St. Andrew’s Day Eve (Andrzejki)

Calling all the Single Ladies! You might want to learn about St. Andrew’s Day Eve. Here is your opportunity to see into the future and experience some magic. Trying to determine when you might marry and what your future groom will look like was traditionally done in private as a tradition dating back to 1557. Apparently it is now a time of fun parties. ***** A few of the traditions involve candles, keys and shoes. For instance, lighting 13 candles, according to the tradition, allows the spirits to enter the room in order to help tell your marital future. One game involves pouring hot wax into cold water through the hole in a skeleton key. After it solidifies, the shape and its shadow will foretell your future. The shoe game is also another interesting sounding game. One shoe of each woman is lined up at the door. The first one to get to the door is the first to be married. (Be careful to not get trampled!) It sounds like the celebration is currently a fun opportunity to party and celebrate. Check our more fortune telling games! ***** https://poland.pl/experience-poland/traditions-and-holidays/andrew-andrew-a-girls-best-friend/?fbclid=IwAR3Eqb0fHDjxC9gfXLJnjZ3cmA2nb0wseLkmNDDRfU1Sxx071GJLapYptHU

Literacy

Many of the people in the time period covered by the records I am looking at (about 1750 to 1920) were illiterate, unable to either read or write. This seemed to occur both during the time the records were in Polish as well as when they were in Russian (1868-1917.) The woman NEVER signed except in the case of a midwife who signed a few records. So far I haven’t found any records on the Raczkiewicz side that indicate either they or a witness could read or write but their occupation of peasant farmers in villages at the time likely did not require literacy. The Kaszucki side has more tradesmen who lived in cities--most of them are illiterate but there are a few examples of people able to sign the records. ***** In most of the records, the priest indicates he read the record aloud to the illiterate people present and in most cases, the record is signed only by the priest. For example, at the remarriage of my 5th great aunt Marianna (Wiciejowska) Bugucka everyone was illiterate so “this record was read to all present there people and signed by the priest J. Kwiatkowski only since the others were illiterate.” ***** Another example is my 4x great grandfather Blaze Wisniowski, 40, who was the foreman of a faience factory who could not write. In 1810, at the birth of his son Jozef, only the witness Jan Bilicki, a tax collector and Father Józef Stomowski, Pastor of Tomaszow Civil Registry Officer signed. When Blazej’s son Wojciech was born in 1813, both witnesses could sign but the father could not. By 1817, when daughter Anna was born, he was the “famous” Blazej Wisniowski but the record was signed only by “he parish priest of Tomaszow, Administrator of the Tomaszow Church, the Civil Registry Officer of the Tomaszow Commune of the Janow District in the Lublin Province. ***** There are a few cases where my relative or one of their witnesses WAS literate. While I haven’t found all the examples, they are in the minority so I want to highlight them: ***** KASZUCKI: My 3rd great grandfather Andrzej Kaszucki, a 30 year old furrier was unable to write but one witness could so, “This record was presented, read out to the witnesses and signed by the witness Michał Kudlicki as the others are unable to write. When his son Josef Kaszucki was a 33 year old furrier and his son Piotr died, Jozef and the witness Santalomon Gumowski, also a furriers were both unable to sign. “After being convinced about his death this record was read to the illiterate witnesses and signed by X.M. Nazarowicz, rector of the Tomaszów parish. “ My 3rd great uncle, Mikolaj Kaszucki, a shoemaker, was able to sign documents, for instance when in 1846 at the death of his son Lukasz. He signed with his first initial: M. Kaszucki. ***** KURKIEWICZ Family 1: My 4th great grandfather Antoni Kurkiewicz, a shoemaker, was unable to read or write therefore, when son Wojciech was born in 1827, “This record was presented, read out to the witnesses and signed by us and Konstanty Kurkiewicz. The father and the witness Romanowicz are unable to write.” By 1830, for the birth of daughter Victoria, Antoni Kurkiewicz and witness Maciej Wyszynski, a barrel maker listened to the priest read the record and then were able to sign it. In 1852, for the death of Antoni Jozef Kurkiewicz, his son Jozef (my 3x great grandfather, 37 and a farmer is able to sign. ***** KURKIEWICZ Family 2: In 1818, the death of “the famous” Pawel Kurkiewicz was reported to the Tomaszow Commune of the Zamosc District in the Lublin Province. The informants were his sons--“the famous” Antoni Kurkiewicz and Walenty Kurkiewicz. I am not sure what about these carpenters made them “famous” but somehow they were held in regard. Antoni signed the record but the priest wrote, “This act has been read and signed by us and one witness, as the other one cannot write.” (By the way, Pawel is the father-in-law of my 5th great aunt --but I think he is also some sort of uncle. I haven’t been able to prove this yet since the records I have access to do not go back far enough.) ***** Konstanty Kurkiewicz (father-in-law of 1rst cousin 5x removed) was able to sign his name. At the 1834 birth of daughter Katarzyna, he and the 2 witnesses--Antoni Roczniacki, 34, shoemaker & Marcin Cyronski, 39, spoon maker--were all able to sign. In 1855, at the death of Apolonia Kurkiewicz, her husband Konstanty, 67 and son Andrzej Kurkiewicz, both carpenters were both able to sign. ***** CZARNOPYS: For Szczepan Czarnopys’ 1829 marriage to Pelagia Romanowicz, only the witness Marcin Mirowski, 34, a shoemaker and the priest signed the record. Szcepan & Grzegorz Radawski, 22 and a shoemaker were illiterate. A year later for the birth of their son Szyzmon Czarnopys, all of the people present except for one witness were illiterate. “This record was read to the father and the witnesses but signed by the priest and the witness Maciej Gdański only since the others were illiterate. Signatures of M. Gdański anr rector of Tomaszów, J. Kwiatkowski.” ***** Image: By Venicescapes - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90561707

