Wincenty and Ewa Warelis

Wincenty was born on August 15, 1871 in the village of Biedrzychow, Poland. He was the son of Damian Warelis and Helena Rejowska. He married Ewa Kurdziel who was born in the village of Rusinow, Poland on December 24, 1878. Together they had six children, Antoni, Frankciezek, Wladyslaw, Stefka, Boleslaw, and Julian.

We understand that Wincenty made two trips to the USA before 1918. He worked in Pittsburgh at a steel mill. His first trip was for a year on a work permit and his second may have been for six years or more. We make these assumptions based on the separation of birth dates of the children. When he returned to Poland after the First World War in 1918 after his second trip to the USA, he searched for Ewa and the children. Ewa had survived the war being homeless most of the time. She managed to feed her family and find shelter wherever she could. She worked for a German man who provided them with a safe place from the war in Germany. After the war she returned to Poland with Julian, Boleslaw, and Janek (John), who had gone with her. Antoni and Frank had been serving in the army and Wladyslaw was killed in the war. Nothing is known about Stefka who was said to have married at a very young age and died shortly after from a burst appendix.

In these hard times, Ewa found comfort in a relationship that produced a son, Janek (John). She gave him her maiden name Kurdziel, which he later changed to Kurdzer. One can only imagine how hard life must have been for her, not knowing if her husband would ever return from the USA.

When Wincenty returned to Poland he relocated his family to an area known then as Wolynska, just north east of the city of Lviv, which is presently in the Ukraine. In those days Poland’s borders were more east than where they are today. Wincenty and his two sons Antoni and Frank bought land there. The land was poor and all that grew well was cabbage and potatoes. There was pasture for cattle, but crops were poor and there was very little to eat. The future looked grim as Wincenty had also heard that another war was soon to break out, so he decided to sell the land and move to the USA.

The USA had stopped taking in immigrants at that point, but Canada had opened its gates. They all sold their land and made plans to come to Canada. On October 20, 1926 in Lasocin, Poland, a certificate was issued for a Passport. In July of 1929, after years of preparation, Wincenty, Ewa, and most of their children, daughter-in-laws, and grandchildren, left for Danzig, Poland. They only took a few belongings to hold them over until they reached Canada. Ewa was not eager to go to Canada as she was afraid of the ocean. She also had Wincenty promise that he would take Janek (John) with them.

Wincenty and Ewa traveled to Danzig, Poland and boarded the ship Oscar II which left Copenhagen on July 17, 1929 and arrived in Halifax on July 27, 1929. The trip was ten long days, many were ill, and the children were tired of being in such closed quarters. Wincenty came to Canada with $1820 in his pocket, a rich man.

Once the entire family reached Halifax, they all met up, had their civil examinations, and boarded a CNR train headed for Ethelbert, MB. Once Wincenty came to Ethelbert, he bought land from Mike Dudar, which he had for ten years. The dirty thirty’s were not easy for farming. Crops failed and he lost his land because he could not pay the mortgage. By this time, his son Boleslaw had left the farm for Toronto, ON to make his way in life. Their son Julian had married, but both he and his wife passed away young without any children. So Wincenty and Ewa moved in with Anton and Zofia on their homestead (NE 3-29-21). When Antoni later moved to another farm and left the homestead to his son Ted, Wincenty and Ewa continued to live there after Ted married and had children. They eventually wanted a change, so they moved to Hamilton, ON to live with their son Boleslaw. That move didn’t last very long and they were soon back at the farm with their grandson Ted. Wincenty always said that his sons must provide for him and Ewa, as it was his money that brought them to Canada.

Wincenty was always a restless fellow, he liked town life. He played pool every day. He also loved to play cards. When the TV stations came to Ethelbert in the 60’s he enjoyed wrestling. Wincenty was a handsome man who loved to dress well. He also had a passion for money. He would always carry a lot of money on himself. When he lived at his son Frank’s, he would place his money on the bed and count it almost every day. A fatherly type person he was not, but he had adventure in his blood. He was never afraid to try something new or step into the unknown.

Ewa was just happy to stay on the farm with Ted and Sophie. She was a much quieter person who enjoyed family and farm life. She was a great help to Ted and Sophie. She looked after the children and enjoyed their company. She lived in the summer house, so if she needed to escape from the kids all she did was close the door. Love and kindness were near to her heart, especially if one showed it to her.

Wincenty and Ewa would often move into town for a while and then back to the farm. In Ewa’s late seventies, they moved to town for the last time. Their great-granddaughter Lovey (Ted and Sophie’s daughter) remembers going to their house at lunch hour from school. There she would thread needles so that Ewa could sew. She also ran to the store for her and went back to school with treats. Most of all, it was a daily check on them as there were no phones.

By this time Ewa suffered from arthritis in her back and legs and spent a lot of time in bed. While she was at home alone, Wincenty was often out playing pool. She passed away in an ambulance near Ashville, MB on her way to the Dauphin hospital in 1960. Wincenty moved in with his son Frank and lived with him until he passed away in 1965.

They had a difficult time living together, such opposites, and after many years of separation, but they endured. He missed her after she was gone.

We, the five generations to come after Wincenty and Ewa, are eternally grateful for Wincenty’s insight into the future and his decision to bring the Warelis family to Canada.

In memory of my great grandparents Wincenty & Ewa Warelis.

Lovey and William Bosiuk