Stanislaw Bielak was Born

Stanislaw Bielak was born April 20, 1920. He was the first born child of Stanislawa nee Rczkiewicz (my great aunt) and Jan Bielak. He had three siblings: Wladyslaw, Maria, and Wanda. Wanda is still alive. Stanislaw lived in Ciotusza Nowa, Poland and worked in a sawmill on furniture and was also a farmer. His grandson Marcin Bielak said also that “he liked to walk horses and raised pigeons.” His Grandfather kept various kinds: Zamojski high-flying, Zamojski Gray, white lota, Szarik red, black, Skaplirzak, side red black yellow, various types of crested. Marcin remembers holding a pigeon but they would often fly away when he came out. http://www.ptakiozdobne.pl/439_.html His wife Kazimiera (Chucik) Bielak was from Rogozno. They had five children: Danuta, Stanislaw, Edward, Bogumila and Janusz. Stanislaw died on August 3, 2002 at the age of 82.

Tomasz Dominik Died 15 April 1831

Tomasz Dominik (my 4x great grandfather) died 15 April 1831 at 8:00 in the morning. He was 78 years old. He was born in Majdan Gorno and lived there his whole life. He left behind his widowed wife Regina nee Wojcik. His younger brother Jozef, 70 and Jan Raszkiewicz, 53 were also peasant farmers in Majdan Gorno. They reported his death but didn’t know who his parents were. (And I haven’t figured it out yet.) The cause of death is not given but there was a cholera outbreak in Russia from 1829 to 1831 that was brought to Poland from soldiers by 1831. Influenza from 1830 to 1831 was also in Europe at the time. ***** Image: By Manfred von Karma - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58532986

Marianna (Kiszczyńska) Kurkiewicz died 15 April 1846

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

Mary (Raczkiewicz) Kufta Died April 15, 1989

Ship Antoni & Jozef Traveled on has a Connection to the Titanic

The ship that Antoni and Jozef Raczkiewicz (my grandpa and great uncle) traveled on had a connection to the Titanic. ***** The brothers arrived in the United States in Detroit, Michigan, on October 4, 1912, by train, as passengers, entering as permanent residents. From that information, I was able to find the US Border Crossings from Canada to the U.S., 1895-1960 in Ancestry which told me that Antoni and Josef sailed on the SS Mount Temple, from Antwerp to Quebec, Canada, leaving on September 18, 1912, and arriving October 2, 1912, with a final destination of Grand Rapids, Michigan to their brother Jan. In Family Search, I found the ship manifest (Vermont, St. Albans Canada Border Crossings, 1895-1954, Roll 320, R214, Bernard-R240.) ***** The Mount Temple was originally put into service in 1901 carrying cargo. By 1903, a wireless telegraph was added and the ship was retrofitted to carry passengers in one direction and cargo on the return trip. When Great Britain entered World War I on August 2, 1914, the ship was used to transport food and troops until it was captured and sunk on December 6, 1916. The ship’s history included hitting another ship, being grounded several times, and being stuck in rocks on a shore. The most interesting fact about the ship’s history though is its connection to the Titanic. ***** Earlier the same year Jozef and Antoni traveled on the SS Mount Temple (1912), the boat was on its usual journey from Antwerp, Belgium to St. John, Canada with 1,461 immigrants on board. The wireless operator on the ship picked up a distress signal from the RMS Titanic, on the night of April 14 until the morning of April 15. Even though Captain Moore, in charge of the SS Mount Temple, had been directed to avoid icebergs, they went to the last known position of the Titanic and waited in an area of heavy ice. Without seeing the Titanic or any survivors, they gave up and headed for Canada. There was controversy about the ship’s role in the potential rescue and some accused them of being nearby and not helping with the rescue. Rumors continue to this day. ***** This connection is a reminder of the danger that my relatives potentially faced in their travels. ***** Image: By F.G.O. Stuart (1843-1923) - http://www.uwants.com/viewthread.php?tid=3817223&extra=page%3D1, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2990792

Apollonia Raczkiewicz was President of one of the religious societies of St. Adalbert’s

“Apollonia Raczkiewicz” (my Grandma Pauline) was President of one of the religious societies of St. Adalbert’s. When the parish was formed in 1881, there were three groups and by 1931, it had grown to 24. Eight were nationally affiliated. All had a different mission in strengthening and spreading their faith. The one she was president of was the national organization for women called the “Polish Nationals under the Guidance of Our Lady of Czestochowa.” It was founded April 12, 1931 and they had 47 members In 1931, St. Adalbert Church was 50 years old. http://www.mipolonia.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/St.-Adalbert_1881-1981_Grand-Rapids_MI.pdf Page 78 (Scan 48) Image credit: By Andrzej Otrębski - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47118424

Klementyna (Golebiowska) Raczkiewicz Died April 4, 1918

“Here rests in peace, Klementyna Raczkiewicz, born 23 November 1897, died 4 April 1918, She asks for Hail Marys.” ***** Complication of childbirth was the cause of death for my Grandpa’s first wife Klementyna nee Golebiowska. She died April 4, 1918 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 12 days after her 21st birthday. Their daughter Bronislawa was born three days earlier in Bay City, Michigan. ***** Puerperal sepsis (infection from childbirth currently causes death for around three mothers for every 100,000 births. In 1918, when Klementyna died, it accounted 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 Golebiowski) and Katherine Bucznick (actually Roczniak.) The discrepancies are from either handwriting or language challenges. (In the 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. ***** Klementyna (Golabiowska) Raczkiewicz (my Grandpa’s 1rst wife) was buried April 6, 1918 in the Polish Catholic Cemetery, which later became Holy Cross Cemetery. ***** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postpartum_infections