3 Fires and a Wedding - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

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

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Week 23's theme is "Wedding." June is a traditional month for weddings, so what better time to highlight the story of an ancestor's wedding? Maybe you've found something surprising in a marriage record or you have an ancestral wedding photo.

For this topic, I'm going to do something different. I don't usually use these topics to post about myself, but here we are. This one I'm going to tell you the story of 3 fires and a wedding. Yep, it was an interesting but frustrating time in our history. However, if nothing else, it made us stronger - especially as we had to contend with Australian immigration to get me moved - legally - from the US to Australia which we did by ourselves. 

Background 

My husband and I met online in February 1995. I was at SUNY Technology at Utica/Rome in New York and Brett was living in Melbourne Australia. We were both looking for email pen pals. I already had about 5 or so and it gave me something to do while away at school. Normally I'm a very busy person, but when I was away, I had so much time on my hands that I figured I'd meet people online instead of around campus as many people were acting like idiots more than anything so I stayed away from them. 

Anyhow, I found my now husband and we exchanged emails, then talked on chat programs, and finally over the phone. This lasted about 6 months before he started to talk about coming over to visit me in NY. 

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at Howe Caverns in NY

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at Howard Johnson in Middletown NY

September 1995 he finally came over to visit me and my family. He stayed for about 8 weeks where we visited places like Howe Caverns, Sam's Point, and went to a few weddings as well. 

Then he came back to Australia. After a few months we were engaged and we started the process of trying to figure out the immigration side of things as we didn't know if who was moving where. We finally decided that I would move to Australia and then the research really started. Then couple that with the wedding as well. Yep, it was crazy. 

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at Melbourne Airport before Jo flew back to NY

We decided I would visit in November 1996 for a few weeks, which we did. Then I went back to the US to file the paperwork to permanently move to Australia and the wedding. We did some preparation work for the wedding while I was here, but it was basically just putting a few bits and pieces away after that. 

I filed the migration documents to move in January and we married in May 1997. 

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at Melbourne Airport in Melbourne Australia.

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at Melbourne Airport in Melbourne Australia.

Where does the 3 fires come into it?

The 3 fires comes into it when we married. 

Fire 1

I arrived in May 1997 only to find the house we were to live in had a house fire. This was fire number 1. While everyone was at work, it looked like the fire started in my husband's bedroom. It was only later we found out that someone my husband knew went into the room and smashed a TV into the floor of the bedroom which started the fire due to it being plugged in. 

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at his home in Melbourne Australia (Brett's Room)

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at his home in Melbourne Australia (hallway to kitchen)

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at his home in Melbourne Australia (kitchen)

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at his home in Melbourne Australia (living room)

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at his home in Melbourne Australia (Jo picking up what she could from inside the house. Window is Brett's bedroom)

My husband's great aunt called the local newspaper to get it in there for some reason. If nothing else it was well marked for an event. 

Credit: Leader Newspaper taken in Brett's room for local newspaper.

Credit: Leader newspaper. Taken outside in backyard with Brett's bedroom window in background.

The next 2 fires happened on the same night and the night before we got married. 

Fire 2

The first one was at the place we had booked in for our reception. Someone showed up the night before our wedding, poured gas along one of the walls, and lit it. Thankfully, there was still people there who noticed the smell and found the wall and its surroundings on fire. Thankfully, they were able to put it out before it got out of control. The semi-funny part was that night had a function where everyone who attended was associated with the police, so if the person showed up earlier they would have caught them. 

Fire 3

The third, and last fire, was at the place I was to get dressed at the morning of the wedding. After catching up on some normal everyday stuff, Brett brought me to a friend's house where I was to get ready the next day. The friend really wanted to be a part of our day, and she had a great garden for pictures, we decided it would be a good place for me to get ready. However, at 4am our friend heard something outside and came out to see what it was. I woke up and we found her car was on fire. The car was parked right next to the house and a window. I told her to call the fire department and we got the rest of the people in the house up. I packed up my stuff and called around to get my soon to be father in law around to help figure out what to do. It was only after the fire department came that we were told the fire was due to someone screwing around with the electronics in the windshield wipers and that started the fire. 

The wedding

Due to this, we figured out we had to move everything from where I was to where one of the attendants houses. We had to redirect the makeup person, the hairdresser, the limo and the photographer. Meanwhile, the guys had to be redirected to where my father in law was staying because I was at where they were supposed to be. 

