Greetings from the Raykovitz Gals & Grandkids

Above: L to R

Helen Raykovitz Bolacker - 85

Mary Barbara Raykovitz Williams - 83

Both are granddaughters of Frank & Helena Geffert

and

Stanley & Katherine Rajkowicz

Picture taken on 27 December 2015

 

On the wall above them is a plaque awarded to the Raykovitz family in ~1940 for having the most children enrolled in Marymount High School ( Wilkes-Barre, PA ) at one time.

 

Three other Raykovitz siblings are still alive and well; Rita (91), Stanley (88), and Bernard Michael (Mickey) (81).

 

Picture taken on 27 December 2015

 

Above: And here's a pic of the great-great grandchildren of Frank & Helena Geffert;

 

L to R:

 

Bryan Williams, Lisa Williams, Aunt Helen, my Mom, Lauren Williams and Andrew LeVasseur.

 

More pics to follow.

 

Happy New Year.

 

Keep the pics coming...and thanks.

  

Out of the Blue: More Geffert Photos

I began this blog in 2013. 

 

I was rehabbing/recuperating @ home from injuries sustained in a fall on 13 January 13 while cleaning out my mother's family (Raykovitz) homestead in the Mayflower section of Wilkes-Barre. 

 

Over those 6 months, mostly while sitting in a wheelchair, I went through dozens of boxes and containers taken from the Kent Lane property and sorted through hundreds of family photos and documents.

 

Over the almost three years that have passed, mostly through Statcounter, I've seen evidence of people from all over the world visiting this blog. It was my hope that, eventually, family & friends that I've never met would stumble across it and add to the Raykovitz/Geffert - Kras/Maslyk family history with photos, documents and anything else they wished to share.  

 

Turns out another descendant of John Geffert ( my matrilineal grandmother's father ) lives in southeastern PA less than 30 minutes away. He sent the pics below, and I'm hoping there are more to follow from other members of the extended Geffert/Adamczyk family.

 

This is just way too cool.

 

Thanks, Jeff.

 

 

Above: (Aunt) Josie Geffert-Gutkowski

Below: Mary Barbara Geffert-Raykovitz and Josie

 

Above: Mary Barbara Geffert-Raykovitz

Below: Nellie Geffert-Dotzel and Sally Geffert-Adamczyk & others

 

Above: Sally Geffert-John Adamczyk Wedding

Below: (L-R) Unknown, Mary Geffert Raykovitz and Sally Geffert Adamczyk

 

Above: Sally Geffert-Adamczyk & unknown

Below: Sally Geffert Adamczyk

 

All photos above courtesy of Jeff Kascsak - great-grandson of Sally Geffert-Adamczyk.

 

More to follow...

  

In Search of Karol - Round #1

On to Round #2.

  

They called him "Slick"

In the past two weeks, I have received more pictures from family members than I have in the past two years. I hope to receive more, and I will post them here with any additional information received.

 

The pics below are of Frank "Slick" Raykovitz (1896-1986), my maternal grandfather's brother.

 

Thanks, Damian.

 

 

Above: Damian Raykovitz & his Grandpa Frank "Slick" Raykovitz in 1950.

Below: Frank and Margaret (Oleniak) Raykovitz circa ~1970.

 

"I think 'Slick' got the nickname as a result of his being a slick pitcher for the Blackman's Athletic Club baseball team in 1917"

 

More to follow.

     

The Search for Karol Rajkowicz

I sent a search request and a check for $30.00 off to the Luzerne County Register of Wills office this morning. They have birth and death records for Luzerne County from 1893 to 1905. 

 

As I'm 99.99% sure Karol died before 1909, I only have to search four years of online data for the period between 1905 and 1909 if they find nothing in their database.

 

Off we go.

And Here They Rest

Below you will find the burial locations of my maternal great-grandparents, Stanley & Kathryn (Kras) Rajkowicz, and seven of their children and spouses.

 

Per my prior post, there is one more gravesite I have to find, that of Karol Rajkowicz. I believe he may be buried in an old cemetery in Wilkes-Barre Township, but based upon a call placed to the parish church, no records exist of the burials there. My next step is to search the records kept by the Luzerne County Courthouse.

 

I will post updates as my efforts progress.

 

I hope current and future descendants of Stanley & Kathryn Rajkowicz not only find this useful, but will take the time at some point in their lives to visit the graves of their ancestors. From start to finish, it can be accomplished in less than three hours.

 

May they all rest in peace.

  

 

In Search of Karol

 

I've now located the gravesites of the seven children of my maternal grandparents listed on the Certificate of Naturalization below.

 

Today I will start the process of trying to locate their eighth child, Karol, who died in his youth due to severe burns suffered in an accident at home.

 

More in a few.