Shirley (Raczkiewicz) Longwell THANKSGIVING foods

A Thanksgiving meal -- I am guessing it is about 1961. The man facing the camera is Anthony Jr (my uncle.) The two girls are his daughters Eileen and Yvonne and his wife has her back to the camera on the right. Sandy is the next on the left and her father John Dykstra is at the head of the table. I am not sure what he is holding up but I do know that even though all the adults could carve a turkey, he is the one who did it at family gatherings. On his right is my mother Shirley Longwell and my father Roy and I are tucked in next to her. I don't see my Aunt Lorraine (maybe taking the picture?) Or my grandparents? It is my grandparent's house. On the wall on the left would be their large wedding picture. In front of it I see a picture of my mother and one of me. To the right there was a large picture of "Uncle Joe."

Here is another meal but I am not sure if it is Thanksgiving. It would be from the early 1960s. I am not sure what the menu is or where they got the bibs! It is in my parent's house which they moved into in the early 1960s. Proudly displaying what looks like a peanut butter sandwich on white bread is Ron Raczkiewicz (my uncle.) To his left is his wife Pam. Next is my mother Shirley and then Lorraine Dykstra (my aunt.) I don't know who the other person is.

This year is again very different from our normal Thanksgiving celebration. Usually we celebrate this holiday at my parents’ house. The pandemic numbers are very high in our state right now. Groups getting together inside are discouraged. Therefore, while there will be meals and celebrations, the groups are smaller than they have been in previous years. I thought it would be fun to revisit the menu of meals in the past. Thanksgiving foods usually are a big, roasted turkey, sweet potatoes and mashed white potatoes, stuffing/dressing, vegetables such as cauliflower, green beans and brussel sprouts, cranberries or a cranberry sauce, pies such as pumpkin and pecan, a jello salad and Hawaiian bread rolls. Lately the turkeys have been turkey breasts which are easier to handle and please the crowd since only a few people like dark meat. Shirley’s recipe for mashed potatoes is especially well loved. ***** In 2010, this is what Shirley said about the meal: “I usually like a 16 pound turkey. It is really big but I can handle it. It fits in the roaster and is not as heavy. Years ago I would buy 18 pounders but that’s a big turkey. I’ll have mashed potatoes, turkey, dressing, cranberries, and sweet potatoes. I might make a JellO salad. I went to the store to get the vegetables. The cauliflower was $3.00 and I needed more than one broccoli. It is over a dollar a pound for green beans. Don’t get them too early otherwise they start getting brown. I will make a little more than half of a ten pound bag of potatoes. I’m probably peeling which your Dad used to do. Who’s mashing? Marissa wants to stay over to put the table cloth on and help set the table so she can help.” My Mom originally always made everything. Lately, all of us bring something, including grandson James McCarthy and his wife Betsy making the mashed potatoes. ***** Here is my Mom’s recipe for mashed potatoes: Potatoes (five pounds) Margarine (one stick) Sour cream (half cup) Milk (a little) ***** Peel five pounds of potatoes and cut into medium chunks and put in a large pan with approximately one teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 30 minutes or less. Drain well so there is no water on the bottom. Use an old fashioned potato masher to mash. Put in the margarine and sour cream and continue to mash. Add a little milk to thin it as you go along. Put them in a crock pot to keep them warm.

Stanisława (Raczkiewicz) Bielak marriage 25 November 1917

Stanisława Raczkiewicz (my great aunt) and Jan Bielak were married 25 November 1917. The witnesses were Jan Skroban, 38, residing in the village of Kunki, and Wincenty Kita, 35, residing in the village of Susiec. Both of them were peasant farmers. The banns were November 11, 18, and 25 in both the Tomaszów and Krasnobród parishes. The parents of both the bride and the groom were married the same year, in 1885, in Tomaszów Lubelski. Stanislawa was 22 and was born and was living in the village of Sabaudia. She was the fourth of nine children of Jan Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna nee Kaszucka. The parents were married in Tomaszow on November 15, 1885. Her older three siblings had left several years before for the U.S. so she was the oldest sibling still living at home. Stanlislawa was 22 years old when she married. Her father died two years before she married. Jan was 29. He was born and was residing in the village of Susiec. He was the son of the late Andrzej Bialak and Rozalia nee Soluch. Jan’s parents were married 32 years earlier on January 24, 1885 in Tomaszow. Jan’s father Andrzej was a widower, 40, who was born in Cietusza, when he married Rozalia, who was born in Susiec. Andrzej’s parents were Marcin and Anastazja Bielak. Rozalia’s parents were Jan Soluch and Rozalia nee Babiarz. Jan and Stanislawa had two daughters (Wanda and Maria) and two sons (Wladyslaw and Stanislaw.) Two of them are still alive: Wanda and Wladyslaw. Wanda Soldaj had four children: Krystof or Krzysiek, Maria and Alina. Maria Dubowik had three children: Janusz, Wieslaw and Waldemar. Stanislaw Bielak had four children: Stanislaw, Wladyslaw, Wanda and Maria. Władysław Bielak had two children: Wieslaw and Jerzy. Stanislawa worked hard with her husband on their farm. She died on 14 May 1957, at the age of 56 in the post-war period. Eugeniusz Raczkieiwz sent me this picture of Stanislawa. It was taken around 1956. The grandchildren are Alina and Krzysiek.

