(This post was originally written in September 2010; Copyright (c) 2010 Cynthia Shenette)
"But mom, juice boxes are so kindergarten."
So said my son a while back. Who knew? I wondered why he kept bringing juice boxes home in his lunch box every day rather than drinking them. Apparently, when you're in second grade, squishy pack drinks are way more cool. Sometimes I have trouble trying to keep up with what's in and what's out snack-wise, AND keep it healthy. "Flavor Blasted" Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, in. Regular Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, out. Sweets, in. Yogurt, out. Fruit, definitely out. How can I compete? "Mom, did you know Johnny has a Cosmic Brownie for morning snack. A Cosmic Brownie," he adds for emphasis. At 10:20 in the morning? I don't think so. "But mom, they're cosmic." Yeah, right. They might be cosmic but they're not gonna happen, and certainly not at 10:20 in the morning.
Believe me, I feel his pain. You see, I was a lunch box trader. There, I said it. You probably knew a kid like me--the pathetic kid with the apple. Yup, that was me. I was the kid sitting at that table in the gymacafatorium with my bruised apple rolling around at the bottom of my metal Peanuts lunch box. Squished tuna sandwich wrapped in wax paper. No mayo. Frozen milk bought at school. No soda for this kid. Mom was a woman ahead of her time. She wanted me to be healthy. I just wanted a Twinkie. Oh, how I envied those kids with the Twinkies. Why couldn't I have a Twinkie like everyone else?
Years later, when I was in my twenties, I finally confessed to my mom about the trading thing. She was shocked. Shocked! "Some kid was perfectly happy to get that apple," she said. Frankly, I could never figure out why anybody wanted my apple. Actually, I still can't. Even today, given the choice of a Twinkie or an apple, I'd go with the Twinkie in a heartbeat if I didn't know any better. Today we have cholesterol. Ah, those innocent days of youth.
I hate to admit it, but yes, I've become my mother. Once I became a mom I knew it was just a matter of time. I hear stuff coming out of my mouth that my mother use to say. And despite that, NO, my son will NOT be taking a Cosmic Brownie for morning snack. I don't care if everyone does it. NO Cosmic Brownie. End of story.
What was in your lunch box? Were you the apple, or were you the Twinkie? I really want to know...
Submitted for the 122nd edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
Flu 1918 (Part 1 of 3) - Amanuensis Monday
The Psychic Next Door (Part 1 of 2)
(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Polka Time!
Amanuensis Monday: Clairvoyants and Distractions
Showing posts with label Carnival of Genealogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carnival of Genealogy. Show all posts
Business Profile: Helen's, 39/41 Millbury St., Worcester, MA
 |
| The Rialto Building, Circa 1955 Helen's, 41 Millbury Street, is to the Far Right, Next to Wentworth's Bakery |
(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photographs and Text, Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) My grandmother's sister, Helen E. Bulak (1894-1985), was a well regarded member of Worcester's business community for 55 years. She and her friend, Katherine (Pomianowska) Gralicki, each invested $100 (about $1,526 at today's currency rate) and opened Bulak and Pomianowska, a millinery shop on Millbury St. in Worcester in November of 1918.
 |
| Helen and Friends in Hats Sitting, Left to Right: Sophie (Kowalewski) Konopka, Helen Bulak, Antonina (Bulak) Szerejko. Standing: Unidentified Friend |
In the early 1920s business boomed and four girls were hired to help in the shop, but by 1927 manufactured hats were the rage. Handmade hats had lost their popularity, and Katherine Pomianowska, now Katherine Gralicki, retired to stay home with her family. Helen changed the shop's name to the Rialto Dry Goods Company, and she began to focus on selling infants' clothing rather than hats. By the 1940s Helen made the decision to include women's and girls' apparel, and the name of the shop was permanently changed to Helen's.
For decades Helen worked from 8:30 in the morning until 9 at night Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 to 10 p.m. on Fridays, and from 8:30 until 11 in the evening on Saturdays. At various points in time my grandmother, Antonina (Bulak) Szerejko, helped out at the store, as did my mother, Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, as did my grandmother and aunt's adopted sister, Rose (Choronzak) Miller, and Rose's sister, Sophie (Choronzak) Shenkowski. Helen closed the store for a vacation for the first time ever during the summer of 1968!
When Helen started business in the primarily ethnic Millbury St. area, Millbury St. was like Main St. for Worcester's eastern European immigrant community. She catered to the ethnic population of the Vernon Hill neighborhood. Helen spoke Polish, of course, but also understood and could communicate in enough of the other languages spoken in the neighborhood--Yiddish, Lithuanian, Russian--to be popular with her wide customer base.
Helen's was located in the Rialto Building, which still exists on Millbury St. The Rialto Building housed a movie theater, the Rialto Theater, in the center and businesses on either side. I remember going to the store when I was very little. There was a pool hall that was located in the building upstairs, and I could occasionally hear the crack of pool balls when I was in the back room of my aunt's shop! Whenever I visited "Auntie's store" with my mom and my grandmother Aunt Helen let me take sales from customers and operate handle-crank cash register! I also loved playing behind the counter and sliding the doors underneath the cases where merchandise was stored!
