The Life Of Pauline Raczkiewicz

In the first six years of Pauline’s life, four more children were born and two of them died. A year and a half after she was born, Francis (or Agnes– there is some confusion if they are the same child or two different children) was born on October 13, 1903. Stanley was born on April 28, 1905 when Pauline was three years old, making them a family of three children who were three years old and younger. A year and a half later, Stanley died on September 8, 1906. Pauline was only four years old. When she was almost five, Adam was born on February 7, 1907. A year later, Francis died on February 11, 1908, when he was a little younger than five years old. Francis died of bronchial pneumonia but the family may have been struggling because unfortunately, the contributing factors listed on the death certificate were “unhygienic surroundings and care.” At the time of Francis’ death, Pauline was almost six, Adam was one and his mother was pregnant. On September 8 of that same year, Marian was born so six year old Pauline now had two younger siblings – Adam and infant Mary, and the family had lost two young children. ***** Between the ages of eight and 13, another three children were born to the family with only one of them surviving. When Pauline was eight years old, in 1910, Vickie was born. The family lived at 41 Stevens and Walter worked in a foundry. The census worker wrote their last name as “Scravch.” She was listed as “Polly Scravch” in the 1910 census which is an example of the challenges in doing genealogy. That must have been what it sounded like when her parents reported to the census worker. ***** Joseph was born the following year in 1911. In 1914, Casmirium was born but only lived a few weeks. In 1915, Genofain only lived a month after she was born, dying of capillary bronchitis. By this time, Pauline was 13 years old. ***** A major family event occurred before the next three children arrived. When Pauline was 14 years old in 1916, her mother was arrested for selling alcohol without a license. Adam remembered that time because he passed his memories on to his descendants and so did Victoria who told her children that her mother always had “bums” over to buy shots of liquor for a quarter. Anna also had an apron that she used to deliver her canning jars of alcohol. Sometimes, she had her oldest daughter Pauline deliver and get the money.Walter was gone from the home when his Anna appeared in court and it was revealed that this would happen occasionally and the family didn’t know when he would return. In one of the articles about her arrest, it says that Anna was pregnant but there is no record of a baby born in 1916 or 1917. In 1918 Matthew was born when Pauline was 16, making five children in the family. ***** The family moved to nearby 36 Stephens in 1920. Walter was working in a machine shop and besides Pauline, Mary, Victoria, Joseph and Matthew, Anna was pregnant again. ***** A Big Move: At age 18, Pauline left home for a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan with a girl friend and ended up married and not returning. The older children in her family probably had to help out more in Pauline’s absence. Adam was 12 and Mary was 11 and the younger children were 9 (Victoria), 8 (Joseph), and 2 (Matthew.) When she left, her mother was pregnant. In August of that year, Helen was born and died within five months of “cataphora fever.” ***** Within a few months of her arrival in Grand Rapids, she married Antoni (Anthony) Raczkiewicz, a widower. He married his first wife Klementyna Golabiewska in Grand Rapids, MI on June 20, 1916. This was about four years after Anthony arrived in the U.S., in 1912 from Tomaszów Lubelski, Poland. Anthony’s brother Joseph was one of the witnesses. The other was Catherine Nadwornik (spelling?), who was on the ship with Klementyna when she came to the U.S. and both were also from Tomaszow Lubelski, Poland. Klementyna had family in Bay City, Michigan and their daughter Brownislawa was born there on April 1, 1918. Anthony and Klementyna were married for less than two years when Klementyna passed away on April 4, 1918, from complications of childbirth. Their daughter Bronislawa was taken to D.A. Blodgett Children’s Home in Grand Rapids for medical care. She passed away there three months later on July 12, 1918 from a congenital heart problem. ***** Pauline and Anthony’s wedding, on September 6, 1920, was at St. Adalbert Church. Reverend C Skory performed the marriage and Joseph Raczkiewicz and J. (Juuie?) Sagauska are listed as witnesses. I think J. Sagauska was “Jennie” who my mother remembered was a long term friend of Joseph. Joseph was Anthony’s older brother and worked as a cabinet maker until a short stint in the military during World War 1 either caused or revealed his epilepsy. When they married, Joseph was living with their brother John and worked for a short time again as a cabinet maker. After that, he usually lived with his brother Tony. ***** The record says Anthony was 25 years old but I now know he was actually 27 since I have now seen his translated birth record