Title: Roman B.J. Kwasniewski Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1892-1953

Creator:

• Kwasniewski, Roman B.J., 1886-1980

Call Number: Milwaukee Mss 22; Micro 911; Milwaukee Micro 38

Quantity: 1.7 c.f. (4 archives boxes, 1 oversize folder) and 2 reels of microfilm (35 mm)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries’ Archives Department / Milwaukee Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Partial papers of four generations of the Kwasniewski and Dyniewicz families, as collected by Roman Kwasniewski, a Milwaukee photographer, journalist, and business entrepreneur. The collection includes 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 to 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.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mil00022

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Roman B.J. Kwasniewski, son of Jozef and Wanda (Dyniewicz) Kwasniewski, was born June 10, 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 May 17, 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 to 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 had three children: 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 glass 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, Roman 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 irregular, 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 Kaczmarowski, 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 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.

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 research 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 related to 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 March 2, 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.

Roman B.J. Kwasniewski Photographs owned by University of Wisconsin Libraries, Archives Department (UWM Manuscript Collection 19).

Acquisition Information

Presented by John and Adele (Kwasniewski) Kaczmarowski, Greenfield, Wisconsin, 1980; and by Dorothy E. Dixon, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, 1981. Accession Number: M81-19, M81-124

Processing Information

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

Milwaukee Mss 22	Series: Personal, Family, and Business Records
	Art Flower Shop client records
Box   1 Folder   1-4	Client names, A-K
Box   2 Folder   1-5	Client names, L-T
Box   3 Folder   1	Client names, V-Z
Box   3 Folder   2	Cancelled checks of Edward C. Kwasniewski, 1930-1931
Box   3 Folder   3	Cancelled checks of Jozef Kwasniewski, 1923
	Correspondence
Box   3 Folder   4	Of Jozef Kwasniewski, 1893-1926, undated
Box   3 Folder   5-6	Of Roman Kwasniewski, 1911-1912, 1926-1940, 1950-1952
Box   3 Folder   7	Of Wanda Dyniewicz Kwasniewski, 1902-1909, 1922
Box   3 Folder   8	Other correspondence, 1931-1932
Box   3 Folder   9	Dabrowka Society records, 1909-1920
Box   3 Folder   10	Dyniewicz, Wadyslaw, Arye Polskie
Box   3 Folder   11	Dyniewicz and Kwasniewski family histories
Box   4 Folder   1	Insurance and real estate records, 1928-1933
Box   4 Folder   2	Legal documents, 1892-1903, 1918-1921, 1953
Box   4 Folder   3	Lincoln State Bank, 1949 report to the Board of Directors and list of stockholders
Box   4 Folder   4	Miscellaneous business papers
Box   4 Folder   5	Miscellaneous constitutions, dues books, financial and other reports
Box   4 Folder   6	Miscellaneous notes and papers
Box   4 Folder   7	Newspaper ads and clippings, 1913-1918; advertising brochure and business cards
Box   4 Folder   8	Notes, accounts regarding business; address book and cards, 1937-1938, 1949
Box   4 Folder   9	Pamphlets and printed material, 1899-1940
Box   4 Folder   10	Pamphlets and printed material regarding artists' materials, collected by Jozef Kwasniewski
Box   4 Folder   11	Photographs and postcards
Box   4 Folder   12	PNA and PWA dues books
Box   4 Folder   13	Programs, 1934-1935
Box   4 Folder   14	Record of photo supplies purchased, 1912-1913
Box   4 Folder   15	School papers of Roman Kwasniewski Jr., 1930
Oversize Folder	Large photographs
	Series: Microfilmed Farm Column Records	⇧
Reel   1 Frame   1-460	Correspondence, 1926-1932, undated
	News clippings arranged by journal title
Reel   1 Frame   462-597	Chicago Tribune, 1927-1928, undated Note: See also frames 877-889.
Reel   1 Frame   598-652	Czas, 1927-1928, undated
Reel   1 Frame   653-654	Dziennik Chicagoski, 1928
Reel   1 Frame   655-656	Gazeta Podhalanska, #15
Reel   1 Frame   657-667	Gazety Grudziadzkiej, 1925, 1927-1928
Reel   1 Frame   668-674	Glos Lubelski, 1927
Reel   1 Frame   675-677	Kurjer Poznanski, 1927-1928
Reel   1 Frame   678-679	Kuryer Codzienny, 1928
Reel   1 Frame   680-876	Kuryer Polski, 1911, 1923-1929, undated
Reel   1 Frame   877-889	Chicago Tribune, 1927-1928
Reel   1 Frame   890-923	Milwaukee Journal, 1927-1928, undated
Reel   1 Frame   924-930	Milwaukee Sentinel, 1927-1928
Reel   1 Frame   931-1007	National Garden Bureau brochures
Reel   1 Frame   1008-1033	Nowiny Polskie, 1927, 1929-1930, 1946, undated
Reel   1 Frame   1034-1039	Rady Rolniczo Gospodarskie, 1927
Reel   1 Frame   1040-1054	Rodzina, 1927-1928
Reel   2 Frame   1-160	Rolnik, 1926-1929, undated
Reel   2 Frame   161-179	Swit, 1928, undated
Reel   2 Frame   180-251	U.S.D.A. Farm Bulletin, 1927
Reel   2 Frame   252-277	Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Brochures, 1922-1923, 1927
Reel   2 Frame   278-282	Zdrowie, 1927
Reel   2 Frame   283-385	Other publications and unidentified clippings, 1927-1928, undated
	News clippings arranged by subject
Reel   2 Frame   386-393	Agricultural advertisements
Reel   2 Frame   394-481	Bees (Pszczoy)
Reel   2 Frame   482-529	Bone-related disorders (Konie)
Reel   2 Frame   530-629	Cattle and dairy science (Bydo)
Reel   2 Frame   630-653	Cereal grains (Zboze)
Reel   2 Frame   654-667	Domestic animals (Zwierzeta Domowe)
Reel   2 Frame   668-675	Farm buildings (Zabudowania Farmerskie)
Reel   2 Frame   676-681	Farm humor
Reel   2 Frame   682-691	Farm land (Farmach)
Reel   2 Frame   692-703	Farm tools (Narzedzia Rolnicze)
Reel   2 Frame   704-722	Fertilizers (Nawozy)
Reel   2 Frame   723-727	Field birds (Ptaki Polne)
Reel   2 Frame   728-748	Flowers (Kwiaty)
Reel   2 Frame   749-764	Grape growing (Hodowla Winorosli)
Reel   2 Frame   765-772	Herb cures (Zioa Lecznicze)
Reel   2 Frame   773-815	Market gardening (Ogrod Warzywny)
Reel   2 Frame   816-826	Orchards (Sad)
Reel   2 Frame   827-871	Pests (Szkodniki)
Reel   2 Frame   872-941	Poultry (Drob)
Reel   2 Frame   942-970	Sheep (Owce)
Reel   2 Frame   971-986	Soils (Gleby)
Reel   2 Frame   987-999	Swine (Swinie)
Reel   2 Frame   1000-1004	Weeds (Zielsko Chwasty)
Reel   2 Frame   1005-1009	Wild animals (Zwierzeta Dzikie)
Reel   2 Frame   1010-1120	Miscellaneous (Rozmaitosci)
Reel   2 Frame   1121	News clippings arranged by season, January-December