Locations Where My Relatives Were Born

There are 21 direct ancestors (grandparents, great grandparents, etc.--not cousins or aunts and uncles) that I have identified on my grandfather Anthony’s paternal side (Jan Raczkiewicz.) Nine of them were born in Majdan Gorny. Four of them were born in Sabaudia. Three of them were born in Laszczowka. Two of them I have not determined where they were born. ***** There are 25 direct ancestors that I have identified on my grandfather Anthony’s maternal side (Katarzyna Kaszucka.) Nine of them were born in Tomaszów Lubelski. Three were born in Uhnow. Two were born in Pacanow (or Glacanow.) One was born in Mosciska. Ten of them I have not determined where they were born.

Happy Birthday to Linda (Longwell) MarCarthy on August 2

Jozef Kurkiewicz & Ewa (Wisniewska) Rachanska Wed on 30 July 1837

Jozef Kurkiewicz (my 3x great grandfather) was a 23 year old bachelor, living with his parents, Antoni Kurkiewicz and Marianna Kiszczyńska, when he married Ewa (Wiśniewska) Rachanska on 30 July 1837. His parents were farmers in Tomaszów Lubelski. Ewa was a 28 year old who had been widowed for six years. She was born in Tomaszów Lubelski to Błażej Wiśniewski and his wife Agnieszka nee Szczesnicki. Her mother was deceased at the time of this marriage and Ewa was living with her father on his farm. Her father had been a potter and also worked as a grave digger. Ewa’s first husband Wincenty Rachanski, had been a journeyman shoemaker. Wincenty and their only child Feliks both died in 1831, after Ewa and Wincenty had been married only about a year. That year there were outbreaks of both cholera and influenza. Witnesses to the marriage of Jozef and Ewa: Jan Recki & Antoni Lachowski Photo by Marko Milivojevic on Pixnio

Mary Kurkiewicz is Named to Honor St. Mary of the Snows

A translation of a birth record was just received today by Connie Liszewski (wife of my 3rd cousin 1x removed.) I am sharing it because coincidentally, the baby was born today in 1902. Marianna Kurkiewicz (my 1rst cousin 3x removed) was born to Ignacy Kurkiewicz, 50, a petty-bourgeois from the city of Tomaszow, and his 43 year old wife Antonina nee Czarnopys. At her baptism they named her in honor of Saint Mary of the Snows. A childless couple planned to build a church to honor Mary with their inheritance. An unlikely snow in August was in a pattern that suggested the shape of the future church. https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/our-lady-of-the-snows.html

Happy Birthday to Jakub Raczkiewicz on July 30, 2021

Jakub is my 2nd cousin 1x removed. He is the son of Tomasz Raczkiewicz

Polish Plate from Sobie's Market

The lunch special at Sobie Meats today was a "Polish plate." My Mom and I enjoyed our BIG lunch.

Stanislawa Raczkiewicz

Eugeniusz Raczkiewiczknows a lot of family history and I have learned a lot from him. I am trying to get pictures along with birth (and other) dates. He sent me this picture of my grandfather’s sister Stanislawa. It was taken around 1956--about two years before she died. The grandchildren are Alina and Krzysiek. Stanislawa and her husband Jan Bielak had four children: Stanislaw Bielak, Władysław Bielak, Wanda Soldaj, and Maria Dubowik. Stanislaw had four children: Stanislaw, Wladyslaw, Wanda and Maria. Stanislaw Bielak had four children: Stanislaw, Wladyslaw, Wanda and Maria. I have a picture of Wanda with her great grandchildren. Władysław Bielak had two children: Wieslaw and Jerzy. Wanda Soldaj had four children: Krystof or Krzysiek, Maria and Alina (I think Krzysiek and Alina are in the picture with their grandmother Stanislawa (Raczkiewicz) Bielak. Maria Dubowik had three children: Janusz, Wieslaw and Waldemar. If anyone has pictures, birth and death dates or other information about them, I would appreciate it.

