Additional information confirms that Miłoszewski families were supporters of regal democracy as can be seen in extracts from voting records in which Miłoszewski ancestors voted for
- Jan Kazimierz in 1648,
- Jan III in 1674,
- August II in 1697
- Stanisław August in 1764.
In Poland, kings were elected by the 'szlachta' (nobles).
THE HISTORY OF THE
MIŁOSZEWSKI AND RAFALĄT FAMILIES
2. Origins
Who were they?
Where did they come from?
How do you start describing the history of the individuals and families that have played such a large part in the creation of new generations' characters? Each family's history, whilst there are similarities, is very different.
In the case of the Miłoszewski family, they were fortunate to escape their terrible experiences and settle in England with most of their family members. The head of the family, Dziadek Janek, survived to tell his story. Whereas Franciszek Rafalat came to England without his family and their story has been pieced together with some difficulty.
Miłoszewski
The Miłoszewski name stretches back many centuries, and was linked to the Kościerza coat of arms. Jan was certain that the coat of arms was given by King Boleslaw Śmialy in 1072, but that information has been difficult to confirm. Certainly his personal notes, written whilst he was fighting with the Polish army near Beresteczko (the site of a famous battle where the Polish armies under King Kazimierz Wielki defeated the massed Cossack and Khanate armies in 1651), suggest that he found evidence of Miłoszewski tombstones in the area.
Jan Miłoszewski was born on 28th August 1898 in Gawłuszewice, a small village on the banks of the Wisłoka river in the Mielec area of what was then Galicia, part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. His parents were Michał and Franciszka Miłoszewski.