Rogozno Contract

A contract for 40 acres of land, 2 horses, 2 oxen, 2 cows, and a sow? Sign me up! The Hapsburgs in Germany wanted to colonize the land they acquired with Germans They developed contracts with some of the “big” land barons. The area of Poland where Rogóźno (and Tomaszów Lubelski) are located, belonged to Jan Zamoyski and he agreed to the development of several colonies on his land. Rogóźno was one such colony. Ten families moved there, including the Eiflers (whose grandson would come to marry my 4th great aunt Apolonia Kurkiewicz.) ***** The contract provided each colonist with 40 acres of land, and a house, a stable, and a grainery. They were given 2 horses, 2 oxen, 2 cows, and a sow along with some farming equipment like an iron plow and 2 wooden harrows with iron teeth. ***** In 1785, at the Zamoyski estate office in Zamość, a contract was signed. Every farming family was to receive --30 morgas (40 acres) of land including an orchard, vegetable garden, and meadow (An artisan would have 15 morgas so they would have time to devote to their profession) --A wooden stable for 8 cattle --A granary for grain --Within 2 years the ordinate built a house for them with a large room, chamber, a kitchen with a brick oven and a chimney, a roof covered with straw and a wooden floor; --In proportion to their land, the first spring, each family was to receive: --two horses, 2 draft oxen, 2 cows, and 1 sow, all of the best species. --1 iron forged wagon, iron plow, 2 wooden harrows with iron teeth, and an iron shovel ***** The contract covered farm inheritance, compensation, wood for fuel from the forests, rents, taxes, etc. In case of “neglect, rascality, bad will, destruction of the farm or rent debts: the ordinate could remove the colonist without compensation. The colonists paid rent twice a year, taxes, and additional fees to maintain common elements such as bridges. Since they didn’t profit from the harvest, they were to be paid monthly. While the colonists could volunteer to work for the ordinate, they could not be forced to and there was a prohibition against child labor. Fishing and hunting on the Ordynat’s land were prohibited. Among themselves, they were to select a leader who would decide disputes, keep order and stay in touch with the Ordinance. There was no pay for the position and the person should be “an elderly, decent and enlightened person who can read and write and enjoy a good opinion in the Ordinance and among settlers.”

Medical Professionals

Today I want to acknowledge the many superheroes in the family who are medical professionals. Sebastian Raczkiewicz (my 2nd cousin) is an invasive cardiologist in Zamosc, Poland. Today he performed some very difficult procedures and saved three sick hearts. Bravo! ***** These are other medical professionals in our family (if I missed someone, it is because I didn’t know or missed it.) ***** Dentist: Bartosz Raczkiewicz, Mateusz Mickiewicz Doctoral neuropsychology student: Jennifer Erichsen Medical Social Worker: Jamie Laisure, Erica Beitel Medical Student: Barbara Raczkiewicz, Julia Raczkiewicz Nurse: Edwarda (Edyta) Malewski, Kim Hock, Theresa Parkanzky, Rachel Spencer, Colette Beitel, Cecilia Raczkiewicz Nurse practitioner: Dina Burkett Pharmacist: Monika Raczkiewicz & Joanna Raczkiewicz Physical therapist: Eileen Erichsen Physician: Sebastian Raczkiewicz, Mieczysław Raczkiewicz Psychologist: Magdalena Rynkowska, Christian Komor Respiratory therapist: Matt Spencer Surgical technologist: Amanda Needham Spruit X Ray Technician: Shirley Longwell

