Pandemic as of April 28, 2021

Since I am doing this Facebook page and blog during the Covid-19 pandemic, I would be remiss to not talk about it in Poland and the United States. I am personally aware of a death here of someone my mother knew and in Poland of both parents of my Polish teachers. I know quite a few people who have been sick -- this has ranged from some people who tested positive and had no symptoms to a couple in their 50s who were hospitalized and everything in between. Things really changed in the U.S last March with a major shutdown that included schools. At first we were told a mask wouldn’t help but then that guidance changed. Visiting people and shopping and eating out in restaurants ended or was severely limited. Over time, that transitioned to more outdoor visits, online shopping or picking up groceries from the store’s parking lot after a shopper obtained them and a lot of take out food and lots of restaurants adding outdoor seating including various types of individual outside enclosures. Restrictions have been lifting even though Michigan has very high rates at the current time. Current restrictions in Michigan are working from home if you can, maintain a six foot distance, avoid travel until fully vaccinated, up to 25 people for an indoor funeral -- 300 for outdoors, There are some people who resist the restrictions and guidelines. ***** Poland is also lifting some COVID-19 restrictions such as shopping malls will open May 4. Read more At: https://www.aninews.in/news/world/europe/poland-lifts-covid-19-restrictions-shopping-malls-to-open-from-may-420210428145156/ ***** Here is a comparison of deaths and infection cases (sorry this blog doesn't allow me to put the information in a table): ***** Poland (population 37,812,630) 65,897 deaths 2.77 million cases ***** U.S. (population 331,449,281) 573,000 deaths 32.2 million cases ***** Lubelskie (population 2,112,216) 3,915 deaths 118,008 cases ***** Kent County (population 664,165) 707 deaths 63, 019 cases ***** Michigan (population 9,992,430) 17,429 deaths 829,520 cases ***** Here is a comparison of how many people are fully vaccinated, as of April 20, 2021: ***** Poland 21.1% They began vaccinating Dec. 28, 2020 ***** U.S. 29.1% 1rst vaccination in New York, Dec. 14, 2020 ***** Lubelski (population 2,112,216) 158,662 .075% (A percent was not given but I calculated it) ***** Kent County (population 664,165) 41.2% ***** Michigan (population 9,992,430) 37.5% ***** https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/gov-gretchen-whitmer-indicates-no-new-mi-covid-restrictions-are-coming https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-100467_100913---,00.html The statistics of the countries are from Wikipedia. https://www.accesskent.com/Health/covid-19-data.htm https://vaccinatewestmi.com/dashboard/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1102376/poland-coronavirus-covid-19-new-cases-by-region/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1196271/poland-vaccination-against-covid-19-by-date/

Franciszka (Kudlicka) Raczkiewicz Krasnicka Died

One of the exciting things that is happening as I share family history is that some of it is “unfolding” right now. Some of it I have learned in the past year and a half but there are still many unanswered questions. One question was recently partially answered--whatever happened to my grandpa’s oldest brother Jan who was the first of the siblings to come to Grand Rapids, Michigan? I looked through every resource I knew of and as I learned of new resources I checked them also. I knew Jan and his wife were in Grand Rapids as late as 1921 but then there is no trace of him or his wife. There were several false leads such as a Jan Raczkiewicz in Detroit, Michigan but they all fell through. I enlisted the help of several Polish genealogy Facebook groups and even though some volunteers really looked, they couldn’t help. One of them even found my Facebook page and blog and referred me to it! On April 23, there was a breakthrough! I received an email from Andrzej Dubieil (my newfound 2x cousin.) He had just met with Mieczysław Raczkiewicz (father of Tomasz & Jacek Raczkiewicz) and had found out that Jan had returned to Poland. He first lived in Gniezno and later lived in Lublin where he had died. I asked about when he died and if his wife had returned with him. I decided to go back through the previous leads that I had and found that I had a reference to a possible death record of his wife. I held on to it because the parents’ listed were right but when she died she had a new last name and it was in Lublin, Poland which at the time did not make sense. I asked on April 24 for this death record to be translated and found out that Frances HAD been married to my Grandpa’s brother. Andrzej was able to contact the cemetery he thought Jan would be buried in and there WAS a Jan Raczkiewicz from the right time frame. Unfortunately, the parents and wife listed did not fit. Hopefully, his death information will be found. ---------------------------------------------- This happened in Lublin on the 29th of April 1945 at 13:00 (1:00 p.m.). Adults Zofia Wierzchowska and Anna Michałowska appeared, hospital attendants of Lublin, and stated that yesterday at 2:00 a.m. died in Lublin Franciszka Kraśnicka, first marriage Raczkiewicz, age 58, wife of an official/clerk of Lublin, coming from Tomaszów Lubelski, daughter of Konstanty and Maria nee Kudlicka, the married couple Kudlicki, leaving behind a husband, Piotr Kraśnicki. ********** Cemetery: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cmentarze_przy_ul._Lipowej_w_Lublinie Photo: kuba13 / fotopolska.eu, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Judah & Asher McCarthy

Lori Peterson (my sister) is the Director of GRASP, a summer reading and math program. Who better to use for publicity photos than Asher and Judah McCarthy (my nephews?) Looking pretty cute! https://www.grps.org/departments/grasp

Trying to sort out who is related and who is not related!

