The story of Lukasz & Justyna Kiszczynski

There are Grand Rapids connections to my fifth grandfather Lukasz Kiszczynski. I believe his brother Alexsander married Marianna Budzinska and their oldest son Wawrzyniec married Teresa Janusz. Their daughter Salomea Petryna had two children that ended up in Grand Rapids – Rozalia Sochan and Antonina Szymanski. Also, Wawrzyniec’s daughter Rozalia Włochowicz had two children move to Grand Rapids: Vincent Peter and Pauline (Stanazak) Czarnopyś, – It is hard to know very much about relatives who lived many generations ago. Justyna Kiszczynska (my 5x great grandfather) died on August 9, 1814, when she was 56 years old. This means she was born in approximately 1758. She died in house number 89 in Tomaszów Lubelski. She died at 10 o’clock at night. I do not know who her parents were or what their last name was because the informants didn’t share that with the priest when they reported about her death. One witness was Jakub, her 25-yea- old son and the other was Ambrozy Kudlcki, age 56 and a neighbor. Her husband Lucasz was already deceased when she died. I only know about two of their children: Their daughter Marianna (my 4x great grandmother) was 27 years old at the time of her mother’s death. She was married to Antoni Józef Kurkiewicz, son of Marcin Kurkiewicz and Franciszka Rzeczycka. At the time of her mother’s death, they already had two of their twelve children. They were shoemakers. Their son Jakub had not yet married but would also marry a Kurkiewicz – Marianna – whose father and mother were Pawel Kurkiewicz and Marianna Pasko. Jakub was also a shoemaker.

The Life of Aleksander Szczepan Raczkiewicz

Aleksander Szczepan Raczkiewicz was the only child of Franciszek Raczkiewicz and Stanisława Oleńczuk from Łaszczów. I learned his birthdate in July 2023 from his daughter Lucyna. He was born August 3, 1939 – 84 years ago. I am not sure, but I would guess he was born in Sabaudia, because his father Franciszek and mother Stanisława were farmers there. I have not seen his birth certificate to know who his Godparents were but on his father’s side, several aunts and uncles lived nearby. Paulina, Stanisława, Piotr all had children of their own though the youngest was five. Bolesław was not yet married. I think his mother was from the nearby village of Łaszczów. His father died when he was three years old. His family had been displaced from their home by Germans and his father was shot in the Rotunda in Zamosc, during World War II. Aleksander Szczepan studied chemistry in Wrocław. I am not sure when he married Danuta, or her last name. Aleksander Szczepan worked in a nitrogen plant and Danuta is a metallurgy engineer. They met at the plant when Danuta was there on a student internship. She is eight years younger. They had two daughters named Lucyna and Sylvia, who live in Kraków. Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz told me that his cousin used to visit him when he was studying in Warsaw. Eugeniusz was five years younger. Lucyna, Aleksander Szczepan’s daughter, remembers that her father once told her about it. Aleksander Szczepan worked in Nigeria, Africa on a work contract. It was common for people from Poland to go to other countries to earn money and then return to Poland. His wife and daughters remained in Poland. Aleksander Szczepan died in Nigeria, Africa on February 1, 1993, of an unknown disease, caused by being bitten by an insect. He was 53 years old. His mother, Stanisława, died on January 23, 2001 in Sabaudia, and is buried in Łaszczówka. His wife Danuta is still alive.

The Life of Stanislaw Bielak

Stanislaw died on August 3, 2002 at the age of 82. Stanislaw Bielak was born April 20, 1920. He was the first living child of Stanislawa nee Raczkiewicz (my great aunt) and Jan Bielak. Czeslaw Marcin was born two years before him and died early. He had three siblings: Wladyslaw, Maria, and Wanda. Wanda recently died on March 11, 2023. Stanislaw lived in Ciotusza Nowa, Poland, where in September of 1939, there were battles near the village, before they were more concentrated around the city of Tomaszów. “In February 1943 the village was pacified, in July 1943 the population was displaced. They were replaced by Ukrainian colonists.” Stanislaw worked in a sawmill on furniture and was also a farmer. His wife Kazimiera (Chucik) Bielak was from Rogozno and helped on the farm and was a seamstress. They had five children: Danuta Sikora (1946), Stanislaw (1948), Edward (1950), Bogumila Zdunczyk (1952) and Janusz (1961) They had 11 grandchildren and there are many great grandchildren. . Many memories of him were collected. Irena Bielak wrote, “It is amazing how fast time goes. It's nice that you remember your grandfather like that today. He would have been 102 years old. Time has passed fast he will always remain in our memories. Lukasz Celmer wrote, “I remember.”: His grandson Marcin Bielak said that “he liked to walk horses and raised pigeons.” His Grandfather kept various kinds: Zamojski high-flying, Zamojski Gray, white lota, Szarik red, black, Skaplirzak, side red black yellow, and various types of crested. Marcin remembers holding a pigeon but they would often fly away when he came out. Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz remembered, “My father (Boleslaw) and I admired Stanisław's beautifully maintained horses and his passion. He enjoyed seeing my parents.” Marta Bielak-Gora shared, ““We spent a lot of time fixing bikes, grandpa was good at it. He also liked apple trees, which were a lot next to our house, and I had a string swing on almost every tree, which grandfather weaved himself. Our grandfather could also scrape a whistle from twigs.” Matrcin Bielak added that the whistles were made from willow bark. Marta also wrote, “Often, when we were bored, he would sit under the house on a bench, pulled out his scissors and began to scrape.” By sharing memories, we are writing these stories of our family together. http://www.turystyka.susiec.pl/?ciotusza-nowa,51

The Life of Halina (Dubiel) Tetych

Halina (Dubiel) Tetych was born on July 31, 1940. She is the youngest child born to Jan Dubiel and Paulina Raczkiewicz. She was married to Mieczysław Szynal. Her second husband was Jozef Tetych. They had two children: Mirosław Tetych and Barbara “Basia” (Tetych) Zubiak. Halina lives in Kurzelow, Poland and her children live in the UK and Ireland. Halina has five grandchildren. I would love to hear more about her!

The Life of Władysław Bielak

Władysław (Waldemar) Bielak was born on July 19, 1922 to Jan Bielak and his wife Stanisława (Raczkiewicz), one of the five children that they had. His Godmother was Mary Raczkiewicz (later Kufta), his mother’s sister. Mary moved to the U.S. a little over a year later. Władysław married Zofia Kawalec and worked as a farmer in Sabaudia, Poland. He also worked as a miller and raised pigeons. Their children are Wiesław (1955) and Jerzy “Jurek” Bielak, (1961), They have six grandchildren, and several great - grandchildren. Władysław died on April 10, 2022 at the age of 99. He reposed at the Chapel at the Municipal Cemetery in Tomaszów and was buried after Holy Mass on April 12, 2022. —-- Death notice 4/12/2022 – 10 Apr 2022 It is with deep sadness and sadness that on 10 April 2022 he died at the age of 99: "God has taken you on a long journey, giving us one hope that someday those who have stayed here in pain will cross the threshold. The exhibition of the coffin with the Body in the Chapel at the Municipal Cemetery in Tomaszów or. will take place on Monday 11 April 2022 at 17:00 hours the Holy Mass on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 12:00 After Mass the Com in Tomas Lument with the Body will be escorted and laid to the grave. Announce the grieving Wives, Sons, Sons, Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren

The Story of Marcin Kurkiewicz & Franciszka (Rzeczycki) Kurkiewicz

A husband and his wife died on the same day -- a year apart! ***** Franciszka (Rzeczycki) Kurkiewicz (5x great grandmother) died 16 July 1829 at 3:00 in the morning. She was 80 years old. One witness was Antoni Kurkiewicz (my 4th great grandfather), her 44 year old son, who was a shoemaker. The other witness was Jan Bratkiewicz, a 32 year old farmer. Franciszka was 80 years old and a native of Tomaszów Lubelski, born around 1749. ***** Her husband Marcin Kurkiewicz (5x great grandfather) died exactly one year earlier on 16 July 1828, also at the age of 80. Jan Bratkiewicz, (Marcin’s son-in-law) a 31-year-old furrier, and Antoni Kurkiewicz, (his son), a 42-year-old, reported the death. Marcin was born in Mościska, about 1748, and his parents were from Mościska. There are several villages with this same name so it is unknown which one he was from. ***** Franciszka and Marcin were "Lawnikow" (jurors), of the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. Jurors were lay assessors of criminal cases. Interestingly, another 5x great grandparent (Michal Sczesznicki) was a judge. ***** Their son Antoni Jozef (my 4x great grandfather) was a shoemaker. He married Marianna Kiszczynska and had 12 children. Their daughter Józefa (born abt. 1802) was married twice to Jan Bratkiewicz and Jan Redzki/Recki. The first time she married at age 15, she was described as the sławetna' - renowned Miss Józefa Kurkiewicz. Both of her husbands were weavers. ***** References ***** Marcin Kurkiewicz d. 1828/129 Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach Death of Marcin Kurkiewicz. Go to Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.) https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/skan/-/skan/aed2f12722acde396198bfb35e910e62cf02d728ac89c86bc4a345747db82c7a ***** Franciszka Kurkiewicz d. 1829/84 Skan - Szukaj W Archiwach Death of Franciszka Kurkiewicz. Go to Szukaj w Archiwach. (n.d.) https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/skan/-/skan/95dab357d2218141a6a486ba97a1fd9c3e0efe0216caa11f39d56f33f35a4216

