Millbury Street: Julius & Anna's Homes

Julius and Anna Prokopowicz moved several times during their marriage. Worcester city directories, Julius's World War I draft registration form, and the 1920 and 1930 U.S. censuses document the progression. The 1918 draft document lists home as 658 Millbury Street. The 1919 city directory indicates Julius and Anna were boarding with the Linga family at 25 Esther Street. The 1920 census shows the couple and their children, Alphonse and Stacia, at 617 Millbury Street. They had taken in four boarders, identified as Anna's cousin Aniela (Nellie) Kulikowska, Anthony Ryngiewicz, Joseph Waitkuss, and Josie Chronslivicz.

By 1925, children Vitella and Julius had been born, and the family had moved to 611½ Millbury Street; by 1926, to 585 Millbury. Here, with the births of Jane, Joseph, Lucien, Daniel, and Ann, the family grew to its full complement of nine children. In 1940, the Prokopowiczes moved to 320 Millbury Street, where Anna lived until her death in 1976.

Photo identification

Pictured here are some of the Prokopowicz homes. Photographed ca. 2003 is the unornamented double three-decker at 611½ Millbury Street, on the corner of Maxwell Street. The house at 617 Millbury, between Maxwell and Esther streets, was torn down sometime after 1970.



Oldest son Al is shown standing in front of 585 Millbury Street in May 1937. Both 585 and 583 Millbury, which housed Sawicki's Market on the corner of Fifth Avenue, were also demolished decades ago. A car wash, pictured ca. 2003, then filled those lots. A photo from atop Fifth Avenue looks down on Millbury Street, the wooded bank obscuring the Middle River (which flows into the Blackstone), and the College of the Holy Cross on the hill beyond. The three-decker at 320 Millbury Street was photographed ca. 2003 from the berm of Interstate 290.