Two pics

This week I would like to show two pictures.
First one is a group photo taken in 1930-ies. I am not sure what organization it was - the caps seems different than student caps which can be seen in previous posts. At least I suppose so ;). Maybe someone can help. My grandfather (mom's dad) is marked with a cross over his head.

Second is a typical family photo taken in 1938. My mom is two and looks like a boy because of her short hair. It changed in a year - look at her in 1939 in some previous posts. And I like this photo.

My dad's mom

I do not know too much about my dad's ancestors. Mainly names and dates of birth and death. Mainly because I have never met most of them, also there are no documents in family archive. Two posts ago I presented a picture of my granfather. Now something about his wife.
My grandmother Michalina Bednarek was born in 1900. She had two sisters and four brothers. I met only two of them.
I also met my grandmother. When my parents were working, she spent with me a lot of time. She lived with us. But she died when I was less then a year old. And I do not remember her. At all.
When she was young she married colonel of the Polish Legions. Unfortunately both her husband and their daughter died because of tuberculosis. I have one picture of my grandma in widows weeds, taken probably about 1930.

I also have a membership card of her brother Wladyslaw, issued in 1925

and pictures of her, probably youngest brother Jozef, in corporal's suit. These pictures were taken in 1938, when he was 22. He and his sister Jadwiga, who died in 2009 were just the only I remember.

Happened in 1943

Few days ago I went, with my son Michal, to pay my respect to my granddad Jan Zawislak at his grave in Popkowice, small village, where he lived (see one of my first posts). In the same cemetary I found a grave of 12 men died in 1943 in a near village Skorczyce. I took its picture

It would be one of many such stories which happened during the WWII. But my grandparents and my mom (which was 7 years old) lived there and then and my mom still remember the story. It was a typical nazi revenge action - partizans killed a nazi in the village - he lived in a brewery in Popkowice. Probably he was a problem for people. But nazis took a revenge, very not fair one. They set a fire to a building in the nearby village Skorczyce and when villagers came to help, nazis shoot them down.

People made a  great funeral to the victims. Many people from Skorczyce and Popkowice came, also my grandparents with my mom. Though the priest was afraid of nazis, he was also forced to come to make the funeral in a Christian way. Here are two photos taken then, in September 1943.

A month break  - sorry. I had some new activities in my life which took all my notice. Just a new job.

Now let's take a break in my mom's family. As stated aside of the blog I have very few pictures from my father and decided to present them in next few posts.

My father's dad, grandad Wladyslaw (Vladislav) was born in 1888 (wow). His father Stanislav (my great grandfather) moved to Lublin together with his father (my great great grandfather - I do not know his name). They both were specialists in sugar-mill building and there was a sugar-mill being build in Lublin then (it was closed a year ago).

And I did not find a lot about them and their family. All I know is that my granddad had 3 bros and one sister. One of his brothers moved to Canada in the begining of 20th century. Some people say he had to escape. But why I still try to find. Anyway the family lost any contact with him. - he sent only one postcard in 1940's without his address.

I found in the web that Stanislav married Aleksandra Zbikowski in 1885 (and my grandfather was born 3 years later) in Krasne when the family lived then. And a year later his brother Valentin was also married with Marianna. He moved to US with 5 USD as can be seen on the document found in the web, with a destination of Buffalo. Also in this case the family lost any contact.

Walenty as item 2

It is really a great moment to find a document like that.

I have one picture of my grandpa I really like - it was taken about 1915 so he is 27. He is in a suit of Don Cossack Regiment. I remember that when I was young (he died when I was eight and he lived with us) I loved his evening stories about his service in Cossack Regiment.

Missed glimpses - part II

This week walking pictures. The weather forecasts looks great for the Easter time this year. I will take my family for a walk to take some walking pictures, but then there is always someone missing - me - the photographer ;-)

Year 1932 - my grandma left, with a friend. I cannot find out the place. I suppose we see the entrance to the Jewish quarter, completly wiped out during WWII

And 1934 - my grandma first from the left, in the background we see the monument (of Polish - Lithuanian Union) still  standing in the center of Lublin. Let's keep smiling

February of 1935. Grandma is right. The guy following her was a husband of Lucyna, her sister, thus I suppose it is Lucyna in the back. Keep smiling

May of 1936 - my grandma. And the girls are looking at this picture taking, also a guy and some other people. I am curious why. It is 1936 and 'walking pictures' is very popular then. What was so unusual then?