The Story of Franciszek Raczkiewicz

While doing family history research, I frequently quiz my mother about her memories. She has fond memories of learning about her father’s home country of Poland. Verifying the truth of the stories she shares is one of the interesting and challenging parts of doing genealogy. For instance, she told me, “There were letters that came back and forth from Poland. Occasionally the relatives in Poland would send mushrooms to my Dad.” This was verified when I connected with a descendant of one of my grandfather’s siblings who remembered the letters. One particular story from my mother was more alarming: “What I remember is that Dad’s brother got shot or killed stealing his own corn for food. They were under siege to the point they couldn’t take their own food. That is all I know, not sure what brother it was. I am not sure who she was talking to, and I heard the story. I was a kid at the time.” I was curious to see if this story could be verified and after learning about my grandfather’s brother, he became one of my favorite relatives because of his bravery during a terrible time in history. ***** My grandfather, two brothers and a sister were encouraged to take the risk to travel to the U.S. by their family for economic opportunities. Letters to and from Poland connected him to his family but eventually the connection was lost. By doing family history, I learned that two sisters and three brothers remained in Poland. I learned that his brother Franciszek DID die trying to “steal his own corn” – a hero to his family. His story is one of my favorite family stories and I continue to learn more about him. ***** On the family tree of Tomasz Raczkiewicz, a relative in Poland, I read an account of Franciszek’s death.provided by the testimony of his grandmother, Janina Bender, “The people who had been settled in Savoie, called Czarnuchy or Romanians, were given their fields and Poles were not allowed to harvest them. He was in danger of dying for harvesting his crops. Franek and his wife left for Łaszczów. After some time he returned to silently take something from the field. He went for apples, potatoes, maybe grain and loaded them onto a wagon. He was caught and arrested. There was an investigation, and he was asked who was with him, but Franek did not give up anyone, for which he ended up at the Rotunda. Frank's sister used to visit him in Zamość. They read him the death sentence. He bit his fingers out of fear. He was shot.” I asked another newfound relative, Andrzej Dubiel, about this account, and he told me, “My mom often said something about "czarnuchach". They were called "czarnuchy" because of their uniforms, but they weren't German soldiers, they came in order to take farms here.” ***** Franciszek died in 1943 at the age of 45. I do not know the exact date or where he is buried. At the Rotunda, there is a plaque which reads, “Here Nazi criminals burnt the bodies of the victims they had murdered, prisoners of the Rotunda. May they rest in peace.” The cemetery outside of the Rotunda contains the remains of thousands of people. “Eight thousand people died in the Gestapo Rotunda camp in Zamość. Nobody was judged for those crimes.” The gate to the camp reads in German, “The temporary camp for the prisoners of Security Police.” 150 people were shot on July 20 and 21, 1944, in the last execution. It is unknown exactly when Franciszek died. ***** Franciszek’s mother died the following year in 1944 at the age of 73. His brother, Anthony (my grandfather) was a machinist at the time of both deaths, living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was two years older than his brother Francis. I wonder how and when he found out about his brother’s death. ***** I have attempted to understand what was going on in this time period in order to understand Franciszek’s experience of being forced to steal his own crops to survive and being shot in the Rotunda in Zamość for it. I asked Andrzej about famil history during WWII. “My father was born 1926 . . . he was a teenager and he didn't fight during the war. In the past I haven't been interested in the history of my family so I didn't ask him about it. Now I can't do it.” He also said, “My father didn't talk about it. My mother sometimes mentioned that her aunt's house was burnt by Germans and they had to run off and had to hide. It was in Sumin, a village near Sabaudia, located about 10 kilometers north of Sabaudia on the way to Zamość.” ***** Between November 1942 and March 1943, the Germans forcibly removed Jewish people from the area around Tomaszów Lubelski. They were taken to a camp in Zamość and from there it was determined if their next step was slave labor or a concentration camp. Children were separated from their families. Many were sent to the death camp located in Bełżec (8 km. south of Tomaszów) where they killed hundreds of thousands of people. All traces of the existence of Jewish people in the area were eliminated. I asked Andrzej what he knew about the Jewish community within the area. He told me,. “When I was younger I didn't realize that there lived so many Jewish here. The Germans destroyed almost all evidence of their lives. The synagogue was torn down, the cemetery was devastated and people forgot about them.” ***** After the end of World War II, there was a forced transfer of more than a million Polish people out from towns and villages where they lived. First, the Germans deported residents in the area and resettled other people to undermine local resistance. Then in 1944, an agreement was signed for the voluntary resettlement of Poles living in Soviet Ukraine to Poland. ***** Unfortunately, the story my mother had heard was true: a life ending at age 39 – shot in the Rotunda in Zamość, the tragic end to the life of Franciszek Raczkiewicz, after their land was given to new settlers and Franciszek was caught trying to steal his own corn to prevent the starvation of his family. ***** I wanted to learn more about Franciszek’s life than his unfortunate death. He was born in Tomaszów Lubelski on June 14, 1904. His parents were Jan, age 39, and Katarzyna (Kaszucka), age 34, who were living