Zofia (Kowalec/Kawalec?) Bielak was born January 31, 1929

Zofia (Kowalec/Kawalec?) Bielak was born January 31, 1929. She was the wife of Władysław (Waldemar) Bielak (my 1rst cousin 1x removed.) I think they live in Sabaudia and are farmers. They had two children: Wiesław and Jerzy.

𝕽𝖆𝖈𝖟𝖐𝖎𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖈𝖟

Are you curious about the 𝕽𝖆𝖈𝖟𝖐𝖎𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖈𝖟 name? How many are there and where do they live in Poland? There are 754 people with the last name of 𝕽𝖆𝖈𝖟𝖐𝖎𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖈𝖟 in Poland today. We are not related to all of them! There are 99 in Tomaszów Lubelski, 38 in Poznan, 29 in Zamosc and 22 in Warsaw. There are 827 people with the spelling of 𝕽𝖆𝖘𝖟𝖐𝖎𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖈𝖟 -- it is possible we are related to some of them since our name was spelled that way at some times in the past. ***** https://nazwiska-polskie.pl/Raczkiewicz ***** How to pronounce “𝕽𝖆𝖈𝖟𝖐𝖎𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖈𝖟?” ***** https://forvo.com/word/raczkiewicz/

Piotr Raczkiewicz Died January 30, 1977

Michal Golebiowski Married January 29, 1812

I had no idea that a name like Michal Golebiowski was a common name like “John Smith” in the US. Michal (my 4th great uncle) was married today, January 29, 1812 for one of his four marriages. Michal has a history that has been challenging to sort out! Imagine my surprise when I was getting hints about him and the last name of one of the wives on Ancestry. I have not accessed older Polish records through Ancestry though it is helpful for lots of other things. The hints occurred because two people decided that “our” Michal and one his wife Agnieszka were “their” Michal and Agniewska. The first concern was the great distance their alleged son lived from the family. Possible, but then dates, ages and other details did not work out. I am keeping an open mind but at this point I do not believe there is a connection. I am sure they thought (like I originally did) that this was a unique name so it must be the same person. That certainly is not true. Here is the story of Michal’s marriage and some of his background: =============== So far, it looks like Jan Raszkiewicz and Apolonia Gołębiowska (my 5 time great grandparents) were each only married once -- to each other. It looks like Apolonia’s brother Michal wasn’t quite so lucky and was married three, maybe four times. The translator that helped thought it might be four, maybe five times. ***** On the 1812 marriage record for today, January 29, it states that Michal was a widower. His first wife Agnes died on December 3, about two months before. The first bann was announced January 19 and the second one was three days before the wedding. Because they were hurrying to marry, it is possible that he had young children that needed care. The bride was Miss Rozalia Gorbula, age 27. She presented an Act of Knowing from the Tomaszów Court of Peace stating her age and her parents weren’t present or mentioned so they may have been deceased. The witnesses were Wawrzyniec Turek ,36 , Jan Raszkiewicz ,40, Maciej Wujcik ,41, and Antoni Kulicki ,30-- for some reason four witnesses when there were usually two. ***** When he married his fourth wife February 7, 1825, it referred to his third wife’s funeral record but it didn’t name her. As I work my way through the records, I may find out who she is. He was a 58 year old widower still working as a peasant farmer In Majdan Górny. The bride was 41 year old Marianna (Sawiak) Dzierowa. She also was widowed and her husband, a peasant farmer in Majdan Górny, had died 17 years before. Jan Raszkiewicz, 48 , Wasyli Sawiak ,50 , Paweł Gołąb, 34 and Wawrzeniec Turek ,48 , all peasant farmers living in Majdan Górny were the witnesses. ***** Here is a list of his wives:: Wife 1: Agnieszka or Jagnizka Wife 2: Rozalia Gorbula Wife 3: Unknown or was it Rozalia? Wife 4: Marianna (Sawiak) Dzierowa

Stanislawa (Olenczuk) Raczkiewicz born January 28, 1917

Stanislawa (Olenczuk) Raczkiewicz born January 28, 1917 In Laszczow, Poland. Her parents were Szczepan Olenczuk and Theresa nee Nowosad. She married Franciszek Raczkiewicz, the eighth of the nine siblings born to Jan Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna nee Kaszucka. They worked as farmers. Franciszek and Stanislaw had one son, Jozef. Stanislawa was 26 years old when her husband was killed in Zamosc. Their land was given to new settlers. Franciszek was caught trying to steal his own food to prevent the starvation of his family. Their son Jozef was a chemist in Libya, Africa. He and his wife Danuta had two daughters who possibly live in Krakow. Franciszek is the sibling that I know the least about. Please help me learn more about him and his family!