Trying to sort out who is related and who is not related! Pauline Raczkiewicz arrived in the United States on April 25, 1917 from Poland. Her maiden name was the same as my grandmother’s married name, so I first had to sort out records related to differentiating her and my grandma Pauline (Skrobot) Raczkiewicz.) When I was starting out, it was confusing to find people with the same name. She was married to Anthony Nalbach and they lived at 7763 First Avenue in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1920--very close to where my grandfather lived. I tried to determine if she was a sibling of my grandfather and was really stuck until I connected with Andrzej Dubiel (my newfound 2x cousin.) HIS grandmother was named Pauline Raczkiewicz. She was my grandfather’s sister and she never came to Grand Rapids. It is really nice to collaborate with others to figure all this out! By the way . . . I still do not know who Pauline (Raczkiewicz) Nalbach of Grand Rapids is!

Photo of Several of Anthony Raczkiewicz' Siblings

Andrzej Dubiel shared this picture of some of the siblings of my grandfather, Anthony Raczkiewicz. This picture was taken in Poland and it was possibly taken sometime around 1950. Apparently, Paulina (my great aunt) enjoyed meeting her siblings after mass on Sunday. They would go to a restaurant and buy small beers and talk. Pictured are Piotr Raczkiewicz, Paulina (Raczkiewicz) Dubiel, Józefa Janina (Bender) Raczkiewicz (Bolesław wife,) and Boleslaw Raczkiewicz. Missing are Jan,Jozef, Antoni, and Mary who went to the United States. Frank was deceased by this point. Stanislawa is not in the picture and I don’t really know her story yet. It is VERY exciting to see a picture like this!

A Reminder

https://www.facebook.com/TwistedTwigsGenealogy/photos/a.572131016185551/3835166943215259/

DEATH: from "Memoirs of a Peasant"

Deat

”They died with no fear and died with extraordinary calmness. For example, when a farmer felt death was near, he would call his wife, children, servants, acquaintances, and neighbors. He would tell them he was going to die and take his leave from them, begging forgiveness if he wronged anyone; and he would ask his neighbors and friends to help his wife take him to the cemetery. In other words, he left for the next world as calmly as if he was going to return shortly. Today, many folks feel more grief and anguish about leaving for American or Prussia.” The very capable and appreciated Dr. Orzechowski . . . once told me that death among the peasants presented a very instructional scene and strengthened his conviction that the intelligentsia, so busy bringing education to the rural areas, could learn a lot of life’s wisdom from the peasants.” “When they saw a sick man was dying,they would bring in a sheaf of straight straw, spread it in the hut under the central beam, and place the sick man on it. On the straw was nothing more than a sheet or a linen or hemp fabric, while pillows and anything made with feathers would be removed, so that the sick man would have an easy death. The notion at the time was that his death would be harder if he was lying on anything made of feathers.” “The dead were dressed as in life, usually of homespun hemp cloth. Their clothing consisted of a shirt, pants or trousers, and a cap. The coffin was made of pine boards, which many a farmer would save for years. Farmers were especially likely to hold onto boards that had a lot of pitch in them, because it was said these would not turn to dust so quickly in the ground. The coffin was simple, white, sometimes darkened with soot, and a cross was marked on every coffin.” “The body lay in the coffin in the main room, the hallway, or the doorway till the third day. If it was a fairly wealthy farmer or farmer's wife who had died, the body would be kept in the main room and an old man would be hired to sit with the deceased day and night, with a lamp or candles burning. Usually all the members of the household left the home to stay with neighbors until the day of the funeral.” --------- “Children or servants went around to invite people to the funeral, or else the farmer himself or his wife went from home to home throughout the village, and even to the neighboring villages with relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Children and young folks would clasp people by the feet when inviting them to the funeral. If anyone was forgotten, he would take offence, at it rarely turned out that he would go to the funeral.” “The remains were carried from the house right after dawn. Everyone who came was treated with a cup of vodka, and there were few who refused it; those who liked vodka drank more. Before setting out for the funeral, one of the farmers who had a gift for talking would give the so-called egzorta or exhortation in short and fervent words, which usually moved those listening to loud weeping. After the coffin was sprinkled with holy water, the funeral entourage would set out for the parish church. Upon completion of whatever ceremony had been requested, and Holy Mass, they would head for the cemetery, the place of eternal rest. The coffin was carried in a wagon on sideboards or ladders, or, in winter, on a sleigh.” “After the funeral, the nearest relative of the deceased would stop somewhere along the way and invite all the participants to his house or to the tavern for the so-called konstelacja or “consolation.” This lasted till evening, and many-especially among the townsmen--spent a lot of money on it. There was weeping and lamentation, and plenty of encouragement or consolation for the surviving widow or widower.” And he added that on occasion, they would get drunk and even get into fights. ------------------- While looking for pictures or paintings to illustrate the day’s post, I found other paintings depicting death by Polish artists: https://culture.pl/en/article/8-polish-paintings-about-death “Memoirs of a Peasant: From Serfdom to the Present Day by Jan Slomka

Salomea (Wiciejewska) Kaszucka Died April 24 1877

Salomea (Wiciejewska) Kaszucka (my 3x great grandfather) died April 24 1877 at age 73. Her husband Andrzej Kaszucki (my 3x great grandfather) died 16 years earlier. The declarants went the next day to report the death. They were Józef, 48 (her son) and Walenty Lisikiewicz, both farmers from Tomaszów. They were both illiterate so the document was read aloud to them and signed by the priest. Salomea’s parents were Maciej Wiciejewska and Marianna nee Metalski. Salomea was the first born of nine children. Her family was Roman Catholic and worked as potters. When she was 19 she married Andrzej Kaszucki, a furrier in Tomaszow of the Greek Uniate faith. Together they had eight children including my 2x great grandfather Stefan Jozef. It appears that the girls were raised Roman Catholic and the boys were raised Greek Catholic.

