Category: Immigration

Ellis Island Family History Day

4/17/2014

Today, April 17, has been designated at Ellis Island Family History Day. On this date in 1907, more than 11,700 people came through Ellis Island - it was the most immigrants to be process through the station in one day. In my own family, seven of my great-grandparents arrived at the port of New York and came through Ellis Island. (One of my great-grandfathers arrived at Baltimore.)

My grandmother, Dina C. Licciardi Bellan, sailed from Naples on 27 Apr 1921 with her mother and sister and arrived at Ellis Island on 12 May 1921. She was 6 1/2 years old. Her name is on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor at the Ellis Island Museum. Before she passed away, she had the opportunity to travel to NYC and see the wall (and her name) in person. Here is a photo of her next to the wall and below that is a rubbing she made of her name.

Dina (Licciardi) Bellan in front of American Immigrant Wall of Honor

Rubbing of name from Immigrant Wall of Honor

Late in life, my grandmother started to fill out a 'Family Heritage Workbook' about her life and her family's life. As far as the journey across the ocean, all she writes is, "Crossing the ocean is vague, but I do remember getting off the train in Cleveland and seeing my father leaning against a big car." (Her father, Luigi Licciardi, had immigrated to America the year before.)

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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"They're Coming To America"

1/24/2014

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Today, January 24, is singer Neil Diamond's 73rd birthday. Neil has had many hit songs throughout the years, but he may the only recording artist to make a hit out of a immigration-themed song. His 1981 song, America, is a powerful, positive song that more or less serves as a anthem to the people (our ancestors) who, for better or for worse, came to this nation to live, to work, and to make better lives for themselves and their descendants.

I found a nicely done video on YouTube, in which the producer, Orpheus, uses the song and immigration photos, art, and postcards to compile a really nice tribute to American immigrants. Enjoy!

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From Galicia to Gravenstein to Hamburg to Cleveland

1/17/2014

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Have you ever found an ancestor in an unexpected location and wondered what the heck he/she was doing there? The other day, I was reviewing two December 1910 passenger ship lists on which my great-grandmother, Sophie Krupa, is listed - a German departure passenger list from Hamburg and a New York arrival list. On both forms, her last place of residence is listed as 'Gravenstein, Germany.' Sophie was born in Skrudzina, a small village in ethnically Polish Galicia, that was, at the time of her birth in 1888, part of Austria-Hungary. So, obviously, I was wondering what she was doing in northern Germany before she sailed for America.

Gravenstein today is no longer in Germany, and, in fact, it is no longer known by that name. The town that used to be called Gravenstein is currently in southern Denmark, and is now known as Gråsten. As you can see on the map below, Gråsten is quite a journey away from Sophie's hometown, so I started searching for why she may have lived there, at least temporarily.

Journey from Skrudzina, Poland to Gråsten, Denmark

As I wrote about in this post, Sophie was an illegitimate child born into one of the poorest regions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I do not know anything specific about her early life, but I think it is safe to say that it must have been a hard one. On the U.S. 1940 Census, she (Sophie Bodziony) lists her highest level of education as only 2nd grade. As soon as she was old enough, she likely went to work.

While scouring the Internet, I came upon this website from the Danish Immigration Museum. The page gives a nice, concise history of Polish immigrants in Denmark during the late 19th and early 20th century - right at the same time Sophie was there. The one paragraph on this webpage that *really* caught my attention was this one:

"The Poles were recruited by organized German-speaking agents - the so-called “Aufsehere”, who usually travelled around Galicia in the winter and signed contracts with young workers. Some were also sent to Denmark through the so-called import associations that supplied workers to Danish and German employers."

So, there were recruiters around Galicia? Interesting. Sophie's occupation on the Hamburg list is shown as 'Dienstmädchen,' which translates quite literally to 'servant girl.' Was Sophie intending to stay and work in Gravenstein permanently, or was she just saving up money for the trip across the ocean? Was she there in Gravenstein by herself, or did she have close friends or extended family there also? Always left with more questions than answers after these investigations, but I wouldn't have it any other way! :-)

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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Census Sunday: The Kahlig Family, 1880

1/11/2014

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Franz and Juditha Kahlig are two of my husband's 3x great-grandparents through his maternal grandmother's line. They immigrated to America from Austria (Oesterreich) in August 1871 with their three children, Ludmilla, Josef, and Aloisia. Their ship manifest can be seen below:

The Kahlig Family 1871 Immigrant Ship Manifest

Although the ship manifest indicates that their destination was Indiana, the Kahlig family ended up settling in Recovery Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The township itself actually shares a border with Indiana, so they were, in fact, very close to Indiana.

