Summer travels - 2003June 29 - July 05, 2003
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Summer travels - 2003June 29 - July 05, 2003
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During our subsequent trip to Poland in June and July 2003, we continued our search, gathered materials for the Family Tree and conducted individual meetings. The main topics were:
Collecting materials concerning our cousins - the 1944 Warsaw Insurgents (see)
Search for the ancestors of Waldemar's grandfather - Albert Herman (see)
Meetings in Waldemar's hometown - Siedlce
Investigating roots of the Wajszczuk family in the vicinity of Sokolow Podlaski (see)
Meeting other Wajszczuks living in Podlasie (Zabce, Aleksandrow, Dminin)
Collecting new materials in the Family nest in Trzebieszow - including a visit to local cemetery (see)
The crowning event - II Gathering of the Podlasie Branch in Trzebieszow - June 6, 2003 (see)
Sunday, June 29
Warszawa. Meeting with Prof. dr. med. Jerzy Swiderski - "Lubicz". He was a member of the Polish Underground during WWII and at the time of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, he was a soldier in the Scout Company of the "Gustaw" Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment of the Academic Legion, Warsaw Corps of the Armia Krajowa (Home Army). Our cousin Barbara, "Baska" (0084)
was a combat nurse in the same Company. Prof. Swiderski told us that, unfortunately due to secrecy, which was mandatory in conspiracy, he had no personal contact with Barbara prior to the Uprising and virtually none during the period of fighting. With sorrow, we also learned from him that another surviving member of the same detachment (who was interviewed recently in a newspaper "Zycie Warszawy" - see) - lieutenant "Seb" has died recently! Thus our hopes of learning more details about "Baska's" life and fighting days in Conspiracy, did not materialize. Before we parted, Prof. Swiderski presented us with books and materials describing the struggles of the Polish Scouting Organizations during the German occupation. He also promised to use his extensive contacts to try to find out more about the matters of interest to us.
Monday, June 30
Visit to the Powazki Military Cemetery in Warsaw. We went there with our cousin Alina Filipkowska (0072)
Tuesday, July 01
Wiskitki n/Żyrardów (see map). In the footsteps of our grandfather Albert Herman (see - in polish) - accompanied by my sister Dr Anna Religa (0090)
Council in Wiskitki
Remnants of a cross
at an old grave
One of the few remaining
and visible graves
Remnants of
another old graveThanks to the hospitality of the Administration of the "Artist Retreat" (Dom Pracy Twórczej) in the nearby Radziejowice (former residence of the magnate family of Radziejowski), we had our lunch there and visited the palace and the adjoining grounds (see pictures below). http://republika.pl/gimradziejowice/Radziejowice.htm
Radziejowice - old
section of the castle
One of the commemorative
statues in the parkŻyrardów. The previously planned meeting with the Deacon of the Evangelical-Augsburg (Lutheran)Parish in Zyrardow - the town of birth of my Grandfather - Mrs. Halina Radacz and her husband (http://www.luteranie.pl/www/diecezje/warszawska/
zyrardow.htm) unfortunately did not materialize, because of their last minute calls and duties. In a later telephone conversation, we agreed on the details of subsequent search in their archives concerning the families of Herman and Hildebrandt (http://www.wajszczuk.v.pl/polski/drzewo/tekst/herman.htm).