from Poland. Pauline was 18 according to the records but with a birthdate of April 1904, she was actually 16 ½ years old. This might explain the later confusion where family members thought she would “lie” about her age and claim to be younger than she was. (In the 1930 census, she claims she was 17 when married. The marriage document indicates 18. Birth dates vary . . . ) Anthony’s last name and his father’s last name are spelled Ratkiewicz on the marriage document. At the time of the marriage, Anthony was a cabinet maker. ***** Her wedding dress, veil and bouquet were very elaborate. She told her family the wedding gown was featured in the window of Wurzburg’s Department Store in downtown Grand Rapids. She bought and wore the matching shoes even though they were the wrong size and pinched her feet. ***** Tony Runs a “Game Room” And Their First Child Is Born Soon after the wedding of Pauline and Anthony, her younger sister Victoria, age 11, was sent to Grand Rapids to live with Pauline and her family. They lived at 208 Lexington. “Vickie” moved there to help her sister Pauline and her husband since Pauline was having her first child and her husband was running a pool hall. Her move also may have helped the family in Oil City too. Vickie was worried about a brother she left behind in Oil City that her mother allegedly beat with a stick. Mary was still living at home and was probably worried about her brother also. In 1921, Vickie was listed as a student in Grand Rapids. Pauline and Anthony’s first child Lorraine was born September 29, 1921. Anthony, (Tony) was 28, and Pauline, was 19 and they had been married for a year. The family had moved to 315 Gunnison SW. Anthony worked as a cabinet maker. His brother Joe, who also worked as a cabinet maker, lived with them. ***** News From Oil City And The Son Anthony Jr. Is Born: Back in OIl City, the last Skrobat child, Jane, was born the following year on June 3, 1922. Her mother Anna had her twelfth child around six months after Pauline’s first child was born. Because Jane was 20 years younger than her, some people thought Jane was her child instead of her sister. In 1924, they moved to Milwaukee St and the address was listed at various times as either 503 or 501. The property had a house with an apartment upstairs and also a small house next door. Their second child, Anthony Raczkiewicz Jr (Tony), was born Nov. 11, 1925. ***** Around 1927, Mary married Henry Schossler. Mary and Pauline were very close but it is unknown if Pauline made it back to OIl City for the wedding, It is unlikely because it is believed she didn’t return for decades. Letters, phone calls and visits from Mary kept the strong connection between Mary and Pauline. Mary traveled by plane and train to visit Pauline several times in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She stayed about a mile away at the Rowe Hotel at 201 Michigan N.W. The hotel is right across the river from the heavily Polish westside of Grand Rapids, on the edge of the downtown area. The hotel had a glamorous lobby and ballroom and 300 guest rooms. By 1963 it was no longer a hotel and it was used for senior housing as Olds Manor. ***** Bad News From Oil City: Pauline’s father Walter was arrested in Oil City, Pennsylvania at the end of 1929. He was arrested for the sale and production of alcohol, which was illegal because of Prohibition, which began in 1920 and continued until 1933. Walter was found guilty of selling alcohol illegally (and not guilty of producing alcohol) and he spent several months in jail. By the following Spring of 1930, Walter left Oil City to live with his oldest daughter Pauline and her family in Grand Rapids. He left behind his wife and three of his children: Joseph, 19, Matthew, 12, and Jennie (Jane), 8. Adam, 23, doesn’t show up in their home on the 1930 census, but it is possible that is when he was at Coyne Electrical College in Chicago, Illinois. ***** Shirley Is Born And Joseph Moves In With The Family: Lorraine was 8 1⁄2 years old and Anthony Jr. was 4 ½ years old. They attended St. Adalbert School. Anthony worked as a tacker for a leather tanning company. Pauline’s 61-year-old father Walter and Anthony’s brother Joseph lived with them. It was common for Polish immigrants to take in boarders both to help out the immigrants and as a source of income. It was common for Polish immigrants to take in boarders both to help out the immigrants and as a source of income and they rented out the apartment above them for extra income. John and Pauline Kunecki and children Roman, Celia and Elaine. The little house they owned that was next door was rented by Pauline’s younger sister Vickie and her husband. They lived there with their daughter Lillian. ***** Shirley was born on January 15, 1936, when her father, Anthony, was 40, and her mother, Apolonia, was 31. Joseph, her brother, temporarily lived with them the following year, in 1937. He was living with his oldest sister Pauline and her husband, Anthony, and their children Lorraine, 16, Anthony, 12 and Shirley, 1, with several renters upstairs. It is unclear how long Joseph stayed but by