Rogozno Colony

Rogóźno [rɔˈɡuʑnɔ] is a village that is about two miles northwest of Tomaszów Lubelski with a current population of 1,300. ***** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rog%C3%B3%C5%BAno,_Tomasz%C3%B3w_Lubelski_County ***** Before the 1500’s, Andrzej Małdrzyk of the Wąż established the village of Rogóźno with an understanding with his neighbor Wołczek from Gródek about the use of the nearby forests of Łaziska, Koczalin and Górno. Andrzej’s sons colonized the village and established German law. In 1528, without male heirs, ownership passed to the Marcinowski family of the Topór coat of arms. Jan Zamoyski, the chancellor, purchased it in 1578. By 1589, it was listed in his estate when he was ordained into the priesthood. By 1880, there were 60 households with 504 people, including 304 Catholics. ***** https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=https://www.wikiwand.com/pl/Rog%25C3%25B3%25C5%25BAno_(powiat_tomaszowski)&prev=search&pto=aue ***** Ordinate Andrzej Zamoyski signed a contract with Germans to settle some areas on his land within what had previously been Poland. 100 families were settled in various communities. The representatives of 96 of the 100 families were literate and only 4 needed to sign with a mark. The villages were near each other. Of the 100 families, 90 were farmers and the rest were blacksmiths, carpenters, millers, tailors, shoemakers, fishermen and beekeepers. Rogozno was to have ten families and each farming family would receive 40 acres. ***** The following information is from Curt Wolf: “George (Eifler) with his wife Magdalena and George’s sister Maryanna left Germany and moved to a place called Zamch in Poland in 1784. He was 23 at this time. (His daughter was Anna As a “miss”, she gave birth to Jan/Johan who married Apolonia Kurkiewicz, Curt Wolf’s 4x great aunt. Apolonia’s brother Jozef is Curt Wolf’s 3x great grandfather -- and also mine). They joined 99 other families to become “colonists'' in Poland. Shortly after arriving in Zamch, 10 of these families including George and family moved to Kolonia Rogozno. These villages were relatively close to each other in the same county. Rogoźno is a village 5km outside of Tomaszow Lubelski. As you approach it, the road takes you through beautiful farmland on rolling hills. ***** But why would this group of Germans move east? ***** “At the time of George Eiflers arrival to Poland in 1784, both the land in Germany and Poland was ruled by the Habsburg Dynasty of the Austrian Empire. To extend their wealth, the Habsburgs wanted people to settle these empty lands to the east (google Josephinische Kolonisation). On the receiving side there was a notable nobleman in Poland’s history named Andrzej Zamoyst who worked a deal with the Hapsburgs to have these families come live on his estate. The Emperor paid for their travel, new housing, livestock, and many other things. ***** George Eifler, who lived on less and poorer land in the foothills than the offer in Poland figured this was a much better situation so he went for it. None of the “colonists'', as they were called, were forced to go but went freely for their own economic advantage. Each colonist family signed the contract along with Zamoyst and a representative from the Hapsburg family. According to the contract, George received 40 acres to lease with his family. The source of all the corroborating information comes from the contract, the 1800 census, and birth, marriage, and death records from Zamosc and Lublin archives.” ***** “Our ancestors lived and had a relationship with an important historical person in Poland- Andrzej Zamoyst. He was well respected holding one of the highest positions in Poland. He was considered a great man of integrity, was influenced by the enlightened principles that gave birth to America, and was the first of the large landowners in Poland to create positive reforms in the abusive Serfdom system.” ***** (written by Curt Wolf)

Apolonia Kurkiewicz & Jan Eifler Wed 22 November 1840

Curt Wolf (my 4th cousin) has family connections to Rogozno because his 4x great grandparents were colonists from Germany who settled in Rogozno in the late 1700s. We are connected because eventually one of this couple’s descendants married a relative of mine. Miss Apolonia Kurkiewicz (my 4th great aunt) was married in Tomaszów on 22nd November 1840 at 5 o'clock in the evening. She was 20 years old and living with her parents, Antoni Kurkiewicz and Maryanna née Kiszczyński, who were shoemakers in Tomaszów. She had 11 siblings, 7 that died in infancy. Her brother Jozef was my 3x great grandfather. ***** The groom was also a shoemaker. Twenty five year old Jan Eifler was born and residing in the colony of Rogoźno. His single mother Anna Eifler, had been a servant/maid in nearby Horyszów Polski working for a shoemaker/tanner, who is considered to be the father. Anna was deceased by the time he married. Jan’s name was recorded as Johan -- the German for John (Jan in Polish.) His German grandfather was a colonist in Rogozno, Poland under contract with Jan Zamoyski. I will share information about this colony tomorrow from Curt Wolf. ***** The witnesses were both shoemakers from Tomaszów, Lukasz Radawski, 37 and Antoni Laowski, 42. ***** Jan and Apolonia had one son together. Their son Franciszek passed away on July 4, 1841, when he was less than a year old. Shortly after, Apolonia passed away on July 19, 1841, in Tomaszów Lubelskie, Poland, at the age of 20. By 26 September of the same year, Jan, who was now working in Tomaszów, remarried Miss Julianna Kusa and they had at least four children. He died in 1854 at the age of 38. ***** The photo is from Stasia Woj.

Walter Skrobot Died November 25, 1944

Walter Skrobot (my mother’s grandfather on her mother’s side) died on November 25, 1944, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the age of 72, and was buried there. My mother Shirley was 8 years old at the time and she remembers the funeral visitation being in their living room. ***** Shirley’s parents Anthony and Pauline Raczkiewicz often had relatives living with them and renters in an upstairs apartment. In the Grand Rapids, MI 1930 census (reported on April 11), Anthony’s brother Joseph lived with them as well as Pauline’s 61 year old father, Walter S, Skrobat. The rest of the Walter Skrobot family was in Oil City, Pennsylvania. Walter was also listed in the Pennsylvania census that same year living with his wife Anna and three of their children -- Joseph, Matthew and Jenny. It appears Walter visited his daughter Pauline and her husband Anthony in Grand Rapids and didn’t return. There is a lot of speculation on the reasons but we may never know since so many years have passed. ***** Walter Eugene (Wladyslaw) Skrobot was born on June 27, 1872, in Gorlice, Małopolskie, Poland, the son of Agnes and Jozef. He married Anna Agnes Barszcz (Borover) on June 24, 1901, in Oil City, Pennsylvania. They had 13 children in 20 years. ***** This undated article from long ago was published in OIl City, Pennsylvania and recounts the story the family of Walter Skrobat believed of Walter’s history.

