Rak Family - Introduction

They met at the railway platform at Grabiny in the summer of 1904. He was going to Tarnow to visit his old trade school while she had planned a day of shopping there. They married in November. They emigrated to America in early 1905 and my father was born in Chicago the following November. They were my grandparents - Stanislaw Bieniasz and Michalina Rak.

When asked how long the property has been in the hands of the family, a Rak resident replied "Forever". That might be an exaggeration, but it's close to the truth. The village of Straszecin dates back to the 10th Century and the Rak Farm in Grabiny is only 1-2 miles from the parish church in Straszecin, which was founded in 1275 AD. What we can verify is that historic records show no other owners of the property other than Raks. Today, with five homes and several outbuildings, the farm resembles a subdivision.

Translation of entry in Geographic Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland (1888): Grabiny 2.) Grabiny, village near Grabinka Creek as it flows into the Wisloka River and the Karol Ludwik railway station in Debica, in Pilzno County, the Roman Catholic Parish of Straszecin, 443 residents. The noble estate has 447 morgs of farmland, 26 morgs of meadows, and 39 morgs of pastures. The minor estates have 610 morgs of farmland, 46 morgs of gardens and meadows, and 154 morgs of pastures. Mentioned in Dlugosz, Lib. benef., II, 261.