100 Years in America

Announcing the smallest leaf on my family tree...

2009-08-19T09:10:00.014-04:00

Regular readers of 100 Years in America and my other blogs have surely noticed that new posts from me have been few and far between for awhile now. In fact, I have recently had a fellow blogger write to confirm whether or not I had fallen off the edge of the earth, as she had assumed, since I have been absent from the blogosphere lately.

I am happy to let you know that I am alive and well and finally ready to announce to you the "project" that I have been working on for much of this past year: a beautiful baby boy, the newest addition to our family tree!

Needless to say he takes up much of my time (day and night) and energy (how needy we are when we begin life in this world!), but I am loving every moment of my time with him during his soon-to-be-fleeting babyhood, as is the rest of the family. We are in awe of him as we watch him develop day by day. In fact, we are constantly studying him to see if we can discover who he most resembles and whose personality he might take after.

With my interest in family history, my wondering goes even further back than the immediate generations previous. Along these lines, I enjoyed reading this poem written by Lucy Maud Montgomery about the mystery of the birthright given to the newborn baby by all of the family members who lived before him:

Genius

A hundred generations

have gone into its making,

With all their love and tenderness,

with all their dreams and tears;

Their vanished joy and pleasure,

their pain and their heart-breaking,

Have colored this rare blossom

of the long-unfruitful years.

Their victory and their laughter

for this have strong men given,

For this have sweet, dead women

paid in patience which survives;

That a great soul might bring the world,

as from the gate of heaven,

All that was rich and beautiful

in those forgotten lives.

~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

As I've written before,

A newborn babe brings
light to the house,
warmth to the hearth,
and joy to the soul,
for wealth is family,
family is wealth.

~ Irish Proverb

Our new little boy has brought light, warmth and joy to our home this year. We are truly rich beyond measure!

Thanks to my regular readers that have been checking here and there to see whether or not I had emerged from hiding. I'm not sure when I will get back up to my previous level of activity in the blogosphere, but it will only be a matter of time, I'm sure. After all, now I have another member of the family to which I must pass on all of the wonderful family history that we share!

100 Years in America the Beautiful

2009-06-30T22:40:00.005-04:00

With great appreciation to Katharine Lee Bates who penned the beloved song America, The Beautiful in 1913.

O beautiful for spacious skies
that welcomed all my kin
who crossed the seas with hopeful dreams
they carried deep within.
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
and bless the modern progeny
within our family tree!

Hungarians with Slavic roots
who left for better lives.
The poor and starving Irishmen
just hoping to survive.
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
and bless the modern progeny
within our family tree!

Ujlakis, Toths and Nemeths, too,
left native Hungary;
remaining there: the Bence branch,
Globleks and clan Nagy*.
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
and bless the modern progeny
within our family tree!

Some Irish folk left earliest:
the famous Cowhey clan.
Seeking success some helped define
the classic “railroad man”.

Donnelly, Foley and Graham, too,
these families joined in
to bring to Pennsylvania
the ways of Irishmen.

America! America! God shed His grace on thee
and bless the modern progeny
within our family tree!

Still others fled from misery.
The famine times were hard
for Tierney, Rogers and McCue.
They sought new lives, though scarred.
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
and bless the modern progeny
within our family tree!

O beautiful immigrant dream
we see after these years
have come and gone. Many good-byes
have brought our eyes to tears.
America! America! Thank God for those brave souls
who crossed the sea to make us free –
they’ve made our country whole!

* The American pronunciation is nah-jee, although Hungarians pronounce this surname more like nuhj.

Thanks to Bill West of West in New England for the inspiration to write this little ditty.

Two years for 100 Years in America!

2009-06-02T04:58:00.012-04:00

Two years ago today I took my first footsteps into the blogging world here with the inaugural post at 100 Years in America and over at Small-leaved Shamrock followed the next day by the small beginnings of another blog, A light that shines again. These projects have been and continue to be a joy for me. They have forced me to continue work on family history projects within various branches of my family, have enabled me to get into contact with new-found family members, and have given me the chance to "meet" fellow researchers and writers doing similar work through the online world of "geneablogging".

A heartfelt thanks to all of those that have read, commented, offered research assistance, or otherwise supported my efforts here at 100 Years in America and at my other online "homes". As is inevitable, life has gotten in the way of blogging for me recently, but I hope to be back full force at some point after taking things a little slowly here for awhile.

If you'd like to read some of my favorite articles in the archives, take some time to visit The best of 2008: 100 Years in America iGene Awards. You might also enjoy stopping by Happy Anniversary, 100 Years in America! for a summary of the best of my first year of blogging.

One of the reasons that I began working to share my family history online two years ago (long before I hit retirement age) is because I know that life is short and I hope to make the most of the time I have to enjoy, while at the same time sharing with younger generations the wonderful stories that have become a part of our personal family history and the collective history of our world. The knowledge that I have gained about the lives of my ancestors and the times and worlds they lived in has truly made me a more well-rounded and understanding person, and I hope the same will be true for all those who read their stories here at 100 Years in America.

As Elisabeth Kübler-Ross stated,

"It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had."

This branch of my family has only had a short one-hundred years here in America. Chances are that I'll personally have less than that. (Unless I break the longevity record in my family!)

Here's celebrating two years of 100 Years in America and looking forward to many more years to come!

Wordless Wednesday: The pride of Croatia

2009-05-20T02:46:00.005-04:00

Ivic's painting of the young girl sewing a Croatian flag thanks to the Croatian History website's Croatian Coat of Arms During the Centuries. The painting was originally published on the cover of "Hrvatska žena, grana br. 1, Chicago, 1929-2009; Croatian Woman, branch #1, Chicago, 80th Anniversary" (see Ante Čuvalo's blog).

Wordless Wednesday: Trenton, New Jersey Post Office, c. 1909

2009-05-13T18:53:00.005-04:00

Could this have been the building from which Steven Toth sent letters to his wife and family giving them information about his new life in America?

Did he write? If so, how often? He missed the birth of his second child. Her birth record lists him in "Trenton, Amerika". Was this because he didn't get his wife's letter in time?

Image courtesy of Mercer County, New Jersey Vintage Postcards.

South Beach watchdogs c. 1925

2009-05-10T22:15:00.016-04:00

Vedra and Scotty, canine guards of the Ujlaki house at

43 Nugent Avenue, South Beach, Staten Island, c. 1925

What The Dog Perhaps Hears

by Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Lisel Mueller

If an inaudible whistle
blown between our lips
can send him home to us,
then silence is perhaps
the sound of spiders breathing
and roots mining the earth;
it may be asparagus heaving,
headfirst, into the light
and the long brown sound
of cracked cups, when it happens.
We would like to ask the dog
if there is a continuous whir
because the child in the house
keeps growing, if the snake
really stretches full length
without a click and the sun
breaks through clouds without
a decibel of effort,
whether in autumn, when the trees
dry up their wells, there isn't a shudder
too high for us to hear.

What is it like up there
above the shut-off level
of our simple ears?
For us there was no birth cry,
the newborn bird is suddenly here,
the egg broken, the nest alive,
and we heard nothing when the world changed.

Lisel Mueller's poem is from the collection The need to hold still published by Louisiana University Press, 1980.

