The naysayers like jon357 and Magdalena (who, for whatever reason, want me to continue to fall for Dad's and Pop-Pop's romanticized narrative about Great-Granddad) are the ones who really get my goat. I myself was shocked by the truth--never did I dream that Great-Granddad Czarnecki was born a Chernetski in Tsuman, Ukraine (then Cumań in then-Wołyn, Ukraine-Poland Russia) while his dad was back home in Lipsk nad Biebrzą or Somovo(? So the record says, but would he really have been all the way in Somovo, far from Lipsk; and not, say, Szumowo or Shamovo?)? He was born while his mom may have been making a Rosh Hodesh visit to a cousin, Vil'gel'm Andrulevich, in Buzhanka in the Kiev, Ukraine region.
The story gets even less glamorous. There is nothing glamorous about converting to Catholicism to fool the Russians into thinking that you finally believe in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah--especially when your family sits shiva for you because you did so. As an e-mail from my Granduncle Tony alludes to (although the poor man still denies that we're Jewish--and that's another discussion. Anyway):
Once the conversion happened and the shiva was sat, that was it "until they asked for the deed to be changed in the mid 1960's"; with the Holocaust being that dark interim in regards to any contact even with Bertha Wawrzyn--and three Czarnieckis, perhaps cousins, are listed on JewishGen as having been Holocaust victims from Białystok:
What glamour would there be in that for my great-granddad "Antoni" and his parents "Julian" and "Alexandria" (and they gave both sets of his grandparents the names "Antoni" and "Katarzyna"--why that didn't ring bells or raise flags for me at first, I don't know.)? What glamour was there to be had for living as Crypto-Jewish Catholics in Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania to escape WASP (White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant) and WEC (White, European Catholic) Anti Semitism? What glamour was in for "Antoni" (later "Anthony") to grow up to become a man like his "holy terror", "tough cookie" mom (who abused his drunkard dad, her drunkard husband), and then commit suicide once he had time to reflect on just what he became? What glamour?
So, my dad and granddad paint this romanticized picture of a lone Polish immigrant who served in Korea and died of Black Lung in 1972, which is far from the Anthony Czarnecki ne G-d-knows-who Chernetski that he was.
The story gets even less glamorous. There is nothing glamorous about converting to Catholicism to fool the Russians into thinking that you finally believe in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah--especially when your family sits shiva for you because you did so. As an e-mail from my Granduncle Tony alludes to (although the poor man still denies that we're Jewish--and that's another discussion. Anyway):
I never seen nor did anyone mention anything special brought from Poland. A friend from Sugar Notch, Mrs. Bertha Wawrzyn, visited Poland every few years to see her family and would visit the family while there. All she ever brought back were photos that she took of the Polish Czarnecki's (see earlier comments).
There was very little discussion of the Polish life and family. Usually, when there was, it was a brief mention of the farm that was left behind. There did not seem to be any regrets about leaving for a better life. After all , they settled among Polish, Slavic, Hungarian, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian people just like themselves. Similar language, similar customs, similar faces, houses, churches, etc. But life was much better than on the farm. They were quite happy in America and much better off. The motherland, Poland, was far off and just a memory, not to be forgotten but no regrets for leaving either.
Periodically a church pastor would run a heritage trip back to Poland for a group. Very few of those who immigrated would return. Occasionally someone "in the family" in America would join a relative for the return trip, Usually meeting the Polish or Slovak relatives for the first time and occasionally maintaining a letter writing relationship afterwards. This DID NOT happen in our family.
There was not very much correspondence with the Polish family. Only an infrequent letter. There were no exchanges other than through the Polish Church which would have clothing drives and send clothes to Poland in general, but not to specific family members. Bertha's photos which came after the trips were the only contact until they asked for the deed to be changed in the mid 1960's.
There was very little discussion of the Polish life and family. Usually, when there was, it was a brief mention of the farm that was left behind. There did not seem to be any regrets about leaving for a better life. After all , they settled among Polish, Slavic, Hungarian, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian people just like themselves. Similar language, similar customs, similar faces, houses, churches, etc. But life was much better than on the farm. They were quite happy in America and much better off. The motherland, Poland, was far off and just a memory, not to be forgotten but no regrets for leaving either.
Periodically a church pastor would run a heritage trip back to Poland for a group. Very few of those who immigrated would return. Occasionally someone "in the family" in America would join a relative for the return trip, Usually meeting the Polish or Slovak relatives for the first time and occasionally maintaining a letter writing relationship afterwards. This DID NOT happen in our family.
There was not very much correspondence with the Polish family. Only an infrequent letter. There were no exchanges other than through the Polish Church which would have clothing drives and send clothes to Poland in general, but not to specific family members. Bertha's photos which came after the trips were the only contact until they asked for the deed to be changed in the mid 1960's.
Once the conversion happened and the shiva was sat, that was it "until they asked for the deed to be changed in the mid 1960's"; with the Holocaust being that dark interim in regards to any contact even with Bertha Wawrzyn--and three Czarnieckis, perhaps cousins, are listed on JewishGen as having been Holocaust victims from Białystok:
Bialystok Children's Transport to Theresienstadt, October 5, 1943
Searching for Surname (phonetically like) Czarnecki
Number of hits: 3
Run on Saturday 28 July 2012 at 22:19:31
Child #
Adult # Surname(s), Given Name Father + Mother Born Transport
10
CZARNIECKI, Tewel
Gerszon + Rochl
1934 Bialystok
11
CZARNIECKI, Jankiel
Gerszon + Rochl
1933 Bialystok
12
CZARNIECKI, Oszer
Gerszon + Rochl
1936 Bialystok
Searching for Surname (phonetically like) Czarnecki
Number of hits: 3
Run on Saturday 28 July 2012 at 22:19:31
Child #
Adult # Surname(s), Given Name Father + Mother Born Transport
10
CZARNIECKI, Tewel
Gerszon + Rochl
1934 Bialystok
11
CZARNIECKI, Jankiel
Gerszon + Rochl
1933 Bialystok
12
CZARNIECKI, Oszer
Gerszon + Rochl
1936 Bialystok
What glamour would there be in that for my great-granddad "Antoni" and his parents "Julian" and "Alexandria" (and they gave both sets of his grandparents the names "Antoni" and "Katarzyna"--why that didn't ring bells or raise flags for me at first, I don't know.)? What glamour was there to be had for living as Crypto-Jewish Catholics in Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania to escape WASP (White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant) and WEC (White, European Catholic) Anti Semitism? What glamour was in for "Antoni" (later "Anthony") to grow up to become a man like his "holy terror", "tough cookie" mom (who abused his drunkard dad, her drunkard husband), and then commit suicide once he had time to reflect on just what he became? What glamour?
So, my dad and granddad paint this romanticized picture of a lone Polish immigrant who served in Korea and died of Black Lung in 1972, which is far from the Anthony Czarnecki ne G-d-knows-who Chernetski that he was.
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