The last of the records for the Markiewicz family that I found in the Piotrawin Parish Records at the Family History Center was for the death of Wawrzyniec (Lawrence) Markiewicz, the infant son of Tomasz Markiewicz and Franciszka Piątkowa . With this death, all three children of Tomasz and Franciszka had died, and the last two died within a month of each other.
Death Record for Wawrzyniec Markiewicz – 1892
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Record for Wawrzyniec Markiewicz – 1892 . The record, translated from the Russian, reads as follows:
42 . Braciejowice – Markiewicz Wawrzyniec
This happened in the village of Piotrawin on the 9th / 21st day of April 1892 at eleven o’clock in the morning . Tomasz Markiewicz, age 33, the father of the child, and Stanisław Jakubczyk, age 26, house owners in the village of Braciejowice, appeared and stated that on the 7th / 19th day of April of this year at twelve o’clock in the afternoon, Wawrzyniec Markiewicz died in the same Braciejowice at the age of 9 months old, having been born and lived there, son of the aforementioned married couple Tomasz and Franciszka Piątkowa – after eyewitness testimony on the death of Wawrzyniec Markiewicz.
This document was read to the declarants who are illiterate, and signed by us.
Rev. C. Trembiński, pastor of the Piotrawin Parish – Keeper of the documents of the civil state
An interesting point in this record is that the age of Tomasz Markiewicz is 33 . In the Death Record for Jan Markiewicz, recorded the previous month, Tomasz was 32 . This observation allows the hypothesis that Tomasz was born in March or April 1859 . How does this date agree with all the other information on the birthdate of Tomasz Markiewicz?
Feb 27, 1889 – Birth of Jan – Tomasz age 30 – (born 1858-1859)
July 22, 1890 – Birth of Michał – Tomasz age 31 (born 1858-1859)
Aug 20, 1890 – Death of Michał – Tomasz age 31 (born 1858-1859)
Jul 28, 1891 – Birth of Wawrzyniec – Tomasz age 32 (born 1859-1860)
Mar 26, 1892 – Death of Jan – Tomasz age 32 (born 1859-1860)
Apr 21, 1892 – Death of Wawrzyniec – Tomasz age 33 (born 1858-1859)
Apr 19, 1893 – Birth of Stanisław – Tomasz age 35 (born 1857-1858)
Dec 25, 1894 – Birth of Antoni – Tomasz age 37 (born 1856-1857)
The first six events are all consistent with the hypothesis that Tomasz was born in 1859 . The last two events suggest Tomasz was born in 1857-1858 and 1856-1859 . Tomasz seems to have aged two years between 1892 and 1893, and another two years between 1893 and 1894! The Birth Records for Jan and Wawrzyniec are not consistent with a birthdate in March or April 1859, although they are consistent with a birthdate in 1859.
A conservative estimate is that Tomasz was born between December 26, 1856 and July 28, 1860 . Ignoring the two outlying dates, a more liberal estimate is that Tomasz was born between February 28, 1858 and July 28, 1860 . So, even though the Death Records for Michał, Jan, and Wawrzyniec suggest a birth in March or April 1859, the Birth Records for all five sons indicate that a wider range should be considered.
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
