The Story of Walenty Grabek & Theresa Walawender

The tradition of naming children based on the name days of saints was common in Poland. Walenty is often used for sons born on or near the Feast Day of St. Valentine. The Latin version Venentinus led to some records calling the boy Valentine. I have a few examples of Walenty/Valentine in my family tree. Walenty Grabek (my 4x great grandfather) was born in 1768 approximately. I don’t have access to his birth record to see if he was born on February 14. Walenty Wiciejewski (a 3x great uncle on the maternal side) was born February 9, 1824. Walenty Kupka was born February 14, 1822. He was the husband of my 5th cousin Katarzyna Kiszczynska. Other Walentys include Kurkiewicz, Gdańsk, Kowal, Przybysz, Kwiatkowski, and Gogulski. I have only found two children for him and his wife Teresa nee Walawender -- Lukasz (my 3rd great grandfather) and Zofia. Łukasz (abt. 1798) married Katarzyna Krawczyk from Łaszczówka and farmed in Majdan Górny. Zofia (abt. 1799) married Michał Kozyra and also farmed in Majdan Górny. Walenty Grabek died on March 19, 1812 at 6:00 in the evening in house #11 in Górno. He was only 44 years old. One of the witnesses -- Marcin Walewender -- was his wife’s brother. The other witness was Jan Prsybysz. They were both his neighbors. Eleven months after his death, his widowed wife Teresa re-married to Grzegorz Lebiedowski. Her husband’s death is listed in this marriage record except he is called Jozef -- not Walenty -- and the death is reported as January 1811 --not March 1812. Someone made an error in this record because later records when his children get married are clear that his name was Walenty. Teresa (my 3rd great-grandmother) and her second husband Gregorz Lebediowski had one child Agnieszka (1815) . Agniezka married Jan Steciuk/Styciuk in Grodek. Teresa died on September 23, 1840 in the village Grodek, at the age of 70. Her husband Grezegorz and her son Lukasz reported the death. Grzegorz died 14 years later on April 18, 1854 in Podhorce. His son-in-law Jan Styciuk and Antoni Knop, another peasant farmer. He must have remarried since he left behind a widowed wife Marya.

The Story of Rozalia nee Kobak ^ Kazimierz Krawczyk

Besides the Raczkiewicz family (Pawel and Franciszka) originating from Łaszczówka, another branch of the family also originated from there. Łaszczówka is a village about one mile east of Tomaszów Lubelski. It currently has about 1,000 residents. Krwawczyk family members lived there for several generations. I can trace three generations of Krawczyks in Łaszczówka. Kazmierez Krawczyk (my 5x great grandfather) and Rozalia nee Kobak (my 5x great grandmother) lived and died there. Kazimierz was born about 1748 and Rozalia sometime between 1764 and 1768. They worked as peasant farmers. Their children were Antoni, my 4x great grandfather (abt. 1779), Franciszek (abt. 1782), Wojciech (abt. 1791), Bartlomiej (about 1793) and Lukasz (abt. 1779.) Antoni was a peasant farmer in Łaszczówka, married to two women from Łaszczówka: first married to Dorota Kozyra for twenty years and then to Barbara Probola. There is no information on Franciszek. When their son Wojciech was married in 1812 to Rozalia Kukiz, the record reports that they were residing in Łosiniec. They may have moved there and then moved back or this could be an error. Her family and the witnesses were from Łosiniec. Their son Bartłomiej was a blacksmith residing in Łaszczówka, who married Anna Biszczard, whose family was farmers residing in Ruda. Lucasz was a peasant farmer residing in Sznury, married to Marianna Bucior. Rozalia died in house #5 in Łaszczów on November 27 1814 at 2:00 in the afternoon. She was 50 years old. Reporting the death two days later in Tomaszów, were her husband Kazimierz, 60, working as a peasant farmer in Łaszczów and Jakub Kraczkiewicz, 50, a neighbor. Kazimierz lived nine more years. He was a 75 year-old widower when he died on March 16, 1823, at 1:00 in the morning. His two sons, Wojciech and Bartłomiej, 30, went to report the death in Tomaszow Lubelski. They were both peasants. Kazimierz lived with his son Wojciech and Wojciech’s wife Rozalia when he died in their house #10 in Łaszczówka. Kazimierz probably moved in with them sometime after 1814 when his wife Rozalia died. Both his wife and his daughter-in-law were named Rozalia. Kazimierz and Rozalia’s children all died in Łaszczówka except for Lukasz, who died in Sznury.

The Story of Jan Raczkiewicz

We don’t have a picture of Jan Raszkiewicz (my great grandfather.) He was born on November 7, 1864 in Sabaudia, Poland 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. Jan’s parents had been born and raised as peasants in Majdan Gorny 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. They had moved and were peasants in Sabaudia at this time. The witnesses who helped report the birth were Jakób Herda, 32, and Jan Skorcz, 30, peasant farmers from the same area. Jakub was the father’s brother-in-law. Jan was baptized the next day and his Godparents were Jakób Herda and Magdalena Bendrowa. His birth record is #280 and during this time period, many of the family records have their last name written as Raszkiewicz (with an “s”) rather than Raczkiewicz (with a “c.”) ***** One of the first translations that I received when I started learning family history was the marriage record of Jan Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna nee Kaszucka (my great grandparents.) Jan and Katarzyna Kaszucka were wed in Tomaszów Lubelski on November 15, 1885, when she was 16 years old according to the record, but actually 14 and ½ years old, according to her actual birth record. Jan was 21 years old. Katarzyna was born in the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. Parents of the bride were Jozef 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 Tomaszow and worked as a furrier. Witnesses for the wedding were Katarzyna’s father Jozef Kaszucki, 50, and Jan Skurcz, 50, a farmer in the village of Sabaudia. ***** Earlier, Jan had inherited land which later made it possible for him to marry. The information about his will was provided by Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz, his 2x great grandson. On November 4, 1882, Michał Raczkiewicz (my 3x great grandfather) died. He was Jan’s grandfather. Michałl had three sons who died in childhood, Marcin had died at age 25 and Jan’s father Antoni had died at age 26. That left the oldest son Jan and his son Jakub to potentially inherit his farm. Jan, age 57, was already farming land in Majdan Gorny, possibly from his wife’s family. Jakub had moved to Jezernia, where the family of his wife Katarzyna Kedrak lived. That left grandson Jan to be named in the will. Three years later Jan married. ***** His wife, Katarzyna Kaszucka (my grandfather’s mother) was born 21 April 1871 in the town of Tomaszow Lubelskie to Jozef Kaszucki and his second wife Paulina nee Kurkiewicz. Jozef 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 together. 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.) Curt mentioned that our families are therefore spiritually linked as well as geneticallyrelated. ***** When Kataryna’s father Stefan Jozef died (date unknown), he did not make a will since Katarzyna was his only remaining relative. He had two wives and seven children. Only Katarzyna made it to adulthood and both wives were deceased when Stefan Jozef died. ***** Jan and Katarzyna lived in Sabaudia and their nine children were born there. Their births were: Jan (1888), Jozef (1891), Antoni (1893), Stanislawa (1895), Piotr (1897), Mary (1899), Paulina (1901), Franciszek (1904), and Boleslaw (1906). Some stories have emerged about Jan related to his children. Eugeneniusz 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 dotted it. They were called "szczudraki".” Jan encouraged his 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, Jozef 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 Raczkiewicz, “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 Tomaszów Lubelski in October 1913 which he traveled by car instead of cart or carriage. I have summarized his description and the link (below) goes to the full version. From the month of May until the end of September, an automobile went twice a day on a route through Tomaszow and to Lublin. There were white stones along both sides of the road for driving at night. The route passed a Russian customs stop where the people in charge spoke Polish. The Cossacks had a building there, serving as border guards. 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 Tomaszow mostly negatively. He saw what he described as the “hideous, green painted towers” of the Orthodox church as he approached the city of Tomaszow. The city was full of shops, stalls and mud. A horse pulling a cart struggled in the black mud. 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, my grandfather Anthony and his brother Joseph arrived in the U.S. https://www.historiaregionu.org/tomaszw-lubelski ***** 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 for me to know for sure why he died at the early age of 50. World War 1 was happening and “in the summer of 1914 fierce battles raged around Tomaszow Lubelski and a fire broke out there, destroying many houses. In the summer of 1915 the area was conquered by the Austrians and the Germans.” Austria was in the middle of a cholera epidemic. There was an outbreak of typhus that had just started in Russia.. So was it related to the war or the illnesses that caused the death of Jan? More answers were provided by Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz, his grandson, on March 9, 2022. ***** The work he did transporting “gentleman” was likely difficult for Jan. “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.” Jan’s death record was not available to me online since it happened only a little over 100 years ago. Andrzej Dubiel was able to get it from a Polish archive and shared it with me. I learned from Act 53 of the death record of 1915, that Jan died on March 8 (or February 23 Julian/Russian calendar) at 5:00 in the evening. Jan was 50 years old and his death record reported that he was born and living in Sabaudia, he was the son of Antoni Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna Grabek and he left behind widow Katarzyna Kaszucka. 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 went and declared the death. ***** When Jan died, the six remaining children in Poland were between nine and 20 years old. The youngest child, Boleslaw, would have been nine years old (he is the grandfather of Tomasz and Jacek Rączkiewicz.) Their second youngest child Paulina would have been 14 years old (she is the grandmother of Andrzej Dubiel.) 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. ***** Katarzyna lived another 29 years after her husband Jan died but did not ever remarry. Neither Jan nor Katarzyna had living siblings but they both had a lot of cousins. Katarzyna died March 11, 1944 in Sabaudia as a 73 year old widow. Reporting the death was her son Bolesław, a 37 year old farmer and Bronislaw Skurcz, a neighbor. When she died her son Franciszek had been killed the year before in the Rotunda in Zamosc and her three oldest children had lived in the U.S. for several decades. Stanislawa, Piotr, Paulina and Boleslaw lived in the area and were raising families of their own. ***** This picture came from Andrzej Dubiel (my 2nd cousin.) He got it from Anna (another 2nd cousin) who has these pictures . Anna is a granddaughter of Paulina Dubiel (my great aunt.) Her father and Andrzej’s father were brothers. Paulina lived with Anna's parents. Andrzej doesn’t know when the pictures were taken but thought Katarzyna looks old in it, so estimated about 1940. Based on the clothing and background, it seems like it could be older. What are your guesses?

The Story of Franciszek Golebiowski

When looking at genealogical records, the same last name may appear in lots of variations. Some of it is a spelling or handwriting alteration such as c and s in Raczkiewicz and Raszkiewicz. Many times it is because of Polish grammar. Polish grammar is very challenging for me! The nuns at St. Adalbert's had my class diagramming sentences so we grew up knowing English pretty well. Polish children must do something similar. Nouns may change for gender (masculine, feminine, and neuter) for number (singular and plural) and for case (direct object, indirect object, possession, interrogatives, prepositional, and vocative--addressing people in special situations.) ***** The death record for Fracniszek Golebiewski makes me think about all the different ways a last name may be spelled. When looking for records, there were ones with spelling differences: Gołeb versus Gołąb, but the most fascinating variations have to do with the declination of the word: Gołębiów, Gołębiówski, Gołębiów, Gołębia, Gołębiewski, etc. ***** By the way, it also turns out that the word “Gołąb” means pigeon. I wonder what occupation or reason there originally was for “Pigeon” being used as a last name. ***** -------------------------------------------- Franciszek Golebioski (my 5x great-grandfather) was a peasant farmer in Majdan Górny, a village that was important to several parts of the family tree. During the time period that they lived in Majdan Górny, there were 133 houses and 776 inhabitants. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdan_G%C3%B3rny Currently, it has a population of 1,300. It is four miles east of the city of Tomaszów Lubelski. The village of Majdan Górny was founded at the beginning of the 18th century and takes its name from Górno, ***** Franciszek and his wife Katarzyna nee Chmiel had three children (that I could find, maybe more) who continued farming in Majdan Gorny: Michal (born approximately 1763-1778), Apolonia (born approximately 1792), and Paweł (approximately 1787-1800). Apolonia (my 4x great grandmother) married Jan Raczkiewicz and Pawel married Elżbieta Przybysz from Tomaszów, whose family were peasant farmers. ***** Their son Michal had the most complicated story of the siblings. It looks like Michal wasn’t quite as lucky as his siblings and was married three, maybe four times. The translator that helped thought it might be four, maybe five times. His first wife was Jagnieszka and according to several trees on “Ancestry,” she and Michal had a son Szymon in Zgrzbeiny but that is very far away and I have been unable to verify if that is true The name Michal Golebiowski was a common name like the name “John Smith is in the United States. Therefore, there is a likelihood that there was a different Michal married to a different Jagnieszka that are being confused. ***** Jagnieszka died November 30, 1811 in house #96 in Majdan Gorny. Michal’s second wife was Rozalia Gorbula, His first wife Agnes died about two months earlier. The first bann was announced January 19 and the second one was three days before the wedding. Because they were hurrying to marry, it is possible that he had young children that needed care. Rozalia presented an Act of Knowing from the Tomaszów Court of Peace stating her age and her parents weren’t present or mentioned so they may have been deceased. ***** When Michal married his fourth wife on February 7, 1825, the marriage record referred to his third wife’s funeral record but it didn’t name her. Did they mean his second wife?. For this marriage, Michal was a 58 year old widower and the bride was 41 year old Marianna (Sawiak) Dzierowa. She also was widowed and her former husband, a peasant farmer in Majdan Górny, had died 17 years before. ***** Wife 1: Agnieszka or Jagnieszka Wife 2: Rozalia Gorbula Wife 3: Unknown or was it Rozalia? Wife 4: Marianna (Sawiak) Dzierowa ***** Franciszek died on February 13, 1813, at 10:00 in the morning. He died at home (number 20) in Majdan Gorny. He was sixty years old when he died so he was born in approximately the year 1753. The birth year is assumed from the age in the wedding and death records. One declarant reporting his death was his son Michal, a 40-year old peasant farmer residing in Gurnia, who had married two weeks earlier. The other declarant was Jan Raszkiewicz, age 38, and a neighbor. Figuring out which “Jan Raszkiewicz” it likely was, is a process of determining what makes sense. The record doesn’t say this but Jan was likely one of my 4th great grandparents who was married to Franciszek’s daughter Apolonia. ***** Katarzyna also died in February, seven years later. She died at 6:00 in the evening on February 20, 1813 in house number 30 in Gorno. She was 80 years old and a widow. She had seen her son Michal married at least four times, her daughter Apolonia married to Jan Raczkiewicz with nine children. Her son Paweł had married the year before Katarzyna’s death. He was 35 years old when he went with Jan Raszkiewicz (his brother-in-law), the 36 year old husband of his sister Apolonia to report his mother’s death. They left Górny two days after her death and went into Tomaszów Lubelski and reported to the authorities at 10:00 in the morning.

