The Sons of Andrew Piszczor Sr. & Anna Szczypta, Part 3

The year is 1967 and the brothers are posed in the drive of Joseph Piszczor (Pezar) in New Salem PA. Another 14 years have passed since the last brother group picture and this time the reason that brought everyone together is one on a sad note. The event is the passing and burial of their father, Andrew Piszczor, Sr., who died at the age of 80. So many members of the family showed that many of us were put up in the homes of neighbors for a few nights. This also meant the cleaning up and preparing the farm for sale outside the family.

(For those keeping score, from left to right: Walter Sr., Michael Sr., Jesse Sr., Andrew Jr., Joseph and John Piszczor)

Andrew Piszczor Sr. & Anna Szczypta - Anna passed away in 1962 just shy of her 83rd birthday. You already know what happened to Andrew Sr., he lived on the farm until his death with occasional visits to church and the Slovak Club.

John Piszczor - John's wife Ann Slosar passed away in 1957 in Cleveland area. By this time John left photography and had started his Real Estate business, building homes through out the south Cleveland suburbs. In 1959 he remarried in Cleveland to Amelia Bruscino.

Joseph Piszczor - Joe had worked his way up the union leadership ladder and was the local Mine Workers Union President. He and Helen had four grandsons now; three from Donald and Mary Ann (Donald (Dj), James and Steven) and one from Bernard and Martha (Bernard).

Andrew Piszczor Jr. - Andy and Helen moved to East Cleveland after he retired from coal mining and went to work for General Electric. They also had a granddaughter, Sabrina Sue Migyanko, from Betty Lou and Charles Migyanko.

Jesse (Hyacinth)Piszczor Sr. - Jesse and Josephine still lived in Cleveland. He had worked at the Old Mill Tavern with his brother Michael for years but recently started working at White Motors along with his brother Walter and his nephew Donald. They finally had a son, Jesse, Jr, in 1954 and a by this time Carol and David Latham gave them a granddaughter, Michelle Latham.

Michael Piszczor Sr. - Mike and Julia also continued to live in Cleveland. Mike now owned and operated the Old Mill Tavern. In 1956 they had a son, Micheal Jr., born in 1956 and a daughter, Barbara Ann, in 1958.

Francis Piszczor - Frank passed away in Painesville after battling cancer in 1958. Monica continued to live in Painesville with her daughters. She remarried in 1964 to John Lannen and moved to southern California. By this time there was one new granddaughter in her family, Charmain, form Paulette and Bernard Bullock.

Walter Piszczor Sr. - Walter stayed in Cleveland and married Margret Patrick in 1954. Between the 45th Anniversary in 1953 and 1967 they had five children; Marion (1955), Walter Jr. (1958), Matthew (1959), Marlene (1961)and William (1964). Walter was still working at White Motors.

The Sons of Andrew Piszczor Sr. & Anna Szczypta, Part 2

This is the next photo I have found that has most of the sons of Andrew Piszczor Sr. in it and it's a good place to review the time line. Everyone is gathered at the family farm in McClellandtown, PA for the 45th wedding anniversary of Andrew and Anna in 1953. It appears that Francis and Monica Piszczor were unable to make it but I suspect it was due to them expecting their second child right about then. (I know I'll have that confirmed very soon!)

So a lot has happen to the family in the past 13 years and sure it would have been even more hectic if some people didn't have to go and start a war. Let me tell you what I know and see if anyone else will have something to add:

Andrew Piszczor Sr. & Anna Szczypta - Not much changed for Andy and Anna during this time, just working the farm and going down in the mines while collecting more grandchildren.

John Piszczor - During this time John and Ann stayed in the Cleveland area. John by this time had begun his career as a photographer, moved to the southeast part of town on a large piece of land near what today is Solon and is running the Grand Studio on Broadway Ave. near E. 75th St.

Joseph Piszczor - By this time Joe and Helen had finished building their home in New Salem and had their third son, Thomas, in 1952. Joseph was well on his way working up the ladder in the Coal Miner Union.

Andrew Piszczor Jr. - Andy and Helen continued to stay in McClellandtown and working in the coal mines. They had a son, Lawrence, in 1944 but sadly he lived only for a year. Then in 1946 Daniel was born to them.