1937 - grandma is left. Let's walk. Keep smiling

Missed glimpses - part I - Feliksa

I still find some old pictures or left them as they did not fit any of my previous posts.
I will present them now.

All three pictures here come from the early 1930s. First one is the walking picture of four ladies.
I like it: different hats and so different and nice ladies' faces. My grandma is second from the left.
I intend to do some postprocessing to this picture in the future.

 And below two pictures taken in 1933. My grandma with her friends. Great time of being young ;-).

Feliksa is standing second from the right

And here Feliks on her knee

It is short this week. Hope to find more time in the future for better posts.

My mom Iza - part IV

So we came to hot summer of 1939, last days before WWII. The international situation was getting hot and my grandpa Jozef was called-up to the army. He moved his family near their family town Lublin to a village Ostrow (or it was rather a very small town). He left his wife and daughter with her sister Lucyna (see the post from January 25th). 

The first picture shows both sisters with their daughters - left is Feliksa with my mom, right is Lucyna with Hanna, born 1938. As I wrote in the previously mentioned post Hanna, my aunt, resembles her mother very much.

From the left: grandma Feliksa, mom Iza, my aunt Hanna and her mother Lucyna

Left Hanna, right Iza

In front of the village house - first from the left is Lucyna's husband, sitting in the middle Lucyna with Hanna,
sitting at the bottom my mom and Feliksa. I do not know the other people.

And here my grandpa Jozef already in the army suit - suppose last moment before he left his wife and daughter.
My mom seems sad that dad is leaving. Grandpa is smiling. What was behind? Real soldier or just a smile for good memories in any bad case? Nobody can tell now.

My mom Iza - part III

As I still find some new pictures of my mom I decided to divide them into two posts. So this week we are still in spring of 1939 in Pleszew. The same garden which appeared last week. Nice, warm weather. Nobody suppose how the fall will look like.

I suppose the bag belongs to my grandma, and my mom loves to carry it. At least my sister behaved this way ;-)

My grandma and my mom - three years old in all the pictures

My mom with a girl - friend - holding her hand and looking into her eyes.
I suppose the same girl which was on a motor-bike in a previous post.

Next week we will see the last month before WWII.

My mom Iza - part II

Last week I presented first two years of my mom's life - till she lived in Sambor with my grandparents. May 1938 they moved to Pleszew - smaller town, then Polish and in Ukraine nowadays. But let's start with two photos I like but I do not exactly know when and where they were taken.
And this week the post is quite short. Next week I will add more pictures of my mom till September 1939.

My mama in pyjama - suppose 1938

My mom with her parents, Jozef and Feliksa

And above one more picture stlii from 1936 from Sambor - my grandma with her friend and my mom

And below three pictures from Pleszew (how to pronounce it? ;-))

My mom riding - spring 1938

Which one is faster? A horse or a motorbike? (Mom in a back)

For comparison - my grandma with the same motorcycle

My mom Iza

Though I have some photos from ealier years I still need to find more info about persons presented there. Thus I decided to show my mom early years.

My mom is a daughter of Jozef and Feliksa, presented here several times, together with their families. She was born in 1936, her godfather being Czeslaw from my post below. First I present some pictures taken in 1936 in Sambor, where Jozef i Feliksa stayed then. Jozef worked there in a prison service so he took his new wife with him. And Sambor is a small town, till 1939 in Poland, then taken by Soviet Union, now in Ukraine.

They stayed in Sambor till May, 1938 when Jozef was moved to nearby Pleszewo to take a position of a Chief of Pleszewo Prison.

All pictures below were taken in Sambor, or rather its neibourhood.

First picture taken in 1936

Also 1936 - my grandmom and my mom

1937 - I suppose happy time for a kid

1937 - Jozef, Iza and Feliksa

1937 - Feliksa nad Iza

1937 - Iza and maybe her lovely toy

1937 - Feliksa with Iza - fantastic baby - carriage

1937 - sweet lying on the grass

1937 - winter time - sledge of the type which is still sold in Poland, though not so popular nowadays - 80 years ago

They stayed in Sambor till May, 1938 when Jozef was moved to nearby Pleszewo to take a position of a Chief of Pleszewo Prison - I've got an original document. So next week I present second part of a short, happy time of my mom's childhood.

Czeslaw

As promised before I present a short history of my grandma's brother Czeslaw. In the meantime I received quite interesting letter from his order via facebook and found another letter, written in 1984 by his sister Krystyna to my mother, describing her memories of Czeslaw. The letter from his order gave me quite reach literature where I can find more info on him.

Below I present only facts which I am sure about, as there are some differences between both letters. I will try to find out more, mainly thanks to the literature given via FB.

Czeslaw was born in 1917 in Lublin. I have no info about his young years. Anyway in 1935 he graduated from Christian College of Saint Fidelin in Lomza. I have two new pictures from that years (the other one was presented in the post on sisters and bros of my grandma). First one might be probably the picture taken just after graduation as it is dated 1935. He is standing top left. Anyway he does not look 18 years old here, does he?

The other picture is from scouting - Czeslaw is standing in the right. He is so similar in face to some pictures of my grandma.

The same year, 1935, he moved to Warsaw and became an acolyte in the church belonging to Capuchin order, taking a habit in 1937 and the vows in 1938. His order name was Wieslaw. In the meantime, in 1936 he stood godfather to my mom. 

Being in the order he studied philosophy in Zakroczym. As it was situated near to fortress Modlin, during WWII Capuchins were moved to Lubartow, a small town near Lublin. Thus he was again near to the family.

In the spring of 1940, when nazis arrested Capuchins in Lublin, Capuchin seminarists in Lubartow were sent home by the order. He came home with two other seminarists then and spent with his family last few months together. In the autumn the same year he moved to Warsaw to continue studies. 

But in the night of 26/27 of June 1941 all brothers of his order were arrested by nazis and moved to  Pawiak (well known nazi jail in Warsaw). There is his, most probably, last taken photo in this jail. Czeslaw is standing first from the left.

On 3rd of September 1941 he was moved to Auschwitz nazi camp (the date I found in the internet, together with his camp number 20352 - 20421).

Czeslaw died in Auschwitz on 5th of February 1942.

My grandparents' walks

As nowadays, eighty years ago people spend their spare time walking with friends - to the parks or out of town. They didn't spend their time watching tv, blogging or just exploring web, so meeting with friends was much more popular. Also walking was.

In my archive I found some pictures taken during such walks.

Here my grandma is second from the left. I do not know other women.

And below is a picture taken most probably in the park. My grandpa is standing first from the left, and next to him is my grandma. I suppose the picture was taken before their wedding, so it means 1934 or 1935. Like above no info about other persons, but looking at my grandma and grandpa smiling, they had great time with them.

And here we have the same woman as above walking with a child and my grandparents. Again probably 1934 or 1935.

And again probably the same woman and my grandma in the middle. 

And again somewhere in the country, my grandma on the right and the same woman on the left. So it seems they were good friends, spending a lot of time together.

I will try to find out who she was.

Post scriptum to my post about grandma's sisters and brothers:

During search on net I found some details on arresting of my grandma's brother Czeslaw, who died in Auschwitz during WWII. The most interesting to me was an address of his monastery. Then I found the priests of this exact monastery are on facebook. So via FB they promised me to find out as many details on him as possible, especially I asked for details of his arresting. Just for family memory.   

My grandma's sisters and brothers

My great grandma Eleonora (the young lady from the first post) had six daughters and four sons. And it was the last generation with so many children in the family. And I have pictures of most of them, but unfortunately not all. So this time some portraits.

Emilia - she died when she was only 16, because of some complications caused by surgical operation, which are now nothing special to heal. Times change.

Lucyna - though I have never met her, I always felt like I know her - just because my aunt, her daughter looks exactly the same. And, as I have many pictures of her, she always looks, well, deeply sad? exhibiting careful thought?

Bronislawa, who died only three years ago as the last of all of them. For the family just aunt Bronka . Great woman.

Krystyna - one of only few pictures. I remember some visits to her when I was 4 - 7 years old. And I remember I liked her. When her husband died she moved with her daughter to a nearby town. She died in 1990.

Krystyna again (left), and the last sister - Irena. When Lucyna died, she left son and daughter (the aunt I mentioned above). The son was very young and Irena took care of him. She lived together with her mother, my great grandma Eleonora. She was a very warm person and when me and my sister were young we liked to spent time with her. Irena died in 1982.

My grandma had four bothers: Tomasz, Tadeusz, Józef and Czesław. I do not think I ever met any of them. So I knew all living sisters and no brother. Up till now I only found pictures  of Czeslaw, who was a monk and died in Auschwitz nazi camp during IIWW. One is his school picture and one is in a monk suit.