For more animal photographs visit the 13th Edition of footnoteMaven's Smile For The Camera Carnival whose theme is "All Creatures Great and Small".

In search of Stefan/Stephanus/Stjepan S.

2009-05-06T07:02:00.007-04:00

Browsing through the family documents that I've collected over the years I made an interesting and timely discovery. You may have read about the discoveries that I made back in February regarding my great-grandfather's trip to America thanks to a little help from some friends who discovered the passenger lists. (Ferencz Ujlaki and the trip he didn't take can be found in Part 1 and Part 2.)

One fact about Ferencz Ujlaki's trip that has stumped me is his specific intended destination in America. Listed as bound for New York, New York, both passenger lists (the one for the ship he first got on, and the one for the trip he actually took) indicate what appears to be the same friend's name and address as his intended destination.

Now, going through the copies I made of the Matična knjiga (Croatian for church records) that I found a few years back thanks to microfilm from my local Family History Library, I revisited Ferencz's birth registry. Born on March 17, 1879, Ferencz's parents' names are listed on the registry along with his godparents'. What a surprise to find that his godfather's name (listed in its Latin form because it is appearing in a Catholic church registry), is: Stephanus Štefić.

This name is very similar to the name of the man on both passenger lists of 1906. It is too unusual a coincidence and makes me wonder if this could be the same man.

According to the family story, Ferencz had grown up the only child of aged parents, his father blind. Could his godfather have taken a special interest in him throughout his life and could he have been the one to encourage him to set out for America to start a new life?

According to the Hrvatski Telekom (Croatian White Pages), there are many Štefić families still living in the area where my Ujlaki family hails from, particularly the village of Donja Dubrava. There is even currently a Štefić Stjepan living in the village, whose name may be spelled the way my Stephanus Štefić spelled his (outside of "Latinized" parish records, that is - Stjepan is the Croatian spelling of Stephen).

Now my next step is to do a little research on this new mystery man with a link to my family - to determine his history in Ferencz Ujlaki's home village, if possible, and to find his whereabouts in the United States, more specifically in New York City, where it appears my great-grandfather joined him upon his arrival as a brand new American immigrant in 1906.

A blessed Good Friday

2009-04-10T07:46:00.006-04:00

Crucifixion c. 1427, originally one of the panels of the Calvary altarpiece at Garamszentbenedek, tempera on wood by unknown artist, Christian Museum of Esztergom, Hungary.

For another beautiful Hungarian rendition of the Crucifixion, see the Crowning by Thorns c. 1490.

István Tóth: The elusive "John Smith" of my Hungarian family tree

2009-03-29T21:33:00.003-04:00

In the world of the Hungarian people, a man named István Tóth is as common as an American named John Smith. Take that Hungarian and transplant him to America, and he becomes Stephen Toth - not quite as common as the John Smiths who have become his new neighbors, but still just as difficult for his great-granddaughter to distinguish from the many other Hungarian-Americans named Stephen Toth.

My genealogical search for my great-grandfather has been (and continues to be) a challenge for me. His common Hungarian name has sometimes made it difficult for me to track him down. Born in 1874 in the village of Mezőkeresztes in what was then the district of Mezőkövesdi in Borsod County, Hungary, István Tóth was one of two babies born of the same name to appear in the Roman Catholic Church records of that locality during a period of several years. A few clues such as his birth month (as listed on later records), his family's residence, and the name of one of his siblings helped me to narrow my search down to the right István Tóth. Here he is listed in the Roman Catholic parish registry for Mezőkeresztes in 1874:

As an adult, my great-grandfather traveled back and forth from his home and family in Gelej, Hungary (a village very near to his birthplace of Mezőkeresztes) across the Atlantic several times before finally settling in America with his family.

Here listed within one of his daughters' birth records in 1903 as a törvényes atya (the legal father), it is interesting to note István's lakóhelye (place of residence): "jelenleg Trenton Amerika", meaning "currently Trenton, America".

As far as I have determined, István usually traveled alone - his wife and children made their voyage to America separately on another ship after what I assume was István's last visit back to Hungary. My great-grandfather's common name has made it difficult for me to narrow down his passenger lists from the many other István Tóths that made similar trips during the years that he traveled. Thanks to his children's birth records, I know that he made at least two trips to America before finally settling in Trenton. I have unfortunately not been able to confirm even one ship passenger manifest for him yet.

His wife and children, however, were easy to recognize once I found them. (Read more of their story at A little boy, a big ship and a brand new world, Lajos long forgotten: An immigrant baby's story, Update on baby Lajos: His arrival at Ellis Island, and On babies and trans-Atlantic crossings).

István, who became Steven/Stephen in America, first settled with his family in the U.S. in Trenton, New Jersey. He is one of five Stephen Toths that resided in the city during the year 1908, according to the city directory. Another instance with too many possibilities to narrow down easily thanks to Stephen Toth's common Hungarian name!

My real dilemma with my great-grandfather has been my search for records that tell the story of the end of his life. Various records in the early 20th-century (censuses and city directories) indicate his wife as a "widow". Interestingly enough, these records alternate between other records in intervening years where he is listed with his family or where new children were born into the family.

Note the 1908 and 1909 city directory listings for what may be my Stephen Toth and his family in Trenton, New Jersey. Stephen is with the family in 1908, but Mary, a "widow", appears at the same address in the 1909 directory.

1908 Trenton city directory listings for Toth

1909 Trenton city directory listings for Toth

A year later what is clearly my Toth family appears residing in Trenton, father included, in the 1910 U.S. Census.

This pattern occurred later within city directories for the Toth family in Massachusetts. Mary appears to have sometimes labeled herself a "widow" when questioned about her family, although her husband was probably just absent.

It appears that Stephen Toth was not always "around", although he appears to have remained a presence in his family's lives for many years. He is conspicuously missing from this formal family portrait taken of the Toths about 1929.

I have word, however, from one of his daughter-in-laws that Stephen Toth was alive and well in New Jersey at some point during the 1930s. Although the rest of his family was living in Massachusetts at the time, she remembered visiting him there in New Jersey with her husband, Stephen's son.

My questions: Where did my great-grandfather Stephen Toth spend the rest of his life after he apparently left his family in Massachusetts? How long did he live? Where and when did he die, and where is he buried?

These questions have troubled me for some time. There does not seem to be a Social Security record for him. Because of this and because of his birthdate, I assume that he may not have lived past the 1930s or 1940s.

Did Stephen Toth resettle in Trenton, his first American city of residence, after leaving his family in Massachusetts? I may never know the reasons why he made the choices that he did, but it would be nice to at least finally know the genealogical facts regarding the end of his life.

Great-Grandpa, whom so many of your family members never knew: here's hoping that I'll finally find your whereabouts and learn a little more about the missing story of your life.

Sources:

Hungary. Borsod. Mezőkeresztes. Anyakönyvek, 1769-1895. Római Katólikus Egyház, Keresztespüspöki. FHL 623394, page 95. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Hungary. Borsod. Gelej. Állami anyakönyvek, születtek [births], 1895-1908. Gelej (Borsod) Anyakönyvi Hivatal. FHL 2227088, item 5, page 628. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

City Directory (Trenton, New Jersey: The city, 1908), Toth listings.

City Directory (Trenton, New Jersey: The city, 1909), Toth listings.

