Category Archives: Fencsak

Fearless Females 31 March 2016: Mini-Profile

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The prompt for 31 March 2016 is to is write a mini-profile of the female ancestor of your choice.

March 31 — Pick one female ancestor and write a mini-profile (500 words or less).

[Note: This post originally ran during the Fearless Females series in March 2010]

I decided to write a profile for my grandmother’s sister, Anna Fencsak Bavolar.

Anna Fenscak Bavolar



Anna Fencsak Bavolar was born on May 15, 1893 to Ilona and Mihaly Fencsak in Freeland, PA. She arrived in America in 1911, and was matched for marriage to George Bavolar by her sister, Mary Ceyba. Not long after the birth of her first daughter, Mary, Anna returned to Slovakia to care for her mother, who was ill and now re-married to Mihaly Zelenak. During that time Anna experienced conflict with her step-father who was a possessive person and did not want Anna there looking after her mother. Ilona died in 1917, but World War I delayed Anna’s return home until 1920. Anna and her husband eventually had four more children. Anna’s son George was killed trying to jump on a moving truck.

Anna died in 1959 from “myocardial infarction,” and “congestive heart failure.”

Copyright 2016, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved

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Fearless Females 23 March 2016: Create a Timeline

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The prompt for 23 March 2016 is to create a timeline to highlight events in a female ancestor’s life.

March 23 — Create a timeline for a female ancestor using your favorite software program or an online timeline generator such as OurTimelines.

Below is a one of my timeline images for Elizabeth Fencsak Alzo (using Our Timelines) that spans from 1897 to 1915 (the date of her marriage).

Timelines are a great way to get a bird’s eye view of a female ancestor’s life.  They will help you see the gaps in your research and give you ideas of where to look next for more information.

Copyright 2016, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved






Copyright 2016, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved

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Fearless Females 11 March 2016: Tragic or Unexpected Death

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The prompt for 11 March is to write about a female ancestor who died from a tragic or unexpected circumstance.

March 11 — Did you have any female ancestors who died young or from tragic or unexpected circumstances? Describe and how did this affect the family.

[Note: This post originally ran during the Fearless Females series in March 2010]*

My grand (great) Aunt Mary Fencsak Ceyba died in June of 1929 from tuberculosis. She was 38 years old and left behind five children John, Anna, George, Margaret and Helen. Right after her death her husband remarried a widowed neighbor woman who had five children of her own. Mary’s son, George, told me that life after his mother’s death was difficult.


I have written about Mary in various publications over the years.  She is an ancestor I have been drawn to, perhaps because of the tragic circumstances. Researching her life has enriched my own.


Copyright, 2016, Lisa A. Alzo

All Rights Reserved

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Fearless Females Blog Post: March 29: Honoring a Female Ancestor

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March 29 — Create a free Fold3 (formerly Footnote) Memorial Page or a Genealogy Trading Card at Big Huge Labs for a female ancestor. Some of you may have created your own card back in September 2009 following Sheri Fenley’s post over at The Educated Genealogist. This time, the card is for your ancestor.


[Note: This post originally ran during the Fearless Females series in March 2010]


I chose to create a free Fold3 Page for Elizabeth Alzo (my grandmother). I used data from the Footnote database to help build the page – there are links to the 1930 census entry for her and to her naturalization petitions. I also added an image of her obituary, and plan to add some stories, and more information down the line.

Copyright, 2013, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved
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Fearless Females Blog Post: March 15: Six-Word Memoir Tribute

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March 15 — Write a six-word memoir tribute to one of your female ancestors.

Here is mine:

Elizabeth Fencsak Alzo (paternal grandmother): Fine hair. Tough as nails. Enigma.




Copyright, 2013, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved


















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Fearless Females Blog Post: March 14: In the News

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March 14 — Newsmakers? Did you have a female ancestor who made the news? Why? Was she famous or notorious? Did she appear in the social column?

[Note: This post originally ran during the Fearless Females series in March 2010]

My ancestors were working class immigrants so there wasn’t much of a chance for them to appear in the social columns of the local newspapers. I have mounted copy of my paternal grandmother’s obituary from 1966 that appeared in the Daily News in McKeesport, PA. The funeral home provided it to the family.


Copyright, 2013, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved


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Fearless Females Blog Post: March 11: Tragic or Unexpected Death

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March 11 — Did you have any female ancestors who died young or from tragic or unexpected circumstances? Describe and how did this affect the family.

[Note: This post originally ran during the Fearless Females series in March 2010]*

My grand (great) Aunt Mary Fencsak Ceyba died in June of 1929 from tuberculosis. She was 38 years old and left behind five children John, Anna, George, Margaret and Helen. Right after her death her husband remarried a widowed neighbor woman who had five children of her own. Mary’s son, George, told me that life after his mother’s death was difficult.


*I wrote about Mary in a case study for the January 2008 issue of Internet Genealogy.

Copyright, 2013, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved
http://theaccidentalgenealogist.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Fearless Females Blog Post: March 31: Mini-Profile

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March 31 — Pick one female ancestor and write a mini-profile (500 words or less).


[Note: This post originally ran during the Fearless Females series in March 2010]


I decided to write a profile for my grandmother’s sister, Anna Fencsak Bavolar.



Anna Fencsak Bavolar was born on May 15, 1893 to Ilona and Mihaly Fencsak in Freeland, PA. She arrived in America in 1911, and was matched for marriage to George Bavolar by her sister, Mary Ceyba. Not long after the birth of her first daughter, Mary, Anna returned to Slovakia to care for her mother, who was ill and now re-married to Mihaly Zelenak. During that time Anna experienced conflict with her step-father who was a possessive person and did not want Anna there looking after her mother. Ilona died in 1917, but World War I delayed Anna’s return home until 1920. Anna and her husband eventually had four more children. Anna’s son George was killed trying to jump on a moving truck.


Anna died in 1959 from “myocardial infarction,” and “congestive heart failure.”


Copyright, 2012, Lisa A. Alzo

All Rights Reserved

http://theaccidentalgenealogist.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Fearless Females Blog Post: March 15: Six-Word Memoir Tribute

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March 15 — Write a six-word memoir tribute to one of your female ancestors.


My entries below were first published on my Blog in 2008.

Anna Figlar Alzo (my mother): Generous heart. Wonderful cook. Dearly missed.

Verona Straka Figlar (maternal grandmother): Family devotion. Inner strength. My inspiration.

Elizabeth Fencak Alzo (paternal grandmother): Fine hair. Tough as nails. Enigma.




Copyright, 2012, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved



















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