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: 

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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).

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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?

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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?

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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.

Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Unusual Name

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

I'm all set it write as I've got my hot tea and tonight's encouragement and treat for writing is homemade cinnamon rolls which should be interesting to write without getting the icing all over the place.

Anyhow, this week's prompt is unusual name which, once again, leaves you to interpret it how you want. Many of us can go back to Europe and how difficult it is. However, when you have a last name that comes from about the middle of Europe and eastward then things get seriously bad with the names and their spellings. I'm not talking about the majority of first names, I'm talking last names or surnames. This I can count the ways due to the different languages and dialects.

You have various spellings depending on who was in charge of the area they were in even. However, I'm just going to concentrate of the names of migrants in this post.

Please note the names attached below are from various documents for copyright (even though most of these are past copyright). If you have a question regarding what document its from please contact me using the comments section below and give a detailed description regarding which one you are querying.

Poland & Its Existence

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On both maternal and paternal sides I have Polish and they both happen to be Polish Russian.

What's the difference between Polish and Polish Russian? It put it simply is nothing other than the Polish Russian is back before 1919 when Poland didn't exist so they had the parts which were split up
between Russia, Austria and Germany. The migrants listed themselves in different ways sometimes it was Polish and sometimes it was listed as Russian/Austrian/Germany Polish because of Poland being split up for 123 years.

These are various last names or surnames: Wojtowski/Wojtowska, Slepowronska/Slepowronski, Ostrzycki, Rutkowski, Wyrzykowski, Zakrzewska, Kurpieski, Jagodzinski, Jagodzinska, Jagodrinski, Jagodrinska, Berry, Barry and I'm sure there are many more out there! 
  
Now let's count the ways of just the names of my migrated ancestors from this area...I'm only going to pick a few examples or else I'd be here all day with these!

Various spellings:

Maternal:

Various spellings:

Paternal:

Germany

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My paternal grandfather was born and raised in Germany which is where he migrated from in the 1920s. However, the many problem wasn't the spelling of the name, it was it is equal to the Smith and Jones names in the United States unfortunately.

The name he migrated with was Mathias Schmitz. Then he Americanized it a bit to Matthew Schmitz.

However, over the years, even though its a very common last name, I've still had it spelled wrong on me.

Other last names: Klepperich and I'm sure there are many more out there!   I have only done a tiny bit of research in this area.

Various spellings:

Belgium

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My maternal great grandfather migrated to the US in the late 1800s. Even so, people still have problems with the name. I have to admit it sounds very French when you say it how the Americans do (Gay-quey), but I've found that in Belgium, where my ancestors are from it say it differently (Gook-key) but is spelled Gauquie.

Taken from website

We've been in Belgium since the early 1700s which I've found, but the area they lived in Belgium was right on the border with France which has me thinking back even earlier is when we had family in France and the reasons for going to Belgium, or within France depending on when they went,  might have been due to many factors like political, social and economic tension made worse by religious division which many rules had problems with during this time.

I do know we have had family in France due to the one famous sculptor (right), but I haven't figured out how we were related - yet.

My 2x great grandfather, before he changed it in the 1890s, had a very unusual name including the last name - Aloyis H Gauquie. No wonder he changed it to Charles.

My great grandfather, the son of Aloyis, had an unusual name as well. He was born Joannes Julius Van Rompaye or Van Rompaey due to his being illigitemate. Once Aloyis knew about him and married Joannes Julius' mother, Florentina or Florentyna, He was then named a Gauquie. Its was only my research that found he was born under his mother's maiden last name when I started my research many years ago.

Other last names are: Verbert, VanThyghem, Verbaeghe, Verhaeghe, Verstrepen, Naets, Loones,  Gysen, Depoorter  and I'm sure there are many more out there! 

I'm only going to pick a few examples or else I'd be here all day with these!

Various spellings:

My Own Unusual Name
I was born as Jo Ann Janet after my mother and maternal grandmother. When my parents discovered my mother was pregnant with me, they made a bet - if its a girl then its to be named after my mother. A boy would be named after my father. Congratulations its a girl!

So I was named after my mother. However, then you have the whole discussion when there's a call or mail as to who its for... Make the wrong move and the person starts giving to the other person private information. It was so annoying to be frank.

Anyhow, growing up, I was told over and over again that my mother's name was Joan Ann and she smashed the two names together, because she didn't like the first name of Joan, to get the Jo Ann which sounds plausible and I was ok with that.

However, when my sister had to put my mother in a nursing home about 2 years ago, she needed her birth certificate. My sister found her birth certificate which was drawn up after she was married. The first thing is the certificate had her a year older and doesn't have any parent information on it. It also has a different name to those we knew about - Joanna. Now I know her formal grandfather's name Joannes (as you can see by some of the names inserted above) I wonder if they put the name into female format and Americanized it to Joanna? Its a possibility...

Then when they get tired of trying to spell names there's always this: 

Also, I had the complication of the maiden name of Schmitz, which I've covered above.

As you can see, unusual names they have come from all over. It could be for many reasons why they have them and changed them. However, we only get one birth name, which is why when I my filing of my documents, I use this name followed in parentheses with the married names.

My file folders for printed information

My file folders for electronic information