Andrzej Kaszucki & Salomea Wiciejewska Married January 26, 1823

Andrzej Kaszucki and Salomea Wiciejewska (my 3x great grandparents) married on January 26, 1823, in Tomaszów Lubelski, Poland. They appeared before the pastor of Tomaszów Lubelski, who was the civil registrar for this city, found in the county of Tomaszów, province of Lublin. Because his father Lukasz was deceased and his mother Agata nee Krzaczk was still living in the city of Uhnów, Galicia, Austria, a week before the wedding, Andrzej went to the municipal office and had an “act of knowing” drawn up which was approved by the court of peace of the county. ***** Andrzej was 24 years old, Greek Catholic and a furrier and residing in the city of Tomaszów. He was born in 1799 in the city of Uhnów, Galicia, Austria, the son of Agata and Lukasz. We know about his brothers Theodore and Fidory but he likely had other siblings who remained in his hometown. Salomea Wiciejowska was 19 years old, Roman Catholic, and a maiden, according to a certificate excerpted from the books of the Tomaszów parish church. She and her parents, Maciej Wiciejowski, a potter, and her mother, Marianna nee Metelska, were born in the city of Tomaszów Lubelski. Her parents accompanied her to church for the wedding. ***** Two Banns were announced on January 12th and 19th. The witnesses were Andrzej Niedźwiedź, age 41, (related to current day Curt Wolf) and Szymon Władysz, age 40, who were both shoemakers. Also Rafał Lusawicki, age 47, cabinet-maker, and Marcin Ceroński, age 28, spoonmaker, all residing in the city of Tomaszów. Initially the translators were stumped at the occupation of Marcin -- Łyszczarz. It was not on a list of occupations and their Polish names that I had. Eventually it was determined that it meant spoonmaker. ***** Andrzej and Salomea had nine children in 23 years. Their first child Nikolaj was born on April 28, 1824, in Tomaszów, Lubelskie, Poland just after Salomea’s own brother Valentine was born February 9. Their son Jozef "Stefan Jozef" (my 2x great grandfather) was born on August 10, 1832, in Tomaszów Lubelski, Lubelskie, Poland. Her husband Andrzej passed away on September 18, 1861, at the age of 62. They had been married 38 years.

Jan Raczkiewicz Married Franciszka Kudlicka January 25, 1916

Jan Raczkiewicz (my great grand uncle) married Franciszka (Frances) Kudlicka on January 25, 1916, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This was on the same day as his grandparents’ anniversary (Józef Kaszucki/Paulina Kurkiewicz.) The wedding was performed by the same priest, Joseph S. Kaminski from Sacred Heart, who later married Anthony (my grandpa) and his first wife Klementyna. Marriage records indicate that his parents were John Rackziewicz and Katie nee Kaszucka. Her parents were Konstania and Mary Kudlicka. Witnesses were Joseph Raczkiewicz (his brother) and Stanislawa Kudilicka (her sister.) When John RACZKIEWICZ JR. was born on June 21, 1889, in Lublin, Lubelskie, Poland, his father, John, was 24 and his mother, Katarzyna, was 17. He was their firstborn. Jan was the first of the Raczkiewicz siblings to come to the United States. He was 22 years old when he came. He left on February 3 1910 from Hamburg on the ship Pennsylvania. He arrived in New York on February 18. He traveled with several other men from Tomaszow: Stanislaw Czcnopis (probably Czarnopys), 20, Jonf Benks, 45, and Raische Agey, 36. His brothers Anthony and Joseph came two and a half years later and also settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The three brothers lived with each other at various different times and their sister Marion also later moved to the U.S

