My Grandfather "Pysta"

My father's father died in 1948 when Daddy was 19 years old. He was known in the United States as Stephen Popp. His background was confusing to me. He was well educated. Spoke Hungarian, a Ruthenian/Rusyn dialect, some Italian, and English. He may have spoken Romanian, as well. His mother's family were Greek Catholic priests, and he was raised in a primarily Rusyn village. Because of his religion and the village he was from, I decided he was likely an ethnic Carpatho-Rusyn. 

But. Always buts. Lots of things didn't fit. The family were landowners and wealthy by Carpathian standards. His surname and his mother's were common Hungarian surnames. He and several brothers had government positions. They were sent away to school. His father's family had migrated to the Carpathian region from Romania sometime in the early 19th century when the Hungarian government was trying to send Hungarians to settle in the borderlands. None of these are common to Carpatho-Rusyns.

My father's DNA tests suggested a lot of Balkan ancestry. Also known as Romanian or Hungarian. A puzzle that I let sit. For decades.

My inheritance from that side of the family included boxes and boxes of photographs, letters, notebooks, address books, my grandmother's needlework, candles, icons, and a packet of letters my aunt handed to me stressing that these were important. They were from a brother in Europe, concerning land my grandfather had left in his brother's charge. And she shared a whispered story that my grandfather had also left a child in Europe. He hadn't married there. But he had a mistress and a child. He never told his wife or children, but another brother living nearby knew and they spoke of it some. Usually in Hungarian so their wives wouldn't understand, but my great-uncle's wife heard enough to let my grandmother know what they were discussing. My grandmother was a great one for keeping secrets. Fortunately, she shared them with her daughter before she died. Including the fact that her husband had a pressed flower in his prayer book that had been there since before they were married.

I scanned the letters and documents she gave me, made a couple attempts at having them translated, but no one locally could read the handwritten early 20th c. Hungarian. So they sat. 

The AI translation of telegram yesterday naming my grandfather as Pysta was my first attempt in decades to examine the papers. AI made the difference. Today I uploaded 18 years of letters and legal documents. Gem (my nickname for Gemini) proved worthy of the name, revealing the story we never knew. Gem titled the timeline "The Two Lives of István Pap". Slightly dramatic, but not wrong.  

The first dated document according to Gem was a 6 November 1920 Certified Public Notary Deed (Hiteles kiadvány) recording a land sale of 10 acres in Satu Mare, Romania from brother János Papp to his brother István Papp for the sum of 5,000 crowns (Hungarian currency). I am going to have to go over the rest of the documents carefully to determine how much of this transaction actually happened, for what my grandfather was doing was leaving assets in charge of his brother to provide for his son, living in Ukraine. A son his brother called "a kis Pista" or little Pista, likely named Stefan or István as his father was. This all becomes clear in the later letters and documents. 

On the back page is a handwritten accounting of items my grandfather Pysta left with his brother. It appears they were sold, yielding almost 4,000 lei. Gem translated it thus:

"There is a fascinating informal addendum written in a different hand, dated November 7, 1920 (the day after the notary meeting). It looks like a receipt for "moving costs" or a final settlement of accounts between them.

It lists items and their value in Lei (the Romanian currency):

• 3,000 lei cash (készpénz)

• 450 lei for a pair of shoes (pár czipő)

• 250 lei for boots and trousers (csizma nadrág)

• 200 lei for a fur coat/sheepskin cloak (bunda)

• 27 lei for house money (ház pénz)

• 16 lei for an advertisement (hirdetés)

• 1,050 Hungarian Crowns were also exchanged.

• Total: 3,943 lei"

Again, I need to go over this more carefully to figure out if these were funds my grandfather took and used to travel to the United States or funds left with his brother for support of the child. 

To say that I am a fan of using AI in family history research would be an understatement. 

Digging in with Artificial Intelligence

 I've begun using Artificial Intelligence to transcribe and translate written records in my research. It is still slow, but far better and more accurate than my own attempts at working with 19th c. church books written in Church Slavonic, Rusyn and Hungarian. 

Today I took a telegram my grandfather kept addressed to his brother and asked Gemini (Google's AI tool) to translate the Hungarian for me. 

This is what I received. 

*********

Transcription of the Hungarian Text

Recipient: Pap Janos, posta ellenőr, Satmar 1. postahivatal

Message: feierevarmat 472:-18:-21:-10-! Legyen szombaton délután három órakor owarynat a határon = pysta =

---

English Translation

Recipient: János Pap, postal inspector, Satmar 1st post office

Message: [Coded numbers/Reference] Be at Óvári at the border on Saturday at three o’clock in the afternoon. = Pista =

---

Key Details & Context

• János Pap: The recipient’s name. "Pap" is a common Hungarian surname, and "János" is John.

• Posta ellenőr: This indicates his profession—a postal inspector or controller.

• Satmar (Szatmár): Now known as Satu Mare.

• Óváry / Óvári: This likely refers to Óvári (now Oar, Romania), a village located right on the Hungarian-Romanian border near Satu Mare.

• Pysta (Pista): This is a common Hungarian nickname for István (Stephen). The spelling "Pysta" is an older or more phonetic variation of "Pista."

• The Numbers: The string of numbers (472:-18:-21:-10) is likely a telegram reference code, time stamp, or a specific postal tracking sequence rather than part of the conversational message.

The message is a simple coordination of a meeting time and place, specifically choosing a location right at the border.

*********

I was most pleased with this. It is the first time I learned that my grandfather used the nickname Pysta with his family. I never heard him referred to as anyone other than Daddy. The border meeting seemed dramatic, so I commented that I wondered what they were up to. Gemini had lots to say. 

*********

If your grandfather was Pista (István) and the recipient was János Pap, you’ve likely found a record of two relatives coordinating a discreet meeting. In the context of the early 20th century in this region, a meeting "at the border" (a határon) was rarely just for a casual coffee.

