Genealogical Gems

Everyone sets New Year Resolutions or Goals. I personally prefer goals. I set health goals (like I would like to loose 40 pounds this year), and I have financial goals (pay off cards, improve credit score, build savings, improve business revenue). I also set Genealogical Goals each year. My genealogical goals are really five areas I want to focus on. This year, they are: Matys line. ... nothing specific I just felt called to focus on that line this year. Walsh/Welsh descendants ... where are my Uncle Leo's kids and Uncle Gerry's kids? What happened to my great grandfather's siblings and their kids? Where is Michael Walsh? ... what happened to him? where is he buried? Anna Keating ... how did she get from Ireland to Ringtown? What happened to her siblings? How did she get from Ringtown to Shenandoah? O'Flaherty line ... How did they get here? When? Where in Ireland did they come from exactly? Who are Dennis' parents? Any siblings? What are your goals -...

A nationwide search for a missing man began – and ended – in Duryea in 1941. Duryea is in Luzerne County . State Police in Pennsylvania were looking for him, assumably to give notice of his father’s passing. An article titled “Missing Youth Returns” ran in the Wilkes-Barre Evening News on 17 April 1941. It read: Wilkes-Barre Evening News 17 April 1941 Frank Matys, 1216 Spring Street, Duryea, for whom a nation-wide search was instituted two weeks ago when his father, Peter Matys, was fatally injured when struck by an Erie train, returned to his home. He received the first notice of his father’s death when he purchased a newspaper in Colorado . Had he run away or gone for work? If he went for work, why did his family not know his whereabouts? So why was Frank Matys in Colorado ? Two weeks prior, on 4 April 1941, the same paper ran its initial article, titled “See Frank Matys.” It read: Wilkes-Barre Evening News 4 April 1941 State Police were requested ...

My great grandmother is Bessie Matys Hruszczak. In searching for information regarding her, I stumbled upon the obituary of a Harry Matys. I have not yet connected the two and do not know if in fact they are related but what a coincidence to have two families from the same area end up living relatively close to each other here in the US as well. Harry’s obituary reads: The funeral was to be today in Reno, Nev, for Harry Matys, 92, 1670 Dayton Way, Reno, who died Monday at the Riverside Hospital, Reno. He was a former Chester grocer, retiring 25 years ago. Mr. Matys was born in the Ukraine , came to the United States in 1910, and first settled in Chester . He moved to Reno in 1970. He was one of the area musicians, The Matys Brothers. He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Vera Leary, Reno ; four sons, Walter, John, and Emil of Elko , Nev. and Eugene of Las Vegas; 13 grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. Burial and a graveside services will be at noon Saturday a...

Working on genealogy goals for the New Year. Thinking of concentrating efforts on my immigrants and ancestral homelands. There are a few (on Mom's side) that I am still not certain of yet. Daddy's side was actually easier, probably since I am only third generation American on his side so I only have four direct immigrants (my great grandparents). Mom's however ... Frances & John Kurenda My known immigrants are: Daddy's side: Panko Hruszczak - from Prusy, Sambor, Galicia Bessie Matys - from Fraga, Rohatya, Galicia John Kurenda - from Tatary, Sambor, Galicia, Poland Frances Skrabalak - from Temeszow, Poland Mom's Irish lines: Mary Kilpatrick - my great grandmother Michael Walsh - my 2x great grandfather Anna Keating - my 2x great grandmother Dennis O'Flaherty - my 2x great grandfather Martha Durkin - my 2x great grandmother I got my AncestryDNA results back earlier and would also like to confirm which of my lines is my European Jewi...

Reno , Nevada but Chester was his first home here in America .   The obituary for Harry Matys appeared in the Delaware County Daily Times on 8 January 1976. He had died in His obituary reads: The funeral was to be today in Reno , Nev. For Harry Matys, 92, 1670 Dayton Way , Reno , who died Monday at the Riverside Hospital , Reno .   He was a former Chester grocer, retiring 25 years ago. Mr. Matys was born in the Ukraine , came to the United States in 1910, and first settled in Chester . He moved to Reno in 1970. He was of the area musicians, The Matys Brothers.   He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Vera Leary, Reno ; four sons, Walter, John, and Emil, of Elko , Nev. And Eugene of Las Vegas ; 13 grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.   Burial and a graveside services will be at noon Saturday at Immaculate Heart Cemetery , Upper Chichester . There will be no calling hours.   Source: Delaware County Daily Times. ( Chester ...

I have not yet connected the Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Matys to my Matys line. However, some surnames do not show up all that often and when they do, I pay attention! The wedding announcement of Edmund Matys popped up in a newspaper search for Matys.   The announcement reads: Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Olszewski, 217 Chestnut Street , Dupont, announce the marriage of their daughter, Miss Valeria Olszewski, to Dr. Edmund V. Matys, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Matys, 1136 Spring Street, Avoca. The ceremony took place July 3, 1939, in the Holy Family Church , Sugar Notch. Rev. Chester Kolakowski officiated.   Miss Virginia Olsewski and Henry Matys were the attendants.   Mrs. Matys is a graduate of Pittston High School , East Stroudsburg State Teacher’s College and is now a member of the Dupont faculty.   Dr. Matys is a graduate of Duryea High School , Pennsylvania State College, Jefferson Medical College and has attended the MacKenie Post G...

My great grandmother is Bessie Matys. While searching for information on her and her brother, Frank, I came across an obituary in the Wilkes-Barre Record ( Wilkes-Barre , Luzerne County,  PA ). Stanley Matys’ obituary ran on Wednesday, 8 November 1944.    His obituary reads: Stanley Matys, 1136 Spring Street, Avoca, died early yesterday morning in Jefferson Hospital , Philadelphia .   Mr. Matys was born in Poland and had been a resident of the Avoca section since coming to this country 40 years ago. He was a member of SS Peter and Paul’s Church, Avoca.   Surviving are his widow and these children: Dr. Edwin Mays, a lieutenant in the US Navy, on duty at sea; Corp. Henry Matys, US Army in Italy ; Mrs. Lillian Guisinski, at home, and two grandchildren.   I do not know of any relation between Stanley and my Matys line. He would have come to America in 1904, just a few years earlier than my Bessie and her brother Frank. Frank’s daughter C...

Forty-three years ago today my great grandmother, Bessie Matys Hruszczak, passed away. She was 77. I was only four when she passed away so sadly I cannot honestly say that I recall her. That's her holding me in the photo below. Also pictured are my grandparents and my Dad. She was born on 5 June 1895 in what was then Fraga, Rohatya, Galicia to Joseph and Olena Vaspleship Matys. She boarded a ship in Hamburg on 16 October 1912 and arrived in Ellis Island 12 days later. She joined her brother Frank, who had come a year earlier, and settled in Coatesville, Chester County. It was there she met my great grandfather Panko Hruszczak. They married 24 July 1915 at my church. At the time though the church was Ukrainian Greek Catholic (we switched to Ukrainian Orthodox back in 1940). They had 10 children. One died at age two. The others lived full lives. One aunt is still living! Vichnaya Pamyat. Sentimental Sunday is a genealogy prompt of GeneaBloggers.   © Jeanne Ruczhak-...

My poor desks. I have just been piling things around and they were in need of a really good Sorting Saturday.   I also found things … things I forgot I even had! I found a USB extension thingie. Like that technical term? It gives me five extra ports. I had forgotten all about that one. I found some seed packages, several books that I have not around to reading yet, and my renewal form for the National Genealogical Society (NGS). Fortunately the deadline is not until next week so I’m still good there! I even found the instructions on how to use my “new” Windows phone. I got it several months ago and simply ask my twin 16 year olds to “fix it” when I get annoyed!   I found a post it note with information on my great grandmother’s naturalization information. Her name is Bessie Matys Hruszczak. The number written on a census was 3-172456 with the date 2/27/40. The 3 indicates District 3, which in 1940 was Philadelphia . Her application number then is 172456 and the verificat...

March is Women’s History Month and as such, today’s prompt focuses on my paternal great grandmother, Bessie Matys Hruszczak. The prompt for the Fearless Females Challenge is: Create a timeline for a female ancestor using your favorite software program or an online timeline generator such as  OurTimelines . Post an image of it or link to it.    I am a strong believer in timelines so I thought I would love this one. Not so much. The program asks for a name ad birth and death year. It provides world events. The timeline that OurTimelines created for Bessie is: http://www.ourtimelines.com/cgi-bin/makehist.pl       My simple timeline: 1895 – Bessie is born to Joseph Matys and Olena Vaspleship 1904-1905 – Russian-Japanese War 1912 – Immigrates to America in October (that April the Titanic had sunk); settled in Coatesville 1914-1919 – WWI (US entered in 1917) 1915 – Marries Panko Hruszczak 1916 – 1 st son Theodore born 1918 – 2 nd ...

Yesterday’s Fearless Female post focused on my great grandmother’s immigration record. That record, which I have had for quite some time, led to a hint that I never picked up on before. That hint led to another and … I found her sister Maria!   I knew, from a family letter, that my great grandmother (Bessie Matys Hruszczak) had one brother (Frank) and three sisters. It was Frank’s daughter who wrote me. She (Catherine Matys Rothermal) had also said that Bessie was the youngest of the five and that she never met the other three girls. So, I did the worst thing one could do; I assumed those three never came over and simply did not focus on them. Shame on me!   Yesterday when I reviewed Bessie’s passenger list, I noticed the person listed above her (Antoni Storosz) was a 38 year old married man who was also from Fraga in Austria and was coming to Coatesville ( Chester County , PA ) as well. He was coming to see his brother in law – who happened to be Bessie’s broth...

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.   ...

