The Story of Maciej Wiciejewski & Marianna nee Metalska

Maciej Wiciejewski (my 4x great grandfather) worked as a potter, likely in the factory in Tomaszów, as did his father Jakub, and Blazej Wisniewski (another 4x great grandfather.) Begun in 1794 with the production of faience, by 1806, the factory on Lwówska Street began to produce porcelain and their profits increased yearly until 1809. Utensils, vases and items for pharmacy use were among the products manufactured. They were famous for their artists creating cups with pictures of famous historical and contemporary figures. The products were sold widely in Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, and Moldavia. Around this time, Maciej was a 40-year old factory foreman and by 1819, he was referred to as “famous” and “renowned.” Profits from sales began to decline and political changes also occurred that doomed the factory. Borders changes resulted in challenges. The creation of The Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 meant that the factory in Tomaszów and the raw goods in Lviv were now in two different regions. Increased costs such as a new border tax and decreased sales because of the unavailability of markets resulted in the demise by 1827 of the operation. ***** Maciej was born in the 1760s to Jakub Wiciejewski and Marianna Plebanski. They lived in house #201 but no street name is given and the numbering of houses has changed since Marianna, his mother, died there in 1812. ***** Maciej married Marianna nee Metalska and they had nine children who were born between 1814 and 1824. During the time period of their births, there were only civil registrations of births rather than registrations of baptisms, so I do not know who their Godparents were. ***** Their oldest child Salomea (my 3x great grandmother), born in approximately 1804, married Andrzej Kaszucki, a furrier from Tomaszów. Their firstborn child was born the following year, 1824, in house #27 – her father’s house. Her parents had their last child (Walenty) two and a half months earlier so there would have been two newborns in the house along with six of Maciej and Marianna’s other children. ***** Daughter Małgorzata (b. abt. 1807) married Marcin Ceronski, an apprentice spoon maker from Tomaszów. She was a widow and a day laborer when she died at age 50. ***** Marianna (b. abt. 1813) died young at one year of age in house number 206. The witness was Rafał Lusawicki, Maciej’s brother-in-law. Agnieszka was born in 1813 and there is no further information after her birth. Her father was 36 and mother was 30. They lived in house #160. Rafał Lusawicki,40, Maciej’s brother-in-law, and Aleksander Kiszczyński, 37, peasant farmers residing in Tomaszów were listed as witnesses. ****** Jozef (b. 1815) died young at 15 weeks old. The death was reported to the parish priest of Tomaszów, the Civil Registry Officer of Tomaszów Commune, Tomaszów Municipal District, Lublin Department. Witnesses for his birth were Jan Ziełkoski, 33 and Michał Kudlicki, 36, a master shoemaker, both residing in Tomaszów. Rafał Lusawicki, Maciej’s brother-in-law and neighbor, went with Maciej to report the death. ***** Antonina was born in 1816 at Maciej’s house #206. The witnesses were Józef Kudlik, age 50, shoemaker, and Jędrzej Wojnowski, age 34. Antonina married Mateusz Bulewicz in 1833 at age 17. Mateusz was an apprentice shoemaker and his deceased father had been a shoemaker. The witnesses were Antoni Radawski ,53 and Szymon Hładysza , 52, both shoemakers in Tomaszów. Mateusz and Antoni Radawski were able to sign their names while everyone else was illiterate. When Antonina died at age 41 in 1853, she was working as a shoemaker/cobbler with her husband. There was a local children’s epidemic at the time. ****** Wojciech and Konstancja were the 7th and 8th of the nine children – twins! – born in 1819. The family still lived in house #206. Their father was listed as the "renowned" Maciej Wiciejewski, and still worked as a potter. The witnesses were Kazimierz Cyronski, a 50-year-old spoonmaker, and Rafał Lusawicki, a carpenter and Maciej’s brother-in-law. Both of the twins married people from outside of Tomaszów. Wojciech married Victoria Melin from Dąbrowa. He was an apprentice blacksmith at the time. He later married Anna Makar from Majdany Jozefow whose parents were deceased, and she was working as a maid in Tomaszów Lubelski. Wojiech died at age 50 before his wife. Konstancja married Jan Nitka, a 46 year old widower of the Greek Catholic rite from Rusianow, Galicia, Austria. Konstancja died as a widow at age 77 in the village of Rybnica in 1897. She likely moved there when she was married. Rybnica was named for the large fish pond there, which had a mill and a water sawmill. The area was surrounded by pine forests. ***** Maciej and Marianna’s youngest son Walenty Jozef was born 1824 in house #207. The witnesses were Maciej Wyszyński, 50, cooper, and Michał Kudlicki, 45, shoemaker, both residing in Tomaszów. He married Helena Józefko, from Komadów but she was residing in Tomaszów, working as a home helper. Walenty worked as a spoon maker, innkeeper in Para, and as a peasant farmer in Para. His second wife Ewa Tarczulowna, was the daughter of shoemakers from Tomaszów. ****** Walenty had five children with his first wife. His oldest sister Salomea was the Godmother for their fourth child Marianna, born in 1851. The importance of Godparents can’t be under-estimated. Godparents promise to help raise a baby in the faith. When Marianna was 21 years old, she was unmarried and working as a servant when she had her son Wladyslaw in 1874. The declarant was Agnieszka Uminska, 52 (likely the midwife), rather than a husband.. The witnesses were Maciej Janusz and Jan Gucz, (both 50 and church sextons.) The Godparents were Franciszek Kielarski and Maryanna Kulczyn. She was still unmarried nine years later in 1883 when she had Piotr. The witnesses were Jan Kudlicka, 24 and Bronisław Berezecki, 30. The Godfather was Jan Kudlicka and the record is illegible so the Godmother's name is unknown. In 1884, Marianna was temporarily living 22 miles north in Zamosc. The reason that she was living there is not given--was she there to work? Was she in a hospital? She died there at age 32. A cause of death is not given--according to the history list I have, at this time there was a struggle for democracy and the effects of overpopulation as well as the breaking up of the estates. The witnesses were both workers from the local church. It is unknown where Marianna’s children were. If alive, Wladyslaw would have been 10 years old and Piotr would have been one year old. ****** Maciej Wiciejewski died in Tomaszów on December 23, 1839 at 4 o'clock in the evening. He was 76 years old and left behind a widowed wife Maryanna née Metelski. On the next day (Christmas Eve), two declarants, Grzegorz Nazareswicz, 51 and Łukasz Nazareswicz, 41 both blacksmiths in Tomaszów Lubelski, verified his death for the officials. I do not know who they were except that one of his sons also worked as a blacksmith. ****** — DNA connections: His sister Justyna is an ancestor of a lot of DNA matches of people with a connection to Grand Rapids. Patrice (Szymanski) Shay is one of them and she and I have connected and exchanged some information. Others are: Abbey Murphy, Maryann VanDyke, Robert Szymanski, Sonia O’Leary, Allison Clem, Kathleen Thurman and Susan Brochu-Hoshield. ***** Rybnica: Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, April 7). Rybnica (Województwo Lubelskie). Wikipedia. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rybnica_(wojew%C3%B3dztwo_lubelskie) History of area: “Dzieje Miejscowosci Gminy Tomaszów Lubelski.” Dzieje Gmin Zamojszczyzny, 2011. Retreived July 11, 2023 from https://dzieje_gminy_tomaszow_lubelski_-_calosc_z_okladka.pdf (tomaszowlubelski.pl Death of Maciej: Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach. Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-a). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/95f182f5ec14e8c22e786029914588573e458471599175642e850f71edba2380 Faience:

Life of Ronald Raczkiewicz

Ronald Raczkiewicz (my uncle) was the owner of Shawmut Inn for over 25 years with his partner Ed Stone. This was a popular bar/restaurant on Lake Michigan Drive in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Before that, he was the owner, with a partner, at Midwest Bumper for seven years. ***** Ron was born on November 10, 1939. He was the youngest of Anthony and Pauline’s four children. Ron was born when his father was 46-years-old 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. His nickname was “Rosko,” probably related to his last name. Ron married Pamela S. Ferwerda in June of 1960. They first lived in the little house next to Ron’s parents until they bought their first house just outside the city of Grand Rapids. They later moved to Coopersville, Michigan. His picture in a US Navy uniform was in the possession of Anthony’s brother Franciszek’s family. They are living in Krakow, Poland in 2023. Franciszek (Ron’s uncle) died in 1943 during World War II, when the Germans took his farm. Ron would have been four-years-old at the time. Somehow, Ron’s parents stayed in touch with Franciszek’s widow and sent the picture. ***** Ron was a member of St. Michael's Church of Coopersville and St. Adalbert Aid Society. ***** Ron and Pam had three children: Rhonda who was born in 1961, Paula who was born in 1964 and Robert who was born in 1966. ***** Their son Robert “Bobbie,” aged 22, of Coopersville, died Saturday, March 3, 1990, of accidental injuries related to a car accident, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He attended Grand Rapids Junior College and worked at Ranger Tool and Die. ***** Ronald died on 15 April 2004 in Coopersville, Ottawa County, Michigan. He was 64 years old. ***** On February 16, 2013, their daughter Paula (Raczkiewicz) Kelly, age 49, of Grand Rapids, died. She was survived by her husband Willian and her children Steven and Shannon Schulte and two grandchildren. ***** Amazingly, I found out while doing family history that (my newfound 5th cousin) Richard Streng met my Uncle Ronny many years ago. Richard was doing genealogy and first met with my Uncle Tony at the Copper Top Restaurant – near where the Raczkiewicz family originally lived. Apparently, Tony didn’t have any family history to share and referred him to Ronny. Richard went to Coopersville and Ronny “was no help either.” Richard and his first wife went to Poland around 10+ years ago and met the family of Jącek Raczkiewicz (my newfound 2nd cousin.) Jącek later visited them here in Grand Rapids and remembers the public museum and Grand Haven. It is fun to be making all these new connections. Ron’s wife Pam lives in Coopersville, Michigan and his daughter Rhonda lives in North Carolina. ***** References: ***** Shawmut Inn: smartinez@mlive.com, S. M. |. (2017, August 12). Shawmut Inn closes after 39 years. mlive. https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2017/08/shawmut_inn_closes_after_39_ye.html ***** Bobby’s death: Coopersville resident dies in car crash on u.s. 131. (1990, March 5). Grand Rapids Press. ***** Ron’s death: Legacy.com, & Legacy. (2004, April 16). Ronald Raczkiewicz Obituary (2004) - Grand Rapids, Mi - Grand Rapids Press. Legacy.com. https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/grandrapids/name/ronald-raczkiewicz-obituary?id=14729774 ***** Paula’s Death: Tributes.com. (n.d.). http://www.tributes.com/show/Paula-Sue-Kelly-95256915 *****

