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Dear America Wiki

"I have been thinking about the way Jerzy and Lidia look at each other, the way they are hungry for each other, and I know I will never marry again unless I love a man who loves me back. I'd rather live out my life as a widow, even if it means working myself into an early grave, which may be the best bit of rest I ever get."
—Anetka Kaminska[4]

Anetka Nasevich (née Kaminska and formerly Gawrych; 1883 – 1965) was a Polish immigrant. In 1896, she voyaged to America with her brother Jozef and friend Leon Nasevich. Her father arranged her marriage to a coal miner, Stanley Gawrych, a widower with three children. After her husband's death, Anetka had to work hard to support herself and family.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Anetka was born in 1883[1] and grew up in the small village of Sadowka, Poland. Her family were Russian Poles.[5] She had a younger brother named Jozef. Following their mother's death, their father left for America where he obtained a job as a coal miner.

Life in America[]

In April 1896, Anetka met Leon Nasevich, a soldier whom she initially hated. A few days later, she received a letter from her father. In it he revealed that he had arranged her marriage and the family's passage to America. A few weeks later, Anetka was targeted by a sergeant, whom had learned about her secretly teaching Polish. Leon saved her. She subsequently fled the village with Jozef and Leon. Anetka was heartbroken about leaving her grandmother behind. On board the ship, Anetka became closer to Leon who kissed her during a dance.

Anetka and Jozef were separated from Leon, whom they later discovered was only detained. They found their way to Lattimer, Pennsylvania, where they were reunited with their father. Anetka married Stanley Gawrych on July 25, 1896. She became the stepmother to his three daughters, Violet, Rose, and Lily. The marriage was hard on Anetka, who wanted to love and be loved by Stanley. Despite her attempts to be a good wife and mother, Stanley never showed her any affection and even called her "lazy."

Just after she and Stanley reached a good place, he passed away during a mining accident on January 25, 1897. Anetka had to have five boarders, including her father and brother, to work on paying his company's debts. She later took in Leon as well, after she nursed him back to health. Anetka grew even closer to Leon over the next few months. In September 1897, Leon, a union worker, went on strike with the other miners. He was injured, while several others were killed. When he and Anetka were reunited, he told her he loved her.

Later life[]

Anetka and Leon were married two months later. They had only one daughter, Mary. Their daughters, including Violet, Rose, and Lily, gave them sixteen grandchildren in total. They called their family a "League of Nations" because their daughters all married men from different countries. Anetka passed away in 1965 after suffering a stroke. Leon died a day later of a broken heart.

Personality and traits[]

Much of Anetka's core personality took after her mother's, whom was a level-headed person. Her father, on the other hand, was a dreamer which frustrated his daughter. Anetka was a strong, hardworking woman, being able to run a boardinghouse and take care of three children at the time. Leon described her as "the bravest person I know." She was also intelligent, reading and writing both Russian and Polish.

Family tree[]

The Kaminski Family Tree
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Babcia"
 
"Dziadek"
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mr. Kaminski
 
Mrs. Kaminska
(d. 1895)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(2) Leon Nasevich
(1878-1965)
 
Anetka Kaminska
(1883-1965)
 
(1) Stanley Gawrych
(1871-1897)
 
Sophie Gawrych
 
Jozef Kaminski
(1889-1918)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mary Nasevich
 
Thomas
 
Violet Gawrych
(b. 1890)
 
Carlo
 
Rose Gawrych
(b. 1892)
 
Jimmy
 
Lily Gawrych
(b. 1893)
 
David
 
 
 
 

Notes:

  • Polish names ending in -ski usually have the feminine form of -ska; thus Anetka and her mother are Kaminska, while her father and brother are Kaminski.

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

References[]

See also[]


Dear America characters
Main characters

Remember "Mem" Whipple | Deliverance Trembley | Lozette Moreau | Catharine Logan | Prudence Emerson
Abigail Stewart | Lucinda Lawrence | María Rosalia de Milagros | Hattie Campbell | Mary Driscoll
Florence "Florrie" Mack Ryder | Susanna Fairchild | Clotee Henley | Amelia Martin | Emma Simpson
Sarah Nita | Phillis "Patsy" Frederick | Libby West | Priscilla "Pringle" Rose | Mary "Polly" Rodgers
Nannie Little Rose | Angeline Reddy | Sarah Jane Price | Teresa Viscardi | Anetka Kaminska
Zipporah Feldman | Minette "Minnie" Bonner | Angela Denoto | Margaret Ann Brady | Kathleen Bowen
Simone Spencer | Lydia Pierce | Nell "Nellie Lee" Love | Bess Brennan | Minerva "Minnie" Swift | Grace Edwards
Julie Weiss | Madeline Beck | Amber Billows | Piper Davis | Dawn "Dawnie Rae" Johnson | Molly Flaherty

Supporting characters

Antoinetta Viscardi | Leon Nasevich | Daniel Pierce | Erma Jean Love | Patrick Flaherty

Lists of characters by book

A Journey to the New World | I Walk in Dread | Look to the Hills | Standing in the Light
Love Thy Neighbor | The Winter of Red Snow | Cannons at Dawn | A Line in the Sand
Valley of the Moon | Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie | So Far from Home | All the Stars in the Sky
Seeds of Hope | A Picture of Freedom | A Light in the Storm | When Will This Cruel War Be Over?
The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow | I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly | The Great Railroad Race
Down the Rabbit Hole | Land of the Buffalo Bones | My Heart Is on the Ground | Behind the Masks
My Face to the Wind | West to a Land of Plenty | A Coal Miner's Bride | Dreams in the Golden Country
A City Tossed and Broken | Hear My Sorrow | Voyage on the Great Titanic | A Time for Courage
When Christmas Comes Again | Like the Willow Tree | Color Me Dark | Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Christmas After All | Survival in the Storm | One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping
My Secret War | Early Sunday Morning | The Fences Between Us | With the Might of Angels
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?