Welcome to the Pater Family Page on the What’s Past is Prologue genealogy blog. This page will show the detailed family tree information for other PATER researchers. My particular Pater line begins in the early 1800s in Poland, near the present-day town of Żyrardów, which is located near Warsaw. There are PATER families from several other countries, including Germany, England, and Netherlands. Are they all connected? Only through solid genealogical research will the answer eventually be found.
The Pater Ancestors
Generation No. 1
1. Hilary Pater is named as the father of Jan Pater on Jan’s marriage record. I do not have his birth, marriage, or death information yet. He was likely born between 1800 and 1814. His wife was Agnieszka (unknown surname). Both were deceased before their son’s marriage in 1859.
Children of Hilary and Agnieszka Pater:
( 2 ) i. Jan Pater, b. approx 1834 (see Generation 2)
I have not yet identified other children of this couple.
Generation No. 2
2. Jan Pater was born approximately in 1834 in Kamieńskie Budy. On 10 October 1859 he married Teofilia Zakrzewska (born 27 December 1840 in Mariampol to Karol Zakrzewski and Rozalia Kowalewska, died after 1885) in the town of Wiskitki. Both Jan and Teofilia died after 1885 as they were alive at the time of their son Jozef’s wedding.
Children of Jan Pater and Teofilia Zakrzewska:
i. Marcin Pater, b. 1860
ii. Ewa Pater, b. 1862
(3) iii. Jozef Pater, b. 21 Sep 1864 (see Generation 3)
iv. Marianna Zofia Pater, b. 1866
v. Antonina Pater, b. 1867
vi. Paulina Pater, b. 1874
vii. Pawel Pater, b. 1876
viii. Bronisława Pater, b. 1877
ix. Bronisław Pater, b. 1879
x. Władysław Pater, b. 1882
xi. Stanisław Pater, b. 1884
Generation No. 3
3. Jozef Pater was born on 21 September 1864 in the town of Ruda Guzowska, which later became Żyrardów. On 25 August 1885, he married Antonina Rozalia Pluta (born 21 June 1863 in Mszczonów to Ludwik Pluta and Franciszka Anna Wojciechowska, died 12 December 1938 in Philadelphia, PA, USA) in the town of Mszczonów. Jozef immigrated to the US in 1905 and settled in Philadelphia, PA. Antonina followed in 1906 with daughters Regina and Victoria. In 1907, daughter Franciszka, with her husband Paweł Nieginski, came with brothers Wacław, Ludwik, and Stefan. Also, in 1909 Antontina’s mother joins the family in the US (Frances Anna Pluta – died in 1914 – I have traced her side and her husband’s back a couple of generations in Poland if you want this information). Jozef Pater died in Philadelphia on 11 August 1945. The couple had seven children - the children and grandchildren are all listed below as Generation No. 4 and 5.
Generation No. 4 and 5
Children of Jozef Pater and Antonina Pluta:
i. Regina, b. 1886. I know Regina came over with her mother and younger sister Victoria in 1906, but I have not found a marriage record to know her married name – possibly Goembiewski?
ii. Franciszka (Frances), b. 1887 in Żyrardów. Married Paweł (Paul) Nieginski (16 Jan 1879 or 1880 – 31 Aug 1964) in Żyrardów. Died 27 Nov 1967 in PA. Children of Frances and Paul:
Edmund – b. 1910, d. 22 May 1997, m. Margaret
Stella – b. 13 Jan 1914, d. 09 Aug 2005, m. Frank Ciccarelli
Sophia – b. 1916, d. 05 Sep 1989, m. George Koch
iii. Ewa (Eva or Anna), b. 19 December 1888 in Żyrardów. Married Edward Süsser on 19 January 1907 in Philadelphia, PA. They may have changed the spelling to Siesser. Children of Ewa and Edward:
Edward – b. 1908 in Philadelphia, PA. May have married in 1934.
