World War II – It's All About Family

Looking Back at 2025

Yesterday, I took a trip down memory lane of the people I researched and wrote about this past year. I’m proud of the information I found, stories I wrote, and living relatives I uncovered during my search. Here’s a review month by month….

January

I started the year with a couple of posts from the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow. The first topic was “In the Beginning,” and I chose to write about my parents’ courtship and wedding. I had fun going through old photos of them from their wedding and trips with my aunt and uncle. Ancestry provided the high school yearbook pages and my mom’s collection of postcards showed us the sweetness in their relationship.

The second post was “Favorite Photo.” My favorite photo will always be the Posluszny Family photo that started this crazy research journey! I think it is in every post I wrote about the family this year. It’s probably time to frame it and put it on a wall.

The third post in January told the story of my great-uncle John Posluszny. At the end of December 2024, I wrote about solving the “mystery” of his death in 1942, so I really wanted to start my Posluszny series with his story. I connected with his granddaughter, Janine, in 2012, and she shared the photos of her father, Stanley with me. I enjoyed finding and sharing the newspaper articles with her. I currently have a message out to a great-granddaughter of John and hope I hear from her to make another family connection.

February

On the 1st of February, I wrote about my mother’s diagnosis of brain cancer. Even 38 years later, memories were fresh.

Next up was a little break from family with a post about a sampler completed in 1817 and found by my father in the attic of his paint store in the early 1980s. He held on to it always curious about where it came from. Unfortunately, I didn’t think about researching it until after he passed away in 2010. I still haven’t delivered it to the Portland Historical Society!

Another great uncle, Joseph Posluszny, was my next subject. I can hear to this day my Aunt Judy saying, “Uncle Joe Post”. I’ve worked with his great granddaughter on Ancestry for many years and the majority of pictures I have came from her. In September, I was contacted by one of Joseph’s granddaughters who lives in Connecticut about 45 minutes away. I look forward to getting to know her better and hearing her stories!

This post was born during my Posluszny research when I noticed, after 15 years of research, that my great grandmother, Caroline Straub is listed on the 1910 census as having given birth to 14 children with 8 of them at the time still living! I headed over to the amazing Geneteka website, started searching, and managed to find the records for five children who died either at birth or a very young age.

March

Early in March we said goodbye to our sweet chihuahua, Wally and late in March was the anniversary of my dad’s passing.

April

The 98th anniversary of my grandmother’s passing was in early April and if you don’t know her story, you can read it here.

I wrote about my great uncle Frank Posluszny. He was a tough one over the years to find anything about because he was in a mental institution from the 1930 federal census to the 1940 census. I had very little information on the family and wasn’t sure where to look. But as the years go by, more information becomes available and I was able to find his great-granddaughter! We emailed back and forth and she actually knew him! She sent pictures which I included in his story.

*Josephine, Frank, and Mildred Poslushny*

May

I spent May working on my great uncle Charles Posluszny’s story. I posted once to check in to say I was working on him and at the end of the month, completed it. Once again, there are grandchildren and great grandchildren alive, but in this case, I don’t have a way to contact them.

June

June was busy with visiting relatives and a trip to Chicago so there were no posts in June.

July

In July I wrote about the sisters in the Posluszny family, Mary Posluszny Biega, and Elizabeth Posluszny Laçź. One who was well known and the other who disappeared without a trace.

August

I finally made it to the last of the Posluszny children, Walter Bonk, son of Caroline Straub and her second husband John Bonk. I knew all of his children and his grandchildren.

My second post was the result of a stranger’s request on Ancestry looking for “living relatives of Alfred Donroe”. He was my cousin in law’s father and he died in World War II. This person in France is working with citizens of Gouesnou France to create a permanent memorial to the soldiers and civilians who died there. I received a comment on there from my younger cousin, and we had a nice email conversation. He and his wife plan to go to France to see the monument.

September

The last quarter of the year I focused on my maternal grandfather and his family. Their lives were so entwined for many so years, that the first story takes you from Jacob and Katherine’s arrival in the United States through 1916. This was Part 1.

