Fonds 279 Wozniak family fonds

The series consists of a published account of the family’s history from 1922 to 2014; the memoirs of Maria, written in Polish and translated into English by her son Mathew; letters written to Maria and Antoni by their children Bill, Mathew, Merlin, Cecile, Edward and Roman; and correspondence from friends and extended family in Poland, the United States, and Canada.

The sub-series consists of a book titled “From Poland to Canada: the Journey of Antoni and Maria Wozniak 1922 to 2014”. It was written by Roman Wozniak and printed in 2015. The book includes photographs of the family and community and the following chapters: Family Background and Border Conflict; the Diary of Maria Wozniak; School and Relocating; Relocation to Rahab; Wanham School—High School; 1942 Fire and Recovery; Harvest; Codesa in the 1950s; Baseball; Miscellaneous Stories; and Miscellaneous Family Photos.

The sub-series consists of a copy of Antoni’s Last Will and Testament and a list of the awards he received during his lifetime for his work with the Polish community, including the Silver Star from the Polish Prime Minister in 1969, an award from the Prime Minister of Canada in 1968, a certificate from Peace Area Settlement in 1991, a Diploma from Polonia in 1995, and the Gold Star from the Polish Embassy in 2003. There are also two copies of articles about the Polish community in the south Peace and plans for a memorial to the Polish community which was eventually erected in the Grande Prairie Museum Heritage Village.

The sub-series consists of a typed transcript of the memoirs of Maria (Parachin) Wozniak, written in Polish in 1958; an English transcript of the memoirs translated by her son, Mathew; a postcard addressed to family back in Poland in June, 1930, showing the Red Star Line ship that carried the family to Canada; her original diary of their trip back to Poland in 1986 and a typed transcript of that diary; her letters to Roman, also written in Polish, when he was away from home in the late 1950s; and a story about Maria written by Mathew ca. 2010.

The sub-series consists of four letters written to Maria and Antoni Wozniak by Bill Wozniak from December 1942 to July 1943 while he was in the Army during World War II.

The sub-series consists of Mathew’s separation paper, filed with the National Selective Service, showing that he worked for Law Construction Ltd. in Toronto in 1942; three letters written to his parents in 1964-1965; and a collection of stories written by Mathew Wozniak about family and friends, memories of living on the farm, and people and places in the Eaglesham area. They include histories of many of the public buildings in Rahab/Codesa and Fox Creek as well as Wanham School.

Describes the conditions in the Ukraine and why the family immigrated to Canada.

Story of the two grandmothers left behind when the family immigrated.

What happened to Poland during and after World War I.

What happened to Mathew’s paternal grandmother and her children during World War II.

Story of Mathew’s maternal grandfather, taken mainly from Maria Wozniak’s diary.

Story of Maria Wozniak’s brother, Janek Parachin, who died in an internment camp in Canada.

Story of Barbara Wozniak’s creative genius.

Story of the transferring of the farm from the elder Wozniak’s to Mathew and Barbara.

Transcript of Maria Wozniak’s diary of their trip to Poland.

Biographical account of the life of Barbara Wozniak’s father.

Explanation why the museum is at the museum. Text is visible in the photograph. (related to photograph 0279.02.021)

Story of Frank and Stanley Majewski, Polish immigrants at Codesa.

Story of the Hrishuk family, Polish immigrants at Fox Creek.

Stories about Ted McDaid, who homesteaded at Eaglesham.

Story about the Rahab (later Codesa) Post Office.

Story about John and Peter Noga, who had a trucking company at Codesa and sponsored the Codesa Baseball Team in the 1950s.

Story about the Sanocki family, Polish immigrants who settled near Eaglesham.

Story of a home-made sawmill manufactured by Benny Houser.

Story of Mazurkewich, a Polish settler at Codesa.

Hand-written story repeated from Herman Klukas about the burial at Bezanson of a woman who had died in childbirth.

Story of Theophile Legault, from Tangent, who married Agnes Laurin, a widow with 8 children. They had seven more children at Tangent. Included is a 50 page genealogy of the Shank family from whom Agnes Laurin descended.

Two stories about the difficulty of finding good water and digging wells in the Eaglesham area.

Wozniak family experience of making socks from raw wool.

Article about the wide use of wood as a fuel before natural gas was harnessed.

