sanetra & Jadwiga Biel

Helen Sanetra looked in the local phone books to see if there were any Sanetras, whenever she traveled. While attending a Notre Dame football game, she stopped at a phone booth and found Paul Sanetra listed. She called my grandfather Paul and visited with Paul and Catherine Sanetra. They were all convinced that they were related, because the name Sanetra was so rare in the United States, and both families were from the same area in Poland. They subsequently wrote a few letters back and forth to each other. This happened about 1970. Several of Helen’s family have been corresponding with me over the last 20 years, looking for this family connection. Fifty years after Helen met Paul, I have discovered how we are related, but it isn’t via the Sanetra line, but rather through the Żuławski line! There may also be a Stokłosa, Kłósak or Biel connection even further back. I have followed this Sanetra line back to 1800 and cannot see a DNA-blood line connection. I do see where the two Sanetra lines (Helen and Paul’s Sanetra line) married and crossed, but not on the DNA pedigree lines.

This family has similar names and dates to my family. The Minneapolis Stanisław Sanetra and Paul’s brother Stanisław Sanetra were born the same year, and Tomasz and Jadwiga’s son moved to the Chicago area the same time Paul lived there. Stanisław the son of Tomasz and Jadwiga worked on the railroad. He was injured in a severe accident December 1950 when a train caught fire. Here is a newspaper clippings about that: The Kokomo Tribune

See the ship manifest for this family, December 1913. Tomasz Sanetra immigrated first, earlier in the year 1913. Jadwiga, their children and Jadwiga’s mother Regina Biel (maiden name Żuławska) immigrated in December 1913. The 1920 Census said Thomas was a laborer at the paper factory, rented his house, and was unable to speak English. Thomas owned his house and was able to speak English by the 1930 census, and he became a United States citizen. The 1940 Census said his home was worth 13,000 dollars. Thomas, Jadwiga and her mother lived the remainder of their lives in Minneapolis.