October

Engram Family Part 2 took place from 1916 through the 1930s. I became acquainted with a second cousin a few years ago and he sent a slew of family pictures. I also began searching on Newspapers(dot)com using family member’s names where I found Kitty and Louise playing basketball!

Later in the month, I wrote about Theresa, Katherine, and Louise from the 1930s through their lives. My half aunt Joanne shared photos with me as well as few letters Katherine wrote to Theresa’s daughter Irene. I’m grateful to Joanne for the information and the years of emails back and forth. I saved them all and finally printed them out and put them in order. I was overwhelmed by the amount of information that suddenly made sense!

November

Five posts in November! First up was the lives of Elizabeth and Hannah. Elizabeth had an interesting situation which deserved a post to explain it. It’s amazing what a person can find when they look hard enough, and have help from strangers on Ancestry! Thanks to Newspaper(dot)com again, I discovered a third cousin living about 20 minutes away!

In time for Veterans Day, I shared a post from June 2024 called The Effects of War about my grandfathers in World War I, and uncles in World War II.

Then it was back to the Engram Family with Jacob Sr.’s story. I wish I knew more about him!

My cousin, Brian, messaged me pictures of a letter Jacob Jr. wrote to his sister Theresa. The war was over and he was waiting to go home. When Brian and I got together during Thanksgiving week, we sifted through all the Engram pictures and letters and there were more letters from Jacob to his sisters. They were very interesting to read.

December

I wrapped the year up with a re-post of December 7, 1941, the story of my Uncle Walt during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I rounded out the Engram family with the final story of my grandfather Jacob Jr. I learned so much about him from my Aunt Joanne’s emails that again, didn’t make sense until it was time to write his story.

And here we are – the end of the year! I’ve signed up again for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge and I will be looking through my family tree for new ancestors to tell you about!

Happy New Year!

December 7, 1941

Today, like that day 84 years ago, was a Sunday morning.

My uncle, Walter Jakiela, was fresh out of radio school and soaking in the sun of Pearl Harbor, 5,000 miles from his home in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Little did he know what awaited him that day…

I wrote his story as a part of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks back in May of 2024. You can read about his experience in Day of Infamy.

My Veterans

In honor of Veterans Day, I’m sharing the story I wrote in June of 2024 for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. It’s called, The Effects of War. There are links within that story that share the details of their time served.

Beginning with World War I, there was my biological maternal grandfather, Jacob Engram and my paternal grandfather, Charles Jakiela.

My Great Uncle Bronislaw Liro went back to Poland before World War I broke out, fought for the Austrian Army, was captured, and escaped from Siberia.

World War II saw my Uncle Connie and my dad enlist in the Army Air Force and my Uncle Walt and Uncle Mal in the Navy. My Uncle Walt lived through the horror of Pearl Harbor 3 weeks fresh out of Navy radio school.

While cleaning out my aunt’s home, I found a letter from my Great Uncle Antoni written in 1947 describing the aftermath of World War II.

My father in law Harold served in the Korean War as a cook, his brother Ronald as an infantry tank driver, and my step father in law Paul was in the motor pool.

It’s an honor to have these brave men in my family.

Engram Girls Part 2

Two more sisters in this episode…

Elizabeth

I mentioned in my previous story that on June 6, 1917 at 19 years old, Elizabeth married Barney Michkind who was 24 years old. This was only a year after her mother passed away and she is still living at the family Pelham Parkway home. But then, in the 1920 federal census, she is listed as living with her sisters on West 128th Street in Manhattan and Single. Hmmm.

I did a little digging on Barney and found a military record. He enlisted in the military on July 11, 1916 and mustered on July 11, 1917. Remarks on this particular form say:
AWOL August 16/17 to Aug 23/17 incl (something) Aug 28/17. Sent to 10 day confinement at hard labor and forfeit pay for like period. Served overseas for June 30/18 to March 13/19.

