Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Love

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

The topic:

Valentine's Day is this week, but that doesn't mean you have to focus on romantic love. Besides the ancestral love stories, you could share an ancestor who you love to research. Are there any "love" names in the family tree, like Lovie or Valentine? (Come to think of it, "Amy" is based in Latin meaning "beloved"... )

How did some of my ancestors/family meet and marry?

My Parents
This is interesting time for the topic to come up as about a month ago, I was talking to my father and asked the one question I had wondered.

"How did you and mom meet?" I asked sitting on the couch behind his recliner.

My stepmother sounded shocked at the question and then made a comment about this being good and sat down interested. This wasn't expected and I didn't even realize she was in the room as I later thought it could have went pretty badly if she took offense to the question. However, the reaction was different - she was interested enough to sit down in another chair and turned to my father interested.

My mother and father in January 1956 just after they married. My uncle (boy), Grandpa Charlie and Grandmother are in the picture. Taken in Newburgh, NY. Copyright J. Fitzgerald

I was told he saw my mother when she came into the movie theater he was working at as an usher. I know they got married in October 1955, so it had to be prior to this.

The Groom Marriage index for 1955. The entry is the last one. Credit

I did go looking to see what theaters were around Newburgh, NY around that time and two of the bigger ones was the Broadway Theatre and the Ritz Theatre. It could have been either of these.

Credit

Credit

A few days later, my Uncle Jimmy, told me my mother used to take him to the movie theater and pay. They would go in and sit down. Without him knowing, she would get up and leave. He would turn to say something to her and she wouldn't be there. He would look around and see them in the back of the theater together.

Later, he filled it in a bit more and said they started to see each other when he started serving with the US Navy. Once he had gone back for his second lot of training, they had broken up. However, when he came back on leave, one of their friends, who was dating a friend of Mom's, went and picked her up and my father, who they knew was interested in her, was in the car. They had started to date again and it resulted in marriage, 5 kids, and a divorce.

My mother's paternal grandparents - Jules and Annie Gauquie

This one requires a bit more of imagination.

Jules arrives in the US in the mid 1890s with his father and siblings. After a bit of time, he decides to go to Minnesota to visit his father's cousin (or it could have been another relative but due to age and where the ancestor Camille Gauquie was born (Elverdinge in 1881 below) I would say he went to visit him and his family.

Credit Belgium archives. This shows Camille's birth information in Belgium.

Anyway, along the way he met up with Annie. They applied for a marriage on April 25, 1896. They married on April 28, 1896 by a Justice of the Peace in Ramsey, Minnesota.

Credit: FamilySearch, Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949, image 005193152
Jules and Annie's wedding certificate

They traveled all the way back to New York and settled into Blooming Grove where they had a huge family and farm. They both died in the area as well.

My father's parents - Jean and Mattias 'Matthew' Schmitz

My grandparents both lived in NYC. I know from my grandmother she was a cigarette girl in the speakeasy's. She was very popular because she was so small so when the cops did the raids, she would hide in the bottom of the telephone booth. When they disappeared, she was back in business.

1930s cigarette girl in a speakeasy

I do know my grandfather liked his alcohol, so I'm once again using my imagination on this one. I believe my grandmother was working and my grandfather was in having a drink and they met. I do have to say that it must have been really quick because the middle of 1940 when the US Census was done, she lived at home. By the time January 1934 happened, she was getting married at the courthouse and living in NYC. March 1934 was the second wedding in a church in NYC.

Copyright: FamilySearch. This shows the January marriage.

Copyright: FamilySearch. This shows the March marriage.

My father arrived in August 1934. I'm doing the math and finding it must have been a really quick 9 months.

Credit. You can see the Schmitz ... male entry. This is my father. 

They ended up having 2 sons, owning a few houses and businesses, and then going their own ways around the late 1940s to early 1950s.

My brother's marriage - Charles and Kathy Schmitz
My brother's friend, Glenn, introduced them. However, my brother was dating someone else at that time. Soon after, my brother went over to Kathy's house. He asked her out to a Christmas party, which she accepted.

