Charles John Posluszny

Charles John Posluzny was the 7th born and 4th living adult child of Caroline Straub and Joseph Posluszny. He was born on September 18, 1887, in Dzikowiec in the Galicia region of Poland.

Charles immigrated to the United States in 1905, according to the 1910 census. He must have arrived at the end of 1904 or January of 1905 because he is in the wedding photo of his brother Joseph, who was married in February of 1905. I can’t find an actual record of his arriving. He’s front row left in the wedding photo.

He met Maria Julia Straub some time after his arrival and married her on February 3, 1910, when he was 22 years old. My cousin says that Maria is in the first wedding photo, sitting behind him. That is the only photo I have of her.

Searching the 1905 New York State census, I found her working as a servant for the McCoy family. Husband, wife, 6 children, Mr. McCoy’s brother, and a boarder! She was probably happy to leave there!

Charles is standing 3rd from left in the family picture below taken likely early 1907.

Their marriage in early 1910 created a record of them in the 1910 US Census. They were living at 78 Jefferson Street in Yonkers, New York. Recorded with Charles and Maria is a boarder by the name of John Straub, 23 years old, who is Maria’s brother. He would eventually get married to Caroline Hammer in 1913.

Edited original to add: I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this picture of Charles. I don’t know when it was taken but the hair style is similar in Frank and Josephine’s wedding photo.

Charles spent his life in the hat industry. In 1910, he was a finisher in a hat shop. The Waring Hat Manufacturing Company was in Yonkers NY so perhaps this is where he worked.

By 1918, he, Maria and their two daughters are living in Norwalk, Connecticut. Charles is working for the American Hat Manufacturing Company located at 25 Grand Street in Norwalk. It was originally the Joseph Loth Company. The building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here is a picture of the building as a factory and a couple of the hat making process.

No amount of searching gives me a 1920 census listing, but by 1923, he and Marie own their home at 7 Van Buren Avenue in Norwalk and they are now known as Charles and Marie Post. They, like Joseph and Anna, have whacked off the end of their given surname!

The 1930 census page he is on lists employees for a number of factories including hats, shirts, dresses, staples, and shoes. A lot of factory workers!

By 1940, still working in the Hatting industry, he has moved on to Hat Corporation of America located at Van Zandt Street in East Norwalk and is working as a finisher. This company was a merger of three hat companies: Crofut and Knapp, Cavanagh Hats, and the Knox Hat Company. This building still stands, although with updates over the years.

The 1950 census says he was “unable to work” and he passed away on April 30, 1952 at the age of 64 after suffering from stomach cancer for 6 months (likely longer).

Maria would live for another 18 years before passing away on December 31, 1970 at the age of 82 in Waterbury Connecticut.

Charles and Maria had two daughters, Matilda Caroline and Josephine Gertrude. Caroline is in honor of Charles’ mother (my great grandmother) and Gertrude in honor of Maria’s mother.

Matilda was born in 1916 in Yonkers, New York. She married Donald J. Trager in October of 1939 and they had two children, Sharon in 1942 and Richard in 1946. There is incredibly little information about either daughter online. Matilda and Donald were divorced in 1972. Matilda died in Waterbury in November of 1985 and there is no record of an obituary.

At the time of Donald’s death in 1987, their daughter Sharon was married and had one child and was living in New Jersey. I was able to track down an address and sent a letter addressed to Sharon and her son, Darrell, but so far no response! Their son, Richard, lives in Portland Maine and I haven’t had an opportunity to reach out to him.

Josephine was born in 1917 in Yonkers, New York. She married Edwin Guy Newman in April of 1939. They had two children, Ellen in 1947 and Susan in 1950. Ellen was married in 1967 and there the trail goes cold.

Edwin died in 1999 at 85 years old and Josephine in 2010 at 93 years old after living in Westport for their married life.

After such great success finding Frank’s great granddaughter and having her actually remember him, and provide me with new photos of him, I was confident I would be able to connect with someone in Charles’s family as well. I will keep searching and give an update if I come in contact with anyone in his family.