Anna – b. Nov 1909 in New Jersey
iv. Wacław (went by Walter or John), b. 28 September 1890 in Żyrardów. Not sure if he married; had a short left leg. Died on 29 January 1925 in Philadelphia, PA.
v. Ludwik (Louis), b. 24 August 1893 in Żyrardów. Married Elżbieta (Elizabeth) Miller (19 Nov 1891 – 28 Jul 1972) on 27 August 1910 in Camden, NJ. Died on 31 October 1957 in Philadelphia, PA. Children of Louis and Elizabeth:
Henry – b. 25 Mar 1912, d. 17 Oct 1972, m. Mae Zawodna (2 children)
Walter – b. 08 Jul 1913. d. Apr 1975, m. 3 times (2 children) – used the name Walter Miller, not Walter Pater.
Louis – b. 09 Feb 1916, d. 17 Oct 1940, never married
Victor – b. 28 Jan 1919, d. 05 May 1951, m. M. Seanez in 1947 (no children)
Eugene – b. 19 Jul 1920, d. Jan 1979, m. (3 children)
vi. Stefan (Steven), b. 02 September 1895 in Żyrardów. Married Stella Molczan in 1917 in Philadelphia, PA. Died on 16 June 1956. Children of Steven and Stella:
(1) Stella – m. George Christy (3 children)
vii. Wiktoria (Victoria), b. 16 December 1903 in Żyrardów. Married Stanley Koruba (08 May 1898-xx Dec 1971). Died in February 1977 in Warrington, PA. Children of Victoria and Stanley:
Martin Koruba
Edward Koruba
Stella – m. Mr. Martini (2 children)
Jean – m. Mr. Colvin (possibly 3 children)
The Pater Descendants
Generations No. 6, 7, 8
There are dozens of descendants of Joseph and Antonina Pater living throughout the United States. For privacy reasons, detailed information ends with Generation No. 5 who are all deceased to the best of my knowledge. I limited information on the 6th generation to how many children I am aware of, although I do have some possible names. I would very much like to hear from any of my cousins that stumble upon this page. I have been searching in vain for photographs of Joseph and Antonina Pater as well as photos of their children, especially when they were younger. The photo of Louis Pater shown below is the ONLY photograph I have of him, but I know that others must exist.
Descendant surnames include: Christy, Ciccarelli, Colvin, Koch, Koruba, Martini, Miller, Nieginski, Pater, Pointkouski, Schaffer, Susser. I am sure there are also Pater descendents still living in Poland that are descended from one of Joseph’s many brothers.
If anyone else is researching the PATER family, please contact me!
Photo Gallery
Generation No. 5: Henry Pater (1912-1972)
Generation No. 4: Louis Pater (1893-1957) with sister-in-law and daughter-in-law
Generation No. 4: The Pater Sisters
I have several posts on this blog about my Pater family. See all posts labeled with the “Pater” Surname category here. Enjoy your visit, and please leave a comment if you’re a Pater!
My name is Jackie Koruba, my grandmother was Victoria Pater. She married Stanley Koruba. They had four children.
1-Stella married to Joseph Martino, lived in Deleware-they had two boys Joey and Bobby Martino, She died in mid 2000′s. Joey (joseph had 4 0r 5 kids)
2-Jean married to Harold Colvin, they had two boys and a girl, girl died at age 1 or 2. Boys are Jerry Colvin, living in Phila. Jerry has five children living in Philadelphia area and another son Mark who lived in Florida. Jean is still alive
3-Martin Kouba (my father) married to Josephine LeBold.(86yrs old)Josehine Koruba lives in Philadelphia
Martin died in 1983. They had two boys and two girls
a-Martin Sr.(born 4/11/1947 living in california (deckinfo.com)Martin is married to Jan Koruba (maiden name Roughgarden) they have a son named Matthew Koruba approx age 26
b-Victoria Mary Koruba Frankmano,living in Rye New York(born 7-14-1949-married and divorced to Don Frankmano-they have two children Rebecca (26) and Cary (28)
c- Kenneth Michael Koruba, Living in Medford, NJ (11/4/54) single with one son, Michael Koruba (28yrs)
d-Me- Jackie Koruba Cardillo, living in Rye New York(11/16/56)Married to Tony Cardillo – we have one daughter Julia Michelle Cardillo (9yrs).
I have the boat registry etc from when they left Poland/Russia that is from ellis Island website
Thanks for all the info, cousin! (I’ve emailed you privately.)
