Although my mother was adopted into the Wosnitzer family, and although we do not know how much she new about them, we will always consider them family, and a fascinating one at that.  For generations, most of them stayed in the Tarnow, Galicia, area where at least some were in the hat business.  The few that came to the US, brought this industry knowledge with them. Sadly, many of the ones that stayed in Tarnow perished in the Holocaust.

Use the links under the Wosnitzer menu to learn about:

  • The Wosnitzer’s in Galicia
  • Irving’s Early Life in America
  • Irving and Minnie
  • Irving’s Other Marriages
  • Irving’s Siblings
  • The I. Watson Hat Company
  • Max Wosnitzer and his family

To learn more about Minnie and her family, use the links under the Laber menu.


Updates 2024

In February of 2024, I updated the Wosnitzer section and every page has new information, documents and pictures added.  Some of the new highlights include:

  • New information about Jochene including his father’s name
  • Gravestone images for Jochene and his father
  • A postcard sent to my mother from Poland
  • A new section called Irving’s Uncles and new pages for Benjamin and Joseph. The page about Max and his family was moved under this section.


Thank you

I would like to thank the following Wosnitzer cousins who shared their stories and photos with me:

  • Karen Bradbury
  • Nicole Caputo
  • Dawn Muroff
  • Josh Rothenberg
  • Kathy Wosnitzer Smith
  • Lisa Jennings Wosnitzer
  • William R. Wosnitzer, Sr. (1941 – 1921)

In addition, I would like to mention:

  • John Demmer, Nutley Town Historian, who found some photos and information for me on the Nutley Hat Company fire.
  • Michal Esterson who turned my family history hobby into an obsession when I had to prove to her that there was more than one Irving Wosnitzer. Michal is my half-cousin on the Laber side of my family, and she originally had my Irving’s cousin, the other Irving Wosnitzer, attached to me on her tree.
  • Bill Wosnitzer, Sr., who helped me figure out how my Irving fit into the Wosnitzer family tree.