Apolonia Skrobot is born April 23, 1904

Apolonia Skrobot (my grandmother) was born on April 23, 1904, in Oil City, Pennsylvania, to Anna Agnes Barsch, age 21, and Walter Eugene Skrobat, age 30. Her parents had both been born in Poland. Apolonia was born after they came to the United States so was she born a United States citizen. Her parents had 13 children and six of them survived. Apolonia was the second of their children. “Appallonia” (spelling on the birth document) was baptised at the Church of Saint Joseph, 35 Pearl Avenue, Oil City, Pennsylvania, the next day, on April 24, 1902. Her Godparents were John Barzzcz (likely her uncle) and Anna Szczepanik. She was known as Pauline but was listed as “Polly Scravch” in the 1910 census which is an example of the challenges in doing genealogy. That must have been what it sounded like when her parents reported to the census worker.

Introduction to Apolonia Skrobot's Family

I want to give you some background of my grandmother Pauline nee Skrobot. Pauline was the second of 14 children born to Anna nee Barszcz and Walter Skrobat. Anna was born in Ropica Gorna, Malopolskie, Poland and immigrated in 1900. Walter was born in Gorlice, Moszczenice, Poland (Austria) and immigrated around 1892. They married in Oil City, Pennsylvania in 1901. I think she may have been married before but I haven’t yet found a lot of their background information. ***** Walter worked as a laborer and Anna Had 13 children, of which six survived. They supplemented their income at various times with the sale of alcohol at times it was not legal. Anna, as a mother of five with another one on the way, was arrested in 1916 for distributing illegal alcohol. At the time the county they lived in -- Venango County-- was dry--meaning the sale of alcohol was prohibited. Pennsylvania began Prohibition early, starting February 25, 1919 and going until 1933 In 1929, Walter was arrested for possessing and selling liquor. ***** The names of Walter and Anna’s children were Agnes, Appalolonia, Stanley, Adam, Mary, Victoria, Mary, Joseph, Casimirum, Genofain, Matthew, Helen and Jane. Apolonia and Vicky ended up married in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jane, Matthew, Adam and Joseph all stayed in Oil City. All of the ones in OIl City except for Joseph owned bars and restaurants. Apolonia went to Grand Rapids Michigan and married Anthony Raczkiewicz (my grandfather) in 1920. Her sister Vicky followed her there and married Frank Palczewski. The story is that Pauline left because her mother was harsh and kept having babies and expecting Pauline to help take care of them. In their mother’s will, these two sisters were treated differently than the siblings who remained in Oil City. Walter (Pauline’s father) ended up coming to Grand Rapids to live with her--the full story on that is not known. It is interesting that with their parents' background related to selling alcohol, that most of the siblings in Oil City owned bars and restaurants which Anna helped them purchase. Joseph served in WWII but didn’t own any bars or restaurants to my knowledge. Jane and her husband Adam, Matthew and his wife Kay and Adam and his wife Mary all owned various bars and restaurants: White Bridge Inn, Kay’s Smorgasbord, Skruby’s Inn and Little Dutch inn. Of the 18 notable people from Venango County (listed on Wikipedia), grandchildren of Walter and Anna married and connected to two of them: Mary’s daughter Eileen Schossler married Max Gabreski. Max’s father was “Gabby Gabreski” a top fighter ace in WWII and the Korean war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabby_Gabreski Mary’s daughter Henrietta married Ted Marchibroda (player for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Cardinals, Coach Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens and other teams) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Marchibroda. ***** Dave Adams (my 2nd cousin and Jane and her husband Bill Adams’ son) and I have worked together a little on genealogy though there has been only a little progress on the Polish records. We have worked together on numerous newspaper articles featuring the Skrobot family in Oil City. There are definitely some stories to tell on this side of the family!

Animated History of Poland

Live links on Polish Family History Facebook page. Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV98XaAlg1o ***** Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CwFHH_y2So ***** Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P1y2v0BwnM

Furniture strike in Grand Rapids Michigan.

Furniture factory workers participated in a major strike in Grand Rapids, Michigan, beginning April 19, 1911 -- 110 years ago. My grandfather’s two brothers worked in the furniture factories. Jan was the first of the Raczkiewicz siblings to come to the United States. He was 22 years old when he came. He arrived in New York about a year before this strike. The first record I can find of his employment is in 1914 when he was a cabinetmaker at Phoenix Furniture Company. He also worked at Johnston Furniture Company and Joseph had a stint at Grand Rapids Piano Case Factory. I do not know if he was working in the factories when the strikes occurred but he would have benefitted later from the gains they made related to wages and working conditions. The statue commemerating this is in Ah-Nab-Awen Park near the Grand Rapids Public Museum. https://www.facebook.com/PolishHeritageSocietyGR/photos/a.265876853493179/3999200710160756/

