Genealogical Gems

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...

This week’s prompt is tracking research and conducting research. I have to be honest it is – at least the first half – that I am having a hard time with this week. Over the years I have tracked things in my own sort of way and going through with this Do Over, I am trying to coordinate things and use one system.   I wish I could honestly write that I always use a form to track my research but I do not. I recognize that it would be helpful and practical. However I have my own way of tracking and keeping notes. (see image of Research Notes for John Kurenda, my great grandfather at right).   Notice the headers: Cause of Death, Health, Employment, Immigration and Marriage Note. Normally I also have a Residence Note as well. I use the same headers for everyone, as applicable.    From the beginning (like for the last 30 years), I started saving anything that had the same surname – one advantage of having unique surnames. I also now do the same with electronic fo...

Loretta T. Skrabalak, 89, of Binghamton, died peacefully at her home, Tuesday, 24 August 2004. She was predeceased by her husband, John S. Skrabalak. She is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, Robert and Danielle Skrabalak, Binghamton, James and Irene Skrabalak, Panama City Beach, Fla.; two daughters and a son-in-law, Patricia Markle, Johnson City, Donna and Melvin Burr, Binghamton; seven grandchildren and spouses, Tony and Mary Kay Skrabalak, Albany, N.Y., Dina Skrabalak, California, Jill Skrabalak, Portland, Maine, Kimberly Burr, Kensington, Md., Michael Burr, Binghamton, and Jacqueline and Nathan Markle, Johnson City; three great grandchildren, Ryan, Morgan, and Marina Skrabalak, all of Albany, N.Y. Loretta was a member of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Binghamton. Lottie was a loving, kind and giving woman. One of her greatest gifts was a kidney donation to her sister, Jennie Crane. A private memorial Mass of Christian Burial was held on Saturday, August 28, 2004. I...

Joseph A. Skrabalak, 91, passed away peacefully on 14 January 2006 in Winter Garden, Fla. He was a long time owner of the Cabin Restaurant. He later worked for the City of Binghamton Parks Department. He moved to Florida two years ago to be near his son and family. He was predeceased by his wife, Margaret Lasky Skrabalak, three brothers and one sister. He is survived by his loving son, David and daughter-in-law Kathleen; grandchildren, Jacqueline and Art May, Joseph A. Skrabalak II and wife Christine; and six great-grandchildren, all of Florida; brother, Stanley Skrabalak , Endicott; sisters, Helen Svarney, Josephine Waska of Arizona; and several nieces and nephews. He was a long time parishioner of St. Stanislaus Church. Memorial services will be held for the family in Winter Garden, Florida. Please make any remembrances to a charity of your choice.                     ...

James A. Skrabalak, 61, of Chipley, Florida, formerly of Binghamton, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, 24 October 2007, in Pensacola, Florida, after a brief illness. Jim was predeceased by his parents, John and Loretta Skrabalak. He is survived by his wife, Irene Skrabalak, Chipley, Fla.; one brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Danielle Skrabalak, Binghamton; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Donna and Melvin Burr, Binghamton, Patricia Markle, Johnson City; an uncle, Stanley Skrabalak , Endicott; two aunts, Helen Svarney, Johnson City, Josephine Wasko, Mesa, Arizona; several cousins, nieces and nephews.   Jim was a graduate of Binghamton Central High School and worked in the family business, "Scratchy's Highway Tavern," while living in Binghamton. He proudly served his country, completing a tour of duty in Vietnam and retiring from the US Navy in 1993. He was a member of AMVET Post 007 in Chipley, Fla., and F&AM AJ Russell Lodge in Jacksonville, Fla. Jim ...

Stanley Robert Skrabalak, 91, formerly of Johnson City, passed away with his family by his side at Wilson Memorial Hospital, on Wednesday, March 3, 2010. Stanley was predeceased by his wife, Helen , in 2002. He is survived by his children, Duane Skrabalak , Binghamton, Dr. Dale Skrabalak and his wife, Linda, Endicott, Darlene (Kendrot) and husband, Jon, Raleigh, NC. He also leaves his grandchildren, Dr. Heather Gifford and husband, Andrew, Baltimore, MD, Nickolas Skrabalak and wife, Lauren, Charlotte, NC and Ashley Kendrot, Raleigh, NC; as well as his great-grandchildren, Alayna Gifford, Jocelyn Gifford and (due in June 2010) Maxton Gifford. He is also survived by two sisters, Helen and Josephine, both of Phoenix, AZ. Stanley had battled Parkinson's Disease and it's complications for nearly 40 years. A member of the famed 45th Thunderbird Division and a veteran of the Sicily, Salerno and Southern France invasions, Stanley was awarded the Bronze Star medal for "meritor...

Helen D. Skrabalak, 77, of Johnson City, passed away Tuesday, 5 March 2002 at Wilson Memorial Hospital. She is survived by her husband, Stanley Skrabalak , Johnson City; two sons and a daughter-in-law, Duane Skrabalak , Binghamton, Dale and Linda Skrabalak, Endicott; a daughter and son-in-law, Darlene and John Kendrot, Raleigh, North Carolina; three grandchildren, Nickolas Skrabalak, Heather Skrabalak and Ashley Kendrot; also many nephews and nieces. Helen and her husband, Stanley, operated the Belmar Restaurant in Binghamton for over 40 years before their retirement in 1996. Helen was a member of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Binghamton. A funeral service will be held Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Laskowski Funeral Home and at 9:30 a.m. at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Rev. John E. Mikalajunas. Burial in Calvary Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the Laskowski Funeral Home Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. It is the wish of th...