Fruit

Connie Liszewski(her husband Mike is my 3rd cousin, 1x removed) made homemade blackberry freezer jam, berries picked at their son and his wife’s house. A lot of fruit is grown in Michigan. Strawberries are done already. Besides blackberries, this time of year there are also blueberries, peaches, and raspberries, and sweet and sour cherries. The National Cherry Festival is in Traverse City, Michigan. Apples and pears are popular in the fall. Fresh currants are not widely available in the U.S. Joanna Raczkiewicz (her husband Bartosz is my 2nd cousin) made homemade cherry jelly and porzeczka (currant) juice. Tomaszów Lubelski, Poland. Besides currants, popular fruits in Poland are apples, strawberries, cherries, plums, pears, raspberries, sour cherries, blueberries, and chokeberries. Chokeberries are too astringent to eat raw but are used for baking, teas, etc.

Joanna (Raczkiewicz) Len

Joanna (Raczkiewicz) with Bartosz Raczkieiwcz

Zdzislaw Mieczyslaw ***** Joanna (Raczkiewicz) Len (my newfound 2x cousin) recently sent me pictures of her parents and their birth and death dates. It is really wonderful to see who I am related to! Joanna Leń grandfather Piotr Raczkiewicz and my grandfather Anthony were brothers. Piotr had two children --Jan and Zdzisław Mieczyslaw. Jan had three children Wieslaw, Ryszard, and Maria. I would love to see their pictures and know their important dates. Zdzislaw had three daughters: Alina, Jadwiga, Jolanta, and Joanna. So far I know about Zdzislaw and Joanna. This picture is of Joanna's father (Zdzislaw Mieczyslaw) who lived 2 Jan 1934 to 12 Jan 2007. He was my mother’s cousin. Thank you Joanna for sharing!

Summer in Poland

http://kidsinthecity.pl/bank-holidays-observances-traditions-celebrations-in-poland-in-summer/?fbclid=IwAR1gNe-NZq5JZqxq3G2Sdx41hOlbvTbmiMDQLB8LsjwlHqTuGQRTCH2Nass

Polish Number & Family Word Videos

Numbers ***** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_4coXlxSvw ***** Family ***** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBcjAiSNEtE

Wiktoria Aurelia Raczkiewicz’ birthday is July 28

Sto lat! Wiktoria Aurelia Raczkiewicz’ birthday is July 28. She is the wife of Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz (my 1rst cousin 1x removed.) Their children are Joanna, Sebastian and Bartosz. Wiktoria and I became Facebook friends this year.

Richard Streng’s birthday Is July 25

Richard Streng’s birthday is

July 25. I originally learned about Richard around Christmas time this year from Jacek Raczkiewicz (my newfound 2nd cousin.) Richard and his first wife Mary Anne went to Poland around 20 years ago and actually met up with Jacek and his family. The Polish relatives extended kindness to the Streng’s during the visit. Jacek then had the opportunity when working on the east coast of the U.S. to visit Richard in Grand Rapids and Grand Haven, Michigan. Richard and his wife Judith Streng attend my family’s church St. Adalberts. My Mom and sister recognized them once we figured out we were related. He is my 4th cousin 1x removed.

Surnames that are words

Many of the surnames of my direct ancestors are words. Just like in English where common names like “Smith” at one time referred to blacksmith. I THINK these family surnames can be translated to common words--maybe referring to occupations or natural features. ***** Golab (pigeon) Kowol (blacksmith) Kukielka (puppet) Kwiatkowski (kwiat=flower) Plebanski (presbytery or parsonage) Kozyra (kozy=goats) Krawczyk (tailor) Grabek (rakes) Chmiel (hops--used to make beer) ***** Some surnames seem to NOT be translatable into words: Kaszucki, Raczkiewicz, Kurkiewicz, Wisniewski, Szczesnicki, Kiszczyński, Kalinowski, Rzeczycki, Wójcik, Dominik, Walawender, Wiciejewski. ***** Image credit: By Eatcha - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77645008

Anthony Raczkiewicz Jr & Cecilia Zalewski Married July 23 1949

Anthony Raczkiewicz Jr. and Cecilia Zalewski(my uncle and aunt) married July 23, 1949. They were both 24 years old. Here are links to their life stories when they passed away: ***** Anthony: https://heritagelifestory.com/obituaries/anthony-r-raczkiewicz.9878 ***** Cecilia: https://heritagelifestory.com/obituaries/cecilia-raczkiewicz.6517

Droga krzyzowa Kalwaria (Way of the Cross Calvary)