The Story of Jan Raczkiewicz & Katarzyna Kaszucka

When Jan Raczkiewicz (my great grandfather) was born, no one had any idea that his father would die when he was a young child and his mother when he was a teenager. Before he married, he had lost both parents and they were replaced by two step parents. He experienced those challenges, but later benefitted from his grandfather’s generosity. Jan was born on November 7, 1864 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 village community that is five miles north of the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. Jan’s parents had been born and raised as peasants in Majdan Górny and their family was there for at least four generations back to the 1750s. Majdan Gorney is a small village about four miles east of Tomaszów Lubelski. They had moved and were peasants in Sabaudia at this time. When Jan was baptized the day after his birth, his Godparents were Jakób Herda, 32, Antoni’s brother-in-law, and Magdalena Bendrowa. Jan Skorcz, 30, was also a witness. Both men were also peasants in the area, like Antoni. Jan’s birth record is #280 and during this time period, many of the family records have their last name written as Raszkiewicz (with an “s”) and many were written as Raczkiewicz (with a “c.”) His birth record was written with an “s” – Raszkiewicz. ***** Jan’s father Antoni died when Jan was only four years old and his sister died a month after their father. It is unknown who helped Jan and his mother for the next two and a half years until she remarried. I also am not clear if Jan and his mother remained on the land where he had been born. In 1871, Thomas Kędra, an unmarried man with no children of his own, became Jan’s stepfather. I am not sure if they farmed the land that Antoni and Marianna originally obtained in Sabaudia. ***** His mother and stepfather had a son Józef later that year and two years later they had a daughter Katarzyna. In 1881, when Jan was 17, his mother died. His half brother Józef Kędra was 10 years old and his half sister Katarzyna Kędra was 18 years old. His step father, 34, remarried a few months later to Anna Raczkiewicz, age 19. She was from the village Górno, daughter of Jan Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna, nee Pisarczyk. Again, I am not sure if the step father and the new step mother were on the original land. ***** Jan then inherited land from his grandfather which later made it possible for him to marry. I assume this was the land where he was born but am not sure if his step parents and their children were living there also. I do know that his stepfather Tomasz and stepmother Anna had additional children in Sabaudia: Jakub (1883), Rozalia (1885) , Jozefa (1888), and Jan (1890). The information about Jan’s grandfather’s will was provided by Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz, his 2x great grandson. ***** On November 4, 1882, Michał Raczkiewicz (my 3x great grandfather and Jan’s grandfather) died. Jan was a few days away from being 18 years old. Michał’s children (who were Jan’s aunts and uncles) likely already had land available to them. Michał had three children who died in childhood, a son Marcin had died at age 25 and his widow had remarried, and Jan’s father Antoni who had died at age 26. That left the oldest son Jan and his son Jakób to potentially inherit his farm. However, Jan, age 57, was already farming land in Majdan Górny, possibly from his wife’s family. Jakób had moved to Jezernia, where the family of his wife Katarzyna Kedrak lived. Two daughters of Michał were farming with their husbands: Marianna with Jakub Herda in Majan Górny and Katarzyna with Jan Reklhicz in Sabauda. That left grandson Jan to be named in the will. Three years after inheriting the land, Jan married. ***** Jan and Katarzyna Kaszucka were wed in Tomaszów Lubelski on November 15, 1885, in the Roman Catholic Church. Jan was Roman Catholic, as were Katarzyna and her mother. Her father was Greek Catholic. At the time, there was a Roman Catholic church, a Russian Orthodox church and a synagogue, near each other, on the unpaved streets and wooden sidewalks. There were 2,05 Catholics, 986 Russian Orthodox and 4,238 Jewish people. The town had a bakery, sweet shop and restaurant, stores and a small amount of manufacturing. Also nearby were barracks for 400 border guards and stables for the cossack's 300 horses. (Moscop, pp 24-25) ***** When she married, Katarzyna was 16 years old according to the record, but actually 14 and 1/2 years old, according to her actual birth record. Jan was 21 years old, a week over the legal age to marry without parental permission. Jan had two half siblings and Katarzyna had no living siblings. Parents of the bride were Józef Kaszucki and Paulina nee Kurkiewicz. Her father was a burgher (a citizen of a town or city, typically a member of the wealthy bourgeoisie) in the town of Tomaszów and worked as a furrier. Many of the other trades people and merchants were Jewish. Witnesses for the wedding were Katarzyna’s father Józef Kaszucki, 50, and Jan Skurcz, 50, a farmer in the village of Sabaudia. This was possibly the same Jan that was present for Jan’s baptism 21 years earlier. ***** Katarzyna was born on April 21, 1871, in the town of Tomaszów Lubelskie to Józef Kaszucki and his second wife Paulina nee Kurkiewicz. Józef was 41 when she was born. His first two children with his first wife died in infancy or early childhood. Paulina was 34 years old when Katarzyna was born and she was their fifth child. The previous four children had died in infancy or early childhood. The death notices do not include cause of death but in their area of the world from 1850 to 1900 there were struggles for democracy and the effects of overpopulation. There were cholera and smallpox outbreaks during the years two of them died. One of Katarzyna’s godparents was Szymon Kubka.. The other one was Julianna Niedźwiecka. (the 2x great grandmother of new found 4th cousin Curt Wolf– who originally put me in touch with Tomasz Raczkiewicz, the first connection I made in Poland.) ***** Katrzyna’s mother died when she was 24 and when Kataryna’s father Stefan Józef died (date unknown), he did not make a will since Katarzyna was his only remaining relative. He outlived two wives and seven children. Only Katarzyna made it to adulthood and both wives were deceased before Stefan Józef died. ***** Jan and Katarzyna lived in Sabaudia, on the land inherited from his grandfather, and by the time their children were born, there were 17 homes and 137 inhabitants there. The births of their nine children were: Jan (1888), Józef (1891), Antoni (1893), Stanisława (1895), Piotr (1897), Mary (1899), Paulina (1901), Franciszek (1904), and Bolesław (1906). During the Russian partition, a primary school was established in 1902, so the younger children were likely able to attend school. ***** Some stories have emerged about Jan related to his children. Eugeneniusz Raczkiewicz (son of Jan’s youngest child Bolesław) remembers, “My father told me - he (Jan) built the first Christmas tree in Savoie (Sabaudia) and taught his sons rhymes - wishes for Christmas and the New Year. I also made these wishes while walking on the so-called ‘stilts’.” Thanks to hearing about this memory, I asked Andzej Duebiel about it and he explained that, “during Christmas, boys went from house to house and wished everyone all the best. They carried oat's grains and scattered it. They were called ‘szczudrak’.” ***** Jan also encouraged his three oldest sons to go to the United States. He had contacts with various groups in the community in order to help figure this out and in 1910, Jan left and in 1912, Józef and Antoni left. ***** Besides being a farmer, Jan provided transportation to Lviv, using carriages in the summer and sleighs in the winter. According to Eugeniusz, “My Grandfather Jan transported ‘gentlemen’ - that's what my father used to say. He took them, among others, to Lviv at different times of the year. At the same time, he had a decision (oath) that he would not drink alcohol. Father said he swore to himself. I cannot answer in what form this promise was and to whom.” ***** A courier from Lviv (Ukraine) described what Tomaszów Lubelsk was like in October 1913, when he traveled there. (Tomaszów Lubelski | historiaregionu) The courier traveled by car instead of a cart or carriage, used by Jan. From the month of May until the end of September, an automobile went twice a day on a route through Tomaszów and to Lublin. There were white stones along both sides of the road for driving at night. ”There was a ”toll house outside of town, where Russian officials inspected the papers and luggage of everyone riding through.” (Moscop, p. 94) The Cossacks served as border guards and spoke both Russian and Polish. The Cossack’s attire was described as “disgustingly colored” and they “make an unpleasant impression” with “wild expressions on their faces.” Seeing them reminded the author of bloody descriptions of post-partition martyrdom. The author reflected sadly that it wasn’t long before there were no more border guards. ***** The author described his impression of Tomaszów mostly negatively from his perspective as an outsider. He saw what he described as the “hideous, green painted towers” of the Orthodox church as he approached the city of