Stefan Jozef Kaszucki Married Paulina Kurkiewicz January 25, 1863

On 25th January 1863, at 4:00 p.m. in Tomaszów Lubelski, Józef Kaszucki (or Stefan Jozef) as he was baptized) wed Paulina Kurkiewicz when he was 30 years old and she was 24. (They were my 2x great-grandparents.) He was a widow for two months and she was a maiden. The banns were announced on 11th, 18th, 25th January -- so they started a month and a half after he was widowed. Normally, there is a rush to remarry if there are young children involved but four-year-old Joanna had died in October and her mother died a month later. Their other child Jan had died at six months old a few years earlier. ***** Józef and his family Andrzej Kaszucki and Salomea nee Wiciejowska were furriers. He had been born in Tomaszów Lubelski and was residing there with his parents of Greek Uniate faith. Paulina was the daughter of Józef Kurkiewicz and Ewa nee Wiśniewska, shoemakers from Tomaszów Lubelski. ***** The witnesses were Szymon Żółkiewski, a shoemaker, 53, and Marcin Halkiewicz, a farmer, 42, both of whom were residing in Tomaszów He was a Greek Catholic and she was a Roman Catholic. The banns were announced in the Tomaszów Latin Church even though Józef was Greek Catholic. They had five, possibly six children together and the boys were baptized and confirmed according to the Eastern rite and the girls were baptized according to the Roman rite. ***** Jozef was born on August 10, 1832, in Tomaszów Lubelski, Lubelskie, Poland, the son of Salomea and Andrzej. He had six brothers and two sisters. He married Katarzyna Szokalewicz in Tomaszów, Lubelskie, Poland, on February 9, 1851, when he was 18 years old. They were both Greek Catholics. They had two children together and they were baptized and confirmed according to the Eastern rite. His wife Katarzyna passed away on November 22, 1862, in Tomaszów, Lubelskie, Poland, at the age of 31. They had been married 11 years. ***** When Paulina Kurkiewicz was born on June 27, 1838, in Tomaszów, Lubelskie, Poland, her father, Jozef, was 22, and her mother, Ewa, was 29. Her mother had previously been widowed. Paulina had five brothers and one sister.

Lukasz Grabek (3x great grandfather) died on January 23, 1861

Lukasz Grabek (3x great grandfather) died on January 23 and it was reported today.(Act 25) ***** https://szukajwarchiwach.pl/35/1937/0/2.4/94/skan/full/Y4rnnRpCeQMEEx3Q4npSXw “On 23rd January at 5 o'clock in the evening died Lukasz Grabek (my 3x great grandfather), widower, age 61, born in Majdan Gorny. On 25th January 1861 9 o'clock in the morning, presented themselves Jakob Raczkiewicz, age 39 and Piotr Raczkiewicz, age 50 , both peasants from Majdan Gorny and confirmed that he died.” (The witnesses were people close to them: Marianna’s husband's brother was Jakub and her husband’s uncle was Piotr.) ***** Lukasz was born about 1798 in Majdan Gorny. His parents were Walenty Grabek and Teresa nee Walawender. His father died when he was 14 and his mother remarried about a year later. ***** Lukasz was married when he was 25. He was living with his mother and stepfather Grzegorz Lebiowdoski(a widower) and they were peasant farmers from Majdan Gorny. The bride was Katarzyna Krawczyk, 20, who lived with her parents, Antoni Krawczyk and Dorota nee Lokaj, peasant farmers, from the village Laszczowka. The witnesses were Marcin Walawender, 55 (his stepfather), Jan Garbul, 30, Jozef Litwin, 54, and Bartlomiej Krawczyk, 36, (his brother-in-law) all peasant farmers. The first two were from Majdan Gorny and the other two were from Laszczowka. ***** Their daughter Marianna (my 2x great grandmother) was born 1843 and when she married in 1862, both her parents were deceased. When I wrote this on January 1, 2021, I was sure they had other children but I had not “found” them yet. Shortly after I found a sister named Rozalia. There were more siblings to be found –Jozef, Jakub, Apolonia, and Franciszka. ***** Lukasz’s wife Katarzyna Krawczyk died March 28 1853, eight years before him. She was 53 years old when she died. Katarzyna had been born in Laszczowka but lived in Majdan Gorny for the previous 31 years with Lukasz after they were married. Lukasz and his wife had a daughter Marianna (my 2x great grandmother.)