Hubby and his groomsmen had their pictures taken by the photographer, then were all picked up and taken to the wedding/reception place. We were married at the same place we were going to have a reception at. We figured that would be easier than anything else. Anyhow, they were dropped off and were told about the second fire I outlined above about the gas on the wall. Then they waited. Meanwhile, I took a shower, dressed, had my makeup and hair done, and the photographer showed up. Everyone was here - with the exception of my father in law showing up just before we were to leave - to go to the reception after pictures. Then we got inside the reception place and were finally married. 

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at our wedding & reception business

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at our wedding & reception business

Credit: B. Fitzgerald taken at our wedding & reception business

We had a great time that night even though I didn't know many people who were there. I was ok with that. 

If nothing else, we will never forget these events!

Follow up note

Years later, we had a friend call up and apparently she made a statement to the cops about the above events. The person who we suspected, but could never prove, was the person behind it all. Last we heard she had a warrant out for her arrest. We never heard about an outcome after this. 

We want to be remembered... - 52 Ancestors challenge

 This is a prompt from 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

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Week 35's theme is "Unforgettable." Family history is about remembering. Who or what in your family is unforgettable? What have you discovered in your research surprised you that it was forgotten? What are you doing to make sure your discoveries aren't forgotten?

When I first read the topic, I thought of pointing out how I've tried to pass along information - Posting it on this blog, have multiple Facebook Groups for the different sides of the family (Gauquie, Schmitz/Wojtkowski, Ostrzycki), and answer any email queries as fully as I can. Also, if anyone wants my files I have, I have copied the entire thing to people's hard drives. I've started various other ways to share like writing up stories, and quilts, but they take awhile to do. 

My first ancestor quilt  Credit: J Fitzgerald

I'm trying to think of quicker and more interesting ways to make others interested in the history side. I'm trying to come up with a game and a quilt which has a tree on it but I'm stumped as to what format these should take and how to make them for quickness as well. 

One of the ideas I'm thinking of doing of something I found online.

I'm thinking maybe a generation tree (14 or so generations but wanted to include others (brothers/sisters/aunts/uncles in it but not sure how). 

I was thinking of something like this but listing all the siblings and DOB and DOD on it too on a quilt. 

Then I was thinking maybe a small board game with small cards as the questions, small pieces for people, and base it maybe on Monopoly with people in transportation for railways, Denmark for Park place (blue), Belgium another color, US another color and Poland being another. Maybe something on farming, entertainment like dancing/singing, etc. However, I need to come up with something that's not going to be huge to store and can be folded up without falling to bits which is why I'm stumped. 

Maybe something like this but for the family. Credit

Then I took another read of the topic. 

How can I have it so future generations won't forget me and my husband? 

It is a fair question, due to us not being able to have children. We are the last of our lines. We will not have any kids or grandchildren to remember us and to pass along any of our stories. These are all facts. Sad facts, but still facts. 

I used to believe others in the family would pass along information on us, so I wasn't too worried. However, the past few years, I don't believe this any longer and it saddens me, but not completely shocked like I used to be when I think of history of when I was growing up. 

Which leads me back to the original question of the future not forgetting us. I'm not sure. I have started to look into maybe filing the paperwork away electronically and giving it to the county genealogical society in the US as that's where people in the future would probably look and they have laws pertaining to keeping history of the area, so that might work. 

Then again maybe like in life, in death, people will just forget about me and it'll be like I've never happened. It sure wouldn't be the first in this lifetime that's happened. 

Credit

What has been my Favorite Discovery? Ancestors in 52 Weeks

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

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What is the neatest thing you've found while exploring your family's history? What makes you smile even now thinking about it?

 I would probably say the greatest thing I found when I started to research is just how many cousins I actually have out there. 

Growing up I only had my father's brother's 2 sons as cousins, but even then we were like ships in the night. I knew they were there, what their names were, but not much else was said about them unless is was by my paternal grandmother which was always pointing out something they were doing - cub scouts, baseball, diving, etc. 

I don't think she ever knew everything I was up to - selling the most girl scout cookies, walking in parades for the girl scouts and the numerous bike and running events I was in to raise money for other kids. I was always up to something. In fact, my mother at one point refused to take me any longer to them, so I was riding my bike to the event, entering it, and then participating in it. Then afterwards, I'd get back on the bike and ride all the way home. I did this until I was about 14 or 15 when I really hurt my back, knee and ankles. Yep, I was a mess! 