Helen retired after 55 years in business on October 30, 1973 at the age of 79. A brief newspaper notice upon her retirement quotes Helen as saying, "I loved my work, and I loved my customers, and I'm going to miss it all." She also knew that Worcester was changing. In another quote she reflected, "But times have changed, and the street has changed, and I know it's time for me to go."
Submitted for the 120th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
The Opal Ring
Photo Story: Auntie Helen's 1937 Trip to Poland
Send Up A Flare, Again! More Mystery People Identified!
Chopin Rising
Taking A Dip
(Digital Image. Photograph Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette. Photograph and Text, Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) This photograph was probably taken at a church picnic for the parishioners of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Worcester, MA. I don't know exactly when it was taken, but my best guess is the late 1910s. Zoom in, and check out the many details.
I love the two ladies in their long sleeve dresses and umbrellas primly watching the action in the water from the grassy bank, and I'm fascinated by the scantily clad (at least according to the standards of the day) woman on the left wearing just her shift! Shocking! I bet that made for some lively parlor conversation among the parishioners later that evening! The children close to shore appear to be wearing their bathing suits and are no doubt wading where their parents can keep a close eye on them. My grandfather, Adolf Szerejko, is the man in the water with his foot raised way up in the air. Skinny dipping? Probably not. I love that the man on left didn't even bother to take off his hat before he jumped into the water!
If you have a moment, check out my post for last year's annual Swimsuit Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. It's one of my favorite all time blog posts. After all, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun too, you know...
Submitted for the 119th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
A Pretty Girl on Old Cape Cod
Not So Wordless Wednesday: Cape Cod Memories
Climbing Over Rocky Mountain - Wordless Wednesday
The Worcester Tornado, June 9, 1953 - Those Places Thursday
Books, Books, Books!
(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) Books, Books, Books! was the title of my library presentation for my son's Cub Scout den last year. You want to work a tough crowd? Try entertaining a group of overly excited eight-year-old boys on a Friday night with a talk about books. Stand up is easier. While not as exciting as whittling and geocaching, the presentation went remarkably well. The boys all seemed to be interested and had a good time. When I was a kid I would have loved a Friday night at the library! I loved books and always had my head buried in a book. I read standing up, sitting down, or walking. The best summer afternoon was one spent at the library!
My first favorite author was Miriam Clark Potter. I loved her Mrs. Goose stories--Hello! Mrs. Goose, Just Mrs. Goose, No, No, Mrs. Goose, Our Mrs. Goose, Goodness, Mrs. Goose! My favorite book in third grade was Charlotte's Web. I read it over and over. Fourth grade--Little Women. Fifth grade--Johnny Tremain. Sixth grade was a four way tie--the Little House series, Constance by Patricia Clapp, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, and Star Girl by Henry Winterfield. I also loved fairy tales--the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, The Red Fairy Book, The Blue Fairy Book. My grandmother hated the fairy tales. She thought I'd find them too scary. No way. I loved when Cinderella's step-sister chopped off her toes to fit her foot into Cinderella's glass slipper. They don't write kid's stories like that any more...
In junior high my best friend gave me a Barbara Cartland romance for my birthday. I was hooked. According to the Barbara Cartland website, Dame Barbara wrote 723 books during her lifetime, and I think I read them all (or maybe it just seems like I did). How can you not love books with titles like The Wicked Marquis, The Dangerous Duke, and The Elusive Earl? Then there were the "love" books--An Arrow Of Love, Lucky In Love, The Problems Of Love, Conquered By Love. I also read Hungry for Love, The Race for Love, Prisoner of Love, The Karma of Love, and The Treasure Is Love, among many (many) others. I developed my love (sorry) for alliteration and ellipses in writing thanks to Barbara Cartland.
By the time I hit high school I was ready to delve into more "serious" literature. I discovered the Harlequin Romance. I loved the exotic settings, the breathless women, and the imperious men (How often does one actually get to use the word imperious except when discussing a Harlequin Romance?) I worked at a local department store through my high school years, and on Friday night after work I'd stop at the grocery store and pick up a Harlequin from the revolving book rack at the front of the store. I'd start reading as soon as I got home and finish the book around two in the morning. On Saturday night the pattern would repeat.
During my college years I expanded my horizons and sampled the works of fantasy authors Terry Brooks and J.R.R. Tolkien, though my leisure reading was still primarily populated by my handsome Harlequin heroes (Alliteration. Thank you, Dame Barbara). As an English major my coursework focused on the heavy hitters of American and English literature--Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, and James Joyce. I loved Beowulf (Someone had to...), as well as the works of Charles Dickens (Great Expectations, Oliver Twist), the Brontes (Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights), and Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice).
My reading tastes these days lean more towards historical mysteries, biographies, and histories. I haven't picked up a Harlequin in years. I've come full circle though. I'm back to reading children's literature, now with my son, though his taste definitely leans more towards nonfiction than mine ever did. His journey will be different than mine, but that's the great thing about books. Every story is different.
