Florentina's great grandfather was Martin Reschke, and her grandparents were Ludwig and Katherine Reschke. Her parents, Julius Reschke, who lived from 1854 to 1890, and Pauline Zalewski, who lived from 1858 to 1894, were born in Warsaw, Poland.
Florentina was born in Bzezyny, Poland. She had a younger brother named Alexander, who was married to Alvina. Orphaned at a young age, she spent a hard life on farms living with uncles and aunts who expected her to earn her keep. Living with Aunt Julia, her mother's sister, was a pleasant experience however.
John served in the white Russian army. He and his family fled the country to escape the victorious Bolsheviks. Their last place of residence in the Old World was Danzig, Germany. They crossed the Atlantic on board the Ausonia which left Liverpool, England on 4 October 1922. They passed inspection at Ellis Island in New York on 16 October. Although Polish citizens according to their entry papers into the United States, they considered themselves to be German. Florentina's brother Alexander was their sponsor in America. They settled in the Cleveland, OH area. John and Florentina are buried in Lutheran Cemetary in Cleveland.
John and Florentina's son Alexander invented the florescent bulb switch and airplane prop starter. He was a co-founder of Bird Electronic which later became Honeywell.
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