Lawrence Wayne Watson was born on 8 March 1925, in Oglesby, Illinois, to William and Mary Nowicki Watson. When Lawrence was born his parents had been married for almost four years and already had two sons Edward and William. Following Lawrence, the couple had two more children: Lucille in 1927 and Leonard in 1928. Lawrence’s father William supported his family by working as a laborer at the cement mill. The family rented a home at 320 Clark street in Oglesby, Illinois. On 13 May 1933, Lawrence’s older brother Edward drowned in the Vermilion River at age 10 after falling out…
Category: Military History
SGT Frank Stanley Novitski, Service No. 36063533
Frank Stanley Novitski was born on 17 December 1911, in LaSalle, Illinois, to Stanley and Cecelia Szwajkowski Nowicki. His parents had married about 12 years before his birth in Iwno, Wielkopolskie, Poland. After the birth of their first child in Poland, they left their homeland to travel to the United States. After arriving, they settled in LaSalle and had nine more children including Frank who was their youngest. Frank’s father Stanley initially supported his family by working as a coal miner. Before Frank was born, has family was already living in a home his parents had purchased on the east…
SGT Sylvester Galas, Service No. 36761563
Sylvester Galas was born on 19 September 1912, in Peru, Illinois, to Ladislaus and Mary Wallock Galas. His parents had married on 6 November 1906, in LaSalle, almost six years before Sylvester was born. Prior to Sylvester, they had a son Casimir and a daughter Antoinette. After Sylvester they had two additional daughters, Gertrude and a baby girl who was stillborn. Sylvester’s father Ladislaus was born in Bakowo, Wielkopolskie, Poland and left that country to come to the United States in 1905. Soon after his marriage to Mary, he was working as a steel weigher at the zinc works. By…
PVT Andrew W. Mrowicki, Service No. 36761577
Andrew W. Mrowicki was born on 15 July 1918, in LaSalle, Illinois. He was the first child of Andrew Alexander and Loretta Krueger Mrowicki. A few months after Andrew was born, the country was overtaken by a deadly flu pandemic. The risk of Andrew, a baby, contacting this illness must have caused great concern for his family. In addition, the United States was still fighting a war in Europe, and Andrew’s father had to leave his family to serve overseas when Andrew was just a small baby. He left the United States with other members of Battery A of the…
T/3 Edward John Moriarity, Service No. 36479112
Edward John Moriarity was born 17 September 1906, in LaSalle, Illinois, to Edward and Anna Hermanski Moriarity. When Edward was three years old, he and his family were living at 1669 Hennepin street in LaSalle. By that year in 1910 his parents had a total of six children: John, William, Viola, Harry, Edward, and Irene. The children ranged in ages from 4 months old to 14 years old. Edward Moriarity Sr. supported his family by working as a carpenter at the the LaSalle County Carbon Coal Company mine. When Edward was only a child, a few major events occurred over…
T/3 Charles Mlaker, Service Number 36013958
Charles Mlaker was born on 26 November 1919, in LaSalle, Illinois, to Frank and Johanna Bergles Mlakar. Frank was a carpenter who was originally from Stari trg, Austria. About 1905 he left his homeland to travel to America and several years after arriving filed a Declaration of Intention to become a citizen. Charles’ mother, Johanna, was also from Austria. She traveled to the United States with her mother and three siblings from her birthplace of Gornji Grad when she was seven years old. They arrived in New York in December 1900. Johanna’s father, Joseph Bergles, was already living in LaSalle,…
SGT William R. Merrick, Service Number 00466277
William R. “Bill” Merrick was born on 8 December 1920, in LaSalle, Illinois, to William J. and Estella McCormick Merrick. He was the couple’s second son; their older son Harold was born in 1915 about a year after they married in 1914. William’s family on both his mother’s and father’s side lived in the United States for generations. However all but his maternal grandmother passed away either before he was born or when he was a small child. William probably knew his maternal grandmother well because his family lived with her and her second husband at 300 Third street in…
TEC5 Jittie Mardirosian, Service no. 36062113
Jerair “Jittie” Mardirosian was born on 14 October 1917, in East St. Louis in Illinois to Charles and Ogheg Korkorian Mardirosian. Jittie was the couple’s youngest child; he had two older brothers: Harry, born in 1913 and Huddie born in 1914. Jittie’s father Charles, who was from Hediaz, Turkey, had left his country to come to the United States in 1905. Charles supported his family by working at a foundry in St. Clair county. Jittie’s mother, Ogheg, was from Armenia. She passed away at age 36 when Jittie was five years old. About six years after his wife died, Charles…
CPL Clarence Mallick, Service No. 339176
Clarence Mallick was born on 18 June 1924, to Vincent and Agnes Sieg Mallick. His parents were married in 1910 in Oglesby and already had four other children by the time Clarence was born. Clarence’s paternal grandparents were Nicolaus and Catharina Smolter Mallick—a couple who emigrated to LaSalle County in about 1870 from the Dębowo area in northwest Poland—a small community located about five miles northwest of Nakło. After arriving in the Illinois Valley, the Mallick family took up farming and had at least two more children one of whom was Clarence’s father Vincent. The Mallick farm was located about…
Ship’s Cook 2C Casimir Andrew Leszczynski Service No. 3010825
Casimir Andrew Leszczynski was born on 3 January 1925, in LaSalle, Illinois, to Andrew and Stella (Rydz) Leszczynski. Casimir was the eighth child born to the couple. At the time of his birth his family was living at 337 Buck street on the southeast side of LaSalle. His father, Andrew, was working at the zinc factory. Both of his parents and his oldest siter, Antoinette, were born in Poland. Andrew left Poland for the U.S. in 1912; he was 22 years old. His wife and Antoinette followed the next year; at the time, Stella was 21 and Antoinette was 18…