Lukasz Grabek marries Katarzyna Krawczyk 21 November 1823

Lukasz Grabek was 25 years old and working as a peasant farmer in Majdan Górny when he got married. His father, Walenty Grabek, had died when Lukasz was about 14 years old. His mother Teresa née Waławender remarried when Lukasz was about 15 years old. When Lukasz got married, he had been living with his mother and step father Grzegorz Lebiedowski, also a peasant farmer. The bride, Katarzyna Krawczyk, age 20, was from Łaszczówka, about four and a half miles away. This village is outside of the city of Tomaszow Lubelski to the southeast. Katarzyna was the daughter of Antoni Krawczyk and his first wife Dorota née Lokaj, peasant farmers, residing in the village of Łaszczówka. Her mother Dorota died four months later. Katarzyna’s siblings were 5 to 16 years old when Dorota died and their father remarried within two months of her death. The wedding of Lukasz and Katarzyna (my 3rd great grandparents) was 21 November 1823, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, in Tomaszów Lubelski. The banns were announced on 9 and 16 November, 1823. The witnesses were Marcin Walawender, 55, (Lukasz’ uncle), Jan Garbul ,30, Józef Litwin, 54 and Bartłomiej Krawczyk, 36 (Katarzyna’s uncle.) They were all peasant farmers. The first two were from Majdan Górny, the groom’s village and the other two were from Łaszczówka, the bride’s village.

Stari Baba

I never know where there might be some link to Polish . . . today I wanted to put some eucalyptus in a vase on a shelf too high to reach. When I told my husband I needed the ladder, he teased my decorating and called me a “stari baba.” It turns out, he remembered this from 50 or 60 years ago! When his Mother remarried, the family moved to Gary, Indiana. His step father was Polish. There were many Polish people in the area because of the steel mills. He thinks he must have heard it from his friends. “Old lady! -- thanks a lot! By Unknown author - Source of the file, original source of the photo is Politika of 2 July 1929, page 8 [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80868962

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church Tomaszow Lubelskie

Very early on, one of the translators on the Facebook page Genealogical Translations, provided me with information about the Catholic church in Tomaszow Lubelski. ***** "Whilst scrolling through Lubgens found the name of the church for Tomaszow parish church - As it's more than likely that it is the church where your relatives baptisms marriages and funerals took place as this particular building has been there since 1727 !!!" https://zabytek.pl/en/obiekty/tomaszow-lubelski-zespol-kosciola-par-pw-zwiastowania-nmp ***** Besides the 5 pictures, check out the 9 page document on the bottom that includes architectural drawings of the church.

Boleslaw Raczkiewicz born November 25, 1906

1906/421 ***** Took place in the town Tomaszów on November 12th/25th,1906 at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Appeared in person Jan Raczkiewicz, age 42, peasant, living in the village Sabaudia, and in the presence of witnesses Antoni Kurkiewicz, age 23,resident of the town Tomaszów, and Lukasz Ważny, age 31, peasant, living in the village Sabaudia ,he presented to Us a child of male sex, stated that this child was born in the village Sabaudia on November 6th/19th,1906 at 2 o'clock in the afternoon to his lawful wife Katarzyna nee Kaszócka, 35 years old. At the Holy baptism performed on this day, this child was given the name Boleslaw in honor of King Boleslaw and his godparents were 1st witness and Jósefa Kendrowa. This act was read aloud to the illiterate present and signed only by Us. http://zamojskahistoria.pl/skany/jednostki_calosc_list.php?mastertable=spis_zespolow&masterkey1=88&masterkey2=639&masterkey3=0&orderby=asygnatura#&gid=1&pid=57 Here is line for Bolesław's act of birth. Under the number of this act you can see annotations about his death. Date 09-05-2001 and act number 220/01.

John Parkanzky was born November 19

Happy birthday John Parkanzky!

Pat (Szymanski) Shay

In May 2020, I reached out to Pat (Szymanski) Shay because we had some similar names in our family tree, we share DNA and she is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pat has an extensive tree and helped me learn some first connections. It turns out that our common relatives are Jakub Wiciejewska and Marianna Plebanska. Their daughter Justyna was Pat’s ancestor and their son Mariciej is my ancestor. It turns out we are also related through my 5th grandparents Lukasz and Justyna nee Kiszczynska. We are 5th cousins 1x removed.

Consent of parents

When the priest met with a couple that wanted to be married, one thing that needed to be determined is if they had the consent of the parents if they were under the age of 21. The marriage record from November 16, 1862 for Antoni Raczkiewicz and Marianna Grabek says, “They received their parents’ verbal permission to the wedding.” Another example is from 1829. When Szczepan Czarnopyś and Pelagia Romanowicz were married, they were 21 and 20 years old and both mothers gave their verbal consent to this marriage. Their fathers were deceased.

Antoni Raczkiewicz Marries Marianna Grabek November 16, 1862

Today is the anniversary of Antoni Raczkiewicz and Marianna Grabek. They were my 2x great grandparents. On 16 November 1862, Antoni Raczkiewicz and Marianna Grabek were wed in Tomaszow. Antoni was a 20 year old peasant farmer working in Sabaudia who had been born in nearby Majdan Gorny. Twenty year old Marianna was born in Majdan Gorny. ***** The parents of the groom were Michal Raczkiewicz and Anna nee Dominik from Sabaudia who worked as peasant farmers. Antoni was the 11th of 13 children born to their family. The parents of the bride were Lukasz Grabek and Katarzyna Krawczyk and they were also peasant farmers. Marianna was the youngest of their six children. ***** Antoni’s older brother Marcin Raczkiewicz, 40, was one of the witnesses. The second one was Jakub Herda, 45, a peasant farmer from Gorno, who was married to Antoni’s older sister Marianna. ***** # 66/1862. . . The marriage proceeded after the release of 3 banns on November 2, 9, and 16 in the parish church in Tomaszów. They received their parents’ verbal permission to the wedding and didn't sign the prenuptial agreement. This record was then read to them and signed by the priest only since they were illiterate. Signature of ... Felix Kwiatkowski.(priest) ***** Today's record is in Polish. The recent marriage record of Jan Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna Kaszucka was in Russian.