1910 U.S. census, Mercer County, New Jersey population schedule, City of Trenton, enumeration district (ED) 59, sheet 13B, Stephen Toth; digital images, ProQuest (http://www.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/index: accessed March 2009); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 674.

Toth family portrait. Photograph ca 1929. Digital image. Privately held by the author, United States. 2009

Author's Note:

Thanks to Amy Lenertz Coffin of We Tree for the suggestion of Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #12: to post a genealogy "brick wall" problem to share with others. This genealogist would be very grateful to anyone who might be able to provide any further clues on the life of Stephen Toth (1874-?) of Mezőkeresztes and Gelej, Hungary; Trenton, New Jersey; and various towns in Massachusetts (including Wilmington, Malden and Cambridge).

Wordless Wednesday: Cemetery in Legrad, Croatia

2009-03-25T17:53:00.003-04:00

Photographs of the evangelical cemetery in Legrad (evangeličkog groblja u Legradu) thanks to Z.G.

The "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears" in song

2009-03-17T04:52:00.002-04:00

Ellis Island, the gateway to America for several of my ancestors, has long been known as the "isle of hope and tears". Here for you to enjoy on St. Patrick's Day is the famous musical tribute to Ellis Island performed by the Irish Tenors.

For more on the celebration of Irish heritage, visit Small-leaved Shamrock for the 12th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture: the 2nd annual online St. Patrick's Day parade!

Beloved baby sister: A tribute to Ethel, 1920-1943

2009-03-10T06:28:00.069-04:00

She was the youngest daughter of Frank and Helen Ujlaky. A beautiful baby girl, she was baptized Etelka on March 21, 1920 at the age of one month. A first generation American born of parents who had emigrated from Hungary, she came to be known as Ethel. Two years later Ethel's younger brother Kasmir was born into the family: the last of the six Ujlaky siblings.

Ethel Ujlaky (age one) with one of her big sisters
riding Buster the horse.
Staten Island, circa 1921.

The Ujlaky family of South Beach,
Staten Island, New York, circa 1926.
Ethel is the young girl standing
at left of her mother (seated).

Born between their two brothers in this closeknit family, the four sisters, who entered the family within the span of a decade, developed a special sisterly bond that grew throughout the years.

Here they are together in 1936 outside the family's South Beach, Staten Island home. Ethel, third from the left, is sixteen years old. Her sisters, all in their twenties, were making their way into adulthood, getting married and having children of their own.

The Ujlaky sisters, circa 1936.
Ethel is the third from left.

Sadly, when Ethel reached her twenties, tragedy struck. Suffering from tuberculosis, she was admitted to Sea View Hospital on Staten Island. Ethel died in 1943, about a month shy of her twenty-third birthday.

Knowing the love that her sisters share, I was deeply touched when I learned the story of their beloved younger sister Ethel. They, her brothers, and her parents suffered a deep loss when she left them at such an early age.

At the time of her death a friend of the Ujlaky family wrote a beautiful poetic tribute to Ethel. I treasure the handwritten copy of Ida's poem that I have in my possession. It is a glimpse into the life of a dear family member whom I never had the chance to know. Here is Ida's tribute to her young friend:

To Ethel

You were so lovely, with your figure so slim,
Always, you were smiling, and you would never give in;
Though your pain was severe, still you never lamented
You put on a good front and appeared contented,
We know you had the courage, and tried very hard to win,
But your strength gave out, in your valiant fight
And you just had to leave your kin.
You have gone to rest to eternal peace and may God bless you
For a brave soldier, you were both stouthearted and true;
Your spirit is here although you’re gone
And the memory of you Ethel will live on and on.

~ Written in 1943 by Ida, friend of the Ujlaky family

Rest in peace, "dear sister Ethel".

For more on Ethel Ujlaky's story, including a picture of her bronzed baby shoe, see The footprint of little Ethel.

For more about the Ujlaky family's home on South Beach, Staten Island, see "The Waves' Rippling Song": South Beach, Staten Island.

For more mystery photographs visit the 11th Edition of footnoteMaven's Smile For The Camera Carnival whose theme is "Brothers & Sisters".

Sources of images:

Ujlaky sisters with Buster the horse, Staten Island, New York. Sepia photographic print. Circa 1921. Privately held by Lisa, [address for private use]. 2009.

Ujlaky family, Staten Island, New York. Sepia photographic print. Circa 1926. Privately held by Lisa, [address for private use]. 2009.

Ujlaky sisters, Staten Island, New York. Sepia photographic print. Circa 1936. Privately held by Lisa, [address for private use]. 2009.

America at last! Ilona's arrival at Ellis Island, 1909

2009-03-02T22:52:00.076-05:00

It was one-hundred years ago today that my great-grandmother Ilona (Bence) Ujlaki completed her trying journey aboard the S.S. Carmania and stepped onto Ellis Island with her toddler son, Ferencz. The seventeen-day journey from the port of Fiume, Hungary (now Rijeka, Croatia) was surely a trial as she cared for her son, who became ill during the voyage. Upon arrival they were both admitted to Ellis Island's hospital before finally being released to reunite with Ilona's husband, Ferencz, who had not yet seen his first-born child.

The S.S. Carmania ship manifest for this voyage lists the following information about passenger Ferenczne Ujlaki (that's Ilona listed as "wife of Ferencz Ujlaki"):

She was twenty-four years old
$10 was all she had to her name
Her ethnicity is listed as Hungarian/German
Her father Stjepan Bence is listed as the nearest friend or relative from her home village of Legrad, Hungary

Just what did Ilona experience on her journey to America?

It is not too difficult to gain a picture of what her trip may have been like. The New York Times published an article on December 14, 1909 called Women in Steerage Grossly Ill Used reporting on conditions observed by special agents of the U.S. Immigration Commission. They had traveled as steerage passengers on various steamships for investigative purposes. Their experiences as travelers on these transatlantic voyages were presented to the U.S. Senate along with recommendations for new legislation to improve conditions on the ships.

The article distinguishes between the "old" and "new" types of steerage. Of the old, the members of the commission maintained in the introduction to their report that:

"The universal human needs of space, air, food, sleep, and privacy are recognized to the degree now made compulsory by law. Beyond that the persons carried are looked upon as so much freight, with mere transportation as their only due."

The article continues:

"The sleeping quarters are described as being in many cases dirty, inadequate, and all that is bad. The average berth is six feet long and two feet wide, with only two and one-half feet of space above it, and that is all the space to which the passenger can assert a definite right. In that space he has to sleep and find room also for his baggage, all of his extra clothing, his eating utensils, his towels and other toilet necessaries. The passageways between the berths are so narrow that none of the articles mentioned could be deposited there."

The S.S. Carmania on which Ilona traveled more than likely fit into the category of new steamships since it was built in 1905, so Ilona's trip may have been a bit better than some travelers of her time. However, with a capacity for about 1,000 steerage passengers on board, it was surely no pleasant ocean cruise.

The 1909 New York Times article about women in steerage continues, in the words of one agent of the Immigration Commission:

"No woman with the smallest degree of modesty, and with no other conveniences than a washroom, used jointly with men, and faucet of cold salt water, can keep clean amid such surroundings for a period of twelve days and more. It was forbidden to bring water for washing purposes into the sleeping compartments nor was there anything in which to bring it. On different occasions some of the women rose early, brought drinking water in their soup palls for washing, but were driven out when detected by a steward. No soap and no towels were supplied."