Bartosz Raczkiewicz sent pictures from behind the family church in Tomaszów Lubelski. The church is Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Tomaszów Lubelski. The area is called the Way of the Cross station. I found a review of the area when I googled it: ***** Tuż za kościołem jest Kalwaria Tomaszowska. Oprócz stacji Drogi Krzyżowej znajdują się tu kolumny związane zarówno z Tomaszowem Lubelskim jak i z wydarzeniami z historii Polski jak na przykład kolumna Chrztu Polski, kolumna Tomasza Zamoyskiego, kolumna Katyńska czy kolumna Niezłomnych. Bardzo przyjemnie chodzi się po Kalwarii, teren uporządkowany i zadbany. ***** (Translated by Google) Just behind the church is Kalwaria Tomaszowska. In addition to the Way of the Cross station, there are columns related to both Tomaszów Lubelski and events from the history of Poland such as the column of the Baptism of Poland, column of Tomasz Zamoyski, column of Katyn and column of the Steadfast. It is very pleasant to walk around Kalwaria, the area is tidy and well maintained. ***** From: Google review Droga krzyzowa Kalwaria (Way of the Cross Calvary) KALANG

Rozalia Dominik Died 21 July 1814

Farm life is not without danger -- even for children. Twelve year old Rozalia Dominik (my 3rd great aunt) was killed 21 July 1814, likely in a farming accident. The volunteer translators had a VERY hard time determining what the record said. The Polish language death records from this time period do not typically include a cause of death but this record does: ***** Translator 1: Hmm, so trying to work this out... I get the part -- "zabitą została" = she was killed; then I read the next part as "od ziemi" = from earth/soil/land. And, that is what I don't understand... she was killed from the land??? ***** Translator 2: I thought it was od ziemi at first but then couldn't see a dot over the i . Perhaps she was killed by a landslide ? Earthquake? ***** Translator 1: 208 years ago they never thought someone would be wanting to know how she was killed ***** Tranlsator 3: „Zabita od ziemi” - it means that she probably was killed by a landslide or (more likely) she was overwhelmed by soil (the accident, because it was a summer and her father was a farmer, and maybe they worked in the field etc.) ***** Tomasz Dominik and Regina Woycik were her parents. Rozalia was the oldest of four children when she died. The youngest was five years old. She died in house #90. The informants were Tomasz Dominik, 50 , peasant farmer , father of the deceased, residing in Górny and Józef Pisarczyk ,40 , a neighbour .

What is Majdan Górny Like?

Jaki jest Majdan Górny? (What is Majdan Górny like?) Maki, chabry, i stokrotki tu znajdziesz, ale . . . osty też. (You will find poppies, cornflowers and daisies here, but . . . thistles too.) Wyjątkowy, bo nasz! (Unique because it is ours!) ***** This video was prepared by Gabriela Raczkiewicz (any relation?) and Izabela Lis for the class of Anna Wawrzusiszyn. It is in Polish but you can still see the area, past and present. The video gives facts such as the distance to other cities and the names of the local authorities. Highlighted are the first school building and the current school, the Mother of God, Queen of Poland Church, the historic chapel of St. Jack(?), a historic well and the current water system, a roadside shrine to St. Jan Nepomucene, a recreation center, beautification projects, a cross at a possible earlier medieval settlement, the birthplace of Bishop Srutwa, and pictures of some local organizations with advertisements for some local businesses. ***** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGl-H2_vSGM ***** Majdan Górny (Polish pronunciation: [ˈmajdaŋ ˈɡurnɨ]) is a village that was and currently is important for Anthony Raczkiewicz’ paternal side. Both sets of Anthony Raczkiewicz’ third great grandparents were from Majdan Górny. For instance, in 1778 Jan Raczkiewicz (my 4x great grandfather) was born there and was still living there in 1824 when he married Apolonia Golebiowska. Tomasz Dominik and Regina Wójcik (my other 4x great grandparents on this side of the family) were also from Majdan Górny. It appears that they had moved to nearby Sabaudia by 1864 when the father of Anthony (my grandfather) Jan was born. Sabaudia is a village that is about five miles from Majdan Górny . During the time period that they lived in Majdan Górny, there were 133 houses and 776 inhabitants. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdan_G%C3%B3rny Currently, it has a population of 1,300. It is four miles east of the city of Tomaszów Lubelski. . The village of Majdan Górny was founded at the beginning of the 18th century and takes its name from Górno The English version of Wikipedia has much less to offer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdan_G%C3%B3rny