Tomaszów Lubelski. The city was full of shops, stalls and mud. A horse pulling a cart struggled in the black mud, something that Jan would have struggled with. “Anyone who has not seen the mud of Tomaszów, no pen or tongue can draw the right picture. Formal rivers of thin, black mud flow through the market square . . . and side streets, and the horses pulling the cart give the impression of riding through melted tar.” (https://www.historiaregionu.org/historie-z-regionu?lang=pl) ***** There was an obelisk in the square in memory of the reign of Nicholas II. Tobacco products were sold freely which amazed the author since as a Galician, he said he was used to a government monopoly on cigarettes. The people in the streets spoke Polish and were dressed from an earlier time. The Catholic church, there for 500 years and made of larch (a type of conifer) was blackened with age and neglect. He ended with “Some young people go to America for bread.” It is true that Jan had gone earlier and only a year later than these remarks, Antoni and his brother Jozef arrived in the U.S. Jan died on March 9, 1915 at the age of 50. When Jan died, the six remaining children in Poland were between nine and 20 years old. The youngest child, Bolesław, would have been nine years old. Their second youngest child Paulina would have been 14 years old. The oldest child of Jan and Katarzyna was also named Jan. He had left for the United States five years earlier and the next two children Anthony (my grandfather) and Joseph had left three years earlier. Jan, the son, had just been shot in front of his house in Grand Rapids, Michigan a month before his father died. I wonder if the relatives in Poland heard about the shooting? I also wonder how and when the three brothers in the U.S. heard that their father had died in Poland, but Eugeniusz said his father never mentioned it to him. ***** What was happening in the world around him when Jan died? The death record does not give the cause of his death so there is no way to know for sure why he died at the early age of 50. World War I was happening and “in the summer of 1914 fierce battles raged around Tomaszów Lubelski. In August of 1914, the Austrian military took over in a three week occupation. Military also streamed through the area on their way to battle and the wounded were transported to hospitals. Sons and husbands were in the military.” (Moscip, p. 99) Also, Austria was in the middle of a cholera epidemic. There was an outbreak of typhus that had just started in Russia. ***** Was Jan’s death related to the war, disease or another cause? The work he did transporting “gentleman” was likely difficult for Jan. “It was not rare that the road, just by itself, created difficulties, which demanded a large amount of physical strain and patience. On top of this, they were exposed to life-threatening dangers, traveling through forests and empty roads. (Moscop, p. 202) More answers were provided by Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz: “It was very cold during one of the trips. The "gentlemen" warmed up with alcoholic beverages, Grandpa did not drink and then he caught a cold and fell ill with pneumonia. Soon he died. He was buried in the cemetery in Tomaszów during the First World War. Soon the cemetery was dug, burying the fallen soldiers, and then my grandfather's grave was lost.” Act 53 of the death record of 1915 reads that Jan died on March 8 (or February 23 Julian/Russian calendar) at 5:00 in the evening. The next day at 10 o'clock in the morning. Marian Skurcz, 50 years old, from Sabaudia, and Walenty Liskiewicz, 59 years old, townsman from Tomaszów Lubelski, went and declared the death. ***** After Jan died, the war continued. “A fire broke out there, destroying many houses. In the summer of 1915 the area was conquered by the Austrians and the Germans.” From June 25 to June 27, 1915, troops that were German and Austrian fought the Russians at Tomaszów Lubelski until the middle of July. There were Russians in town, sleeping in people’s houses or in the fields. (Moscop, p. 120.) The Russians retreated in a “scorched earth” fashion, stealing or destroying everything. Stanisława married Jan Bielak in 1917. On June 28, 1915, Germans shelled the city (Moscop, p. 99) and they took over the city from Austria. The local people had to feed the troops until November of 1918, with the army taking their produce and horses. A cholera epidemic broke out. Ration cards and passes for travel were required. Even after peace was declared, the Poles and the Ukrainians fought until the Ukrainians left the area. More fighting occurred with the Soviets in 1919 until 1921. The synagogue on Boznica street was burned down in 1919. (Moscop, p. 32) ***** By 1921, Sabaudia had grown to 36 homes with 259 inhabitants. The two brickyards were in operation and people made a living mostly by farming. That year daughter Paulina married Jan Dubiel and moved to Rogoźno, in 1923 daughter Mary moved to the U.S., and sometime before 1927, son Piotr married Jozefa Szczupkowska and moved to Podhorce. In the 1930s, the village was built with cobblestones in the streets and a paved road was built to Tomaszów Lubelski. A small shop was operated and it was purchased by a priest in 1935. Times were hard and there was little help from the government. ***** In 1935 until 1937, peasant dissatisfaction led to protests. Then World War II started on September 1, 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland. By September 13, the Germans were in Zamość and Tomaszów and other nearby places. The first battle of Tomaszów Lubelski was on September 19 to September 20, with fighting also in Rogoźno, Sabaudia, Majdan Górny and other places. The second battle of Tomaszów Lubelski was September 21 to 26. Before 1940, son Franciszek married Stanisława Oleńczuk. ***** On May 10, 1943, “Polish partisans under the command of Władysław Świdnicki "Trzaska" carried out the action of disarmament of German settlers. They took over the local guardhouse after a lace, from where they took 11 rifles, about 2,000 rounds of ammunition and 20 hand grenades. A few more rifles were found in the village and these too requisitioned.” ***** Katarzyna lived another 29 years after her husband Jan died, but she did not ever remarry. Katarzyna died on March 11, 1944 in Sabaudia as a 73 year old widow. When she died her son Franciszek had been killed the year before in the Rotunda in Zamość and there still was a German primary school in Sabaudia. Her three oldest children had lived in the U.S. for several decades. Stanisława, Piotr, and Paulina lived in the area and were raising families of their own. Bolesław lived with her. ***** Reporting the death was her son Bolesław, a 37 year old farmer and Bronisław Skurcz, a neighbor. According to Eugeniusz, he heard from his father that when Bolesław learned of his mother dying, that he and Bronisław ran from the forge where they were working to get there as quickly as possible. Bolesław married Jozefa Janina Bender three months later. ***** The war would continue for over a year after her death. ***** On December 17, 2022, upon learning that Jennifer Erichsen (a 2x great grandchild of Jan and Katarzyna) was graduating as a Doctor of Biomedical Science, Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz wrote, “Congratulations. Grandma Catherine in heaven is certainly happy. She cared very much for her children to have professions, she even sold plots for this purpose. You can see that the tradition is kept in the family in the USA. Gotta keep it up!!!” ***** Personal correspondence: Raczkiewicz, E. (2022, March 9). ***** History of area: “Dzieje Miejscowosci Gminy Tomaszów Lubelski.” Dzieje Gmin Zamojszczyzny, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://dzieje_gminy_Tomaszów_lubelski_-_calosc_z_okladka.pdf (Tomaszówlubelski.pl) Gmina Tomaszow. Historia Regionu Tomaszow Lubelski Belz Rawa Ruska. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2021 from https://www.historiaregionu.org/tomaszw-lubelski Moscop, J. M. (Ed.). (2008). Tomaszow Lubelski, Tyszowce, Laszczow, Krylow and komarow jewish ancestry. Facebook: Tomaszow Lubelski, Tyszowce, Laszczow, Krylow and komarow jewish ancestry. https://www.facebook.com/groups/812333692214988/?multi_permalinks=6721843851263913&ref=share Jan’s birth ***** Jan Raszkiewicz Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach. Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/b28e2dcdfa65bb908662f9e94ab77c9e667304500b843988872ccec3682b4833 Jan’s death ***** Death of Jan Raczkiewicz Jednostka - Szukaj W archiwach. Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-a). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/jednostka/-/jednostka/10509756 Jan & Katarzyna’s marriage ***** Marriage of Jan Raczkiewicz & Katarzyna Kaszucki Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach. Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-b). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/875b0a0bd37f2a84126826b95ffce2ed54869b1d6e3ca259264a8bd9af51d7b7 ***** Katarzyna’s birth: Birth of Katarzyna Kaszucki Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach. Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-a). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/0c7114aeb85a98464dcdd5e67537a22d2105bec7a5ed6fd33124ea14cadb2a0f