Here is the likely historical backdrop for what they were "up to":

1. Navigating the "Trianon" Reality

The telegram likely dates to the period after the Treaty of Trianon (1920). Overnight, the region around Satmar (Satu Mare) was transferred from Hungary to Romania. This drew a hard international border through communities that had been unified for centuries.

• Óvári (now Oar, Romania) is a village that sits literally feet from the Hungarian border.

• Meeting "at the border" at a specific time (3:00 PM Saturday) suggests they were meeting at a point where they could talk or exchange items without necessarily going through formal, and often difficult, border checkpoints.

2. The "Postal Inspector" Advantage

János Pap’s job title, Posta ellenőr (Postal Inspector), is a crucial detail.

• As an inspector, he had significant authority over how mail and packages moved.

• In a time of heavy censorship and high border tariffs, having a relative who was a high-ranking postal official was a massive asset. He would know exactly when and where the "eyes" of the state were looking.

3. Possible Motivations

Given the family connection and the cryptic nature of a telegram (which was expensive and often monitored), they were likely doing one of the following:

• Family Logistics: Exchanging family news, money, or goods that were difficult to send across the new international border due to high taxes or Romanian-Hungarian tensions.

• Business or "Shadow" Mail: Your grandfather might have been using János’s position to bypass official mail channels to ensure a letter or package reached its destination without being opened by government censors.

• Legal/Travel Planning: If one relative stayed on the Hungarian side and the other on the Romanian side, meetings at the border were the only way to maintain family ties without the expense and scrutiny of formal travel visas.

Pista (your grandfather) was the one setting the terms, and János was the one with the official "insider" status at the post office. It's a classic example of family members working together to navigate the complicated geopolitics of the era!

*********

I am a history major, pretty well-informed as far as border changes in Europe following World War I but I never made the connection that Satu-Mare, where my great-uncle lived became part of Romania then while across the river Transcarpathia became part of Czechoslovakia. This began to be far more interesting than let's meet for beer at the border. A border that did not exist before the Treaty of Trianon.

My grandfather left Europe in 1920, sailing from Cherbourg on December 20th. We were told he left because there was a conflict with someone. That he may have killed someone while serving as a Gendars or Hungarian State Police Officer. That the family might seek revenge. That was a story none of the cousins we met in Ukraine or Slovakia knew. This telegram and the context Gemini provided suggest there might have been more involved in his decision.

More to follow. It gets better. 

A Speculative Popp Family Tree

 I have spent decades deciphering how my late father's paternal Popp family is related to both those Popps we "knew" were cousins, and those cousins who appeared when he graciously consented to have his DNA tested and uploaded to as many genealogy sites as possible. 

Andrew Popp, my father, was a first generation American, born to immigrants from the Carpathian Mountains in what was Hungary when his parents were born. It's a remote spot, ruled by more nations and monarchs than I can calculate. He identified as Carpatho-Rusyn but thought his father might have been at least part Hungarian. One day I may get into the differences between citizenship and ethnicity, but for my purposes here it's enough to point out that my father's own DNA ethnicity results show most of his paternal ancestry from what is now the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine. 

His father, Stephen Popp, was born Stefan Pap, a grandson of another Stefan Pap, in the village of Berezna, Maramaros County, Hungary (today it is known as Berezovo, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine). He maintained contact with three men he considered cousins in the United States - Frank Popp and John Popp, both born in Kovesliget, Maramaros, Hungary (now Drahovo, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine) and sons of men bearing the same names; and Joe Popp, who was also born in Berezna and a grandson of a Ferenc/Frank Pap. We knew that John and my grandfather were related through John's mother, Ilka Papp, but not what the relationship was. Our attempts at formulating a family tree were complicated by the fact that none of our furthest "known" ancestors shared the same name and we had limited access to any records. 

After DNA testing became available lots more "American" cousins appeared, but few had any information on where their families had originated. I eventually gained access to church records from Berezna and Kovesliget which helped. Some. But what really helped was newer genetic genealogy tools that allowed me to use DNA match data from the web of matches and from multiple testing companies. Using frameworks developed on DNA Painter I was able to finally construct a very speculative tree on BanyanDNA that does fit within all the information provided by 15 matches on my father's paternal side. 

I pieced together screenshots of the tree and the calculation results. The purple boxes represent people who did DNA testing at Ancestry, My Heritage or 23andMe. The purple lines are connections that we have either documented or have personal knowledge of from our parents or grandparents. The yellow lines are speculative relationships. The cluster of yellow lines in the center of the tree are believed to be descended from a child Stephen Popp had before he emigrated to the United States. We were told the child existed, but nothing more. Not even the gender. 

The work is complicated by the fact that there are multiple cousin marriages and marriages to Tegzes (my grandfather's mother) and Stoyka/Stoykos (his grandmother). What little information I have on the European matches we believe descended from my father's unknown half-sibling strongly suggests at least two of them also have Tegze ancestry apart from what they inherited from Stephen Popp. 

Speculative Popp Family Tree from BanyanDNA. Best viewed on other tab. 

Descendents of Frank and Joe Popp have tested. Their results support Frank and Joe's closer connection to one another but also support a slightly more distant relationship to Stephen's family. No known descendants of John Popp have tested. 

DNA testing suggested two possible siblings to Stephen's father Ivan. Documentation from Berezna church records confirmed that the Maria Papp who married Pete Stoyka was a sibling and supported the theory that there was a brother Nicholas whose great-grandchildren showed up as strong matches. I found it especially moving in light of current events in Ukraine that testing is allowing those separated around the world to reconnect. Testers live in Cyprus, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, Slovakia, and the United States. 

BanyanDNA validation calcuation. 

 

This is by no means a definitive tree. Several of the matches are well outside normal ranges, though if there are additional Tegze relatives that would explain much of the variance. I hope to follow up with all the testers and get further information, if available. But it is the first time I've come up with anything that seems remotely possible given the DNA tests. Pretty exciting after decades of work. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Frank Popp (1889-1966)

Frank Popp was another of my grandfather's cousins who emigrated to the United States. He was a storied cousin to my father and his siblings, living a glamorous life in Los Angeles and sending photographs to them of beaches and Rose Bowl parades.

Several years ago I was fortunate to be able to talk to Frank's daughter and get some information about his life beyond the pictures. After our conversation she sent me this photo of her parents and brother taken sometime after his birth in 1913.

His daughter knew very little about his life or family in Europe. He was born Ferencj Pap, in a Carpathian mountain village, either Drahova or Berezovo (now in Ukraine). She thought he was about 20 years old when he came to America. She thought he came through Ellis Island and then went to the mines in Pennsylvania. He may have gone to stay with another cousin, Joe Popp. Her mother, Mary Burjosky, came with her family as a child. They settled in Wyoming. 

Frank left the mines as soon as he could and went to Chicago where his cousin and my great-aunt, Mary Popp Hricak was living. He learned to barber there, then left to work near, but not in the mines. He went to Wyoming where he met and married his wife, and then to Washington State where his son was born in 1913. By 1917 they had moved to Miami, Arizona (another mining community) where their two daughters were born. By 1920 they had moved to Hollywood, where Frank bought a barber shop on Hollywood Boulevard and even cut a few movie stars' hair. 

Frank lived the rest of his life in California. He died there in 1966. I don't believe he ever came to New York, but he did visit the Hricaks in Chicago. My aunt and uncle met him as adults when they were in California. 

I don't actually know how Frank and my grandfather are related. They were clearly close, but whether they were first cousins is open for discussion and further research. The documentation I have found supports the information his daughter shared (with the exception of the 1930 census which lists his son's birthplace as the District of Columbia, rather than Washington State). I have yet to find immigration documents that I can absolutely assign to Frank. He was not the only Ferencj Pap leaving those mountains at the turn of the century. 

Written for Amy Johnson Crow's blogger challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.


Photo Source
Frank Popp family portrait, c. 1914; digital image, privately held by Susan Popp Clark, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] St. Louis, MO. 2006. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: John Popp (1886-1959)

My grandfather, Stephen Popp (Stefan Papp) was part of the tide of Austro-Hungarian immigrants that came to United States in the early 20th century. Like many others, he followed his family and neighbors. In addition to his siblings, three of his Popp cousins came to America from two small villages at the eastern edges of the Empire.

I grew up in Connecticut near the family of one of the cousins, John Popp. John died when I was a toddler, but I knew his widow and son's family. John had a certain stature in the family stories. He was dearly loved, a successful business man in Bridgeport, owned a car (this was a big deal), and was active in the immigrant church and cultural societies in the United States. He and his wife even hosted my aunt and uncle on their honeymoon in 1947, providing a sleeper sofa in the living room for the newlyweds. My aunt made it clear that they stayed a few days, then headed off to someplace more private for a traditional honeymoon. The notices that appeared in The Bridgeport Post following John's death don't mention the car or honeymoon hosting, but they more than illustrate his stature in the community.

JOHN POPP, 72, DIES; EX-HEAD OF SOKOLS
EASTON, Sept. 14 -- Services will take place Thursday for John Popp, 72, of 10 Palmer place, former operator of a liquor store on Arctic street, Bridgeport, who died yesterday in his home.
The will be conducted at 8:30 a.m. in the Adzima funeral home, 591 Arctic stret [sic], Bridgeport, and at 9 o'clock in St. John the Baptist church, Mill Hill avenue. Burial will be in St. John's cemetery, Stratford. Panahedeon services will be conducted at the funeral home tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 o'clock.
Mr. Popp was past president of St. John the Baptist Carpatho Russian Greek Catholic church on Mill Hill avenue and supreme past president of the American Russian Sokols of the Greek Catholic Brotherhood, and a member of the Fathers' club, St. Basil's society and St. Nicholas' society.
A native of Czechoslovakia, Mr. Popp resided in Bridgeport many years before moving to Easton three years ago.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Wargo Popp; a son, George Popp, operator of the Appliance Center on Main street, four grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

EASTON, Sept. 18 -- Services for John Popp, 72, of 10 Palmer place, were conducted yesterday in St. John the Baptist Carpatho-Russian Greek Cathoic church, Mill Hill avenue, Bridgeport. Burial was in St. John's cemetery, Stratford.
His Grace, Archbishop Benjamin, of Pittsburgh, officiated.
Celebrant of the Mass was the Rt. Rev. Andrew Slepecky, administrator of St. Clair, Pa.; co-celebrants, the Very Revs. John Kivko and Joseph G. Simko.
The Very Rev. Hrista Vasilescu, the Rev. John Shunda, the Rev. Victor F. George, the Rev. Alexander Kovachi, and the Very Rev. Stephen Antonuk were seated in the Sanctuary.
Father Simko assisted by Fathers Slepecky and Kivko, read the committal services.
Delegations from St. Basil's society, A.R.S. 3; St. Nicholas' society, and the Fathers club attended.
Bearers, all church officers, were Michael Tarasovich, Michael Hritz, Michael Soltis, Jr., Richard Kopchyak, Peter Liscinsky and George Komtos. 

John was born on 22 Dec 1886 in Drahovo, Maramoros, Austria-Hungary to Ivan Papp and his wife, Ilka Papp. Today Drahovo is in Ukraine. He came to the United States in 1903 with his mother. His father was working in Johnstown, PA, and paid for their passage. He had two surviving siblings who remained in Europe, Anna Papp and Stefan Papp. John's parents ultimately returned to Drahovo. While I cannot document the relationship between John and my grandfather, their children believed them to be first cousins through John's mother. If so, then Ilka Papp was a sister of my great-grandfather, Ivan Papp, and a daughter of Stefan Papp and Anna Stajko.

