January 15, 2019: Unusual Name

The oddest name we have is Euphrosine.  She shortened it to Eliza.  I wonder why?  But my favorite name is Lena.  Lena was the name of both of my grandmothers.  Michelina Lyskawa Joblinski and Paulina Eliza Rivard Wickenheiser.  I named my daughter Lena.  I chose the name when I first knew I was pregnant, and never wavered.  I had thought Lena Marie (Marie is my middle name) but my husband Bob suggested Clare after my mom.  Great idea Bob!  So, Lena Clare it was.

I have posted photos of both Lena’s weddings.  I wrote a story about these portraits:

The Two Lenas

Both of my grandmothers were named Lena, but their stories were vastly different.  I heard the story of my Grandma Lena Rivard first hand.  She was raised in Oldport, Michigan in a French family, speaking French at home and English in school.   She met Gus Wickenheiser in her late teens, and when they became seriously involved, he went to her father to ask for her hand in marriage.  Her father told her suitor that she was too young, to come back in a year.  One year later he was back, in his fancy buggy with the shiny red wheels and fast pony.  He brought her a ruby lavaliere as an engagement gift.  They were married in 1915.  He died in 1942 before any of his grandchildren were born, but we all knew about him from Grandma’s many fond memories.

Grandma Lena Lyskawa was raised in Poznan and travelled alone to America in 1902. Detroit was her destination, and she began work in a cigar factory.  She met Grandpa Frank Joblinski when he came to Detroit with his father to meet a nice Polish girl.  Great Grandfather Piotr Joblinski lived in Detroit prior to buying a farm in Romulus, MI.  It is probable that Piotr knew her uncle, and sponsor, Jan Antzak, as they were from the same Polish neighborhood and same region of Poland.   Frank and Lena met one week.  He went back the following week and proposed.  After another trip from Romulus to Detroit for Grandpa Frank the next week, they were married at St Francis D’Assisi Church in September 1903.  There were family legends that theirs was an arranged marriage. But as both of my Joblinski grandparents were deceased before I was born, I never heard their stories first hand.

Recently while looking at some family photos, I saw my grandparents wedding portraits side by side. I saw something I had noticed before.   What a revelation!   At one glance it was obvious who was the love match and who was the arranged match.  

See the soft happiness of the bride, the smug satisfaction of the groom, the bodies turned toward each other, the hands almost touching. They are relaxed and at ease with each other.  Now notice the other bride and groom with their straight spines, stiff features and forward-facing postures. No smiles on this couple, with their hands clenched and feet flat on the floor.  The body language tells the tale better than any set of words could.

Grandma Lena W married the love of her life, Grandma Lena J married a stranger. Both were strong, smart women who raised their families and took care of their men.  They were hardworking, faithful churchgoers, and both were widowed young.  Neither remarried.  My life was shaped by the history of these women, these two Lenas.  History continues with my own Lena, the daughter I named after my Grandmothers.  This is why I love genealogy.  Our lives are shaped by those who came before us.  As I delve into the family history, I am amazed by the hardships they endured, and the strength they exhibited.  I can only hope that future generations find the same satisfaction when they research my life!

Rana Joblinski Willit

See both photos below….

Grandfather Frank Joblinski and Grandmother Michelina (Lena) Lyskawa

Married on 28 September 1903 at St Francis D’Assisi church, Detroit MI

Grandfather August John (Gus) Wickenheiser and Grandmother Paulina Eliza (Lena) Rivard

Married 20 April 1915, At St Charles Church, Newport MI

The proof is in the pose

My Lena:

Jason Paul Zaioczkowski and Lena Clara Willit

Married 01 May 2012, At the Gazebo at Heritage Park, Taylor MI

Is it any wonder I love the name! 

Here are my parents on their wedding day
Allie Joblinski and Clara Wickenheiser
25 August 1945, at St Patrick Church, Carleton, MI
The reception was in Grandma Wickenheiser's yard