The family is listed in the 1880 U.S. Census under the surname 'Kallack.' Franz is listed as Frank (a very common Americanization) and Juditha is listed as 'Euphena.' Three children are listed: Joseph, Loisa, and Caroline. Caroline was born in 1873 and was Franz and Juditha's only child to be born in America. (Loisa, my husband's great-great-grandmother, becomes 'Louisa' as an adult, and marries John M. Braun around 1890.)

Kahlig Family, 1880 U.S. Census

The family's eldest child, Ludmilla, had already married and had a child by the time this census was taken. Her husband was John Spangler and they were living in the same township as her parents. (She and her husband later moved their family across the border to Adams County, Indiana.) Ludmilla adopted the more common first name of 'Amelia' and is referred to as both 'Emma' and 'Ludmilla' in her father's will.

The Spangler Family, 1880 U.S. Census

According to the 1880 U.S. Agriculture Census, the Kahlig family owned a relatively small farm - a total of 40 acres, with 20 acres being used for production. They had three horses, two milking cows, six swine and, eighty poultry. They grew Indian corn, oats, and wheat. Between 1880 and Franz's death in 1895, twenty more acres of land was added to the farm, as, in his will, Franz explicitly describes the location of sixty acres of land to be given to his wife, Juditha, upon his death.

Franz Kahlig 1880 U.S. Agriculture Census

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Dominik Kowalski's Certificate of Citizenship

12/29/2013

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One of my paternal great-grandfathers, Dominik Kowalski, first came to America from Poland in 1912. HOWEVER, a few months ago, I found a couple of 1929 ship manifests in which Dominik is also listed. He is on a United Kingdom incoming passenger list from 14 Jun 1929, in which he is listed 'In transit to Gdynia." He returns to New York on 27 Aug 1929. It was a short trip back to Poland, and I noticed on the U.K. list that he was accompanied by a couple with the surname of Balicki, which was his wife's maiden name. (Click on images for larger versions.)

Dominik Kowalski in June 1929 U.K. Incoming Passengers List

Dominik Kowalski in Aug 1929 New York Incoming Passengers List

So, why did he go back? Was he just accompanying some in-laws for the trip, or was there another purpose? Did a close family member pass away, perhaps? I may never figure out the answer, but since he was not yet a citizen in 1929 when he re-entered the country, a visa file should have been opened for him. (Between 1924 and 1944, visa files were created for every immigrant entering the U.S.) Visa files often contain more information that what is just simply listed in naturalization papers, so I was eager to obtain them, if indeed they did exist.

I went on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Genealogy website and ordered an index search for Dominik Kowalski. The search is supposed to return all file numbers for the immigrant in question. My search returned a C-File number for Dominik, but no visa file number. The C-File includes a person's citizenship papers, such as the Declaration of Intention and Petition for Naturalization. I already had copies of these documents for Dominik, but I went ahead and ordered a copy of his C-File anyway, in the hopes that maybe some visa documents would be found in his there as well. I recently received Dominik's C-File documents from the USCIS, but unfortunately, no visa documents were included. I did, however, get a copy of his Certificate of Citizenship, which I did not previously have and which included a nice photo of him. I do have a couple of photos of him as a senior citizen, but this one was taken when he was much younger.

Dominik Kowalski's Certificate of Citizenship (1932)

So, while I didn't get any visa documents, going through the whole process was worth it for a copy of his Citizenship Certificate. I'm not sure why he didn't have a visa file - maybe it was because he had already been living successfully in the U.S. for 17 years, and had filed his Declaration of Intention to become a citizen back in 1925 before this trip to Poland. I AM pretty confident that he had to fill out some paperwork in order to take this trip (and be able to come back), but, at this point, I'm not sure how to go about finding it. Will take further digging, I'm sure.

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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Finding a Personal Connection

7/19/2013

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Over this past Fourth of July weekend, I traveled back to the Cleveland, Ohio area for the holiday and my brother's wedding. I had some free time on the morning of the fifth, so I dragged my husband to the Cuyahoga County Archives (my mom watched the kids). I had never been there. From the website, I had a rough idea of the types of records available; admittedly, a lot of their holdings were for time periods before my ancestors even immigrated to America. The property tax duplicate records helped me learn some stuff about some of the homes my great-grandparents owned and lived in, but that is a subject for different blog post.

