The Story of Antoni Józef Kurkiewicz & Marianna Kiszczyński

Antoni Jozef Kurkiewicz (my 4x great grandfather) worked as a shoemaker. He was the son of Marcin Kurkiewicz and Franciszka nee Rzeczycki. His parents were from Mościska but they died in Tomaszów Lubelski and were “ławników" (jurors) of the town. His wife Marianna’s parents (Lukasz & Justyna Kiszczyński) were also shoemakers. Their son later carried on the shoemaker tradition. “Shoemakers are generally hardworking, thrifty, they like order and cleanliness.” Villages had many shoemakers and they owned homes and farms. The skills of the trade were learned in shoemaking school under the guidance of a master. It included an apprenticeship where skills were learned such as taking measurements and sewing leather on a machine. The town of Tomaszow possibly had an association with which the shoemakers needed to register. ***** The wife of the shoemaker would be very involved in the business. She used the flesh of the pig for meat, turning it into ham and sausages. The husband used the bristles on the pig for sewing boots and shoes and the skin for the leather. Another way they got leather was to buy cow leather from a tanner or from a merchant who purchased the leather for resale. Many shoemakers also had a maid. ***** Shoemakers made strong and expensive boots made to order. They also brought ready-made ones to weekly markets to sell. Families made minor repairs themselves and had a shoemaker’s awl and homemade awl at home in order to do this. Cobblers would go to the neighborhoods of the peasants to perform shoe repair. ***** Besides Antoni Jozef, there are many shoemakers and cobblers in the family tree. In fact, generations later in the U.S., Jan Raczkiewicz tried shoemaking in Grand Rapids in 1915. (The picture is of an unknown shoemaker in 1914 at Adolph Montrim Shoe Repairer at 316 Bridge St. NW. Jan worked there for a short time.) His brother Antoni also worked in a related business of leather tanning when he moved to Grand Rapids. ***** Antoni and Marianna had 12 children, at least seven of which died in childhood: Agnieszka (b. 1812) lived for two years, Wincenty/Felix (b. 1823) lived under three months, Marianna (1824) lived for three months, Marcin (b. 1825) lived for four months, Wojciech (b. 1826) lived for four months, Maciej (b. 1829)) lived for six months, and Wiktoria (b. 1830) lived for four weeks. One boy and four girls lived to adulthood: Jozef, Katarzyna, Tekla and Apolonia. Jozef (my 3x great grandfather) was born in 1815. In 1837 he was a shoemaker and married Ewa Rachanski, a widow. She was a daughter of Błażej Wiśniewski, farmer residing here in Tomaszów, Two of the four daughters married Greek Catholic shoemakers and two of the three daughters died shortly after marriage. Katarzyna (b. 1818) and married Jan Roczniak, an apprentice carpenter who built carriages, in 1837. Tekla (b. Abt. 1808) and married Antoni Romanowicz, a Greek Catholic shoemaker in 1832. She died less than two years later. Apolonia (b. 1821) and married Jan Eifler in 1840 from the colony of Rogozno. His mother Anna was a laborer and no father is named for him. She died eight months later at age 21, along with her newborn. Marianna (b. 1833) married at age 16 to Jan Kamienski, a Greek Catholic shoemaker. ***** Marianna (my 4x great grandmother) died on 15 April, 15 1846 at 3:00 in the afternoon in Tomaszow Lubelski. She left behind her husband Antoni, who was also aged 60 at the time. Antoni Jozef and their son Jozef (my 3x great grandfather) 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. ***** Six years later, Antoni Jozef Kurkiewicz, age 67, died March 20 1852 at 7:00 in the morning in Tomaszów Lubelski. The cause of death is not given. A cholera outbreak was going on in Poland at the time. When Antoni died, three of his children were still alive – Jozef, Katarzyna Roczniak, and possibly Marianna Kamienska. Antoni Jozef’s son Jozef, age 37 and his son-in-law Jan Kaminski, age 23, both farmers from Tomaszów Lubelskie. went two days later to report the death. ***** Sources: P. 84 -85 Memoirs of a Peasant” Jan Slomka and https://www.historiaregionu.org/uhnow https://www.facebook.com/groups/264767850370094/permalink/1763933803786817 1914 in GR