52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #20 - Anna Slezinska

This is #20 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014

I'm way behind in this challenge, but I'm still continuing on!

Anna Slezinska was born in Putzig, West Prussia (now Puck, Poland) on the 18th of June, 1853.  I do not know her birth parents' names.

She married Anton Rossman in 1879 and shortly there after, her first daughter, Juliana Rossman, was born.

Anna Slezinska Rossman

Shortly after Juliana's birth, Anton and Anna made a decision to move  their new family to the United States. They boarded the Cumberland, in Hamburg, Germany and headed for Leith (now just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland. From Leith, they traveled to Glasgow, Scotland where they boarded the Circassia for New York.  They left Hamburg, Germany on the 19th of March, 1880, and arrived in New York on the 12 of April, 1880.

 The family then proceeded to Chicago where more children were born to Anna and Anton: Marciana (Maggie) in 1882, Rose in 1885, Frank in 1887, Pauline (Polly) in 1889, Sarafine (Sarah) in 1892, and possibly Elizabeth or Hedwigis in 1894.  I haven't yet been able to completely verify Elizabeth and Hedwigis yet.

Anton, Anna, and family were active in St. Joseph's Catholic Parish in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. In the church records, there are two other Slezinski's; August and Juliana. I suspect that these people are siblings of Anna, however as of yet, I have not found definitive proof.  Anna was the godmother for August's daughter Rosalia, and August was the godfather of one of Anna's grandsons. (Remember this drawing I did trying to figure out relationships earlier?)

As with most married women with children at the time, Anna is described in census records as being "At home."  Anton and Anna owned their building, 4814 Marshfield Ave, but rented out parts of it to between 2 and 4 families at a time.  I don't know how many rooms they kept for themselves, but the building itself in modern times appears to be a 2 flat.


Anna died on the 27th of October, 1919.

Anna is my 3rd great-grandmother on my father's side.