You can read more of the article at the New York Times online archive here or read its transcription on the Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives website.

The Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives website provides additional insight into the experiences of steerage passengers traveling during the first decade of the 20th-century. See the page Steerage - The Immigrant's Journey for links to various articles that describe the experiences of third class immigrants on their steamship voyages, including Urgency of Improved Conditions (1906) and The Immigrant Journey: Fellowship of the Steerage (1905).

From the latter article comes the following look at The Day of Arrival, in the poetic words of one who had made the trip at least ten times himself by 1905:

"The [ship] is awake after its restless night and mutely awaits the disclosures of its own and the new world's secrets. The sound of a booming gun is carried across the hidden space, and faint touches of flame struggling through the gray, are the sun's answer to the salute from Governor's Island.

"The morning breeze, like a 'Dancing Psaltress', moves gently over the glassy surface of the water, lifts the fog higher and higher, tearing it into a thousand fleecy shreds, and the far things have come near and the hidden things have been revealed. The sky line straight ahead, assaulted by a thousand towering shafts, looking like a challenge to the strong, and a warning to the weak, makes all of us tremble from an unknown fear.
"The [ship] is still mute; it looks to the left at the populous shore, to the right at the green stretches of Long Island, and again straight ahead at the mighty city. Slowly the ship glides into the harbour, and when it passes under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the silence is broken, and a thousand hands are outstretched in greeting to this new divinity into whose keeping they now entrust themselves.
"Some day a great poet will arise among us, who, catching the inspiration of that moment will be able to put into words these surging emotions; who will be great enough to feel beating against his own soul and give utterance to, the thousand varying notes which are felt and never sounded."

As the writer states, the glory of the moment of arrival was often short-lived.

"Cabin and passengers alike, soon find the poetry of the moment disturbed; for the quarantine and custom-house officials are on board, driving away the tourist's memories of the splendour of European capitals by their inquisitiveness as to his purchases. They make him solemnly swear that he is not a smuggler, and upon landing, immediately proceed to prove that he is one.

"The passengers have before them more rigid examinations which may have vast consequences; so in spite of the joyous notes of the band, and the glad greetings shouted to and fro, they sink again into awe-struck and confused silence. When the last cabin passenger has disappeared from the dock, the immigrants with their baggage are loaded into barges and taken to Ellis Island for their final examination."

Ellis Island Registration Room

The admonishment from this writer in 1905 stood out to me as I read the account of his observations of many fellow travelers. He wrote:

"Let no one believe that landing on the shores of 'The land of the free, and the home of the brave' is a pleasant experience; it is a hard, harsh fact, surrounded by the grinding machinery of the law, which sifts, picks, and chooses; admitting the fit and excluding the weak and helpless."

Such was the day of arrival for many an immigrant to America in the early 20th-century, including Ilona Ujlaki, who stepped off of the S.S. Carmania and onto Ellis Island one-hundred years ago today and had her first real taste of America. She would make her home in this new land for the rest of her ninety-seven years.

Photograph of the Statue of Liberty in 1909 courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Photograph of Ellis Island Registration Room thanks to Greg Krenzelok's Ellis Island webpage.

For more on the history of third class steamship travel, visit the Norway Heritage website, particularly Steerage Passengers - Emigrants Between Decks.

This article has been submitted to the 68th edition of Jasia's Carnival of Genealogy, theme: Women's History Month: One Woman.

A forgotten corner of New York City: Green-Wood Cemetery

2009-02-23T06:17:00.019-05:00

Though not an official Graveyard Rabbit, my heart is certainly with this group of cemetery dwellers. I can't seem to drive by a cemetery without having to force my steering wheel to keep the wheels straight on the road and not turn in. I often wonder about the life stories of those resting below the ground. Particularly old cemeteries and those with special character really draw my attention.

For this reason, and also because I enjoy a beautiful cultural landmark, I found one short episode of The City Concealed especially appealing. A series of online videos "exploring the unseen corners" of New York City are being produced by WNET New York. Just shy of seven minutes, their video on the Tombs & Catacombs of Green-Wood Cemetery is a must-see for any lover of New York history, not to mention anyone who might have a little bit of Graveyard Rabbit in them.

Established in 1838, the cemetery was long a tourist destination with its beautiful gardens and stately tombs. Although the public lost access in the 1970s, they are now being invited back in for tours, concerts and even film screenings. Burials in the cemetery number up to 560,000 and include famous names such as Boss Tweed and Leonard Bernstein.

Thanks to John Warren's New York History blog for mentioning this video.

This article was written for the 1st edition of the Graveyard Rabbits Carnival whose theme is "Exceptional Finds".

The best of 2008: 100 Years in America iGene Awards

2009-02-15T16:43:00.007-05:00

It's that time of year again...time for the second annual Academy of Genealogy and Family History iGene Awards at the Carnival of Genealogy! Chosen by the author from the blog articles published over the past year, I have awarded "prizes" for the following categories:

Best Picture - Best old family photo that appeared on this blog

Best Screen Play - The family story that would make the best movie

Best Documentary - The best informational article about a place, thing, or event involving my family's history
Best Biography - The best biographical article

Best Comedy - The best funny story, poem, joke, photo, or video

Special Mention - Other articles of note

Accompanying me for the big event is one of the inspirations for this blog and (as you'll soon see) the star of several 100 Years in America iGene award winners. We'll arrive in a Flying Cloud, of course. (Hint: He's the little boy in A little boy, a big ship, and a brand new world and one of the stars of both The love fine cars: it’s in the genes and one of 2007's best articles: A ring, yellow roses & a Flying Cloud.)

Now, without any further delay, are the 100 Years in America iGene Awards for best articles of 2008.

(Drumroll, please...)

Best Picture Award

Međimurje: Meeting place of rivers and cultures

(with a little more background on the story at The Gift of the Photograph: Uniting Families With Their History)

"Wow! I'm really impressed with the collection of old and new photos and maps you have acquired. Terrific article Lisa!" ~ Jasia, Creative Gene

"Lisa writes about her experiences finding family photographs and sharing them with her extended family." ~ Randy Seaver, Genea-Musings, Best of the Genea-Blogs June 8-14, 2008

The award for best picture goes to not one, but a series of pictures. My collection of family photographs includes several early 20th-century images of the little Catholic church in Legrad, Croatia where my ancestors worshiped for many generations. After viewing my images online, a resident of Legrad sent me some beautiful photographs of the church. Visit Međimurje: Meeting place of rivers and cultures to view these images along with some other past and present photographs of Legrad. You and also read more about the story of my contact with this generous photographer (a possible distant cousin) at my article within footnoteMaven's Friday from the Collectors series: The Gift of the Photograph: Uniting Families With Their History. A few beautiful images of the church's interior at Easter time can also be viewed at Happy Easter from Croatia.

Best Picture Runner-up

"Keepers of the absent": the homes of our ancestors

"Amazing photographs - and the perfect poem to illuminate them." ~ Lidian, The Virtual Dime Museum

These photographs are very close to my heart: they show the home of my great-grandmother's family in northern Hungary. "Keepers of the absent": the homes of our ancestors features the house in Korlát, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hungary on the land owned by my Németh side of the family for four generations. The pictures were taken on a trip by my great-aunt Helen in 1975, and I have been unable to determine if the house is still standing at this time, but would love to go for a visit and find out someday.