Written for Amy Johnson Crow's blogger challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

Sources

"John Popp, 72, Dies; Ex-Head of Sokols," The Bridgeport Post, 14 Sep 1959, p. 34, col. 8; digital images, Ancestry.com (accessed 22 Apr 2014), Newspapers & Publications. Cit. Date: 22 Apr 2014.  

"Obituary John Popp," The Bridgeport Post, 17 Sep 1059, p. 2, col. 9; digital images, Ancestry.com (accessed 22 Apr 2014), Newspapers & Publications. Cit. Date: 22 Apr 2014.  

"Ellis Island Ship Manifests," online images, EllisIsland.org (www.ellisisland.org : accessed 22 Apr 2014), manifest, S.S. Finland, 6 Oct 1903, Ilka Papp and Ivan Papp, lines 7 & 8. Cit. Date: 22 Apr 2014.  

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Stefan Papp, Csendőrs

My grandfather, Stephen Popp or Stefan Papp, was a state policeman, a csendőrs in Hungary before he emigrated to the United States shortly after World War I. He served in the rural area near his home in the Chust district of Máramaros, patrolling on horseback. Today the region is part of the Transcarpathian district of Ukraine.

This photograph is of him in his csendőrs uniform. He is a sergeant, wearing a badge for Patrol Leader and two medals, the Long Service Cross for non-commissioned officers and the commemorative cross for the 60th anniversary of Franz Josef's reign issued in 1908. The bars or strafes on his sleeve indicate eight years of service.

Dating the photograph was a bit of a challenge. Since he had been awarded the commemorative cross it was clearly after 1908. The uniform collar design suggests it was taken before World War I. His soldiers book says he entered military service in 1904. The Gendarmerie were drawn from the military. I am estimating the photograph was taken about 1912 when he would have been about 30 years old.

I believe this is the earliest photograph we have of my grandfather. It corroborates what I have been told by his children about his life in Europe before coming to America. I am curious about the ring he appears to be wearing. He was not married then. I have a ring he left when he died, but don't know if it was the one he was wearing in this photograph. 

I used the wonderful website Austro-Hungarian Land Forces 1848-1918 created by Glenn Jewison and Jörg C. Steiner to find out more about the medals, decorations and uniforms of the Hungarian military and gendarmerie.


Written for Amy Johnson Crow's blogger challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Janos or Ivan Sedor (b. 1818)

I knew nothing about my baba's grandparents when I started researching my father's family. Not even their names. Baba, my grandmother, was born in Prislop a small mountain village in what is now Slovakia. Her mother, Olena Sedor, was born a few miles away in Starina. Both were then part of Hungary. Not easy to research. I hit pay dirt in 2010 when FamilySearch put old Hungarian Empire church records online. 

I found my great-grandmother's 1860 baptism recorded. Naming her parents. My great-great grandparents. Szidor Joan and Komiszar Maria. Or Romisszar. Her name is negotiable. In fact, much about these names is negotiable. Baba's family were ethnic Rusyns. They did not speak Hungarian. So while the records are in Hungarian or Latin or Church Slavonic, the names they used amongst themselves were different. Her mother was Olena, rather than Helena. Her father was Ivan, not Janos or Joannes. I suspect her grandfathers were also Ivan. And, of course, their descendants changed names all over the place when they settled in America.

I digress. Ultimately I found my great-great grandparents marriage record and baptismal registries for six children.

From FamilySearch.org

Janos or Ivan Sedor  was born in 1818 in Sztarina, Zemplén, Hungary. At this point I have no idea who his parents were. Sedor is a common name. There is one clue. His granddaughter referred to her mother as Olena Sedor Hocko. Hocko is probably an alias name used to help distinguish one Sedor line from another. Further research is needed here.

On 1 February 1848 Ivan married Maria Komisar, who was born in 1825, also in Sztarina. According to the marriage record he was a widower. They had at least six children, though one son died as a child.

Their son, Mihaly Sedor was baptized on 20 Aug 1849 in Sztarina.

Basilus or Wasyl Sedor was born and baptized in 1853 in Sztarina. His record is in Cyrillic script. I could not make out the month.

Joannes or Ivan Sedor was born on 26 Jan 1859 in Sztarina and died before 1866 when a second son with the same name was born.

Helena or Olena Sedor was born on 27 Sep 1860 in Sztarina, Zemplén, Hungary and was baptized on 6 Oct 1860. She died on 3 Jan 1936 in Príslop, Czechoslovakia at age 75. She is buried in Príslop, which now in Slovakia. Olena is my great-grandmother.

Anna Sedor was born on 2 Jan 1863 and was baptized on 18 Jan 1963 in Sztarina, Zemplén, Hungary.

A second Joannes or Ivan Sedor was born on 28 Aug 1866 in Sztarina and baptized on 4 Sep 1866.

His name appears frequently as a sponsor or witness in the church records, but with such a common name I don't know which, if any, of these men were my great great-grandfather. At least not without much more work examining the records. Komissar is a much less common name and worth investigation.

That is all I know about Ivan Sedor. He was most likely an illiterate peasant farmer. The land he lived and died on is now beneath the Starina Resevoir. 




