For several years now, I have been in love with the BBC TV series Call the Midwife. The show documents both secular and religious order midwives as they serve London's working-class East End community during the 1950s and 60s. Call the Midwife is wonderful, because it gives you a sense of just how important midwifery was to the health and overall well-being of the entire community. I've always loved looking at my family's Catholic baptism records from the "Old Country," because they sometimes list the midwife who delivered each baby. In this 1845 baptism record from Brzezna, Poland, my great-great-grandmother, Sophia Golonka, was delivered by Marianna Golonka, who was her paternal aunt.

Despite my fascination with these Old Country midwives, I had never really thought about the midwifery networks in my ancestors American neighborhoods. All that changed, however, when I started doing some genealogy research for my sister-in-law's family. Like mine, her ancestors were late 19th - early 20th century immigrants who came to Cleveland to work in the booming industrial factories and foundries. I located her great-grandfather's 1900 birth return. His parents were Polish immigrants.

I immediately thought that something looked familiar about this birth return. The handwriting looked very distinctive to me. I went back and looked at some of the birth returns on MY mom's side of the family. This is my great-uncle's birth return, also from 1900. His parents were Croatian immigrants.

The same midwife, Bertha Ullrich, delivered both babies. So, of course, I searched for her in the 1900 census to try to learn more about her. She is in her 40s, married, has one living child, and immigrated from Germany around 1890. She has indicated that she can speak English.

So, here are two babies, from two recently-immigrated families of completely different nationalities and languages, neither of which is the same as Bertha's. Both mothers indicated in their respective 1900 censuses that they cannot speak English. Can you imagine trying to guide a person through childbirth without words? How frightening must it have been for these immigrant women to realize that the one person assigned to help them in this difficult and dangerous task may not be able understand their needs? Did Bertha speak any languages besides English and German? Did she perhaps study key words and phrases in the languages of immigrants most common in her neighborhood to try to be prepared? Or perhaps she was able to arrange translators before the birth to assist her and the mother when the time came.

I ask myself these types of questions, because it helps me add a certain amount of humanity to the factual information found within these genealogical records. When (If) I ever get around to writing a complete family history, I want to be able to write about these types of situations and about these people who came in and out of my ancestors' lives and helped them navigate through the trials and joys of life.

By the way, midwives often have their own section in city directories. Here is Bertha and a slew of other midwives from the 1903 Cleveland City Directory, p. 1643:

Sophia Golonka Baptism Record: "Poland, Tarnow Roman Catholic Diocese Church Books, 1612-1900," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XPYN-L77 : accessed 17 Jul 2014), Anna Bawotek in entry for Sophia Golonka, 15 Feb 1845, Baptism; citing p. 27, Brzezna, Brzezna, Kraków, Poland; FHL microfilm 1895995.

Gawryszewski Birth Return: "Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-23317-12804-61?cc=1932106 : 21 May 2014), Cuyahoga > Birth returns 1900 > image 1 of 9030; county courthouses, Ohio.

Bellan Birth Return: "Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-23316-98739-26?cc=1932106 : 24 May 2016), Cuyahoga > Birth returns 1900 > image 7678 of 9030; county courthouses, Ohio.

Ullrich 1900 U.S. Census: Year: 1900; Census Place: Cleveland Ward 23, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: 1256; Page: 21A; Enumeration District: 0112; FHL microfilm: 1241256

©2016 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Recently, I found a marriage record for which I had been looking for a long time. My great-grandparents, George and Ursula Bellan were Croatian immigrants who immigrated to the U.S. in 1893 and 1898, respectively. My great-grandmother indicated on her 1898 passenger ship manifest that she was going to her 'husband,' but the 1900 U.S. Census indicated that they had only been married 1 1/2 years. 

So which one was correct? Had they been married in Croatia before George left for America, or did they wait until Ursula arrived in America? Well, a couple of years ago, I visited the Cuyahoga County Archives in Cleveland, Ohio, and they were NOT able to find a county marriage record for George and Ursula. The researcher did warn me that there may have been just a church wedding, so it may not have been recorded at the county level.

Recently, I conducted a search for the record on FamilySearch.org, and wouldn't you believe it, there was the record, nice and indexed for me plain as day! It always pays to go back and look at databases you've already searched! Here is the record (click for larger image):

The wedding took place on 29 May 1892 in Podstene, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Croatia. Juraj, son of Franjo and Rozalija Beljan, was 19 years old and resided in Sela, Brod Moravice. Ursula, daughter of Mate and Ursula Benički, was 18 years old and from Doluš. The witnesses were Miko Brajdić and Anton Benički. Anton was probably Ursula's uncle. Brajdić was the maiden name of Juraj's mom, so Miko is likely a maternal uncle or cousin of Juraj.

