The Story of Andrzej Kaszucki & Salomea Wiciejewska

Andrzej Kaszucki was likely a very respected man. When his daughter was married in 1885, when he was 53, he was listed as a burgher in the city of Tomaszów. He wouldn’t have been a grand burgher, a hereditary title reserved for the magnates. He would have been a minor burgher, as he worked in the middle class as a furrier, carrying on the tradition of his father who came from Uhnow, Galicia, Austria from a family of furriers. His family was of the Greek Catholic tradition up to his granddaughter Katarzyna’s Roman Catholic marriage to my great grandfather Jan Raczkiewicz. ***** Another way that respect can be seen is in the way he was a witness or declarant for the deaths and births of many people besides his own children. For instance, on June 25 1821 at 8am, his niece Marianna Kaszucka (daughter of Teodore & Teodora.) was born in the house of Jan Zamalski in house #425. On June 28 at 10pm, Andrzej went with Wojciech Kudlicki, a shoemaker to the priest and confirmed her birth. As their father, Andrzej did this for all of his own children. For instance on April 7 1824 at 7pm, he and Rafal Laswicki, a carpenter, and Mikolaj Niedźwiedź, went from his father-in-law’ Maciej Wiciejwski’s house #27, where Nicholas was born the day before at 11::00 am, and made sure the birth was registered. ***** Andrzej and his two brothers moved to Tomaszów Lubelski from Uhnów, Galicia, Austria. which at the time was in the Ukraine Province of Lwów. (Uhnów - Polish; Uhniv - Ukrainian) Their parents Lukasz and Agata Kaszucki were furriers there. Andrzej and his brother Teodor worked as furriers and their brother Fidory was a shoemaker. I do not know if he had siblings that remained there. ***** Why did Andrzej and his two brothers move from Uhnów to Tomaszów Lubelski, thirty miles away? Uhnów is approximately two miles from the current Poland - Ukraine border, but at the time Uhnów,would have been in Galicia. By the current route, they would have moved around 30 miles from home. It seems likely that the three Kaszucki siblings made their way to Tomaszów Lubelski at this time for more freedom and for economic security. It was not likely for religious reasons since they were Greek rather than Roman Catholic, though they were not Orthodox. ***** Andrzej and his two brothers Teodore and Fedory were born between 1791 and 1802, while both Tomaszów Lubelski and Uhnów were under Austrian rule. When the three boys were between the approximate ages of 13 and 22, the Vienna Congress created the Polish Congress under Russia in 1815. During this time period, 29% of the people were of Polish origin while Ukrainians made up 70% and there were a very small number of people of German descent. Whatever changes that were coming from this may have caused the boys to seek their fortune away from home. After 1815, Tomaszów Lubelski was part of the independent Congress Poland. That might be why the first brother went there. The town included many laborers involved in flour millers, wood processors, weavers, tailors, shoemakers and leather tanners. Unfortunately, the independent Kingdom of Poland was short-lived. By 1816, the first brother Teodore was living and was married in Tomaszów Lubelski. At that point their mother Agata Krzackowska was still alive in Uhnow, but their father Lukasz was deceased. Andrzej married in 1823 in Tomaszów Lubelski. By 1831, The reforms were short-lived and Russification began. Besides Tomaszów, other Kaszuckis ended up in Chodywance, Rzeplin and Łaszczów. ***** Like his two older brothers, Andrzej found a wife in Tomaszów Lubelski. Prior to marriage, banns were published and permission was obtained if the participants were underage. Two Banns were announced on January 12th and 19th, 1823. Because his father Lukasz was deceased and his mother Agata nee Krzaczk was still living in the city of Uhnów, Galicia, Austria, Andrzej went to the municipal office a week before the wedding and had an “act of knowing” drawn up which was approved by the court of peace of the county. This was required because at the age of 24, marriage required parental approval and his parents were not available to provide consent. The bride’s parents accompanied her to church for the wedding and provided their consent. ***** Andrzej and Salomea Wiciejewska (my 3x great grandparents) appeared before the pastor of Tomaszów, who was the civil registrar for this city, founded in the county of Tomaszów, province of Lublin on January 26, 1823. Salomea Wiciejowska was 19 years old, Roman Catholic, and a maiden, according to a certificate excerpted from the books of the Tomaszów parish church. She and her parents, Maciej Wiciejowski and her mother, Marianna nee Metelska, were all born in the city of Tomaszów Lubelski. Salomea was the firstborn of their nine children. Her family was Roman Catholic and worked as potters. Andrzej was of the Greek Uniate faith and was working as a furrier in Tomaszów Lubelski. ***** The witnesses to the marriage were Andrzej Niedźwiedź, age 41, (related to current day Curt Wolf) and Szymon Władysz, age 40, who were both shoemakers, Rafał Lusawicki, age 47, cabinet-maker, and Marcin Ceroński, age 28, spoonmaker, all residing in the city of Tomaszów. Initially the translators were stumped at the occupation of Marcin -- Łyszczarz. It was not on a list of occupations and their Polish names that I had. Eventually, it was determined that it meant spoonmaker. ***** Another time that Andrzej was a declarant, or witness, was on June 18, 1827 at 10 a.m., when along with his brother Theodore, 36, he was a witness for their other brother's death. Fedora died the day before at noon. Andrzej and the brother who was the other witness were both furriers. Their 25 year old brother who died mid-day was a shoemaker and left behind a widowed wife Maryanna nee Mirowski. (Remember the two brothers are hard to differentiate in the records due to similar names -Fedor, Fedir, Fedora, Teodor, etc.) ***** Andrzej and Salomea’s Children: Andrzej and his Salomea had eight children in 23 years. The girls were baptized Roman Catholic and the boys were baptized Greek Catholic. Their first child Nikolaj (or Mikolaj – not sure) was born on April 28, 1824, in Tomaszów, just after Salomea’s own brother Valentine was born on February 9. Mikolaj’s first wife was a Greek Catholic woman from Tomaszów and his second wife was Greek Orthodox. ***** Jan was born in 1826 and there is no further information about him. Piotr (1829) died at the age of three during an outbreak of cholera. "Stefan Jozef" (my 2x great grandfather) was born on August 10, 1832, and his first wife was Greek Catholic and his second wife (my 2x great grandmother) was Roman Catholic. Marianna (1835) married Ignacy Pirog, a Greek Catholic shoemaker from Przonek. Michał (1837) died at age 40, unmarried. Julianna (1841) married Grzegorz Niedźwiedź, a furrier. Franciszek (1847) died at age two. All the witnesses to the births, marriages and deaths were furriers, shoemakers, watchmakers, hunters and farmers. ***** Deaths of Andrzej and Salomea: ***** When Andrzej died at age 62, on September 18, 1861 at 2:00 a.m., his friends and family returned the favor of reporting his death. His son Jozef and another furrier, Mikolaj Tracznaki went two days later on September 20 at 4:00 pm and presented themselves and confirmed his death. Andrzej and Salomea had been married 38 years. ***** Salomea died on April 24 1877 at age 73, 16 years after her husband. The declarants went the next day to report her death. They were Józef, 48 (her son) and Walenty Lisikiewicz, both farmers from Tomaszów. They were both illiterate so the document was read aloud to them and signed by the priest. ***** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galicia_(Eastern_Europe) Uhnów information https://www.ukraine.com/forums/forum/personals/genealogy/5374-town-of-uhnow-rawa-ruska Poverty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_Austrian_Galicia Tomaszów information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomasz%C3%B3w_Lubelski https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/Tomaszów-lubelski https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/Tomaszów-lubelski