Jesse (Hyacinth)Piszczor Sr. - Jesse and Josephine remained in Cleveland and he was working for a steel manufacturing firm before he got his letter from Uncle Sam. He spent over two years in uniform and served in Europe and the Far East. After he was discharged he also became a photographer,working with John for awhile. In 1943 they had a daughter they named Carol. In 1953 moved to the east side of Cleveland and had a son who unfortunately died in child birth.

Michael Piszczor Sr. - I don't know much of what Mike did during this period besides satying in Cleveland; except that he also was called into the armed forces, serving in the Army during the war. He also married Julia Habrot in 1947.

Francis Piszczor - Frank and Monica also stayed in the Cleveland area and I believe they moved out to Painesville, OH by this time. Frank was working for Sealtest as a milkman. They did have two daughters during this time; Paulette in 1943 and Susan in 1953.

Walter Piszczor Sr. - Walter was born in 1924 and stayed in McClellendtown until he too was called up and served in the Army Air Corps in Europe as a navigator on light bombers. Shortly after being discharged he also found his way to Cleveland and may have been working at White Motors by this time.

The Sons of Andrew Piszczor Sr. & Anna Szczypta, Part 1

Might you be thinking I'm running out of pictures? I know I used this one before but I never explained it and it will allow me to roll into a nice storyline, so please hang with me here and watch how I ride.

This is the earliest family photo I found so far. It is just a wonderful happenstance that it is a family portrait. Andrew and Anna (Szczypta) Piszczor on the front porch with their six sons. I haven't seen this photo in over 10 years but I do know it was taken in 1921 in either Tarr or Mt. Pleasant, PA. There was nothing else on the photo noting why they were all dressed up for the photo. Allow me to set the characters of the story for you till about 1940 and you will see how they progress through the years in the next few posts:

Andrew Piszczor Sr. - Came to the U.S. in 1904 when he was 18. His father, Jakob Piszczor, had already been to this country and back to Poland at least once by the time he arrived so he must have had contacts in Tarr, PA. He was a farmer in Poland and was heading here to work in the mines at that time. Some time before 1908 he found his way to Chicago where his sister Antonia lived with her husband Jozef Basiorka, where legend has it he met his future wife in their apartment.

Anna Szczypta - She arrived from Poland in 1905 at the age of 25 and heading to Chicago to stay with her cousin. The hand writing on the manifest is quite illegible but it looks like a Jozef, which works with the story that she and Jozef Basiorka were cousins. This is why she was in that apartment when Andrew came to Chicago. How ever it happened something worked and they married in Mt. Pleasant, PA in 1908 and went on to raise seven sons.

John Piszczor - The oldest son was born in 1909. By the time he finished high school he knew he didn't want to work in the mines anymore and he rode the trains out to California for a short stay and returned to the Uniontown area and began as an apprentice to a tailor. Some where down the line he married Ann Slosar in the 1930s.

Joseph Piszczor - Born in 1911, Joe went into the coal mines and eventually worked his way into the Union hierarchy. In 1934 he married this girl down the road by name of Helen Schifko, remaining in the New Salem area. They had their first son, Donald, in 1935 and Bernard was born in 1940.

Andrew Piszczor Jr. - Andrew Jr. came into the word in 1912 and after high school he worked in the coal mines and had a second job also (I want to say it was the railroads, but I'm not certain.. anyone help me on this?) He went on to quite literally marrying the girl next door, Helen Sinko, in 1936. They also stayed right in the neighborhood through this time in New Salem and McClellandtown and had two daughters, Josephine Ann (better known as Josie) born in 1937 and Betty Lou in 1940.

Jesse (Hyacinth)Piszczor Sr. - This son of various first names that finally settled as Jesse was born in 1914. From what I know he was the athlete of the family, playing semi-pro baseball and football while in high school. He left the farm right out of school and headed to Cleveland to work manufacturing. It was there where he met and married Josephine Semik in 1938.

Michael Piszczor Sr. - After a well deserved break Michael was born on 1917. He found his way to Cleveland in the late 1930s and didn't find his someone special at this point.

Francis Piszczor - This Frank was born in 1919 and also followed the trail to Cleveland shortly after high school. But once there he didn't waste much time in finding a Cleveland girl, Monica Wolinski, and somehow convinced her to walk down the aisle with him in 1940.