Submitted for the 118th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
A Little Slice of Heaven
2011 Favorites In Review: And The iGene Goes To...
Flash Back! The Life and Times of Francois Chenette (Greatly Abridged)
A Comedy of Errors: My Family in the Census (Part 1 of 3)
My first favorite author was Miriam Clark Potter. I loved her Mrs. Goose stories--Hello! Mrs. Goose, Just Mrs. Goose, No, No, Mrs. Goose, Our Mrs. Goose, Goodness, Mrs. Goose! My favorite book in third grade was Charlotte's Web. I read it over and over. Fourth grade--Little Women. Fifth grade--Johnny Tremain. Sixth grade was a four way tie--the Little House series, Constance by Patricia Clapp, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, and Star Girl by Henry Winterfield. I also loved fairy tales--the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, The Red Fairy Book, The Blue Fairy Book. My grandmother hated the fairy tales. She thought I'd find them too scary. No way. I loved when Cinderella's step-sister chopped off her toes to fit her foot into Cinderella's glass slipper. They don't write kid's stories like that any more...
In junior high my best friend gave me a Barbara Cartland romance for my birthday. I was hooked. According to the Barbara Cartland website, Dame Barbara wrote 723 books during her lifetime, and I think I read them all (or maybe it just seems like I did). How can you not love books with titles like The Wicked Marquis, The Dangerous Duke, and The Elusive Earl? Then there were the "love" books--An Arrow Of Love, Lucky In Love, The Problems Of Love, Conquered By Love. I also read Hungry for Love, The Race for Love, Prisoner of Love, The Karma of Love, and The Treasure Is Love, among many (many) others. I developed my love (sorry) for alliteration and ellipses in writing thanks to Barbara Cartland.
By the time I hit high school I was ready to delve into more "serious" literature. I discovered the Harlequin Romance. I loved the exotic settings, the breathless women, and the imperious men (How often does one actually get to use the word imperious except when discussing a Harlequin Romance?) I worked at a local department store through my high school years, and on Friday night after work I'd stop at the grocery store and pick up a Harlequin from the revolving book rack at the front of the store. I'd start reading as soon as I got home and finish the book around two in the morning. On Saturday night the pattern would repeat.
During my college years I expanded my horizons and sampled the works of fantasy authors Terry Brooks and J.R.R. Tolkien, though my leisure reading was still primarily populated by my handsome Harlequin heroes (Alliteration. Thank you, Dame Barbara). As an English major my coursework focused on the heavy hitters of American and English literature--Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, and James Joyce. I loved Beowulf (Someone had to...), as well as the works of Charles Dickens (Great Expectations, Oliver Twist), the Brontes (Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights), and Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice).
My reading tastes these days lean more towards historical mysteries, biographies, and histories. I haven't picked up a Harlequin in years. I've come full circle though. I'm back to reading children's literature, now with my son, though his taste definitely leans more towards nonfiction than mine ever did. His journey will be different than mine, but that's the great thing about books. Every story is different.
Submitted for the 118th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
A Little Slice of Heaven
2011 Favorites In Review: And The iGene Goes To...
Flash Back! The Life and Times of Francois Chenette (Greatly Abridged)
A Comedy of Errors: My Family in the Census (Part 1 of 3)
A Window in Time, April 11, 1940
 |
| The Szerejko Family, Circa 1940 |
On Thursday, April 11, 1940 my grandparents lived in a relatively new (built in 1925) three-decker in Worcester's Vernon Hill neighborhood. The weather was cloudy with a light easterly wind. Rain was predicted for Friday. Spring bulbs peaked through the ground. The smell of spring was in the air. For two cents the Worcester Telegram was a good deal, but the news was discouraging, full of the war raging in Europe.
BRITISH BESIEGE OSLO
To Bomb City Unless Nazis Surrender
F.D.R. Bans Gold Withdrawals
ENGLISH POUND REICH FLEET
Allied-German Naval Battle Continues of Norway Coast
POPULATION FLEES IN PANIC
English Warships Force Way Into Harbor After Long Battle With German Fleet
Reich Cruiser Emden Reported Sunk
And a little closer to home:
WALL STREET: Markets Swayed by War News
Newsprint Prices Hold: Canada Furnishing Supply Cut Off From Scandinavia
Thankfully the local news was a bit more positive:
Journalism Classes of High School of Commerce Visited T-G Plant
South Worcester Branch Library Gets New Books
Layouts advertised that Sherer's department store was wrapping up its fur sale. Furs regularly $119 to $189 were on sale for $55! Teens could shop for saddle Oxfords at Barnard's for $4.19, while their parents ran over to Denholm's to check out new Hotpoint refrigerators for $114.95 on the 5th floor. Brockelman's Worcester Market enticed shoppers with sales on pork and beans (3 for .22¢), a dozen eggs (.23¢), a peck of potatoes (.27¢), cube steak (.21¢ a pound) and two rye breads for .11¢!
In entertainment news Rebecca, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, was held over at the Warner Theater. The kiddos could look forward to Walt Disney's Pinocchio which was starting on Wednesday.
There was joy in Mudville!
BOSTON RED SOX BEAT CINCINNATI 2-1!
