Why did The Neidvied Family Move from Uhnow, Galicia to Tomaszow? (Curt Wolf's Story)

Curt Wolf was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is my 4th cousin. As you can see from the picture, his relative Juliana Kaszucka married a Niedzwiedz. Julianna and my 2x great grandfather Jozef were siblings. The family she married into also originated In Uhnow so he has been trying to determine why they moved: Why did our family move from Uhnow, Galicia to Tomaszow? In the last letter (Part 6), I mentioned that the Niedvieds came from UHNOW (now Ukraine) to Tomaszow in the very early 1800s. Thanks to Paulette Longwell's research, I discovered probable reasons why. In the late 1700s, the Austrian assumed power over an area just south of Tomaszow called Galicia. Uhnow was in Galicia. With new international border came the cutting off trade routes to Uhnow. The Hapsburgs, who ruled Austria at the time, didn’t want this area to focus on trade anyway. They solely wanted it to be agricultural to produce food for the Empire. Furthermore, Austria raised taxes and a famine began early in the 1800s. Above that, the Austrians began conscripting men into their Army. Our family had no allegiance to this this new dominating Power so for all the reasons above they moved to Tomaszow. Ironically, the same Hapsburgs that were making it hard on our Niedzwiedzki ancestors were the ones that had given our Eifler relatives opportunity a decade or so earlier.

Why did Kaszucki’s move from Uhnow to Tomaszów Lubelski?

Why did Kaszucki’s move from Uhnow to Tomaszów Lubelski? Uhniv is approximately two miles from the current Poland-Ukraine border but at the time Uhniv would have been in Galicia. By the current route, they would have moved about 300 miles away from home We know that Andrzej (3rd great grandfather)and his two brothers Teodore and Fedory were born in Uhnow between 1791 and 1802. By 1816, Teodore married in Tomaszow. At that point their mother Agata Krzackowska was alive in Uhnow but their father Lukasz was deceased. Andrzej married Salomea Wiciejewska in 1827 in Tomaszów Lubelski at age 24. Why did the brothers leave Uhnow for Tomaszów Lubelski at that particular time period? ********** Around the time their parents were born, the First Partition of Poland occurred in 1772. This resulted in an area, including Uhniv, being awarded to the Habsburg Empress Maria-Theresa, the only female Hapsburg ruler. The family ruled Austria and other countries. This annexing of a large area to Austria from a weakened Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth resulted in Uhnow becoming part of an area called the province of Galicia. The area was ethnically diverse: Polish, Ruthenians (the people later known as Ukrainians and Rusyns), Jewish and others. Ruthenians predominated in this eastern area. The Poles on the west side were Roman Catholic and the Ukrainians were Greek Catholic. There is evidence from the marriage records that the Kaszucki’s were Greek Catholic. The area they lived in was mostly Ukrainian, rather than Polish. These new borders cut off some trade and markets. Additionally, the Austrian government didn’t want industry to develop in this area, instead expecting it to remain agricultural to provide food and raw materials for other Hapsburg provinces. These limits and new taxes resulted in poverty, with the area the Kaszucki family was living in being the poorest province in Austro-Hungary. Famines began in the early 1800s and continued off and on up to the 1900’s. The Austrian government also conscripted men from this area for the imperial army. ********** Based on this limited knowledge, it seems that the three Kaszucki siblings made their way to Tomaszow Lubelski before 1816 for one of them and possibly shortly after for the other two. The town was founded as Jelitow at the end of the 16th century by Jan Zamoyski who named it Tomaszow in 1613 for his son, Tomasz. From 1772 to 1809, Tomaszow was under Austrian rule. After 1815 it was under the independent Congress Poland. That might be why the first brother went there (as evidenced by his wedding the following year.) Unfortunately, the independent Kingdom of Poland was short lived. The town included many laborers involved in flour mills, wood processing, weaving, tailors, shoemakers and leather tanning. The Kaszucki’s had been furriers in Ulnow so came with the skill of leather tanning. It seems likely that the three Kaszucki siblings made their way to Tomaszow 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 Orthdox.********** Part 6 of Curt Wolf’s Chasing Polish Heritage about the Niedzwiedz family coming from the same area will be posted tomorrow. Check out the Facebook page for Andrzej Kaszucki's resume. ********** Photo: By Viacheslav Galievskyi - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21711724

The Wealthy in Uhnow

Uhniv had several philanthropists that contributed to the community. Learning about them helps me understand a little about the community that Andrzej and his brothers left behind. These improvements happened after they lived there. We know his mother was alive and still living when he married in Tomaszow Lubelski and probably there were siblings there too. Stepan and Pelagia Zhukovsky became wealthy in the cattle and lumber trades. A local priest suggested they support various causes. They expanded and remodeled the local church in 1855 to 1857. In 1872 they built a dormitory for “Ruthenian Students” for the boys of Uhniv., a chapel at the cemetery. They left part of their property to the church when they died in 1875 (Stepan) and 1879 (Pelagia.) After World War 1, in 1924, the dormitory was converted into a convent for Ukrainian Catholic nuns. Maxim Lysiak’s estate went to the construction of a church belfry. Flisovsky built a house for people who were indigent. https://www.historiaregionu.org/uhnow Theodore Reshetylo "Welfare Foundations in Uhniv" Photo credit: https://www.historiaregionu.org/uhnow?lightbox=dataItem-ipd0jfe7

School in Ukraine

It is likely that when they were younger Andrzej Kaszucki and his two brothers (my 3rd great grandfather) attended school in Uhniv (now in the Ukraine) before they moved to Tomaszow Lubelskie as young adults. School in Uhniv is documented back as far as 1470. Sigismond from Radzanov, the proprietor of the city started a Roman Catholic school. It had three grades for boys only. It appears that children entered school at age 6 or 7. Religion was taught by the priests of the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic rites. The Kaszucki family was Greek Catholic and Fedora and Theodore Kaszucki may have attended somewhere between 1797 and 1803. At about the point that Andrzej Kaszucki (my 3rd great grandfather) would have been entering school, it was Polish in nature until 1804 when the Ukrainians of Uhniv wanted it to become Ukrainian. At that point, administration was shared by the city and Roman Catholic administration. The transition wasn’t completed until the 1850s when it became a Greek Catholic school since Greek Catholics at that point were the majority in the city. The Roman Catholic pastor was able to establish a girl’s school at this point. http://www.remer.org/genealogy/memorial_book/historical_summary_hivniv.html Stepan Bozhyk: "History of Schools in Uhniv" A local couple, Stepan and Pelagia Zhukovsky made their fortune in cattle and lumber and a local priest suggested they donate to education, the church and the poor. In 1872, they created a dormitory for “Ruthenian Students” which had two large halls and living quarters for the administrator. It was designed for the boys of Uhniv, especially the relatives of Stepan and Pelagia who were childless. The third and fourth grade boys lived in one hall and education, meetings, choir rehearsals etc. took place in the other. Besides their lessons, they worked on church singing and the reading of the Cyrillic alphabet. Students who went to a high school got a scholarship of 120 kromen for each of their four years. Andrzej, Fidory & Theodore Kaszucki were in Tomaszow Lubelski by this point. It is possible they had siblings that stayed in the area and benefitted from this. https://www.historiaregionu.org/uhnow Theodore Reshetylo "Welfare Foundations in Uhniv"

Daily Life in the Ukraine

Houses in town were similar to the peasant houses nearby. At first they were covered with straw and later with tin. The walls were painted with white lime and the wooden floors were washed weekly. Usually there was a sizable living room, a hallway, a small room and a pantry. In the living room would be a large table with a bench and some chairs. The room would have a large bed with a canopy and a sideboard for dishes. A shelf along the ceiling would hold any books or other items. A large stove would be between this room and the hall. In the pantry the grain, vegetables and clothing were stored and below it would be a cellar. Women generally took care of the laundry, cooking and baking and also took care of the cattle and chickens. Men worked in the fields and did heavier chores. Richer families would hire seasonal workers to work the fields. Since around the 1850s children went to high schools and universities. Houses were kept clean and there was knowledge of personal hygiene but epidemics were still frequent, especially tuberculosis. There also were a lot of mosquitos due to the marshlands. Malnutrition and the lack of medical care contributed to many deaths, especially among children of high school age. People in Uhniv were religious and attended church regularly. They worked hard and generally owned their own land and raised animals and food. They also worked in trades like shoe making, tannery, carpentry. The Kaszucki family is listed as furriers There were also poor families and wealthy ones. The wealthy were the Zhukovskys, the Kaminskys, the Gumovskys, the Trusevyches and others. https://www.historiaregionu.org

Ukrainian church history

Eastern Catholic churches are in full communion with the Pope in Rome but are distinct from the Roman Catholic Churches. Catholics are encouraged to attend church in any of the other rites and receive sacraments there. Because the Eastern and Roman Catholic church are in union with each other, there are similarities such as keeping the seven sacraments and acceptance of the Pope as the head of the church. There are some differences between Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic Churches. There are differences in how they celebrate mass, art, organization and church law. The differences though are not as black and white as they once were and there are variations in different groups of Eastern rite churches. In many Eastern rite churches, married men are allowed to become priests. The sacraments have some differences. Baptism is by immersion rather than sprinkling. An infant receives three sacraments at once--baptism, confirmation and eucharist. The anointing of the sick is not just done to an individual. There are several different rites related to celebrating Mass. The Latin liturgical rites (Roman or Western liturgical rites) would be the one used by Roman Catholic churches. The Eastern churches follow one of several different rites depending on the church and affiliation. The one most familiar to us is probably the Eastern rite (also known as Byzantine rite or the Rite of Constantinople.) The mass is sung and the prayers are different. The history of the Eastern Catholic church involves confusion and conversions for political reasons. Greek Catholicism was more common in Western Ukraine because of mandates of the Polish-Lithuanian state. Orthodoxy was more common in Eastern Ukraine. The Kaszuckis were from Western Ukraine. My description is very minimalist and focused mostly on the time of history of our relatives--not the whole history of the church. I also am trying to tread lightly to not insult anyone or anything unintentionally. For instance, I attended a zoom workshop on Ukrainian church history which was very over my head. I learned that the term “Uniate” is considered insulting to some people who practice according to the Easter rite religion. This term shows up in a lot of the translations I received because it meant that the Eastern church was in Union with the Western Church. Later, some Eastern churches did not appreciate that they were being called by this affiliation Again, I am only scratching the surface in describing the objection. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/search?q=Uniate (download of pdf from conference https://www.thecompassnews.org/2011/11/do-you-know-differences-between-roman-byzantine-catholic-churches/v retrieved 1/29/2020

Kaszucki Family & the Greek Catholic Church in Uhnów

The Kaszucki family was Greek Catholic and came from Uhnów (Ulanów) which was part of Galicia and now is part of Ukraine. Uhnów had a Roman Catholic and a Ukrainian Greek Catholic (Uniate) church inside the town. There was also an Ukrainian Orthodox parish which was originally in town but because of an earlier struggle with the Greek Catholic Church, it was transferred outside the city walls. By the 18th century, both were Uniate and in 1804, they merged into one parish. It is possible the Kaszucki family went to either the Greek Catholic inside the town or the one that was outside town. https://www.pbase.com/jolka/image/90240216 photo of church https://www.historiaregionu.org/uhnow?lightbox=dataItem-k790fe5b image