Bronislawa (Dubiel) Pankiewicz died January 23, 2011

Bronislawa (Dubiel) Pankiewicz (my first cousin 1x removed) died January 23, 2011. She was 88 years old. Her husband died 30 years earlier. Bronislawa lived in Rogozno near her brother Jan Dubiel. She married the brother of Jan’s wife --Stanislaw Pankiewicz. Bronislawa and Stanislaw had six children -- Zbigniew, Elżbieta, Grzegorz, Boleslaw, Krystyna and Henryka (my second cousins.) I have not had the opportunity to “meet” any of Bronislawa and Stanislaw’s family I hear that one lives in Warsaw and the rest live in the Tomaszów Lubelski area. They have occupations of shopkeeper, factory worker, farmer, and soldier/military school teacher. Many of them are retired. Her parents were Paulina (Raczkiewicz) and Jan Dubiel. Bronislawa was one of six children. She was born about a month before Mary Raczkiewicz went to the US to meet her brothers Jan, Anthony and Joseph.

Theresa Parkanzky Died January 18, 2022

https://thevwindependent.com/news/2022/01/19/theresa-elenor-parkanzky/ ***** Theresa Elenor Parkanzky passed away Tuesday, January 18, 2022. She was born October 9, 1935, in Muskegon, Michigan, to Frank Kufta and Mary Raczkiewicz, who both preceded her in death. She graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1953. She attended Mercy College in Detroit and obtained her BS/RN in 1957. She married Ernest Alexander Parkanzky on April 19, 1958 at St. Michaels Church in Muskegon. They began their family in Garden City, Michigan prior to moving to Van Wert. Theresa worked at Thomas Edison School as a multi-handicapped teacher and life skill instructor. Survivors include six children, 21 grandchildren, and two great- grandchildren: Daniel (Kim) Parkanzky of Chelsea, Michigan and their sons Max (Laurel) and Samson; Marie (Vincent) Halloran of North Salem, New York and their children Jake (Brianna and son Eoin), Conor, Aidan, Kieran, Declan, and Phelan; Karen (Roger) Vogler of Wiesbaden, Germany and their children Isaac, Simon, Noah, and Veronica; Connie (David) Snyder of Bellevue, and their children Adrienne (Mark and son Alexander), Addison, Elliot, Oliver, and Evan; Paul Parkanzky of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and sons Mark and Sterling; John Parkanzky of Lakewood, and children Oleksander and Zenovia. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, sisters Irene and Wanda and their husbands, and a son-in-law, Vincent Halloran. Theresa was a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Van Wert. She had been active in Welcome Wagon, Rosary Altar Society, the Garden Club, assisting with funeral luncheons, as well as many bridge, mahjohng and game groups. A Mass of Remembrance will be held at St. Mary of the Assumption Church 10:30 a.m. Saturday, February 5, with Father Rocco Danzi S.J. officiating. A luncheon to celebrate her life will be held at Willow Bend Country Club immediately following the funeral. All family and friends of hers and her children are welcome. Internment of ashes will be at Woodland Cemetery for family only. Preferred memorials: St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic School. Do small things with great love – Mother Teresa.

Grandfather's Day is January 22

Grandfather's Day, Dzień Dziadka in Polish. pronounced "jah-deck Both of my grandfathers were a big part of my life.