When census enumerator, a Mr. William F. Foster, finished talking to the Samuel Alpert family at 27 Fairfax Rd. he knocked on my grandparent's door. He was probably in a rush. Or was he just careless? In his haste he wrote down the wrong house number in column two on the census form. Mr. Foster also forgot to write down who answered the door. Was it my grandmother or my grandfather? We'll never know. Glenn Miller's In The Mood was the number one song on April 11, 1940. Was it playing on the mahogany cabinet radio in the living room that day? Mr. Foster quickly filled in the columns on the census form, eager to move on to the next house on his route.
Do you own or rent your home? Own. What is the value of home? $8,500. What's your name? Adolf Szerejko? (Pause) How do you spell that? Shzeregko, Adolth. Age? 45. Highest grade of school completed? Eighth. Where were you born? Poland. Occupation? Machinist. Industry? (Illegible.) What was your residence on April 1, 1935? Same place. Income in 1939? $1456. Who else lives here? Anna. Wife. Age? 43. What is her highest grade of school completed? Eighth. What's her place of birth? Poland. Occupation? None. Anyone else? Christine. Daughter. Age? 18. Highest grade of school completed? Four years of high school. Anyone else? Coleen. Daughter. Age? 17. Highest grade of school completed? Three years of high school. Is that it? Robert. A son. Ten. Highest grade completed? Fourth. I need to ask you a few supplemental questions. Name, again. Szireko, Adolth. Where was your father born? Poland. Where was your mother born? Poland. Mother tongue? Polish. Are you a veteran? No. Social Security number? Yes. Usual occupation? Machinist. Usual industry? (Illegible, again.). Thanks for your time...
By New Year's Eve of that year much would change. Mom would graduate from the High School of Commerce in June of 1940 and be attending Becker College by the fall of 1940. My grandparents and their children would leave their old home and Vernon Hill behind to move to their new home on Grove St., to the neighborhood where my family would live for the next sixty years and to the house where I would later grow up. By New Year's Eve Pearl Harbor would be less than a year away. But no one knew it. In November of 1941 Glenn Miller would still be playing on the mahogany cabinet radio, but life would be different.
Have you looked at the 1940 United States Census yet? Push back the curtains, and take a look. What do you see? Is that Glenn Miller I hear playing on your living room radio? I think it is...
A Note on Errors: Much of the information on the 1940 United States Census record is either incomplete or wrong. The house number is wrong. The 1940 census lists the Szerejko family house as 33 Fairfax Rd. The Szerejko family actually lived at 31 Fairfax Rd. My grandfather's name looks as if it is spelled Adolth Shzeregko, and their daughter Helene's name is given as Coleen. Also, the enumerator did not note who furnished the information per the instructions (by circling an X) for my family, or for any of the people enumerated on the page. In the "Supplementary Questions" section my grandfather's name is spelled Adolth Szireko, and he WAS a veteran of World War I. "Industry" is illegible on both sections of the form.
Submitted for the 117th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
(This post is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Robert A. Szerejko (05 May 1929-04 May 2012). He has joined his parents and sisters. We will miss you.)
Other Posts You Might Like:
A Comedy of Errors: My Family in the Census (Part 1 of 3)
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...
My Family Tree: A Literal Interpretation
Meditation: The Strength of Ordinary Women
The Opal Ring
 |
| Auntie Helen wearing the opal ring in 1920 |
Sometimes it's hard to think of our ancestors in terms of being people, or at least people different in any way from the way that we knew them. My great-aunt Helen Bulak was one of those people. Aunt Helen always seemed like a fussy old lady to me, or as my mom said, "Sometimes Auntie can be a real noodge..." It's hard to think that she might have ever been different.
My grandmother said when they were little, my Aunt Helen was the "pretty one." Helen was prettier and chubbier which was high praise back in the day when chubbiness was indicative of a healthy constitution. Helen was also popular. According to my grandmother Helen was "...a bridesmaid for all the weddings." I have dozens photos of Aunt Helen dressed as a bridesmaid. Sometimes she's pictured with a young man (always a different young man) and sometimes as part of a larger wedding party. As they saying goes, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride."
While Aunt Helen never married she did become an astute business woman, operating what began as a millinery and dry goods shop, for decades on Millbury St. in Worcester. She was never rich but definitely was well-to-do, traveling to Poland in 1937 when most people, my grandparents included, were struggling through the Great Depression. Helen became a leader in the Worcester Polish business community and later worked to assist Polish DPs in coming to the States after the war. When Auntie Helen retired in 1973 she had been in business for 55 years.
Besides being a fussy, old lady (at least in my young eyes) the other thing I remember about Auntie Helen was that she always wore a large opal ring on one hand. Always. Opal was her birthstone. It is a pretty gold ring with a large opal in the center and two tiny diamonds on either side. My mom told me that a young man gave the ring to her when she was young. Apparently she fell in love with this young man when she was fifteen. Unfortunately for her he was twenty-five. The young man asked her to marry him, but her mother was against it. He was ten years older, and he wanted her to go back to Poland with him after they were married. The relationship ended. He returned to Poland, and Helen never saw him again. Before he left he gave her the opal ring. When I asked my mother what happened to the young man she told me, "He died in one of the wars." My mom told me Helen never forgave her mother for ending the relationship.