The Story of Three Generations of Dominiks

The last name Dominik is derived from Latin and means “of the Lord.” Anna Kosciucha (Ania) from Legnica, Poland told me on August 23, 2023 that the Dominik family came from the village of Różaniec and around 1780 they began to move to Majdan Górny. After 1825, the name Dominik rarely appears in the records of the Tarnogród parish. I was put in contact with Ania through a series of events: Marcin Bielak (my 2nd cousin 1x removed) chatted with me on Facebook about family history. He made the connection related to our Dominik history by mentioning that he met Sławek Domienik while fishing, a hobby which he really enjoys. Marcin connected me with Sławek, who connected me with Anna and I learned a lot. This is the only family line that is documented for seven generations. Most of them are documented for five generations or less. ***** 7th Generation ***** Mikolaj and Regina Dominik (my 7x great grandparents) had at least two children in Różaniec.. Their son Sebastian (my 6x great grandparent) was born in 1706 and their daughter Regina was born in 1713. If the parents were born at least 20 years earlier, then that means Mikolaj and Regina were born approximately in the year 1686. ***** 6th Generation: ***** On January 5, 1706, Sebastian Dominik (my 6x great grandparent) was baptized. His Godparents were Sebastianus Warenciak/Waręciak and Agnes Szczęsniak. Sebastian and his wife Agnes had Paweł (my 5x great grandparent), their only child that I know about. I do not know his wife’s surname or birthdate, their marriage or death dates and if they had other children. ***** 5th Generation ***** Paweł was born on January 14, 1731 in Różaniec. His Godparents were Jan Galka and Dorothea Paszelke, who both lived nearby. Paweł married Anastazja Baja and they had nine children. Four of the children either died young or there is no information about them: Tomasz, their first child who was born in 1752, Mateusz, their second child who was born in 1775, Marcin, their sixth child who was born in 1765, and Marianna, their eighth child who was born in 1771. Paweł and Anastazja’s third child Wojciech was born in 1757, married Zofia Fus from Bukowina, and died at age 52 in 1809. When Wojciech’s wife Zofia died in 1831, 22 years later, she was a beggar in Tomaszow. Her 45-year-old son Szymon, a peasant from the village of Nedeżów and 27 year old Jan Duczakiewicz, a shoemake in Tomaszow and native of Bukowina where Zofia was from, were the witnesses. Paweł and Anastazja’s fourth child Zofia was born in 1759 and married Franciszek Malinowski when she was 18 years old. Their fifth child Tomasz (my 4x grandparent) was born in 1762. He had seven children with his first wife Helena Szydlowaka and four children with his second wife Regina Woycik. He died in 1831 at age 78. Their seventh child Jozef was born in 1768 and married Dorota Szumanik/Lesniak. He died in 1837 at age 69. He is the 5x great grandfather of Ania, who has helped with Dominik family history. Their ninth child Anastazja was born in 1772. Her Godparents were Krzysztof Waręciak and Jadwiga Wlazio, both from Różaniec. She married Jan Typek when she was 16 years old. Sebastian Marson and Tomasz Lacht, neighbors and feudal tenants, were the witnesses. She died a widow in Majdan Gorny, in 1849. Paweł died on June 24, 1806 at the age of 75, in house # 78. There is no information about his wife Anastazja’s death. ***** References: Dominik. The Internet Surname Database. (n.d.). https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Dominik