Mary Raczkiewicz married Frank Kufta on 21 April 1926

Mary Raczkiewicz (my great aunt) married Frank Kufta on 21 April 1926 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Joseph Raczkiewicz (Anthony and Marion”s brother) and Helen Kufta (Frank’s sister) were witnesses to the marriage. At the time, she lived in Grand Rapids and was a factory worker. He lived in Muskegon and was a “core ?? maker.” Frank’s age was 32. Mary’s age was given as 23 but she would have been 26. It was common that immigrants didn’t have their birth certificate so didn’t always know their exact age. She was born 16 December 1899 in Sabaudia, Poland to Jan Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna nee Kaszucka. She was the 6th of their nine children and one of three girls. She was named for St. Mary Cleophas, one of the Marys present at the tomb of Jesus. Her birth record and that of two of her brothers specify who exactly they were named for. For more about her birth, check out: https://polishfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2020/12/grandpas-sister-marion-is-born.html Mary’s husband Frank worked in an iron foundry in Muskegon, Michigan. Frank and Mary had Wanda in 1927, Irene in 1828 and Theresa in 1935. They lived in Muskegon, Michigan Recently I had the pleasure of getting to communicate with Mary and Frank’s daughter, Theresa Parkanzky (my 1rst cousin 1x removed) and Theresa’s daughter Marie Halloran (my 2nd cousin.) This was very exciting. When I began researching family history I did not know any of the relatives of my grandfather’s siblings. Now there is a connection with Mary, Boleslaw and Paulina’s descendants. Check out this link to read what I previously wrote about Theresa: https://polishfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2021/03/theresa-kufta-parkansky-new-found.html I would love to see a picture of the wedding of Frank and Mary if one of the relatives would like to share it!

The storks are back!

Thanks to Joanna Kuźniarska, we have a picture of the return of the storks! I have a question for the Facebook friends from Poland. When I visit, I will want to see the storks, of course! What ELSE should we see on a visit?

Katarzyna Kaszucka was born 23 April 1871

Katarzyna Kaszucka (my grandfather’s mother) was born 23 April 1871 in the town of Tomaszow Lubelskie to Jozef Kaszucki and his second wife Paulina nee Kurkiewicz. Jozef was 41 when she was born. He had two children die in infancy or early childhood with his first wife. Paulina was 34 years old when Katarzyna was born and she was their fifth child together. The previous four children had died in infancy or early childhood. The death notices do not include cause of death but in their area of the world from 1850 to 1900 there were struggles for democracy and the effects of overpopulation. There were cholera and smallpox outbreaks during the years two of them died. One of Katarzyna’s godparents was Szymon Kubka.. The other one was Julianna Niedźwiecka. (the 2x great grandmother of new found 4th cousin Curt Wolf.) Curt mentioned that our families are therefore even spiritually linked. Katarzyna Kaszucka and Jan Raczkiewicz were wed in Tomaszow when she was 16 (but possibly 14 and ½) years old and Jan was 21. Her father was a burgher in the town of Tomaszow and worked as a furrier. Jan’s parents had been born and raised as farmers in Majdan Gorny and were farmers in Sabaudia at the time of the wedding. Jan and Katarayna’s nine children were born in Sabaudia -- including my grandfather, Antoni Raczkiewicz. Katarzyna died March 11, 1944 in Sabaudia as a 73 year old widow. Reporting the death was her son Bolesław, a 37 year old farmer and Bronislaw Skurcz, a neighbor. When she died her son Franciszek had been killed the year before in the Rotunda in Zamosc (see -----) and her three oldest children had lived in the U.S. for several decades. Stanislawa, Piotr, Paulina and Boleslaw lived in the area and were raising families of their own. This picture came from Andrzej Dubiel (my 2nd cousin.) He got it from Anna (another 2nd cousin) who has these pictures . Anna is granddaughter of Paulina Dubiel (my great aunt.) Her father and Andrzej’s father were brothers. Paulina lived with Anna's parents. He doesn’t know when the pictures were taken but thought Katarzyna looks old in it, so estimated about 1940. It seems like an older photo than that. What are your guesses?

Finding out about my Grandfather;s parents

My grandparent’s marriage license listed his mother and father’s names --even though they are misspelled. Finding their names was important in the hunt for ancestors. The first record I got about them was on May 12, 2020 and it was their marriage record translated from Russian. On June 5, 2020, I found and was able to read the record of her birth that had been translated from Russian. I received her death record March 31, 2021 from Andrzej Dubiel (2nd cousin) who had to obtain it from an archive in Poland and translated it for me from Polish. He had also sent the picture of her and husband Jan’s tombstone. And now on April 14, 2021, Andrzej sent a picture of her and I sent it in to be restored. Unfortunately, it might not be restorable.

Robert “Bobby” Raczkiewicz was born April 19, 1967

Robert “Bobby” Raczkiewicz (my cousin) was born April 19, 1967 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His parents were Ronald Raczkiewicz and Pam (Ferwerda.) They lived in Coopersville, Michigan. He had two older sisters -- Rhonda and Paula. Of all the cousins, he and John Spruit were the only boys. Sadly Bobby died March 3, 1990 in a car accident. He was 23 years old.