Klementyna Died 4 April 1918

My Grandpa’s first wife died 12 days after her 21st birthday from complications of childbirth. Klementyna (Golabiewoska) Raczkiewicz died 4 April, 1918 in Grand Rapids Michigan. She died 12 days after her 21rst birthday and three days after she gave birth to their daughter Bronislawa in Bay City, Michigan. Anthony and Klementyna had been married for four years. ********* The cause of death was puerperal sepsis (infection from childbirth.) Currently around three mothers die for every 100,000 births of this infection. It is the reason for about 11% of maternal deaths. In 1918, when Klementyna died, it was the reason for over 50% of childbirth related deaths. It wasn’t until 1935 that an effective treatment was found. ********** Klementyna’s parents were listed on the death certificate as Albert Solombeiski (actually Golabiowski) and Katherine Bucznick (actually Roczniak.) The discrepancies are from either handwriting or language challenges. (In the small world of Polish immigrants that I am learning about --Anna Dubiel (related to new found 2nd cousin Andrzej Dubiel) came with her husband Walenty Roczniak and settled in Emmet, Michigan.I haven’t quite connected these two Roczniak families yet.) ********* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postpartum_infections

Agnieszka Raszkiewicz Died July 19 1832

Agnieszka Raszkiewicz (my 4x great aunt) died July 19 1832. She was one and a half years old. She was born in Majdan Górny to Jan Raszkiewicz and Apolonia nee Gołębiowska. Witnesses were the 52 year old father of the deceased and Wawrzyniec Turek,55, both peasant farmers from Majdan Górny. Agnieszka was the youngest of the nine children born to Jan and Apolonia.

Apolonia (Kurkiewicz) Eifler Died 19 July 1841.

The likely cause of death was complications of childbirth when Apolonia (Kurkiewicz) Eifler (my 3rd great aunt) died. She died July 19, 1841 -- 180 years ago. She was only 20 years old when her father Antoni (a 57 year old shoemaker) and Jan Reike (a weaver) reported her death. Her son Franciszek was born four months earlier. He died before her on 4 July. Apolonia was born 25 Feb 1821 in house number 76 in Tomaszów Lubelski to parents Antoni Kurkiewicz and Marianna nee Kiszczyńska They had 12 children --at least 7 of them died in infancy. Apolonia left behind her widowed husband, Jan Eifler. He was a 26 year old shoemaker. Jan’s relatives were originally “colonists” from Germany in Rogozno Colony. Jan later remarried Julianna Kusa and they had four children. One of them, Adam, is the 3x great grandfather of Curt Wolf (my 4x cousin.) Curt was one of the first people I connected with on my family history search. Curt is the one who originally gave me contact information for Tomasz Raczkiewicz (my 2x cousin.)

Ignacy Kurkiewicz Died 18 July 1851

Ignacy Kurkiewicz was a 53 year old “petty bourgeois” when he died “ If your neighbor owns a small shop, she's a member of the petite bourgeoisie. According to Karl Marx, the political theorist who popularized this French term in the nineteenth century, the petite bourgeoisie is made up of capitalists who operate on a modest scale. In French, the phrase means "little townsfolk." https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/petite%20bourgeoisie Ignatius (my 2x great uncle) was born in Tomaszów on 18th July 1851 5 o'clock in the morning. He was baptised 19 July. His sister Paulina is my 2x great grandmother. His father was Józef Kurkiewicz, age 36 residing in Tomaszów. Jozef was a shoemaker at his marriage and at his death but in the birth record of his son Ignatius, he is listed as a farmer. It is possible he was doing both. One witness for the birth of Ignatius was Józef Zawalski, a 29 year old farmer, 29. The other one was Jan Roczniacki, a 29 year old cart/wheel maker. Jan was married to Katarzyna nee Kurkiewicz (my 3rd aunt--her parents are Antoni Jozef Kurkiewicz and Marianna nee Kiszczyńska. The other Godparent was Józef Zawalski Learning about relatives continues to unfold: Ignatius’ death record had been unavailable to me I thought. Recently I noticed some new records had been added to the LUBGENS index I use. I found the death record for him and had it translated on July 16. So I just found out he died April 5, 1905. His wife Antonina was still alive. Jan Wiśniowska, 40 and Jan Kurkiewicz, 25 were the witnesses. See “Who were the burghers in the family?”