The Story of Marianna Grabek

“Presented himself Łukasz Grabek, a peasant from Majdan Górny, age 45 and in the presence of witnesses Tomasz Krawczyk, age 28 and Andrzej Typek, age 41, both peasants from Majdan Górny and showed us a female child born in Majdan Górny on 10th of this current month and year at 3 o'clock in the morning from his wife Katarzyna née Krawczyk, age 40. This child during Holy Baptism today was given the name Maryanna and the Godparents were the above-mentioned Tomasz Krawczyk and Katarzyna Krawczyk.” (Genealogical Translations FB page, 5/18/2020 Dorothy Woloszczuk ) This is how the translated record reads of Marianna Grabek (my 2x great grandmother) who was born in Tomaszów on February 10, 1843. ***** The Godparent, Tomasz Krawczyk, was her uncle. The Godmother had the same name as her mother but was her mother’s sister-in-law. . Marianna’s mother came from Laszczowka and moved to Majdan Gorny when she married her husband Lukasz. Marianna’s parents were married for twenty years before they had her, the youngest in the family. Two of her five siblings made it to adulthood. ***** The nineteen year old girl from Majdan Gorny married 20 year old Antoni Raczkiewicz, who also was born there but was living in Sabaudia. The marriage was on November 16, 1862, in Tomaszow. The groom’s parents, Michal Raczkiewicz and Anna Dominik were also born in Majdan Gorny but were peasant farmers in Sabaudia. ***** Antoni was the 11th of 13 children born to their family. His youngest sister Anna was born in Sabaudia, dating the family's arrival there to approximately 1850. Antoni’s older brother Marcin Raczkiewicz, 40, was one of the witnesses. The second one was Jakub Herda, 45, a peasant farmer from Gorno, who was married to Antoni’s older sister Marianna. ***** Antoni and Marianna had two children together: Jan (1864) and Marianna (1867). Marianna’s husband Antoni died on July 1, 1868, at the young age of 26. Their daughter Marianna died a month later. Her son Jan (my great grandfather) was four years old when his father passed away. ***** Marianna (Grabek) Raczkiewicz (my 2x great grandmother) married her second husband, Tomasz Kędra, on February 13, 1871, about two and a half years later. Tomasz was born and lived in the village Jeziernia. He was the 20 years old son of Michał Kędra and Anastazja nee Król, both already deceased. Katarzyna’s parents were also already deceased. The witnesses were Jan Skurcz, 38 years old, and Michal Bender,35 years old, both peasants, living in the village of Sabaudia. Marianna was 25 years old and was living in the village of Sabaudia when she married Tomasz. Her son Jan was seven years old. Tomasz had never been married before and had no children. ***** Tomasz and Marianna had two children – Jozef (1871) and Katarzyna (1873). On February 15, 1881, Marianna died. Surviving her were her husband and children Jan, age 17, Jozef, age 10, and Katarzyna, age 8. Her 34 year old husband reported the death along with Jan Raczkiewicz, age 45. ***** A few months later, Tomasz married again, this time to Anna Raczkiewicz, age 19, on May 8, 1881. This was the second marriage for both of them. Anna was the daughter of Jan Raczkiewicz and Katarzyna nee Pisarczyk from Gorno. (So she would have been the niece of Marianna’s deceased husband Antoni Raczkiewicz.) This couple would be my step great grandmother and step great grandfather. ***** What happened to the children of the original couple, my 2x great grandparents Antoni Raczkiewicz and Marianna Grabek? Their daughter Marianna died as a one year old right after her father Antoni died. Jan (my great grandfather) was 18 years old, and four years away from being married himself. The children of Marianna and her second husband Tomasz were eight eight years old (Katarzyna) and ten years old (Jozef.) Katarzyna later married Wojciech Typek of Majdan Gorny and was a widow when she died at age 45 in 1918. Jozef married Jozefa Skurz in 1905 at the age of 35. He was already married in Austrian Galicia and this act registered the children they had – Katarzyna (b. 1897) and Wladyslawa (b. 1901) – were legitimized by this act. The explanation in the record is that the delay was for an external reason, independent of their will. ***** I am unsure if Tomasz and Anna went on to have their own children but they likely did.

