Interesting Things

By Ray L. Bellande

Primary tabs

Powjabo Family

 

            The Powajbo family at Biloxi, Mississippi had its origins in Grodno, Poland with the birth of Alexander Powajbo (1895-1920+).  He came to America at the age of sixteen and settled probably in NYC.   Here he may have met another Polish immigrant, Marion ? (1894-1920+), who had arrived here in 1908.  By 1920, they were married and settled at Amsterdam, Montgomery County, New York.  Here, Alexander Powajbo made his livelihood as a spinner in the John K. Stewart & Sons Knitting Mill.  Mrs. Powajbo was a puncher at a button manufacturer plant.(1920 Montgomery Co., New York Federal Census, T625_1126, p. 16A, Ed 63)

Zigmund Powajbo

            Alexander and Marion Powajbo had a son, Zigmund Chester ‘Ziggy’ Powajbo (1917-2000), who was born at Amsterdam, New York on October 17, 1917.  He attended St. Stanislaw’s Catholic High School at Amsterdam before enlisting in the Army Air Corps.  During WWII, Ziggy was stationed at Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Here he met and later married Erena Branecki (1922-2001), a Biloxi native, on August 30, 1942 at St. John’s Catholic Church on Lameuse Street.  Erena called ‘Boom Booms’ was the daughter of John Branecki (1883-1955), also a 1918 Polish immigrant, and Mary Branecki (1888-1951), native of Baltimore, Maryland.  Mr. Braneki made his livelihood as a fisherman and the family was domiciled in the Back Bay section of Biloxi.(1930 Harrison Co., Mississippi Federal Census R1146, p. 29B, ED 6 and Harrison Co., Mississippi MRB 57, p. 35 and The Sun Herald, February 17, 2000)

            Ziggy Powajbo made his livelihood as a traveling sporting goods salesman.  He relocated the family to NOLA in 1968 and retired there in 1989.  Ziggy expired on February 15, 2000.Erena followed him in death dying on April 6, 2001.(The Sun Herald, February 17, 2000 and April 6, 2001)

CHILDREN

            Ziggy Powajbo and Erena Branecki were the parents of five children: Constance ‘Connie’ Powajbo (b. 1944) m. Mr. Maurer; Linda Powajbo m. Joseph A. Bosco (1948-2010); Robbe Powajbo m. Mr. Stillman; Richard A. Powajbo; and John Z. Pawjabo (1957-2004) m. Julie Mellon.

Linda Powajbo

           Circa 1970, Linda Powajbo married Joseph A. ‘Joe’ Bosco.  Joe became a celebrated author and teacher.  His biography follows:

          Joseph Augustus 'Joe' Bosco (1948-2010), author, writer and college professor, died on natural causes on July 8th in Beijing, China.  Joe was born at Biloxi, Mississippi on August 30, 1948 to Frank A. Bosco (1919-1975) and Wilma Annetta Snyder Bosco (1926-2006).  He graduated with the 1966 class of Ocean Springs High School and left this forward in The Greyhound, the school annual: "Beware! I may yet do something sensational."  Joe matriculated to USM and UNO where he earned Fine Arts degrees in 1972 and 1976 respectively.  His published works were: The Boys Who Would be Cubs: A Year in the Heart of Baseball's Minor Leagues" (1990); Blood Will Tell:A True Story of Deadly Lust in New Orleans (1993); and A Problem of Evidence: How the Prosecution Freed O.J. Simpson (1996).  Joe Bosco resided in New Orleans and Los Angeles before his demise in China.  While in Los Angeles, he reported on the ludicrous, O.J. Simpson Trial for Penthouse Magazine.  He had also written of the murder of Ennis Cosby (1969-1997), son of Bill Cosby, comedian and actor, as "In the Face of Death" for Nation, a  magazine (June 2, 1997).  Joseph A. Bosco,  a favorite son and friend of Ocean Springs, is survived by Linda Powajbo Bosco, a former wife, Joseph A Bosco II, a son, and Sylvia A. Bosco, his sister and a special education teacher at OSHS.[Ray L. Bellande, August 7, 2010]

 

REFERENCES:

The Sun Herald, “Sigmund C. Powajbo”, February 17, 2000.

The Sun Herald, “Erena Powjabo”, April 6, 2001.

The Times Picayune, “Powajbo”, May 21, 2004.