The past week has been pretty
busy and stressful so I forgot about the Fearless Females prompt.
Last Saturday’s prompt was to share
a favorite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. My mom never
taught me how to cook. In fact she rarely let me in the kitchen. Sunday’s
prompt was to share an entry or excerpt from a female ancestor’s diary or
journal. Monday’s prompt was to feature a family document (baptismal
certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief
narrative using the information.
Bessie Hruszczak is my great
grandmother. I knew her maiden name was Matys and I had an idea when she
immigrated and where she came from before I had found this record – a New York
Passenger List. This record shows she sailed on the SS Cincinnati from Hamburg, on 16 October
1912. She arrived in New York
on 28 October 1912. Her name is listed as Paska (consistent with other records
before Americanizing to Bessie) Matys.
Paska Matys, an 18 year old single
servant maid, left her home and Josef Matys, her father, in Fraga,
Austria to come to America. Her
destination was her brother Tevdor (Americanized to Frank) Matys in Coatesville, PA.
Two men from her hometown came over at the same time, also destined for
Coatesville. Both were in their 30s and both were married. She was not able to
read or write but the one man – 34 year old Mikhail Malyniuk – could. The other
was Frank’s brother-in-law!
Fearless
Females is a daily prompt throughout March celebrating Women’s History Month initiated by Lisa A Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist
©
Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015
