family legends vs. statistics

[Richard D. Custer]

I misplaced my source last week or whenever I suggested to Paul W. that his
wife's one ancestral village, Ortutova, Saris County [now in okres Bardejov]
was perhaps not ethnically Slovak / Roman Catholic. Paul said "Ortutova was
a Roman Catholic area."

But now I found my source: Potemra, Ladislav A., "Ruthenians in Slovakia and
the Greek Catholic Diocese of Pres~ov", Slovak Studies I (Rome: Slovak
Institute, 1961), 199-220 (a polemical work which tried to prove by the
census that the absolute majority of Greek Catholics in Slovakia are ethnic
Slovaks - not a pro-Rusyn piece in any sense) and so let me take up a
response to Paul.

Let's look at the 1930 Czechoslovak census data for Ortutova.

Total population: 221

Nationality:
Czechoslovaks [i.e., Slovaks] - 0
Rusyns - 210
Germans - 0
Hungarians - 0
Jews - 10
Others - 0
Foreigners - 1

Religion:
Roman Catholics - 2
Greek Catholics - 209
Protestants - 0
Orthodox - 0
Hebrews - 10
Orthers - 0

Not picking on you Paul, just pointing out that your 100% Slovak wife is
probably at least as Rusyn as you are... Besides, didn't somebody in her
family write _History of the Sokol and Yura families_ [of Hazleton, Pa.]
which identified the Yuras as "Ruthenians"?

Just curious...

RDC

[NBE...@aol.com]

My grandfather, Andrew Sabol, was from Ortutova. I can confirm that the many families fom this village that settled in Bayonne, NJ, attended the Greek Catholic church there (I think the church name was St. John the Baptist)

Nick Benyo

[Paul J. Wolsko]

Nick,

Perhaps your grandfather knew my wife's grandfather, Michael Yura IV,
who was born on June 12, 1885 in Ortutova. He was the son of Michael III
and Anna Hritz (hric) Evanchko. The Yura house, I understand, as one of the
first to be built in Ortutova. He was baptised by Reverend Orestes
Chronyak, Sr., of Ortutova - Byzantine, Diocese of Presov. They all settled
in Hazleton, Pennsyltucky.

As you can see, my wife knows A WHOLE LOT about her famly, as it was
exhaustingly researched. I know "Jack you-know-what" about the Wolsko's.
<g>

Paul Wolsko

[NBE...@aol.com]

Paul,

My grandfather's wedding picture includes a John(?) Dickey (Diky)from Ortutova, whose wife was a Yura. My great-grandmother was Anna Chisar whose mother was Anna Hric-Ivancso. So probably there is some relation since the village was so small.

Nick

[Paul J. Wolsko]

Some relation? We're probably dealing with nothing other than differences
in spelling here. Ortutova, in 1885, had only a population of only 500 or
so. My wife's cousin, Helen Yura, did a family study and produced a
self-published book which, I've found, has been mentiond on this list over
the years - "History of the Sokol-Yura Families". I was lucky enough to
marry into this wonderful bunch of people...my wife, anyway. <g> Some of
the Yuras settled in Bayonne, NJ.

Other names from Ortutova that I see, in a quick scan through the book are:
Fetchko, Kuzo, Lukas, Kokinda. Those from Ortutova generally married into
either families from there or their neighbors in Tvarozec or Jastrabie.
Other names from Slovakia I see are Gmitro, Drabyak, Kuzo, Drosduk, Dziak,
Demschak, Hitra, Rev. Naudor Schultes (from Sol [Sokut]) - Zemplin.

Ain't it great that I know so much of my wife's family and absulutely none
of my own? PROGRESS, however ---- Yesterday, I discovered that my father
set sail aboard the USS Pittsburgh (CA-7) on October 16th, 1926 from NYC
headed for Chefoo, China to deliver marines to help out in Chaing
Kai-Check's (sic) cause. They arrived at Chefoo on Dec. 23rd (my father's
17th birthday). I wouldn't have been able to find this out, but he had
served (1926-1929) at a historically important time - the Boxer Rebellion,
so there's a lot of recorded history there. God bless the damn INTERNET!!!!

This is important to me, as my dad went crazy before his death and destroyed
literally all of his past - picture albums, certificates, etc, etc...leaving
us with nothing at all. Squat. What a legacy to leave your kids.

Regards to all aboard the SLOVAK-WORLD,

Paul Wolsko

----- Original Message -----
From: <NBE...@aol.com>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <slovak...@fris.sk>
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2000 4:09 PM
Subject: Re: family legends vs. statistics

[David Kuchta]

Congratulations Paul: One step at a time. What you now know is the stepping
stones to finding out your fathers past. Hang in there, the tree will grow!
The Old Humble Miner

[NBE...@aol.com]

Paul

There was also a large colony from Ortutova that settled in Lakeside
Marblehead, OH where they worked in quarries. The names there include Guba,
Kokinda, Dziak, Buchko, Chura, Boytim, Kraynak. In Bayonne NJ, the families
included Dancisin, Marko, Gmitro, Dickey (Diky), Spak, Hricko, Yura and
Kokinda.

Can you get an extra copy of the book?

Nick

[Paul J. Wolsko]

Thanks, Dave! I never felt as good in a long time as I did when I found out
about my father's ship. Someone on the list once told me to stick with it,
and something would pop up. They were quite correct, and now, I have a
springboard from which to move on.

Regards,

Paul

[Judy & Dr. Joe Quashnock]

Way to go Paul! Just keep plugging away. It is a puzzle and you have to put it
together one piece at a time.

z Bohom

Dr. "Q"

[Joseph Rakocy]

My grandfather and his brother first migrated to Lakeside
,Ohio to work in the gypsum mines. The mining town itself was called
Gypsum,Ohio. it was just outside Lakeside and across the bay from Sandusky.
The mines must have been too tough, for my grandfather left and went to
Youngstown to work in the steel plant. My great-uncle remained in Lakeside
but got a job on the railroad.
Joe Rakocy----- Original Message -----