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. 

So Glad They Got Married

Carolyn Sawyer and Andrew Popp, 4 September 1954

Today would have been my parent's 67th wedding anniversary. I've never done a blog post about their wedding. Not even a photograph. It's time. 

They were married at her parents home by her parents' Baptist minister in a civil ceremony attended by her family and friends. More on that. Following the wedding they spent a very quiet honeymoon at Myrtle Beach recovering. There was never a photo of their wedding anywhere in their home. The one wedding album was tucked away in a bookshelf. The day was acknowledged as we got older, but never celebrated in any big way. It was a private time and memory for them, though as we grew older they spoke of it in response to our questions. They remained married until my mother's death in 1999. It was, most days, a good marriage, with sacrifices on both sides. But they had enormous love, devotion and respect for one another. Theirs was the model I have used for my own 42 years of marriage. 

Mother and Daddy met in Washington, DC after college. Both worked at the Navy Department, though that's not how they met. Both finished school and very deliberately chose to NOT return to the towns and families they'd grown up with. Both loved those families fiercely. 

Dad's best friend was dating Mother's roommate and suggested they meet. His motives weren't pure. Mother never left the apartment and he was hoping for time alone with his girlfriend (later wife). So Dad phoned her, they chatted and he asked her out for a beer. She declined, but graciously enough that he called back. And back. And back. Same story. Finally he asked Ted who asked Margaret who asked Mother why she wouldn't go out with him if she was willing to spend hours on the phone. She answered, "I don't drink beer." Dad called and invited her for coffee. She accepted. The rest is history. 

They were from wildly different backgrounds, but met a need in each other beyond their obvious attraction and love. Daddy, child of Eastern European Catholic immigrants, wanted an "American" wife as he assimilated into mainstream culture. Mother, rejecting the bigotry and narrow parochialism of her very southern, pre-civil rights childhood, wanted someone "other". Neither family was thrilled, but my father's family very quickly recognized and accepted the relationship. 

Not so my mother's. At least not her mother. Mother had moved back to Tennessee for graduate school. She was teaching and weighing two different proposals. She loved both men. Deeply. We spoke of those days of decision many times as I got older. She was very, very clear about her decision and her reasoning. And that it was the most difficult decision of her life. 

Once made, she turned to planning the wedding. Whatever subtle opposition her mother had expressed to her daughter marrying a Catholic first generation American was made clear. No member or friend of my father's family was invited, other than Ted, the best man. My grandmother never mailed those invitations. She cancelled florists and musicians. She launched a full out campaign to derail the wedding. My mother was heartsick, ill, but determined. Daddy finally showed up, uninvited and unwelcome, and announced that if they could not be married at home as Mother wished, then they would be married in his Byzantine Catholic Church in Binghamton, NY. His mother was fully capable and willing to put on the wedding and his priest had already consented. At that point my grandfather, utterly uninvolved by choice, finally spoke up and ordered my grandmother to cease her sabotage efforts and put together the wedding their daughter wanted. More or less. It did not include Daddy's immigrant family. The two families met for the first time at my sister's wedding, decades later. 

The effects of this were long-lasting. My father spent very little time visiting my mother's parents. The excuse was always he was working, but the truth told later to us as adults, was that it was easier for Mother to be there with us and without him. She still adored her family, they adored her, and by extension, us. He did make it clear that Grandmother was to stop cross-examining us about church and faith or he would stop our visits. Never Mother's. He knew how deeply hurt she was, but also knew how much she needed her family. And so we grew up. 

My sister and I had truly beautiful weddings. Joy-filled, and far more lavish than either of us wanted. Those wedding mattered as much to our parents as they did to us. They believed one of the most important things they could do as parents was to support and celebrate our choices. 

As for our family, we are today a very tightknit cohort of cousins, children of the three daughters Sawyer. Those sisters were a force - due in strong part to their mother. They were devoted to each other. Again, due to their parents. My father, particularly, expressed his admiration for all of them. He was careful to make clear that love and devotion could and should survive hurt and pain. It's a model to live by that I have difficulty following, but aspire to.  

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.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Summertime, c. 1919

Anna Pereksta, seated in center with a bite missing from her watermelon.

We are deep into a record setting winter in the United States. Time for a taste of summer.

