University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.


Kwasniewski, Roman B. J., 1886-1980.

Papers, 1892-1953.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 22 and Milwaukee Micro Collection 38

1.7 cubic ft. (4 archives boxes, and 1 oversize folder) and 2 microfilm reels (35 mm)


ABSTRACT: Partial papers of four generations of the Kwasniewski and Dyniewicz families, as collected by Roman Kwasniewski, an outstanding Milwaukee photographer, journalist, and business entrepreneur. The collections include family, personal, and business correspondence; and business records of Roman Kwasniewski, of his father, Jozef, who ran a lithography and printing business, and of his mother, Wanda, who kept an art supply and flower shop. Also present are some personal financial records, records of cultural and fraternal societies which family members belonged, copies of photographs, and genealogical records of the Kwasniewski and Dyniewicz families in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Poland. Also included are several pamphlets and programs from various organizations, two Polish-language songbooks, and a small volume written and published by Wladyslaw Dyniewicz. On microfilm are correspondence, printed articles, and reference news clippings collected by Jozef and Roman Kwasniewski for their use as editors of the agricultural page of the Milwaukee Kuryer Polski.


ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

SCOPE AND CONTENT: The collection consists of a variety of materials regarding the Kwasniewski and Dyniewicz families, as well as business records of Roman and Jozef Kwasniewski, and a few records of clubs and organizations. None of the files are complete.

Family papers are represented by several folders of correspondence of Jozef, Roman and Wanda Kwasniewski. Letters to Jozef primarily relate news of relatives living in the Galicia district in Poland. Jozef's correspondence with individuals at the Kuryer Polski concerns his position, his salary, and planning for future projects. There are also several letters from Roman to his parents, written when Roman paid visits to relatives in Chicago and to the St. Louis Exhibition in 1904,and letters from Roman to his son, Edward while the latter was a student at the University of Wisconsin. Like his father, Roman maintained an extensive correspondence with relatives in Poland. Following a visit to Poland in 1932, Roman wrote both to Polish friends and to young American acquaintances who had traveled with him. Many of these young people addressed him as "Dad" in their letters. Roman continued the family correspondence with the Jaclowska family in Warsaw, who were related to his Dyniewicz relatives, and with several individuals in the Jaroslaw region from which his father had come. Despite the changes in the European political situation during the 1930s, there is little comment in these letters other than on matters of personal interest. Other letters written and received by Roman concern his takeover of his father's role as agricultural editor of the Kuryer Polski following his father's death. Later correspondence deals mainly with the family genealogy. Letters received by Wanda Kwasniewski were entirely personal and family-related in nature; most came from her sister and other relatives in Chicago.

The results of Roman Kwasniewski's researches into the family history are contained in a separate folder, and include a handwritten family tree, his handwritten reminiscences of his grandparents and relatives, obituaries and newspaper clippings concerning Jozef Kwasniewski and Wladyslaw Dyniewicz, and other papers.

Business records in the collection are numerous, and include Art Flower Shop client records, with correspondence, orders, and occasionally, samples of products ordered or offered for sale. Most of these records date from 1949 to 1952, when Roman Kwasniewski ran the business. Among the customers were retailers, and wholesale firms and suppliers. Together, these records provide an interesting view of a small Milwaukee business.

In addition, there are a few canceled checks written by Jozef Kwasniewski (1923), a record of photo supplies purchased by Roman in 1912 and 1913, and a folder of newspaper advertisements for Roman's studio and for his competitors, with a printed brochure and business cards. Many of these advertisements bear Kwasniewski's photograph. In addition there are fragmentary notes and accounts from his business during the 1930s, and an address book apparently listing photographic suppliers. There is a Kwasniewski photo in the collection, a 1916 photo of the 25th anniversary of the St. Cecilia Choir of St. Josaphat's Basilica. A folder of legal documents contains Jozef Kwasniewski's 1892 application as Notary Public, several family mortgage bonds, documents regarding improvements to the Becher Street property (1918-1921), a document listing bequests of a Kwasniewski relative in Poland (1921), and a legal agreement regarding storage of property (1953). Roman Kwasniewski was a stockholder of the Lincoln State Bank, and received a copy of the Bank's 1949 report to the Board of Directors.

On microfilm are records of the farm column and agricultural page edited by Jozef and Roman Kwasniewski. Included are examples of a wide correspondence with readers regarding specific queries, and correspondence with others in the same subject field requesting information. Roman Kwasniewski also acted as a consumer advocate for his readers. Following this portion of the file are newspaper clippings, arranged alphabetically by name of newspaper, by subject, and by season of the year. Roman Kwasniewski attempted to improve the quality of the farm column and page, and kept the newspaper clippings as a personal reference file. Most of the items are in Polish, and were taken from United States publications, although there are two examples of foreign journals, Czas, published in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Swit from Parana, Brazil.

Other papers include printed by-laws and a receipt book of the Dabrowka Society (Group 115 of the Polish Women's Alliance of America), which was organized in Milwaukee by Wanda Kwasniewski on 2 March 1911, and a folder of dues books of family members who belonged to Polish National Alliance and Polish Women's Alliance groups. There is also a small book of prose written and published by Wladyslaw Dyniewicz, Kwasniewski family insurance and real estate records, and copies of family photographs and a few postcards. Within the files of miscellaneous materials are a few business papers; a variety of printed constitutions, dues books, and reports from Polish community organizations; two certificates awarded to Roman Kwasniewski in recognition of his work with selective service registration during World War II, and Receipt books belonging to Adele Kwasniewski Kaczmarowski as a member of Group #2201 of the Polish National Alliance and Group #26 of the Polish Women's Alliance of America. Pamphlets and printed materials include Odezwa Polakow w Ameryck w Sprawie Polsi (Chicago: 1899), two Polish-language songbooks (1899-1901), several pamphlets regarding socialism (1920), a Golden Jubilee Souvenir of the Polish National Alliance, May 3, 1931, Zwiazkowiec (16 July 1933), and a guidebook to the cemetery of the Polish defenders of Lwow (1934). There are also two programs commemorating the visit of Joseph Moscicki, son of the president of Poland, to Milwaukee in 1934, and a souvenir program of the 25th anniversary of the Village of Pulaski, 1935.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Roman B. J. Kwasniewski, son of Jozef and Wanda (Dyniewicz) Kwasniewski, was born 10 June 1886. Sources differ as to his birthplace; family members state that he was born near Stevens Point, Wisconsin, while a biography published during Kwasniewski's lifetime lists his birthplace as Chicago. His father, Jozef, a native of Jaroslaw, Poland, was educated at Lwow prior to coming to the United States. He owned a shop at 654 Becher Street, Milwaukee, where he maintained a lithography and printing business, sold his own oil paintings and portraits, as well as books, statuary, religious and church items, picture frames, and stationery, and manufactured badges, banners, and artificial flowers. Jozef Kwasniewski also taught mechanical drawing, and edited the agricultural page of the Kuryer Polski until his death on 17 May 1927.

Roman Kwasniewski's mother, Wanda Dyniewicz, was the daughter of Albertyna and Wladyslaw Dyniewicz (1843-1928), who founded, edited, and published the Chicago Gazeta Polska. Dynewicz opposed his daughter's marriage at the age of 16, and although he allowed the young married couple to live on his property in central Wisconsin for a time, he wrote his will so that only a Dyniewicz could inherit the property. Roman was the only child of the Kwasniewskis.

As a young man, Roman Kwasniewski was educated at Milwaukee public schools until he was ten years old; he then attended St. Hyacinth's parochial school from 1898-1900, South Division High School, from which he graduated in 1904, and Marquette University (1926-1928, evening courses). He managed his business at 1024 West Lincoln Avenue. After the photo studio was sold, he continued the artificial flower business begun in 1897 by his mother. At Marquette University Kwasniewski studied real estate, and subsequently pursued that career part-time. Kwasniewski married Mary Drozniakiewicz, daughter of Matthew and Paulina (Szymanski) Drozniakiewicz, and the couple became parents of Edward, a chemist; Adele, wife of John Kaczmarowski; and Roman L., an industrial engineer.