Jan Raczkiewicz & Katarzyna nee Kaszucka Wed November 5

One of the first translations that I received when I started learning family history was the marriage record of Jan Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna nee Kaszucka (my great grandparents.) On November 15 (Gregorian calendar) or November 3 (Julian calendar) 1885, Katarzyna Kaszucka and Jan Raczkiewicz were wed in Tomaszow. While the wedding record indicates Katarzyna’s age as 16 when she married 21 year old Jan Raczkiewicz, she was actually only 14 and a half years old when you look at her birth record. Katarzyna was born in the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. Parents of the bride were Jozef Kaszucki and Paulina nee Kurkiewicz. Her father was a burgher in the town of Tomaszow at this point so must have had some standing within the community. They worked as furriers. Jan was born in the nearby rural, agricultural area of Sabaudia. Parents of the groom were Antoni Raczkiewicz and Marianna nee Grabek. Jan’s parents had been born and raised as peasants in Majdan Gorny and their family was there for at least four generations back to the 1750s. They had moved and were peasants in Sabaudia at this time. Majdan Gorney is a small village about four miles east of Tomaszow and Sabaudia is an even smaller village about five miles north of Tomaszow. Witnesses for the wedding were Katarzyna’s father Jozef Kaszucki, 50, a burgher in the town of Tomaszow and Jan Skurcz, 50, a farmer in the village of Sabaudia. Jan and Katarzyna lived in Sabaudia and their nine children were born there -- including my grandfather, Antoni Raczkiewicz -- along with Jan, Jozef, Stanislawa, Piotr, Mary, Paulina, Franciszek and Boleslaw.

Mike & Connie Liszewski

In April of 2020, I sent “m liszewski” a message on Ancestry. This person was a DNA match with me and we both had the name “Kurkiewicz” in our trees. It turned out to be the tree of Mike Liszewski, managed by his wife Connie. She emailed me back about her husband’s connections to Grand Rapids and what she knew about Anna Kurkiewicz, Mike’s grandmother. At that point, I was already getting records translated from Poland so we worked on how there might be a connection and determined that Anna Kurkiewicz’s father Ignacy and my 2x great grandmother Paulina Kurkiewicz were siblings. So the connection between Mike and me was with the parents of Ignacy and Paulina -- Jozef Kurkiewicz & Ewa nee Wiśniewska. This made Michael my third cousin 1x removed. Shortly after that, Connie and I started working together building the family tree and getting translations. Help from Mike’s sisters has been very valuable. In February 2021, Connie and I started Polish class together. The class is online through the Brooklyn Public Library in New York. We are planning a trip to Poland next year. There are a few of us that plan to go but there is room for more if you want to go! Let me know and I will share what we are planning.

Andrzej Dubiel & Family History

I want to make sure you know who all my “connections” are and how I made them. Andrzej Dubiel had a tree in MyHeritage that contained some of the relatives that I had discovered. I was aware of his tree for a while before I could figure out enough to make any connections. Finally in January 2020, I reached out to him. He has done a lot of research so he looked at everything carefully to determine if there truly was a connection and there was! He shared his tree with me and we have had the opportunity to share what we find about relatives in the past with each other. He has also helped me make many connections with living relatives. I am trying to find all the second cousins and their parents. Andrzej said there are “a lot of us here” and he wasn’t kidding! It has been amazing to make many new connections. His grandmother was Paulina (Raczkiewicz) Dubiel (sister of my grandfather Anthony.} Andrzej is definitely the “go-to” guy for family history! He knows a lot and is really good at tracking things down.

Richard Streng & My Family History

In December of 2020, Jacek Raczkiewicz told me that when he was in his 20s, that he was incontact with a US relative who visited Poland and Jacek later visited him in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jacek remembers visiting the Grand Rapids Public Museum and Lake Michigan. Jacek helped me get in touch with Richard Streng. It turns out that Richard and his second wife Judy are active at St. Adalbert Church, where much of my family history occurred. I found out that Richard had done a lot of family research years ago. It turns out, Richard had connected with my two uncles Ron and Tony to ask them questions. He remembered that one of them owned a bar in Standale and lived in Coopersville and he remembers meeting the other one at The Cooper Top (a westside restaurant at the time.). Unfortunately, neither Ron or Tony knew any of the family history. Richard told me about his grandfather, Pawel Raczkiewicz. He told me that Pawel had been required to enter the Russian Army and when he returned, his parents were deceased. The family farm had been divided since they thought he was dead so he came to the U.S. We determined that our family connection was Jan Raczkiewicz and Apolonia nee Gołębiowska (my 4th great grandparents and Richard’s 3rd great grandparents.) Richard also told me about being in Warsaw 15 or 16 years ago. He had written a letter to a minister who forwarded it to Jacek’s parents and Richard and his wife intended to visit them in Tomaszow Lubelski. Unfortunately his wife became very ill so Richard contacted them to cancel the visit. Instead, Jacek’s parents (Miecyslaw and Stanislawa) and him drove 5 hours to come to see them, visited for a few hours and then the parents left. Jacek remained for the weekend and then helped them find the way back to the airport. Does anyone else from Poland remember this visit and have anything to add to it?

Connecting with Tomasz Raczkiewicz

Very shortly after connecting with Curt Wolf in September of 2020, he emailed me with some amazing news. During his research and travel to Tomaszow Lubelski, he had made a connection with a person who is a 2nd cousin to me. This was the first connection to a living person in Poland! Curt wrote, “You are not going to believe this but didn’t I tell you I was in contact with a relative over there? I Know he is related to Kaszukis and don’t hold me to this but I believe he is a descendant from the same Katherine who your grandfather came from.Ps. I don’t know about you but I am feeling like a gold mine for you 😊.” I found out that Tomasz Raczkiewicz had done family history. Curt suggested I use Google Translate to communicate. I immediately wrote to Tomasz, explaining the connection to Curt and our family connection through Jan Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna nee Kaszucka. It was very exciting to get a reply, “I am very happy to hear from you. If you want to stay in touch, I will be very pleased.” He gave me an overview of my grandfather’s youngest brother Bolesław and a little about himself and his family. He also shared his Facebook page. We have shared information back and forth and by Christmas I was able to chat on Facebook with his brother Jacek. I am grateful for this first Polish connection.

Ronald Raczkiewicz born November 10, 1939

Ronald Raczkiewicz (my uncle) was born November 10, 1939. His parents were Anthony Raczkiewicz and Apolonia nee Skrobot. He was the youngest of their four children. Ron was born when his father was 46 and his mother 37 years old. The family lived at 501 Milwaukee NW. Anthony, his father, worked as a tacker in a leather tannery. Ron’s siblings were Lorraine, age 18, Anthony Jr., age 14, and Shirley, age 3.

Curt Wolf

News Flash! A living relative was found! (11/9/2021 update-- found him last Fall) In the process of doing genealogy, I found a 4th cousin who was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, just like me. His relatives came to Grand Rapids in the same time period as my grandfather Anthony Raczkiewicz. His name is Curt Wolf and he has done extensive genealogy research and even visited Tomaszów Lubelski! On September 21, 2020, I finally sent a message to Curt Wolf on the Ancestry website. I had found hints from his tree on “Ancestry” ( where I am a paid member) and on “My Heritage” (where I have limited access since I am not a paid member.) Our common ancestors are Andrzej Kaszuckii (1799-1861) and Salomea Wiciejewska (1804-1877) -- 3rd great grandparents. Their son Jozef Kaszucki had Katarzyna Kaszucki (my great grandmother.) Their daughter Julianna Kaszucka had Jozef Niedzwicki, (Curt’s great grandfather.) Jozef and his wife Paulina nee Eifler were married in 1906 in Tomaszow Lubelski and came to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1910, the same year Anthony’s older brother Jan arrived and a few years before Anthony arrived in 1912. Jozef and Paulina Niedzwicki are buried in Holy Cross Cemetery like my grandparents. Curt’s mother Lucille (Krezewski) Wolf passed away in May of 2020. Curt did missionary work with his wife for a year in Moldova and was able to visit Poland. He has done extensive genealogy work and has hired a genealogist. He was able to visit Tomaszow Lubelski with a translator and hear family stories from a distant relative and see where they lived. Besides sharing his tree and lots of information, he provided me with contact information for Tomasz Raczkiewicz, my first Polish connection.

Tomaszów Lubelski video

Różowa Walizka (Pink Suitcase) “Tomaszów Lubelski is already 400 years old, but it does not look old at all. The city is constantly developing and changing. There is a great sports complex here, which includes swimming pools, pitches, a roller-skating track and ski runs. In the center you can try delicious ice cream and very good dishes of world cuisine. It is also worth visiting places related to the city's multiculturalism, i.e. sacred buildings, see the kettle and learn more about the history of Tomaszów at the Regional Museum. We invite.” ***** https://youtu.be/H9CjVDWvscQ from Stasia

Jan Raszkiewicz Born 7 November 1864

Jan Raszkiewicz was born on 7th November 1864 in Sabaudia, Poland at 8 o'clock in the morning. His father was Antoni Raszkiewicz, 23, a peasant farmer and his mother was Maryanna née Grabek, 20. They were living in Sabaudia, a small community a few miles outside of the town of Tomaszow. The witnesses who helped report the birth were Jakób Herda, 32 and Jan Skorcz, 30 , peasant farmers from the same area. Jakub was the father’s brother-in-law. Jan was baptised the next day and his Godparents were Jakób Herda and Magdalena Bendrowa. During this time period, many of the family records have their last name spelled Raszkiewicz (with an “s”) rather than Raczkiewicz (with a “c.”) His birth record is #280 ***** 1864/280 (Raszkiewicz) "It happened in Tomaszów 8th of november 1864 at 10 a.m. appeared Antoni Raszkieiwcz (?) a peasant from village Sabaudia, 23 years old, in the presence of Jakóba Herdy a peasant from Majdan Górny 32 years old and Jana Skurcza a peasant form village Sabaudia 30 years old and showed us a child (male) born in Sabaudia 7th the same month and year (november 1864) at 8 a.m. from his lawful wife Marianny nee Grabek 20 years old. Child at a baptism got the name Jan. Godparents were Jakób Skórcz and Marianna Bendrowa. This has been read and signed by us because they can't write."

