A hero by the name Vincent Markowski

Tom Tyler was born as Vincent Markowski on August 9, 1903 in Port Henry, New York. While his biography by Mike Chapman provides some information on Vincent's (Wincenty's) background, what is not mentioned in detail is the origin of the name Markowski.

As a surname, Markowski has its etymology in the Latin name Marcus, from the name Mark (as in Apostle Mark). With the added “ski/sky”, it means “Originating from Markow.” It is Polish in origin, most frequently Jewish (Ashkenazi). The family crest for the Markowski name is described as follows: a white unicorn against a royal blue background, the shield flanked by acacia leaves, helmet on top, and another unicorn above the helmet.

Polish surnames like Markowski are not uncommon in nearby Lithuania, which at one time was part of Prussia. Markowski is also common in Ukraine and Belarus. It appears that at some point in Vincent's family lineage, there was a conversion to Roman Catholicism, the Christian denomination his family was a member of. How devout a Roman Catholic Tom remained during his adult years is unknown, likewise, how his faith formed his personality during his childhood years. What we do know about Tom Tyler, is he was a sweet, polite man, on the shy and quiet side, and a pleasure to work with, according to his biography.