So, it seems, they got married and he was leaving.

The next record for Elizabeth is the 1925 New York State census in Bronx New York. She is listed as a wife to Albert Klein, an electrician, and they have a daughter Adeline, who was born in 1922. She gave birth to a son, Robert in 1927.

The 1930 Federal Census tells me they are living in Queens with her brother Jacob, and Albert is working for Jacob on his farm.

In the 1940 Federal Census they are now living in Yonkers, New York and Albert is working as an electrician for an oil burner installation company. Adeline is 17 and Robert is 12. The census also tells me that they were there in 1935 because in the city column it says “same house”.

It makes my curious for the reasons why they left the Bronx where Albert was working as an electrician and move to Queens to a farm for Albert to work as an assistant to his brother in law and then move again to Yonkers and back to his electrician job.

Elizabeth’s father, Jacob Sr., 79 years old, is living with them. The census says he has no job but says “OT” which stands for other work. Joanne wrote, “my grandpa was employed as a groundskeeper at Woodlawn Cemetery, on the border of Bronx and Westchester. I know he lived with my Aunt Betty and Uncle Al at the end of his life…I’d say thru the influence of my dad.” Woodlawn Cemetery by today’s travel is 2.1 miles and 10 minutes from 61 Kettell Avenue Yonkers via Yonkers Avenue. Jacob Sr died in 1944 at the age of 84. His story will come later.

A funny thing happened when Elizabeth and Albert’s family wanted to throw them a 25th wedding anniversary. They had to confess, they were not married! What?! Which begs the question – did Elizabeth ever get a divorce?

I contacted an individual who had Barney in his family tree but didn’t have his marriage to Elizabeth listed. I gave him a copy of their marriage license and he directed me to a court document he found in a search using the name “Elizabeth Mishkind”. It’s filed under “divorce and civil case records” and dated April 9, 1918. Elizabeth is the plaintiff and “in re” the defendant. AI tells me “its use for the defendant indicates that the proceeding was likely uncontested or did not have a formally adversarial (opposing) party. So basically, an uncontested divorce. This person also told me that Barney was a featherweight boxer, competing under the name Barney Williams in his youth. He was married two more times after Elizabeth, in 1922 and in 1937.

Elizabeth and Albert did make their marriage official in 1947, 25 years after the birth of their daughter Adeline! I hope they had that 25th anniversary party.

*Elizabeth, Hannah/Joan, and Louise 1940s Florida*

They all moved again prior to the 1950 federal census but they stayed in Yonkers. By now, both Elizabeth and Albert were 50. He was a trouble shooter for an oil company, likely still an electrician and she was now a nurses aide at a hospital.

*Adeline in her 1940 high school graduation picture*

Their daughter, Adeline, married Frank Rinaldi in January of 1943 and they had a son Frank Jr, 5, and a daughter, Elizabeth, 3, in 1950 and are living with her parents in 1950. He served in the Navy during World War II.

Their son, Robert, married Constance Olsen in Yonkers in May of 1951. The 1950 census for both has them working at a restaurant. She as a waitress, he as a chef so that’s likely where they met. I don’t have any additional information for them.

Unfortunately, in August of 1969, Robert passed away. His obituary says it was after an extended illness, and he died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, so I’m going to assume it was cancer. Cancer has definitely visited the Engram / Duy family more than I’ve seen in any other part of my family. By this time, 18 years later, he is divorced from Constance, but he does have two children. He served in World War II, lived in Florida for 10 years as a chef in Pompano and Miami, and had returned to Yonkers in recent years.

Elizabeth and Albert continued to live in Yonkers New York. Unfortunately, Elizabeth suffered mental health issues and “spent many years in various state mental institutions” according to my Aunt Joanne.

*Anna Winner Engram, Joanne (5), Jacob Jr., Hannah/Joan, and Elizabeth Engram Klein 1950 Florida*

Albert Klein passed away in October of 1974 after a long illness and he was residing at Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne, New York. He was 75 years old.