They married in 1985, had a child, and bought a house.

Their marriage photo in 1985. Credit Kathy Schmitz.

They were married 33 1/2 years before his death in January 2019.

My marriage - Jo Ann and Brett Fitzgerald
This is one for the updated ages.

I was attending State University at New York campus' and had many different email pen pals. It was cheap and easy way to make friends and meet others. One of these people was Brett.

He set up a newsgroup looking for someone to email with. I found it and emailed him using the information he provided. We emailed, called, and talked on the phone in 1995. He visited the states in September that same year and we met and spent a lot of time together. He went to do some business stuff but ended up back in New York before he flew home.

Brett and I in October 1995. Credit J. Fitzgerald

We got engaged in November 1995.

Thirteen months later, I came to Australia to visit as we were talking about where we wanted to live. I needed to meet everyone and see if I could live here. I went back in January 1997.

Brett and I before I head back to the US in 1997. Copyright J. Fitzgerald

I flew out in early May 1997 to live in Australia. We married on May 24, 1997 in Croydon, Victoria after having 3 fires and a wedding.

Brett and I at our wedding with Celebrant Beverly Prosser in May 1997. Credit J. Fizgerald

Yes, its a long story...

Jo Ann and Brett make the Leader newspaper weeks until the wedding. Copyright Leader Newspaper.

We currently live in Narre Warren, Victoria with one dog, Buddy. We built our house, but found difficulty in having children.

Currently we've been married 22 years but been together 24 years.

February 2, 2019 Brett and I at Sam's Point in New York. Copyright J. Fitzgerald

Everyone can have a marriage but it depends on how much effort you put into it.

Credit

Ancestors in 52 Weeks - At the Library

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic ideas:

Some ways you could interpret this theme include: 

• an ancestor that you discovered while researching at the library; 
• an ancestor who was a librarian or an author; 
• an ancestor who had a large book collection; 
• an ancestor who you picture being in a library; 
• or maybe a relative who took you to the library.

I really don't know where to start with this topic.

Love of books and reading
The first idea was to talk about books and the love of reading and who they were/are. The problem with this is, as far as I know, my mother in her younger years would carry books to and from the library by the armfuls. I was told this by my sisters.

In fact, one of the times she was crossing the wet grass, in tennis shoes, and slipped which resulted in breaking of her ankle. Apparently she was on her way from the library. I'm not sure if she had books with her or not.

The one problem I have with this, is I've never seen my mother pick up a book and read it. In fact, growing up when I was trying to further my education, she did everything in her power to go against me getting an education and reading is included in this. It was really frustrating for me.

I can hear you ask, why? Why was it frustrating? Well, I started reading for myself in the second grade. True it wasn't thick books, but it was books to read. After that a few years, I got involved with volunteering in the library at school and this included helping other kids.

One class award for reading 1983

My Library helper award in Elementary School

Another Library helper award in Elementary School. Notice the books in the background?

Award for helping in the Library

My last Library helper award in Elementary School. 

The bonus of this was my two oldest nieces, who were in the same school, I got to help and encourage them to read. My sister and I were always reading to them usually with the little Golden books. Then during the long summer vacations from school, we'd go to the library for books and story time. It was great because it didn't cost a thing and it encouraged them to read and go looking for books.

Our nephew sitting back and reading in 2017. Nothing like passing along the love of reading. Credit J. Fitzgerald

At one point, I had a huge collection, and started a mini library where my friends could borrow the books as long as they returned them. I had a piece of paper and had them sign for them. My mother thought it was a waste of time, but a few of the other kids around the neighborhood loved the idea.

For myself, by the time I was in my early teens, I was already starting to read the teen romance books. The one I especially liked was P.S I Love You. Once I hit my late teens, I had switched to the Harlequin (Mills and Boon) and Second Chance at Love series. These were great because I could go up the road from our house and get armfuls of books for nothing at the library.