Now at this time we are missing two sons; the first Francis Piszczor who lived only a very short time in 1918, reportedly contracting the Spanish Influenza and Walter Piszczor Sr. who will be making an appearance shortly....

There are always the chance for surprises

I am feeling like I accomplished some headway this week in searching family that I want to share. It developed out of that mystery box I found in the basement I mentioned last week.

For some background; I have been talking to Stan Kensic from California. I mentioned him before a few posts back. He is from Cleveland and his parents settled in the Uniontown area. He is searching on his Fudala roots and we found we both have tracked down a Fudala ancestor to the town of Witow about the same time; My grandmother Anna Szczypta, wife of Andrew Piszczor, grandfather was Maciej Fudala and Stan's great great grandfather was Jan Fudala (same generation if you're keeping score!). We talked about it and could not make a connection, for all we know they could be brothers. So in that box I found a copy of the translation of Anna's birth certificate and realized something I overlooked before, her godparents! It seems that Anna's godmother was Regina Fudala, wife of Jan Fudala! I sent a copy of it to Stan and waiting to hear what records he might have that could make a connection.

So if Maciej and Jan just happen to have been brothers that would mean that Stan and I (with all my other first cousins) are 4th cousins!

Anna Szczypta, Wife of Andrew Piszczor Sr

I was eight years old when she passed away. She was a sweet and loving woman who was able to make all of her grandchildren feel special. When I stayed over at their farm she used to wake me up to do the early chores with her. She taught me how to milk a cow and collect eggs in the chicken coop. I know she taught some of my girl cousins how to make cheese and butter, some pretty important stuff I would say! She also made wine with the fruit from the farm and kept eight Piszczor men in line! I remember that the only time I saw my grandfather Andrew weep was during her entire funeral.

Anna Szczypta was my fraternal grandmother born in Witow, Poland in 1879. Her parents, Jan Szczypta and Regina Sepek, were farmers and she had one brother by the name of Jan. While Jan stayed in Poland, Anna decided to come to America, arriving in 1905.

She appears to have met her future husband Andrew in America, even though they grew up within three miles of each other. This leads into the the romantic legend; that they met in the apartment of her cousin(?) in Chicago who just happened to be Jozef Baisorka. Who incidentally was married to Andrew's sister Antonia! (just to note, Anna's arrival papers stated she was going to stay with a cousin in Chicago who lived on 752 W. 18th St, but I make out the hand writing to confirm the name!) For whatever reason all four of them left Chicago and headed to Westmoreland county in Pennsylvania. It was there in 1908 that they married in Mt. Pleasant, again with misspelled names.

Anna had seven sons with Andrew (and one died who within his first year) and lived on their farm in McClellandtown for nearly 40 years. There are pictures of Anna the farm in a number of the online albums.
----------------
The Evening Standard (Uniontown, PA) Oct 30, 1962

PISZCZOR (PEZAR), ANNA M.

Aged 82, Footedale-Lambert Rd, died Sunday, October 28, 1962 at 11:40 a.m. in the Uniontown Hospital. Born November 11, 1879 in Poland, she had resided in the area for the past 47 years. She was a member of the St. Thomas R.C. Church, Footedale; St, Hedwig's Lodge 2234 ZNP and the Rosary Society of the church. She is survived by her husband, Andrew Piszczor Sr, and these children: John, Cleveland, O.; Joseph, New Salem; Andrew Jr., McClellandtown; Jesse, Michael and Walter, Cleveland, O.; 16 grandchildren; three great grandchildren; one brother, John Szczypta resides in Poland. She was preceded by a son Frank S. in 1958. Friends are being received at Vito P. DeCarlo Funeral Home until Wednesday. A Requiem High Mass will be chanted at St. Thomas R.C. Church, celebrated by Fr. Walter E. Iwaniski. Internment will be in the church cemetery. The Holy Name Society will recite the rosary Tuesday evening at 8 o'clock.

The Fudala Surname Connection - for you Stan

In doing research on the family I have run into a number of very diligent researchers working hard to make connections on the Fudala family. Fact is there are more people researching the Fudala lines than any other family from our Nowy Targ region. So how do they connect with our family you ask? Anna Szczypta married Andrew Piszczor Sr and they were fruitful and mutiplied. Anna's parents from Witow were Jan Szczypta and Tekla Fudala! (Just in case any Fudala researcher happens to read this, Tekla's parents were Meciej Fudala ans Anna Kwak.)