Anyhow, after my paternal grandmother passed, I really had no information as to how to even contact my uncle or cousins, so I had to let it go. Besides I got busy doing all the normal things of teenagers. 

In fact, I graduated and got married within this time. After I got married in 1997, I started to do genealogy and started to research a bit of the family which was nice, but it was hard to do this among life.

Then I found out in 2002 what their phone number was and called it. We went over to visit with my aunt and uncle for a few hours which was great to catch up again and introduce them to my husband. Who would have thought within months my uncle would pass away and I would get to see my aunt and cousins again? 

Credit: H. Schmitz. Myself with my hubby, my cousins from Germany, the US and my siblings

Anyhow, we went to the services, and caught up with other family as well. It wasn't until a few years later I started to really dig into the family history stuff and in about 2-3 years I started to find some family. I found my mother's nephew Jason, a cousin, and then his family. Then from there I set up facebook group pages for each of my researched families and then more and more cousins started to find me. Now, I've been so busy with everyday stuff, that I haven't been able to do more research, but more cousins are finding me! 

To me, that is so cool. I never imagined that I would have so many cousins from all around the world and doing so many great things out there! 

Here're just some of them: 

Looking near and far never felt sooo good. Its good to finally meet you my cousins! 

Close to Home - 52 Ancestors challenge

This is a prompt from 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

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 Is there an ancestor who didn't move far from where he or she was born? Perhaps an unmarried aunt or uncle who always lived with their parents? Maybe you have an ancestor who lived not far from where you live now or you've made a discovery close to home.

This is a very interesting topic for me as before and after migrating to the US, overall my ancestors didn't move far from their roots. There are some who did, but the main bulk of people stayed around the areas. This being said, my mother and her family is a particularly interesting in this area. 

When I was growing up, my father was in the US Navy. Anyone who knows the military knows they can get sent any place in the world upon finishing boot camp. As I didn't really have any aunts or uncles who were really around, and my parents divorced when I was young, I just figured we stayed in an area where my mother liked and Dad was around the area so we stayed or had to for custody reasons. 

However, in my teens I started to realize this wasn't the case. 

My maternal side

I hurt my knee in 7th grade. When the doctor wanted to send me to Cornwall Hospital, which was nearby, my mother told him absolutely not. She was not going in that hospital. I do know she always turned away from certain areas of the surroundings and refused to go visit or shopping in areas. There was always no reasoning as to why she wouldn't, but she wouldn't and that was the end of it. When my knee was injured, she even told the doctor she'd go down to NYC before she'd go to THAT hospital. My mother was never one for driving in any bigger towns let alone NYC. We did have to go down to NYC a few times, but she always had friends drive us, so to actually say she'd go down there before she'd go to THAT hospital, something was up. I thought it was strange but let it go. By the way, I did go to the hospital but we always had to make it first thing in the morning or not at all. 

When my sister moved to Salisbury Mills and wanted us to come visit, my mother wanted to know where exactly it was and who was going to be there. Again strange but that's my mother. Other things cropped up but Mom always worked around them. 

Then when I graduated from Vocational School and we had to go to Middletown, she hated to go there but she was with it. On the day Mom was reserved with things but she was always like that. Then when we went in and I went to line up with my class and she had to find a seat in the bleachers, I left her and everything seemed fine. Then ceremony went well and then I went to find her after. She turned when I called out to her and her eyes had the look of ice in them. What on earth made her so mad? The only words she would say to me was "We're leaving. NOW!" and turned and walked out the door. No congratulations to graduating or on making honor society, no well done for winning outstanding student, and no well done. Nothing other than a wall of ice. By this point in my life I was used to it and I turned and followed her out carrying my certificate and plaque in my hands. Would you believe she sat in the passenger seat all the way home and not a word said. When I parked the car, she turned to me and asked me "How DARE you!" and got out. I couldn't figure it out and it stumped me. 

It wasn't until years later when I was doing research, I found out the probable reason why - The area her family lived in was there as the school had students from the entire county which encompassed the areas she would never travel. I found my Great Great Grandfather, Aloyse (also known as Charles), lived in the area around where we would go in and do stuff be leave just as fast. Aloyse came to Orange County NY around 1884 from Belgium. Here it was 107 years later and the family lived around the area still. It was amazing I hadn't run into any cousins I didn't know about because everyone lived within a 30 mile radius of where my Great Great Grandfather and Great Grandfather lived. In fact, my Great Uncle lived only about 40 miles from where my family was! 

