Finding Aid: Puskiewicz Collection

Matilda Puskiewicz (née Jablonski) came from a large Polish Catholic family, she was one of 7 siblings. Her first husband unfortunately died of a sudden illness when their daughter Patricia was 2 years old. She finished a year of business school and proceeded to work as a secretary at Crown Point in the government center. Matilda then met her second husband, John Puskiewicz, at Madura’s Danceland, a famous ballroom with live big band music in Hammond, Indiana, near the Chicago border. The couple married when Patricia was 6 years old. Judith Puskiewicz was born 2 years later. Four years later, the couple had a boy named John Puskiewicz Jr, called Jack. Matilda was a very independent woman and had a curiosity for new things. She was the only person who always had her camera with her. During family visits, she would show the newest home movies and Andy Panda commercial movies for the kids. The collections feature her children, her sister Helen, and extended family and friends.

Children playing appear often in the collection. The children appear to be goofing around in front of the camera when posing, like Judith playing around while posing in her First Communion outfit in Reel 1. The children, mostly Judith and Jack, are depicted showing off outfits, playing in outdoor playsets, playing in the snow, celebrating Christmas, and enjoying an amusement park. They share these moments with other adults in the family. 

South Chicago consisted of close-knit ethnic Catholic communities, such as the Polish Catholic community. Polish businesses surrounded the church, St. Mary Magdalene. The church consisted of a convent, the main church, and a school. The church was founded in 1910 as a result of overcrowding in the Polish parish Immaculate Conception in the same neighborhood. From the 1910s to the 1950s, the area around the church was predominantly Polish and Catholic, with a population of approximately 90% Polish and 95% Catholic. In addition to visiting churches and showing Catholic figures in the films, Reel 6 depicts Joanna Puskiewicz, a cousin on Matilda’s father's side of the family, on the first day of passing from being a novice during a visit to the convent. 

The family at leisure is seen multiple times throughout the films. Oftentimes, the adults are seen enjoying their time while children are playing. The films show a family picnic, leisure time during trips, and family gatherings. Reel 5 titled “Backyard Shenanigans” most prominently shows how the family spends their leisure time, as the adults play catch, dance, and chat as children play around and with them.  

The Puskiewicz collection features the family traveling outside of Chicago and abroad. In Reel 1, there’s footage of the city of Whiting parade in Indiana. The family visited Whiting, Indiana often as Matilda was from there. In Reel 8, the family visits Fontana, California, where Matilda’s sister Helen lived. Trips within Illinois included visiting New Salem (Lincoln’s birthplace), Springfield, and Santa’s Village in East Dundee in Reels 10 and 12. Their travels abroad appear in Reel 11 with footage from the family’s trip to Lucerne, Switzerland.