About the common practice of supplementing farm income by shipping cream.

Changes in doing laundry since the 1930s.

Preserving ice in the winter for summer use.

Early radios and radio stations in the Peace.

Making moonshine liquor during the Great Depression.

Logging with horses.

Story about Barbara raising sheep and using wool.

Mathew’s experience working on the airport runways when they were expanding during World War II.

Mathew’s experience with a reluctant cow.

How you lit your cigarette before matches were common.

History of the Fox Creek Hall near Eaglesham, built ca. 1942.

History of the Fox Creek Catholic Church, known as “the Little Red Church”.

History of Fox Creek School near Eaglesham, which was established in 1919, and information on “The Joe Bilinski School Van”, a horse-drawn van which took the students to school from 1947 to 1950.

The organization and development of the local co-operative which ran the phone lines from 1958-1965.

Experiences of the Wozniak children at South Slope School, Wanham.

Story of as “How Eaglesham Got Its Golf Course” in 1969. Shorter version published in “Telling Our Stories” Volume 1 Issue 1. This version includes a list of the volunteers involved in building it, and a financial statement of the costs of operating the course in 1991.

The experience of the Wozniak family during the Wanham-Codesa Forest Fire on October 22, 1942, taken from Maria Wozniak’s diary.

History of Rahab, established as a siding on the ED & BC Railway in 1916 and re-named Codesa in 1938.

Building the Rahab Catholic Church in the early 1930s.

Building of the Midland and Pacific Grain elevator at Rahab in 1938.

Opening of the Watino Bridge at Smoky River Crossing in 1941.

Map and survey plans showing the road from the SE of Section 11, Township 78, Range 1, West of the 6th Meridian to the Hamlet of Codesa (Rahab) on the E.D. & B.C. Railway. There are 22 turns in the road, which is approximately 2.5 miles long. Story is included in the story, “Hamlet of Rahab, later Codesa.”

The sub-series consists of letters written by Merlin Wozniak back to his parents in Codesa after he had left home for University and work. Letters are written in Polish and signed “Marian”, which was Merlin’s Polish name.

The sub-series consists of letters written by Cecile Bailey to her parents, Antoni and Maria Wozniak from from 1953 to about 1971. There is also a 1969 news clipping with a photo of her four children—Patricia (7), David (9), Stephen (11), and Richard (13) Bailey playing for a Piano Seminar at St. Agnes Academy in Houston, Texas.

The sub-series consists of an application for Edward Wozniak to attend St. Joseph’s High School in Edmonton in 1955, and letters written by Edward and his wife Sharon to his parents, Antoni and Maria Wozniak, from 1957 to about 1970.

The sub-series consists of letters written by Roman to his parents, Antoni and Maria Wozniak from 1958-1970.

The sub-series consists of letters from extended family or friends, mostly written in Polish. They include two letters from Father Michelowski, the Catholic priest stationed at Webster and serving the Fox Creek church, after he had moved to Vancouver; Nellie, a niece of Maria’s who lived in New York and later Connecticut; and a neighbour from Codesa, Mike Gruner.

The series consists of family photographs of the Wozniak family, from the time of their immigration from Poland and continuing through their years on the farm near Eaglesham and their retirement to Grande Prairie. Also included are a collection of photographs showing the crafting skills of Barbara Wozniak, Mathew Wozniak’s wife.

The series consists of land records, income records (cattle and grain), and expense records for the Wozniak farm when it was under the care of Antoni and Maria Wozniak; a 1981 appraisal report for the Wozniak farm, then called Barnaby Farms, when it was under the care of Mathew and Barbara Wozniak; a map showing the extent of Barnaby Farm when it was sold in 1999; and a story written by Mathew Wozniak about farming from the time he filed on his homestead in 1945, until 1998 when they decided to sell the farm. There are also 16 photographs of Barnaby Farm ca. 1990, and 20 photographs of the farm machinery being cleared out for auction after the farm was sold in 1999.

The series consists of 26 reels of 8 mm film and digital copies of the film, originally on 3 DVD discs, taken by Mathew Wozniak to document family activities and trips. The films show Eaglesham and Wozniak family events, and includes travel footage on the digital copies. The digital copies also include transfers of films (particularly vacation films) not accessioned by the Archives.