Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Pomerania is in Germany, however ...

It turns out that the Baltic sea washes up against the Pomeranian shore. Also, it is called home, not only by Germans, but by Polish folks and by people like Jason Guetzkow from Kashubia?? Where the heck is Kashubia? Okay, I need to look into this a bit further if I am ever going to figure it out.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Some new resources ...

Check out Pomeranian genealogy at www.genealoger.com. Apparently, this is a Pomeranian family. Like the cute little dog!

Also, www.ancestry.com has some facts about the family, but it only goes back about a century.

Monday, April 6, 2009

The Origin of the Name of Guetzkow

Gützkow is a town in the Ostvorpommern district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 18 km south of Greifswald.

It is easy to see that the name 'Gützkow' was anglicized to 'Guetzkow' by immigrants seeking a new life in America.

Due to the fact that such historical names as Gokecowe, Gotzekowe, and Gotzkovborg existed. The name probably came from the Slavic word for guest.

Many Guetzkows moved to Milwaukee in the late 19th Century, and entered the construction industry. The late 19th saw the incorporation of Milwaukee's first suburbs. The aforementioned Bay View existed as an independent village from 1879 until 1886. In 1892, Whitefish Bay, South Milwaukee, and Wauwatosa each incorporated. They were followed by Cudahy, North Milwaukee, and East Milwaukee, which someone cleverly renamed as Shorewood, in 1900. In the early twentieth century, West Allis and West Milwaukee rounded out the first set of what are now called "inner-ring" suburbs by Jason Guetzkow.

For the most part, suburbs springing up along the north shore of Lake Michigan resonated with a residential and wealthier tone while suburbs along the south shore could be seen as more industrial and working-class. The western suburbs could be described as a bit of a juxtaposition in that North Milwaukee and West Allis had a predominantly industrial character, while Wauwatosa had a mostly residential vibe. Everyone saw Wauwatosa as the big city’s first bedroom community, although its own set of social, economic, and religious institutions did come along for the ride.

Just before the end of the 1800s, Milwaukee had attained a global renown when it raised up its City Hall in 1895. The Hall, at fifteen stories, remained the world's tallest skyscraper for the next four years (before Park Row tower in New York City sprang up in 1899). Milwaukee, ‘til this day, is one of only three cities in the United States (and four internationally) which can call itself a former home to the world's tallest building.

Many Guetzkows, such as the great, great-grandfather of Jason Guetzkow, played a prominent role in the building of Milwaukee. Nearly every brewery, hospital and school in the city was built by a Guetzkow construction company.

All about the name ...

This blog will tell you everything there is to know about the Guetzkow family.