Grave digger “grabarz”

Digging graves is definitely an essential service but a low status job. After being a potter, my 4x great grandfather Blazej Wisniewski worked as a gravedigger. He also was a farmer. His father Mateusz also was a grave digger. Traditionally, this might have been one of the tasks of the church sexton but they may also have used temporary help. If done as part of the sexton’s duties, landscaping of the cemetery and interacting with the mourners may have also been part of the job. ***** The graves were dug before heavy equipment was available. To hand dig a grave, a wooden frame is usually placed over the intended area. A spade would be used to remove the top layer of sod following this outline. Shovels and picks might also be used. A nearby box would be used to hold the removed soil and be covered and left there until after the burial. While in our present day, machines may have replaced a lot of the labor involved, crowded cemeteries often require the continued use of hand digging. ***** The job of grave digger may never be gone but the need lessens over time. In 2005, only 46% of the people in Poland indicated that they would prefer burial over cremation upon their death. ***** Check out the Eastern Europe grave digger competition: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/10/slovakian-brothers-crowned-fastest-gravediggers-central-europe-trencin ***** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravedigger https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235917983_Burial_rituals_and_cultural_changes_in_the_polish_community_-_a_qualitative_study

Grandmother's Day Is January 21

Today is Dzień Babci in Poland -- Grandmother’s Day. Babcia is the Polish word for Grandma. In the US there are variants such as “busia.” Here is my Grandma Apolonia (Skrobot) Raczkiewicz in the late 1970’s, along with my mother and me.

Roy Longwell Born January 20, 1929

Roy Longwell (my father) was born on January 20, 1929 In Lake Odessa, Michigan. Lake Odessa is a small village 38 miles southeast of Grand Rapids. His parents were Leo Longwell and Naomi nee Olmstead. Roy was their 7th child and the only boy. Roy’s mother Naomi had a prior marriage and had a daughter Eloise. My father was very close in adulthood to Eloise, who was 13 years older than him. I don’t think we knew that Eloise had a different father, because people didn’t talk about those things. Before her marriage to Leo, Naomi was a teacher in a rural one room schoolhouse. She played the piano and was a very devout woman. Roy’s father Leo worked at the Flint Motor Company. Besides Polish DNA from my Mother’s side, I have inherited DNA from England, Germany and small amounts from Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, Norway and Ireland. Other people have worked on the family history on my Dad’s side so I have done very little of it. We had an older cousin who always worked on it so we did have the opportunity to know a little bit about the family background while growing up.