Salomea Kisczynska Born November 4, 1956

When checking my DNA matches on Ancestry as I started to do family history, it was hard to get started. There were very few matches to people related to Anthony Raczkiewicz. The matches I have also share very low amounts of DNA with me, meaning they are not closely related. Some currently live in Grand Rapids or had in the past so I was intrigued to find out more about them. In order to do that, I needed to build my family tree back farther and wider. ***** Salomea Kisczynska is a good example. She is my 2nd cousin four times removed. “Removed” refers to the number of generations of separations between Salomea and me. My fifth great-grandparent-- Jakub Wiciejewski and Anna nee Plebanska--are her great grandparents. I had her in my tree because I included siblings of each generation as much as I could. This helped when looking at my DNA matches. ***** One DNA match, in particular, was helpful. I discovered that we had a mutual person on our family tree--Salomea Kisczynska. The DNA match’s name is Patrice (Szymanski) Shay and she is my 5th cousin 1x removed. Salomea is Pat’s great-grandmother. Pat lives in the Grand Rapids area and her family tree was open for me to view. We corresponded and she shared some information that helped me with her “branch.” It was very satisfying to figure out this first connection! ***** Today is Salomea’s birthday. She was born on November 4, 1856, in Zawadki, Lubelskie, Poland, which is about 30 miles from the city of Tomaszow Lubelskie Poland. Her parents were Teofil and Wawrzyniec (or Lawrence.) Lawrence was a barkeeper and the two witnesses to her birth were peasant farmers from their town. Her mother died when she was 14. Salomea married Jakub Petryna on September 20, 1874, in Tomaszów Lubelski, Lubelskie, Poland when she was 17 years old. Jakub was born to a single mother, who was deceased when he got married. Jakub and Salomea had two children during their marriage, Antonina and Rozalia. Antonina married Kazmierez Syzmanski. Kazimierz is the grandfather of Pat! Hopefully, you can see the connection with the picture from the tree. *****

Michal Raczkiewicz Died November 4, 1882

Almost 140 years ago, Michał Raczkiewicz (my 3x great grandfather) died in the village of Sabaudia on November 4, 1882. He lived to the age of 80. His parents were Jan Raczkiewicz and Apolonia nee Gołębiowska Michal was their oldest child (out of 11.) The witnesses were both 45 year old farmers from Sabaudia. One witness was Jan Skurcz. The other witness was Jakub, the sixth child (out of 11) of Michal and his wife Anna nee Dominik. 1882/235 Raczkiewicz It happened in the town Tomaszów on Oct 24/Nov 5 1882 at 10am. Appeared in person Jakub Raczkiewicz and Jan Skurcz, farmers residing in village Sabaudia, both 45 years old, and declared that on Oct 23/Nov 4 of this year at 10am died in the village Sabaudia Michał Raczkiewicz, son of Jan and Apolonia, age 80. After personally confirming the death of Michał Raczkiewicz, this document was read to the witnesses, and due to their illiteracy, was signed by us only. Priest St. Skurzanowski Parson of the Tomaszów [RC parish]

Polish Halls In Grand Rapids

On September 27, 2021, my Mom, two sisters and I attended a Grand Rapids Public Museum panel presentation of the Polish Halls in our city. The panel discussed the history and purpose of the halls as well as their present status. Grand Rapids had forty or fifty “halls” owned by private societies of different immigrant groups. There were more Polish ones than any other nationality and there were eight Polish ones on the West side. ***** The event was held at The Guest House which is a frequently used place for funeral lunches and other events. The Guest House is within walking distance of where my mother grew up. The event was catered by The Polish Girl and included kielbasa, kapusta, and a few other dishes. ***** The ethnic halls in Grand Rapids served many positive purposes such as a place to meet and socialize including wedding receptions, parties and other celebrations. Card parties, concerts, and beer drinking were common activities and were popular ways for people from Poland to socialize together. They all had a bar and were allowed to serve liquor to members after paying a federal liquor tax. ***** The halls provided the fundraising to open parishes such as St. Adalbert and Sacred Heart. Some paid sick and death benefits, some were patriotic or religious, cooperating with the local parish. Some offered citizenship and language classes. ***** The history of Polish Halls in Grand Rapids stretches back to 1886 when Jackson Hall was established and was the first Polish hall in the U.S.. Up through the 1960s and 1970s, the halls were still very active and there were dances every weekend. As the population moved to the suburbs and the “melting pot” effect continued to happen, the importance of the halls to the daily life of the immigrant waned. Liquor control laws also changed and there were more options such as brewing companies for people to frequent. (Did you know that Grand Rapids, Michigan was voted “Beer City” by readers of the publication USA Today?) Originally, membership was limited to Polish people (or people who married Polish people like my father.) Now, in order to survive, that membership qualification has been lifted. ***** The need for English classes, support, death and sick benefits, aid to each other in a new country, and working to build churches may be gone but the halls strive to keep the Polish traditions alive. ***** Anthony (my grandfather) was a member of St. Hyacinth, Polish Falcon Society and Polish National Alliance Society: St. Hyacinth, corner of Ninth and Muskegon, 1886, McReynolds & Fourth St., 1908, war bonds, clothing drives, Polish Falcon Society 957 Fulton St. Polish National Alliance Society (Jackson St., west of Lane Ave., 1878, active in Poland liberation, war bonds, political causes ***** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAYui7MK4SU