Anthony & Joseph Raczkiewicz Arrive in Quebec, Canada

Remember back on September 18, I told you that my Grandfather left Antwerp, heading to Quebec, Canada? Fifteen days later, on October 2, Anthony and Joseph arrived in Canada. This was in the year 1912 when he was 20 years old. The entries for the two brothers are on lines 7 and 8. The form says they are farm laborers who can read and write. They are from Russia and are Polish. It says they are from Zibaldy (Sabaudia) and Tomaszow is listed as well as their eventual destination of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their father Jan Raczkiewicz is listed. On the second page, you can read that Anthony’s passage was paid by his father and he carried $18 on board. It looks like he had $25 or $35 and it was crossed off. Joseph's passage was paid by his brother and he carried $20 on board. $14 was written first and crossed off. It is possible that Anthony gave some of his money to Joseph for the voyage. The money they had is equivalent to having over $500 each. Their brother Jan is who they were going to and it says he lived on West Division St. in Grand Rapids. That is the only address for the brothers that is NOT on the west side of the river. There is an additional line about who Joseph is going to which I can not read. A description of height, weight, eye color etc. is given but it is not really legible. In Family Search, I found the ship manifest (Vermont, St. Albans Canada Border Crossings, 1895-1954, Roll 320, R214, Bernard-R240.)

Warren Dunes National Park has a brochure printed in Polish

Lorraine Raczkiewicz & her location in old documents

Lorraine Raczkiewicz (my aunt) grew up at 501 Milwaukee Street in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The first place she lived after marrying John Dykstra, a truck driver, in 1941 would have been the small house in the backyard of her parents’ house. After a few years they lived at 751 First St. NW which would have been right around the corner. Her husband was a livestock buyer at this point and 10 year old younger sister Shirley (my Mother) visited her often. My mother Shirley remembers that Lorraine's friend Virginia lived with her at the beginning of her time on First St. because John was in the service. Virginia and her family lived upstairs in the Raczkiewicz home when Lorraine was a teenager. They moved to 50 Cummings NW in Walker, a short drive outside of Grand Rapids. Lorraine and John lived there the rest of their lives. ***** 1927 City Directory: Grand Rapids, MI 503 Milwaukee Ave NW Anthony (Pauline) Raczkiewicz Lorraine Raczkiewicz, student ***** 1930 Census 501 Milwaukee Ave, owned, value $6500 Anthony: 35, 1895, Age at 1st marriage: 25, Speaks English,language spoken-Polish Tacker at a Tannery Parent’s birthplace: Poland Immigration Year 1913 Naturalization: First Papers Pauline, 26 1904, age at 1st marriage: 17,(Born Pennsylvania, parents in Poland) Lorraine, 8, 1922, attends school Anthony: 4, 1926 Walter Skrobat (father-in-law): 61, 1869, widowed,age at 1st marriage-33, immigration 1900, not naturalized, (parents born in Poland)Speaks English, moulder at a foundry, not currently working, Joseph Raczkiewicz (brother) 37, language spoken-Polish, immigration 1913, not naturalized, veteran of WW ***** 1937 City Directory Raczkiewicz Anthony J (Pauline) tacker h501 Milwaukee av NW -J??m fctywkr r501 Milwaukee av NW -Lorraine P student 4501 Milwaukee av NW -Stanley h501 Milwaukee av NW -Virginia student r501 Milwaukee av NW (According to Shirley Longwell: Virginia lived upstairs, was a friend of Lorraine, when Lorraine moved out to First St., Virginia moved with her since her husband John was in the service) ***** 1939 City Directory: Raczkiewicz Anthony J (Pauline) tacker h501 Milwaukee av NW -Lorraine C student r501 Milwaukee av NW -Stanley h501 Milwaukee av NW ***** 1940 City Directory Raczkiewicz Anthony J (Pauline) tacker h501 Milwaukee av NW -Jos r501 Milwaukee av NW -Lorraine r501 Milwaukee av NW ***** 1940 US Census 501 Milwaukee St. (5 years ago in the same place)Lacquer at a Tannery, wages $1,000 Anthony Raczkiewicz, 44 born Poland, naturalized Pauline, 26, born Pennsylvania Lorraine, 18, born Michigan Anthony, 14, born Michigan Shibley, 4, born Michigan Ronald R. ), born Michigan Joseph Raczkiewicz, brother, 46, born Poland, received wages other than income "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KH3S-PJN : 29 July 2019), Anthony Raczkiewicz, Ward 1, Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids City, Kent, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 86-31, sheet 5A, line 37, family 96, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1898. *****