Over the last two years I've been working through a box of some 70 or 80 letters and postcards sent from family in Poland. I scan the letters or postcards and send them to my cousin Marek who translates them from Polish into English and returns the translation to me via e-mail. Last year I scanned and sent a postcard. Imagine my surprise when I received the following translation:
[Date stamped 1913]
Dear Helenko,
I wonder very presently how much is your health miss, myself even though everything is good here I continue to think about you and my future [?]
The business I'm currently working at [?] came back to [?] because
I'm not happy here, yours Wacek.
Farewell and please answer me at least a few words.
Please greet the parents.
A poem was also written on the card:
Yes, there are names that are not forgotten
still above the tearful heart will circulate
still continue to open healed wound
until the crystal tears sit in it.
I also have another postcard from Wacek with similar sentiments which was sent in 1912. The postal stamp indicates the postcard was sent from Lublin, so I know Wacek left America at least by the end of 1912. Helen would have been eighteen in October of 1912.
How would both of their lives been different if they had married? Would they have been happy? Would they both have been killed in a war?
It's so easy to forget our ancestors were living, breathing people with hopes and dreams for the future. What were Helen and Wacek's dreams? When I look at Helen's bridesmaid photos and see a young man standing with Helen I wonder, was he the one? Is that Wacek? Would Helen have turned out a different person if she had taken a different path in life? I'll never know. One thing I do know. She wore the opal ring for the rest of her life...
Special Thanks: To my cousin Marek for his translation of the postcard.
Submitted for the 116th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
Chopin Rising
Photo Story: Auntie Helen's 1937 Trip to Poland
Memories of the M/S Pilsudski? An Author Wants YOU!
Flu 1918 (Part 1 of 3) - Amanuensis Monday
Flash Back! The Life and Times of Francois Chenet (Greatly Abridged)
(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) Well, it's Carnival of Genealogy time again, and our assignment for this month is to create a "flash" family history of one of our ancestors in 300 words or less. I decided to write about my great-grandfather Francois Chenet. To use Francois as the subject for my flash family history is absurd to say the least, given the...um...details of Francois' life, but the concept was both fun and challenging. Let's just say I tried my best to capture the highlights (cough) of Francois relatively long life. While my flash family history is short, I think I've done a reasonable job in capturing the essence of the man. What do you think?
Francois Chenet (18 Apr 1813- 22 Mar 1886)
My great-grandfather Francois Chenet was born in St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Quebec in 1813. He married Marie-Marguerite Charron in 1836. Their first child Marguerite was born in 1837. Their second child Justine was born in 1839. Their third child Jean-Baptiste was born in 1840. Their fourth child Julienne was born 1841. Their fifth child Celina was born in 1842. Their sixth child Philomene was born in 1844. Their seventh child Francois was born 1845. Their eighth child Marie-Reine was born in 1847. Their ninth child Marie-Vitaline was born in 1848. Their tenth child Joseph was born in 1849. In 1850 Marie-Marguerite died.
Francois married Theotiste Tetreault (1852). Their first child Francois-Xavier was born in 1852. Their second child Louis was born in 1854. Their third child Louis-Napoleon was born 1856. Their fourth child Toussaint was born in 1858. In 1859 Theotiste died.
Francois married Marie-Louise Dubreuil (1859). Their first child Marie-Louise-Delima was born in 1860. Francois enlisted in the Union army (1863). Their second child Marie was born in 1864. Francois was wounded at Cold Harbor (1864). The Civil War ended (1865). In 1866 Marie-Louise died.
Francois married my great-grandmother Lucie Touchette (1867). Their first child Victorine-Lucy was born in 1868. Their second child Francois-Adei was born in 1871. Their third child Joseph-Theodore-Hormidas (my grandfather, who became Frank. Go figure...) was born in 1873. Their fourth child Joseph was born in 1874. Their fifth child Marie-Josephine was born in 1876. Their sixth child Flavi-Joseph was born in 1878. Their seventh child Francois-Elzear was born in 1879. Their eighth child Marie-Delina-Vedora was born in 1882. Francois died in 1886.
And the women of Quebec breathed a collective sigh of relief...
Submitted for the 115th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
Tombstone Tuesday: Francois Chenette, Civil War Soldier
Photo Story: Dad and a Mystery Solved
Fascinating Ladies
More Than Meets the Eye (Again): A Tuesday's Tip Follow Up!
Francois Chenet (18 Apr 1813- 22 Mar 1886)
My great-grandfather Francois Chenet was born in St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Quebec in 1813. He married Marie-Marguerite Charron in 1836. Their first child Marguerite was born in 1837. Their second child Justine was born in 1839. Their third child Jean-Baptiste was born in 1840. Their fourth child Julienne was born 1841. Their fifth child Celina was born in 1842. Their sixth child Philomene was born in 1844. Their seventh child Francois was born 1845. Their eighth child Marie-Reine was born in 1847. Their ninth child Marie-Vitaline was born in 1848. Their tenth child Joseph was born in 1849. In 1850 Marie-Marguerite died.
Francois married Theotiste Tetreault (1852). Their first child Francois-Xavier was born in 1852. Their second child Louis was born in 1854. Their third child Louis-Napoleon was born 1856. Their fourth child Toussaint was born in 1858. In 1859 Theotiste died.