Sandy Spruit (my cousin)

Sandy Spruit (my cousin) and her husband recently visited my mother Shirley Longwell. I joined them and we reminisced about family history. BTW- it was Sandy's father's birthday yesterday-- John Dykstra was born July 16, 1921.

Franciszka (Rzeczycki) Kurkiewicz & Marcin Kurkiewicz Died

A husband and his wife died on the same day -- a year apart! Franciszka (Rzeczycki) Kurkiewicz (my 5th great grandmother) died 16 July 1829 at 3:00 in the morning. One witness was Antoni Kurkiewicz (my 4th great grandfather) , her 44 year old son who was a shoemaker. The other witness was Jan Bratkiewicz, a 32 year old farmer. Franciszka was 80 years old and a native of Tomaszów Lubelski. Her husband Marcin Kurkiewicz died exactly one year earlier on 16 July 1828, also at the age of 80. Jan Bratkiewicz, (Marcin’s son-in-law) a 31 year old furrier, and Antoni Kurkiewicz, (his son) a 42 year old shoemaker, reported the death. He was from Mościsk. Maybe someone from Poland can determine which of these possibilities it could be? Mościska kolonia Dorohusk chełmski lubelskie 0102628 -cisk Mościska wieś Rudnik krasnostawski lubelskie 0897734 -cisk mościski Mościska wieś Sosnowica parczewski lubelskie 0108312 -cisk mościski Mościska wieś Kąkolewnica radzyński lubelskie 0013310 -cisk mościski

Jakub Petryna Born

Miss Marianna Petryna had a baby at age 27 with the assistance of “babiąca” Magdalena Szczesnicka. The translator thought the word came from the word 'baba' country woman/old woman, who would help deliver children, This was different from a midwife. She was the first reporter of the birth rather than the father since Marianna was unmarried. (An interesting side note is that Magdalena (the babiaca) was married to Bartłomiej Szczesnicka (my 4th great uncle.) Jakub Petryna was born 14 July 1852 at 3:00 in the morning. Witnesses were Mikolaj Procner, 31 a blacksmith and Tomasz Szczepaniak. Mikołaj Procner and Franciszka Iwanicka were the Godparents. Jakub later married Salomea Kiszczynska (my 2nd cousin 4x removed.) They are the great grandparents of Patrice (Syzmanski) Shay (my 5th cousin 1x removed.) Patrice is one of the first people that DNA connected me to and she has an extensive tree so she was a lot of help. I have very few DNA matches on my grandfather’s side so connections like her are very valuable.

Happy birthday Sandy Spruit

My first cousin

Happy birthday Rachel Spencer

She is my 1rst cousin 1x removed.

Happy birthday to Erica Beitel

She is my 1rst cousin 2x removed.

Anna Kurkiewicz Born 23 July 1884

This birth record is cool because it shows that just a few generations back our families hung around together. It is for the birth of Anna Kurkiewicz whose parents were Ignacy Kurkiewicz and Antonina Czarnopyś. I have connected with Mike Liszewski (my 3rd cousin 1x removed) and these parents are his great grandparents. My relative Jozef Kaszucki (2x great grandparent) is one of the godparents. So just a few generations ago, my family hung out with Mike’s family. ***** Also the witness Maciej Janusz is connected to Christina Bregg who matches my DNA. We have been in touch and I am working on figuring out where we connect. Her father, Stanley Sochanek was born in Tomaszow, Lublin, Poland. He escaped after World War II and settled in Grand Rapids. ***** Jozef Kaszucki had been a furrier but was at this point listed as a church sexton. Maciej Janusz was also a church sexton. A sexton is a church official who is responsible for the building and graveyard of the church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravedigger ‘Digging graves has also been one of the traditional duties of a church's sexton. In municipal and privately owned cemeteries, gravediggers may be low-paid, unskilled and temporary labourers, or they may be well-paid, trained and professional careerists, as their duties may include landscaping tasks and courteous interactions with mourners and other visitors.’ I am not sure if grave digging was one of Joseph's church sexton duties. ***** It happened in Tomaszów on 15/27 July, 1884 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Appeared Ignacy Kurkiewicz, 30 years old, living in Tomaszów , and in the presence of witnesses Józef Koszucki, 50 years old, and Maciej Janusz, 56 years old, both church sextons, living in Tomaszów, he presented to Us a child of female sex stating that it was born in Tomaszów 11/23 July of current year at 9 o'clock in the evening to his lawful wife Antonina née Czarnopys, 30 years old. At the Holy Baptism administered on this day this child was given the name Anna, Godparents: Józef Koszucki and Marijanna Czarnopys. This document was read aloud to the illiterate present and then signed only by Us.