Six months later in May of 1975, Elizabeth passed away following a brief illness. Her obituary says “she had lived in Yonkers hospitals until her husband Albert died last year.” Aunt Joanne shared this with me, “Aunt Betty died from choking on a bone (while she fought off her son-in-law who was trying to help her.)”. What a sad and tragic way for her life to end.

By this time, her sister Katherine (Kitty) was the only sibling living as is her daughter Adeline. Elizabeth also has five grandchildren (although I only have 4), and three great grandchildren! I wonder if they are as interested in their ancestors as I am?

Hannah

Hannah was the youngest of the siblings, born in 1906 and was 10 years old when her mother passed away. She lived with her sisters in the city and went to school. I told you in the Engram Family Part 2, Hannah, now know as Johannah, and later, Joan, was married to Anton Zeiss Jr. when she was 20 years old in 1927. They were living in Pennsauken, New Jersey in the 1930 federal census. Unfortunately, by August 22, 1934, they were divorced in Bronx County.

In the 1940 federal census, she is living at 58 West 56th Street in New York and is working in “magazine makeup” for American Legion Magazine which I think means she was involved in the set up and publishing of the magazine. She was 33 years old and one of 8 lodgers.

However, in September of 1944, she’s in Florida getting married to George G. Woods. They got married 8 days after the death of her father Jacob in Yonkers, New York. But less than 4 years later, Hannah and George are divorced.

Hannah remained in Florida, and is living alone in the 1950 federal census. She is 43 years old and a secretary at a printing company.

In the early 1950s, Hannah was diagnosed with colon cancer. She had a colostomy and Aunt Joanne said it changed her life forever.

*Early 1950s – Anna Engram, Joanne, Jacob Jr, Hannah (around the time of her surgery), and Elizabeth*

She died in December of 1967 but it’s unknown whether she died of cancer or another cause. I can’t find any death record or newspaper notice. At the time of her death she left behind Jacob Jr., Katherine, and Elizabeth. She had no children with her first or second husband.

To catch up on the early stories – Jacob Engram and His Family , Engram Family Part 2, Engram Girls Part 1

Gouesnou US Memorial

Marge Donroe Bellafronto’s father, Alfred (Fred) Arthur Donroe, was born in New Haven Connecticut, November 9, 1916. He met and married Dora Barbaresi on September 16, 1940.

Marge was born two years later on September 25, 1942.

Alfred enlisted in the Army in July 1943 in New Haven and he headed overseas in October of that year.

The following is a narrative called “Alfred’s War” from one of his family members attached to another family tree:

“After training in Northern Ireland and Wales from October 1943 to June 1944, the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the channel to land on Omaha Beach on D plus 1, 7 June 1944, near St. Laurent-sur-Mer. Attacking across the Aure River, the Division liberated Trévières, 10 June, and proceeded to assault and secure Hill 192 which was repelled the key enemy strongpoint on the road to Saint-Lô. After three weeks of fortifying the position and by order of Commanding General Walter M. Robertson the order was given to take HILL 192. On 11 July under Command of Col. Ralph W.Zwicker 38th INF with the 9th and the 23rd by his side the battle started at 5:45 am. Using an artillery concept used in World War I (Rolling Thunder) which was the only time during World War II it was used and after 25,000 rounds of HE/WP the hill was taken. The Division went on the defensive until the 26th. July. After exploiting the Saint-Lo breakout, the 2nd Division then advanced across the (Vire) to take (Tinhebray) on 15 August 1944. The Division then raced toward (Brest/France), the heavily defended port fortress which happened to be a major port for German U-Boats. After 39 days of fighting the Battle was won, and was the first place the Army Air Corps used Bunker busting bombs. On August 25th 1944 Private Alfred A Donroe was killed in action.”

You can read more about the Assault on Brest here.

Marge was one month shy of her second birthday when her father died.

Dora married Fred’s brother Albert in 1947 and they had two sons. Marge married my first cousin Mal Bellafronto in 1964.