Francois married Marie-Louise Dubreuil (1859). Their first child Marie-Louise-Delima was born in 1860. Francois enlisted in the Union army (1863). Their second child Marie was born in 1864. Francois was wounded at Cold Harbor (1864). The Civil War ended (1865). In 1866 Marie-Louise died.
Francois married my great-grandmother Lucie Touchette (1867). Their first child Victorine-Lucy was born in 1868. Their second child Francois-Adei was born in 1871. Their third child Joseph-Theodore-Hormidas (my grandfather, who became Frank. Go figure...) was born in 1873. Their fourth child Joseph was born in 1874. Their fifth child Marie-Josephine was born in 1876. Their sixth child Flavi-Joseph was born in 1878. Their seventh child Francois-Elzear was born in 1879. Their eighth child Marie-Delina-Vedora was born in 1882. Francois died in 1886.
And the women of Quebec breathed a collective sigh of relief...
Submitted for the 115th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
Tombstone Tuesday: Francois Chenette, Civil War Soldier
Photo Story: Dad and a Mystery Solved
Fascinating Ladies
More Than Meets the Eye (Again): A Tuesday's Tip Follow Up!
2011 Favorites In Review: And The iGene Goes To...
Welcome to the Carnival of Genealogy's 5th Annual iGene Awards hosted by Jasia at the Creative Gene. I am honored to present this year's awards for Heritage Zen in the categories of Best Documentary, Best Picture, Best Comedy, Best Screenplay, and Best Biography!
As you can see I have once again dipped into my costume closet for an appropriate dress for the occasion. For this year's ceremony my wardrobe was inspired by Whoopi Goldberg's turn as Queen Elizabeth I during the 1999 Academy Awards. I'll be the first to admit, Whoopi pulled off the look way better than I do, but given my limited opportunity to wear Renaissance attire I figured I run with it. Now I know you are saying, "Where's the Elizabethan collar?" You caught me during an impromptu moment. The dress does have an E-collar (no, really it does), but I took it off to relax backstage before the show (which is kind of like the Elizabethans' version of letting your hair down, if you know what I'm saying). Enough with the idle fashion chatter. There will be plenty of red carpet photo ops after the show...
Now a brief thank you...
I'd like to say thank you to iGene host Jasia at Creative Gene and the entire staff at the Carnival of Genealogy for once again putting together another great show (That production number with the kick line was amazing, wasn't it folks!?!), the Academy (of Genealogists and Family Historians), my friends on the Frustrated Footnote Committee (I know I promised to try try harder last year, but I really mean it this time!), Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers for hosting the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (because frankly where else could I share my stories of food preparation mayhem with a wider audience two years in a row! Thomas, buddy, this one's for you!), my family (especially my (still) long-suffering husband (Love ya honey!), and my son the Lego guru (Don't forget your homework son! Spelling test tomorrow!)), and finally a BIG shout out to the AFC Championship New England Patriots who are headed to the Super Bowl on Sunday! GO PATS!!!
Well
THE FINE PRINT: In an effort of full disclosure I feel it's my duty to disclose the sad truth that my husband seems to feel I have way too much time on my hands (I'm beginning to suspect he is right...).
Submitted for the 114th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
And The Award Goes To...
Chopin Rising
The Rope Pull - Wordless Wednesday
Heritage Zen Dives In: NaBloPoMo!
An Interview With My Grandmother
A Gathering of Family
"He's the one that eats me out of house and home."
My mother, Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, as well as her sister and her family, and my mom's brother who was in college in Indiana returned home for Christmas. I had to laugh at the quote from my grandmother about her son. My nine-year-old son eats constantly. My husband and I joke that we are both going to have to get part-time jobs when he hits his teen years to make extra money to keep him sufficiently fed. Apparently a hollow leg runs in the family!
Wigilia Supper
"We finally gave it up, because it was too much to do with a big Christmas dinner to fix the next day--too many dishes to wash and the children got restless sitting through all the different courses."
As long as my great-grandfather, Antoni Bulak, was alive my grandmother continued the tradition of Wigilia on Christmas Eve. Wigilia is a feast of seven, nine, or 11 courses. Many Poles celebrate Wigilia today. Dinner involves an uneven number of courses, and there must be an even number of people at the table. An extra chair is set in case a stranger, symbolic of the God Child, appears at the door to join the family for dinner. Christmas Eve day was a fast day. Courses included pike with horseradish sauce, baked sauerkraut with yellow peas, and other fish and vegetable dishes.
Passing the Oblatek
"It means that no matter what corner of the world you are in, the family ties are still strong. On Christmas Eve we pass it around and wish each other a good year to come. If there are any disputes or hard feelings in the family, that's the time they are made up."
The oblatek is similar to a communion wafer and is stamped with holy pictures. My grandfather's family in Warsaw sent the oblatek every year. I will admit to getting a bit teary when I opened a card earlier this year from my grandfather's family in Warsaw who I reconnected with in 2010. Inside the card was an oblatek! Despite all that time and distance, family ties and traditions remain the same.