Kwasniewski is best known for his photographic documentation of early twentieth century Milwaukee, especially of the Polish American community. In 1980, 2,000 prints and 10,000 class plate negatives from his studio were donated to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Library. In addition to being an outstanding and prolific photographer, Roman Kwasniewski was an inventor. When his father became deaf late in life, the son invented a typewriter with a light signal rather than a bell to indicate the margin. He assisted his son-in-law in designing a special glass vent for use in metal plating processes, perfected a method to straighten and salvage scrap wire for the stems of artificial flowers, and invented a camera able to take a roll of glass negatives before others were available commercially. Following the death of his father, Jozef, Roman Kwasniewski took over the responsibilities of writing for and editing the agricultural page of the Kuryer Polski.

Roman Kwasniewski was active in many local business and community organizations. His hours of business were frequently sporadic, which enabled him to devote time to the Polish National Alliance, the Polish Falcons, Pulaski Council, the Lincoln Avenue Businessmen's Association, the Marquette Real Estate Association, the Knights of Columbus, the Boy Scouts, and other groups. As financial secretary (and later, president) of PNA Lodge #1510, Kwasniewski often paid the dues of members himself, rather than trying to collect them. During the Depression, however, Kwasniewski's financial difficulties forced him to curtail his community activities. Unknown to his family, for many years Kwasniewski carried on an extensive correspondence with relatives in the United States and Poland, in search of information about his family history. Shortly before his death, Kwasniewski turned over most of his duties and offices to his son-in-law. Park Studio has twice been sold since 1980, and in 1981 was owned by Dorothy Dixon.

Kwasniewski's son-in-law, John Kaczmaroswki, has held many positions in the Milwaukee area, including, probation officer, welfare fraud investigator (1930s), social worker, South Division High School counselor (1952-1957), and until his recent retirement, personnel director at Allis-Chalmers. He and his wife, Adele, still live in a home in Greenfield which was one of four built by Kaczmarowski's father, John Jozef, as a family commune.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Kwasniewski, Roman B. J., 1886-1980. Papers, 1892-1953. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 22 and Milwaukee Micro Collection 38. Wisconsin Historical Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. UWM Libraries. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

RELATED COLLECTIONS:

Kuryer Polski (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records [microform], 1907-1961. (Milwaukee Micro Collection 29)

Kuryer Publishing Company (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1893-1961. (UWM Manuscript Collection 46)

Kwasniewski, Roman B. J., 1886-1980. Photographs, 1907-1947. (UWM Manuscript Collection 19)

Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America. Lodge 1510 (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1912-1959. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 75)

Polish Women's Alliance of America. Group No. 115 (Dabrowka Society). Records, 1911-1920. (Milwaukee Small Collection 134)


ACQUISITION: Presented by John and Adele (Kwasniewski) Kaczmarowski of Greenfield, Wisconsin in 1980, and by Dorothy E. Dixon of Oak Creek, Wisconsin in 1981 (accession numbers M81-19, and M81-124).

PROCESSING: Processed by Menzi Behrnd-Klodt and Mark Thiel in March 1982.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 22 BOX FOLDER
Accounts Regarding Business, Address Book and Cards, 1937-1938, 1949 4 8
Advertising Brochure and Business Cards, Newspaper Ads and Clippings, 1913-1918 4 7
Art Flower Shop Client Records, Canceled Checks of Edward C. Kwasniewski, 1930-1931 3 2
Art Flower Shop Client Records, Canceled Checks of Jozef Kwasniewski, 1923 3 3
Art Flower Shop Client Records, Client Names, A-K, undated 1 1-4
Art Flower Shop Client Records, Client Names, L-T, undated 2 1-5
Art Flower Shop Client Records, Client Names, V-Z, undated 3 1
Correspondence, Jozef Kwasniewski, 1893-1926, undated 3 4
Correspondence, Roman Kwasniewski, 1911-1912, 1926-1940, 1950-1952 3 5-6
Correspondence, Wanda Dyniewicz Kwasniewski, 1902-1909, 1922 3 7
Correspondence, Other, 1931-1932 3 8
Dabrowka Society Records, 1909-1920 3 9
Dyniewicz, Wladyslaw, Arye Polskie, undated 3 10
Dyniewicz and Kwasniewski Family Histories, 1923, undated 3 11
Insurance and Real Estate Records, 1928-1933 4 1
Legal Documents, 1892-1903, 1918-1921, 1953 4 2
Lincoln State Bank, Report to the Board of Directors and List of Stockholders, 1949 4 3
Miscellaneous Business Papers, 1927-1928, undated 4 4
Miscellaneous Constitutions, Dues Books, Financial and Other Reports 4 5
Miscellaneous Notes and Papers, 1904-1938 4 6
Pamphlets and Printed Material, 1899-1940 4 9
Pamphlets and Printed Material, Regarding Artists' Materials, Collected by Jozef Kwasniewski, 1899, undated 4 10
Photo Supplies Purchased, 1912-1913 4 14
Photographs, 1916 [oversize folder]
Photographs and Postcards, 1908, 1932, undated 4 11
PNA and PWA Dues Books, 1910, 1938, undated 4 12
Programs, 1934-1935 4 13
School Papers of Roman Kwasniewski, Jr., 1930 4 15