Best Screen Play Award

Shared by:

A little boy, a big ship, and a brand new world, On babies and trans-Atlantic crossings, Lajos long forgotten: an immigrant baby’s story and Update on Lajos: his arrival at Ellis Island

"Lisa tells the story, with images of many documents, of a baby named Lajos that emigrated to America in 1907, and she wondered if he made it to America. Donna Pointkouski helped her out by finding the Passenger Arrival list and he's on it. Share Lisa's joy, and documentation." ~ Randy Seaver, Genea-Musings, Best of the Genea-Blogs February 24 - March 1, 2008

The 100 Years in America prize for best screen play goes to the story of the early married life of my great-grandparents István and Maria (Németh) Tóth. After their marriage in Hungary, four children were born on that side of the Atlantic during a time when Istvan traveled back and forth to America, I assume working to evaluate and then settle in to a new life while traveling back to check on his family. Maria finally made the trip by herself in 1907, accompanied by her four young children. One of them, a baby named Lajos, was unknown to current generations of our family. Read A little boy, a big ship, and a brand new world and On babies and trans-Atlantic crossings for Maria's story thus far (there is so much more to tell). My discovery of baby Lajos' presence in the family is detailed at Lajos long forgotten: an immigrant baby’s story and Update on Lajos: his arrival at Ellis Island.

Best Documentary Award

Međimurje: Meeting place of rivers and cultures

"Wonderful post - and the photos are absolutely great. What a beautiful place to call home!" ~ Lidian, The Virtual Dime Museum

"Your blending of the old and new photographs really bring your story alive. I enjoyed it very much." ~ Janice Brown, Cow Hampshire

Winning awards for both Best Picture and Best Documentary, this article tells the story of the history of the Drava River basin in northern Croatia. The Međimurje area, which was home to my ancestors and remains home to many distant cousins today, has a long and fascinating history. On the crossroads betweens many cultures, and lying today on the border of Croatia and Hungary, it's story is long and winding, like the rivers that have shaped the lives of its people.

Best Documentary Runners-up (#1)

Adám to Zsuzsanna: Hungarian & Croatian given names in the family tree

"This is a fascinating post explaining the Slavic names in her family and their English/US equivalents. In addition, Lisa explains some of the difficulties of finding records for these types of names - they used diminutives too!" ~ Randy Seaver, Genea-Musings, Best of the Genea-blogs Sep 14-20, 2008

"What a wonderful look at given names and their variants, Lisa!" ~ Steve Danko, Steve's Genealogy Blog

In my family, Ilona, Etelka, Ferencz, Istvan and little Pista immigrated to America and became Helen, Ethel, Frank, Steve and little Stephen. How beautiful their Slavic variants sounded to me when I first discovered them on birth certificates, passenger lists and naturalization papers! In this article I introduced readers to Croatian and Hungarian monikers: naming traditions and some interesting name stories from my own family tree.

Best Documentary Runners-up (#2)

Shared by:

"Mazes, windings and turnings": A little digression on maps, Take a trip back in time, Historical Yugoslav maps, oh my! and New York and New Jersey: Topographical treasures online

"Lisa at 100 Years in America tells us how to Take a trip back in time using historical maps. This site was new to me, so thanks a bunch, Lisa!" ~ Donna Pointkouski, What's Past is Prologue, Donna's Picks Week of March 30, 2008

"Lisa, thank you so much for posting about this - just my thing! I love maps of just about anywhere, but NYC and NJ maps are right up there among my favorites." ~ Lidian, The Virtual Dime Museum

Long a map lover, I took a little trip into topography with these articles. Focusing on various map resources for the genealogist (or anyone with a general interest in maps), I've "traveled" throughout the United States, Europe and beyond through maps. As stated by Lord Chesterfield in the 18th-century, "The world can doubtless never be well known by theory: practice is absolutely necessary; but surely it is of great use to a young man, before he sets out for that country, full of mazes, windings, and turnings, to have at least a general map of it, made by some experienced traveler.”

Best Biography Award

The view from my corner of the world

"That was absolutely lovely - as well as insightful. I enjoyed reading about your childhood and your insight into how it shaped you and your world view. I am so glad you shared!" ~ Terry Snyder, Desktop Genealogist

"Wow! As the son of immigrant parents, that quote from Adam Gopnik really hit home. I feel the same way. Thanks for sharing! Well written as always!" ~ Ivan Curkovic, Curkovic.ca

Part biography of a beloved red Volvo, part autobiography of the author (that's me), this article is a reminiscense of my days in Switzerland as a young girl and the story of the red Volvo that accompanied me from that childhood home to succeeding homes in the United States. I usually focus this blog on earlier generations, but I couldn't help sharing this story of one the most beloved "family members" in my memory: my red Volvo. (Readers might also enjoy To be the quiet little girl at the table once again, another look at my childhood that made its way into this family history blog.)

Best Comedy Award

The love fine cars: it’s in the genes

"I loved this article! Being Motor City born and raised, I take my automobiles seriously." ~ Jasia, Creative Gene

"Lisa, what a parade of cars. Enjoyed your article so much." ~ Terry Thornton, Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi

What does DNA have to do with automobiles? My conclusion in the case of the Toth family is: a lot. This story stars a Reo Flying Cloud circa 1920s, a 1947 black Fleetwood Cadillac, a 1956 pink convertible Cadillac, and a telling document that linked one additional generation to the car-lovers and clinched my hunch that the love of fine cars has to be a hereditary trait within this branch of my family.

Special Mentions

Where was your family in 1908?

"The Smithsonian article is a keeper, and Lisa's story is great." ~ Randy Seaver, Genea-Musings, Best of the Genea-Blogs December 30, 2007 - January 5, 2008

My celebration of the new year 2008 made me wonder how my ancestors greeted the new year 1908 one hundred years before. Reading Smithsonian Magazine's January 2008 article 1908: The Year That Changed Everything inspired further nostalgia and I dug into my research and discovered the whereabouts of my family members at that time.

Snapshots of the world back in 1908

"Lisa provides a 'Carnival' post of responses to her challenge. There are many excellent posts on this list! Well done, Lisa." ~ Randy Seaver, Genea-Musings, Best of the Genea-Blogs January 13-19, 2008

"Thanks, Lisa, for a beautiful album of family "snapshots" of the year 1908." ~ Terry Thornton, Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi

Where was your family in 1908? inspired much introspection on the part of other family historians. I compiled all of their articles into one large "album". The result: a look back at the world one hundred years ago through the eyes of the ancestors of many a family historian.

Special thanks to Jasia of Creative Gene for hosting the iGene Awards at the Carnival of Genealogy. Also, thank you to footnoteMaven for a the awards poster and a little inspiration in my presentation. See you at next year's event!

Ilona's emigration: The one hundred year anniversary

2009-02-13T13:52:00.074-05:00

Exactly one hundred years ago today a twenty-four-year-old young mother and her two-year-old son boarded the S.S. Carmania in the port of Fiume, Hungary (now Rijeka, Croatia).

A segment of the S.S. Carmania list of passengers departing Fiume, Hungary on February 13, 1909

Bound for New York City, where her husband was sowing seeds for their new life after his own immigration in 1906, Ilona and young Ferencz would have a difficult seventeen-day sea voyage which culminated with their detainment at Ellis Island's hospital.

It must have been a tearful goodbye that she waved to her country after stepping onto the ship in the port of Fiume. No doubt she was troubled with concerns for her little one's safety as she left the family and country that she knew and began the trip across the Atlantic.

Below is a photograph of the little train station in Ilona's home village of Legrad where she may have said her last goodbyes to her family before her departure.

One hundred years later, Ilona's descendants are well-established in the United States. With over one hundred children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and more living in cities from coast to coast, she could not have known what impact she and her husband's decision to emigrate would have on the generations to follow.

On this one hundred year anniversary of Ilona's emigration, 100 Years in America honors Ilona (Bence) Ujlaki for the courage she exhibited throughout her life and for the love she had for her family that stills reverberates today.

Thank you, dear Grammy, for the inspiration of your life. You are loved and remembered fondly.

Sources (in order of appearance):

Manifest, S.S. Carmania, February 1909, page 250, lines 21 and 22, Ferenczne & Ferencz Ujlaki, ages 26 and 2; “Passenger Record,” digital images, Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation (http://ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup_weif_5a.asp?src=%2Fcgi%2Dbin%2Ftif2gif%2Eexe%3FT%3D%5C%5C%5C%5C192%2E168%2E4%2E227%5C%5CIMAGES%5C%5CT715%2D1209%5C%5CT715%2D12090250%2ETIF%26S%3D%2E5&pID=101530100288&name=Ferenczne%26nbsp%3BUjlaki&doa=Mar+02%2C+1909&port=Fiume&line=0021 : accessed 2007).

Ilona Ujlaki with baby son Ferencz Ujlaki, Legrad, Hungary. Black and white photographic print. Circa 1906-1907. Privately held by Lisa, [address for private use]. 2009.

Željeznicka stanica Ortiloš (Legrad, Croatia train station) photographed by Z.G. Digital image. Circa 2008. Privately held by Z.G., [address for private use]. 2008.

Helen Ulaky. Black and white photographic print. Circa 1947. Privately held by M.T., [address for private use]. 2009.

Lisa with Helen Ulaky. Polaroid color print. Circa 1970s. Privately held by Lisa, [address for private use]. 2009.

Ferencz Ujlaki and the trip he didn't take: Part 2

2009-02-08T08:57:00.091-05:00

If you read Ferencz Ujlaki and the trip he didn't take: Part 1 you know that I had some work to do in order to solve the mystery of my great-grandfather's appearance on the passenger list for the ship S.S. Kroonland which departed Antwerp on April 2, 1906.

S.S. Kroonland list of passengers departing Antwerp, Belgium on April 2, 1906

S.S. Kroonland

Listed but noted as "not on board", was he on the ship, but logged somewhere else, or did he postpone his trip and take another vessel?

I had originally thought that another ship's passenger list may have had my Ferencz Ujlaki listed (the S.S. Ultonia which departed from Fiume on April 12, 1906), although it wasn't clear if this was the right man.

Just last week fellow genealogist Jennifer Trahan had kindly done a search for me and found Ferencz listed on the S.S. Kroonland. This left me with a mystery since he was clearly marked as "not on board".

Now, with a find from another fellow genealogist, Donna Pointkouski, I have one more passenger list to evaluate with Ferencz Ujlaki's name on it - and this appears to be the very ship on which he sailed to America. The S.S. Zeeland departed Antwerp on April 7: five days after the S.S. Kroonland.

Same port, five days later.

It looks very possible from examining the facts that this is the trip that Ferencz Ujlaki actual took. It is probable that he changed plans for some reason, got off of the S.S. Kroonland, then took the trip five days later out of the same port on one of the S.S. Kroonland's sister ships: the S.S. Zeeland.

S.S. Zeeland

At this point I can only wonder about his reasons, but the progression of events makes sense.

Unlike the original S.S. Ultonia passenger list that I found, both the S.S. Kroonland and the S.S. Zeeland logs indicate similar plans for their respective Ferencz Ujlakis following arrival in the United States. Both lists indicate plans to meet "friend Stefan S......" and settle in New York City . I am still working on deciphering the friend's name and address. Here it is below on the S.S. Kroonland and S.S. Zeeland manifests:

The S.S. Kroonland indicates that Ferencz had $13 in hand; the S.S. Zeeland (five days later) appears to indicate $5.70 in his possession (although this is not completely clear). If this is true, it makes sense. He had to have spent a little money in those few days that he waited to board the second ship.

1906 Red Star Line postcards of the S.S. Zeeland

The facts validate that the men on both passenger lists must have been my great-grandfather, leaving his native village of Legrad to begin a new life in America before his wife and soon-to-be-born baby were to join him there.

Another family history mystery appears to be partially solved, thanks to a little help from some friends.

Sources:

Manifest, S.S. Kroonland, April 1906, microfilm roll T715_690, page 101, line 2, Ferencz Ujlaki, age 26; “Passenger Record,” digital images, Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation (http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup_weif_5a.asp?src=%2Fcgi-bin%2Ftif2gif.exe%3FT%3D%5C%5C%5C%5C192.168.4.227%5C%5CIMAGES%5C%5CT715-0690%5C%5CT715-06900492.TIF%26S%3D.5&pID=103485080152&name=Ferenz+Ujladi%26nbsp%3Bnull&doa=Apr+12%2C+1906&port=Antwerp&line=0002 : accessed 4 February 2009).

Manifest, S.S. Kroonland, April 1906, microfilm roll T715_690, line 2, Ferencz Ujlaki, age 26; "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," database, Ancestry.com (http://content.ancestrylibrary.com/iexec/default.aspx?htx=View&r=5542&dbid=7488&iid=NYT715_690-0494&fn=Ferenz&ln=Ujlaki&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4010022460 : accessed 8 February 2009). Original data from: "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897"; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls); Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

S.S. Kroonland painting; digital image, S. S. Kroonland website (http://www.rehsgalleries.com/view_image.html?image_no=503& : accessed 8 February 2009.

Manifest, S.S. Ultonia, April 1906, page 580, line 21, Ferencz Ujlaki, age 29; “Passenger Record,” digital images, Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation (http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup_weif_5a.asp?src=%2Fcgi-bin%2Ftif2gif.exe%3FT%3D%5C%5C%5C%5C192.168.4.227%5C%5CIMAGES%5C%5CT715-0702%5C%5CT715-07020580.TIF%26S%3D.5&pID=102220070111&name=Ferencz%26nbsp%3BUjhazi&doa=May+02%2C+1906&port=Fiume&line=0021 : accessed 15 July 2007).

Manifest, S.S. Zeeland, April 1906, page 334, line 29, Uzlaki Faranz, age 27; "Passenger Record," digital images, Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation (http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup_weif_5a.asp?src=%2Fcgi-bin%2Ftif2gif.exe%3FT%3D%5C%5C%5C%5C192.168.4.227%5C%5CIMAGES%5C%5CT715-0694%5C%5CT715-06940334.TIF%26S%3D.5&pID=102212100342&name=Uzlaki%26nbsp%3BFaranz&doa=Apr+19%2C+1906&port=Antwerp&line=0029 : accessed 5 February 2009).