Polish Mushrooms
My mom use to talk about the delicious mushrooms from Poland that they ate during the holidays. She said they were very expensive so my grandmother would only use a few and then only on special occasions like Christmas and Easter. According to the interview the mushrooms were purchased at a kosher delicatessen, and she said they had a unique flavor "something like steak." She also said that my grandfather Adolf Szerejko, who was originally from Warsaw, used to spend summers with relatives in the country during his childhood in Poland. This information was new to me. Apparently he had fond memories of mushroom hunting in the woods during his summer visits with the family.
Christmas Marzipan
"In Europe they don't have candy on the counters the way we do here, so we made marzipan at home to hang on the Christmas tree. My mother was afraid of using coloring, I remember, except for the juice of carrots or boiled onions--she thought it might be poisonous."
One of the best things about the interview is that it includes a number of my grandmother's recipes. I don't have any of her written recipes so this was a particularly exciting find.
Marzipan (Marcypany)
1 pound almonds, blanched
1 pound powdered sugar,
2 tablespoons rosewater
vegetable coloring
Grind blanched almonds very fine. Combine with sugar and flavoring. Cook until mixture leaves sides of saucepan. Add coloring, if desired. Roll out like piecrust until one-fourth inch thick. Cut in small hearts or other fancy shapes. Decorate with cherries or other glazed fruits. Place in warm place to dry.
These are used instead of candy and hung on the Christmas tree for the children.
I was thrilled to find this clipping. It's almost like my grandmother knew I was looking for it and led me to the right spot to find it just in time for this COG!
While my grandmother was never much of a drinker she loved creme de menthe and did treat herself a couple times a year to a grasshopper. It's my tradition to have one during the holidays, partly because I love grasshoppers and partly because they remind me of her. So here I am with my grasshopper as I finish up my COG post on New Year's Day 2012.
Cheers! Here's to you Gram, and thanks.
Submitted for the 113th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
The Stories My Grandmother Told Me
Photo Story: Grandma and Grandpa Meet -Wordless Wednesday
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...
My Family Tree: A Literal Interpretation
Holidays Are Like People...
 |
| Dinner at My House, Thanksgiving 2002 |
When I was little my family and I always had dinner at my aunt Helen Bulak's house. Auntie Helen and my grandmother shared a duplex house in their later years. Thanksgiving was always on Auntie's side of the house, and Easter was always on my grandmother's side of the house. Thanksgiving dinner included extended family and involved a fancy dinner table set with Auntie's Lenox china. There was turkey, of course, a special Polish poultry dressing made with turkey or chicken livers (which for the longest time I did not like), mashed potatoes, glazed sweet potatoes, broccoli with Polish crumbs, gravy, cranberry sauce from a can, and apple pie with ice cream for dessert. Auntie Helen always made the turkey while my mom and my grandmother supplied everything else.
One of my favorite things was and still is broccoli with Polish crumbs or "garnish Polonaise," as I heard Julia Child call it once. Things always sound better in French, don't they? Polish crum...oops...I mean "garnish Polonaise" is a garnish made from dried bread crumbs which are browned in butter in a pan on the stove top until they take on a toasted flavor and a crunchy texture. Sprinkled over broccoli or most other vegetables they are delicious. It's amazing how something so simple can liven up a dish!
As long as my dad and my grandmother were still with us we continued to celebrate Thanksgiving at home. By 1990 Dad and Gram were both gone, and I was busy with work and graduate school. Rather than cook dinner at home Mom and I decided to start having Thanksgiving dinner out, a tradition which we carried on for a number of years.
After I had a family of my own I cooked dinner at our house. I made the traditional favorites--turkey, gravy, mashed sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry-orange relish, and my personal favorite, stuffing. Mom joined us for Thanksgiving for as long as she was physically able. Mom died three years ago, so now we join my husband's family in upstate New York for the holiday.
 |
| Grandmother's House (My Mother-in-Law's Family Homestead, Photo Circa 1900) |
I often think back to the wonderful Thanksgiving celebrations of my childhood. I miss my parents and grandmother profoundly during the holidays. My life has changed, but I enjoy Thanksgiving with my son and my husband and his family. My in-laws are incredibly kind and welcoming. I feel like I'm part of their family now.
Holidays are like people. Time passes, and people change. I've changed. My Thanksgivings now aren't any better or any worse. They are just different.
Submitted for the 112th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
Reflecting On My American Experience this Thanksgiving
What the Dickens, Or How to Blow Up a Duck
Not So Wordless Wednesday: View From Grandmother's House
A Little Slice of Heaven
My Family Tree: A Literal Interpretation
 |
I posted this photo a while back for Wordless Wednesday. Had I known our Carnival of Genealogy topic for October was going to be "Your Family History If A Tree" I would have saved it for COG, but I didn't so oh, well...c'est la vie. I figured I'd pull it out again, because it seems to be such a perfect interpretation of this month's theme. Unfortunately, given that the photo appears to have been taken during the colder months and this is New England, I don't know exactly what kind of tree my "family tree" is.
What kind of tree might it be, and what kind of tree would best represent my family? I really don't know. The tree in my photo isn't tall enough or grand enough to be an oak. It's clearly not a willow. It doesn't display a willow's cascade of branches. I don't think it's a McIntosh or another type of New England apple. Maybe it's best that I can't figure out what my tree really is. The mystery behind the photo makes the photo all the more intriguing.