*Marge Donroe Bellafronto with husband Mal, in-laws Judy and Mal, and my sister Gail (1987)*

Fast forward to July 31st, I received a message through Ancestry from a French genealogist who was looking for the family of soldiers who died in combat during WW2 in Gouesnou France in the summer of 1944. He contacted me because Albert Donroe is listed in my family tree.

“Every year the City of Gouesnou honors the hero soldiers and civilian victims, because here in Gouesnou, we consider that it is our duty to remember the past for the sake of history and transmission, particularly to the youngest generation.”

The city has decided to create a permanent monument to the soldiers and victims with the inauguration of the US Memorial planned for November 2026.

I sent a message to another ancestry member who has a Donroe Family Tree (not sure of the relationship), and he had also been contacted and was able to provide the genealogist with an even closer family member.

It’s good to know that these soldiers continue to be remembered for their heroism during World War II and that this city is preserving the information for future generations.

John Posluszny

I told you about John Posluszny’s death and burial here but I thought you might enjoy hearing about his life and family.

John was born in March 1880 and was the eldest of the children of Caroline Straub and Joseph Posluszny.

He arrived in the United States in 1899 at the age of 19 and spent most of his life in the Newark, New Jersey area. I have no ship manifest for his arrival, but used the year recorded on the federal census reports.

Both the 1905 New York State census and the Yonkers city directory lists John living in Yonkers on Washington Street as a boarder in a household and working as a hatter (the family occupation).

Something puzzles me though. Jumping ahead a few years, the 1910 Federal Census lists a son John, 7 years old, which means he was born about 1903 and in the United States. The 1905 census doesn’t include a child or a wife but you’ll see further down this post, a marriage license says his first wife died. The Posluszny Family portrait was taken about 1907 based on the appearance of young John (front row left) and young Walter (front row right). I think the picture of John and his son and the picture of the four brothers was taken at about the same time.

*John Posluszny and his son John abt. 4 years old*

He married Stefania Mariasz in March in 1908. She immigrated in December of 1907 with her sister Karolina and they were heading to their cousin, Johann Straub on Jefferson Street in Yonkers. Johann Straub and Jefferson Street are names that have popped up regularly for Posluszny family members when they arrived in the United States. The marriage license says John was married before and his wife had died. I have no record for that and no birth record for John Jr.

*John and Stefania’s marriage license 1908*

There is another mystery – “they” had a daughter Martha, who was born in Austria in 1907 and came to the United States in February of 1909! I’m not sure who her parents really were. Martha arrived with John Posluszny’s cousin Katarzyna Burek, but I don’t recognize that name. Is it possible that Stefania had her out of wedlock in 1907? Illegitimate children were not uncommon according to the birth records I’ve been poring over.

By the 1910 census, we find John and his family in Newark New Jersey. This census assumes that Stefania gave birth to both John and Martha (2 children born, 2 children living). They were renters and shared their home with Stefania’s sisters Karolina and Julia. Julia is listed as being married for 8 years and immigrated in 1903 with a final destination of her husband Josef Dosedla. I don’t know what happened to him but by 1914, she was married to Jacob Vervliet in New Jersey.

John and Stefania had a son, Stanley born in August of 1918, nine years after Martha and 15 years after John.

*Stanley Posluszny born 1918 – approx. 1921*

In 1920, John, Stefania, Martha (13), and Stanley (1-1/2) are living in Irvington, a town in Essex County, New Jersey. John and Martha are both naturalized citizens and John is still working as a hatter. The sister in laws have moved on and so has the oldest son John. I found him living in Wallingford Connecticut with his grandparents, Caroline and Jon Bonk and working at Wallingford Silversmith.

By 1930, John is a restaurant owner and also owns a multi-family home at 617 18th Avenue in Newark. His restaurant / saloon was at 672 South 19th Street which appears to be the same building, with the entrance around the corner. I took the 2007 pictures from Google Maps because in 2023, the building is in a terrible state of disrepair!