Credit: Google Earth on August 19 2020

As you can see by the map above marked is one of my cousin's, who still lives in the area. This means my family has lived in this area as of this year 136 years! Wow. 

True my ancestors had moved around a bit - living in PA and NJ for a few years - but everyone always seemed to float back to the area. Even my parents, who moved around because of the US Navy, moved back to the area just before Dad got out of the service. 

My paternal side

My father was born in NYC as that's where both of his parents lived at that point in time. However, within a few years, they moved back to where my grandmother settled upon migrating from Poland in 1920 (her father came over first in 1913), which was Linden, NJ. This is where my great grandparents and great uncles all lived at one point. They stayed there until my father was about 10 or so. Then they moved to Newburgh, NY. 

They moved around the town but never left after settling in. Even after separating, my grandmother still lived in the same town and my grandfather lived farther out, but would always visited or worked in the town. 

My uncle moved away to attend college, but once he finished and married, he came back and settled a bit farther out but within a 10 or so minute drive from my grandmother. In fact, this part of the family lived in this part of NY until my uncle's death in 2002, and then my aunt moved to Florida where my cousin John's family had settled. Since then, my aunt's other son has joined them in Florida. 

On my father's side, most of us live around the area (except me who moved countries). I lived in the area until I moved to Australia in 1997. My oldest sister is in Kansas, the next sister lives in the Carolinas some place, and the next oldest sister lives near the PA and NY border. My brother lived down the street from my father's house until his death in 2019. I think once my father goes, our main link with the area will go too. I do have friends around the area, but the main reasons why we go there will really be gone. 

My great uncle's all had kids and they have families. From what I've researched, some of one great uncle's family stayed in NJ, and the other great uncle had moved to the Carolina's as well. I believe this family still lives somewhat in the area or at least that's what I found in 2019. 

Before the move to the USA

Both sides of my family lived around the same areas for generations I've found in my research. 

Maternal side

As I mentioned above, we had been in the same area of NY for over 130 years. Prior to this, they had lived in Belgium. The family had moved around a bit, but always stayed around 20 miles around Boezinge, Belgium. 

Credit from Google Earth on August 19, 2020

As you can see, we had stayed around this part of Belgium since the early 1700 which makes it over 150 years in this area. Some of the ancestors are marked as to their relationship to me. In fact, I found I still have cousins in this area today. One of the problems is they speak very little English, so I'm in the process of taking a 3 week online class to learn Dutch. I'm not sure if it's going to work though! 

As for my mother's mother's side, they arrived in 1905 from Poland and settled in PA. They lived there until about 1930 when they headed for New York in which some of my cousins still live today (see map at the top of this post). Some cousins, I found, still live in PA too. Some have moved to Kentucky, Alabama and Florida. 

Credit: Google Earth on August 19 2020.

Prior to this, from the birth and marriage entries, it seems like they were around the same area in Poland which is about 115 miles south from Gdansk/Danzig port. I believe they lived around there for generations from speaking to my cousins which knew the ancestors verbal history better. 

Paternal side

As I mentioned above, my father's side generally stayed around the same areas. 

When my grandfather, Mathias, came over in the 1920s from Germany, his aunt and uncle lived in Brooklyn. There was a huge amount of German settlers in the area which is why I believe they settled in there. 

My grandfather branched out and lived in NYC and that's where he met my grandmother. They married in NYC, and then he moved to Linden, NJ. He was in WW2, but then he came back. Shortly after, he took a trip to Newburgh, NY. After that, he and along with his sons, all stayed in this area. I do know he died not far from Newburgh, NY, but haven't a clue where he is buried. I'm still looking for the information but I believe it could be around Beacon, NY somewhere. 

Prior to him coming to the US, I found his family lived in the Rhineland in Germany for generations. If the researchers notes are correct, then we lived all over this area (see map below) since the 1700s which would make it 320 years or 226 years before my grandfather left Germany for the US. 

Credit: Google Earth on August 19 2020.

As for my father's mother, same thing goes with her side of the family. Grandma Jean I've written about many times. She was born and stayed there until she was 10 with her mother, cousins and family in 1920. I know for a fact, this side of the family still lives near there - they live in Warsaw but have a country house around here according to my father's cousin. 

I know where my great grandparents were married, Nur, and where they were born - Murawskie Nadbużne and Ciechanów. I do know from doing my DNA there are some matches either there once or still there because one DNA cousin came from Zuzela. My father's DNA came back as being able to be traced back to the 8th century "when The first waves of the incoming Slavs settled the vicinity of the upper Vistula River and elsewhere in the lands of present southeastern Poland and southern Masovia." (Credit). 