Act of respect

When asking for documents to be translated there are several possible Polish translators. One of them, Dorothy, translates for me and Connie Liszewski (wife of my 4th cousin Mike Liszewski) frequently. Dorothy is familiar with the particular database that has records from the region of the Raczkiewicz relatives because she has done family research using it. Occasionally she will translate something she hasn’t seen before. Prenups was an example. When one showed up in a family record, it was the first time Dorothy had ever seen one. Now we have found a handful of them. Another thing Dorothy had never seen related to marriages is called an “Act of Respect.” When marrying under age 25 for men and 21 for women, the person is to “demand, by a respectful and formal act, the advice of their father and mother, or that of their grandfathers and grandmothers when their father and mother are dead.” Dorothy did a little research and determined that Acts of Respect by notaries and permission to marry were a fairly common practice at the time. Acts of respect were short, one-page contracts, concluded between parents or, in the absence of them, the closest relatives and children intending to marry. They were prepared in front of a notary a few days before the wedding. They have a form which pleads for parental blessing. The Act of Respect is from the Napoleonic Code, the first collection of civil law in the Kingdom of Poland. According to Iwona Dakiniewicz, a genealogist from Lodz, it was more cultural than legal in nature. It was a way to formally recognize the effort of the parents in raising them and to thank them for it. Consent was a separate determination. Most of the records do not mention the acts of respect.Apparently only a few of the legal authorities (often the priests) required the act to be implemented. In France, where the Napoleonic Code originated, all marriage records required it. The author’s theory is that Polish families followed the tradition by following the Fourth commandment, “honor thy father and thy mother” so there was not a need for this process. It makes you wonder if there was something out of the ordinary going on in the few cases where one was included. ***** “The Act Uszanowania or Act of Respect” Iwona Dakiniewicz, Lodz Poland, Rodziny, Winter, 2018, p. 3. ***** 2 Feb 1817 5th great aunt An Act of Respect was submitted In Tomaszów, on 1817 2nd February, before the Parish Priest of Tomaszów and official of Civil Records by JanBratkiewicz. He was 19 years old. He submitted an Act of respect to his mother since his father was deceased.. He also needed permission to marry since he was underage and that was provided by his mother.His bride, the “renowned” Miss Jozefa Kurkiewicz, age 15, had both parents’ permission to marry and presented an Act of Respect. These were prepared by the Notary, the banns were announced and, having received no objections to the marriage, according to the 6th Civil Code, they were married. ***** 1st February 1823 (my 4th great aunt) Stefan Dominik Nieszkowski, a 26 ,weaver, lived with his mother as his father Michał Nieszkowski , a bailif's/land steward servant had been dead for a long time. He presented an Act of Respect, drawn up in Tomaszów on 24th January by the notary of the county of Tomaszów, addressed to Teresa Nieszkowska , his mother. He married Agnieszka Wiciejewska, a servant in Tomaszow, whose parents Jakub Wiciejewski, potter and Marianna nee Plebanski, were deceased. ***** 7 Feb 1817 The groom, Konstanty Kurkiewicz, 29 , son of Paweł Kurkiewicz and deceased Maryanna née Pasko, presented an Act of Respect to his father from the public notary in Tomaszów. The bride, Apolonia Jabłońska, 15, presented an Act of Respect from the public notary in Tomaszow to her parents Jan Kurkiewicz and Franciszka née Wiciejowski,

Lorraine Raczkiewicz Born September 29, 1921

When Lorraine Raczkiewicz (my aunt) was born on September 29, 1921, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, her father, Anthony, was 28, and her mother, Apolonia, was 19. Her parents were married a year earlier in September of 1920. She was their first child. They lived at 315 Gunnison SW. Anthony worked as a cabinet maker. His brother Joe, who also worked as a cabinet maker, lived with them.

Anna (Dubiel) Wawrzusiszyn Born September 29

Anna (Dubiel) Wawrzusiszyn 2nd cousin Birthday

The Second Battle of Tomaszow

2nd part of Battle of TL ***** The battle can be divided into two phases - from 19 to 20 September and from 21 to 26 September. They are often referred to in French sources as the First and Second battle of Tomaszów, respectively.”