Welcome to Our Family History

This is the story of the family of John Joseph Zines, Jr. and Anna Margaret Skowron. Part of what has been called the "Greatest Generation," John and Anna personified the promise of America. Born to Eastern-European immigrent parents, they worked hard, built a home, raised three successful children, and retired with dignity. Like millions of young people of their generation, John served his country in the US Army during World War II, while Anna worked in a defense plant. They instilled in their children and grandchildren a sense of honor, competitiveness, and a deep love of learning. Informed by the experiences of their parents as well as living through two great wars, they encouraged everyone to participate in the political process, knowing just how precious and fragile democracy could be. It is up to us--their children, grand-children, and great-grandchildren, to carry on their legacy.

Hopefully, through this website, we can get to know a little bit more about John, Anna, and their parents and siblings. We also trace the family line from their parents' generation through the present day. This is meant to be a "living webpage," where all are welcome to contribute their own stories or memories. Simply use the contact form located here on the main page to submit a comment.

This site is arranged to include a background history of the region of Europe the Zines and Skowron families originated from as well as a separate page for each generation. Generation I would be John and Anna's grandparents, Generation II their parents, and so on. Biographical information from Generation IV to present is limited to John and Anna's direct descendents, although contributions from or about other family members are welcome.

About the Flags

You will notice on the home page that we have three flags--those of Poland, Ukraine, and Austro-Hungarian Galicia. This is intended to convey the multi-cultural nature of Galicia and our family. While the Zines family is of 100% Polish heritage, the Skowron family is mixed. John Skowron (Anna's father) was Polish, while her mother (also named Anna) was of Ukrainian heritage. Additionally, as will be explained in more detail on the following pages, Galicia was a veritable melting pot of Eastern and Western Slavs, Germans, Jews, Russians, and many other smaller groups.