Sorting out Blazej Wisniewski Revised version

This is a story of trying to differentiate between two different men named Blazej. There can be multiple people with the same name so it can get very tricky determining which is which. Birth, marriage and death records are about the person and may or may not list their parents. Witnesses are listed so there are clues about who might be their relatives or neighbors.. Their age is usually listed so you can sort out which ones fit into the right time frame. It turns out that there were two men with the same name – Błażej Wiśniewski . Błażej Wiśniewski was the parent of Ewa Wiśniewska (my 3rd great grandmother.) One Błażej Wiśniewski was born about 1761 and died in 1844. He worked as a foreman of a faience factory and later a grave digger and a farmer. He had two or three wives and a fiance and at least four children with one of the wives. The other Błażej Wiśniewski was born about 1755 and died in 1823 while he was in some sort of facility as a patient or resident. He had one child with an unmarried employee of some sort who worked in the hospital or alms house that he lived in. So which one is my 4x great grandfather? It turns out the first Błażej Wiśniewski was my 4x great grandfather. I am telling you this story today because on January 20 in 1844 at 2:00 p.m., Błażej Wiśniewski died. When he died, he was listed as a grave digger who lived in Tomaszów Lubelski. He was the son of Mataeusz & Maryanna Wisniowski, deceased gravediggers even though when he died the witnesses didn’t know who his parents were. One witness was Józef Kurkiewicz, farmer, age 29, Józef was Blazej’s son-in-law, married to Ewa (my 3rd great grandmother.). The other witness was Franciszek Szcześnicki, bricklayer, age 29, As a Szcześnicki, Franciszek may have been related to Blazej’s prior wife, Jagnieszka Szcześnicka. Blazej left behind his widowed wife Anna nee Adamczak. There are some discrepancies in how long Błażej lived: he lived to the age of 92 according to one record but maybe to age 83 according to some other records. So maybe Błażej was born in 1761 or maybe in 1752???? Now even though there are sometimes mistakes in ages in the records, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that he was 55 years old in 1823 and then 63 in 1824. It was also hard to figure out the occupation of Błażej. It was confusing to see what occupation was listed in the various records: grave digger, farmer and faience factory foreman. Did that mean some of the records were of the “other” Blazej? Blazej worked in the faience factory & so did his wife’s Agnes’ brother Bartlomiej. When his son Jozef was born in 1810, he was a 40 year old faience factory foreman. In 1817 when his daughter Anna was born, he was referred to as the “famous” Blazej Wisniewski. I eventually figured once I studied the pottery industry in the area that he worked there until the factory closed. Błażej may still have needed to work after the factory closed, so ended up a grave digger, like his parents. By 1823 when his wife died, he was listed as a gravedigger. He was a gravedigger when engaged to Cyronik in 1823 and when he married Adamczyk in 1824, he was still a gravedigger.He may also have farmed at the same time. There was a lot more to Błażej’s story though: First of all, I will give you the background about the family Błażej had with my 4th great grandmother. It is possible that he had a wife before Jagnieszka because of how old he was during this marriage. Their two sons and two daughters were born between 1809 and 1817 beginning when Błażej was about 44 years old. His wife Jagnieszka passed away on May 20, 1823, in Tomaszów, Lubelskie, Poland, at the age of 49. The children were between six and fourteen years of age. After Jagnieszka’s death, it looks like Błażej was in a bit of a hurry to find a mother for his children. Just a little over three months later, on Sept 7 1823, Blazej Wisniowski, as a 55 year old widower, became engaged to the MUCH younger Marianna Cyronskowna, age 25. “Owna” on her name meant she was unmarried. She was a laborer, and the daughter of the deceased Ignacy Cyronik, farmer & living Helena nee Kowalik. Maybe because her father was deceased, the engagement happened so her mother had one less mouth to feed in the house. In any case, the announcement of the marriage banns in this case must have caused something to turn up to stop the wedding because the marriage never happened. What did happen is that eight months later, Blazej married Anna Adamczk instead of Marianna, on May 9, 1824, when he was 63 years old. Błażej ended up married to Anna for the next 20 years until his death. Unfortunately, 16 years later, Maryanna (his former fiance) died in 1840 and she had never been married. So who was the other Błażej Wiśniewski? The 68 year old Blazej died on February 20 1823. He would have been born in about 1755. He died in some sort of hospital or alms house #71 and Szymon Wojpieki, 32, an organist and Piotr Fedorowicz, 50 a church sexton were the witnesses. His wife Anna nee Paszkowska was a church sexton. When he was 50 in 1814, he was a , "dziad szpitalny'' a hospital grandfather,and he had a child Francziszka Wiśniewska with Anna Paszkoska, age 35. This story shows how hard it can be to figure out our relatives. Amazingly, with many of them, the pieces all match up right and their family falls into place! There was a lot to this puzzle!

Michal Raczkiewicz & Anna Dominik Marry January 17, 1824

Michał Raczkiewicz and Anna Dominik (my 3x great grandparents on the Raczkiewicz side) married today, January 17 in 1824 at 12:00 p.m. The banns were announced previously on January 4th and January 11. The witnesses were Marcin Kukiełka, 40, Józef Pyc, 35, Sobek Jaruzal, 35, and Piotr Sobek, 40, all peasants residing in the village of Maydan Górny. ***** Michal was a 19 year old bachelor living with his parents, Jan Raczkiewicz and Apolonia nee Gołębiowska (my 4x great grandparents). He was the oldest of their nine children. The family lived in the village of Majdan Górny and worked as peasants. Anna was 18 years old and also never before married. She lived with her parents Tomasz Dominik and Regina Wójcik, who were peasants in the same village. ***** Michal and Anna had eleven children. Their firstborn child Jan was my 2x great grandfather. The family lived in Sabaudia. Four of the five last children died young in the time period of 1841-1851. ***** Their story slowly unfolded over time for me as records were found and translated. On May 14, 2020, a volunteer from the Facebook Page “Genealogical Translations” translated Act 4, their marriage record. By January 1, 2021, I knew of 7 of their children. I know about all 11 of their children now. It is kind of amazing to have learned so much about them in less than a year and a half of time. ***** The marriage record is #4: https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/skan/-/skan/404617e8e825b9178e6e0aab8e780d7946a5d4403fa5b14287d89597889133fe