S.S. Zeeland oil painting by artist Antonio Nicolo Gasparo Jacobsen, ca. 1910; digital image, Rehs Galleries website (http://www.rehsgalleries.com/view_image.html?image_no=503& : accessed 8 February 2009).

Red Star Line S.S. Zeeland postcard, June 25, 1906; digital image, Red Star Line website by Ian Boyle/Simplon Postcards (http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/RedStar.html : 8 February 2009).

Red Star Line S.S. Zeeland postcard, June 16, 1906; digital image, Red Star Line website by Ian Boyle/Simplon Postcards (http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/RedStar.html : 8 February 2009).

Ferencz Ujlaki and the trip he didn't take: Part 1

2009-02-05T03:04:00.046-05:00

Ferencz Ujlaki, New York City, New York.

Sepia photographic print.
Circa 1909-1910. Privately held by Lisa,

[ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]. 2009.

As the family story goes, my great-grandfather hurried to leave his homeland and his young wife to begin a new life in America. His plan was to leave before their expected first child was born. He was concerned that once the baby was born he would not be able to bring himself to leave, so off he went by way of ship to America in 1906.

Ilona Ujlaki with baby son Ferencz Ujlaki, Legrad, Hungary.
Black and white photographic print. Circa 1906-1907.
Privately held by Lisa, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]. 2009.

His wife Ilona gave birth to a baby son, young Ferencz, in May 1906. She then waited until her husband was better established in the United States and her baby had reached toddlerhood before the two of them made the trip themselves in 1909. (For more on their trip, view their ship passenger list or read about their detainment at the Ellis Island hospital.)

Confident of the year of his departure, I had long been in search of Ferencz' ship passenger list confirming his travel from Legrad, Hungary to New York City. The record that I found most convincing within the Ellis Island online database showed promise that it was his, but I was not certain. It listed what appeared to be a Ferencz Ujlaki (although he was indexed as Ferencz Ujhazi) traveling from what might be Legrad (although it was transcribed as Veprod) in April 1906 on the S.S. Ultonia (see row number 21 on the S.S. Ultonia passenger list for that voyage). I realized that this could be my great-grandfather with his name and home village indexed wrong yet I was not certain. One reason for doubt was the fact that a village named Veprod actually does exist in Serbia/Montenegro.

Now just this week - a new development! Jennifer Trahan, a fellow genealogist and reader of 100 Years in America, was going through some of the older posts that I had written. She noticed my mention of the questionable ship passenger list for Ferencz and did her own search through Ancestry's New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 database. What she found has left me with more questions - another family history mystery to solve!

Jennifer discovered the passenger list for the ship S.S. Kroonland that departed from Antwerp, Belgium on April 2, 1906 and arrived in New York on April 12. There, second from the top, is my great-grandfather's name: Ferencz Ujlaki. Those transcribing the document for the Ellis Island database had unfortunately misread the spelling of his name so it was indexed wrong, which explains why I hadn't found it during my searches there.

It is clearly the right man: right name, right age, right village, right date. Interestly enough, his name is listed below a fellow passenger from the same small village in Hungary: Legrad. This is my great-grandfather's ship passenger list! (Jennifer even went so far as to find this record on the Ellis Island website - thank you, Jennifer. Ferencz' S.S. Kroonland passenger list is located within the Ellis Island database here.)

However, there is one complication. There is a suspicious thin line running through the text with Ferencz' information.

It's meaning is told at the far right of the second row: Ferencz Ujlaki was "not on board".

What could this possibly mean? I have never heard a family story indicating my great-grandfather missing his ship. I do know that he was very sick throughout his entire journey. Could he have had an aversion to seasickness and changed his plans at the last minute thinking he would go back to his wife and wait for his expected child to be born, then changed his mind again and taken another ship?

Could the passenger list that I had found first for the S.S. Ultonia be the trip that he actually did take? It departed shortly after the first one on April 12, 1906 but left from Fiume (now Trieste) instead of Antwerp - certainly a little closer to home for Ferencz. (It is interesting to note that the man on this passenger list had more money in his possession than Ferencz did on the first passenger list: $29 instead of $13. I doubt that he could have possibly had more cash on hand after spending money on two trans-Atlantic tickets, unless he went home to borrow from family or friends.)

On the other hand, could the passenger list for the S.S. Kroonland be inaccurate? Would Ferencz have actually taken the trip but for some reason avoided the passenger tally just before departure, leaving the ship's record in error?

Most probable might be the explanation suggested by Msteri of Heritage Happens within her article about Immigration Passenger Lists: Passengers Not Sailing. Based on suggestions she learned from Manifest Markings: A Guide to Interpreting Passenger List Annotations by Marian Smith, a historian with the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service, several scenarios could be possible. My great-grandfather, the missing passenger, might have been aboard the ship but listed elsewhere on the ship's record. Suggested places to look are lists such as "Records of Detained Aliens", "Records of Aliens held for Special Inquiry", etc.

Like other intriguing genealogical discoveries, this one certainly leaves many questions unanswered. It looks like I have my work cut out for me in order to get to the bottom of the story of Ferencz' trip from Europe to America.

Who knew that instead of finding the record for a trip that I am certain that my great-grandfather took, I'd learn of one for a trip he may not have ever taken. Or did he?

Special thanks to Jennifer Trahan for taking the time to search for this passenger list and then transcribe and send it to me. (Your efforts are greatly appreciated, Jennifer!) New to blogging but not new to genealogy, Jennifer has a particular dedication to source citation. Visit Jennifer's Genealogy Blog for inspiration on citing your own genealogy sources.

Have a mystery of your own regarding a passenger list? Visit Msteri's Heritage Happens for the full series of articles she has written about reading passenger lists. Also be sure to visit Marian Smith's excellent Manifest Markings: A Guide to Interpreting Passenger List Annotations.

Sources:

Manifest, S.S. Kroonland, April 1906, microfilm roll T715_690, page 101, line 2, Ferencz Ujlaki, age 26; “Passenger Record,” digital images, Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation (http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup_weif_5a.asp?src=%2Fcgi-bin%2Ftif2gif.exe%3FT%3D\\\\192.168.4.227\\IMAGES\\T715-0690\\T715-06900492.TIF%26S%3D.5&pID=103485080152&name=Ferenz+Ujladi%26nbsp%3Bnull&doa=Apr+12%2C+1906&port=Antwerp&line=0002 : accessed 4 February 2009).

Manifest, S.S. Ultonia, April 1906, page 580, line 21, Ferencz Ujlaki, age 29; “Passenger Record,” digital images, Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation (http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup_weif_5a.asp?src=%2Fcgi-bin%2Ftif2gif.exe%3FT%3D%5C%5C%5C%5C192.168.4.227%5C%5CIMAGES%5C%5CT715-0702%5C%5CT715-07020580.TIF%26S%3D.5&pID=102220070111&name=Ferencz%26nbsp%3BUjhazi&doa=May+02%2C+1906&port=Fiume&line=0021 : accessed 15 July 2007).

For those of us that are Hungarian-language-challenged...

2009-02-04T14:20:00.006-05:00

...technology at least gives us a hope of taking baby steps toward translation!