Written for Amy Johnson Crow's blogger challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

Sources

• Stefan Popp, "Popp-Pereksta Family Record" (Private, recorded in diary c. 1940).
• Greek Catholic Church of Sztarina (Starina, Hummene, Slovakia), Baptisms, marriages, deaths (krsty, manzelstva, umrtia) Inv. c 1156 1845-1868, Szidor-Komiszar marriage, record 3, image 163 of 192; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 15 Mar 2010).
• Greek Catholic Church of Sztarina (Starina, Hummene, Slovakia), Baptisms, marriages, deaths (krsty, manzelstva, umrtia) Inv. c 1156 1845-1868, "Image 14/189," Mihaly Szidor record; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 18 Mar 2010).
• Greek Catholic Church of Sztarina (Starina, Hummene, Slovakia), Baptisms, marriages, deaths (krsty, manzelstva, umrtia) Inv. c 1156 1845-1868, "Image 24/189, Record 13," Basilus Szidor Baptismal Record; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 17 Mar 2010); Record is in Cyrillac alphabet.
• Greek Catholic Church of Sztarina (Starina, Hummene, Slovakia), Baptisms, marriages, deaths (krsty, manzelstva, umrtia) Inv. c 1156 1845-1868, Joannes Szidor Birth 1859, image 33 of 189; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 15 Mar 2010).
• Greek Catholic Church of Sztarina (Starina, Hummene, Slovakia), Baptisms, marriages, deaths (krsty, manzelstva, umrtia) Inv. c 1156 1845-1868, Olena Szidor birth record, image 59 of 189; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 15 Mar 2010); Names her parents as Joannes Szidor and Maria Komiszar of Sztarina.
• Greek Catholic Church of Sztarina (Starina, Hummene, Slovakia), Baptisms, marriages, deaths (krsty, manzelstva, umrtia) Inv. c 1156 1845-1868, "Image 36/189, Record 24," Janos Perekszta Baptismal record; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 18 Mar 2010); The record is in Cyrillac letters. It lists his parents and their residence, Prisxlop Household #2.
• Greek Catholic Church of Sztarina (Starina, Hummene, Slovakia), Baptisms, marriages, deaths (krsty, manzelstva, umrtia) Inv. c 1156 1845-1868, Anna Szidor Birth, 1863. Image 68 of 189; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 15 Mar 2010).
• Greek Catholic Church of Sztarina (Starina, Hummene, Slovakia), Baptisms, marriages, deaths (krsty, manzelstva, umrtia) Inv. c 1156 1845-1868, Joannes Szidor birth 1866, record 30, image 153 of 192; digital images, Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 26 Jan 2014).

Anonymous No More - Michael Pereksta - Tombstone Tuesday

Cast iron cross marking grave of Michael Pereksta

Last month I wrote about all the newspaper reports of unnamed "Hungarians" killed in slate mining accidents in the late 19th and early 20th century. I came across the articles while looking for information on Michael Pereksta, who was reported to be my grandmother's cousin.

Today I am, thanks to the kind assistance of the Slate Valley Museum and their volunteer extraordinaire John Jones, able to pinpoint the date and cause of his death, and to share photographs of his grave marker.

He did die in a mining accident as we'd been told. John found two small news articles in local papers reporting the accident, though again omitting his name.


I shall write more about his life, death and the help I received from John and the Slate Valley Museum, but today I focus on his burial at the Saint Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Cemetery in Granville, NY. 

Plaque attached to cross.

TU 

SPOCIVA

MICHAEL PEREKSTA

ZOMREL 12 JUNIA 1905,

30 ROKOV STARY

Here

Rests

Michael Pereksta

Died 12 June 1905,

Age 30 Years

John sent pictures illustrating the placement of the marker, its condition, as well as the above translation. He pointed out that it was near several other iron crosses, all sharing the same laurel wreath emblem near the base and speculated they had been provided by a burial society. I suspect he is correct. 

St. Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Cemetery, Granville, NY

Michael's cross is in the back, tilting strongly to the right, in the above picture.  If you look carefully you can see other crosses nearby.

Image Credits

The photographs were taken by John A. Jones and are published here with his permission. 

The Anonymous Dead

I spent another day lost in the images of old newspapers at Old Fulton NY Postcards, skimming through news reports of slate quarry accidents for mention of a mystery Pereksta cousin reportedly killed in a mining accident in Vermont in the early 1900s.

While fatalities in the slate quarries of New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania weren't reported daily, there were dozens and dozens of reports. My first two search requests yielded over 500 hits each. I got a manageable list of 154 articles on my fourth try. It was very dangerous work. The demented genealogist in me perked up, thinking that there would be ample occasion to find my Pereksta mentioned.

Wrong. Lots of fatalities. Lots of news reports. But almost all the Eastern European immigrant fatalities were reported as unnamed Hungarians.

CAUGHT BY A CAVE IN

Five Workmen Probably Killed in an Accident in a Slate Quarry

Allentown, Pa., March 1 - While seven quarrymen were at work this morning in the slate quarry... the top caved in, burying Joseph Reamley, Samuel Kreitz, Griffith O. Pritchard, William R. Jones and three Hungarians....

(The Brooklyn [NY] Daily Eagle, 1 March 1894, p. 1, col. 4)

This next report adds the insult of scant vocabulary to fatal injury when compared to the adjective laden report of Mr. Williams' death.

Fatalities at Granville 

Rowland Williams, a native of Wales, while at work in Norton Brothers' slate quarry at Granville on Wednesday afternoon, was instantly killed by a huge stone which fell from the ledge and crushed him. His body was terribly mangled. He leaves a wife and four children.

A Hungarian working in Hughes quarry at Granville was struck on the head by a falling stone and killed on Tuesday afternoon. 

(Glen Falls [NY], The Morning Star, 30 July 1897, p. 8, col. 2)

There was a widely reported collapse in 1905 that killed several men - though reports of the numbers range from eight to 14. I read thirteen accounts of the accident. Most read like this one.

Cave-In Fatal to 14

Awful Accident in a Vermont Slate Quarry This Morning

Troy, N.Y., Oct. 6 - Sixteen men were buried this morning in a cave-in of the Vermont Slate company's quarry, about two and a half miles from Granville, N.Y.  

David Cadwallader and Fraser Queen, foremen of the quarry, were rescued. The latter is expected to die. The 14 dead include J. B. Williams, president of the company, and Hungarian laborers. 

Four bodies had been removed by 11 o'clock.

(The Auburn [NY] Citizen, 6 October 1905, p. 5, col. 8)

Only two papers, The Syracuse Journal and The Binghamton Press, named the immigrant laborers, Stephen Banois, John Illnetakie, Joseph Illnetakie, Netro Demsic, John Toronco and Joseph Wasick. The next spring there was another accident nearby.