April 11, 1940, he was 28 years old and living back in Oil City with his mother and siblings Jane, 17, and Matthew, 22. Joseph was a tool dresser related to ball bearings, but had been unemployed for twelve weeks. ***** Lorraine Graduates And Marries and Ronald Was Born Lorraine graduated from Union High School in 1939 and Ronald was born later that year on November 10, 1939. He was the youngest of their four children. Ron was born when his father was 46 and his mother 37 years old. Anthony still worked as a tacker in a leather tannery. Lorraine and John married on February 22, 1941 at St. Adalbert Church, and she was a 19 year old stenographer and John was a 20 year old truck driver. Their marriage license is signed by a Methodist minister because John was Protestant which probably required some discussion with her parents. They lived in the “little house” on Milwaukee St. NW that Lorraine’s parents owned next to their own house near St. James Church which her sister Vickie and her husband no longer lived in. ***** Anthony Registers For the Draft And Joseph Skrobot Serves in the Military: Anthony registered for the World War II draft in 1942, but was too old to be called. Her brother Joseph registered for the Selective Service to be drafted on October 16, 1940 but had not been called. Joseph listed his occupation as an unskilled worker in the production of petroleum and that he had two years of high school. Joseph (Skrobat) was again living in Grand Rapids with his sister Pauline. The household also included the other Joseph (Pauline’s brother-in-law), as well as three of their four children. Shirley has described her childhood home as often crowded. Once her oldest sister Lorraine married, Shirley often stayed with them, probably enjoying the space that provided. According to his nephew Frank Palczewski Jr., “Joe” went back and forth often between Grand Rapids and Oil City. He remembered him as having a dark brown complexion. He remembers an incident where Joe was “rolled” for his money, down by the railroad, and he kept returning there looking for the thieves. Joseph’s military career began at Fort Custer in Michigan on March 31, 1942 The camp had reopened as a military training base for World War II by the time Joseph arrived. He went on to serve with the U.S. Army as a sergeant in the Signal Headquarters Company in the Pacific Theater during World War II. ***** Shirley and Ron Grow Up: Shirley attended St. Adalbert School, first through eighth grade, the cost subsidized by the church. It was near the end of the “Golden Age '' of the Grand Rapids Polish Polonia. She walked a few blocks every day to get to school. The family lived near First St. and the school was on Fourth St. They had to cross one busy street -- Stocking Avenue -- to get there. Their neighborhood was full of immigrants, similar to them. The Dutch people lived a few blocks away in their own neighborhoods. Tony Jr. was a senior at Union High School in 1943, active in Humane Club, R.O.T.C., Bar and Chevrons Club, and was a cheerleader. ***** More Bad News From Oil City: Pauline’s mother was hit by a car and seriously injured in May of 1943, while crossing a street near her home. She ended up with two broken legs and other injuries. Pauline made what was likely her first trip back to Oil City, to help care for her mother. ***** The First Grandchild: The first grandchild arrived on July 13, 1943, when Sandra Ann was born to Lorraine and John. She was born prematurely so needed extra careful parenting. Tony, Shirley and Ronnie continued to spend a lot of time with their older sister and her family Shirley was only seven years older than Sandy and Ronnie was only four years older. They developed close relationships that continued into their adult lives with holiday celebrations and Sunday meals. Shirley says that when she was a teenager, she often stayed with her older sister Lorraine because her house was crowded. Anthony’s brother Joseph lived with them her whole life. ***** Tony Jr. and John Serve in the Military: Later the same year, on November 11, 1943, Tony Jr., age 18, registered for the draft while he worked at a gas station. He began his service in the Navy by December of 1943, John was drafted into the Army and was in Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. He received two purple hearts, honors for those who were wounded or killed. He also received a Bronze star with bronze clusters, the fourth highest military decoration. He served until October of 1945, During the time he was in the service, Lorraine lived at 751 First St. NW which would have been right around the corner from where Lorraine grew up. Lorraine’s friend Virginia lived with Lorraine at the beginning of her time on First St. because John was in the service. Lorraine knew her because Virginia and her family had lived upstairs in the Raczkiewicz home when Lorraine was a teenager. On one occasion, Virginia saved Sandy from falling out of a window. Shirley, much younger at age ten, visited her often. ***** After John returned from military service he joined Dykstra Beef Co., a family business as a