The Story of Antoni Krawczyk & Dorota Kozyra

A period of mourning is typical before a spouse remarries. The length of the mourning period may have been short in Poland in the past, especially if there were young children involved. Anthony Krawczyk (my 4x great grandfather) wed Barbara Probola on May 22, 1824. This was Antoni’s second marriage. His wife Dorota (Kozrya) Krawczyk (my 4x great grandmother) died two months earlier on March 22, 1824 when she was 45 years old. Her death was reported by Antoni Krawczyk, 42, her husband, and Jozef Litwin, 60, a neighbor in Laszczowka where they lived. Her death information was in the record for her husband's remarriage two months later to Barbara Probola. ***** Barbara was 32 years old and the daughter of Sebastyan Probola and Anna nee Bartnim, who were once peasant farmers but were deceased when Barbara married. Barbara was living with her brother-in-law in Łaszczówka. Antoni was a 42 year old peasant farmer residing in Łaszczówka. His parents also were once peasant farmers in the same village but were deceased. ***** Having children that needed care might explain why Antoni remarried so quickly. Antoni and his first wife had seven children together and at least four of them were living when he remarried, Three of them lived at home and the youngest was six years old. His oldest daughter Katarzyna (my 3x great grandmother) was married November 1823, four months before her mother died. ***** Antoni worked as a peasant farmer in Łaszczówka. His parents Kazimierz Krawczyk and Rozalia nee Kubak were from this village in the mid 1700s and many of his children remained there (my 3x great grandmother moved to Majdan Gorny when she married and her daughter Marianna Grabek - my 2x great grandmother - moved to Sabaudia when she married.) There is a Łaszczówka and a Łaszczówka-Kolonia and I think they lived in the one that is not the colony, but I am not sure. They are not that far apart. Łaszczówka is a village about one mile east of Tomaszów Lubelski in Tomaszów Lubelski County, Lublin Voivodeship (area administered by a governor.) It has about 1,000 residents. It was a town from the mid 1500s until 1870 and it regained its status as a town in 2010. It is the seat of the gmina (community) called Gmina Łaszczów. From a record on the Kaszucki side, I believe there was an estate there that produced tobacco. One son-in-law worked as a servant, perhaps on this estate. ***** Antoni’s children with Dorota were Katarzyna (about 1800 - 1803), Marianna (1807), Mikołaj (1809), Marianna (1814), Łukasz (1811), Tomasz (1815), and Franciszka (1818). Mikołaj and Marianna died young at age one and age three. The first Marianna likely died though her record was not available. Katarzyna (my 3x great grandmother) married Łukasz Grabek, a peasant from Majdan Gorny, living with his mother and stepfather. Łukasz married Katarzyna Litwin whose parents were peasants from Łaszczówka. Tomasz married Dorota Kozyra from Łaszczówka who was living in Tomaszów with her uncle since her parents were deceased and then they lived in Sznury. Franciszka married Sebastian Rejman whose parents were peasant farmers from Ruda Woska. ***** Antoni and his second wife Barbara had an additional four children: Marianna (1825), Agnieszka (1828), Maciej (1830), and