Gibala family in Poland
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.
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.
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.
Now story about Gibala coachman:
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:
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.