livestock buyer and became a part owner with his brothers Bob and Sib. It was around this time that John suffered from appendicitis and the fairly new use of antibiotics saved his life. Tony Jr. returned from his military service and attended Grand Rapids Junior College for an Associate degree. He worked at Hayes Manufacturing and met his future wife Cecilia Zalewski around this time. ***** Several Deaths: Walter, Mary’s father, died on November 25, 1944 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, having never returned to OIl City. The obituary indicated that Joseph was in New Guinea and his older brother Matthew was with the Seabees in New Zealand. Jane, the youngest of the siblings, offered to bring her mother Anna to the funeral but Anna declined and it is believed that no one from OIl City attended the funeral. Joseph was discharged December 20, 1945 after three years and nine months of service and returned home to OIl City. When Henry, Mary’s husband died unexpectedly on May 22, 1949 in Oil City, Pennsylvania, this may have been the second time Pauline returned to the city in which she was born. Accompanying her from Grand Rapids were Lorraine and John, Anthony Jr., her sister Vicki and her husband Frank and their son Frank Jr, and their son-in-law Lee Thompson. ***** Tony Jr. Married In GR, Shirley Is Confirmed and Eileen is Married in Oil City: Anthony Jr. and Cecilia Zalewskin married July 23, 1949 at Sacred Heart Church. For many of the early years of their marriage, Anthony Jr. and Cecilia were next door neighbors with his sister and her husband, Lorraine and John, on Pine Street.Their daughter Yvonne was born in May 1953 and Eileen was born in June 1956. ***** Shirleyś's confirmation sponsor was Eileen Schossler, the oldest daughter of Pauline’s sister Mary. In the late 1940s, Eileen was a student at St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. Instead of traveling back to Pennsylvania for school holidays, she would visit with her Aunt Pauline and family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this way, Shirley got to know her older cousin. ***** Eileen Schossler married Max Gabreski on August 19, 1950 in Oil City. Attending from Grand Rapids were Pauline, Shirley and Ronald, Lorraine and John and their daughter Sandra. In the Fall of 1950, Shirley began high school at the Catholic Central West Annex, held at St. Adalbert. ***** Shirley Graduates And Begins Training: In 1953, Shirley began her junior year at Catholic Central, riding the bus from the west side of the city, over the river to the east side, in downtown Grand Rapids. Shirley graduated from Catholic Central High School in 1954. She started training at St. Mary’s Hospital to become an x-ray technician and worked in a downtown parking garage. ***** Another Wedding in Oil City: Henrietta Schossler and Ted Marchibroda were married on July 31, 1954 in Oil City. Shirley was a bridesmaid for the wedding, along with her cousin Carol Skrobat, Pauline helped her sister Mary, at Mary’s house, during the preparations for the “poprawiny” or afterparty that was common with Polish weddings working in the kitchen to help Mary make chop suey. ***** Shirley Married: Lorraine and John moved to their newly built home in Walker in 1956. Shirley often visited Lorraine and John at the Singapore Yacht Club in Saugatuck and that is where she met Roy Longwell and they married at St. Adalbert Church on October 26, 1957. Since, like John, Roy wasn’t a Catholic, the couple had to agree to raise their children Catholic. Later Roy joined the Catholic Church and enjoyed the social customs of the westside Polish people. Pauline complained that Roy knew more Polish than Shirley. Shirley and Roy Longwell had three daughters: Paulette (1958), Linda (1961) and Lori (1963). They first lived in the “little house” next to Shirley’s parents. ***** Ron Graduated and Married: Ronald graduated from Union High School in 1959 and married the former Pamela Ferwerda in June of 1960. Their children Rhonda (1961), Paula (1963), and Robert (1967).Shirley and Roy moved out of the “little house” so Ron and Pam could have his turn. Displaced by the Freeway: They had to move, along with their parents, when a demolition order came through. After approximately 37 years living on Milwaukee Street, Tony and Pauline’s houses were condemned because a highway was being built. Highway US 196, between the Lane St. exit and US 131 was being built in their neighborhood, splitting the west side of Grand Rapids. OK Wrecking demolished the house after the demolition order of May 23, 1962. ***** On October 4, 1961, Pauline and Anthony purchased for $10,000., the “west 40 feet of Lot 7, of Block 1, Robert’s Addition to the City of Grand Rapids. Tony and Pauline moved to 827 Douglas and son Ron and his wife Pam bought their first house. Anthony was proud of his rose garden in the backyard. She enjoyed dancing the polka, visiting with her children and their families, making Polish food like kluski noodles for chicken soup and kielbasa from a local meat market, and helping others. (The house was built in 1920 and was sold in 1990’s for $48,000. In 2020, the house is a rental – three apartments total, not looking great on the outside but fixed up on the inside for student rentals for the nearby Grand Valley State University.) ***** Sunday Visits: Sundays, after church, was a time that her children and grandchildren came to visit. The dining room had a very large table and chairs on the left and a large buffet on the right hand side. Large family dinners and holiday dinners were enjoyed in the dining room--with the overflow of children at the “kid’s table” in the kitchen. Kielbaska from the meat market would be served along with turkey for Thanksgiving or ham for Christmas. Simple meals were eaten at the table in the kitchen--things like homemade soup and kluski noodles. The kitchen table would be powdered with flour and the dough rolled out for the noodles which were cut by hand. Kruschicki, or bow-ties, were a special treat. A special horror was when she made herself liver and onions and wanted to kiss you! Because she often cooked for large crowds, she didn’t bother with pie tins. Her apple pie was made in a metal 9 x 13 pan and was called “horse pie” since it was big enough to feed a horse. She frequently had a parakeet in the kitchen, keeping her company while she cooked. Her skin was very soft and free of wrinkles which she attributed to using Pond’s Cold Cream Later Life and Death: Lorraine died at the young age of 47 on October 23, 1969, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lorraine, her daughter Sandy, age 27 and Shirley, age 33, were all together the afternoon before she died. Pauline missed her the rest of her life. ***** Pauline’s mother Anna died on May 1, 1970 In OIl City, Pennsylvania. Traveling from Grand Rapids to attend were Pauline, with her daughter Shirley and son-in-laws Roy and John. Frank Palczewski drove his wife Marguerite and his sister Lillian Sorensen but his mother Victoria had recently had a stroke so was unable to go. Her will specified the division of her estate between her children in Oil City: Adam, Mary, Joseph, and Matthew. She left $6,000 for Pauline and $4,000 for Vickie, her daughters living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I wonder if the reason for a difference in what she left the two daughters that moved away is because Pauline had taken care of both her husband and one of her sons. ***** Joseph, her brother-in-law, who lived with them their entire married life, died on May 17, 1971. He lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan for 57 years. He was frequently at my grandparent’s house when we visited, often reading newspapers. He would do errands for Pauline and she would often scold him. The canaries that she raised lived in his bedroom. It is believed that his sister-in-law Pauline had helped him apply to receive military benefits. Her brother Joseph died in Oil City on June 25, 1977 and her brother Matthew died in Oil City on May 10, 1978 ***** Her husband Anthony J Raczkiewicz died on October 31, 1980, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, when he was 85 years old and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery. They had been married for 60 years. ***** A large group of Pennsylvania relatives came to Grand Rapids, Michigan for Paulette’s wedding on June 26, 1982, because of their family connections with Pauline. Besides the wedding and a visit to Roy and Shirley’s house, they also visited Pauline at her house. Mary attended along with her grandson Brian Gabreski and her daughter Henrietta and husband Ted. Locally, Frank “Sonny” Palczewskis (Pauline’s nephew) and his wife Peg attended. ***** Ten years after her husband, Pauline died on July 3, 1990 In Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her sisters Mary, Jane and Victoria were still alive, as was her brother Adam. The Ladies Rosary Society, of which she was a member, recited the Rosary. Her funeral Mass was celebrated at the Basilica of St. Adalberts. She was still a member of the Polish National Society. She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery. Pauline’s will was written October 7, 1986 and revised on October 9 changing no provision for Sandra Spruit (daughter of Lorraine who was deceased) to $5,000 and her diamond ring to son Ronald. The first will was prepared by the attorney Kozak at 616 Bridge St. NW. The second version was witnessed by Alex Masakaski (spelling) and an undecipherable name. ***** Pauline and Tony’s Children: Lorraine’s husband never remarried. John sold the meat company and started transporting yachts around the country which he did until he was 75. John died on Feb. 2, 2009. He was survived by his daughter Sandy (Don) Spruit, grandchildren Colette (Robert) Beitel, John (Irene) Spruit, Rachel (Matthew) Spencer and Heather (Ron) Wilson, great-grandchildren, Erica, Andrea, Brooke, Trevor, Jordyn, Nolan, Branden, Teague and Neala. ***** Tony Jr.: Anthony, aged 80, passed away on January 29, 2006. Tony was preceded in death by his wife Cecilia a half a year earlier on May 21, 2005. Yvonne worked as a teacher in a Catholic School and her husband