Wincenty Rachański & Ewa nee Wiśniewska marry Jan. 17, 1930 & Wincenty & Their Son Die Soon After During the November Uprising

This story of the marriage of my 3rd great grandmother and her first husband is interesting because I am pretty sure, based on the limited information that I have, that their lives were directly affected by the November Uprising in Poland. Wincenty Rachański and Ewa nee Wiśniewska (my 3rd great grandmother) married on January 17, 1830 at 1pm. The groom was a 22 year old bachelor, shoemaker journeyman. He was born in Tomaszów Lubelski to shoemakers Kazimierz and Tekla (Zielińska) Rachański. They were already deceased. ***** The bride was a 22 year old maiden. She was the daughter of Błażej Wiśniowski, and the late Agnieszka nee Szcześnicka. Her father was a foreman of the faience (ceramics) factory when she was born and was working as a grave digger when she married. Ewa was born in Tomaszów Lubelski and was living there with her father. Her father gave his permission for the wedding. The witnesses were Grzegorz Jaworowski, 67 and Jacenty Janiszewski, 33, both shoemakers from Tomaszów. ***** Wincenty and Ewa’s son Filip (Feliks) was born soon after, in October of the same year. Feliks was born in Krynice and the birth was registered in the parish of Łabunie, Krynice is 16 kilometers (a little under 10 miles) north of Tomaszów Lubelski. ***** When their son Feliks died nine months later in August of 1831, his death record indicates that his father (Wincenty) was already deceased. While there was an Asiatic cholera epidemic along with influenza, it is possible that Wincenty died during the November Uprising battle that occurred near where they lived. The uprising occurred from November 29, 1930 to October 21, 1831: “In July 1831, during the November Uprising, a siege and a blockade of Zamość began by 12,000 people. Tsarist soldiers led by General Kajsarow. Polish troops commanded by Major Dominik Bulewski and Major Wincenty Szymański, defending the Zamość fortress, fought a victorious skirmish with the Russian army near Krynice. ***** ”https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=http://roztoczewita.pl/krynice/&prev=search&pto=aue ***** Timeline: Jan 17 1830 Wincenty and Ewa marry in Tomaszów Lubelski Oct 24, 1830 Feliks is born in Krynice November 29, 1830 November Uprising begins July 1831 Polish troops and Russian Army fight near Krynice (as part of November Uprising August 11 1831 Feliks dies in Tomaszów Lubelski and his father has already died October 31, 1831 November Uprising ends ***** Is it possible to get military records of relatives this far back?

Shirley Raczkiewicz was born January 15, 1936

When Shirley Ann Raczkiewicz(my mother) was born on January 15, 1936, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, her father, Anthony, was 40, and her mother, Apolonia, was 31. Her family lived at 501 Milwaukee NW. Anthony worked as a machinist. Shirley was baptized at St. Adalberts on February 9 by Father Maksymowski The Godparents were Walter Świegocki and Victoria “Vicki” Palczewski. “Vicki” was her aunt, her mother’s sister, who had also moved to Grand Rapids. Shirley grew up with three siblings. Lorraine and Anthony were much older than her – 14 and 10 years older. Her brother Ronald was born in 1940 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, when Shirley was four years old. Shirley’s siblings are now deceased.

Paulina Dubiel Died January 15, 1968

Orthodox New Year

Old New Year is celebrated today, January 14, according to the Julian calendar. “Our” New Year was on January 1 because we use the Gregorian calendar. On New Year's day children visited every house with wishes for a "Happy and Prosperous New Year." https://www.timebulletin.com/orthodox-new-year-2020-celebrates-on-january-14-as-old-new-year/

Maria (Bielak) Dubowik Born January 11, 1925

Maria Bielak (my 1rst cousin 1x removed) was born January 11, 1925 She was the fourth child of four children born to Jan Bielak and Stanislawa nee Raczkiewicz (my grand aunt.) The family farmed in Sabaudia, Poland. Maria married Władysław Dubowik. They lived in Minsk Mazowiecki, Poland They had 3 children: -Wiesław Waldemar and Janus