Two Men Killed in a Quarry

Troy, N.Y., June 22 - John Hasoyd Roberts of Warren's Switch, and an unknown Hungarian were killed by a cave-in in the slate quarry of Beecher & Company.... Robert Jones of Granville and two Hungarians were injured, the former probably fatally....

(New York, The Evening Post, 22 June 1906, p. 1, col. 2)

I suspect this accident warranted a full paragraph because young Norton was injured. 

Slate Quarry Accident

Hungarian Killed and Granville Resident Seriously Injured. 

A falling rock in one of the Norton Brothers' slate quarries at Granville Tuesday afternoon killed a Hungarian and seriously injured Hiram Norton, son of James Norton, village president of Granville, and senior member of the firm of Norton Brothers. The block was being lifted when it slipped from the chain, and falling struck a rock in the side of the quarry, breaking into two parts. One struck the Hungarian on the top of the head, killing him instantly; the other struck Mr. Norton on the side of the head and shoulder, bruising the head and cutting open his shoulder badly. His injuries, while serious, are not thought to be dangerous. 

(Glen Falls [NY], The Morning Star, 13 February 1908, p. 8, col. 5)

This article names the Welsh miner who could not rescue the victim, but neither the victim nor his friend.

A Fatal Dive

A young Hungarian was drowned in the Mettowee river while swimming Friday near the Sheldon slate quarry in Granville.... [He] was accompanied by another Hungarian, who called for help. His cries were heard by Myrddin Jones, at work in a quarry. Jones dived in....

(Glen Falls [NY], The Morning Star, 4 August 1908, p. 8, col. 4)

This article actually named two Hungarian men, though not the two or three others who were still missing.

BURIED BY CAVE-IN MAN STILL LIVES

Was Covered by Tons of Slate Rock and Earth

... A remarkable escape from death was that of Phabbeus Drewseitch, who, with four or five other Hungarians, was buried in a cave-in of rock and earth at Owen Brothers slate quarry near Granville on Tuesday morning....

The dead body of Steve Sautjes, another victim, was recovered....

(Glen Falls [NY], The Morning Star, 15 April 1909, p. 8, col. 6)

There were more, but I'd seen enough. I'll have to find another avenue of investigation to see if I can locate documentation supporting or disproving the family story of a mystery cousin's death.


Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, [ LC-USF34- 045884-D [P&P] LOT 1246 ]

My Carpatho-Rusyn FAN Club ~ Hamzik, Rudik and Havtur

This is another of the FAN Club photographs belonging to my grandparents Stephen Popp (Stefan Papp) and Anna Pereksta of Binghamton, NY. 

On the back of the photograph is written Anna Hamzik, Mrs. Rudik, Mrs. Havtur.

Two Anna Hamziks appear in the Binghamton, NY City Directories available on Ancestry.com. Anna Macko (1890-1961) was married to Michael Hamzik. They did not move to Binghamton until sometime before the 1930 census. In 1920 they were living in Montana. Anna Macko Hamzik is reported to have to come to the United States as a child. Anna Bancansky (1894-1966) was married to Joseph Hamzik. They moved to Binghamton sometime after 1930. According to the 1930 census she was born in Czechoslovakia and emigrated to the United States in 1911. 

In addition to the two Anna Hamziks, there is also an Anna Hemzik living nearby in Johnson City in the 1930 census. She was born about 1899 in Pennsylvania to Czechoslovakian born parents and was married to Andrew Hemzik. 

Mary Vaszko Rudik (1895-1964) is the only Mrs. Rudik found in Binghamton, NY census or city directory records. She was born in Ruské, a village near my grandmother's village in today's Slovakia and emigrated to the United States in 1911. She married Frank Rudik in 1915 at St. Michael's Church in Binghamton.

There are two potential Mrs. Havturs, sisters-in-law who were each named Helen. Helen Wasko Havtur Selanich (1894-1972) was also born in Ruské. (She and Mary Vaszko Rudik may have been related, but they were not siblings. Each named different parents on their marriage records.) Helen Wasko married Frank Havtur. Helen Bundga married Frank's brother John in 1916. She was born in Starina, the village where my grandmother's mother was born. Based on the descriptions in their immigration records the picture above is most likely Helen Bundga Havtur.

This is a challenging photograph to date or place. I have a similar photograph of my grandmother that I have assumed was taken shortly after she arrived in the United States in 1913. But if either of the Anna Hamziks are the woman pictured they do not appear to have been in Binghamton until after 1920. There are newspaper reports in the Binghamton (NY) Press referring to folk dancers led by Mrs. Helen Havtur and it may be the woman all participated with her.

I would be delighted to share high resolution scans of these images and source information with anyone researching these families. Please leave a comment or email me (there is a link in the righthand column).

Mary Pereksta Kontir - Wordless Wednesday

My first cousin once removed, Mary Pereksta Kontir, daughter of John and Mary Pereksta of Clifton, NJ. 1928.

My Carpatho-Rusyn FAN Club ~ Helena Basos

This is another of the FAN Club photographs belonging to my grandparents Stephen Popp (Stefan Papp) and Anna Pereksta of Binghamton, NY. 

The photograph is identified as Helena Basos in ink on the front. The only Helen Basos found in the Binghamton, NY City Directories available on Ancestry.com is the wife of William Basos. She first appears in the 1923 directory, living with William, a grocer, at 51 Dickinson Street. He appears living alone or with a brother from 1911 through 1922. They both appear in the directories through 1959. 

She and William are enumerated together in the 1920 census. She is listed as born about 1894 in Czechoslovakia, emigrating to the United States in 1911 and working as a sorter at a tannery. The 1930 Census information is similar, though she is no longer working, but adds that she was married for the first time at age 20 (about 1913).