  My great grandmother Bessie Matys Hruszczak holding me. 1969   Wordless Wednesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.   © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

Lisa A Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist started the Fearless Females prompts for Women’s History Month. Throughout March, each day will feature a different female ancestor. Today’s prompt is: Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.   I have a (very poor) copy of my great grandparents’ marriage record from the Church register. Panko Hruszczak and Bessie Matys married on 24 July 1915 in the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Coatesville, Chester County . She would have been 20 at the time.   My late cousin Catherine Matys Rothermal was one of the flower girls at the wedding. Catherine would have been seven when Panko and Bessie got married. Bessie had arrived in Coatesville just three years before that, in 1912. Bessie had lived with Catherine’s family before she married.     ...

  This week is a tough week. We have two birthdays but we also have seven deaths. One of those is my great grandfather who I am so fortunate to have known him before he passed. Another is my husband’s father. His death was a surprise and hits hard each year. Birthdays Happy birthday this week to Donald Epps, and Eileen (Eckman) Walkling! May God grant you both Many Years. Donald is married to my cousin and Eileen is my husband’s sister.   Memory Eternal Monday (12 January) will be the 38 th anniversary of the passing of my great grandfather, Pierson George Still. PG. He is buried at the Old Doe Run Cemetery in East Fallowfield, Chester County . I was a month shy of being eight when he passed away and I remember little things – like how windy it was at the top of that open field! I’m sure he had one but I do not recall a service. I remember him in great detail – perhaps tomorrow I will delve more into my memories of him.   The photo at left h...

Genealogy has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can recall. Since I got interested early on, I knew some of my great aunts who were great at telling family stories! I found it easier to write them then schedule a time and travel to them (even the ones who were close). Catherine Rothermal was one of those great aunts. Catherine was the daughter of my great grandmother's brother and she knew her! This meant I was able to ask (and receive) personal information. I did however have to remember that Catherine knew her as a child and we do tend to see things differently as children. I wrote her once asking what she recalled of my great grandmother, Bessie Matys. She wrote: 18 September 1986 Dear Jeanne, I enjoyed hearing from you. It's great that you want to know more about the family tree. I'm afraid I won't be too much of help. My father Frank, who was your great grandmother's brother, told us he was born in Galicia. The family name was Matys. There were ...

Józef Matys fought in WWII in the Polish Air Force in Great Britain, according to Krzystek's List . I found the resource listed in a Facebook group called Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan. If you have Facebook search relevant groups for your families. Often, there are some great leads. The site offers the following information: RAF service number is 794382. DOB: 12.02.1905 Place of birth: was not listed Date of death: 1978 Grave location: Nottingham, UK RAF rank: LAC Polish rank: plutonowy trade: mechanic A few notes: RAF = Royal Air Force LAC = Leading aircraftman plutonowy = platoon leader

My Polish/Ukrainian surnames are frustrating sometimes! I know I'm not alone in this frustration. My surnames are: Hruszczak, Matys, Romanko, Vaspleship, Kurenda and Skrabalak. For example, I found Matys to also be written as Matyz. I found Kurenda recorded as Korenda and Skrabalak as Skrbalik. Hruszczak was changed to Ruczhak when my grandfather started school and the teacher Americanized his name so it was easier on her. One of his brothers switched the c and the z around. On top of that it is also pronounced differently depending on who you ask! I have also seen Hruszczak butchered by a few census recorders. Recently, someone (on Facebook) suggested an article by William F. Hoffman. He wrote this excellent article about the mutilation of Eastern European surnames. Photo: Dreamstime

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia today back in 1914 after a Serbian nationalist assassinated  the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife. By 1914 my immigrants from that area were all here, already settled in Coatesville, Chester County. Panko Hruszczak (my great grandfather) arrived at Ellis Island on 20 April 1911 aboard the Volturno from Rotterdam, Holland. His last known address was Prusy, Austria. He listed his ethnicity as Austria, Ruthenian. He was an 18 year old single white male. According to my grandfather he had only two sisters and they both ended up married in France. It is believed that his parents Theodore and Catherine Romanko Hruszczak remained in Prusy, Austria. Panko registered for the draft but was not called upon to fight. Panko met and married Bessie (Paska) Matys. Bessie was her Americanized name. She arrived at Ellis Island on 28 October 1912. She listed her ethnicity as Ruthenian-Austrian and she was from the village Fraga. She was an 18 y...

I joined a Polish Genealogy group on Facebook and came across a resource, similar I suppose to our white pages here. The site, Moikrewni , led me to realize that the surname Matys is more common that I had thought.   There are, according to this site, 2,446 people with the last name Matys. That said, it does say "people" as opposed to "families" or "households."   On a whim, I searched for Matys in Ancestry.com using only a location as "Fraga, Poland" (which by the way did not self populate. The results? Over 47,000 entries! I should point out that I currently only have the US edition of Ancestry. I am so close to upgrading but I wanted to wait until I had several lines ready to cross the pond, to make it cost effective.   Find A Grave (yes I realize it is now owned by Ancestry.com) revealed 52 entries using only the last name Matys as my search requirements. That's a little more manageable! It also includes some from Poland, ...