1994 In one of the college libraries where I studied to get my Associates Degree Copyright J. Fitzgerald

By the time I hit adulthood, I had to switch from personal reading to full textbook reading so I could finish my associates degree in Business Computer Technology. Then it was off to start my Bachelor's until I had to stop that due to money. The entire time my mother criticized me the entire way, but it didn't stop me. If anything, it encouraged me and I started to load up bookshelves all around the apartment.

Since marrying and moving to Australia, I had to leave my books behind. However, I did make notes on some of the books I liked, so I could get them. I have gotten some of them in electronic format. When we built our house, as soon as we moved in and we seen how many boxes of books, my husband made the comment it had to stop. Well that lasted for about 10 years when I started to make them all electronic so I still had them but we didn't need them around the house. I did donate them to the various charities.

One of our many rooms in the house where books tried to take over. Copyright J. Fitgerald

At the same time, I then started to write reviews for books. At first it was on Harlequin during the yearly book challenges, but this was very complicated and soon stopped. However, everyone went over to this review site for books, called Goodreads, and I started to leave reviews there. In the past few years they started to do yearly book challenges too, but its very simple and I love it. The hardest part for me is finding the time to write reviews instead of reading. Its always a hassle. To find out what I'm currently reading or my reading numbers, you can find it out by going on my page on our website.

Me with our dogs while reading. Copyright J. Fitzgerald

The one area I've fallen down on is I don't keep track of the genealogy books I've read due to only reading small amounts at various times.

Genealogy and Reading
Recently I found a few of my ancestors had done their part with helping others to read and encouraged it in others. I know myself, I've helped out at some of the Learn Local areas, to help and encourage people to read.

Credit. My ancestor is highlighted above

Credit. My ancestor is the one mentioned in the last paragraph on the right.

I do go to the library but have to be careful because I can spend days in there if they let me. I do go in and try to find books I want and check them out. However, many times I get sidetracked and start reading books. I do the same thing with reading newspapers.

Credit and copyright are completely Geneapalooza's

What I have taken to doing, is reading both electronic copies of books, magazines and newspapers as well as the old printed page stuff. Its important to get the information in anyway and not just one way. The printed information (no matter how it is communicated) is more important than what medium its on. This is one thing we are losing unfortunately.

Books are a great thing...you can travel the world without needing a budget and become anything within the cover of a book.

Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Family Photo

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

The topic's brief:
What is a family photo that has special meaning for you? Tell about the people in the photo, when and where it was taken, and why it was taken.

What picture should I choose?
There could be a few pictures I'd put up for this one, but its difficult to decide. I think one of the overall one that I like is the one I've chosen below as it shows family.

Taken in July 2002 in Marlboro, NY after the funeral of John S. Schmitz, Sr. Copyright Helmut Schmitz.

Why this photo?
The one I've chosen is because it does have a special meaning for me due to it being one of the few family pictures we have of most of my family. I've never had portraits of my siblings and I taken due to two of them fighting since I was very young. Its been over 35 years since they started it the fight still goes on today.

Family is important as you only have one, and it should count for something.

Anyhow, putting the fight aside, the picture shows my father's cousin and wife (Helmut and Barbara) from Germany. First time I had ever met anyone on my father's side of the family.

Then there's my cousin, John, my aunt Jenny, and my cousin Joseph. They had just lost their father and husband which was the reason why we were all together unfortunately.

Then comes my father Matt, his second wife Louise, my husband Brett and my sister Debbie. We all just stood where we could before the picture.

On the lower group of people in the picture, is myself Jo Ann, my sister in law Kathy, my brother Charlie, and his son CJ or Junior.  Once again we just stood where we could in the picture.

It was taken in Marlboro, New York where my aunt and uncle were teachers and lived. Since my uncle's death, my aunt has now moved out of the state.

The lesson that never gets old: You never know what will happen to your family, so take pictures, and stand by them when they need you to and call for help if you need them.

Too bad some people don't learn these lessons...

Ancestors in 52 Weeks - I'd Like to Meet

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

This is a difficult prompt to write because I'm not sure which ancestor I'd like to meet because there are so many for different reasons.

What I think I'd like to do is have dinner parties for certain people or groups I'd like to meet and talk to them.