A death notice for Helen Basos was published on Saturday, 21 May 1960 in the Binghamton Press. It reads

Mrs. Helen Basos, 20 Holland St., Binghamton, died Friday at 9:35 p.m. at Wilson Memorial Hospital. She is survived by her husband, William Basos, Binghamton; one sister, Mrs. Theresa Pirich, Johnson City; one brother, Andrew Wacendak, Binghamton; several nieces and nephews. The family operates a grocery store on Clinton St. The body was removed to the Greskovic Funeral Home, 161 Clinton St., where the funeral will be held Monday at 9:30 a.m. Burial will be in Riverhurst Cemetery, Endicott. Friends may call at the funeral home this evening from 7 to 9 and Sunday afternoon and evening.

I found no immigration records for Helen Basos or her husband, but his World War I Draft registration card indicates he was born in Dara, a village near my grandmother Anna Pereksta's birthplace in today's Slovakia.

I would be delighted to share high resolution scans of these images and source information with anyone researching these families. Please leave a comment or email me (there is a link in the righthand column).

Uličské Krivé - Wordless Wednesday

The church in Uličské Krivé, Slovakia, taken in September, 1992.

My Carpatho-Rusyn FAN Club ~ Augusto

This is another of the FAN Club photographs belonging to my grandparents Stephen Popp (Stefan Papp) and Anna Pereksta of Binghamton, NY. 

This photograph is of a dear friend of my grandfather's, Charlie Augusto. On the back my aunt wrote "Charles Augusto - Dad's kryan  Cumberland, Kentucky." Kryan or krajan means countryman. Augusto and my grandfather, Stephen Popp (Stefan Papp) both came to the United States from Berezovo in the Maramoros district of Hungary. Today it is in the Ukraine.

My father vividly remembers a visit Augusto made to Binghamton, NY when he was a boy. The visit took place sometime during the mid to late 1930s. It was an evening or week-end when my grandfather was at home. There was a knock on the door and Augusto and Ivan (John) Tegze walked in the house. My grandfather and Augusto embraced fiercely and my father saw his father cry for the first time in his life. The men would not have seen each other since Augusto's last visit home to Berezovo, most likely before WWI.

Charlie (or Wasily) Augusto was born about 1882. He appears to have gone back and forth between Berezovo and the United States. He gives his arrival date as 1908 in the 1930 census; 1892 in the 1920 census. There are multiple immigration records that may belong to him. He was a miner in Pennsylvania and Illinois before settling in a Kentucky mining community where he ran a grocery store. He is listed with 8 children in 1930 census so this photograph showing nine children was likely taken several years later. His surname appears as Agosto, Agoszto, Augusto, August and Augusta in various records.

I believe Augusto was related to Ivan Tegze, perhaps his brother-in-law.

There are handwritten ink numbers associated with the children, but I have no information regarding the meaning of the numbers.

I would be delighted to share high resolution scans of these images and source information with anyone researching these families. Please leave a comment or email me (there is a link in the righthand column).

Berezovo, 1992 - Wordless Wednesday

Recess in front of the church, taken in Berezovo, Zakarpats'ka oblast, Ukraine ; September 1992.

Introducing My Carpatho-Rusyn FAN Club ~ Gydik and Kostun

Elizabeth Shown Mills' FAN Club strategy of researching friends, associates and neighbors has been enormously helpful in exploring the Tennessee and Tidewater branches of my family. I have also used it when examining immigration records and newspaper articles for my Carpatho-Rusyn family.

My aunt recently gave me a photo album and loose pictures belonging to her parents, Stephen Popp (Stefan Papp) and Anna Pereksta. Most of the images are of friends of the family from the Binghamton, NY area. Most are from the 1910s and 1920s. All seem to have been taken in the United States. Over the next months I will digitize and post the images and any cursory research I have done under the title My Carpatho-Rusyn FAN Club.

I know some of the relationships predate their immigration. These friends were called krajan or krajani - countrymen or villagers. Stephen was born in 1882 Berezovo (also known as Berezna) in what was then the Maramoros district of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today it is in the Ukraine. Anna was born in 1895 in Prislup (also known as Kis Pereszlo) in what was then the Zemplen district of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today it is in Slovakia.

Those relationships that were established in the United States likely resulted from friendships through their work at the Endicott-Johnson shoe factory, residence in Binghamton's immigrant First Ward, or membership in St. Michael's Greek Catholic Church.

The first photo in the album is this picture. On the back is written "Sue Sedor Gydik/ John Kostun" in my aunt's handwriting.

Susie Gydik (also spelled Guydik or Guydick) was the daughter of William and Mary Sedor (also spelled Sidor). She was born about 1898 in Starina (near Prislup) and came to the United States with her mother in 1903. She was a close friend of Anna Pereksta's and probably a cousin. Her father is believed to have been Anna's first cousin. She married Frank Gydik.

John Kostun is not a name I have heard before. Two adult John Kostuns appear in the 1930 census index on Ancestry.com. Both were born in Czechoslovakia - one in 1895 with a wife Mary and one in 1899 with a wife Anna. Both lived in the First Ward, worked at a shoe factory and were identified as Carpatho-Russian or Ruthenian. This man could be either of them, however the man born in 1895 has boarders in the household named Kost and Bundza. These are both names associated with the Pereksta family in Europe.

I would be delighted to share high resolution scans of these images and source information with anyone researching these families. Please leave a comment or email me (there is a link in the righthand column).

The Square Deal - A Different Perspective on May Day

Today is International Workers' Day. Growing up during the Cold War in a staunchly anti-Soviet home, my only awareness of it was press coverage of the military might marching through Moscow's Red Square. Those displays did not reflect the original intent of the day, but colored my perspective on labor movements, factory work and workers for many years.

The families I research were primarily agrarian with an occasional merchant or doctor. Rarely have I found ancestors living in a city and only once have I found a relative working in a factory prior to 1910 when my Carpatho-Rusyn family began arriving. Almina Whitaker died 3 Oct. 1844 in Chicopee Falls, MA. She was listed as a factory girl and died of an acute infection at age 17. She was my husband's 4th great-aunt. There are surely others.