About a year later, Juraj (soon to be George), left for America, not to see his wife for five years. According to his Petition for Naturalization, George arrived in America on 5 Jun 1893.

©2015, Emily Kowalski Schroeder 

Marriage Record Source: FHL microfilm 2099984. Marriage, Podstene, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Croatia. p 70, Vjencani 1858-1913, Hrvatskog Drzavnog Arhiva, Zagrebu.

I couldn't let the day end without publishing something on my blog related to my maternal grandmother, Dina Licciardi Bellan.  Today would have been her 100th birthday.  She was born 4 September 1914 in Iselle, Italy, which is a small mountain town on the Italian-Swiss border.  She immigrated to America with her parents and sister when she was about six years old.  She served in the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII and married my grandfather, William Bellan, in 1947.  They had two children.  She was active in her church community and loved to cook and socialize.  She passed away in 1997.  Here is a photo of her with me as a baby, circa 1979.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

    "Patriotic fever engulfed me in 1943 as it did many other Americans. One day while walking home from work I spotted a large poster encouraging women to join the Coast Guard and become SPARS.  "that's it" - I just knew what I wanted to do.  I didnt know anyone in the Coast Guard and wasn't even sure what else they did besides guarding the coast as the name impled.
     The recruiters were glad to see me and after answering some pertinent questions I made an appointment for my physical which I had to cancel. Four months went by and I still had not rescheduled.  Why?  Because I didn't know how to break the news to my father.  He was a very strict parent and I just knew he would not approve.  Finally I gathered enough courage and broke the news to him.  I nearly fell through the floor when he said "Good for you."  
     In July 1943 I boarded the train at the Terminal* bound for Palm Beach Florida where I was to train.  Florida in July is hardly anyone's dream of heaven!  We arrived with our heavy suitcases grimy and sweaty at the beautiful Biltmore Hotel.
     We had assumed that the Coast Guardsmen standing at the curb would assist us with our luggage.  Instead with arms folded they just glared at us.  One laughingly informed us that since we were to replace them for active duty we might as well start learning to act like one of the boys.
     The Biltmore a famous resort no longer resembled that prestigious hotel.  All the furniture and carpeting was removed and the rooms for two were now rooms for 6. The heat was oppressive - no air conditioning at that time.  We looked at each other and if it were possible I believe we would have all taken the next train home.
     Six girls getting ready for 6am muster was no small feat.  I locked myself in the bathroom that first morning planning to shower.  Angry knocks at the door brought home the realization that privacy was a thing of the past and that all bathroom activities were going to be shared!
     Adjustments were not easy, perhaps easier for me than some others.  Many girls did not even know how to launder their clothes.  Finally the strenuous 6 weeks of basic training were over and we anxiously awaited our assignments.  I drew Norfolk Va. which didn't particularly appeal to me.  One of my roommates from Minnesota desperately wanted to go there because her boyfriend was stationed there.  The officer in charge gave her permission to switch with anyone willing.  I decided it didn't matter to me so I switched.  Her assignment was Miami Beach only 50 miles away!  Although I was not happy about going there I never regretted it.  I made great friends and enjoyed my work. However in 3 years that's as far as I got!"

(*) Referring to Cleveland's Union Terminal train station.

Click HERE to see some of my grandmother's photos from her time in the Coast Guard

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

A photo of my mom with her only sibling, my Uncle Bill, from December 1956.  At the bottom, there is a scan of what my grandmother wrote on the back of the photo; she was pretty good at labeling photos, and I sure am grateful for that today.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

My maternal grandparents, William and Dina (Licciardi) Bellan are buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Brookpark, Ohio.  My grandfather passed away 25 years ago this past week, and sadly, was laid to rest on my mom's birthday.

Of any of my family's gravestones, I have visited this one the most throughout my life.  As you can see, my grandmother lived about eight years longer than her husband, and her parents are buried very close to this grave as well, so we often came with her to the cemetery to visit.  I took this photo last year when we visited on Memorial Day weekend.  We brought some flowers and my daughter helped put them down.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

The 1900 U.S. Census is the first census in which my Croatian great-grandparents, George and Ursula Bellan, appear.  They are living on Stanton Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio.  George's occupation is listed as 'laborer.'  Their surname is listed as 'Belan,' which is one Americanized version of George's birth surname, Beljan.  (In these early years of their American residence, family records switch from Belan to Bellon to Bellan, the latter of which ultimately becomes the family's permanent name.)   