More Information about Uhnów

Here is some more information about the town of Uhniv or Ulanow. Of the eight sets of 4th great grandparents, one set--the Kaszucki family--originated in an area that is now in Ukraine. The town of Uhniv is situated in former Eastern Galicia, or Western Ukraine. It is on the right bank of the Solokia River, which flows eastward into the Buh River and which together with the latter carries its waters into the Vistula River and the Baltic Sea. The territory of the town, with the surrounding fields,iwas about 9 square miles in 1934 and a population of 4,212 residing in 885 dwellings. The center or the town, known as the rynok (square), is located on a plateau dominating the marshy valley of the river. The town is in the form of a rectangle, tapered in the eastern direction; this tapered part is known as the "Suburb." Four principal streets converged in the center (rynok) of the town: Rava, Belz, Kariv and Church Streets. Southeast from the square was the Ukrainian Catholic Church, toward the southwestern side the Roman Catholic Church. Between the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches, there were three synagogues. The Greek Catholic Church is the church the Kaszucki family would have attended. On both sides of the square were stalls used for market days. The people engaged in trade and agriculture. The artisans were organized in guilds. The area was famous for shoemaking. In the 16th and 17th century there were only wooden buildings so there were frequent fires. Their city was also ravaged by pestilence and other calamities ,including Tartar raids. Just outside of the town there were several cemeteries: a general cemetery opposite the Greek Catholic parish house, a cemetery for cholera victims, and a 1915 military. A Jewish cemetery was behind the courthouse. There was once a monastery in the town for monks that followed the way of St. Basil. There was an Orthodox church outside the walls of the city. The immediate area is a very agricultural zone with man made irrigation canals The town itself is on the south side of the "Solokia" river ( which feeds the irrigation canals ). The railway stop was used mainly during the Soviet period for crops and grain grown in the vicinity. The area is flatlands with oak and fir trees dominating the small forests around the town. Revised and edited from: http://www.remer.org/genealogy/memorial_book/historical_summary_hivniv.html https://www.facebook.com/216532571884064/photos/odr%C4%99czna-mapa-uhnowa-wykonana-na-prze%C5%82omie-xix-i-xx-wieku-z-czym-kojarzono-uhn%C3%B3w/875667535970561/

Uhnów in Galicia Austria -Origin of 4th great grandparents Kaszucki

Yesterday I told you about Fedory and Teodor and that they were born in Ulanów. It is now in the Ukraine. It was part of Galicia owned by Austria during the time period that these records are from. The location is referred to as "Uhnev" in Ukrainian. In Polish, it is Uhnów or Ulanów. It is also known as Ugnov/Ugnuv/ UhnСw/Ugnev. Obviously due to my lack of language and history knowledge, I have no idea of the reasons for the variations. Fedor’s name is an Ukrainian form of the English name Theodore. The two similarly named brothers, along with their brother Andrzej (my 3rd great grandfather) moved to Tomaszow when they were young men, before they married. It is approximately two miles south of the present Polish/Ukraine border. It is about 30 miles to the city of Tomaszow. It looks like you have to travel south before you can connect to a road to get to Tomaszow. Google Maps says, "This route has tolls. This route crosses a country border.Your destination is in a different time zone." It was under Austria in the Province of Galicia up to 1918. My 4th great grandparents, Lukasz Kaszuki, a furrier, and Agata nee Kraczk, lived there and likely had other children that remained there. Andrzej and his brothers were born there in the 1790 to 1800 era. By 1816, one brother was marrying in Tomaszow and in 1823, Andzej was also marrying a woman from Tomaszow, in Tomaszow. I do not profess to understand the geography or the history of all this and am giving a simplified and probably not completely accurate account. 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. Photo credit: Uhnow | historiaregionu Regionally dressed peasants in Uhnow-Rawa-Poddubce region in a photo of a 19th century painting by Zygmunt Ajdukiewicz https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10222479153154792&set=p.10222479153154792&type=3&theater