MILWAUKEE MICRO COLLECTION 38.
Farm Column Records.		 REEL FRAME
Correspondence, 1926-1932, undated 1 1-460
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Chicago Tribune, 1927-1928 1 877-889
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Czas, 1927-1928, undated 1 598-652
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Dziennik Chicagoski, 1928 1 653-654
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Gazeta Podhalanska, #15, undated 1 655-656
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Gazety Grudziadzkiej, 1925, 1927-1928 1 657-667
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Glos Lubelski, 1927 1 668-674
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Kurjer Poznanski, 1927-1928 1 675-677
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Kuryer Codzienny, 1928 1 678-679
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Kuryer Polski, 1911, 1923-1929, undated 1 680-876
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Milwaukee Journal, 1927-1928, undated 1 890-923
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Milwaukee Sentinel, 1927-1928 1 924-930
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, National Garden Bureau Brochures, undated 1 931-1007
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Nowiny Polskie, 1927, 1929-1930, 1946, undated 1 1008-1033
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Other Publications and Unidentified Clippings, 1927-1928, undated 2 283-385
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Rady Rolniczo Gospodarskie, 1927 1 1034-1039
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Rodzina, 1927-1928 1 1040-1054
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Rolnik, 1926-1929, undated 2 1-160
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Swit, 1928, undated 2 161-179
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, U.S.D.A. Farm Bulletin, 1927 2 180-251
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Brochures, 1922-1923, 1927 2 252-277
News Clippings Arranged by Journal Title, Zdrowie, 1927 2 278-282
News Clippings Arranged by Season, January through December, undated 2 1121
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Agricultural Advertisements, undated 2 386-393
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Bees (Pszczoly), undated 2 394-481
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Bone-Related Disorders (Konie), undated 2 482-529
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Cattle and Diary Science (Bydlo), undated 2 530-629
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Cereal Grains (Zboze), undated 2 630-653
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Domestic Animals (Zwierzeta Domowe), undated 2 654-667
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Farm Buildings (Zabudowania Farmerskie), undated 2 668-675
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Farm Humor, undated 2 676-681
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Farm Land (Farmach), undated 2 682-691
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Farm Tools (Narzedzia Rolnicze), undated 2 692-703
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Fertilizers (Nawozy), undated 2 704-722
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Field Birds (Ptaki Polne), undated 2 723-727
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Flowers (Kwiaty), undated 2 728-748
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Grape Growing (Hodowla Winorosli), undated 2 749-764
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Herb Cures (Ziola Lecznicze), undated 2 765-772
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Market Gardening (Ogrod Warzywny), undated 2 773-815
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Miscellaneous (Rozmaitosci), undated 2 1010-1120
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Orchards (Sad), undated 2 816-826
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Pests (Szkodniki), undated 2 827-871
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Poultry (Drob), undated 2 872-941
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Sheep (Owce), undated 2 942-970
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Soils (Gleby), undated 2 971-986
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Swine (Swinie), undated 2 987-999
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Weeds (Zielsko Chwasty), undated 2 1000-1004
News Clippings Arranged by Subject, Wild Animals (Zwierzeta Dzikie), undated 2 1005-1009

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