Family Histories: In the Style of Thucydides and Herodotus

Thucydides:

The fighting in Europe during World War II displaced many families.  Thousands of people had to leave their homes in order to not be killed; either because they were hated or going to be caught in the middle of the battle.  Wilma Koslowski and her family were one family that had to flee their home. 

On September 1, 1939, Germany and Slovakia attacked Poland. The war had come to Poland.  Three of Wilma’s brothers were drafted into the army and Wilma’s father was called into work as a translator for the German police.  In1944, the war was coming to the Koslowski family farm in Klajpedka, Poland.  Klajpedka is located in north-eastern Poland. It is close to the border with Lithuania. Wilma’s family was Protestant.  This made them ethnic Germans.  They were not hated, but because the war was coming they had to leave their home.

The family farm in Klajpedka, Poland.

Klajpedka is a very rural area.  The Koslowski’s didn’t have running water, much less a car to travel in.  They had to pack up as much as they onto two wagons and then either ride or walk alongside them.  Wilma and her family traveled to Germany.  They first went to Krakow and then Angerberg.  After accidently being split up for a short time, the two wagons found each other and continued on to Bremen.  There was an intersection in the road.  Luckily the family took the road that led into western Germany, away from the Communism in eastern Germany.  The family then settled down in Wallhöffen, a town north of Bremen.  Soon after arriving two or Wilma’s brothers and her father found the family through the Red Cross.  One of Wilma’s brothers never came back though.  He was declared MIA in 1948. 

Wilma (right) and Martha on the boat to America. 

           In 1955, Wilma’s sister decided to emigrate to the United States.  Wilma’s brothers Julius and Martin had already emigrated a few years before.  Wilma’s mother convinced her to go with Martha.  They were sponsored by a church and within a few weeks were on a boat traveling to America.  It took 9 days for them to come to America.  Wilma and Martha came into New York City like millions of others had before them. They had made it to America.

Sources: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_2#War_breaks_out_in_Europe
Luft, Emily. An Immigration Story: A Personal History of Wilma and Her Family. 2010 



Herodotus:

My grandmother, Wilma Luft (maiden name, Koslowski) who my family calls “Omi”, has told me of her life growing up in Poland and having to leave her home and come to America.  She speaks English very well, but you can tell she is Polish from her heavy accent.  She is a sweet old woman, but she is also very strong-willed.  She had to be, in order to survive the tough times she had to experience as a young girl.

Omi was born on May 5, 1931. She grew up on a farm in Klajpedka, Poland.  She had 8 brothers and 4 sisters.  A few of her siblings died at young ages though.  She says they had goats, chickens, pigs, cows, and horses.  At only eight years old, she was milking cows; something many children today could never imagine having to do.  Omi and her siblings had to help out with the chores on the farm.  Everyone pitched in to help keep it running.  Omi loved the farm.  She says that it was a beautiful place to live in, but they had to leave when the war came.  They had to leave in 1944. They were given one day to pack up and leave. Omi’s family had two covered wagons pulled by horses that they traveled in.  It was similar to the settlers moving west in America during the 1800’s.  On their way they would stop in different towns for a few weeks.  They would stay in apartments or barns, sharing them with other families.  The two wagons were split up at one point because at a crossroad, they each took a different path.  They found each other and they eventually made it to a town called Wallhöffen north of Bremen, where they settled down.

Four of Omi’s brothers and her father were taken before the war.  Her father and three of her brothers found the family in Germany, but Omi’s brother, Eduard, was never seen again.  He had been taken to a work camp before the war.  He ended up escaping, but he was trapped behind the Berlin Wall.  He could not contact Omi and her family.  They had thought he was dead, but just a few years ago we learned that he had been alive the whole time and even had a family.  Omi was happy to find out that he had been alive, but she was sad that she hadn’t gotten to see him again.

          After settling down and getting back into the swing of things, Omi’s sister Martha decided to emigrate to America.  Two of their brothers had previously emigrated and she wanted to too.  In 1955, Omi’s mother convinced Omi to emigrate too because of the new opportunities she would have there.  Omi was sponsored by a church to come over.  They got the papers and in seven weeks they were ready to go. They came over on a transport boat.  There were German people, Polish people, and many other ethnicities on the boat coming to America.  The trip took nine days.  They didn’t get seasick once.  When Omi say the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor she thought to herself “America!”  She was not nervous, but excited to be there.  She only had $12, but she was ready to start her new life.