More Family History Wisdom

The Stork has not yet returned to Rogozno

As he promised, Andrzej Dubiel went to his home village of Rogoźno to take a current picture. The one I posted was from 2014 and I found on the internet. One of the houses is even of a relative of his! I noticed the stork nest and was interested because I have been reading about how Poland has a big percentage of the world's storks and that they are returning now in the Spring. Right now though, this nest is empty. I wrote about the storks earlier: https://polishfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2021/04/signs-of-spring.html

Apollonia Raczkiewicz was President of a National Society at St. Adalbert Church

Apollonia Raczkiewicz (my Grandma) was President of one of religious societies of St. Adalbert’s. When the parish was formed in 1881, there were three and by 1931, it had grown to 24. Eight were nationally affiliated. The one she was president of was the national organization for women called the Polish Nationals under the Guidance of Our Lady of Czestochowa, April 12, 1931 http://www.mipolonia.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/St.-Adalbert_1881-1981_Grand-Rapids_MI.pdf Page 48 Image credit: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Family History

Image credit: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10220635959912881&set=gm.4132963936754260

Jan Dubiel was born 16 April 1889.

Jan Dubiel (husband of my great aunt Paulina Raczkiewicz) was born 16 April 1889. Jan was the husband of Paulina Raczkiewicz (my great aunt.) I learned about him from Andrzej Dubiel (my 2nd cousin.) His grandma Pauline and my grandpa Anthony were siblings. He told me that after her marriage to Jan, Paulina moved from Sabaudia, where the Raczkiewicz family lived to Rogóźno, where her husband’s family lived. They had some land and were peasants their whole lives. He was born in Rogozno, a village with roots before the 1500s which had been colonized by Germans in cooperation with the noble Zamoyski about 100 years before Jan was born. (We “talked” about this village before since Curt Wof (my 4x cousin) had descendants (Eiflers) that came from Germany to this village. This picture of Rogozno is not of their house but I am excited to see a stork next in the picture. Image credit: Attribution: Przemysław Czopor

Tomasz Dominik Died 15 April 1831

Tomasz Dominik (my 4x great grandfather) died 15 April 1831 at 8:00 in the morning. . He was 78 years old. He was born in Majdan Gorno and lived there his whole life. He left behind his widowed wife Regina nee Wojcik. His younger brother Jozef, 70 and Jan Raszkiewicz, 53 were both also peasant farmers in Majdan Gorno. They reported his death but didn’t know who his parents were. The cause of death is not given but there was a cholera outbreak in Russia from 1829 to 1831 that was brought to Poland from soldiers. Influenza from 1830 to 1831 was in Europe at the time. In 1831 there was Cholera in Galicia.

Marianna (Kiszczynska) Kurkiewicz died 15 April 1846

Marianna (Kiszczynska) Kurkiewicz (my 4x great grandmother) died 15 April 1846 at 3:00 in the afternoon In Tomaszow Lubelski. She left behind her husband Antoni, who was also aged 60 at the time. Marianna and Antoni had 12 children. Seven of these children died very young. Two daughters died fairly young, after being married. Marianna’s parents (Lukasz & Justyna Kiszczynski) were shoemakers. She married a shoemaker and her son was carrying on the tradition. Antoni and their son Jozef reported the death the next day at 9:00 in the morning. Jozef was 27 years old and the oldest male child. While he was the third born child, his two older sisters were already deceased--one at age three and the other at age 25. He had been married for several years and his mother was alive for the birth of several of his children. Image credit: Vincent van Gogh, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Ronald Raczkiewicz died April 15, 2004

Ronald Raczkiewicz (my uncle) died 15 April 2004 in Coopersville, Ottawa County, Michigan. He was 64 years old. Ron married Pamela S. Ferwerda in June of 1960. They had three children: Rhonda who was born in 1961, Paula who was born in 1964 and is deceased, and Robert who was born in 1966 and is deceased. His wife Pam lives in Coopersville, Michigan. He was the owner of Shawmut Inn for over 25 years with his partner Ed Stone. This was a popular bar/restaurant on Lake Michigan Drive in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Before that, he was the owner with a partner at Midwest Bumper for 7 years.

The Titanic & The Role of The Ship My Grandpa Immigrated to the US on

The RMS Titanic sent out distress signals that were received by the wireless operator of the SS Mount Temple on the night of 14 April 1912 to the morning of April 15. Even though Captain Moore had been directed to avoid icebergs, they went to the last known position and waited in an area of heavy ice. Without seeing the Titanic or survivors, they headed for Canada. There was controversy about their role and some accused them of being near and not helping with the rescue. Rumors continue to this day. Five months later, Anthony Raczkiewicz (my grandfather) and his brother Jozef were on the SS Mount Temple. It was on its usual journey from Antwerp to St. John, Canada with 1,461 immigrants on board. They might not have known about their ship’s controversy but certainly the knowledge that an “unsinkable” boat had sunk would have contributed to the perceived danger of their journey. Image: By F.G.O. Stuart (1843-1923) - http://www.uwants.com/viewthread.php?tid=3817223&extra=page%3D1, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2990792

Rybnica

The Konstancja who was a twin (my 3rd great aunt, born a Wiciejewska and married a Nitka) died in Rybnica in 1897. The area belonged to the Zamość estate. It included 90 acres of land, a mill and a water sawmill. The town was named after a large fish pond. The area included pine forests and the legend is that during the Tatar attacks, the whole town fled into these forests. Because the soil is sandy and the town was a great distance from the larger cities, the inhabitants were poor. Besides agriculture, many people were involved in smuggling alcohol. Image credit: Jakub Kruczek, licencja: CC BY 3.0, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rybnica_(wojew%25C3%25B3dztwo_lubelskie)&prev=search&pto=aue

Birth/christening

“Neighbors and friends began to visit the mother immediately . . . the people of the household invited guests to the chrzciny (celebration after the christening.) It was also a custom that no neighbor or friend came with empty hands. Each brought what she could --bread, eggs, bacon, sometimes a bit to drink--and they put all this under the pillow, under the mother’s head. This raised the pillow so high that the mother was no longer lying in bed but sitting up,” “The christening party usually lasted up to three days, with fun, joyful singing, chatting . . . “After her delivery and the christening, the mother got out of bed after a week at most and went back to her usual work and was in good health. It did sometimes happen that her health failed, and she even died--particularly during the christening, immediately after the birth, when guests came freely and enjoyed themselves loudly without any regard for the sick mother, and vodka was being passed around, even served to the mother.” from Jan Slomka’s book: Memoirs of a Peasant: From Serfdom to the Present Day

Happy Siblings Day! April 10

Konstancja (Wiciejewska) Nitka Died in Rybnica

The Konstancja who was a twin (my 3rd great aunt, born a Wiciejewska and married a Nitka) died in Rybnica in 1897. The area belonged to the Zamość estate. It included 90 acres of land, a mill and a water sawmill. The town was named after a large fish pond. The area included pine forests and the legend is that during the Tatar attacks, the whole town fled into these forests. Because the soil is sandy and the town was a great distance from the larger cities, the inhabitants were poor. Besides agriculture, many people were involved in smuggling alcohol. Image credit: Jakub Kruczek, licencja: CC BY 3.0, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rybnica_(wojew%25C3%25B3dztwo_lubelskie)&prev=search&pto=aue

Babcia

Midwives were often involved in the delivery of babies but they don’t usually show up on the birth record. In my family history, there are a few cases where they do. Instead of the father, they were the first declarant when the mother wasn’t married. Konstancja Kurkiewicz had five children when she wasn’t married and the midwife is listed. Marianna was born in 1856 and the declarant was midwife Agnieszka Jajkowska, 29, from Tomaszów Lubelski. Franciszek was work in 1858 and the informant was Marianna Zubawiecka, 50, a laborer and “babiąca” --a woman who assisted at births , not an official midwife. Karolina was born in 1863 and Marianna Zubawiecka again assisted but this time she was called “akusierka” or midwife. Marianna Wiciejewska had a child when she was unmarried. In 1874 Wladyslaw was born. Agnieszka Umińska, 52, from Tomaszow, assisted with the birth. ******************** What is interesting about finding these two separate single mothers who had midwives report their children’s birth is there was some sort of connection between them. Konstancja Kurkieiwicz married the father of her children in 1866. His name was Alexsander Umiński. Eight years later when Marianna Wiciejewska had her child, the midwife had the same last name as Alexsander. I am sure there was a connection between the two families. I looked at a few of the Polish records but without having them translated, I can’t be sure where they are connected. --------------------- Part 2 Here is some information about women who delivered babies from Jan Slomka’s book: “In those days, no one had heard of midwives who had passed examinations. In every village there were only so-called babki (literally, grandmothers, old women), who helped during delivery on the basis of their own experience. As soon as a child came into the world, one of the babka’s first actions was to heat enough vodka with honey and lard to fill two small glasses or mugs. The babka drank one of them, and gave the second to the other, urging her with the words, :Drink, drink, let this fill the empty spot where the little one lay--you’ll feel better right away.” “The christening party usually lasted up to three days, with fun, joyful singing, chatting --and the happies was the babka, who as a rule loved to drink most of all. After all, for several days of assistance to the sick woman, she received very little money, a gulden at most; and sometimes what she ate and drank was her only pay. The older folks called her ‘neighbor’, the young ones called her ‘grandmother’ and she called everyone who was there at the birth ‘neighbor’, and she called the children ‘grandchildren.’” ---------------- info Granted a dispensation for the first degree affinity from the Apostolic Capital on 29th October 1866 , above number 1784 , below number 141 . The married couple confirmed that they had children together before their marriage, Antonina and Maryanna. This marriage record on the strength of the above dispensation and according to Article 291 and Civil code of the Kingdom of Poland, status and rights of the children are recognised by law. ***** Image Credit: Autorstwa Georgios Jakobides - Nieznane, Domena publiczna, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1302386

