Anthony & Joseph Raczkiewicz Leave Antwerp September 18, 1912

“You can have more than one home. You can carry your roots with you, and decide where they grow.” Hanning Mankell When Katarzyna Kaszucka (my great grandmother) said goodbye to 19 year old Antoni, it was likely that she was never going to see him again. He was journeying to the United States for a better life. Her oldest son had left two years earlier and now two more sons were leaving. The remaining six children were ages six to seventeen. Her husband Jan was still alive (and would be for three more years.) Anthony sailed with his 21 year old brother Jozef from Antwerp, Belgium on September 18, 1912. The voyage was 99 years ago. Anthony would have had to leave home in Sabaudia (near Tomaszów Lubelski, Poland) much earlier to get to the ship in time for the departure. With 700 miles of travel to get to Antwerp, some of it by rail, it would have taken at least several days to get there. Older brother John left Tomaszow Lubelski two years earlier. He sailed from Hamburg, Germany in February of 1910 at age 21. Mary traveled much later in October of 1923, traveling like Anthony and Joseph from Antwerp to Canada and then to the U.S. Katarzyna was 39 years old when Jan left, 41 years old when Joseph and Anthony left and 52 when Mary left. She was likely still in her 50s when Jan, her oldest son returned to Poland.