This branch of the Austrian Hesch family is descended from Johann Hesch and his wife Marya (Schlinz) Hesch, who came to America from Oberschlagles, Bohemia with three sons: Paul, Mathias, and Anton. +++Johann & Marya settled in Buffalo County, Wisconsin but moved to Pierz, Mn in about 1885. .+++Mathias settled in Waumandee, Wisconsin and moved to Pierz in 1911. +++Anton never married but farmed with his dad in Agram Township, where he died in 1911.+++And Paul, my great grandfather, settled five miles away, in Buckman, Minnesota. He died there in 1900.

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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Sam Gnifkowski, early baseball star


The man behind the kid here is Sam (the kid is Raymond Blake).  When I asked Anon about the strange spelling and unfamiliar (local?) unpronounceable  name of Glifnifkowski, he answered like this:


Sam Gnifkowski's name has two spellings.  The one I have on the photo was the original spelling on the picture.  His real spelling is the one you see here first.  He was one of the original members inducted into the MN Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963. He was from St. Cloud, possibly hired to play for Buckman in the mid-20's. 


Wow, so Buckman possibly imported talent in 1925?  And Sam evidently went on to bigger things, since by 1963, he was a charter member of the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.
I found the listing when I googled "Sam Gnifkowski, baseball".  There's a pdf online of the 2010 handbook...and there's Sam!  I hope it was a useful relationship for Buckman and for Sam.  
Ok, that's the extent of my knowledge of amateur baseball.  The only other unfamiliar name on that 1925 team is Ed Kohler....another hired gun, maybe? Two hired players would be more benefit to the team, I'd think....


THANKS, and there's another question, Anon ☺!



Later: Aww, look what Larry found:  This was published last September, in the Morrison County Record.  The team intends to make a tradition of it--cool!

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