Martha was married at 22 in 1928 to Leslie Theobald, a police officer for Newark. They had a daughter, Dolores and they were divorced in 1941. Their daughter, Dolores married Theodore Kozlowsky in 1951 and they had three children. I’m still researching to add them to the family tree.

*Divorce notice for Martha and Leslie – note the item underneath. Dr. Gilbreth is the mother of the real “Cheaper by the Dozen” family!*

I have not been able to find any information on John Jr. after the 1920 census in Wallingford. There are some possible leads but nothing that confirms to me that’s my John.

Stanley was easier to find possibly because he was born in the late 1910s. He graduated from West Side High School in Newark and then from Northeastern University in Boston with a bachelor’s in science degree. He would later become a dentist. But first up was World War II.

He registered in 1940 while he was a student at Northeastern. On the form, he spelled his last name “Poslushny” unlike our “Posluszny”. This picture is signed “Stan Post” which some of the male family members adopted permanently but Stanley did not.

He enlisted in the Marines in March of 1942. This was only a month after his father died as a result of a car accident. In November of that year, he completed pre-flight training and was sent to the Naval Reserve aviation base in Squantum, Massachusetts which was in the city of Quincy.

From there he headed to Pensacola Florida where he was commissioned a second Lieutenant in the Marines Corps Reserve after completing the flight training course. He was designated a naval aviator and assigned to the Navy Air Operational Training Center in San Diego California.

I was surprised to find this article for the same event in my local Connecticut newspaper archives and wondered why. Then I realized his sister Martha, and probably her daughter Dolores were living in Wallingford! 105 Ward Street a multi-family home and part of Steinke’s Market. The original market was owned by Joseph Laçz and his wife Elizabeth Posluszny (John’s sister). It was then purchased by Mary Posluszny Biega and her husband and at some point purchased (?) by their daughter Mary and her husband Otto Steinke. Whew. Remember, this was shortly after Martha and her husband Leslie Theobald were divorced in New Jersey. Family taking care of family again.

In 1945 Stanley was flying in the Pacific Theater and this event was recorded in the Newark Evening News.

The military rolls for Stanley show him stationed from Virginia to San Francisco and ending out his career as a captain.

He ended up back in the New Jersey/New York area and I believe he was married, had three sons, and was then divorced. I don’t know when he continued his schooling to become a dentist. Interesting note – his aunt Mary Posluszny Biega also had a son, Stanley G. and he became a dentist here in Connecticut.

He headed out to Arizona in 1955, was married in 1959, and had a daughter. I found her name on Ancestry in 2012. We have corresponded and discovered immediately that we were family. We became a DNA match a few years ago and since we have shared matches, I have new names to check on.

Stanley passed away in 1984 when she was only 21, not unlike he and his father. She told me that her father hated the cold and hated funerals and wanted to be cremated but her Italian-born mother refused and had him buried. How ironic that the same thing happened to father and son.

*Obituary and headstone for Stanley J. Posluszny*

I hope you enjoyed this biography of John Posluszny and his family!

Mental Health

The topic for Week 36 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is “We Don’t Talk About It”.

My grandfather, Konrad Posluszny, committed suicide in the early morning of December 28, 1944. He was a night janitor at the Wallingford Steel Mill, where he had access to the offices and storerooms and that is where he got the gun he used. It was written up in the afternoon Meriden Daily Journal on the 28th, and then the next day, the morning paper, the Meriden Record, had a much more dramatic telling of the tragedy.

Years after it happened, my Aunt Tootsie told me “a gypsy told my father he was going to die by a gun and so he didn’t allow them in our home”.

As the second article mentions, he might have been “brooding over the dangers that might befall his son” my Uncle Connie who was assigned to duty in New Guinea. My uncle was a cook in the Army but I never found any records for him in the Fold3 website. My Aunt Judy did talk about him having to “pack up the kitchen” when they were being relocated.

