Visit this page for interesting information on Terry’s family tree. Here you’ll find interesting information on Terry’s dad’s lineage (the Trauts) as well as on Terry’s mom’s lineage (both the Warzeckas and the Krolls).
Terence Traut’s Family Tree
Frank (Franz) Warzecka (1870-1922)
1870
Dec 26, 1870 Frank is born to Nicholas Warzecha and Rosalie Zur in Dammratsch (Falkowitz), near Opole in Prussia (now Poland). His family farmed and had some fruit trees.
Dec 28, 1870 Frank was baptized in the Catholic church in Falkowitz, Prussia. Terry Traut visited this church in 2018 with his mom, Lorrayne Warzecka Traut, and sisters, Teresa Traut Elavsky and Kristi Traut Streff.
The woman standing between Lorrayne and Teresa is a Warzecha. She must be a relative and still lives in Dammratz; in fact, she oversees the church and lives next door.
1879
June 25, 1879 Frank (Franz 6) arrived in New York on the German ship, Cimbria with his parents, Nicholas (50) and Rosalie (48), and siblings Eva (18), Sebastian (16), and Antonin (8):
Side note: The SS Cimbria was a German transatlantic passenger steamer built for the Hamburg America Line and launched in 1867 as part of a weekly transatlantic service. On Jan 19, 1883, the ship was struck by another ship and sank with 437 people perishing and 133 surviving.
1879-1890
According to Frank Warzecha (1870-1922) – Find a Grave Memorial, Frank spent most of his life farming but became engaged in carpentry and masonry etc. when his eldest son took over the farm work. Frank built the barn on the McGrath farm. He owned 80 acres.
Frank worked in the Dakotas in the summer to make money threshing at the Adams Farm in Fergus Falls (Mike Greniski).
Somewhere during this time, Frank moved to Holding (present day Holdingford), probably to be near his family. Here’s a map from about 1885 that shows property owned by Frank and property owned by his brother, Sebastian:
The properties are in Townships 126 & 127 North, Range 30 West. Notice Frank Czech to the south and east of Frank; I wonder if Frank’s future wife, Elizabeth Czechork, is Frank Czech’s daughter….
1890
Frank marries Elizabeth Czechork Sep 24, 1890 in Stearns County:
1895
Frank stabbed Ignatz Zwak on the head and bit William Zwak on the hand in Opole. William’s arm was amputated. Frank served a term in the reformatory for this deed.
1898 (Not a good year for Frank)
June 24, 1898 Frank is again causing trouble:
July 8, 1898, Frank ruins a party at his brother Sebastian’s:
Dec 2, 1898 Frank stabs John Bentkowski in the shoulder with a knife.
Dec 16, 1898 Deputy Sheriff John Bernich summons witnesses:
1899
Frank must have been found guilty because on April 7, 1899, Frank seeks pardon and – much to the dismay of the victims – receives conditional pardon on April 12, 1899:
1907
Dec 24, 1907 Frank threatens to shoot Frank Pyka and then slashes him below the heart, puncturing a lung.
Evidently Frank Pyka didn’t die, but on November 13, 1908 Frank Warzecha was ordered to leave the area:
1909
On Feb 12, 1909, Frank was acquitted of the charge of assault of John Pyka:
1911
December 13, 1911 Frank is charged with spousal abuse:
1915
Frank and Elizabeth bought land on 9 Sep 1915:
I believe this is Section 24-126-30 (from the above article) as this is what shows in the 1916 MN Plat Map:
Section 24 is to the west and south of present-day Holdingford:
1922
On December 15, 1922, Frank died at the age of 51. According to Find-A-Grave, “His death was violent, but is the subject of some controversy. Newspaper accounts indicate he died as the result of injuries in a building accident, a descendent gives an account in which he was murdered by neighbors.”
On 24 Oct 2017, Mr. Bernie Frie (keeper with a map of the parish burials) and Fr. Francisco Ray Schulte searched for Frank (Franz) and Elizabeth Warzecha’s burial sites at St. Columbkille Parish in St. Wendel. On the parish map of the burials there are two graves listed as “Warzecha” with no name. We believe the above is Frank Warzecha.
Someone may have put a marker near the cross; this now shows at Find-A-Grave:
Here’s a photo of the Frank Warzecha family. Frank is not in the picture because he died two years previous:
