4 April 2004, Sunday, Early Afternoon

After we left the parsonage, two older ladies from the church who speak German talked with us. They went with us to the cemetary where we looked at headstones. The graves were decorated with lots of flowers and candles for Easter. There are very few old graves. In much of Europe, the graves are dug up and replaced with new bodies every 20-30 years.

We found no 'Mathia' graves, but we photographed the following that may be of interest to family members:

• Marta Jaczynska born Grzona
  20 Jun 1881 - 9 Apr 1945
• Bernard Sumionka
  2 Jan 1933 - 29 Nov 2003
• Bronislaw Zywicki
  5 July 1925 - 7 Oct 1995
• Jan Zywicki
  23 Sep 1926 - 16 Oct 1967
• Marianna Zywiccy
  18 Nov 1895 - 29 Dec 1984
• Izydor Zywiccy
  18 May 1899 - 28 Jan 1973

The last two are husband and wife on the same stone.

Günter was able to see the house where his grandfather, Johann Jacob Mathia lived. He was a blacksmith. Günter was told that the blacksmith shop, formerly in front of the house, was torn down several years ago. Here is Günter standing in front of the house.

The year-stone near the peak of the house shows it was built in 1900. That is the year after Johann Jacob married Anna Oellrich, and after their son Joseph Thomas (Günter's father) was born. This prompted Kurt to suggest that Johann and Anna were married in Neukirch where Anna was from, but lived elsewhere while their house was being built. Johann himself was born in Deutsch Cekzin and baptized in Osterwick. Kurt said that they would check the records in Ostrowite (Osterwick) on Monday to try to find the baptism.

Here are Sheela Matthia, Karen Matthia Aland, and Elisabeth Mathia (1, 3, & 5 left to right) with Elizbieta Chiemowska and Maria Ochibowska (2 & 4). We met these two ladies at the church in the morning. They spoke German and went with us to the cemetery and to see Günter's grandfather's house. Here we are saying goodbye before leaving. Elisabeth Mathia left a carton of clothing for them to distribute.