I have gotten to know a few of these people but one in particular, Stan Kensic, stands out with a number of coincidences even though we haven't found a connection yet. First of all he is been to and very familiar with the Uniontown, PA area, and still has family there! Then it seems his grandparetns were married in the same church that Anna and Andrew Piszczir were married in, Transfiguration in Mt. Pleasant, PA. He also had the opportunity to visit our region of Poland where all our families came from! (He and I also share heart surgery experiences, who says it doesn't run in the family now!)

So with that I have made the effort to put out the Fudala information I have and hope we might be found by someone who can find our connection:

This name has a shrouded origin. There is no Polish root fud-, but in his book Nazwiska Polakow Polish surname expert Prof. Kazimierz Rymut mentions Fudala among several names common in Poland but actually of Rumanian origin, which lends some credence to the carpatho-rushyn theory of who originally inhabited this area. So it seems likely Fudala derives from Rumanian. Rymut does not mention the meaning of this root in Rumanian, but there are in Rumanian such words as fudul, which means "proud," fudulie, "pride, haughtiness," and a verb fuduli (a se) meaning "to bridle up, strut, flaunt.

Fudala: (e.g. Fudala, Fudale, Fudalak, Fudalej, Fudaley, Fedalewicz, Fudalowicz)

Date Name - Town - Event
1608 Fudala - Pieniąźkowice - Old Church Record
1631 Fudala - Bukowina - Birth
1632 Fudaley - Bukowina - Birth
1633 Fudalak - Baiły Dunajec - Marriage
1726 Fudalowicz - Nowy Targ - Birth
1739 Fudalowicz - Nowy Targ - Birth
1739 Fudalewicz - Klinkuszowa - Birth
1763 Fudałowicz - Nowy Targ - Birth
1763 Fudalewicz - Nowy Targ - Birth
1782 Fudalowicz - Nowy Targ - Birth
1786 Fudałowicz - Nowy Targ - Birth
1809 Fudalewicz - Nowy Targ - Registraton
1786 Fudala - N. Bystre - Birth
1788 Fudala - Rogoźnik - Birth
1790 Fudala - Czarny Dunajec - Birth
1792 Fudala - Dział - Birth
1793 Fudala - Chochołów - Birth
1799 Fudala - Witow - Birth
1803 Fudała - Nowy Targ - Birth
1805 Fudala - Stare Bystre - Birth
1808 Fudala - Podczerwone - Birth
1810 Fudala - Długopone - Birth
---- Fudala - Białka Tatrzańska - Registration
---- Fudala - Czarny Dunajec - Registration
---- Fudala - Ciche - Registration
---- Fudala - Długopone - Registration
---- Fudala - Dzianisz - Registration
---- Fudala - Konoiówka - Registration
---- Fudala - Międzyczerwienne - Registration
---- Fudala - N. Bystre - Registration
---- Fudala - Odroważ - Registration
---- Fudala - Podczerwone - Registration
---- Fudala - Ratułow - Registration

The Early Szczypta Records

The Szczypta name merged with the Piszczor when Anna Szczypta married Andrew Piszczor Sr in Mt.Pleasant, PA in 1908. Now they grew up less than 10 miles apart in in Poland but, according to the stories, met in the United States at her cousin's home. Her cousin was Jozef Basiorka who just happened to be married to Antonia Piszczor, Andrew's sister! (Just another link to connect!)

Szczypta: (Scipta, Scypta, Sczipta, Sczypciak, Sczypta, Sczypty, Szcipta, Szczipta) - a very small amount of an ingredient

