Szymon Stanisław Manterys was born in Miechów, Poland. He married Stanisława Mieszanek, from Szreńsk, in Kraków on 15-8-1912.
They emigrated from Poland that same year, sailing from Antwerp, Belgium, in October 1912 and arriving in Quebec City, Canada, on 30-10-1912. Interestingly, on some of Szymon's documents his surname is listed as Monteris on the ship from Belgium to Canada.
Szymon and Stanisława then emigrated from Canada to the US via the St Alban’s immigration processing center in Vermont, USA. They settled and had six children in Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. He was allegedly a baker, whose bakery apparently at one stage burned down. It is not known whether he owned the bakery or was an employee. As evidence of his occupation, a small baker's book has survived from his belongings.
His wife Stanisława was orphaned. Allegedly her mother was Jewish whose maiden name was something like Eggbrecht), she was taken in by a Catholic family who raised her.