Evangelical-Augsburg (Lutheran)
Parish in Zyrardow
Formerly a Lutheran - at present
(since WWII?) a Catholic Church
Adjacent site of the current
Lutheran Chapel and Parish
From left: Aneta [0946], Paweł
[0947], Barbara and Roman [0945)
Skierniewice. We then drove short distance to Skierniewice to a meeting with Roman Wajszczuk (0945)
Thursday, July 03Siedlce. During a meeting with our cousin Anna Świderska (0079)
Inscription on the tombstone -
"Maria nee Maciejewska"
In the death certificate of the son
Edmund - "Maria nee Maciejczyk"
Dr Władysław
StefanoffOld family friend, a resident of Siedlce - Dr. Wladyslaw Stefanoff - arranged visits to the City Hall, Municipal Library and Archives and served as a guide during the next several hours. Their purpose was to gather materials for preparation of short biograhies of my (WJW) parents (0086)
A gravestone plaque was ordered at the stone-mason, commemorating our cousin Zbigniew (0062)
S†PZbigniew Ireneusz WajszczukOfficer in the Polish Parachute Brigadeborn - 26.VIII.1912 in Warszawadied - 20.VIII.1982 in Quilmes, ArgentinaIn the evening we met with Henryk Wajszczuk (0610), his son Artur (0612) and their families. We never met them before. They belong to the Domaszewnica branch of the Family (see)
From left: Daniela and Artur (0612), Daniela's daughter, Anna Świderska (0079),
Helena & Henryk Wajszczuk (0610)
Artur (0612) & Henryk (0610)
Helena & Henryk (0610)
We learned from them that the previously unidentified children - Mateusz and Marta, who are buried in the old cemetery in Siedlce, are the prematurely born (in the seventh month of pregnancy) twins of Artur - they died a few minutes after their birth.
Friday, July 04Łazów, Łazówek, Seroczyn, Kamieńczyk. After an overnight stay in Siedlce, I was joined next morning by Basia Miszta (0156) and Pawel Stefaniuk (the webmaster) and we drove in the direction of Sokołów Podlaski, in search for the roots of Wajszczuks in Lazow and in Lazowek (see
Youngest son of Jozef Boruta
Barbara Miszta in conversation
with the Boruta women
Mr. Jozef Boruta
writing down information
From left: Mrs. Boruta (Jozef's
mother) and Jozef with childrenMr. Boruta passed on to us some information which he was able to gather during the preceding few months and directed us to the site of the Parish and Marian Sanctuary in Łazówek. Unfortunately the parish priest, Rev. Jozef Gierczynski was absent.
Marian Sanctuary
in Łazówek
Local oganists's wife
Mrs. Zofia WalendzikowaInstead, we encountered the wife of a local organist (peering across the fence - picture on the left, above). A relatively recent newcomer, she did not know the Wajszczuks, but she directed us to the cemetery, which we then visited in the company of the "well-informed" wife of a former local mailman - Mrs. Zofia Walendzikowa from the nearby Seroczyn (picture on the right, above).In the cemetery, we found remnants of a simple grave of Jan Wajszczuk (0925), who started the local Wajszczuk family branch
Cemetery in Łazówek
Grave of Jadwiga
(0928) Wa(j)szczuk
Tombstone of Jadwiga
Grave of Jan
(0925) WajszczukAfter taking Mrs. Walendzikowa home, we visited in Kamieńczyk the "senior" of the neighbourhood - Mr. Kazimierz Krystosiak (see pictures below).
Mr. Kazimierz Krystosiak
Mr. Kazimierz explains...
Waldemar (0089), Mr. and Mrs.
Krystosiak and Barbara Miszta (0156)Based on the information gathered from several people, we were able to establish that Jan Wajszczuk, who specialized in manufacturing of wooden shingles, arrived in this area to work in the local estate, whose last owner before WWII was Mr. Kulik. Where did Jan Wajszczuk come from - nobody remembers, but Mr. Boruta promised to investigate in the local archives. At present, there are no Wajszczuks living in this area!
On the way back, we stopped in Łazów to see the former property of Jan Wajszczuk - the only visible remnants of their dwelling were the old concrete front steps (see pictures below). A suspicious neighbour - accompanied by several family members, staying at a distance - approached us, but we assured him that our intentions were quite innocent and we did not have any hostile plans.
In the direction of Łazów
Site of former Wajszczuk homestead -
today remain only front door steps
Neighbour watching ...On the way back, we passed through the ancient settlement of Sterdyn, where we visited a restored palace, (previously a property of the noble Ossolinski family - at present housing a convention center) and a beautiful baroque church.