Year Name - Location - Record Type
1620 Sczypta - Nowy Targ - Birth
1620 Sczypta - Szaflary - Marriage
1632 Sczypciak - Skrzypne - Marriage
1640 Sczypty - Nowy Targ - Residence
1650 Scipta - Nowy Targ - Birth
1652 Scipta - Nowy Targ - Birth
1684 Scypta - Zab - Birth
1778 Szczipta - Chochołów - Birth
1786 Sczipta - Witów - Birth
1786 Szczypta - Witów - Birth
1786 Szczypta - Wróblówka - Birth
1786 Szczypta - Wróblówka - Birth (b)
1787 Szcipta - Witów - Birth
1787 Szczipta - Witów - Birth
1787 Szczypta - Odroważ - Birth
1788 Scypta - Dzianisz - Birth
1788 Scypta - Witów - Birth
1788 Szczypta - Wróblówka - Birth (a)
1790 Scipta - Chocholów - Birth
1790 Szczypta - Wróblówka - Birth (c)
1807 Scipta - Witów - Birth
1809 Scipta - Dzianisz - Birth
------ Szczypta - Odroważ - Civil Registration
------ Szczypta - Podczerwone - Civil Registration
------ Szczypta - Stare Bystre - Civil Registration
------ Szczypta - Witów - Civil Registration
------ Szczypta - Wróblówka - Civil Registration
------ Szczypta - Załuczne - Civil Registration
(a) al. Galik
(b) al. Galus
(c) al. Kurasek

St. Thomas Cemetery - Footdale, PA Headstones

The one thing we did on our trip to the Uniontown area was to stop at the cemeteries where I knew we had family buried. As we stopped at the grave site of my grandparents, Andrew Piszczor Sr and Anna Szczypta, my wife Sandy began to notice some of the other headstones and was taken by all the unique Polish names that she saw. The next thing I knew we were wandering about the St. Thomas Cemetery in Footdale checking out the markers that caught our interest and taking pictures of them.

Of the family I know of buried there besides my father's parents are my aunt and uncle Joseph Piszczor and Helen Schifko; another uncle (the first Francis Piszczor) who died as an infant and buried in an unmarked grave from the 1918-19 Spanish Influenza; my cousins the brothers Donald Sr and Bernard Piszczor and Helen Schiko's second husband Frank Boskovich.

It was late and we only had two days so we only had about an hour but on the way home I thought about other family researchers that would have an interest in these grave markers. With that in mind I decided to place all the pictures we took in the photo album and plan on my next time back to take more in hope this can be helpful to others. Meanwhile I have begun to contact the church who has taken over care of the cemetery since the closing of St. Thomas and see if I can get the full list of those buried there and publish it here.

To see all the markers we recorded this trip come over to the album and see.

Back on the old farm

Still scanning pictures and uncovered a little bound pack of photos taken at Andrew Piszczor's farm in McClellandtown, PA. I figure they were taken roughly 1958 by seeing the people in them and some of the vehicles.

So far I have eleven found photos of the farm from when Andy owned the place, but as I find more I will place them in the album. You can see them but clicking here!

Frank Basiorka, son of Antonina Piszczor

I remember first meeting Frank Basiorka at my grandmothers' funeral, that of Anna Szczypta, back in 1962. He was my dads' cousin and that was a difficult thing to comprehend for an eight year old. From my view I had cousins and they were all, well, kids! But I do remember him as a nice, kind man and my father and Frank seemed to had a good time together.

Frank Andrew Basiorka passed away at 3am on the morning on 30 March 1995 at Green ville Regional Hospital at the age of 80.

Frank was born in Mt. Pleasant Township in Westmoreland County, PA on 7 Oct 1914, one of nine children of Josef Basiorka and Antonina Piszczor (Piscur).

He married Anna Elizabeth Smith on 29 July 1944. Anna passed away 4 Aug 1982. Frank remarried on 17 Aug 1985 to Jean Sutherland Leyden.

In addition to being a farmer he worked for over 20 years in the Westmoreland County coal mines and retired from the Greenville Steel Car Co in 1979 after 29 years of service.

At his death in 1995 Frank was survived by his second wife Jean, his daughter Anita Powell of Clarks Mills (PA); his stepson Patrick Leyden of Denver; his sister Catheryn Sroka of New Kensington, Pa; three grandsons; four step grandchildren and two step great-granddaughters.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife Anna; his sister Mary Sczschowicz; his three grown brothers, James, Thomas and John Basiorka; and three infant siblings whose names I have yet to discover.

More connected surnames added

Rough weekend but was able to update more connected surnames to the family. There is more to come but doing my best to grasp on to any sanity I may still have!

To see what is here so far just click over to the connected surname page at the Piszczor website!