Week 20 Sepia Saturday My 2nd cousins Roginski's (Click here to go to other Sepia Sat. Posts)

How can it already be  Week 20!   I know I was a late joiner, but the time has really gone along.   This photo is of the children of Great Aunt Veronica Ostrowski (my grandmother’s sister) and Alex Roginsky. I assume this photo was taken approximately 1900’s. What puzzles me is that it shows done by a company out of Chicago, IL and the family lived in PA always far as I know.  The children, all so serious appearing to have the same  barber which was likely Mom's bowl at home, are on the pony, (which also looks serious) Frank and Helen, and then standing left to right August  and Alex. The names are familiar in the Ostrowski line, another Frank (my grandmother’s father) and a Helen (my mother’s name too.) There go the repetitive use of the names. I wonder if it was incumbent on the Polish to name their first born after the maternal father? I believe there was another daughter in this family, Loretta, who may not have yet been born when this was taken.

The only person I recall is Augie, (August). When my Mom died in 2004 Auggie came to the funeral home and wanted to see me as much as anything; this annoyed my jealous evil half brother and his wife to no end, because Auggie arrived at the funeral parlour announcing loudly, “Is Patty here, I want to see Patty!” it was a treat to visit with him and hear his stories including how he was corresponding with an Ostrowski somewhere in Australia and thought he should go visit. Only problem was the person wrote to him in Polish and Augie’s Polish skills did not include reading, so he had to get the letters translated. Augie had  several health problems but still had the funny streak and found  a light hearted story everywhere.  I love that trait of the family.

Augie was in his late 80’s at the time and was annoyed because he could no longer drive his big Cadillac; in fact his kids had to stop him from driving period. Never easy but something we have to do for the safety of others as well as the elders. I heard that since then he had to move from his home in Springdale, Harmar Twshp. PA across the river to be with his son and wife or perhaps it was daughter and son-in-law.

When my aunt Virginia, his cousin died, I heard nothing from him. I do not know if Augie is still alive or not. None of the other Roginski’s are alive to my knowledge. This is another limb on the family tree that has stopped growing unless there are some descendants out there somewhere.

I found these photos in my grandmother's collection.  This last is from the 1940's sometime, noted as taken during one of Frank's furlough's.  Oh but the soldier is another 2nd  cousin, Frank Janosky and his wife who sent this photo calling herself "the blur in the middle" while Alex Roginski is shown on the left.  Typical of so many in the family they needed no chairs, simply squatted and posed.  That does not seem comfortable to me.