A Tale of a Young Maid

Most of the genealogy searching is finding names and dates related to relatives from a previous generation. Occasionally, from these dry facts a story emerges that triggers my imagination and leads to more questions than answers. The story of Konstancja (Connie) is one of those stories. Many of the families experienced infant mortality and early deaths of spouses with quick remarriages--probably out of necessity. Her family story clearly demonstrates that but there is a twist with her own life. Here is her story: ***** I asked for a record of a Marianna Kurkiewicz to be translated, I thought she was a different Marianna Kurkiewicz--there are at least seven different ones in my tree already. I was interested to see that Konstancja was listed as the mother but no father was listed. I decided to look for more records related to Konstancja to try to figure out if she had ever married. Having Marianna out of wedlock though is not what is unusual about her story. ******* Before I learned anything about her, the only person who appeared to be a single parent was my fourth great aunt , Anna Eifler. She was from the Rogozno colony and Curt Wolf is one of her relatives also so I had learned alot about her story from him. I am sure single parenthood occurred but this was only the second time I saw it. ***** Here is a little background on Konstancja and her family. Be prepared, there is alot of death and quick remarriage but this was apparently common for the time period. Konstancja’s stepmother Aniela Weisberger had been previously married to Piotr Miller in Zamosc in 1805. They had a daughter Brigda but when she was five years old, her father died. ***** Walenty Kurkiewicz married the widowed Aniela and together they raised Brigda and their children Wojciech, Marianna, Tomasz and Jozef. HIs wife Aniela died in 1817 and son Jozef in 1819. Walenty remarried when his children and stepdaughter were between the ages of one and 13. He married Katarzyna Wiciejewska, my 5th great aunt. Together they had Anna, Francis, Jan (died in infancy), Agnieszka, Konstancja and Marcin. Before Konstancja was born, her half sister Brigid got married. When Konstancja was 4 years old, her mother Katarzyna passed away. ***** When Konstancja was 17 years old, her sister Francis married widower Jehosphaphat Romanowicz. He died three years later and widow Franicis married widower Aleksander Uminski in 1849, the same year his wife and their only child died. Francis and Aleksander live in Ruda Wolowska. They had one child together and Francis died six years later in 1855, the same year that Konstancja and Francis’ father Walenty died. ***** The death of her sister seemed to be a pivotal event. Over the span of ten years, Konstancja had five children. After her sister died, Konstancja had her first child, Marianna in 1856. Konstancja was single and a maid in Tomaszow. Two years later, her son Franciszek was born. The following year, her daughter Marianna died and the next year, her daughter Antonina was born. In 1863, her daughter Karolina was born, Her son Franciszek died two weeks before Karolina was born. In 1866, a daughter she also named Marianna was born. ***** The same year that the last child was born, finally, on 25 November 1866, she married Aleksander Uminski. He had been widowed by her sister for 11 years. It turns out, the five children were fathered by him. As part of their marriage record, they were granted a dispensation related to their children being born illegitimately. Another reason a dispensation might be granted would be for permission to marry a blood relative. The marriage confers legitimacy on her children and the priest amends their birth records to indicate that. They were “granted a dispensation for the first degree affinity from the Apostolic “Capital.” In other words, the children were already his by birth but now would be recognized by the marriage. The record read, This marriage record on the strength of the above dispensation and according to Article 291 and Civil code of the Kingdom of Poland, status and rights of the children are recognised by law.” ***** Besides being his sister-in-law, how did Alex know Konstancja? She was probably his maid in his shoemaker shop. The story here is probably similar to the other single mother I learned about --Anna Eifler. Anna was a maid for a shoemaker and that is who fathered her child. Konstancja was a maid -- probably for her brother-in-law Aleksander, a shoemaker in Tomaszow. Once her sister died, she had five children--which he legally recognized when he married Konstancja eleven years later. The mystery is: why did they wait so long to get married? ***** Image credit: http://www.metmuseum.org/

Anthony registers April 7, 1942 for the WWII draft

On April 7, 1942, Anthony Raczkiewicz (my grandfather) and his brother Joe registered for the World War II draft in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were 49 and 51 years old.There is no record of their brother Jan/John registering in Kent County and I can’t find him anywhere after the early 1920s. Brothers Piotr, Frank and Boleslaw were living in Poland and may have had to register or serve because September 1, 1939 World War II began with the Germans invading Poland. A few years later, their brother Frank would be shot by the Germans. At the time of the draft registration, Anthony lived at 501 Milwaukee Ave. N.W. and his phone number was 8-0958. Frank Polaski at 1817 Turner was a reference who would always know where to find him. Anthony was 5’5’ and weighed 145 pounds with brown hair, blue eyes and a light complexion. His brother Joseph indicated he was unemployed. The person he gave that would know how to locate him was Mrs. Pauline Zelinski at 502 Milwaukee Ave. He had brown and grey hair and blue eyes and was 5’8” and weighed 146 pounds, with a ruddy complexion.

TWINS!

At 6 a.m. on 7 April 1819, twins were born. The "renowned" Maciej Wiciejewski and his wife Maryanna (nee Mitelski) was aged 36. He worked as a potter. The parents were my 4x great grandparents. Wojciech and Konstancja were the 7th and 8th of nine children. Their first born, Salomea (my 3x great grandmother) was 15 years old when they were born. Witnesses for the birth were Kazimierz Cyronski, 50, a spoonmaker & Rafal Lusawicki, 40, a carpenter. What happened to the twins when they grew up? Konstancja married at age 22 to Jan Nitka. Her father was deceased. Jan was a 46 year old widower of the Greek Catholic rite from Rusianow, Galicia, Austria. Konstancja died as a widow at age 77 in the village of Rybnica. She likely moved there when she was married. Wojciech married at age 30 to Victoria Melin from Dabrowa. He was an apprentice blacksmith at the time. He married Anna Makar from Majdany Jozefow. Her parents were deceased and she was working as a maid in Tomaszow Lubelski. Wojiech died at age 50 before his wife. The dates of the marriages are a little confusing because it appears that he married Victoria a year before he died but his death record lists his wife Anna. Maybe the second wife wasn’t recognized or remembered by whoever was reporting the death. Several of my (new found) second cousins have twins: Tomasz Raczkiewicz from Poznan, Poland (his grandparent was Bolesaw.) Andzej Dubiel from Sabaudia, Poland (his grandparent was Paulina.) Paul Parkanzky from Newago, Michigan (his grandparent was Marianna). David Mastee from Texas, US (his grandparent was also Marianna.) Twins run in families but only the mother’s genes control this. A background of twins matters only if it is on the mother’s side. Based on that, I think that even though there are at least four sets of twins in this generation, that twins do not run in our family. https://genetics.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/twin-genetics#:~:text=This%20is%20why%20fraternal%20twins,is%20on%20the%20mother's%20side.