Google Translate has just added seven new languages: Albanian, Estonian, Galician, Maltese, Thai, Turkish and Hungarian! I was happy to announce last May that Google Translate had added the Croatian language to their repertoire. Now they have added the other primary language of my Eastern European ancestors. What joy! The only thing more that I could ask for is a Kajkavian language translation tool. Anyone at Google have time to fit that one into the schedule?

Thanks to Janos Bogardi of RadixLog for announcing the addition of Hungarian to Google Translate. You might also want to check out another online Hungarian translation tool that he recommends: web translation (web forditas) at Webforditas.hu.

Forgotten no more: Ellis Island's hospital showcased on PBS

2009-01-27T11:02:00.012-05:00

As you may have read here at 100 Years in America, the story of Ellis Island is close to my heart. I am particularly interested in the side of the island whose saga had long gone untold: the hospital. My great-grandmother and her young son spent time there one-hundred years ago during his bout with measles after their arrival from Hungary in 1909.

I was excited in 2007 to learn of Lorie Conway's decade-long research into the Ellis Island hospital. I highlighted her work along with my great-grandmother's story here and quickly purchased her book Forgotten Ellis Island: The Extraordinary Story of America's Immigrant Hospital.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend a screening of the Forgotten Ellis Island film, but now look forward to the national showing on February 2nd of the PBS special, narrated by Elliott Gould. According to the website, PBS' Forgotten Ellis Island "is a powerful tribute to the best and worst of America's dealings with its new citizens-to-be."

Visit the Forgotten Ellis Island website (particularly this nice tour of the book and film) for additional details about Lorie Conway's journey back into the history of this long-overlooked side of the beloved island on which so many of our ancestors spent their first days in America.

A lot can happen in 100 years

2009-01-23T07:11:00.009-05:00

The start of a new year is always a time of reminiscing about the past. Here at 100 Years in America, I often broaden my focus more widely to include the past one-hundred years: how the world has changed and how my family's lives have changed within that world. Last year I found a newly-published non-fiction title that provided an interesting visual look at many changes that the world has seen over the past century.

Earth Then & Now: Amazing Images of our Changing World by Fred Pearce is a collection of images from various places throughout the globe. The appeal of the book is the fact that each image of a place as it looks today is paired with a companion photograph taken sometime back in the past one-hundred years. Pearce has chosen striking images that speak for themselves and, as he says, "are worth a thousand words". They include:

Mostar's bridge in Bosnia-Herzegovina (of specific personal interest to me since I visited and crossed the bridge only a few years before it was damaged during the war)
New York without the Twin Towers (I have memories of standing on the roof of my great-uncle's townhouse and seeing the beautiful view of New York City)
Skye Bridge of Scotland (another place I've visited and enjoyed)
Zermatt, Switzerland 1900 vs. today (a part of the world that has a special place in my heart)
Panama Canal
Seattle's "Hooverville" of 1937 vs. today
Hong Kong: a barren Chinese Island in 1880 vs. today
San Francisco 1906 vs. today
Sao Paulo, Brazil 1902 vs. today
Nepal kathmandu
Vancouver
South Dakota dust bowl vs. good farmland today
Zugspitze, Bavaria 1925 vs. today
Many more...

There are 300 before and after photographs within this book. It is a wonderful look at our world and its changes over the past one-hundred years.

If you like the idea of "past and present" photographs, you might also enjoy images of Legrad, Croatia's Holy Trinity Catholic Church in my article Međimurje: Meeting place of rivers and cultures and also past and present photos of the home my great-grandfather built at "The waves' rippling song": South Beach, Staten Island.

A Croatian genealogy how-to guide: tips to get you started

2009-01-14T04:51:00.013-05:00

As far as I know, there are only two sites in the blogosphere that currently focus on Croatian genealogy in the English language: 100 Years in America and Ćurković.ca.

I have been a fan of Ivan Ćurković's blog since I discovered it over a year ago. It is nice to have a fellow blogger writing about the world of my ancestors, even though we do not share a family connection and we are usually focusing on different regional areas.

As a son of Croatian immigrants living in Canada, Ivan has connections to family back in Europe that many of those researching their ancestors may not have. He also has something that I wish I could share: a proficiency with the Croatian language!

Ivan has traced his Croatian ancestors back nine generations (that's 300 years) to an area of what is now Bosnia-Hercegovina called Buško Blato and maintains a website about the genealogy of families from the area at BuškoBlato.org.

Ivan has recently put together a series of articles that have very helpful tips for those getting started and/or wanting to make further progress on researching their Croatian roots. At this point, he has three installments in his series. I'm looking forward to more in the future! Here are parts one, two and three:

If you have Croatian roots I highly encourage you to read Ivan's articles and browse his blog for ideas and inspiration. Thanks, Ivan, for being such a good neighbor in the online world of Croatian genealogy!

The "forgotten borough" remembered

2009-01-11T04:50:00.007-05:00

With roots in Staten Island, the "forgotten borough", I'm one of the ones working to remember its history, particularly in the early 20th-century when my family first settled there. Its story is one of fascinating turns and twists, and it remains today the outsider of five New York City boroughs: a member of the family, yet with its own individual personality.

Want a little introduction to the history and uniqueness of Staten Island? Take some time to view these online video tours:

A Walk Around Staten Island with David Hartman & Historian Barry Lewis

Staten Island: A World Beyond the Ferry from the Office of the Borough President

Thanks to the relatively new Staten Island Genealogy Blog for recommending these online video tours and other good resources for Staten Island researchers.

I wish I'd been invited to this wedding...

2009-01-10T19:04:00.013-05:00

...don't you?

All the guests look like one big, happy family. The musicians look like they must have provided a lively bunch of music for the crowd. Everyone seems to be having a great time, with just a few exceptions (including the bride, who is looking off to the side with a serious expression on her face).

This photograph belonged to my great-grandmother. It was taken before I was born, more than likely across the Atlantic. It may have been the wedding of a cousin, or perhaps some friends of the family back in what is now northern Croatia (probably Hungary at the time). More than likely this photograph was sent to my great-grandparents' address in Manhattan from loved ones back home. Unfortunately, I cannot identify a single person in the photograph, although some of them look like they have features that could indicate a relation to my family.

It would be interesting to learn just who this bride and groom were, when and where they were married, and the names of some of their guests. But even if I never learn that information, I'll still enjoy being drawn into the wedding celebration by way of this photograph.

Don't you wish you were invited, too?

Image source: Wedding of unidentified bride and groom. Sepia photographic print. Unknown year. Privately held by Lisa, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]. 2009.

Note: You can click on the image for a closer view.

For more mystery photographs, visit the 9th Edition of footnoteMaven's Smile For The Camera Carnival: "Who Are You - I Really Want To Know?"

Have roots in NYC in the early 20th-century?

2009-01-09T04:08:00.004-05:00

Thanks to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), you can obtain copies of photos of your family's residences in any of the five boroughs taken from 1939 to 1941. Originally created for tax purposes, the images were adopted by the city's Archives Department and are now available to interested parties, including family historians.

For further details about obtaining photos of your family's home, see the Staten Island Genealogy Blog's Obtaining Photos of Your Ancestral Home or visit NYC.gov to place an order. Prices start at $35 plus shipping.