We present our Slominski Bakken family trees, albums and research. Our Slominski and Ciesielski families originate in NW Poland villages of Krzyzownica and Obrona Lesna 155 miles West of Warsaw. My Bakken and Brendum families are from central Norway villages near Kvikne in Oppland Norway. My grandfather Ignatz Slominski Polish immigrated 1904 to the Leisenring 3 mining villiage in Western Pennsylvania.
By 1925 the coal mines in Footedale Pa closed and the Slominski family moved to Gary, Indiana - The City of Steel where site author Jerry Slominski was born in 1959. Our father Zygmunt(Sidney) died in 1963. Our family relocated to Norwegian village of Coon Valley Wisconsin. Coon Valley was near Bohemia Wisconsin homestead of first Bakken family to America Andreas Bakken in 1869. Later next generation Ole and Kari Bakken would immigrate to Timber Coulee Wisconsin in 1883.
1953 photo from New Salem Pennsylvania at wake of Cecelia Slominski. Wake was attended by Ignatius Slominski (white shirt center) who travelled from his home in Gary Indiana to attend.
To his right is friend Frank Matylewski who had worked together at Leisenring Pa coal mines years earlier. To his left is Mary Sredzinski Matylewski, who's father Anton sponsored Ignatius to come to America in 1904.
Others in photo include children of Joseph Slominski - Ignatius brother. They are Frank, Lottie, Victoria, Max, Barney & Stanley. Ignatius was 75 at this time. Photo courtesy of the late Antoinete Slominski Markovich of New Salem.