currently known as Waplewo Wielkie
Gross Waplitz photo gallery
detailed history of gross Waplitz
1893 map of Gross
Waplitz area
Gross Waplitz in 1893
Who lived here?
John Zielinski and Elizabeth Witkowski
(Lawrence's grandparents)
moved here from Ellerbruch sometime after 1869. Son John F. was born
here on
November 2, 1881 and daughter Johanna
was born here on May 8, 1884. Both were baptized at the Catholic church in
Altmark. Son
Frank
(Lawrence's dad) was born around 1872, but his birth record has not yet been
found. It is not known whether he was born in Ellerbruch or Gross Waplitz or
elsewhere. Gross Waplitz was where
the family was living when they emigrated from Poland to the United States in
June of 1885.
1870 1872
1874 1876
1878 1880
1882 1884
1886 1888
1890 1892
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|------------|--John/Elizabeth
Zielinski----------|---------Wisconsin-----|------------|
... about Gross Waplitz
Gross Waplitz in the time of our ancestors (19th century) belonged to Prussia and was a "Gutsbezirk", which was an Estate District or Manorial Farm. This was really just a very large farm owned by a noble family. It consisted of a manor house (gut), many large barns, and residences for the workers. In the case of Gross Waplitz, the residences were located in an adjacent village owned by the manor in which there were small scale farms which the small farmer residents had the right to pass on to their descendants. To learn more about how Manorial Farms worked in Prussia, click here.
Gross Waplitz is the German name; today the village is known as Waplewo Wielkie. It is in the Powiat (county) of Stuhm. Historically it was in the German province of West Prussia; today it is in the Polish voivodeship (province) of Pomorskie, also known as Pomerania.
The oldest documentation of a settlement in what is now Waplewo Wielkie dates back to 1376, when the settlement was known as Wapils. Over the years it has also been known as Walpele, Woplyn, Opolyn, Waplisz, Waplewo, and Waplitz. Gross Waplitz was the home of a royal estate (Gross means Great in German) which had satellite manor houses in Ellerbruch, Waplewko, Rychendrysy, Tillendorf, and Ramten. Each of these smaller communities was dependent upon the Lord of the Manor in Gross Waplitz.
In 1885, the Estate District of Gross Waplitz encompassed nearly 6,000 acres, of which a little over 3,000 was cultivated land, 514 was meadows, and 1,762 was forest. There lived 609 inhabitants in 48 houses. Of those 609 inhabitants, 591 were Catholic with the rest being Protestant. In 1885, there was also a Catholic school, a hospital, and a steam distillery.
Because Gross Waplitz was the center of, and responsible for, a large farming area, most likely John worked as a farmer in some capacity. On the map above, you can see a cluster of small homes - these would be the homes of the workers. John, Elizabeth, and family probably resided in one of these homes. The area just west of the small pond containing larger buildings was the Manor House ("Gut" in Polish). This was considered a "royal" residence, though no royalty actually lived here. Nevertheless, this was (and is now) a very impressive home with gardens and servant quarters. The "lord" of the manor was in charge of the entire farming community for the area.
The Catholic parish for this village was in Altmark (now Stary Targ) almost 3 miles away. Both John F. and Johanna Zielinski were baptized at the Catholic church in Altmark. There was a Catholic Chapel in Gross Waplitz built in 1873. However, this was at the time a private family chapel for the Sierakowski family, long-time rulers of the Manor.
After years of neglect, the manor house of Waplewo Wielkie was restored and is now a historical museum dedicated to the "noble traditions". The 1873 chapel is now a full Roman Catholic Parish.
For a more detailed history of Gross Waplitz, see the Gross Waplitz History page. Also check out the Gross Waplitz Photo Gallery.