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

Binghamton: Duane R. Skrabalak, 65, passed away April 21, 2014 unexpectedly at home, after a few years of declining health. Duane was pre-deceased by his mother, Helen , and his father, Stanley . He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Dale S. and Linda M. Skrabalak; his sister and brother-in-law, Darlene and Jon Kendrot; niece, Dr. Heather L. Gifford (Andrew); nephew, Nickolas A. Skrabalak (Lauren); niece, Ashley and his fabulous great-nieces and great-nephews, Alayna, Jocelyn, Maxton and Hayes. Duane is also survived by two dear friends: his mentor, Peyton Hibbitt and Joanne Ardune. Duane's earliest professional training began in 1970 with the Tri-Cities Opera under the tutelage of TCO founders Peyton Hibbitt and Carmen Savoca. He first joined the company as a singer and pianist but soon became choral director and eventually crossed the footlights to concentrate on conducting as well as coaching voice and language. He made his conducting debut in 1974 with Gouno...

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...

  My Baba's parents: Frances Skrabalek & John Kurenda

One of my girls is doing a research paper for her English class and her thesis  - I forget the exact wording - concerns Auschwitz, the conditions there specifically and Hitler's prejudice against Jews. While she was surfing to find some additional credible sources, she came across the Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau . The site offers a database of those imprisioned at Auschwitz. While the Museum states it is unlikely to ever actually conatin ALL the names of those who entered the camp, it is compiled from the original SS paperwork. However, the SS ordered many of the records destroyed. The database pulls its information from several resources: Death Books Digital Repository—Prisoners of and Deportees to Auschwitz Gypsy Family Camp Record Books Memorial Resources The site does a great job explaining the references and terms as well, in addition to some of the more common translations. I search for Hruszczak, Kurenda and Skrabalek but found no one. When I search...

Thank you to all who have served. Thank you to all who currently serve. Thank you to the families - the spouces, the children, and the parents - of those who serve. Thank you to my family members who have served: Joseph Ruczhak - s/o Joseph & Anna Kurenda Ruczhak (my dad) - Vietnam Teddy Ruzchak - s/o Theodore & Mary Chernecky Ruzchak (my cousin) - Vietnam Peter Ruczhak - s/o Panko & Bessie Matys Hruszczak (my uncle) - Korea John Kurenda - s/o Peter & Anna Kurenda (my cousin) - Paul Ruczhak - s/o Panko & Bessie Matys Hruszczak (my uncle) - WW2 Italy Nicholas Ruczhak - s/o Panko & Bessie Matys Hruszczak (my uncle) - WW2 South Pacific. He was awarded the Bronze Star for the Philippine Libration Paul Kurenda - s/o John & Frances Skrbalek Kurenda (my uncle) - WW2 KIA Joseph Welsh - s/o Martin & Catherine O'Flaherty Walsh (my uncle) - WW2 Leo Welsh - s/o Martin & Catherine O'Flaherty Walsh (my uncle) - WW2 Raymond Welsh - s/o Mar...

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 ...

PFC Paul Kurenda was only 22 when he gave his life for our country. He became ill fighting in Europe during WW2. He was brought back to the States and finally was transferred to Valley Forge General Hospital where he died. He was buried in the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Cemetery in Valley Township, Chester County sharing a plot with his parents. His father had predeceased him and is buried to the other side so that Paul is between his parents. He was born in 1922 to John and Frances (nee Skrabalek) Kurenda. Paul had two brothers: Peter and John. In addition, he had three sisters Mary, wife of Andrew Sokso; Catherine, wife of John Yuzwiak; and Anna, wife of Joseph Ruczhak. (Anna & Joe were my grandparents).

I woke up early this morning and decided to take a look at the old to do list. We all have this sort of list. It's made with god intentions but have you ever noticed as we cross one item off two more items find their way on the list! Anyway, something woke me up at 4 this morning and since I normally wake up at 5 anyway I decided to just stay up. My FarmTown (yeah - I'm addicted!) was not ready so I pulled out the to do list. I think I could probably wake up at 3 for an entire month and still have a nice list! Today - I updated my family file on Ancestry.com finally. It's been a long time coming. If you would like to check it out, it is called Ruczhak Family Tree. It covers: Ruczhak/Hruszczak, Matys, Kurenda, Skrabalek, Still, Walsh/Welsh, O'Flaherty, Durkin, Keating, Murphy, VanHorn, Rice, Bing, Way, Eckman, Deyoe, Schermerhorn, Herr, Miller, Kirchner and more. I used to be able to recall any date and name or place or event ... then I computerized. I love it don...

I thought this Saturday I would list my families of interest. This list includes not just my own family tree, but extended family trees as well. RUCZHAK/HRUSZCZAK - my paternal great grandfather PANKO HRUZCZAK immigrated from Prusy, Austria on 20 April 1911. He listed a TED HRUZCZAK as his father at home (ie Austria). He came into Ellis Island. his mother was CATHERINE ROMANKO. MATYS - My paternal great grandmother BESSIE MATYS immigrated in 1912. Her brother FRANK came over the year prior with his wife and their first child. KURENDA - my other paternal great grandfather (Daddy's Mother's side) JOHN KURENDA immigrated 10 May 1906. He came into the port of Baltimore. He was from Poland. His father's name was Petri and his mother was Anna. SKRABALEK - my Baba's mother was FRANCES SKRABALEK. I can find little on her before she married JOHN KURENDA. She too was Polish. Her father's name was John as well. Realizing how long this post is already and many more f...