So who was Antoni Jan "Anthony 'Tony', Sr." Julianowicz Chernetski? Born en route between Lipsk nad Biebrza and Tsuman (then Cuman, Wolyn), the first child of Julian Jan "Feliks" (December 24, 1875-1877 - September 11, 1922) and Aleksjondria Alicja Andrulewicza (June 26, 1882 - April 6, 1936) Chernetski was born into a
mishpacha b'HaGalut l'Yisra'el-- in other words, he was a Diasporan Jew. His dad's family included the Chernetskis and Danilowiczes of Lipsk, Krasne, Suwalki, and Bialystok; and his uncle Teofil was born in Lipno, the hometown of the
Laczinskys (
the surname of whom Julian would later use on his Ellis Island record). His mom's family included the
prominent Andrulewiczes (Andruleviches) of Buzhanka (then in Zvenigorodka, Kiev).
Then came the pogroms, and his parents chose to become
Anusim. As has come to light recently, "Antoni" was chosen in connection with the saint born on his birthday (
October 24) for him when he became a
meshumad, a baptized Jew.
"Antoni" was also given by Aleksjondria to both of his granddads (her dad and her in-law dad), as was "Katarzyna" to both his grandmothers. Because all the records for
Yehudim in his birth area were destroyed, his and his grandparents' real names are not known-- and "Julian" and "Aleksjondria" are uncertain as given names as well (Neither name has a Saint's Day on December 24 or June 26.).
Sat
shiva for and effectively kicked out of Lipsk, then-three-year-old Antoni came with his mom to join Julian in Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania on May 16-18, 1908. Then he lived with his mom and dad at 132 Main (now North Main) Street, Sugarloaf in Sugar Notch Borough for a while. There, "Tony" became a brother twice: to Regina (April 1909 - June 23, 1925), and Alexandria Alice, Jr. (September 28, 1910 - November 1978).
Tony became a brother nine more times at his next home. His survivings siblings were Stanley Peter, John "Johnkie" Felix, Edward "Ed" Leo, Josph "Suzy" Paschal, Sr.; Pfc. Bernard "Bernie" S. (March 15, 1920 - July 16, 1963; WW2, KIA, long-term dying process), and Cecelia "Celia" R.. His siblings in law: John Dombroski, Sr.; Theresa nee Makarczyk, Jennifer "Jennie" Gladey nee Ulawski, Evelyn, Eleanor nee Hadala, and Michael James Guhanick, Sr..
His own spouse was the Jewish Mary M. nee Trudnak, a daughter of the (as far as is known) gentile Michael A. and Jewish Ana Monka Trudnak. He and she met at the silk mill where he, she, and their sisters-- his sister Alexandria and her sister Helen Elizabeth Kostka nee Trudnak-- had all worked. Thoroughly managing to piss off his
Anusit ima, he married the Jewish Catholic Mary Trudnak on May 10, 1934; while she was pregnant with the first Tony, Jr. (1934 - 1934), who died two days after being born.
He and Mary lived at his home at 203 Freed Street while Alexandria (called Alice) lived at 207 and Suzy lived at 205, since the home was actually three houses in a row-- originally three houses bought for 14 total (12 surviving) people (two parents, 12 total children born from 1904 to 1922). There, he had born to him the following besides the first Tony, Jr.: John Gregory "Jack" (that murderous Jack), Francis Anthony "Red", James "Jim" Julian, Sr.; and the second Tony, Jr..
He worked as a coal miner in Sugar Notch until 1964, when he had to move to Watervilet, NY to take a job as a lawn-mower operator at a high-end apartment complex. Damaging his right leg up to his knee, including his three middle toes, with the lawn mower; he came back to Sugar Notch and then, due to Depression, committed suicide on December 2, 1964 in neighboring Exeter in Wyoming County.
At the time; he was survived by all of his siblings but his previously-deceased siblings (the ones who died in the 1910s and 1920s) and Pfc. Bernie Czarnecki, his sons, and five grandchildren (including one on the way). He also widowed Mary M. Czarnecki nee Trudnak, who outlived her first and only husband until her death by murder on February 12, 2007.
He wasn't remembered or known as particularly good to his family; having himself been abused during childhood by his mother, who sent him to a mental institution in far-from-Sugar-Notch Wood River, Illinois in 1930. He also had a
schicker dad; but liked his dad more than his mom, yet became like his abusive and controlling mom.
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