Nov. 16, 1864 - Aug. 23, 1958
When Catherine was about fourteen years old, her mother wrote her, claiming an oxen had broken her foot. Catherine was needed on the farm to help with the chores. This was a plot to arrange a marriage to John Kubacki.
Catnerine came home in 1878. She and John met, a marriage was arranged They were married on August 26, 1879, at St. Marys Church, in Parisville, Mi.
The young couple bought a forty acre farm close to the families. They cleared ten acres, and built a log cabin. On March 5,1881 their first child Leo was horn.
In September of that year, a great fire swept the Thumb. Catherine's mother Marcyanna and her infant son Leo were suffocated. They had been placed in a well in an attempt to save them. The rest of the family survived due to the quick thinking of the grandfather John. He had them place large tubs of water in the center of the cleared field, next soaking themselves down. The oxen were turned loose in an effort to help them survive, only to have them return with tongues hanging out, and roasted behinds. After the fire passed, the only artical of clothing Catherine was left with was her belt.
They built a second log cabin, and raised a large family. In those early years, John would farm and also worked at the logging camp, miles away. During the time he was away, Catherine and the children tended the stock, chopped wood for their fire and cooking. In winter they would have to chop through the ice to water the stock. Later they built a large frame farm
Nov. 16, 1864 - Aug. 23, 1958
The family with three living sons and eight living daughters, they had to share the work. John and the boys couldn't do it all. The girls worked as hard as the boys. Lucy told the family. They even helped plow the fields.
Catherine was far ahead of her time. She was an intelligent healer. Many times she nursed and cured the illness an mishaps in her family.
During a out break of small pox, in which many adults and children died. Gramma (Busha) made a vaccine from an infected cow with pox. She smeared her childrens arm with the fluid from a cow pox, then with a needle forced the vaccine under the skin. The children developed a mild case of cow pox but her inoculation prevented the dreaded killer small pox.
A horse had run into a barbed wire fence, tearing it's flesh very badly Grandmother Catherine made a poltise, applied it, then wrapped the whole area with cobwebs, she gathered in the barn. The horse healed and recovered.
There are differences in the records as to the spelling of some names. This is not so unusual, English speaking census takers found it hard to under stand the immigrants, and translate the names to English.
One thing is for sure! Grandmother Catherine Kubacki is spelled with a C. One time Aunt Kay (Messing) gave her mother a gold pin with a double K, well, her mother made it clear in no uncertain terms, it was Catherine with a C. Aunt Kay was named after her mother but prefered to use a K.
Grandmother Catherine once stated that none of her children would have an arranged marriage. They were free to choose their own spouses.
The second house was built around 1916 or 1917, behind the house was the old cabin. A strange story Lucy related to her children, about the cabin.
When their parents went out at night to visit neighbors, the children were put to bed in their loft bedroom. Things would happen while they were away.
Nov. 16, 1864 - Aug. 23, 1958
In spite of all their hardships, they had a long and happy life. In August 1929 they celebrated their Golden Anniversary. Three of their grand children were in the service, Elmer and Reta Gliniecki and George Waurzyniak. George wore a gold and black satin suit his mother Martha, made for the occasion. The eldest grand daughter of each of the families recieved a Five dollar gold piece, from Grand Mother, as a special rememberance.
John lived another seven years and died in 1936 at age eighty-four. Catherine continued to live a useful life. She spent her summers at the farm and wintered in the city with her daughters. Always insisting on helping with the house work and dishes. She complained in her eighties she couldn't see to knit with dark colored yarn. So everyone had light colored mittens, that Busha, as she was called knitted for them. Her hands were always busy. If she wasn't knitting, and seemed as if she were just sitting, you would notice her hands were folded in prayer.
A phone call to me from John Cylkowski today, revealed the sad news....The old John and Catherine Kubacki home stead had burned to the ground in 1995. This home was built after the original log cabin was burned down. Fire has a way of claiming the land.