The Archives has naturalization records, such as Declarations of Intention, Petitions for Naturalization, and Oaths of Allegiance. I had already collected these for most of my great-grandparents, but not for George Bellan, one of my maternal great-grandfathers. We found his papers; from his Declaration of Intention, I learned exactly where and when he entered America, on which ship he traveled, and where he left from. This document also gives me his home address in 1915, which I previously did not know. Great stuff, right? Everything most family history researchers need to know to continue their searches. But then I saw this in the physical description section:

"Lame in right leg." I read that as I stood in the parlor of the big mansion where the Archives are situated, and, I am telling you, I almost teared up right there. If I were to fill out one of these forms, I would have to write the exact same thing (except for my left leg). I obviously did not know this about him; I only have two photos of him, and, while he IS seated in one of them, there is no visible indication that he is disabled or deformed. When he filled out this form, he was 41 years old, only 7 years older than me, so how did he become lame? Was he hurt in an accident or a fall? Was he born with a degenerative condition like I was? (It is unlikely he had the same medical condition as me; KT syndrome is not genetic - it results when a fairly common gene mutates at a certain point in embryonic development.) Did it cause him much pain?

In any case, I don't know, I just now feel connected to this person in my family tree who I never met, a man who passed away when my mom was only three years old. Here is a person I would like to talk with about my day-to-day physical struggles - someone who would surely understand what it is like to have to do work around the house and raise children when, some days, just walking around is a struggle. So, here's to you and me, George; put us together and we've got two normal legs ;-)

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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Dominik Kowalski: Fourth of July Citizenship

7/2/2013

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In 1912, my great-grandfather, Dominik Kowalski, immigrated to America from Poland and settled in Cleveland, Ohio. Like several of my other immigrant ancestors, I found his Oath of Allegiance certificate and Naturalization Card from April of 1932:

Dominik Kowalski Oath of Allegiance

Dominik Kowalski Naturalization Card

With my other immigrant ancestors, finding these forms has been the final step in learning about their citizenship process. However, thanks to GenealogyBank, I found out a little bit more about Dominik's citizenship experience. On July 4, 1932, Dominik's name appeared in The Cleveland Plain Dealer as one of 1,500 immigrants who were to receive citizenship diplomas at Cleveland's Edgewater Park. I like to think that Dominik DID attend the ceremony, but there is no way to know for sure. Maybe his wife and children even came with him to watch. In any case, after a lot of searching, I'm pretty sure it was the only time he ever made it into the 'big city' newspaper, and it's just another great reminder that MY citizenship as an American really began the moment he received his citizenship in 1932.

Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4 Jul 1932

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Surname Saturday: Tumbusch

1/19/2013

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Theodor Tumbusch, one of my husband's gg-grandfathers on his mom's side, immigrated to America from Germany in 1861. His ship manifest is below. He was about 27 years old and his last residence is listed as Koesfeld (proper spelling is Coesfeld). Listed beneath him in the manifest is Anna Rasing, who was either already his wife, or who would soon become his wife upon arrival in America (I still need to figure that out.) They arrived in Baltimore and eventually made their way to western Ohio, where they settled on a farm in Mercer County. Unfortunately, Theodor died rather young in 1870; Anna lived until 1918.

Theodor Tumbusch and Anna Rasing Ship Manifest

I've done some research on the surname 'Tumbusch,' and it's difficult to determine what the name means or indicates. 'Busch' in German simply means 'bush' in English and 'tum' might refer to several meanings. The English word 'tumble' has roots in German - the German verb 'taumeln' means to fall, drop, or stagger, and the verb 'tummeln' means 'to romp.' The German noun 'tumben' means 'tomb.' The German noun 'tumult' has essentially the same meaning as the same English world and the noun 'tumultant' refers to a rioter. So, maybe my husband had an ancestor who fell in bushes or who was buried in bushes or who caused some sort of commotion or uproar in bushes. Your guess is as good as mine.

Theodor Tumbush had three sons, Henry, Bernard, and Herman, all of whom lived into adulthood and had sons of their own to carry on the family name. It appears that most of Henry's children chose to change the spelling of the name to 'Tumbush' - their birth records indicate the original spelling, while military, marriage, residential, and death records are most often without the 'c.' As far as I can tell from the records, the children and grandchildren of Bernard and Herman kept the original spelling.

If you're not one of my in-laws and have never heard the name 'Tumbusch' before, you're not alone. It's not a common name. The Worldnames Public Profiler maps surnames for 26 countries around the world using recent telephone directories and voter registries. It is not scientific or completely comprehensive, but it still gives you a good idea of relative popularity of a name in different places. In the U.S, the frequency per million (FPM) for the name Tumbusch is only 0.41 (The Tumbush spelling is 0.25). By comparison, my surname, Kowalski, which is basically the Polish equivalent of Smith, has a FPM of 81.56. And Tumbusch is actually MORE common in the U.S. than in Germany, where the FPM is only 0.09.

Relative frequency of surname Tumbusch - World

Zooming into Europe: It is a little difficult to see, but the only area in which 'Tumbusch' is found is the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which is where Theodor's hometown of Coesfeld is located.

Relative frequency of surname Tumbusch - Europe

Breaking down the United States: Tumbusch on the left and Tumbush on the right. Not surprisingly, both spellings are relatively common in Ohio compared with other states.