Arch at the entrance to Johnson City.
It reads "Home of the Square Deal."

My paternal grandparents were both factory workers after they emigrated to the United States, but their experiences were different from those who worked in most of the factories and mills across the country. They worked for the Endicott-Johnson Corporation, a shoe manufacturer located in the Southern Tier of New York. Endicott-Johnson (or E-J as they were referred to at home) was known worldwide for their Square Deal, a paternalistic but generous program of medical care, recreational facilities, profit sharing and low cost housing that kept unions at bay. Another company in the area modeled their benefits programs on E-J's Square Deal. That company became IBM, where my father spent most of his working life.

My father, born in an E-J medical clinic not far from his parents' home, spoke glowingly of the medical care his family received. My grandmother spent months at a sanitarium at Saranac Lake recovering from influenza. Her job was waiting for her when she returned. My father recovered from rheumatic fever at a farm where E-J contracted to have its employees and their dependents cared for. The clinics, care and doctors were well-thought of and all were provided free of charge to E-J employees and their families. I never heard a single comment from my father or any other family member about Endicott-Johnson that was anything but laudatory.

When I was growing up IBM was equally revered. There were IBM Christmas parties, IBM country clubs, superb benefits packages. An IBM scholarship paid for some of my college education and IBM summer jobs helped pay my living expenses. It was mentioned more than once that there was no need for unions or labor organization at IBM. We knew whose fathers (and it was only the fathers) worked for IBM. No secret handshake, but we considered ourselves fortunate.

That world of welfare capitalism, with its lifetime employment and security, is long gone. Its legacy includes the binding together of healthcare and employment. We who grew up in its embrace face a changed world.

Happy International Workers' Day!




You can read more about E-J and its Square Deal in this episode of NPR's Radio Diaries and in this book by Gerald Zahavi.

Sources
Clifford Lyle Stott, The Vital Records of Springfield Massachusetts to 1850 (Boston: NEHGS, 2003), II:1225 citing Book 4, Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1843-1849.


Endicott-Johnson Employee Badges belonging to Stephen and Anna Popp; digital images; privately held by Susan Popp Clark, St. Louis, MO. 2008


Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS NY, 4-ENDI,1--1.

Baba as a Bride - Wordless Wedding Wednesday

My Grandmother, Anna Pereksta, on her wedding day
 17 February 1923
Binghamton, NY

I Love a Procession!

 Some rights reserved by Tobyotter

Almost all my knowledge of the relationships between my father's immigrant relatives is based on interviews with my father and his sister. They grew up knowing who their cousins in the United States were and knowing who among their parents' friends were countrymen, coming from the same villages in Europe their own parents came from.

These relationships are based on births and marriages in 19th century Europe that I have not been able to document. In several cases I do not know what degree of relationship existed, though I am certain the families considered themselves closely related. A few published death notices have provided some support, but generally I have relied on documents and photographs handed down to me. Letters addressed to Aunt Anna [my grandmother], or photographs of visits between families provide support. Photo albums filled with pictures of the children of these other families are another source of supporting documentation. 

Recently I received a document used in the funeral planning for my grandfather, Stephen Popp, that clearly illustrates the hierarchy of relationships and friendships my family recognized in America. It is a printed booklet Funeral Automobile List distributed by Chopyak's Funeral Home containing handwritten directions for the procession to the cemetery. It lists the pall bearers, and who would be riding in each car of the procession.

The pall bearers listed were

• John Tegza, from Endicott, NY. Tegza emigrated from Berezova with my grandfather. Though his surname is the same as my grandfather's mother he was not considered a relative, but a countryman and friend.
• John Popp, from Bridgeport, CT. He was always referred to as a first cousin. We believe John's mother (also a Popp) and my grandfather's father were siblings.
• Mike Kontir, from Clifton, NJ. He was married to my grandmother's niece. 
• Steve Popovich, Vasil Latta and Mike Vastal, from Binghamton, NY. All were friends of my grandfather.

The cars, in order were

• a Buick carrying my grandmother, their children and son-in-law.
• a Plymouth carrying Mrs. Louis Popp & family. She was the widow of my grandfather's only brother in the United States.
• a Buick carrying Mrs. Pete Kornafel & Mrs. Nick Bobich from Chicago. They were the daughters of my grandfather's only sister in the United States.
• a Buick carrying Mr. & Mrs. John Popp [the pall bearer], Mr. George Popp and Mrs. Helen Bashar from Bridgeport, CT. George and Helen were the son and niece of my grandfather's cousin John.
• a Buick carrying John Pereksta, Mrs. Andrew Senkowitz, Mr. & Mrs. Mike Kontir, and Mr. & Mrs. Wm Kuzma from NJ. They were the family of my grandmother's only brother in the United States.
• a Plymouth carrying the John Bolas family. Mrs. Bolas, Susan, was my grandmother's sister.
• a Buick carrying Mrs. Mary Zelenyak and family. She was my grandmother's sister.
• a Buick carrying Mr. & Mrs. Clayton Hunt, Mr. & Mrs. Andre Muska, Mr. & Mrs. Francis Kowarek. They were daughters of Susan Bolas and my grandmother's nieces.
• a Nash carrying Mr. & Mrs. Wm Sedor & Family and Mr. & Mrs. Geo. Sedor. The Sedors were brothers and my grandmother's first cousins.
• a Dodge carrying Mr. Mike Macko and the Andrew Plakos family. Macko was godfather to my grandparent's children. Plakos was a friend.

The remaining cars all carried people always described to me as friends of the family. 

The handwriting looks like it was written primarily by my aunt, so it is no surprise it reflects what she's told me dozens of times. Still, I was bubbling with excitement when I showed it to my husband the other night. He leafed through the pages. His eyes lit up when he noticed the Nash in the procession. Sweet man.  No love for General Motors or Chrysler.