in the village of Sabaudia. Franciszek was the eighth of their nine children. In the presence of witnesses, Jan Skurcz, age 25, and Pawel Kiec, age 30, both peasants, living in the village of Sabaudia, the birth was registered. At the Holy baptism performed on June 16, his Godparents were the first witness, Jan Skurcz, and Teresa Lisikiewicz. He was given the name Franciszek in honor of Saint Franciszek Xavier. This missionary was known for kindness, and he had a reputation for good deeds. St. Franciszek Xavier advocated for friendship to bridge cultures, and he had connections with political figures from different countries as well as many typical people. That reputation for good deeds later blossomed in the life of Franciszek when he tried to rescue his family from starvation. ***** Franciszek married Stanisława Oleńczuk from Łaszczów and they had one son, Aleksander Szczepan Raczkiewicz, who was born on August 3, 1939. He studied chemistry in Wrocław. He married Danuta (last name unknown) on an unknown date. I recently learned that they had two daughters named Lucyna and Sylvia, who live in Kraków. ***** Aleksander Szczepan worked in Nigeria, Africa on a work contract. Many chemical engineers are needed in the oil business but I don’t know if that is the type of work he did. It was common for people from Poland to go to other countries to earn money and then return to Poland. His wife and daughters remained in Poland, ***** Aleksander Szczepandied in Nigeria, Africa on February 1, 1993, of an unknown disease, caused by being bitten by an insect. His mother, Stanisława, died on January 23, 2001 in Sabaudia, and is buried in Łaszczówka. His wife Danuta is still alive. ***** Franciszek died too young. Does that mean he was a victim of his circumstances? What do the stories of his life suggest about how to live life? Doing family history research and interviewing newfound relatives can reveal characteristics of relatives from long ago. Sometimes that is in personal stories that are shared and sometimes it is through trying to understand the circumstances affecting their life. The nine children born to Jan Raczkiewicz and his wife Katarzyna nee Kaszucka in Sabaudia, Poland were taught many good values – to practice their religion, to support their family, to work hard to improve their circumstances, and to even take risks if needed. Life was challenging in many ways – but the effort that they put into work and their family and into responding to the challenges in their world, shaped them into people worth emulating. ***** It is human to want to avoid suffering and hard conditions in life. The saying “life is unfair” is a reminder that things happen and that life isn’t always easy. Expecting life to be “fair” can add extra suffering to our life because our expectations are not met. None of us are living in the situation that Franciszek was facing but we all recently experienced a world-wide pandemic. Besides any pre-existing personal issues related to health, work, family or other areas, everyone has had to additionally face challenges related to the pandemic. Those challenges might have been illness and lingering health concerns, social isolation, shortages of products, rising prices and many other issues. ***** Relatives currently living in Tomaszów Lubelski, also have a war going on next door, in Ukraine. Franciszek’s nephew Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz’s reaction to the threat of war includes his worry for his family. But regardingt this worry, Eugeniusz wrote, “Dzisiejsze słowa Psalmu " Bądź ze mną Panie w moim utrapieniu" powodują, że jesteśmy dobrej myśli.” (Today's words of the Psalm " Be with me, Lord in my affliction" make us of good cheer). Eugeniusz’ response demonstrates that he, like Franciszek, uses his values and beliefs to face hardship. Other examples of handling adversity include helping others, like Andrzej Dubiel did, when his family welcomed Ukrainian refugees in their home, or like retired physician Mieczysław Raczkiewicz and his wife, who provided them with rides from the border. ***** Franciszek’s bravery provides inspiration to meet challenges head on with the values and beliefs learned from family as a guide. What you contribute while you are here in how you react to challenges might echo through your family for generations to come. “All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today.” Pope Paul VI ***** Family tree testimony “Family Tree of Tomasz Raczkiewicz.” Bezpå‚Atne Drzewo Rodowe, Genealogia, Historia Rodziny I Testy DNA, 25 Aug. 2010, https://www.myheritage.pl/site-730968281/raczkiewicz. Polish History: “Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Oct. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tomasz%C3%B3w_Lubelski. First Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski | World History Project, https://worldhistoryproject.org/1939/9/17/first-battle-of-tomaszow-lubelski/. “Population Exchange between Poland and Soviet Ukraine.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Aug. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_exchange_between_Poland_and_Soviet_Ukraine. “Rotunda Zamość.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Feb. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotunda_Zamo%C5%9B%C4%87. Virtual shtetl website. History | Virtual Shtetl. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2023, from https://sztetl.org.pl/en/towns/t/51-tomaszow-lubelski/99-history/138161-history-of-community Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, September 9). Ethnic cleansing of Zamojszczyzna by Nazi germany. Wikipedia. Retrieved April 7, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_cleansing_of_Zamojszczyzna_by_Nazi_Germany Birth record: “Jednostka - Szukaj W Archiwach.” Przejdź Do Szukaj w Archiwach, https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/jednostka/-/jednostka/10504981. Personal correspondence: Received by Paulette Longwell, From Eugeniusz Raczkiewicz, 6 Mar. 2022. Received by Paulette Longwell, From Andrzej Dubiel, date unknown.. Pope Paul VI: “Pope Paul VI Quotes.” Quotefancy, https://quotefancy.com/pope-paul-vi-quotes.