*Julianna (Gram), Connie, Konrad (Gramp*) *1943 or 1944*

Would he have committed suicide because he was worried about his son? Not likely, unless there were mental health issues to begin with.

Which brings me to something else my Aunt Tootsie told me in one of our conversations. She said “when he was in the hospital”, the doctor allowed him to have beer because “he needed it”. Crazy right? It makes me think he was maybe in a hospital for mental health issues. This post from conversations with my Aunt Judy and my cousin Judy, talks about my grandfather and grandmother relationship.

*Konrad with his daughter Julia in 1937*

Another piece of the puzzle comes from my first experience with a medium in 2013. I realize a lot of people don’t believe in mediums or what they say, but hey, my grandfather believed what the Gypsy said! This medium said my grandfather committed suicide, was there with my mother, he later mentioned the gun shot and the depression he suffered from all his life. If you’re interested you can go to YouTube, search for CT Buzz and the look for Medium and Life Guide Phil Quinn. It’s 7:40 long and you might recognize a younger me in the screenshot. During either this reading or another, Phil told me that my grandfather suffered from profound depression and he didn’t have a joyful day in his life.

That makes me think about how he started out as a hatter, ended up with a hat company of his own, he had a patent for a cleaning solution for straw hats, but died as a janitor at a steel mill. I told the story about the family profession here. I feel such sadness for him to have had so much and then nothing. Was it because of this depression that caused my aunt to say her mother had more balls than her father?

Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only person in the family suffering from mental illness…

My great-uncle Frank Posluszny, spent at least 10 years in the Essex County Hospital (for the Insane) in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. The 1910 and 1920 censuses, show his occupation as a Hatter. However, by the April 27, 1930 census, he was an inmate at the hospital and was there again in the 1940 census. A section in this census asks if this is the same residence as 1935, and the response for Frank is “same residence”. I have not been able to find any death record for Frank but it might be safe to say he spent the rest of his years at the county hospital. He and his wife had three children.

Frank and Josephine Posluszny wedding photo. Brother Charles back left, step father Jon Bonk, back third from left, mother Caroline seated left, sister Mary seated right — *Frank and Josephine’s wedding photo. His brother Charles is top left, stepfather Jon 3rd from left, mother Caroline seated left, and sister Mary seated right*

My great-aunt Elizabeth Posluszny Laçz, left her husband and two children behind and disappeared in 1923 or 1924. Her sister Mary, hired a private detective but he never found her. She came up in a medium reading I had years ago and I was told she had a complete breakdown and created an entirely new life. I have never found records of her or her children but I wonder if there is a trace of them among any of my DNA matches.

The Posluszny Family. Elizabeth is bottom right, next to her mother. She is approximately 9 years old. — *Posluszny family photo – Frank 2nd from left in back, Konrad back far right, Elizabeth front right seated*

I never had a conversation with my mother about the death of her father. She was 22 when it happened and I can’t imagine how they felt getting that knock on their door that morning. All I knew as I was growing up was that he died a long time ago.

Today we are all better educated about mental health and we are able to express how we are feeling either to each other or a therapist. A little part of me knows that the DNA we got from our dad’s side of the family evened us all out!

Pearl Harbor Anniversary

I sadly didn’t remember the anniversary of Pearl Harbor until I was heading to bed last night.

I wanted to re-share the story of my Uncle, Walter Jakiela and his experience at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was 19 years old and 3 weeks out of radio school.

https://nancyb422.com/2024/03/06/living-through-the-day-of-infamy/

The End of the Line….

The week 31 topic for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is End of the Line. This story will not go in the direction you automatically think of when hearing “end of the line”.

If my teacher was putting the class in order of height, “Nancy, you go to the end of the line” would not come out of her mouth ever in 8 years at Holy Trinity School. Only if I was being separated from my sister or friends because I couldn’t stop talking!

