Poland to Madison

William B. Feldman (1857-2 Jun 1938) and Esther Kale Nowalchick (1856-20 Jan 1951) were natives of Warsaw, and came to Madison in 1905. Their son Jacon Raiman Feldman (10 Mar 1888-23 Oct 1975) owned the Feldman Grocery Store at 1401 University Avenue, and later founded the Feldman Paper Box Company at 29 N Charter Street.

Helen Sinykin Sweet (1888-9 May 1951) Helen was a native of Poland, and married her husband Moses Sweet in 1906 in the USA. Their son Harry owned the Triangle Food Market on State Street.

Samuel Woldenberg was a native of Poland. He established the Woldenberg Store at 23 E Mifflin Street. He sold it to his brother Charles in 1923. During World War I Charles Woldenberg served as captain with the 32nd Division. Esther Glassner Woldenberg and Jacob H. Woldenberg also owned or worked at Woldenberg’s store.

Frank M. Melnik immigrated from and area now in Poland to Chicago, and settled in Madison in 1923. He and his brother-in-law owned the Madison Malt and Extract Company. He was President of Agudas Achim synagogue for twelve years.

Harry J. Goodman was born in Lithuania in 1882, emigrated to St. Paul in 1900, and moved to Madison in 1940. His sons Irwin and Bob operated Goodman’s Jewelers.

Dmitri Pronin was born near Gorki, Russia, in 1900. After the Russian Revolution, he went to Istanbul, and later to Poland. He came to Madison in 1947, and worked at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory 1955-1970. His major written work was “Europe in Flames: The Horrible Years, 1939-1945”, which is a memoir of his life and escape from occupied Poland.

Reverend August V. Skolaski (1884-1953) was born in Blooming Grove, and attended St. James Parish. He was ordained on June 20, 1909. He became chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital in 1912.

Louis B. Andrewjeski (1913-1987) owned the Louis Andrewjeski Welding Company on Commercial Avenue for 23 years.

Albert J. Liska (1900-1960) was a branch manager of Durfee Brothers, Inc., a roofing firm on south Park Street. His wife Elsie Ann Kuchera (1900-1974) worked at Rennebohm’s Drug Store on the Capitol Square.

Henry S. Olshanski (1923-1996) played football at Wausau High School and for the UW-Madison as well as Michigan. He was President of the Madison Board of Realtors.

Phillip Savidusky (1894-1957) founded one of Madison’s largest dry-cleaning firms.

Adrian and Dorothy (1915-1995) Stransky operated Stransky Printing.

Martin Edward Wesolowski (1902-1963) was the son of Polish immigrants. He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, getting a degree in chemical engineering. In 1938 he moved to Madison to work for the Wisconsin Board of Vocational, Technical and Adult Education, becoming supervisor of the trade and industrial education section.

While a young adult, Jeanette Frances Gorski Wesolowski (1908-1988) worked at the Kurjer Polski (a Polish-langauge newspaper) in Milwaukee. She moved with her husband to Madison in 1938.

Herman W. Wirka (1903-1974) was chair of the orthopedic section of the UW Medical School’s surgery department from 1962-1971.

Joseph F. Wirka (1868-1947) was an agricultural professor for the UW-Extension, and a member of the Order of Foresters.

John J. Zychowski (1914-1977) was a railroad conductor and braker, and a sheet metal worker.


FROM

"A Bibliographical Guide to Forest Hill Cemetery (2nd ed.)" (2002), and
"Bishops to Bootleggers: A Bibliographical Guide to Resurrection Cemetery" (1999)

Both published by Historic Madison, Inc.

Compiled by Don Wesolowski 3/06