My grandmother, Anna Pereksta, spent several months in Saranac Lake (NY) recovering from influenza. Her care there was paid for by Endicott Johnson, her employer. Most of the patients were being treated for tuberculosis, but she always said she had had the flu. 

Whatever the disease, those months recovering were a cherished time in a life that was far more work than play. 

Rosemary Popp Wiktorek - Wordless Wednesday

31 July 1925 - 29 July 2012

Father's Day 2012

Thinking of the fathers and grandfathers who bless our lives.

Berezovo, 1992 - Wordless Wednesday

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

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.

Blessing the Gravestone

I found these photographs last week while looking for pictures of my uncle (pictured in the lower photograph on the left, holding a basket of flowers). They were taken when the stone marking my grandfather Stephen Popp's grave was installed at St. Michael's Cemetery in Binghamton, NY. He died 8 Sept 1948. 

The priest blessing the stone is likely Rev. Michael Tidick, who was the pastor of St. Michael's Greek Catholic Church and presided at the funeral. Given the weather likely during winter in New York's Southern Tier and that pansies were planted on the grave, I suspect the service took place in the early spring of 1949. 

In Memory

In loving memory of my uncle
1921-2012 

Someone's Getting Older....

See that little towhead on the left? He's gotten bigger over the years, but the lucky boy still has his big sister and brother around to keep him in line.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

Lives Entwined - A Friend of the Family

This picture of my grandmother Anna Pereksta Popp and her dear friend Ann Tanch, arms wrapped around one another, was taken in my aunt and uncle's back yard in Binghamton, NY. They had known one another for forty years and would remain friends until Baba died more than twenty years later.

Ann Tanch was far more than a friend with an infectious smile. She was also godmother to all three of Baba's children. As such she held an important place in the family and a name to match - Krstná (kres-na) or Godmother. She was at every holiday gathering, joining the family for every celebration and many, many other days.

The photo was taken when I was a young girl and is exactly how I remember Krstná - warm, outgoing and delighted to see us. And see her we did - every visit, every time. She was a vibrant and essential element of our time in Binghamton.

And yet, as I began to write about her, I realized how little I knew about Krstná. Her name. That she was a lifelong friend. That she never married. And I remembered that even though she was godmother to all the children, she did not attend Baba's church. She was Roman Catholic. 

I sent the photo to my father, aunt and uncle and started digging into online resources.  Krstná  was born Anna Tancak on 22 May 1901 and died as Anna Tanch on 31 Mar 1989. She appears in the 1910 census in Binghamton as a nine year old girl, Anna Tancak, born in New York. She lived with her parents George and Anna Tancak on Hanchett Avenue, just around the corner from Baba's Sedor cousins. The family was listed as Hun-Ruthenian with both parents born in Hungary. They had been married 25 years and buried 6 children. George worked in a stone yard. Krstná had a 20 year old brother John, born in Pennsylvania, and siblings Mary (16), George (12), Michael (5) and Helen (10 mos.), all born in New York. Two cousins, George and Andrew Macko (14 and 11) lived with the family. 

In October, 1915 her father died. He was buried on 29 October in St. Michael's Cemetery. Krstná's mother moved the family out of the city to a farm but by 1920, Krstná was living on Spring Forest Avenue in Binghamton and working at a shoe factory.

When my father called after speaking with his sister about Krstná, he told me she was born in the United States and was 5 or 6 years younger than Baba. He said she had a sister and four brothers and lived with her sister for many years. Her family had originally been part of their church, but when the church split in the 1940s her family left St. Michael's and joined Holy Spirit Byzantine Catholic Church. Daddy said there was never any tension between Baba and Krstná over the separate churches. He couldn't remember her ever not being part of the family. She worked at Dunn-McCarthy making women's shoes for her entire working life.

I asked him how Baba and Krstná had met, wondering if it had been when Baba first arrived in 1913 or if her parents had been from the same village in Europe. The age difference would have been significant then, Krstná being 12 to Baba's 18. Daddy said no to both. My aunt told him they met later, around 1920 when Baba was living with her sister and brother-in-law near Spring Forest Street where Krstná lived.

