Category Archives: Straka

Fearless Females 19 March 2016: Surprising Fact

Posted on by

The prompt for 19 March 2016 is to write about a surprising fact you uncovered about a female ancestor.


March 19 — Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? What was it and how did you learn it? How did you feel when you found out? 

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

One of the more interesting facts I uncovered was my grandmother’s hospital stay upon arrival at Ellis Island in August 1922. I first learned about this from the story my mother told me over 20 years ago,when I first began researching my family’s history–that my grandmother was suspected to have tuberculosis (she did not–she suffered from asthma most of her life). I then saw a notation “hospital discharged” on the passenger list. Then, I found her listed on a “Record of Detained Aliens.”

Record of Detained Aliens, Verona Straka, Year: 1922; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 3155; Line: 1; Page Number: 83; Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, US, accesses March 2010. 



Of course it’s a relief to know that my grandmother was eventually released. I can’t imagine how she handled that situation, or how she did not catch TB from being in the hospital ward!

Copyright 2016, Lisa A. Alzo
All Rights Reserved




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

Fearless Females Blog Post: March 27: Immigration Story

Posted on by

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


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

Fearless Females Blog Post: March 19: Surprising Fact

Posted on by

March 19 — Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? What was it and how did you learn it? How did you feel when you found out? 

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

One of the more interesting facts I uncovered was my grandmother’s hospital stay upon arrival at Ellis Island in August 1922. I first learned about this from the story my mother told me over 20 years ago,when I first began researching my family’s history–that my grandmother was suspected to have tuberculosis (she did not–she suffered from asthma most of her life). I then saw a notation “hospital discharged” on the passenger list. Then, I found her listed on a “Record of Detained Aliens.”

Of course it’s a relief to know that my grandmother was eventually released. I can’t imagine how she handled that situation, or how she did not catch TB from being in the hospital ward!



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

Fearless Females Blog Post: March 9: Family Documents

Posted on by

March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.

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


This is my grandmother’s baptismal certificate (1899, Lutina, Slovakia).

SOURCE: Greek Catholic Church, Lutina, Slovakia, Baptismal Record for Verona Straka, 11 November 1899; issued 1960.



and the passenger list showing her arrival at Ellis Island in New York in 1922.


SOURCE: Manifest, S.S. Orduna, 26 July 1922, List 2021 for Verona Straka (age 22).




Verona Straka was born on November 11, 1899 in Milpos, (Hungrary, later Slovakia) to Maria Verbovsky and Andrej Straka.  On July 26, 1922, Verona, along with countless other immigrants, boarded the S.S. Orduna, which left the port of Hamburg, Germany for the United States. When she arrived at Ellis Island, NY on August 7, 1922, she was listed on the ship’s manifest as a “laborer” with $25 in pocket her pocket en route to her final destination—her sister’s house, in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.

Copyright, 2013, Lisa A. Alzo
All rights reserved

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

Fearless Females Blog Post: March 6: Heirlooms

Posted on by

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

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

Posted on by

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



















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

Fearless Females Blog Post: March 9: Family Documents

Posted on by

March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.


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

This is my grandmother’s baptismal certificate (1899, Lutina, Slovakia).


SOURCE: Greek Catholic Church, Lutina, Slovakia, Baptismal Record for Verona Straka, 11 November 1899; issued 1960.



and the passenger list showing her arrival at Ellis Island in New York in 1922.



SOURCE: Manifest, S.S. Orduna, 26 July 1922, List 2021 for Verona Straka (age 22).



Verona Straka was born on November 11, 1899 in Milpos, (Hungrary, later Slovakia) to Maria Verbovsky and Andrej Straka. She was the youngest of 13 children. On July 26, 1922, Verona, along with countless other immigrants, boarded the S.S. Orduna, which left the port of Hamburg, Germany for the United States. When she arrived at Ellis Island, NY on August 7, 1922, she was listed on the ship’s manifest as a “laborer” with $25 in pocket her pocket en route to her final destination—her sister’s house, in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.


Copyright, 2012, Lisa A. Alzo

All rights reserved

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

Fearless Females: March 9: Family Documents

Posted on by

March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.


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

This is my grandmother’s baptismal certificate (1899, Lutina, Slovakia).


SOURCE: Greek Catholic Church, Lutina, Slovakia, Baptismal Record for Verona Straka, 11 November 1899; issued 1960.



and the passenger list showing her arrival at Ellis Island in New York in 1922.



SOURCE: Manifest, S.S. Orduna, 26 July 1922, List 2021 for Verona Straka (age 22).



Verona Straka was born on November 11, 1899 in Milpos, (Hungrary, later Slovakia) to Maria Verbovsky and Andrej Straka. She was the youngest of 13 children. On July 26, 1922, Verona, along with countless other immigrants, boarded the S.S. Orduna, which left the port of Hamburg, Germany for the United States. When she arrived at Ellis Island, NY on August 7, 1922, she was listed on the ship’s manifest as a “laborer” with $25 in pocket her pocket en route to her final destination—her sister’s house, in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.


Copyright, 2011, Lisa A. Alzo

All rights reserved

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

Sojourn in Slovakia: Day 2 (Part 4)

Posted on by
Sorry for the brief interruption…I had a busy week with no opportunity to write.

As we were walking to the cemetery in Milpoš, the rain started to come down a bit harder, but it didn’t dampen my spirits or my hopes of finding out more about my Straka ancestors. Miro met us there and pointed to some of the graves–mostly in the newer section of the cemetery. It was a bit muddy (glad I had on good sneakers for walking and sloshing around but wished I had brought my boots!). The rain then slowed a bit as we started to look around.




Miro also told me that he is working with several colleagues to chronicle the history of Milpoš in a book. I look forward to obtaining a copy. I was not able to go inside the church because the priest was not there that day. Also, I was told that the records for the village are located in another village–Ľutina (something I also knew already from researching microfilmed records at the Family History Library). Miro had to get back to work but gave us each an energy drink and bid us a fond farewell.



Next, we tried a few more houses to track down the remaining Straka descendants. It was still raining. We met a woman who had married into the Straka family. Luckily for us, her granddaughter was visiting from America to attend a family wedding and she was able to help with translation as I explained who my grandmother was, named her siblings, etc.


They had some photographs too (we took digital images of them) and I hope to be able to eventually sort out the connection.




Next, we moved on to talk with the other Straka family. The man we spoke to said his grandfather was Stefan Straka who was a soldier in the army (my grandmother’s brother–Istvan (Stefan) had stayed in Slovakia and was a soldier). The man thought he recognized the picture I showed him of my grandmother’s brother although it was a bit hard for him to see it clearly on the book page. I took down his name and other information and he and his wife posed for a picture for us before we left.


By this time, it was getting late in the day and time for us to be on our way. I was so grateful to my travel companions, Ginny and Andy for being there with me and to Stevo for all of his help knocking on doors and translating the conversations with everyone we met.

As I watched Milpoš disappear behind me I felt a variety of emotions. There was joy because I had finally made it to Grandma’s village, but a bit of sadness too that I did not get to meet anyone who knew my grandmother or her family. This was a bit disappointing, and as I thought about the situation I wondered had I made the trip 10 or 15 years ago would there have been a different outcome? Perhaps I would have made that tangible connection. But, I guess I will never know. It just drives home the point that you need to make these trips sooner rather than later before everyone who remembers your family passes away.

I tried to focus on the positive aspects of my visit and not dwell on what I didn’t find. I still had two more villages to visit during my stay and I knew I would be meeting family then, so I now turned my thoughts to my paternal ancestors.

to be continued…

All photos in this post by Andy Rabatin

Copyright 2010 Lisa A. Alzo
http://theaccidentalgenealogist.blogspot.com/atom.xml