Fearless Females 21 March 2016: Tender Moments

The prompt for 21 March 2016 is to write about a special or tender moment you remember about a female ancestor.

March 21 — Describe a tender moment one of your female ancestors shared with you or another family member.


[Note: Portions of this post originally ran during the Fearless Females series in March 2010]

Verona Figlar, c. 1983



When I think of tender I think of my Grandma Verona. While Grandma shared kisses and hugs with us, she didn’t overdo it on the affection. But, she had this quiet way of letting you know how much she loved you. Things like letting me have the last slice of lemon pie, baking me my own small paska bread for my Easter basket, or slipping a few dollar bills into my pocket when my mom wasn’t watching when she knew there was a toy or treat I wanted. Whenever we would all gather at her house on Friday evenings, or on holidays, sometimes she would sit quietly in her chair and just watch all of us. We were a large, noisy bunch, but she was always delighted to have her children and grandchildren around. When you walked in that door you just knew you were welcome and that Grandma was truly happy to see you.


My grandmother has been gone for nearly 32 years and I still miss her very much.

Copyright 2016, Lisa A. Alzo
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Fearless Females Blog Post: March 27: Immigration Story

March 27 — Do you know the immigration story of one or more female ancestors? Do you have any passenger lists, passports, or other documentation? Interesting family stories?


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

The immigration story of my grandmother Verona was what prompted me to begin my genealogical research. She was the last of her siblings to immigrate to America, arriving at age 22 with her niece Mary, who was 16.


She was detained for several days at Ellis Island for medical reasons. I wrote about her experience in my March 19th “Fearless Females” post, “Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? ” and posted an image of the ship’s manifest that documented she was detained.

Copyright, 2013, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved


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Fearless Females Blog Post: March 6: Heirlooms

March 6 — Describe an heirloom you may have inherited from a female ancestor (wedding ring or other jewelry, china, clothing, etc.) If you don’t have any, then write about a specific object you remember from your mother or grandmother, or aunt (a scarf, a hat, cooking utensil, furniture, etc.)

This is a trunk that my grandmother, Verona Straka Figlar, brought with her from Slovakia when she arrived in America in 1922.

In this trunk, my grandmother carried all of her worldly possessions: two or three dresses, a goose-feather quilt, a few family photographs, and her prayer book. I wonder how she managed this on such a long journey? If the trunk could talk, what stories would it reveal? It is a true family treasure.



Copyright, 2013, Lisa A. Alzo
All rights reserved
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Fearless Females: March 27: Immigration Story

March 27 — Do you know the immigration story of one or more female ancestors? Do you have any passenger lists, passports, or other documentation? Interesting family stories?


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


The immigration story of my grandmother Verona was what prompted me to begin my genealogical research. She was the last of her siblings to immigrate to America, arriving at age 22 with her niece Mary, who was 16.



She was detained for several days at Ellis Island for medical reasons. I wrote about her experience in my March 19th “Fearless Females” post , “Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? ” and posted an image of the ship’s manifest that documented she was detained.


Copyright, 2011, Lisa A. Alzo

All Rights Reserved


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

Fearless Females Blog Post: March 4: Marriage Records

March 4 — 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.


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


I have marriage records for both sets of grandparents.(I’m opting not to post those here). My father’s parents, John & Elizabeth (below) were married in Duquesne, (Allegheny County) PA in January 1915 in SS. Peter & Paul Byzantine Catholic Church. He was 21 and she was 18. I don’t have any stories but do have a photo (see below).



My mother’s parents, John & Veronica, were married on November 1,1924 in St. Nicholas Church in Barton, OH. Their wedding and reception lasted for three days. I wrote about their marriage in my book Three Slovak Women.



Copyright, 2011, Lisa A. Alzo

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“There’s one in every family!”: A Special Place We’ll Always Remember

All of us can recall a special place that brings back certain important or special memories. Whether it’s the house we grew up in, a favorite family vacation spot, the school we attended, or where we met our spouse or partner. For me, the one place I will always remember is my Baba’s Kitchen.

Some of my fondest memories from childhood are the times spent in my Baba’s (Grandma’s) kitchen. I remember spending many Friday evenings in her two-story house on Hill Street in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, surrounded by my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Dressed in her blue and white cotton housedress, quilted slippers, and a white babushka (scarf) around her head, my Slovak “Baba”* stood over her stove for what seemed like hours, preparing chicken soup, mouthwatering golden buns dusted with flour, and lemon pie—all made without reference to a written recipe. Even today, I can recall the delightful aromas of fresh bread baking in the oven, the chicken soup slowly simmering in the large, “bottomless,” white enamel pot on the stove, and browning butter in the old black iron skillet.

Then there were the holidays. In the Slovak culture, food is richly entwined with tradition and religious teachings, especially for Christmas and Easter, when special dishes are prepared and rituals observed. For example, on Christmas Eve, we celebrated with a meatless Vilia Supper (to honor the Christian practice of fasting) and ate foods like: bobalky, perfectly baked little balls of dough browned in butter and mixed with sauerkraut, and pirohi, ravioli-like pillows of dough filled with cabbage, cottage cheese, potato, or prunes.

At Easter, we ate paska, a round bread with a golden crust and yellow center made from eggs, butter, and white raisins (indicative of living bread come down from Heaven) and hrudka, a bland, sweet, custard-like “cheese” made from cooked and separated eggs and milk (as a symbol of moderation).

Whatever the occasion, “Baba’s” kitchen functioned as the center of her home. It was where this soft-spoken Slovak woman spent the majority of her days as wife, mother, and grandmother, preserving the traditions of her homeland. There, in her domain, she also assumed other important roles of comforter, teacher, disciplinarian, financial manager, and instiller of religious teachings, morals and values.

The kitchen also became the place where some of life’s most important lessons were taught and learned. Simple principles of generosity and honesty and, above all, a genuine love for her family that Grandma taught by example. Moreover, for me it was in this kitchen where the genealogical seeds were planted, eventually sparking a quest to discover facts about this amazing woman, along with the desire to preserve our family’s history for future generations.

At this time of the year, as everyone gears up for the holiday season, it’s not unusual to get a bit nostalgic—to reminisce about Christmases past, remember loved ones who are no longer physically present with us, and celebrate those traditions of our ethnic heritage that mean so much to us.

For me, all of the above memories, as well as holiday celebrations will forever be associated with my Baba’s Kitchen.

This post is part of Carnival of Genealogy’s 100th Edition, “There is One in Every Family” hosted by Jasia of Creative Gene. Congratulations to Creative Gene for 100 Editions of Carnival of Genealogy!

*In some regions of Slovakia, the term is used for “grandmother.”
**This post includes excerpts from my essay, “My Baba,” written for the 2004 “Write Your Memoir Contest,” for which I received an “Honorable Mention”

Copyright 2010 Lisa A. Alzo
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