According to things said by my father and grandmother, my great grandmother was once part of the upper class of Poland society called Sejm. In fact my great grandmother's maiden name was Murawski after the town and they owned a farm. I think my great grandfather's history is pretty important too as according to the marriage document he was the owner of his father's farm due to his father's death. His mother owned a flour mill in town. This is back in 1905, so you can see just how "rich" they were compared to some others. 

When I started to go back on my grandmother's mother's side, I started to find out a bit about the family but due to language barriers and the complex software and file formats it's difficult and I'll have to look into it in the future. It seems by the tiny bit of digging, each generation moved south along the Bug river waterway. 

Credit: Google Earth on August 19 2020

If the information I was finding and the DNA  is correct we've been in this area of Poland centuries. 

Conclusion

My husband regularly looks over to me and tells me my entire clan of ancestors are "Stubborn and don't move easily". I look at him and laugh and agree. It doesn't matter which area you reference, my maternal and paternal are both stubborn and don't move with ease at all and that's just fine. 

Long Line - 52 Ancestors challenge

This is a prompt from 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

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Is there a trait or an occupation that seems to have been in your family tree for generations? Is there a line in your genealogy that's been in a particular place for a long, long time? Maybe you have Long as a surname.

Unlike the Bachelor Uncle topic, this one I could apply multiple of ways. Some of these are: 

• temper and stubbornness - Yep, on all sides and one of the traits my husband has pointed out multiple of times. 
• business owner and cooking/baking - Yep, on both sides of the family although some family members have more of a gift than others or so I'm told. 
• being the country and away from crowds - Yep, once again on all sides. 

I think I'm going to concentrate on the business owners. Sometimes they had combined the business owner with cooking and baking. 

On my mother's Gauquie side, we have had people as far back as the My 3rd and 4th great grandfathers Jean Baptiste and Jean-Francois Gauquie in 1806 were farmers in Belgium. I consider farms a small business and they had to sell whatever they were farming somehow. 

Document Credit: Herve Costille

Then you have the descendants who were a range of occupations:

Johannes Jacobus Gauquie (born 1792 died 1833) was an innkeeper in Boezinge, Belgium. 

Desiderius/Desire Franciscus 'Didier' Gauquie (born 1820 died 1878) who owned (along with his wife) a small business of a baker. 

Many of Desiderius' children had farms or owned their own or married into families where they owned their own businesses like Hotel Gauquie in Belgium. 

Credit

Jules Gauquie (born 1871 died 1946) he had his own diary farm and sold milk which his cousin took to market for him. Then he turned to owning land which was later either sold or given away to his second wife, Belle. 

                 

Many Jules' children had their own businesses as well. You had sons who took up farming and one who started his own business of cleaning chimneys and furnaces. His daughter started up their own dance studio. 

                                

From there the family doesn't really do too well with the owning of businesses or farming. However, Jules' great grandson, Jason, does own his business of heating and air conditioning company from 2002. 

To go further with the baking and cooking, my paternal great grandmother (Mary or Maryanna) all loved to bake and cook. She would spend hours baking and cooking away. Further, my paternal great grandfather (Adam), loved to make Polish sausage and eventually made his own smokehouse. People would drive from all over to buy his smoked food. My great grandfather was so busy making the smoked food, he had to limit how many times a week he made it because the other part of the business would suffer if he didn't. 

Credit: J. Schmitz - Her parents outside their Polish food store in Linden, New Jersey in the 1930s. 

They owned a small Polish deli in New Jersey. A few times they had to close or move it around due to the economy, but he always came back to running the business. He loved doing it and had taken serious hits when the Depression happened in 1929 and during the wars because he was trying to look out for his community so he would let people slide on food and payments. This ment at times, he would have to close their store and even once he had to work in a factory for a short time. 

When Adam passed away, after a long battle of stomach cancer, and they had to run a small sentence in the business directory about his passing because people were still trying to contact him after he stopped working. 

The love for baking and cooking has passed down. I like cooking and baking various dishes. However, the one who went even farther is my cousin, John S. Schmitz Jr who is an Executive Chef at Ocean Center in Florida. John's brother, Joseph, run his own accounting firm in Florida as well.  

                    

Credit - John S Schmitz Jr.                                            Credit - Joseph J. Schmitz

No matter how you look at it, we've have a long line of running businesses and the love of cooking and baking.