Ossolinski palace in Sterdyn
In front of the church - old linden trees with bees humming loud, collecting the nectar
Parish Church in Sterdyn
Inside the churchsee also: http://www.sterdyn.com.pl
Further down the road in the direction of Siedlce, we stopped for dinner in a picturesque roadside eatery, interestingly named "Mak Kargul" (after the last name Kargul from a popular Polish TV show, its name patterned after the American MacDonald!).
The "Mak Kargul" inn
Inside - Basia and Paweł
"Mak Kargul" interiorZabce (see map). After passing through Siedlce, we continued to Zabce where we visited Jan Waszczuk (0667)
Jan Waszczuk [0667]
Jan Waszczuk [0667]
and wife Krystyna
Monika Wajszczuk [0760]
Janina Mączyńska [0585] ...
...explains...Saturday, July 05
Trzebieszów. In the morning, we visited the cemetery in Trzebieszów, accompanied by Basia Miszta and by Mrs. Janina Maczynska. There are many graves of several generations of Wajszczuks - see Special Gallery. The day was hot and steamy already in the morning. While visiting the cemetery, we met unexpectedly distant cousins - the Chomicki brothers. (see
From left: Anna Bernat [0124] with daughter Kinga [0127], Stanis³aw Chomicki [0134], Barbara Miszta [0156], Adam Chomicki [0135]
From left: Janina Mączyńska [0585], Adam Chomicki [0135], Barbara Miszta [0156], Anna Bernat [0124] with daughter Kinga [0127], Stanisław Chomicki [0134]In addition to private graves, the Trzebieszow Cemetery has tombstones, which give testimony and honor local freedom fighters, who fought the Nazis or were martyred by the communist regime.
Waldemar and Barbara in the
Parish House with the Vicar,
Rev. Wieslaw NestorukAfter the cemetery visit and leaving Mrs. Maczynska with her family, we went to the presbytery to discuss with the Vicar, Rev. Wieslaw Nestoruk next day's Special Mass in the intention of the Wajszczuk Family. Since we learned that he was a computer buff, we left with him a copy of a the CD with "The Wajszczuk Family Tree". From there, we proceeded to the meeting hall (Dom Kultury), to check on the preparations for the next day's gathering and then to the nearby town of Lukow, to make some last minute purchases of the decorative materials. While there, we had lunch - outdoors, under a large colorful umbrella, in pouring rain and listening to distant thunders. Then, after taking Basia home to Trzebieszow, we continued with Pawel on the road.
Aleksandrów. We stopped there to see the state of reconstruction of the house of Karol (0564)
Karol's rebuilt house
Karol Wajszczuk [0564]
Karol's mother - Maria [0554]
and Piotr's [0566] son - Dawid [0567]
Mr. Józef ZalewskiDminin. We went there next, in search of information about the Wajszczuk family, who at one time used to live there
Roskosz. Close to the town of Biala Podlaska, it is a site of the European Educational Center (Europejskie Centrum Kształcenia i Wychowania OHP), which is located in a former residence of the Radziwills and subsequently of other famous noble families. We went there next, to rent a digital projector for the next day's Family gathering. On the way we saw and paid our respects at the monument honoring the nearly 42,000 American pilots fallen in WWII while bringing freedom to the occupied lands of Europe. It also commemorates the crew of a "Flying Fortress", which had to bail out in this area from a damaged plane, was saved and hidden by the local people and then joined the Polish Resistance forces, before returning to the USA at the end of the War.
Former palace of the Radziwill
family in Roskosz n/Biala Podlaska
Inscription on the monument
Monument expressing gratitude
to the American Airmensee also: http://www.roskosz.pl/index.html
Drelów. In the evening, there was a party at the Stefaniuks in celebration of the "Days of Drelow" - there were many local and out-of-town special guests and everybody had a great time!
Trzebieszów - II Gathering of the Podlasie Branch of the Wajszczuk Family (see - Special Report)
After the meeting and then after finishing preliminary sorting of the pictures and of the collected data, we started with Pawel in the early evening on our way by car to Warsaw. We were accompanied and enchanted by the beautiful sights of the evening sky of Podlasie and Mazowsze (provinces)!
WJW
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