My ancestors did NOT bring the height to my family. At the time of their ocean voyages, my grandfather Charles Jakiela, at 17 was 4’9”. My grandmother Antonia Liro, at 21 was also 4’9”. I have no ship manifest for my grandmother, Julianna Ingram, but her sister Mary’s record says she was 4’8”. My biological grandfather, Jacob Engram Jr, is listed as 5’9” on his WWII draft registration card. He’s a jolly green giant compared to the others.

The height issue is evident in Charles and Antonia’s 1912 wedding photo which looks like they put their heads into cardboard cut outs of a bride and groom.

*Charles and Antonia Jakiela June 24, 1912*

Their four male children ended up between Steve at 5’5” and Walt who reached 5’9”. If his parents had been alive when he registered for the draft, he would have towered over them by a foot!

My dad, John Jakiela, was 5’6” and my mother was 5’3”. I always say, “if I wasn’t born a twin I bet I would have been taller!” But, in all seriousness, I’ll take my twin over the height.

*2nd and 3rd in line (Dana Smith leading the way)*

Janice, at 18 months older, always had 2-3 inches on us. Just enough to not have to hem every pair of pants she got! Gail and I had a 4” growth spurt in 6th grade and except for a few more inches between then and 18, we were done at 4’11”. In standing in a line by height, we’re forever in the front and the shortest of all the relatives.

It pays to marry up! All five of the next generation are over 5 feet and the two of the next generation look like they will be able to take their place at… the end of the line.

Traveling the United States

The Week 28 topic for 52 Ancestors in 52 Week is Trains.

It’s fortunate that I saved my mother’s albums of photos and postcards she collected in her teens and 20s. They gave me a look at some of the trips she took.

The first extensive trip she took, along with her sister Tootsie, was to San Antonio Texas in 1943 to visit their brother Connie. Connie was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, arriving sometime in May of 1943.

It will be no surprise to anyone in our family that he was in the Quartermaster Corps of the Army, which was in charge of food and clothing, and specifically the Bakery Company. He was working at Hellman’s Bakery in Wallingford when he enlisted and after he returned, as well as owning a bakery for some years.

Betty and Toots started off in August of 1943 most likely taking the trolley to New Haven and a train to New York. I love that postcards were the mode of communication!

*“We’re off!” Postcards to parents and Connie*

They stopped in St. Louis Missouri from Thursday until their next train departed on Sunday. I wonder how much sightseeing they did!

There were in San Antonio by August 28th and visited with Connie, saw the sites of the city and met many people on the way and in San Antonio. The ladies with my mother and aunt in the picture are spouses of Connie’s friends. On the way is always more fun than the trip home, so there are no postcards from their way home, but they made it back safely.

*Connie, back middle, sitting with friends*

Betty took another trip the following year, in September 1944, to Los Angeles California to visit with her Tante Lizzie and Uncle Bernard Weiss. They had been living there since 1935. Bernard worked as a “brush painter” at a movie studio and although no occupation is listed for Elizabeth in the 1940 census, family lore says they were domestic help (maid and chauffeur) for an family. When the family was on vacation for the summer Elizabeth and Ben would either drive east to visit family or travel to Europe to visit family. My mom saved the postcards they sent as they made their way to and from California!

*Postcards from her first stop in Chicago*

It’s touching that one of her cards was specifically to her father and sad to think he would be gone 3 months later. That’s a story for another time.

The postmarks from Chicago are September 4 and it might have taken another 2 to 4 days to travel to Los Angeles. The following two postcards are dated September 13th and 18th.

My mother was so good at labeling pictures but she didn’t always provide last names of her girlfriends! I’m guessing the girl with her is her cousin, Pauline Wirth who was the same age as Betty. I know they were fairly close, although she lived in Queens with her family, and her mother Mary, was Elizabeth and Julianna’s sister so the trip would make sense.

While there, they had a visit from some neighborhood boys, Bernard Orosz and Peter Kliarsky and visited Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

Again, there are no postcards on the trip home! But they appear to have made it home safely.

I would love to take a train across the country, traveling in a sleeper car or roommate to get away from people if I need to but I also know there are usually delays and that might make me crazy.