Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August, 2012

Matrilineal Monday: Frances Skrabalek Kurenda

Frances Skrabalek Kurenda is my great grandmother. She was born in Poland on 25 December 1892, immigrated to the United States, married, outlived her husband and one son, remarried and lived until 30 May 1962. During the course of her 70 years, this strong Polish woman most likely danced The Cake Walk as a young girl. During her life, the Brits launched the first sub; the Trans Siberian Railroad expanded into Port Arthur; the Russo-Japanese War claimed many lives as Port Arthur fell to the Japanese and Russia saw a general strike; and Rasputin wormed his way into Czar Nicholas II's court. She was one of the nealry 10.5 million immigrants from southern and eastern Europe during 1905 to 1914. Once here, she would have no doubt read of World War I in the papers recognizing I'm sure many affected towns and villages. She settled into life in Berks County, Pennsylvania where she married John KURENDA in 1908. At some point after their marriage, the couple moved to Coatesville in