Mother's Maternal:

Person/People: Janet Jagodzinski Gauquie (grandmother), Bernice Ostrzycki Jagodzinski (great grandmother), Walerja/Valerie  Rutkowski Ostrzyski (2 x great grandmother), Appolanus Jagodzinski.

Reason why want to meet: To get to know them and answer some questions which will never be answered.

Some Proposed questions: 

Credit

Valerie: Why did we leave Poland? Was it because of the Russians in 1905? Why did Bernice have so many names at first? Was it trying to find the right Americanized name? What really happened with Charles Wagner Ostrzycki and why did he consider you dead? (Charles was Bernice's oldest brother which moved away from the family in the US and changed his name and no one knows why. On his marriage docs he has his parents died).

Credit

Bernice: How did you meet your husband Appolanus? Why did you move all over? (They moved from PA to Ohio, NYC, NJ, and back to NY. In fact her husband was living in NYC when he died). Why did people change their names back and forth from Barry? Was it because of 'mistaken identity' as it says on one of his alien documents? Why didn't you keep closer contact with everyone in PA? Did you really keep a roster in the kitchen where it bathed in the sink? (My oldest sister remember this and it fascinated her.)

Janet: What happened to make you change your name all over the place? How did you meet Louis (husband)? Where did you marry? Why did you move all over when your children were growing up? What happened to make you become unstable? Was it how your husband was treating you? (like going without food and medications to give everything to your children?) Was it really NY Health Department that kept moving you or was it someone in the family? Did you like having Thanksgiving with us the one year we found you? Did you know we all loved you even though you were alone?

Appolanus: Where did you come from in Galicia, Poland?  Where is your sister you listed on your ship manifest? What is her name as we cannot read it. How did you meet Bernice? Was it by her brother who was working at a hotel in PA? What was going on with the robbery entry on the alien paperwork? Were you really a chef at the Lexington in NYC? Why did you change your name so many times to Leo Barry? Why did the family change theirs? Why did you live apart from Bernice? Did you kids hate you like what my mother said they did?

Mother's Paternal:

Person/People: Louis Gauquie, Jules Gauquie,  Aloys/Charles Gauquie, Jean Baptiste Gauquie, Laurent Gauquie, Florentina Van Rompaye Gauquie, Annie Larson

Reason why to meet:To get to know them and answer some questions which will never be answered.

Some Proposed questions: 

Credit: Jason Gauquie

Louis:  What was the biggest part of your father (Jules) that you didn't like? Why so much fighting with him to cause him to throw you out when you were a boy of nearly 15? Why so much moving around? Why not take care of your wife and children like they deserved? What was the huge fight that occurred in 1955 (with you saying something about your mother in law) to cause your children to leave home and get married within 6 months? Why didn't you take care of your third child instead of letting him live with your mother in law (Bernice)? Why did you choose alcohol and other women instead of your family? Why didn't I ever get to know you even though you were still alive when I was born?

Credit: Gail Boo

Jules: Why were you so disregarded and/or hated by your family (sons, daughters, brothers and father)? Did being born illegitimate play with your mind so much even though your father married your mother as soon as he found out? Why did you treat everyone so badly until your later years when you married your second wife and gave her almost everything?








Aloys/Charles: Why did you come to the US? Did you really want to marry Florentina or did you make the best out of a bad situation? Tell me what it was like to be in the first militia for Belgium? Why did you marry Margaret and then leave her and your children behind? The problems with your will and your daughter's part were huge and she fought, would you go back and change your will to spell her name correctly? Where are you buried and why can't I find you?

Jean Baptiste: What was it like to fight and deal with Napoleon? What were your views on this time?

Credit

Laurent: What did you think of your church being used by invaders for their horses? Did you support them or want them run out? Tell me more about your family and about any family in France?

Florentina Van Rompaye and Annie Larson: Tell me more about why you married the men you did? What was it like living with them? If you had to do something before your life was cut short, what would they be?