I love this photo. It so perfectly offers insight into my grandmother's personality--her sense of fun, her close relationship with her sister Helen and her cousin Sophie, and of course her snappy sense of style. My grandmother was never one to leave the house without her "beads and earrings" and in this case her hat. Don't you just love the hats?
If you suddenly came upon an old family portrait or photo, going as far back as your family tree goes, which of your ancestors would you like to see perched in a tree? An immigrant? A cowboy? A Puritan perhaps? What would he or she be wearing? Would it be a fun photo or a serious portrait? I think by nature it would have to be lighthearted, but maybe not. What type of tree would it be? A willow? An oak? A nut? Or would your tree be like mine, a mystery for the ages...
Submitted for the 110th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Other Posts You Might Like:
The Stories My Grandmother Told Me
A Comedy of Errors: My Family in the Census (Part 1 of 3)
Flu 1918 (Part 1 of 3) - Amanuensis Monday
COG 97: Researching "The Coldbrook Tragedy" (Part 1 of 4)
Going Home: Our Lady of Czestochowa, Worcester, MA
 |
| Our Lady of Czestochowa, Worcester, MA |
My family has maintained a connection to Our Lady of Czestochowa parish, in Worcester, MA for over 100 years . My grandmother was four years old when she and her sister and her parents moved to Worcester in 1900. When my grandmother's family arrived in Worcester there was no Polish church for people of Polish descent to be baptized in or married in. By 1901 there were approximately 150 Polish families in Worcester who attended church at other Catholic churches in the city. The closest Polish church was in the south county town of Webster which was a long way for a family to travel to hear a sermon said in their native language. For a time Poles and Lithuanians shared space at St. Casimir's Church in Worcester where Mass was said in Polish at 9:00 and in Lithuanian at 10:00 on Sunday mornings. Despite these accommodations turn-of-the-twentieth-century Worcester Poles longed to have a church of their own.
Plans were made, and a fundraising campaign for a Polish church began in 1900. The campaign involved raising money by canvassing house to house, fairs, picnics, and amateur theatricals. On May 8, 1902 church founders met at the Hotel Vernon in Worcester to sign papers and elect officers for what was to become Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as St. Mary's. Land on Richland St. in Worcester was purchased in 1901, and the Polish community's first resident priest, the Rev. Jan Z. Moneta arrived in 1903. Construction began on the church and rectory in 1905 and was completed in 1906. Parishioners joined their new pastor in celebrating the Polish community's first Mass in their new home on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, 1906.
 |
| Msgr. Boleslaw Bojanowski |
By 1914 the church's fourth and longest serving pastor, Msgr. Boleslaw Bojanowski established an organized program of religious education and began a fund drive for what was to become St. Mary's School. The school opened in September of 1915, and the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth were engaged to instruct the students. St. Mary's School expanded in 1919 with an enrollment of about 1,400 students. In September of 1936 the high school division began, with the first class graduating in 1940.
 |
| Sunday Church Picnic, late 1910s |
While St. Mary's was the center of the Polish community's religious life, it was also the center of their social, musical, dramatic, cultural and political life. My family participated in a variety of social activities, service projects and amateur theatricals. During World War I my grandmother and her sister participated in a service effort by the Red Cross. Both my grandparents were involved in amateur theatricals, and my grandmother was a member and well regarded soloist with the St. Cecilia Choir. Our Lady of Czestochowa was and still is a vital community. Masses are still celebrated in English and Polish every Sunday.
 |
| My Grandparents on Their Wedding Day |
The last time I was at St. Mary's was for my mother's funeral in 2008, and I haven't been able to bring myself back there since. I figure I just need some time. My grandparents were married there. My mother and her siblings were baptized, received communion, and were confirmed there. My parents were married there. And even though my family moved out of the largely Polish Vernon Hill neighborhood two decades before I was born, I was still baptized there. It was important for the family to stay connected with the church community that was so meaningful to them for so many years. I know I will visit St. Mary's again, and when I do it will probably be with my son. I want him to know where he came from. It will kind of be like going home. For both of us.
Submitted for the 109th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
References:
~ "Church Plans First Sermon in English." Worcester Telegram. 3 Jan 1954.
~ "City Parish Observes 75th Anniversary." Worcester Gazette. 13 Oct 1978.
~ McGrail, Rev. Richard. "Sketches Sketches." Catholic Free Press. 4 March 1983.
~ Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish (Worcester, Mass.). Our Lady of Czestochowa, Worcester, Massachusetts. So. Hackensack, N.J.: Cutombook, 1979.
~ "Polish Parish Has A Big Week" Worcester Sunday Telegram. 22 Oct 1978.
~ Proko, Barbara et al. The Polish Community of Worcester. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003.
~ "St. Mary's Notes Golden Anniversary. Worcester Telegram. 8 Nov 1953.
Other Posts You Might Like:
A Matter of Habit: Solving a Mystery
(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: WWI Red Cross Volunteers
Flu 1918 (Part 1 of 3) - Amanuensis Monday
First Communion - Mystery Monday
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