Tumbusch

Tumbush

And, finally, Ohio by county, Tumbusch on the left and Tumbush on the right. That county in western Ohio in the darkest shade of blue is Mercer County, where Theodor and Anna orginally settled. Notice the small concentration of Tumbush near Cleveland. One of my husband's great uncles moved to the Cleveland area to work on the railroads in the early 20th century and I am willing to bet that some of his descendants still live in the area.

Tumbusch

Tumbush

Based on the rarity of the name, it is probable that many people with the surname Tumbusch or Tumbush in the United States today are descendants of Theodor Tumbusch. And if there are any Tumbusch's out there who AREN'T of his lineage, it would be interesting to try to trace back their ancestors to Germany to try to find the common ancestor. That may have to be one of my longer-term goals for the future. In the meantime, I'm adding Coesfeld, Germany to my list of must-visit places whenever my husband and I get a chance to take our genealogy trip to Germany.

Tumbus(c)h family documents can be viewed and downloaded at this website: http://schroeder-tumbush.weebly.com/tumbush.html

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Tombstone Tuesday: Francois Pierre and Marie Celestine Bulcher

1/8/2013

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Holy Family Cemetery, Darke Co, Ohio

This is the headstone of my husband's 4x great-grandparents, Francois Pierre Bulcher and Mary Celestine (Voisinet) Bulcher. They were born and married in the small French village of Evette, which is currently situated in the Territoire de Belfort and located not far from France's eastern borders with both Switerland and Germany.

They came to America through New York as a young married couple in 1847 with a baby daughter named Marie Rose (Mary Rosa), who is my husband's 3x great-grandmother. They entered the country under the surname of "Burtechert." Their journey from France to Western Ohio is chronicled in a biographical sketch of one of their sons, Joseph John Bulcher, which was published in A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio.

"It was a long and tedious voyage from Havre to New York, and by canal they proceeded to Buffalo, by lake to Toledo, and by canal to Berlin*, Ohio, where they arrived in the woods. By ox team they came to Wayne township, Darke county, and the father (Francois) pruchased forty acres of land just over the line in Shelby county, for which he paid three dollars per acre."

*This town of Berlin is now known as Ft. Loramie.

According to U.S. census data, the family lived on this land for about twelve years before moving to Patterson Township in Darke County. Francis and Mary Celestine lived here until they both died in 1907. They were married for sixty years and had twelve children together.

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Foto Friday: Julius and Mary Rosa (Bulcher) Magoto

11/9/2012

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Jules Francois ('Julius') Magoto and Mary Rosa Bulcher are the great-great-great-grandparents of my husband on his dad's side of the family. Julius was born in 1835 in the French town of Hannonville-sous-les-Côtes, which is in the Lorraine region of northeast France. He came to America with his parents, Christopher Magottaux and Marie Catherine Humbert, in 1852. In the 1860 U.S. Census, the family is listed as living in Patterson Township in Darke County, Ohio. (Julius is not listed as he had already gotten married.)

Mary Rosa was born in 1846 in the French town of Belfort, which is located in the Franche-Comté region of northeast France. She came to America as an infant in 1847 with her parents, Francois Pierre Burtechert (or Burtecher) and Marie Celestine Voisinet. In the 1850 U.S. Census, they are living as farmers in Loramie Township (Shelby County), Ohio.

Julius and Mary Rosa were married September 14, 1869 in Frenchtown (Darke Co.), Ohio. It was the second marriage for Julius, as his first wife, Christine Berge, died in 1868 when she was only 28 years old. Julius and Mary Rosa had seven children who lived into adulthood and many more grandchildren.

It was quite common for French immigrants who settled in western Ohio to change the spellings and/or pronunciations of their surnames soon after arriving in America. Sometimes the change was intentional, but quite often it came about as a result of inaccurate transcriptions of the name on official documents, such as land deeds, marriage and birth records, or census schedules.

Before I started researching my husband's family tree, I wasn't aware of the French immigrant influence in rural western Ohio. I had known about the settlement of the German immigrants in the Ohio Valley, probably because their influence was more widespread and they arrived in greater numbers than the French. Most of the churches and towns that were founded by French immigrants in western Ohio in the mid-1800s are still around, and even the influence of the language lives on in certain places. There is a town in Shelby County by the name of 'Russia;' however, it is pronounced "roo-shee," which is actually quite similar to the proper pronunciation of 'La Russie,' which means 'Russia' in French. (You can listen to the French pronunciation here.) Interestingly, though, another western Ohio French settlement by the name of 'Versailles' is actually pronounced 'ver-sales', so the original French pronunciation was lost/changed at some point.

©2012, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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