Barry Feirrick had two daughters, Mindy and Heather. She is married to Mike Basham. Eileen worked as a physical therapist and had two children with her husband Mark Erichsen: Jennifer and Keith. ***** Shirley: Her husband Roy developed Parkinsons and later passed away on November 4, 2009, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the age of 80. Their daughters Paulette, Linda and Lori live in Grand Rapids. There are three grandchildren: James, Thomas and Marissa. ***** Ron: Ron was part owner of Shawmut Inn, a bar/restaurant and before that was part owner of Midwest Bumper. Their oldest daughter Rhonda lives in North Carolina and Paula and “Bobbie” are deceased. Their grandchildren are Bryan, Aric, Steven, and Shannon. His wife Pam lives in Coopersville, Michigan. ***** — 1902: Baptism Record, Oil City Catholic Church Office 1910: 4/1910 (Census) Year: 1910; Census Place: Oil City Ward 2, Venango, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1424; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0128; FHL microfilm: 1375437, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Provo, UT, USA, 2006. 1920: 1/2/1920 (Census) Year: 1920; Census Place: Oil Ward 2, Venango, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1656; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 126, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Provo, UT, USA, 2010. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; Film: 151; Film Description: 1920 Kent-1920 Montmorency, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Provo., UT, 2015 1925: Anthony Jr. birth: U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Provo, UT, USA, 2010 1930: Year: 1930; Census Place: Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 0018; FHL microfilm: 2340735 1936: U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Provo, UT, 2011 1939: "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Union High School; Year: 1939, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Provo, UT, 2010. Ronald’s birth: U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Provo, UT, 2015 1940: Year: 1940; Census Place: Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan; Roll: m-t0627-01898; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 86-31 1941: Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; Film: 117; Film Title: 41 Kent 25650-28879; Film Description: Kent (1940-1942), Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Provo, UT, 2015 1943: Yearbook picture: "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Union High School; Year: 1943 The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Michigan, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 970, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Provo, UT, 2011 1949: Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; Film: 124; Film Title: 41 Kent 48600-51899; Film Description: Kent (1949-1950), Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Provo, UT,, 2015 1950: United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Grand Rapids, Kent, 1957: Shirley’s marriage license: Kent Co. Marriage License 141-127, 21 1969: U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Provo, UT,, 2012. 1973: Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File 1980: Anthony’s death: U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Provo, UT, 201 1990: Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File, Ancestry.com Operations, In., Provo, UT, 2014. Web: Western Michigan Newspapers, Death Index, 1910-2012, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Provo, UT, 2013 U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Ancestry.com, Provo, UT, 2012 2006: U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Ancestry.com, Provo, UT, 2012 2009: Roy: U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, 2012 2017: https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2017/08/shawmut_inn_closes_after_39_ye.htm Catholic Education: History of Catholic education in GR--GR info starts p. 61 (p. 72 of PDF) https://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1092&context=theses History of Polish immigrants/churches in GR https://www.therapidian.org/history-polish-immigrants-churches-and-aid-societies-westside The Rise and Fall of the Grand Rapids Polonia (https://dutchamericans.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/1993_07_skendzel.pdf The First Hundred Years: The Basilica of St. Adalbert http://www.mipolonia.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/St.-Adalbert_1881-1981_Grand-Rapids_MI.pdf Information about Oath of Allegiance (Act of June25, 1936): Act of July 2, 1940 provided that all women who had lost citizenship by marriage could repatriate regardless of their marital status. ● They only had to take an Oath of Allegiance--no declaration of intention was required. https://www.archives.gov/files/calendar/genealogy-fair/2014/handouts/session-3-presentation-handout-hacker.pdf Other: “The Poles, the Dutch and the Furniture Strike of 1911”, Mary Patrice Erdmans, Polish American Studies, Vol. 62, No. 2 (Autumn, 2005), pp. 5-22)