Church Organist to Vagabond

Colonel88

Hello,

This question pertains to Franciszek Ksawery Kowalewski. Born 1809, Chojne.

As of 1840, he was a church organist (ref. 1). However, by 1853, at the time of his death, he was a vagabond (włóczęga) (ref. 2)

What may have caused a person to go from organist to vagabond? I can't help but imagine a tragedy, like broken hands, or early onset of an illness, since he was only in his 40s.

When he died, he was still married. He and his wife were living in the same village in which his brother was the parish organist (ref. 3). Also, his sister and brother-in-law (the local stewart - ekonom) lived in the same village - they even named one of their sons after him (ref 4).

So, he does not seem to have been rejected by his family, nor does he seem to be a drifter in the modern sense of the word.

Any thoughts?

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Ref 1. Franciszek Kowalewski, organist, declarant on his father's death record.
https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=D&w=05ld&rid=4360&search_lastname=kowalewski&search_name=kajetan&search_lastname2=&search_name2=&from_date=1831&to_date=&parents=1&near=1

Ref 2. Death record of Franciszek Kowalewski.
https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=D&w=05ld&rid=1995&search_lastname=kowalewski+&search_name=franciszek+&search_lastname2=&search_name2=&from_date=1850&to_date=1854&parents=1

Ref. 3. Marriage of Józef Benedykt Kowalewski
https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=S&w=05ld&rid=1958&search_lastname=Kowalewski%20&search_name=&search_lastname2=&search_name2=&from_date=1830&to_date=1860&exac=1&rpp1=&ordertable=

Ref 4. Birth of Franciszek Ksawery Jaskułowski https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=B&w=05ld&rid=1994&search_lastname=Kowalewska&search_name=&search_lastname2=Jasku%C5%82owski+&search_name2=&from_date=1854&to_date=1854&exac=1

Eppich Maria

Ref. 1. Death Record No. 20, Strońsko Parish, of Kajetan Kowalewski, who died in Strońsko on the 15th March 1840, death reported on the 18th March, 1840, he lived 56 years, he was an organ player, resident of Strońsko, son of parents unknown to those reporting his death. At death he left widowed wife, Maryanna, born Duszynska. Death reported by Franciszek Kowalewski, 50 years old, an organ player, resident of Chojne, and Andrzej Kowalewski, 22 years old, resident of Strońsko. Signatures of F. Kowalewski and of Andrzej Kowalewski.

Ref. 2. Death Record No. 61, Korczew Parish, Powiat Zdunska Wola, of Franciszek Kowalewski, who died in Tymienice on the 22nd December 1853, death reported on the 24th December 1853, he was a vagabond, 44 years old, resident of Tymienice, born in Chojne, son of Kajetan and Maryanna, married couple Kowalewski, organ players in Chojne. At death he left widowed wife, Malgorzata Kowalewska. Death reported by Maciej Jaskulowski, a tenant farmer from Tymienice, 60 years old, and Antoni Makowski, a laborer in Tymienice, 60 years old.

Ref. 3. Marriage Record No. 3, Korczew Parish, Powiat Zdunska Wola, dated the 4th February 1852, of Jozef Benedykt Kowalewski, a young man, 22years old, organ player in the Parish Church Rossoszyce, born in village Strońsko, son of Kajetan Kowalewski and Maryanna Duszynska, a married couple, organ players in Strońsko, already deceased, and of a maiden, Rozalia Szkalmierska, 21 years old, daughter of Jakub and Ludwika Skorbowska (Komorowska in birth record of Rozalia, Karwowska in birth record of Maksymilian Szkalmierski, brother of Rozalia) married couple Szkalmierski (written Szkalmirski), stewards of Rębieskie property. Three Marriage Banns published in Korczew and Rossoszyca Parishes. The oral permission of the father of the bride was granted. No impediment detected. No prenuptial agreement. Witnesses: Antoni Kühn, a citizen of town Dobry (?), 32 years old, and Antoni Trojanowski, an organ player, living in Miedze (?) near the Church, 24 years old. Signatures of Jozef Benedykt Kowalewski, Antoni Kühn, Rozalia Szkalmierska, Antoni Trojanowski, Jakub Szalmirski (?) – father.

Ref. 4. Birth Record No. 88, Korczew Parish, of Franciszek Ksawery Jaskulowski, born in Tymienice on the 17th November 1854, christened on the 23rd November 1854, son of Maciej Jaskulowski, a tenant farmer, resident of Tymienice, 67 years old, and of his wife, Marianna, born Kowalewska, 40 years old. Witnesses: Jan Siwinski, a miller from Tymienice, 27 years old, and Antoni Makowski, a laborer from Tymienice, 60 years old. Godparents: Jan Silwinski (Siwinski?) and Franciszka Kowalewska.

There is a difference in Ref. 1 and Ref. 2 in age of Franciszek Kowalewski, in Ref. 1 he was 50 years old in year 1840, born about 1790, in Ref. 2 when he died, he is listed as 44 years old in year 1853, born about 1809. That is 19 years difference. You may need to search for his birth or marriage record. As to the reason for loss of his job as an organ player, we may speculate that it could have been due to drinking alcohol, very common in Poland, and becoming an unreliable employee as an organ player, which required exactness and timely service. Since drinking alcohol is common in Poland, the families are more tolerant with this addiction.

Please keep in mind that at that time, they did not have printed IDs and the recorder wrote what he thought he heard. Here you have variations of spellings of the surnames which are more unique. It was also difficult for them to recall exact ages, and there could be variations as to what age they reported. We are just glad to have those early records and try to identify as close as possible the ages.

Colonel88

Thank you Maria!

Your help and insights are always phenomenal.

Good point about the age discrepancy. I think i've convinced myself that the priest most likely made an error in writng that Franciszek was 50. It is possible there was another man/relative in Chojne with the same name, but i do not believe so:

I found Franciszek's birth (1809 - Ref. 5) and marriage (1831 - Ref. 6) records. So, he could not have been 50 years old in 1840. His marriage record indicates that he was the organist at Chojne, like ref (1) above. I also found a website on the history of Chojne Parish (ref 7): according to that site, there was only one Franciszek Kowalowski who worked as an organist - though as luck would have, there are gaps in the records.

Thank you again!

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I do not need these to be translated.

(Ref. 5)

https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=B&w=05ld&rid=2452&search_lastname=Kowalowski&search_name=franciszek+&search_lastname2=&search_name2=&from_date=1809&to_date=1809

(Ref. 6)

https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=S&w=05ld&rid=2311&search_lastname=Kowalowski&search_name=franciszek+&search_lastname2=&search_name2=&from_date=1831&to_date=1831

(Ref. 7)

https://terrasiradiensis.jimdofree.com/parafie/chojne/