Marcin Kurkiewicz & His Wife Died on the Same Day-- A Year Apart

Franciszka (Rzeczycki) Kurkiewicz (my 5th great grandmother) died 16 July 1829 at 3:00 in the morning. One witness was Antoni Kurkiewicz (my 4th great grandfather) , her 44 year old son who was a shoemaker. The other witness was Jan Bratkiewicz, a 32 year old farmer. Franciszka was 80 years old and a native of Tomaszów Lubelski. Her husband Marcin Kurkiewicz died exactly one year earlier on 16 July 1828, also at the age of 80. Jan Bratkiewicz, (Marcin’s son-in-law) a 31 year old furrier, and Antoni Kurkiewicz, (his son) a 42 year old shoemaker, reported the death. He was from Mościsk. Maybe someone from Poland can determine which of these possibilities it could be? ***** Mościska kolonia Dorohusk chełmski lubelskie 0102628 -cisk Mościska wieś Rudnik krasnostawski lubelskie 0897734 -cisk mościski Mościska wieś Sosnowica parczewski lubelskie 0108312 -cisk mościski Mościska wieś Kąkolewnica radzyński lubelskie 0013310 -cisk mościski

Bronislawa Raczkiewicz Died July 12, 1918

Anthony Raczkiewicz (my grandfather) and his first wife Klementyna Golabiowska lost their daughter Bronislawa on July 12, 1918, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, when she was less than a year old. She was born on April 1, 1918, in Bay City, Michigan. I think her mother had family there. Within three days, they were back in Grand Rapids and Klementyna had died of complications of childbirth. By the middle of June, Bronislawa was in Blodgett Children’s home, a type of children’s hospital at the time. Minne Blodgett almost lost her own child so she became interested in children’s health issues. She established services to reduce infant mortality, clinics for feeding and a home for orphaned children. After a month there, Bronislaw died at the age of three months 12 days. She died of congenital heart disease. ***** picture of blodgett children’s hospital https://images.app.goo.gl/U3vmhyiRBC4vj5Ts5 ***** Article about Blodgetts: https://hsmichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Family.pdf

Some Funny Things & GR History

https://www.facebook.com/TwistedTwigsGenealogy/posts/38675238299795709 ***** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42TqMZNrjTw10 ***** https://www.facebook.com/groups/407494112747727/permalink/198172786865766911 ***** https://www.facebook.com/TwistedTwigsGenealogy/posts/3893128550752431

Agora by Magdalena Abakanowicz

Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois is the location of a large set of sculptures entitled “Agora” by Magdaelna Abakanowicz, from Warsaw, Poland. There are 106 headless torsos that are larger than life size. Abakanowicz was born in 1930 and was affected by World War II and the aftermath says she grew up “. . . in times which were extraordinary by their various forms of collective hate and collective adulation. Marches and parades worshipped leaders, great and good, who soon turned out to be mass murderers. I was obsessed by the image of the crowd. . . I suspected that under the human skull, instincts and emotions overpower the intellect without us being aware of it.” https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_s_publicartagora.html

Michal Kaszucki Died July 5 1879

Michal Kaszucki (my 2nd great uncle) died July 5 1879 in Tomaszów Lubelski. He was 40 years old and unmarried. His parents were Andrzej and Salomea Kaszucki (my 3rd great grandparents) who were both deceased. His brother Jozef (my 2nd great grandfather) and Anton Romanowicz, were both declarants of Michal’s death. Michal had 7 siblings, including his brother Jozef. The boys were all baptized in the Greek Catholic faith (like their father) and the girls in the Roman Catholic faith (like their mother.) His death record was recorded through the Orthodox, rather than the Greek Catholic church. I believe this was a different “version” of Eastern Orthodoxy based in Russia that was rejecting the influences of the Greeks.

Did Anthony Raczkiewicz Know about the KK in Grand Rapids?

