Hello and Welcome to Industrial Revolutions Research paper. We had to choose a person from Claremont that lived here and do research on them! I chose to do on Jacob, with the help of Mrs. Nancy-Jean Cusanelli.
Jacob was born on June 13, 1892 in Lubla, Poland. His mother didn't want him to go in the army in Poland so she encouraged her son to go to the United States for freedom and a better life. He Traveled from farm to farm by night, until he got to the ocean and could board a ship bound for the United States. He was 21 years old when he came here.
When he arrived at Ellis Island, the officials asked his name. When he told them his name was Jacob, they informed him that they would call him "Jack."
Jacob worked at many jobs after coming to the United States. When he first came to Claremont he worked at the Monadnock Cotton Mills. Jacob also worked at several shoe shops- McElwin Shoe, Kimmel Shoe Co. and the International Shoe Co. He also worked at the Goddard Bakery in Claremont. At one point in his life he owned and operated Kowalczyk's Dry Goods Store on Main Street across from Leo's Market. His night job was a night watchmen at the Claremont Flock Corp. He retired from there because of bad health. Many immigrants came to Claremont because of the mills and shoe shops. The water power in the area was very helpful in powering the machinery in many area mills.
Religion was very important to the Polish immigrants. Claremont already had St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church attended mainly by people of French decent. The polish immigrants built a second Catholic Church on Elm Street. Jacob was a charter member and communicant of St. Joseph's Church. He was also a member of the Towarzystwo T. Kosciuszki Society. He also was a member of the Polish American Citizens Club and at one point he served as a Treasurer.
Jacob and his wife, the former Mary Madeja, had 5 children who lived to adulthood. Two sons died when they were babies. Jacob and Mary bought the house at 4 Pillsbury Street, formally known as Vine Street Ext. from mary's parents- Stanley and Elizabeth Madeja. The house continued to stay in the family after Jacobs death in May of 1977, passing it to Jacob and Mary's youngest son Walter Kowalczyk when Jacob died. When Walter died, Mary Pickering, Jacobs Granddaughter bought the house in January of 2008.
Jacob Kowalczyk is the grandfather of Nancy-Jean (Kowalczyk) Cusanelli, a Para at Stevens High School. To Mrs. Cusanelli, he will always be Dziadziu (Polish for grandfather).