The Story of Jakub Wiciejewski & Anges Plebanski

garncarz = potter ***** Jakub Wiciejewski (my 5x great grandfather) worked as a potter. Jakub and his son Maciej both worked at the local ceramics (faience) factory along with members of the Wisniewski family. Within the Lublin region in the 18th century until the mid-19th century, there were factories in four areas that were established by Polish magnates, including in Tomaszów Lubelski. They were built to compete with imported products. The factories started out making imitations but then they hired artists that created original designs. A popular color was blue. Different factories produced different products such as pottery, porcelain dishes and stoneware. ***** In Tomaszów Lubelski, in the Zamość Estate, a faience and porcelain factory was begun in 1794 by Alexander August Zamoyski, age 24. Beginning with Jan Zamoyski in 1621, this family of magnates established taxes, permitted the development of stores, weekly markets and several annual fares. They allowed Jews in the area in the mid 17th century. They were taxed, allowed to develop a synagogue and allowed a certain number of locations in the market square. (Moscop) Guilds were developed for the different occupations such as weavers, locksmiths, and blacksmiths. ***** The faience company employed a ceramist, Franciszek Mezer. The company successfully made and sold faience – a type of tin-glazed pottery – and eventually the more-coveted porcelain. They established a contract where a square and buildings were signed over to the business. “The manufactory buildings were located on Lwówska Street - it was the only paved road in the city - on both sides. In the period of its greatest prosperity, 50 employees were employed here. For the first 12 years, until 1806, only earthenware was produced”. ***** Local forests were available for the fuel and the clay was brought in from Wolowska, near Lviv, approximately 150 miles away. The local clay was useful only to produce faience, not porcelain. Faience is “fine tin-glazed pottery.” A glaze was developed that allowed for decorative painting to be added which was a major innovation in the history of pottery. It required a kiln producing temperatures above 1,830 degrees F (1,000 C.) ***** CHILDREN I believe his wife was Agnieszka Plebanska. The woman (or women) he was married to are listed as Anna, Agnieszka, Katarzyna and Marianna in their children’s birth and marriage records. In some cases, the same child has a different mother listed in each record, so there are either some errors, she went by different names, or Jakub had more than one wife. While their only son continued in the same line of work as his father as a potter, the daughters all married men with other trades. ***** Justyna (born about 1754 and mother’s name was Anna, not Agnes in her birth record). She married Jakub Janusz, a weaver from Zolynia, Austrian Galicia. When she died at age 76, she was a laborer in Tomaszów. Her son Wojciech, a weaver like his father, and Walenty Kubka, a spoon maker, reported the death. Maciej (born about 1763 and mother’s name was Marianna). He was a potter, like his father, and married Marianna Metalska (my 4th great-grandparents.) He lived to age 76. Marianna (born about 1781. Mother is listed as Katarzyna). She married Rafal Lusawicki, a cabinet maker, after the death of his first wife. (Even though the mother’s name is different from the Anna/Marianna of the rest of the children, I believe her father is the same Jakub and Katarzyna is an error in the record. It appears that Marianna and Rafal’s first born child was born in the same house that Marianna’s mother died – listed as Marianna, not Katarzyna. There can be another explanation – that Jakub had several wives – one named Katarzyna and more than one named Marianna or Anna. Katarzyna (born about 1789- 1793. Her mother is listed as Marianna Plebanska and Agnieszka). She married Walenty Kurkiewicz, a widower with children, who was a carpenter, in 1817. Her parents were deceased and she lived with her brother Maciej and his wife and their six children. Maciej was a witness for her marriage and also for two other younger sisters, all who married in their late 20s. The other witnesses were Paweł Kurkiewicz, father of the groom, 70, Jakob Kiszczyński, 22 and Jakub Januszaracki, 37. Katarzyna died at age 42, with her husband and Maciej Swiderek, church sexton, reporting. Marianna (born about 1793 -1794. Mother is listed as Marianna Plebanska) married her first husband Tomasz Bogucki, who was a widower and a butcher. Marianna’s second husband Paweł Szostak, was a Greek Catholic shoemaker. (There is some confusion with another Marianna Wiciejewska with a father named Jakub who married Rafal Lusawicki.) Agnieszka (born 1796) was the youngest child. She married Stefan Dominik Mieszkowska, a 26-year-old weaver. Stefan Dominik’s deceased father had been a bailiff's/land steward servant. When they were married, Agnieszka, age 27, was a servant. Stefan Dominik was a weaver in the city of Tomaszów Lubelski and had been born in Grodek. On the 31st of December, 1855, in the city of Tomaszów Lubelski, Agnieszka (Wiciejewska) Nieszkowska (my 4th great aunt) died at age 59. She was a widow of a weaver in the city of Tomaszow. Wojciech Janusz,, age 44, and Tomasz Podgórski, age 60, both weavers in the city of Tomaszów, appeared to report her death. ***** When Marainna (Jakub’s wife) died, her husband was already deceased. She died on August 23, 1812 when she was 70 years old. She died in house #201 in Tomaszów Lubelski. She was born in approximately the year 1742. One witness was Rafal Lusawicki, a 38 years old who was her son-in-law. Jan Jablonski, 43, a neighbor, was the other witness. The cause of death was unknown but happening at the time was the Asiatic Cholera Epidemic, the Galician peasant uprising, and typhus from Napoleon's army. ***** References: ***** Death of Marianna Wiciejewska: Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach. Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-e). Death of Marianna Wiciejewska. https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/9781658e1494869bda4e949105f2d1b84eb9e83ce4e1318963d076f3475d01dd History: Google. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Ukraine. Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=JWxEDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT466&lpg=PT466&dq=zamoyski%2Btomaszow%2Bpoland%2Bfaience&source=bl&ots=_Xcex6ZLlg&sig=ACfU3U1680XdU8thx3hwy_IzAQgvfQIViQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjV3Im3zazsAhUICc0KHYb2DVcQ6AEwDXoECAEQAg#v=onepage&q=zamoyski%20tomaszow%20poland%20faience&f=false Historia manufaktury W tomaszowie lubelskim. wirtualne wystawy. (n.d.). http://wystawy.biblioteka.pollub.pl/exhibits/show/ceramika/historia-tomaszow?fbclid=IwAR1-ok6PvjLG5lwcS1-QHyJmRdZEW7Ja9LPJYmH8Q8M9g_xRENmv4zCAu8o Kolekcja Tomaszowska. wirtualne wystawy. (n.d.-b). http://wystawy.biblioteka.pollub.pl/exhibits/show/ceramika/kolekcja-tomaszowska?fbclid=IwAR153REMtSrs0P93EuUaqpGVImwjjNmnFvgMrfweCjhOQfNSl-tE7GtA0wI Moscop, J. M. (Ed.). (2008). Tomaszow Lubelski, Tyszowce, Laszczow, Krylow and komarow jewish ancestry. Facebook: Tomaszow Lubelski, Tyszowce, Laszczow, Krylow and komarow jewish ancestry. https://www.facebook.com/groups/812333692214988/?multi_permalinks=6721843851263913&ref=share Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, June 4). Zamoyski family entail. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamoyski_family_entail