Klementyna Was Buried April 6, 1918

“Here rests in peace, Klementyna Raczkiewicz, born 23 November 1897, died 4 April 1918, She asks for Hail Marys.” Klementyna (Golabiowska) Raczkiewicz (my Grandpa’s 1rst wife) was buried April 6, 1918 in the Polish Catholic Cemetery, which later became Holy Cross Cemetery. They had been married for four years. She died 12 days after her 21rst birthday,

Signs of Spring?

In Michigan, we think of the return of the robin as a sign of Spring though I read an article recently that disputes that. (GR Press 4.4.2021) Apparently it is the return of the red-winged blackbirds, sandhill cranes, killdeer, song sparrows, turkey vultures, bald eagles and American woodcocks that signal the Spring in Michigan with their return. While I might see several of these in my daily life, the bald eagles and turkey vultures, while not unknown within a few miles of my house, are rarely seen. I am not sure if this is the case for the return of the storks to Poland. 25% of the world's storks live there but I don’t know if that means that people see them all the time, all over, like we soon will with the robin. In any case, Happy Spring! Image credit: Frank Vassen, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons ***** https://www.facebook.com/groups/959629200718699/permalink/4451524068195844

DYNGUS DAY OR SMIGUS DYNGUS DAY

DYNGUS DAY OR SMIGUS DYNGUS DAY! Thanks to Andrzej Dubiel for mentioning it. I never heard of it being celebrated around here but this article says some Polish American communities do it! https://polishshirtstore.com/blogs/blog/dyngus-day-or-smigus-dyngus-day?fbclid=IwAR3KNBChUb2vN9o78pEv6RAiSqdVgwvFPMHr4PZseb3HMWiFaBbMJo6KHBQ

Shirley Longwell EASTER food traditions

Holiday meals are very important for family traditions. On Shirley Longwell’s (my mother) Easter menu are all foods that can be made ahead and everyone can eat when they get to her house. She remembers when a basket of food was brought to church to be blessed but that is no longer a tradition. Meat figures prominently in the menu. She buys nine pounds of ham with some of it thinly sliced, kielbasa for $4.00 per pound (2011 prices) from Ralph’s Market on Leonard Street. Other years the kielbaska has been purchased from 20th Century Meat Market, Levandoski’s Meat or Frank’s Market on Fulton St. She starts the kielbasa in a large pan at 11:00 a.m. after returning from church. It will come to a boil after 20 to 25 minutes and then she will let it cook another 20 minutes before browning it in an electric fry pan. We used to have thinly sliced rye bread from American Bakery, but since they closed it is a challenge every year to get just the right bread. Roy (my father) normally would have peeled all the potatoes for the potato salad but at some point Lori and Marissa (my sister and niece) started coming over to do it. Grandma Raczkiewicz (Pauline) always thought the potato salad needed more salt and often Shirley will think something is lacking -- maybe mustard?--or that there is too much onion. But it is hard to tell until it has been chilled, she said, “It’s got to get cold, it’s not good until it is cold.” Mom’s Potato Salad Recipe Potatoes, peeled and chopped (6) Hard cooked eggs (8) Celery, finely chopped (1 ½ cups) Radishes (a few) Onion, finely chopped (one, very small) Green pepper, finely chopped (two strips) Mayonnaise (one cup) Sugar (1 Tablespoon) Mustard A lot of salt and pepper Cook potatoes in boiling water until a fork can go in easily. Remove from the water and cool. After cool, cube the potatoes. Add the celery, radishes, onion and green pepper and mix. Mix the mayonnaise, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper and fold into the ingredients. Chill before serving. Other items on the menu include hard boiled eggs, horseradish and lamb shaped butter. Shirley always bought the butter from one of the nuns that made it who were connected with St. Adalbert Church. Desserts vary a little year to year. One year my sister LInda made a decorated bunny cake. A homemade apple pie might be baked for the occasion. Often she will make something sweet the day before with granddaughter Marissa and have her help put on the table cloth and set the table. What Easter foods are part of your celebration?

Easter Pictures & How to Say Happy Easter in Polish

How to Say Happy Easter in Polish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9lNPI3FgZU More pictures on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Polish-Family-History-102520648303884

Franciszek Raczkiewicz’s Name Day

Franciszek Raczkiewicz (my great uncle) was named for St. Francis Xavier, according to his birth and baptismal record. St. Francis Xavier was known for being a missionary. When I first learned of this sibling of my grandfather who was killed in the Rotunda in Zamosc in 1943, I didn’t know his birth date so I looked up his name day in order to have a day to tell you more about him. On March 6, Andrzej Dubiel sent me his birth record. I sent it in for translation on March 7. The record is in Russian so it usually takes a few days before a volunteer will do it. I found out he was born on June 16. On that day I will share his birth record with you. Francis was the 8th of nine siblings. In the records of three of the four youngest children, it states who they are named after: King Boleslaw, St. Francis Xavier and St. Mary Cleophas. It is possible the other children were named after specific saints but it wasn’t noted in the record. Josephgeogeorge, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Ancestral Mathematics

I am researching 1 of 4 grandparents (mainly Anthony Raczkiewicz.) I have found two great grandparents, four 2x great grandparents, eight 3x great grandparents, sixteen 4x great grandparents and 14/32 5x great grandparents. This fun picture was shared by Dan Bobo.