Hi,
My name is Charles Hawkshaw-Burn, my mother was Glory Lilian Pater 1910-1999. She was born in Rawalpindi (then British India) the daughter of Rolston William Pater 1880-1941. Captain Rolston Pater served in the British Army (10th Prince of Wales Royal Hussars) & his family can be traced back to John James Pater who was born in Brixham, Devon, England c 1783.
I’m happy to share any information I have on the “Pater” family in England & would love to hear from anyone who can go back before John James Pater in 1783.
Regards, Charles
Hi There ,my name is Kay, and no I am not a Pater, although it was nice to find out where the name originated from, and perhaps I am related to the Pater family. I am trying to find out some history, and if you would have heard of James Pator Esq, who was possibly in the RN and was on HMS Victory.He does not come up on the ships crew list ,however with the documents I have, his name his been written down as being connected to the ship , which is very exciting. If You can help me with any information that would be great Cheers Kay
Hi Kay,
My Pater family had strong connections with the sea & many of them either served in the Royal Navy or were fishermen. I was not aware of any particular connection with HMS Victory; though I certainly agree it would be exciting if we could find one!
The name James crops up a lot in the family (I have 9 of them) & so I would need to know more about your James Pator (Pater) such as where & when he was born to see if I can match him to one of mine. If you can give me more details; I’d be very grateful.
Regards, Charles
My great grandfather was charles william pater master seaman from liverpool, he moved to whitehaven and had a number of fishing vessels, married margaret acton from annalong (county down ireland) any info would be greatly appreciated. Charlie
Hi Charlie,
I’m pretty sure that I have a couple of photos of Charles William Pater. If you would like to contact me at hawkshawburn@btinternet.com, I will send you copies.
Regards, Charles
Hi!
My name is Piotr Pater and I was born in 1979 in Wroclaw (Poland) but for last 6 years live and work in Manchester (UK). I really enjoyed reading this website and especially old pictures. Last one with ladies in black dresses must be from times when Poland was annexed and partitioned between Russia, Prussia and Austria – women where wearing black dresses as a sign of protest and mourning for Poland.
Unfortunately I do not have contact with my father and his family (it’s a bit complicated…) so don’t have much to share – apart from history I am making now, perhaps…
It was really good to know a bit more about origins of our surname.
Wish you all well
Piotr Tymon Pater
Hi I am Daniel Pater I was born in 1978 and was born and raised in wisconsin in the united states. I have a assignment for a collage class and need info on my heritage and not sure where to start or anything so if you could please get ahold of me and give me some info that would be very much appreciated thank you very much you have my email
Hi Daniel,
does the name Daniel McCulloch Pater mean anything to you? If you are related to him, I can help you trace your family roots back to the UK. My Daniel McCullock Pater was born in the USA in 1944
Regards, Charles
I am searching for relatives of my grandfather, Wawrzyniec Pater, originally from Poland, who died in his early 30′s in Siberia in the late 1930′s. He was married to Maria Szydelko and had four children.
I would appreciate any help as my mother is not getting any younger and is desperate for contact with any living relatives. Unfortunately I do not have any other information.
Thanks,
Yvette (Perth, Australia)
My great grandmother Mary Pater, came from Poland. She settled in Western Massachusetts, where she married John Swistak. Her sister also settled there. I would love to learn more of her roots in Poland. If anyone has any information please let me know.
I would love to find my father and perhaps any siblings that he may have. He was born in Poland, his name is Michael Pater or Pator as on my birth certificate, he was in the Polish navy and was living in Earls Court, London in 1946. His best friend was a Count Kas….? (who I was named after). Sadly he is my only link to who I am! Any details would be welcomed!
Our Pater family here in Australia originates from my late father Wawrzyniec Pater who was born in Einsidel near Lwow in 1917. After WW2 he arrived in Hobart, Tasmania – then moved onto the State of Victoria after the mandatory 2 year labour contract. He met and married Leokadia (nee Tokarek) in Kilmore, Victoria. They had 3 children George, John (me) and Barbara Pater. Dad’s elder brother Michal and his family were relocated to Jelenia Gora after the War. They had 2 children the late Stanislaw and Hania. Dad’s elder sister Katarzyna stayed on in Lwow. Her married name was Komar. We still communicate(though infrequently) with the surviving children of Stanislaw and Hania (who still live in or near Jelenia Gora) and Katarzyna’s son Bogdan who lives in Lwow (Lviv). Unfortunately we do not know the names of Wawrzyniec Pater’s other brothers and sisters back in Lwow days (we started asking these questions too late in life) however will find out what I can from Bogdan.
