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Gibala family in Poland

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In Poland I have found two original areas, with the occurence of the surname of Gibala (Rzeszow area, Czaslaw area). Both of these places are in a part of Poland, which was called Galicia( Halicz ) and which was under the Austria Empire after first division of Poland in the year 1772. I think that the Gibalas went to Poland after the Napoleon Wars, which was around the year 1815. I haven't documented the occurence of surname Gibalain Poland before the year 1825 yet.

Rzeszow area :


I have information about the original immigration of the Gibalas to this area from two Gibala families.
First information is from the Gibala family from the Rzeszow area. They said to me that on any domain in Rzeszow area there were many pheasants that died. The owner of this domain invited the pheasants to settle his domain. These new peasants were the Gibalas . The Gibalas were probably from France. Todays Gibalas aren't sure if the origin of the Gibalas came from France.
Second information is from Gibala families now living in USA. They said to me that Gibalas is not an origin Polish family that Gibalas have settled in the Rzeszow area after Napoleon Wars. They don't know what the original place of settlement was before the Gibalas came to the Rzesow area. This Gibala family lived in Blazowa before they moved to USA.

When I can verify this information to be true, then there would exist a relationship between Pavlovice area and the Napoleon Wars. Before the Battle of Three Emperors (2.12.1805 by Austerlitz - Czech Slavkov) Russian army Tsar Alexander came to Austerlitz from the north around Lipnik over Becva river, Olomouc and after the battle this army returned back the same way. Many of the Polish nobility members served in the Russian army at this time. Towns Prerov and Lipnik there are on empire road from Wien to Galicia, which was built between 1780 and 1790. By this road went not only Russian army but all trading contacts with Galicia. Along this empire road was built Nord railway of Ferdinand about 1850. It may be a contact between the Pavlovice area, the Rzeszow area, and the Napoleon Wars. More Gibalas went away from the Pavlovice area around the year 1810. More here. I found in the Rzeszow area more surnames, which were in the Pavlovice area before the year of 1800, for example: Gallas, Chrobak, Tomczik, Petras. All of this information testifies that Gibalas really could have came to Rzeszow area from Pavlovice.

Now more dates about the Blazowa's Gibala's:
John Gibala, my grandfather, his two brothers, and two of his sisters immigrated to America from Blazowa, Poland in the early 1900's. Their parents and one sister, whose name is believed to be Maria, stayed in Poland and never immigrated to America.

John Gibala (3-6-1887 to 11-29-1968) was the youngest of the five Gibala children. His brothers and sisters came to America when he was 14 years old. John immigrated around the year 1901. He initially settled in New Market, New Hampshire, where he is believed to have met his wife, Helen Adamczyk. John Gibala later moved to Benton, Illinois where he remained for the rest of his life. John and Helen Gibala had five (5) children that lived to adulthood. My father, Edward Gibala (born 6-8-1923) was the youngest. Helen Gibala died soon after my father was born. John Gibala remarried and had three more children.

Antonia Gibala (2-6-1869 to 17-9-1963) was the oldest of the five Gibala brothers and sisters that came to America. Antonia immigrated to America about 1911 with her husband Paulus Mnick (Mnich) and eight children. Antonia was over 40 years old when she came to America. The family lived for a time in western Pennsylvania before also moving to Benton, Illinois. Paulus and Antonia Mnick had two more children before Paulus died in 1919. Antonia spent the rest of her life in Benton living only a few blocks from her youngest brother John Gibala. Incidentally, Antonia's second child, Katie Mnick Mayeski (4-12-1893 to 19-5-1965) and her husband John Mayeski raised my father Edward after his mother died. My father went by the name of Eddy Majeski while in school.

Charles (Casimir) Gibala (d. 1929) settled in Livonia, Michigan after immigrating to America. He had three children.

Thomas Gibala (1875 to 15-11-1910) settled in New York City after immigrating to America. He had at least three children before he died in 1910.

Agnes Gibala (d. 21-1-1950) settled in Pennsylvania after immigrating to America. She had one child by her first husband Francis Petros. The Petros name appears on the baptismal record for Antonia Gibala, so Francis Petros was likely from Blazowa, Poland also. Agnes Gibala Petros later married a Barnett and had six more children.

I do not have any information on the parents of the five Gibala children who immigrated to America other than their names, Pauli Gibala and Maria Zabek. The parents of Pauli Gibala were Bartholomei Gibala and Catherina Driepak.

My note: Pauli Gibala and Maria Zabek were born about year 1850 in Poland and Bartholomei Gibala and Catherina Driepak were born about 1825 in Poland. I believe that the father of Bartholomei Gibala was born in Pavlovice area. First name of this Gibala family was very similar as first name of Gibalas in Pavlovice area, Thomas (Tomas), Anthonia, Agnes, and Maria.

Czaslaw area :



This area is about 15 kilometers southeast from Krakow. I have more information about the Gibalas families from this area, but I haven't joined them to one genealogy tree yet. Names of villages, where Gibalas have lived in this area, are: Gdow, Czaslaw, Kozmice, Wielicka, Janowice, Kedzierzynka. According to my knowledge today about Gibalas from this area, I am assuming that they were farmers, peasant or nobility coachmen.

Now story about Gibala coachman:
The farest I can go back is to Czaslaw to my great-great-grandfather who was the coachman for the area nobles. I can't recall his name grandma used to talk about thim all the time but that was years ago. He was in the uprising probable around 1846. He was met by the pheasants and they checked his hands. As his hands were smooth and not rough because he was a coachman and didn't work in the fields they thought he was nobility and they beat him and dug a swallow grave and put him in it and covered it and gave a shovel to an old man and told him to watch and if he moved to finish him off. The landlord wife happen to be coming by from Dobczyce saw old man and asked him what he was doing there with that shovel. My gggrandfather heard her voice and he recognized it and started screaming for help and he moved. The old man jumped to strike my gggrandfather and the landowner wife screamed for him to stop. She pushed the old man out of the way and dug the grave open with her bare hands. There was her coachman Gibala and that is where I come from.

I have heard about more Gibalas coachmen from this area. In this Gibala family there were coachmen.

Alois Gibala was born *14.4.1917 in Dielach number 3 Austria. He was baptism in church Deutsch-Feistritz 28.4.1917,the godfather Andreas Hozcdal from Dielach. Alois Gibala was a teacher. He died +4.10.1993 in Lucina number 165, in the Czech republic. Dielach there is near the city of Graz. Here in Austria Frantisek Gibala, father of Alois Gibala, was for few years as coachman and horse keeper.

Frantisek Gibala was born *31.3.1887 in Gdow numb.113 - Poland. He was baptism in church in Gdow 2.4.1887, the godparents Jakub Gibala a Viktorie Gierszak. Parents of Frantisek Gibala were Jan Gibala and Mariana Wojtowicz. Frantisek Gibala was a coachman and horse keeper. He married 26.11.1911 with Josefa (Josephine) Pisula (* 11.4.1895 in Loniow). Parents of Josefa were Valentin Pisula and Josefa Staszczyk from Loniow. She was baptism in church in Loniow 23.4.1895.Frantisek Gibala worked for the owner of Radvanice domain. Radvanice is now part of city Ostrava. Here Frantisek Gibala died around 1920. I found that the owner of Radvanice was the Count Wilczek (Vlcek ).

Jan (John) Gibala was born *12.5.1860 in Kedzierzynka numb.43 Poland. He was baptized in church in Gdow 13.5.1860, the godparents Josef Obszeniak and his wife Marianna. Jan Gibala parents were Frantisek Gibala and Zofie (Sophia) Obrusnik. I haven't had any more information about them. I am almost certain that they were born around the year 1835, in this time people were adult after 23. Jan Gibala married Mariana Wojtowicz in Gdow around the year 1883. Mariana Wojtowicz was born *18.1.1859 in Gdow numb.113. She was baptism in church in Gdow 18.1.1859, the godparents were Tomas Wojtowicz and? Rybak. Parents of Mariana were Petr Wojtowicz and Viktoria Rybak.

Others Gibala family from Czaslaw area:
Frantisek Gibala was born in Krajna Polana (Slovak republic - very close of Polish border) about 1910. Frantisek Gibala was a famous Slovak academic sculptor. His father was Izidor Gibala. Izidor Gibala was born in Czaslaw-Wielicka *8.5.1879. Izidor Gibala worked as grinder for Thonet Company. He was killed during WWI. Izidor Gibala was the unmarried son of Josephina Gibala. She was born around the year 1855 in Poland, around the Czaslaw area.

I am thinking that there exist a relationship between the Pavlovice area and the southern Poland area. So strong was the relationship that I haven't known any case of direct immigration from Pavlovice area to America. Reasons for this were that many of immigrants from this area moved to southern Poland, where they had some relatives.