The Story of Józef Kurkiewicz & Ewa Wiśniewska

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. Ewa’s first husband was a journeyman shoemaker. Wincenty Rachański and Ewa nee Wiśniewska (my 3rd great grandmother) married on January 17, 1830 at 1pm in Tomaszów Lubelski. (Wisniewska can be found with different variations: Wisniewska, Wisniowska, Wisniwski, Wiszniewska, Wiszniowska). Their marriage was the first one recorded for the year of 48 total marriages. The groom was a 22 year old bachelor and journeyman shoemaker. 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, the daughter of Błażej Wiśniowski, and the late Agnieszka nee Szcześnicka. Ewa was the oldest child born to Błażej and Agnieszka. Her mother died when she was 14 years old and her father was engaged to one woman and then married Anna Adamczyk, when Ewa was about 15 years old. 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 Lubelski. ***** They only had one child together. Filip (Feliks) was born soon after, in October of the same year. The witnesses were Michał Podszadowski, 48 years old, a blacksmith and Ignacy Zieliński, 47 years old, a painter, both living in Krynice. The Godparents were Michał Podszadowski and Konstancja Kiżgowa. 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. In Krynice, there was a large manor and salt warehouse owned by the Zamoyski family. Wincenty and their only child Feliks both died in 1831, after Ewa and Wincenty had been married only about a year. One witness that reported the death of Felix was Błażej Wiśniowski, his grandfather from Tomaszów Lubelski. Błażej was 68 years old and was working as a tanner. He had previously worked as a potter and sometimes worked as a gravedigger. The other witness was Maciej Swiderek , church Sexton, age 46. When their son Feliks died when he was nine months old, in August of 1831, his death record indicates that his father (Wincenty) was already deceased, His father was a likely casualty of the November Uprising. 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?) ***** Ewa returned to Tomaszów Lubelski after the death of her husband, and lived with her father since her mother was deceased. Six years later, she married Jozef Kurkiewicz, a shoemaker. Jozef (my 3x great grandfather) was a 23 year old bachelor, living with his parents, Antoni Kurkiewicz and Marianna Kiszczyńska, when he married Ewa on 30 July 1837. His parents were farmers in Tomaszów Lubelski and also repaired shoes. Ewa was a 28 year old who had been widowed for six years. Witnesses to the marriage of Jozef and Ewa were Jan Recki & Antoni Lachowski. ***** It is very likely that Jozef Kurkiewicz (my 3rd great grandfather) was baptized but the birth record does not reflect it. Most of the records list the birth and baptism dates as well as the Godparents except those I have found between 1810 and 1826. Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths was initiated according to the Code of Napoleon on May 1rst, 1808. After Russia gained control in 1815, this practice continued. Priests were responsible for civil registrations from 1808 to 1825. After 1826, the civil records reverted to church records but kept the same format. Jozef was born at 5 o’clock in the evening on September 8, 1815. His parents were Antoni, 32 and Marianna nee Kiszczynski, 28. He was born in house #60 in Tomaszów Lubelski like his sister Jagnieska, who was born there three years earlier. The witnesses were Maciej Wyszynski, 42 and Maxym Zawalksi, 43. Jozef was the third child of 12 born to his parents. At least seven of their children did not survive to adulthood. Jozef’s father was a shoemaker, his mother came from a family of shoemakers and eventually Jozef himself would become a shoemaker. ***** Together, Jozef and Ewa had five children – Paulina (1833), Andrze (1840), Jakub (1843), Franciszka (1846), and Ignatious (1851). Their oldest child Paulina (my 2x great grandmother) married Jozef Kaszucki, a furrier of the Greek Uniate faith. He was a widower whose wife died two months earlier. Andrzej married an unknown woman and she was deceased when he died at age 68. Jakub died at age 48, likely unmarried. There is no information found about Franciszka. Their youngest child Ignatius (the 2x great-grandfather of Mike Liszewski.) I “found” Mike as a DNA match on Ancestry and now collaborate regularly with his wife Connie. Like me, Mike was born in Grand Rapids. Ignatius was a 53-year-old “petty-bourgeois” when he died.. Social classes in “old” Poland included magnates, nobility (szlachta), peasants, burghers, intelligentsia and “loose people.” ***** Magnates owned castles and entire villages. They made their income by charging peasants to live and farm on their property. They had the most control of life in Poland and it was to their advantage to prevent the peasants and burghers from having much power in society. The nobility were also landowners. Their role was to protect Poland but many were under the control of the magnates. Common occupations were soldier, gentleman farmer, scholar, priest, public official, or administrator of a higher noble’s estate. Zamoyski is the name of the Polish noble that was in the area of Tomaszow Lubelski. Jan was a chancellor and started their estate. His son Tomasz was also a chancellor and the city of Tomaszow was named for him. Peasants formed the largest group in Poland. There were different levels of wealth and status from an extremely poor day laborer to ownership of some things with the requirement still there to do work for their lord. Burghers were immigrants and free citizens that worked as bankers, craftsmen, tradesmen, and merchants which the noble could not do by law. While almost all the men on Katarzyna Kaszucki side worked in these areas, only a few were referred to as burghers in the birth, marriage and death records Professionals (“intelligentisia”) developed in the middle of the 18th century. They were usually members of the burgher or gentry social classes. Common occupations were doctors, scientists, scholars, priests, teachers, lawyers, architects, artists and writers. Loose people could originate from any social class and had no possessions. They might be criminals, prostitutes, gypsies or runaway serfs. ***** On December 30 in 1874, the death of Jozef was recorded in Tomaszów Lubelski after he died the day before. His death was the last one recorded of 169 deaths that year. The declarants were Jan Kamiński, age 45, and Walenty Lisikiewicz,age 28, both farmers from Tomaszów Lubelski. Jozef was 60 years old when he died and left behind a widowed wife, Ewa. Because records were recorded in Russian at this time, two dates were given -- December 30 and December 18. December 18 was from the Julian calendar, in use by Russia. The December 30 date is from the Gregorian calendar which Poland had been using and went back to using after 1917. It is the most commonly used calendar in the world. The difference between the Gregorian and Julian Calendars in the 19th century was 12 days. Fifteen years later, Ewa died on August 10, 1889 at the age of 80. One witness reporting her death was her 38 year old son Ignacy Kurkiewicz. Ignacy was the grandfather of Mike Liszewski and his sisters (my newfound 3rd cousins 1x removed.) The other witness was Walenty Lisikiewicz, age 40. There was a local children’s epidemic at the time Ewa died. ***** References: Birth of Jozef Kurkiewicz: Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach (Birth of Jozef Kurkiewicz). Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-a). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/4d72c496ee53614668db9258b385e4c83c18ae35799075719cfef2f20e36de93 Marriage of Vincent Rachanski & Ewa Wisniewska: Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach (Marriage of Vincent Rachanski & Ewa Wisniewska. Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/9aa819f02309467e0c0cf6b3a60de4e3de116c76060b7f750d3d905114a694ce Marriage of Józef Kurkiewicz & Ewa Rachańska: Skan - Szukaj W Archiwachn(Marriage of Jozef Kurkiewicz & Ewa Rachanska). Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-d). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/873f5c150ff001fc575476537e4fc0feffb2c509445255878ce69590ccf8b3ca Death of Feliks Rachanski: Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach (Death of Feliks Rachanski). Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-a). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/b955f07030f3e26bd57a20845807d226b4801538beb72fed039232c0030b0d14 Death of Jozef Kurkiewicz: Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach (Death of Jozef Kurkiewicz). Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-c). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/12f6b7365dba5f29b8a20c6f2fabfd42a771891d314470b4e66399b47f1b807b Death of Ewa Kurkiewicz: Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach (Death of Ewa Kurkiewicz). Przejdź do Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.-b). https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/89f22c701d098f3fb9dd8c81a6287fbf431e4088916a9ceabff141775c20d279 History of area “Dzieje Miejscowosci Gminy Tomaszów Lubelski.” Dzieje Gmin Zamojszczyzny, 2011. Retreived July 11, 2023 from https://dzieje_gminy_tomaszow_lubelski_-_calosc_z_okladka.pdf (tomaszowlubelski.pl Krynice/Art Produkt Gala. Roztocze Wita. (2020, September 29). https://roztoczewita-pl.translate.goog/event/krynice-art-produkt-gala/?_x_tr_sl=pl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Krynice. Krynice - park dworski. (n.d.). https://www-ogrodowy-minigo-pl.translate.goog/index.php/page/krynice?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=pl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Petite bourgeoisie - definition, meaning & synonyms. Vocabulary.com. (n.d.). https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/petite%20bourgeoisie Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, December 17). Krynice (Województwo Lubelskie). Wikipedia. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krynice_(wojew%C3%B3dztwo_lubelskie)

The Life of Edward Dubiel

Edward Dubiel (my 1rst cousin 1x removed) died on August 9, 1980. He and his wife Halina (Mandziuk) lived in Rogoźno, Lubelskie, Poland. Rogoźno is a village with farmland that is five kilometers outside of Tomaszów Lubelski. Edward was a carpenter. His granddaughter Ewalina Wawrzusiszyn says she inherited from him her patience for craftsmanship. (Check out her website: www.wawrzusiszyn.com) Edward and Halina had two children: Bogusław Dubiel (1951) and Anna Wawryzusiszyn (1963). They had five grandchildren and His wife Halina died on April 1, 2020. Edward was born on June 14 1933 to Jan Dubiel and Paulina (Raczkiewicz.) His mother Paulina was born in Sabaudia but moved to Rogoźno after she married. Pauline and Jan Dubiel had six children: Leokadia, Bronisława, Jan, Józef, Edward and Halina. I would love to learn more about him!