Father's Maternal:

Person/People: Feliks, Adam, Stanley, Freddy, Al Wojtkowski, Mary Slepowronska Wojtkowska, Zofia/Sofia Slepowronska Wyrzykowska, Petr/Piotr Slepowronski, Anna Zakrzewska, Florentina Murawski

Reason why to meet:To get to know them and answer some questions which will never be answered.

Some Proposed questions: 

Feliks: Please tell me a bit about our family history? How long have we lived in this area? Were we part of the nobility as having land suggests? What happened to you? Where and how did you die prior to 1906?

Credit: J. Fitzgerald

Adam: What do you make of the current political situation in the US? Do you see any alignments as to what you lived with when in Poland? What was your brother's name? Aleksandr maybe? If you had to do or could do it differently what would you do? Rest in peace and you won't be forgotten now I've found you having never known you because no one spoke of you.








Stanley: I've heard a bit about you and your brother Al. What do you think of Al? Why didn't our families keep in contact? I wish I got to know you and your family because I'd love to get to know them.

Al: I've heard a bit about you over the years with you being my oldest sister's godfather. Did you ever regret being in the mob and being wanted by the mob after you left and hid out most of your life until you got sick with cancer? If you could change anything, what would it be? Why are you buried in the south when you had a spot in New Jersey your father picked out and paid for for you?

Credit

Freddy: I would have loved to get to know you and your family, however, I'm a bit late. I wish you were still here as you were taken from us far too young. I hope your sons and our family will one day connect and join the family once again.

Mary: I admire you so much with all of the struggles you've had growing up. What was life like after Adam left for the US and left you, and my grandmother, with your family? Was there another child after my grandmother but it passed away as I'm thinking there was? Who are the other people in this photo (below)? I've connected with one of your sister's grandchildren and we're trying to meld this part of the family back together again.

Credit: K.Wyrzykowski 

Zofia/Sofia: I wanted you to know how much I admire what you and your husband did with the Polish underground and saving as many children as you possibly could even though it put all your lives at stake during World War 2. This is even after finding out your brother in law was murder in Auschwitz. Is there anything you would like to tell everyone about your life or that of your sibilings? Your grandson found your album and we don't know who these people are in the picture (above). Can you tell us a bit about them?





Petr/Piotr: Please tell me a bit about our family history? How long have we lived in this area? Were we part of the nobility as having land suggests? What happened to you? Where and how did you die after 1906?

Anna and Florentina: I admire you for keeping things going in 1906. What can you tell me about your histories. Anna, how did you become the owner of the local mill being a widowed female? Florentina how difficult was it being a wife who owned part of the land in Poland? What happened to either of you? Where are you?

Father's Paternal:

Person/People: Joannes/John Schmitz, Anna Klapperich, Mathias/Matthew Schmitz

Reason why to meet:To get to know them and answer some questions which will never be answered.

Some Proposed questions: 
Joannes/John: What did Mathias door what was the reason why he got kicked out of the house? Where are you buried? What is your history and what was your life like? With your father dying at such a young age, do you know anything about your history in the Rhineland area of Germany? What do you wish you did and didn't do? Did you miss your son or regret anything that was said the last time you saw each other?

Anna: Where you the buffer between John and Mathias? Is one of the reasons why he came back was for your funeral? Did you have much sway over John? Where you happy or did you regret marrying John? Did you miss Mathias when he left? Did you ever contact him here?

Credit: US NIS

Mathias/Matthew: Did you ever regret anything you did or said to your father? If so, what? Why did you keep getting sick when you were in the military? Why didn't you continue with your carpentry even if it was just a hobby? What made you keep going back to the alcohol? Why were you the way you were with your son, Matthew? Did you regret dying without your son, Matthew, by your side?

Yes, there are some heavy topics here but it would be interesting to see if they would answer them or if I'd have to push.



Continuation 
While writing this entry, my brother, Charles Adam Schmitz Sr (below), passed away.

Charlie A. Schmitz Sr in 2002. Credit. J. Fitzgerald

This meant we had to go back to the US. While there, some of my questions I had about mainly my maternal line were answered which was a huge bonus, but I still just want my big brother back.

Unfortunately, we all can't have what we wish for.