According to Barbara Szybiak's research, Andrew Koszkowski was born October 3, 1867 in Hankowie, Austria-Hungary. The location was probably known by several names during its history, and the name doesn't appear on contemporary maps. In that same year, a dual monarchy was established in the Austro-Hungarian lands. Prussia had won the Seven Weeks War a year before, repelling Austrian influence in German territories.

Andrew Koszkowski's parents, as named on Andrew's marriage certificate, were Michael and Suzanne Koszkowski. Andrew immigrated to the United States arriving in Trenton, New Jersey on May 7, 1891. Ellis Island's first immigrant processing center was still being built and wouldn't open for nearly eight more months. Andrew likely entered the country through the "Old Barge Office" near a U.S. Customs House on southeast Manhattan. Prior to April 19, 1890, immigrants were admitted through Castle Garden, through a processing center operated by the State of New York. While sailing into U.S. waters, Andrew would have seen the Statue of Liberty then only four or five years old.

Andrew married Julia Radiak on February 12, 1892 in Trenton. They produced 11 children. According to Barbara Szybiak's research, the first five were born in Jessup, Pennsylvania from 1892 to 1899. The sixth was born in Footedale, Pennsylvania in 1901. Number seven was born in Clarence in 1903. In 1907, the eighth child was born in Footedale. Numbers nine through eleven were born in Clarence from 1911 to 1914. The children's names were Andrew, Michael, John, Joseph, Anna, George, Mary, Steve, Paul, Julia, and Elizabeth.

Andrew Koszkowski died October 16, 1916 in Clarence, Pennsylvania at the age of 49.

In 1987, Paul (one of Andrew's children) and Theresa Koshko provided to their grandson Rick information about Andrew for a school assignment on family histories. They referred to him as Andrew Koshko Sr. and called his wife Julia Roggik. According to the account, Andrew worked in the Jessup coal mines from approximately 1882 to 1895. Then they moved to Clarence where Andrew bought and worked on a farm until 1905 before going into the meat and grocery business. Read the account (147 KB) here.

View Andrew Koszkowski's marriage certificate: front (60 KB) & back (51 KB).

Questions:
• Where is Hankowie? What other names is it known by?
• What compelled Andrew Koszkowski to move to the U.S.? Did he stay in touch with the "Old Country"?
• How did he end up in Clarence, Pennsylvania and why did he move back and forth from Footedale?
• When did Andrew Koszkowski begin using the name Koshko?
• How did he meet Julia Radiak?
• How did he die?
• Do you have any pictures, government documents, newspaper articles, etc. about Andrew Koszkowski? Perhaps there's a ship's manifest bearing his name.

Record created: March 13, 2002
Updated: August 9, 2002