The story of Lukasz & Justyna Kiszczynski

There are Grand Rapids connections to my fifth grandfather Lukasz Kiszczynski. I believe his brother Alexsander married Marianna Budzinska and their oldest son Wawrzyniec married Teresa Janusz. Their daughter Salomea Petryna had two children that ended up in Grand Rapids – Rozalia Sochan and Antonina Szymanski. Also, Wawrzyniec’s daughter Rozalia Włochowicz had two children move to Grand Rapids: Vincent Peter and Pauline (Stanazak) Czarnopyś, – It is hard to know very much about relatives who lived many generations ago. Justyna Kiszczynska (my 5x great grandfather) died on August 9, 1814, when she was 56 years old. This means she was born in approximately 1758. She died in house number 89 in Tomaszów Lubelski. She died at 10 o’clock at night. I do not know who her parents were or what their last name was because the informants didn’t share that with the priest when they reported about her death. One witness was Jakub, her 25-yea- old son and the other was Ambrozy Kudlcki, age 56 and a neighbor. Her husband Lucasz was already deceased when she died. I only know about two of their children: Their daughter Marianna (my 4x great grandmother) was 27 years old at the time of her mother’s death. She was married to Antoni Józef Kurkiewicz, son of Marcin Kurkiewicz and Franciszka Rzeczycka. At the time of her mother’s death, they already had two of their twelve children. They were shoemakers. Their son Jakub had not yet married but would also marry a Kurkiewicz – Marianna – whose father and mother were Pawel Kurkiewicz and Marianna Pasko. Jakub was also a shoemaker.

The Life of Aleksander Szczepan Raczkiewicz

Aleksander Szczepan Raczkiewicz was the only child of Franciszek Raczkiewicz and Stanisława Oleńczuk from Łaszczów. I learned his birthdate in July 2023 from his daughter Lucyna. He was born August 3, 1939 – 84 years ago. I am not sure, but I would guess he was born in Sabaudia, because his father Franciszek and mother Stanisława were farmers there. I have not seen his birth certificate to know who his Godparents were but on his father’s side, several aunts and uncles lived nearby. Paulina, Stanisława, Piotr all had children of their own though the youngest was five. Bolesław was not yet married. I think his mother was from the nearby village of Łaszczów. His father died when he was three years old. His family had been displaced from their home by Germans and his father was shot in the Rotunda in Zamosc, during World War II. Aleksander Szczepan studied chemistry in Wrocław. I am not sure when he married Danuta, or her last name. Aleksander Szczepan worked in a nitrogen plant and Danuta is a metallurgy engineer. They met at the plant when Danuta was there on a student internship. She is eight years younger. They had two daughters named Lucyna and Sylvia, who live in Kraków. Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz told me that his cousin used to visit him when he was studying in Warsaw. Eugeniusz was five years younger. Lucyna, Aleksander Szczepan’s daughter, remembers that her father once told her about it. Aleksander Szczepan worked in Nigeria, Africa on a work contract. It was common for people from Poland to go to other countries to earn money and then return to Poland. His wife and daughters remained in Poland. Aleksander Szczepan died in Nigeria, Africa on February 1, 1993, of an unknown disease, caused by being bitten by an insect. He was 53 years old. His mother, Stanisława, died on January 23, 2001 in Sabaudia, and is buried in Łaszczówka. His wife Danuta is still alive.

The Life of Stanislaw Bielak

Stanislaw died on August 3, 2002 at the age of 82. Stanislaw Bielak was born April 20, 1920. He was the first living child of Stanislawa nee Raczkiewicz (my great aunt) and Jan Bielak. Czeslaw Marcin was born two years before him and died early. He had three siblings: Wladyslaw, Maria, and Wanda. Wanda recently died on March 11, 2023. Stanislaw lived in Ciotusza Nowa, Poland, where in September of 1939, there were battles near the village, before they were more concentrated around the city of Tomaszów. “In February 1943 the village was pacified, in July 1943 the population was displaced. They were replaced by Ukrainian colonists.” Stanislaw worked in a sawmill on furniture and was also a farmer. His wife Kazimiera (Chucik) Bielak was from Rogozno and helped on the farm and was a seamstress. They had five children: Danuta Sikora (1946), Stanislaw (1948), Edward (1950), Bogumila Zdunczyk (1952) and Janusz (1961) They had 11 grandchildren and there are many great grandchildren. . Many memories of him were collected. Irena Bielak wrote, “It is amazing how fast time goes. It's nice that you remember your grandfather like that today. He would have been 102 years old. Time has passed fast he will always remain in our memories. Lukasz Celmer wrote, “I remember.”: His grandson Marcin Bielak said 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, and various types of crested. Marcin remembers holding a pigeon but they would often fly away when he came out. Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz remembered, “My father (Boleslaw) and I admired Stanisław's beautifully maintained horses and his passion. He enjoyed seeing my parents.” Marta Bielak-Gora shared, ““We spent a lot of time fixing bikes, grandpa was good at it. He also liked apple trees, which were a lot next to our house, and I had a string swing on almost every tree, which grandfather weaved himself. Our grandfather could also scrape a whistle from twigs.” Matrcin Bielak added that the whistles were made from willow bark. Marta also wrote, “Often, when we were bored, he would sit under the house on a bench, pulled out his scissors and began to scrape.” By sharing memories, we are writing these stories of our family together. http://www.turystyka.susiec.pl/?ciotusza-nowa,51

The Life of Halina (Dubiel) Tetych

Halina (Dubiel) Tetych was born on July 31, 1940. She is the youngest child born to Jan Dubiel and Paulina Raczkiewicz. She was married to Mieczysław Szynal. Her second husband was Jozef Tetych. They had two children: Mirosław Tetych and Barbara “Basia” (Tetych) Zubiak. Halina lives in Kurzelow, Poland and her children live in the UK and Ireland. Halina has five grandchildren. I would love to hear more about her!