Anthony Raczkiewicz: Did he know about the KKK in GR? As a child, I can’t remember having interest in their far away relatives or the neighbors and friends they had. I wish I could ask how they were all inter-connected and how many people they knew that came from the same area to settle in Grand Rapids. I would also like to know how he met my grandmother, Pauline. I have many questions about what he thought about events that were happening at that time in history. I wish I could ask him how it felt to experience the economic and ethnic prejudice that was part of the city and part of the times. One significant sign of this prejudice was that the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) were energizing their work in Michigan, with Grand Rapids as a central hub. The KKK are commonly known for targeting hate against African Americans but they also are against several other groups, including Catholics. ***** This anti-Catholic sentiment was highlighted by a visit from the Ku Klux Klan to Grand Rapids on July 4, 1925. On that day, the Ku Klux Klan marched through the west side waving American flags. The west side of Grand Rapids was an area heavily populated by Polish immigrants. The timing for the 4th of July, which is a U.S. holiday commemorating the Declaration of Independence and is a celebration of nationhood. ***** Anthony was a married immigrant laborer with one child at the time. Fifteen thousand KKK came to Grand Rapids for the rally. Weeks before they set up camp near the Bridge St. hillside on the outskirts of town. A symbol was seen from this hill and across town from Belknap hill, the night before the rally. Staging for their parade was at LIncoln park and then they went down Bridge St., turned on Ottawa downtown and came back up Fulton St. to a rally at John Ball Park. https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2012/02/retrospectives_the_klu_klux_kl.html The Poles at this time were easy targets. ”The problem of language and a comparatively late arrival on the local scene delayed Polish participation in municipal politics. Too, there was aneed for civic education among their own kind since peasants from a partitioned Poland, especially those from the Austrian and RussianPartitions, were exposed only to minimal education and to virtually noparticipation in local governance. They had no exposure to democratic traditions. English and citizenship classes were only marginally successful. . . ” ***** The Rise and Fall of the Grand Rapids Polonia, Edward Skendzel, 1993 ***** https://dutchamericans.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/1993_07_skendzel.pdf ***** photo credits: https://www.facebook.com/groups/264767850370094/permalink/1735920166588181

Pauline Raczkiewicz (my grandmother) died July 3, 1990

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Yvonne (Raczkiewicz) Basham's birthday is July 1

Happy birthday to Yvonne (Raczkiewicz) Basham (my 1rst cousin.)

Jakub Raczkiewicz is 22 June 30

Happy birthday to Jakub Raczkiewicz (my 2nd cousin 1x removed.)

Antoni Raczkiewicz (my 2x great grandfather) died young (1 July 1868)

Antoni Raczkiewicz (my 2x great grandfather) died young (1 July 1868), a few months after his 26th birthday. I do not know the cause of death but there was an outbreak of cholera in Russia that year. The witnesses were Jan Skurcz, 27 and Andrzej Bonczko/Baczko?, 40, who were both farmers in Sabaudia. Antoni also was a farmer in Sabaudia. Antoni’s parents, Michal Raczkiewicz and Anna nee Dominik, were still alive. Antoni came from a family of ten children. Antoni left behind his widowed wife, Marianna nee Grabek. They had two children, Jan and Marianna. Marianna died in infancy and Jan later became my great grandfather. His wife, Marianna nee Grabek remarried a year and a half later to Tomasz Kedra. They had two children: Jozef and Katarzyna. Marianna died when the children were eight and ten years old and Jan was 17. The father of Jozef and Katarzyna, Tomasz, remarried three months later to Anna nee Raczkiewicz (daughter of Jan Raczkiewicz & Katarzyna nee Pisarczyk.) -------------------------------------- It happened in Tomaszów on July 3,1868 at 8 o’clock in the morning Appeared Jan Skurz, age 27, and Andrzej Bonczko?, age 40, both peasants living in Sabaudia < it’s the village in gmina Tomaszów Lubelski>, and stated that on 1st July of the current year at 8 o'clock in the evening died in Sabaudia Anton Raczkiewicz, peasant, 26 years old, born and lived in Sabaudia, son of still living parents Michal and Anna, nee Dominik, married couple Raczkiewicz, leaving behind his widowed wife Maryanna nee Hrabko. After eye-witness confirmation of the death of Anton Raczkiewicz this document was read aloud to the illiterate declarants, and signed only by Us