Wawrzyniec (1833). Marianna married Marcin Jakubus, born in Majdan Górny, but working as a servant in Łaszczówka. Agnieszka married Jakub Kozyra, a peasant farmer born in Majdan Górny and living in Bondyrz. Maciej married Ewa Rejman, from Ruda Woloski. Ewa was the sister of Sebastian Rejman, married to Ewa’s half sister Franciszka ten years earlier. Wawrzyniec married Katarzyna (Krupa) Dziura, a widow from Łaszczówka. ***** Antoni died in Laszczowka on February 4, 1841 when he was 60 years old. He left behind his second wife Barbara. His older children of Dorota were all married when he died. His children with Barbara were eight to sixteen years old. I am unable to find out if Barbara remarried.

The Life of Wanda (Kufta) Kozicki)

“She needs no books, nor worms, nor hooks; There’s bait enough in her bright eyes.” Wanda Kufta’s Muskegon Heights High School senior yearbook had this line next to her name when she graduated in 1946. Apparently, the “bait” worked and Wanda, age 23, successfully “fished” for a husband and married Joseph Kozicki on October 7, 1950. The wedding took place at St. Michael’s Church in Muskegon, Michigan. I do not have a wedding picture. Wanda and Joseph had three children: Michael, John and Ann Marie (deceased). Joseph was in the United States Army Air Corp during World War II and later worked for Construction Aggregates in Ferrysburg, Michigan. Wanda worked as a telephone operator for Michigan Bell in Spring Lake, Michigan. ***** Wanda (Kufta) Koszicki (my 1rst cousin 1x removed) was born February 1, 1927 in Muskegon, Michigan. Her parents were Frank Kufta and Mary (Raczkiewicz) Kufta. Frank was a 34-year-old foundry worker and Mary was 27 years old. They were married the year before. Wanda’s birth Wanda was the firstborn of three daughters: Irene, who was born a year later in 1928, and Teresa, who was born in 1935. ***** Maria Mastee and Wanda shared a strong faith and family connections. Wanda was Maria’s husband’s aunt. Maria shared that, “She knew about the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico and she shared information about Our Lady of Czestochowa. We talked about Mexican food and about my culture. I'm Hispanic and I was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, a border city to Mexico. She loved looking at pictures and praised me for having a crucifix above our doors. She was always happy and I enjoyed talking to her. I liked the love for crafting that she had. David and I have been married for 39 years and recently we have become members of the Divine Mercy family. Auntie Wanda made me feel welcome into the Mastee family from the first time I met her. David and I were both blessed with great parents and family that are always in our hearts.” Her daughter-in-law, Teresa Kozicki, added that, “Wanda was a hoot! I wish I would’ve known her for longer.” And her sister Theresa Parkanzky added to that, “I miss my sister. And I agree she was a hoot!” ***** Wanda and Joseph were married 59 years before he died in 2009. Wanda died in 2020, at the age of 93. She had moved from Spring Lake to the Fremont area and was a member of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Newaygo, Michigan. According to her obituary, she enjoyed collecting antiques, quilting, crafts and riding her bicycle.