Schools Ukraine

It is likely that when they were younger, Andrzej Kaszucki (my 3rd great grandfather) and his two brothers attended school in Uhniv (now in Ukraine) before they moved to Tomaszow Lubelskie as young adults. ***** School in Uhniv is documented back as far as 1470. Sigismond from Radzanov, the proprietor of the city, started a Roman Catholic school. It had three grades for boys only. It appears that children entered school at age 6 or 7. Religion was taught by the priests of the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic rites. The Kaszucki family was Greek Catholic and Fedora and Theodore Kaszucki may have attended somewhere between 1797 and 1803. ***** At about the point that Andrzej Kaszucki (my 3rd great grandfather) would have been entering school, it had been Polish in nature until 1804 when the Ukrainians of Uhniv wanted it to become Ukrainian. At that point, the administration was shared by the city and Roman Catholic administration. The transition wasn’t completed until the 1850s when it became a Greek Catholic school since Greek Catholics at that point were the majority in the city. The Roman Catholic pastor was able to establish a girl’s school at this point. ***** http://www.remer.org/genealogy/memorial_book/historical_summary_hivniv.html

Daily Life in Unhiv

What was daily life like in Uhniv when the Kaszucki family lived there? ***** Houses in town were similar to the peasant houses nearby. At first they were covered with straw and later with tin. The walls were painted with white lime and the wooden floors were washed weekly. Usually there was a sizable living room, a hallway, a small room and a pantry. In the living room would be a large table with a bench and some chairs. The room would have a large bed with a canopy and a sideboard for dishes. A shelf along the ceiling would hold any books or other items. A large stove would be between this room and the hall. In the pantry the grain, vegetables and clothing were stored and below it would be a cellar. ***** Women generally took care of the laundry, cooking and baking and also took care of the cattle and chickens. Men worked in the fields and did heavier chores. Richer families would hire seasonal workers to work the fields. Beginning around the 1850s children went to high schools and universities (around this time, Jozef Kaszucki –my 3x grandfather was already in Tomaszow Lubelski getting married) ***** Houses were kept clean and there was knowledge of personal hygiene but epidemics were still frequent, especially tuberculosis. There also were a lot of mosquitos due to the marshlands. Malnutrition and the lack of medical care contributed to many deaths, especially among children of high school age. ***** People in Uhniv were religious and attended church regularly. They worked hard and generally owned their own land and raised animals and food. They also worked in trades like shoe making, tannery, carpentry. The Kaszucki family is listed as furriers There were also poor families and wealthy ones. The wealthy were the Zhukovskys, the Kaminskys, the Gumovskys, the Trusevyches and others. ***** https://www.historiaregionu.org

Orthodox or Greek Catholic Christmas

The Kaszucki family from Uhniv (now in the Ukraine likely would have celebrated Christmas today, on January 7. The Eastern church follows the Julian calendar so Christmas and Easter fall on different dates then they do for the rest of us. The Kaszucki family may have followed some of these holiday traditions: Christmas would be proceeded by pylypivka, a type of Lent. During that time there was no meat eaten and no dances or other parties. The Holy Supper (sviata vechera) was a meal with 12 dishes made without milk or meat. Christmas lasted three days. After Mass, visiting family and going around and caroling often happened. ***** Image: By Erika Smith - MSI Chicago - Christmas Around the World 2007 - Ukraine - spider web ornament, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37156527

Happy Birthday to Sebastian Raczkiewicz on January 4

Happy birthday to Slawomir Dubowik on January 3

Jan Raczkiewicz died January 1, 1853

Jan Raczkiewicz (my 4x great-grandfather) died January 1, 1853, at 9:00 in the evening. He was born approximately in 1778 so was around 75 years old when he died. Jan was a peasant farmer from Majdan Górny and was born in Łaszczówka He was a widower because his wife Apolonia nee Golebiowska died nine years earlier in 1844. They lived in Majdan Górny, where Apolonia was born. Jan and Apolonia had nine children. Two of them, Wojciech, 42, and Marcin, 33, confirmed their father’s death with the authorities. Jan was the son of Paweł and Franciszka Raczkiewicz, peasant farmers from Łaszczówka.