Cheers
John Pater
Msg for John Pater: I wonder if we might be distantly related as my grandfather had the same name as yours and lived near Lvov. My mother knows little about him except that he was taken to Siberia around 1940 (as she was too with her family). We think he was born around 1912. My mother has family in Poland on her mother’s side (that she recently discovered) who may know the names of his siblings. My grandfather’s mother’s name was Francesca apparently. My grandfather married Maria Szydelko and she married the older brother of my grandfather first, then he died. My grandparents had 4 children – Katarzyna, Stefania, Halina and Jan. Stefania and Jan passed away as children.
Cheers Yvette
Message for Yvette: Wonderful to read your story and what a coincidence ie. Wawrzyniec Pater. I am sure we will identify who started Lwow Pater “dynasty” eventually. Am researching Dad’s siblings at the moment and have emailed both the rellies in Jelenia Gora and Lwow to see if they can help out. I mentioned in an earlier post that Dad’s sister name was Katarzyna which was an error. Her name was Rozalia. Waiting for Rozalia’s son Bogdan to get back to me.
Will keep in touch. John Pater
Msg for John Pater: Thank you! Further info – my mother was born in Jasionow. My email is yvette.wall@gmail.com
I’m not sure we are related but here it goes. my grand father was Walter Elmer Pater Born 9/15/1931 in Tarentum PA.USA Died 3/14/1989 in PA USA,to Frank and Anna Pater.Frank Robert Pater Born 9/23/1880 Bloomfeild New Jersey USA. died 9/18/1949 Natrona Heights PA USA. Their children Marie/ Dorothy/ Henry/ Elizabeth/ John/ Frank/ Charles or Herbert / George/ Clifford/ and my grand father Walter. I was told that Franks family is from Germany but that is all that is being said, I was also told that or name may have been shortened but no one knows for sure. If was are related I would love to know more about the family, please let me know either way. Thank you for your time.
Sandra Lee Pater Born in Pennsylvania USA. 1978
Hi, Sandra,
Thanks for writing. Unfortunately, we don’t seem to be related. But I encourage you to keep researching your tree – I’d be curious to see where your branch of the Pater family came from originally.
Donna
this is amazing! I’m not a Pater, but came across your site while doing a search on my last name Seanez. Per your site, Victor from the 4 and 5 generation part married M. Seanez in 1947. You have done an great job getting this much family information.
Edmund Gerard Nieginski
Hello everyone!
My grandparents on my father’s side were Frances and Paul Nieginski.
My father was Edmund, his birthday needs to be corrected.
He was born November 15th, 1909.
Not 1910, as stated.
I was born today, August 20th, back in 1953.
God Bless,
Edmund
Hi, Edmund,
I tried to email you a happy birthday message, but the message bounced back from the address you listed when you left the comment. So, Happy Belated Birthday! I will correct the birth date for your father. Email me when you get a chance – I’d like to talk more!
Donna
I did alittle more on my family tree and found that Frank Pater’s father was Marcin Pater. Not sure if the one on your page is the same one. PLEASE Let me know if he is. Thank you!
Sandra – I doubt it. I need to add more to the above, but Marcin is one of two of my great-great-grandfather’s brothers that I know a bit more about. Marcin never left Poland and was having children born there through 1897 (at least). I will update the above info as soon as I can to provide some extra info on Generation 2′s wives and children.
bonjour
a la recherche de renseigement sur la famille PATER ma grand mere
s appelait PATER né en pologne a STREZYSK . ville que je n arrive pas a trouver .
ses parent CHARLES PATER et son epouse GERTRUDE SZCZEPANSKA et avait une ferme
je pense qu elle avait une soeur ANTOINETTE
Interesting read, email the above address, you could assist in tracing my roots
My father was Charles William Pater (b 1933, Whitehaven) son of Thomas Pater & agnes Mulholland. His grandfather was Charles William Pater. Can anyone help mw with more information, especially about Agnes Mulholland.
Sue Wood