One day, when Baba was visiting a Mrs. Koast, a woman she'd known in Prislop, she was struck by some especially lovely needlework and asked Mrs. Koast if she would teach Baba how to make the pattern. Mrs. Koast answered that she hadn't done it; her cousin Anna Tanch had. Baba asked for an introduction and Mrs. Koast waved her arm and said, "Just walk over. She lives one block behind you." So she did. Baba knocked on Ann Tanch's door, introduced herself and asked her to please teach her how to make the needlework Baba had so admired.

Forty years later they posed for the photograph.

Written for Jasia's 116th Carnival of Genealogy and Women's History Month.

Sources

Social Security Administration, "Social Security Death Index, Master File," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 Mar 2012), entry for Anna Tanch, 1989, SS no. 070-03-7051.

1910 U.S. census, population schedule, Binghamton, Ward 1, enumeration district (ED) 0005, p. 97, dwelling 15, family 152, George Tancak; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com : accessed 8 Mar 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 925.

"Obituary George C. Tanch," Binghamton Press, 29 October 1915, Evening edition, p. 1?, col. 2; digital images, Old Fulton New York Post Cards (www.fultonhistory.com : accessed 6 Mar 2012).

1920 U.S. census, population schedule, Colesville, Broome, NY, enumeration district (ED) 69, p. 2A, family 29, Anna Tanch (indexed as Lauch); digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 Mar 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T625, roll 1086.  

Maria Tegze Balabancuk - (Almost) Wordless Wednesday

My great-grandmother Maria or Marika Tegze Balabancuk was born in 1857 in Berezna, Máramaros, Hungary. She married Ivan Papp before 1873. She died 6 July 1920 in Berezova, Czechoslovakia. When I was growing up the village she was born, married and died in was Berezovo, Ukraine, USSR. Today it is Berezovo, Zakarpats’ka oblast’, Ukraine or to be completely accurate Березово, Закарпатська область, Україна.

Down the Rabbit Hole or Digging Deeper

I've fallen into a very large research rabbit hole and have no wish to climb out. It will take something powerfully persuasive - leeches or snakes in the puddles at my feet or promises of sunshine and warm desert breezes waiting me above ground - to lure me out.

Several weeks ago I spent days searching early and mid 20th c. copies of the Binghamton (NY) Press at Old Fulton NY Post Cards for mention of my family. It was time well spent. Yesterday I returned to search for information about one of my grandmother's dearest friends. I discovered that she lived next door to a probably-related family from my grandmother's village when she was a girl which explained when and how they met.

Then I got distracted, as is my want, by other articles. One recorded the gruesome accidental death of a boarder living at the house next door. I wondered about the house. Who else had lived there? What else happened?

One of the joys of using the Old Fulton NY Post Cards site is that searches are limited only by one's imagination. I have searched by surname, by cemetery name, by church name, and yesterday, by street address. I could search by disease (several stories about typhoid appeared on the pages I reviewed), by business name, by keywords like prohibition or socialist. I have clipped hundreds of pages with information I want to abstract; information that will give me a much richer picture of the community where my grandparents lived in the 1920s, '30s and 40s.

But what really sent me falling all the way down that hole was when I realized I could search by name or street address in the U.S. Cities Directories (Beta) database at Ancestry.com. I'll be mining this database until those leeches push or breezes pull me out.

Big find #1 was when my grandfather changed his surname from Papp to Popp. I knew it wasn't at Ellis Island, but didn't know how or when it happened. Now I do. Below are the index listings from Ancestry.com for my grandparents in the Binghamton, NY directories from 1923 when they married to 1940.

Anna Papp	1923	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Papp
Anna Papp	1924	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Papp
Anna Papp	1925	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Papp
Anna Papp	1926	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Papp
Anna Papp	1928	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Papp
Anna Papp	1929	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Papp
Anna Papp	1930	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Papp
Anna Papp	1931	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Papp
Anna Papp	1932	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Papp
Anna POPP	1934	Binghamton, New York	Stephen POPP
Anna Popp	1935	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Popp
Anna Popp	1939	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Popp
Anna Popp	1940	Binghamton, New York	Stephen Popp

Do you know what happened on 2 January 1934? My grandfather became  a United States citizen - under the surname Popp. It's amazing what makes me happy. This has been a very, very good day.


Photo Credit:  Some rights reserved by NashvilleCorps