Ursula is listed as 'Mary,' and this name difference made me wonder, at first, if I indeed had found the right family.  George and 'Mary's' ages were about right, as was their place of birth (Austria-Hungary) and their dates of immigration.  Their first-born child WAS named Rudolph and he WAS born in May 1900, as the form states.  How do I confirm that this is the right family?

Fortunately, I found some other family documents from the 1900-1901 time frame which helped me verify that THIS family in the 1900 census IS my Belan family.  As mentioned above, Rudolph Bellan was born in 1900, and George and Ursula had another baby, Olga, in 1901.  I was able to find the Birth Returns for both of these children.  In Cleveland, during this period, birth returns were simple forms that were submitted to the Secretary of the Public Health Division by the attending doctor or midwife.  The birth return lists the date of birth, sex and race of child, place of birth, and names and ages of parents.  

The mother is listed as 'Marie' on both birth returns, which is consistent with the 'Mary' on the census form.  'Marie's' maiden name is listed here as Benitzki or Benici. (It is listed on Ursula's death certificate as 'Benicki,' so that is a pretty good match.)  Notice also the place of birth - 'Stenton.' Considering that the midwife seems to have had a little trouble with the English language, I feel safe in assuming that this is supposed to read 'Stanton.'  It is also worth noting that the residence of the midwife (Platt) is only a block or two south of Stanton.

If you look carefully back at the 1900 census form above, you'll see that Ursula ('Mary') cannot speak English. (Understandable, since she's only been in the country about a year and a half.)  I suspect that she may have gone by an 'easy' generic name in these first years after coming to America, as many immigrants tended to do.  George and Ursula's next child, George, was born in 1903, and Ursula is indeed listed by her correct first name on that birth return.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

This week is the American Library Association's Banned Books Week.  One of my favorite heirlooms that belonged to my Grandma Bellan is her copy of Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which, though immensely popular upon its 1943 release, has also been, at times, banned due to themes related to alcoholism, sex, and poverty.  

Grandma received this book as a gift from her niece and nephew, Linda and Dick DeRigo in 1944. (Linda was only 2 years old and Dick was a baby.)  This particular copy has seen better days; the edges are worn away, the binding has become loose in some areas, and the spine is faded and dirty.  It has that wonderful 'old-book-musty' smell, too.  But that only means that it was well-loved, and, in this case, by more than one generation.  I read this very book as a teenager (it was on my school literature reading list one particular summer), and I fell in love with it immediately.  I wanted to re-read it as an adult, but I decided to purchase a new copy.  I can be rough on my books, and at that point in my life, I was shoving them into the bottoms of bags to read on my train ride home from work.  I didn't want to risk any more damage to a copy I loved so much.

Not only did I inherit Grandma's book, but, more importantly, I inherited her LOVE of reading and books.  When she was living with us in her last year or so, she didn't like to drive too much, so during my weekly trips to the local library, I would head on over to the 'large print' section and pick up a few for her.  I hope that at least one of my children will feel the same way I feel about reading and books, and I hope that they will cherish this book from their great-grandmother as much as I do.

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

©2013. copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

My parents, Terry and Jennifer (Bellan) Kowalski were married on September 1, 1973 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Parma, Ohio.  To commemorate the day, I've created a special online photo album of their wedding pictures.  The album can be found at this link: http://kowalski-bellan.weebly.com/kowalski-bellan-wedding-album.html

The one "story" we (the kids) always hear about that day is how HOT it was.  The church was not air-conditioned - it wasn't even air-conditioned after it was turned into our school gymnasium in the 1980s - BUT the reception hall thankfully was air-conditioned.  Since I know the places in which to obtain historical weather information, I decided to look up the weather details of that day.  I found two Cleveland observation stations not too far from Parma.  Here are their temperature observations for September 1: 

The average high temperature for September 1st in Cleveland is around 79F, so yes, that's pretty warm, and it was likely quite humid, too.  Several observations stations mostly east of Parma recorded some precipitation for the day, likely due to smaller "pop-up" thunderstorms. (The second column shows rainfall for September 1, in inches.)

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder