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Post by chris3jam on Jan 29, 2006 13:22:26 GMT -7
 Hi, all, especially Nancy! I thought I'd share some of my family story. If you feel led to try and help me dig even deeper, that would be absolutely fabulous! If you have any tips on where else I can search for more, also, that would be wonderful, too! I was talking with my dad and he said that he was researching our family tree. My mom's side was pretty easy. . .my mother had an aunt in Berlin, a professor at a major university, during the time of Hitler, so she needed to have detailed records back three generations to prove her ethnicity to Hitler. But, he's been coming up with a few walls when trying to research his own. So far, with some help of some wonderful people, and both of us pooling our information, this is what we have. . . My grandfather, Ambrozy Barszcz immigrated to America in 1913. With a lot of help, I was finally able to pull up the manifest from Ellis Island. My father has a copy of his 1885 birth/baptism certificate from the Roman Catholic church in Poland. He also has a copy of his death certificate, a copy of the marriage license and 'application of marriage', and knows that he legally changed his name to Ambrose Barchsometime around the 1940's. So, as far as Ambrozy Barszcz is concerned, I am trying to trace his family back in Poland. . .his father's name was Kaspra Barszcz and his mother's name was Marianny Kosdroniow (maiden name). So. . .that is where we are with the Barszcz name. Off of the marriage information, I am now trying to trace my father's mother's family. Her name was Helen Wass (maiden name). Again, with the help of some wonderful people, I have some information off the census records, I know that Helen Barch (her name was changed at the time of her husband, I assume) died 10/1978. On the certificate of Baptism, her father's name is listed as Anthony Was, and her mother's as Julia Markucka. Again, with great help, it may be possible that this could be the Julia Markusaka who came to Ellis Island on 12/4/1900. But, I'm not sure of that. And I cannot find Tony or Anthony Wass, or Was, or Wash anywhere in the records for Ellis Island. If this is the same Tony Wass family I'm looking for, one record on file in PA is a marriage license issued to Anton Wash and Julia Markucka, who married 1/26/02. There is a 'naturalization record' for Tony Was. According to the census records, for 1910, 1920, and 1930, Tony Wass was born between 1880 and 1881 in Austria/Poland, married Julia in 1902 in PA, Julia was born between 1880 and 1882 in Austria/Poland. She gave birth to 10 children, eight of whom survived, and Helen is listed as being born in 1903 (not 1902). Tony was not naturalized as of 1930, and there is a WWI draft registration card for a Tony Was, born 5/13/1878, and, at the time of his registration on 9/12/1918, was living with his wife Julia on Oak St. in PA. This is all I have right now. I am still looking for the manifest from Ellis Island with his name on it, and I'm trying to find out if I have the right Julia. From there, I assume it will be tracing their families back in Poland, also. I would never have gotten this far if it wasn't for the kind and wonderful help of a couple of people already! I sure hope that one day I can repay those who have (and will) help me further!
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nancy
European
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Post by nancy on Jan 29, 2006 19:30:41 GMT -7
Hi Chris,
Hope you saw my reply in your other thread. Thanks for sharing your story with us, it is always fascinating (and encouraging) to me to see the way other stories develop.
Nancy
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Post by gardenmoma on Jan 29, 2006 20:58:25 GMT -7
Chris, Thanks for sharing with us How did you find the record of the marriage license? Thanks, again! GM |
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Yanc
Full Pole
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Post by Yanc on Jan 30, 2006 4:25:29 GMT -7
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Post by chris3jam on Jan 31, 2006 9:10:24 GMT -7
Thank you, Nancy! Yes, yes, I did! GM, someone helped me with that one. . .I wasn't even really looking for it. My dad, also, had the copy of the marriage application. I assume that he wrote to Westmoreland Co. and got them to send him a copy. There's a link someone in PA sent me to westmorelandweb400.us:8088/EGSPublicAccess.htmthat helped a lot. Yanc, I did think of all kinds of different spellings. After talking with my dad, though, he seems to think that Tony Wass was of a gypsy/Hungarian type of descent. He was swarthy, with black hair -- very gypsy-looking. I'm wondering if he even came over through Ellis Island. I've tried looking at the Philadelphia ports of entry -- there is an Antoni Wass listed as coming over in 1903. but since I'm not an ancestry.com member, I cannot look at that record.  (Sorry it has taken me so long to reply. . .my computer is messing up a lot. ) |
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Post by suzanne on Jan 31, 2006 9:24:26 GMT -7
I've tried looking at the Philadelphia ports of entry -- there is an Antoni Wass listed as coming over in 1903. but since I'm not an ancestry.com member, I cannot look at that record. Chris, If I remember correctly, Ancestry.com sometimes has free days so that unregistered folks look up info (on certain parts of their website) for a limited amount of time, I guess to show off their site and get people hooked, hoping they'll join. If I hear of any such free days, I will let you know. |
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Post by chris3jam on Jan 31, 2006 10:50:46 GMT -7
Thanks!
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nancy
European
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Post by nancy on Jan 31, 2006 14:54:24 GMT -7
I'm wondering if he even came over through Ellis Island. I've tried looking at the Philadelphia ports of entry -- there is an Antoni Wass listed as coming over in 1903. but since I'm not an ancestry.com member, I cannot look at that record. Chris, I have a full subscription to Ancestry, so I can do look-ups for you. I'll go check out the Philadelphia one .... I'm back. Looked at the image and saved a copy for you. Here is the transcribed information: Name: Antoni Was Arrival Date: 24 Mar 1903 Age: 25 years Estimated Birth Year: abt 1878 Gender: Male Ethnic Background: Polish Port of Departure: Liverpool, England Ship Name: Noordland Port of Arrival: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Friend's Name: Mary Anna Solis Last Residence: Kamien Microfilm Roll Number: 42 The address he was traveling to is : 304 Brereton Ave. Pittsburgh. Only problem here is that this info does not match with a marriage in 1902. |
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Post by chris3jam on Jan 31, 2006 16:28:30 GMT -7
Thank you so much! Kathy also sent me an image -- that was so awesome! ;D I was wondering about the date of the marriage myself. Now, his daughter Helen is listed as being born in 1902 AND in 1903, depending on which information you look at (if this is the same family), so I'm wondering about all this right now. I'm going to call my dad tonight and see if he can help me narrow anything down a bit further. I keep wondering if we have the correct information at all.  |
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nancy
European
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Post by nancy on Jan 31, 2006 16:54:52 GMT -7
Thank you so much! Kathy also sent me an image -- that was so awesome! ;D You are welcome. Who is Kathy? Does the address and/or person he was traveling to make any sense to you? That might be a clue on the manifests - to look at the ancillary information. Did Antoni or Julia have any siblings? |
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Post by chris3jam on Feb 1, 2006 9:20:32 GMT -7
She's on the other list on Yahoo. No, it doesn't really mean much. . .and we have no idea about any siblings or anything. This is the name that my dad has been hung up on for years. He just can't seem to get anything. Now, one of the reasons I'm helping is that my dad will not go online -- he refuses to even get e-mail. And I thought I might have some luck searching online. I'm just not sure where else to search now. But, it just seems. . .weird. . .that those two names could be so close! And around the same birthdate, too. Could it be that we have the wrong family? Given that Helen was born in 1902 according to her birth cert. and death cert. (1903, according to the census), and that matches up with her marriage application to Barszcz, I think the info. on the census is correct. Not sure what else I can do now. . . |
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Hi, all, especially Nancy! I thought I'd share some of my family story. If you feel led to try and help me dig even deeper, that would be absolutely fabulous! If you have any tips on where else I can search for more, also, that would be wonderful, too!
