2025 June President’s Letter
In last month’s President’s letter, I wrote a little about my paternal grandparents that I barely knew. To add more to that story, my father’s parents immigrated to the United States in 1902. My grandfather, a sixteen-year-old boy, arrived at Ellis Island on 7 March 1902 with $8 to his name. He was traveling to be with his sister and brother-in-law who lived in Manor, Pennsylvania. As far as I know, he traveled alone. However, on the passenger manifest, there were two girls from his same village right underneath his name. They were going to be with relatives in a town 15 miles away. Perhaps he knew those girls? Perhaps he knew the families the girls were going to live with. I most likely will never know the answer to those questions. On the other hand, through more research, I may find a connection. I may find that my grandfather knew these two girls who lived in the same village in the old country. Maybe they were neighbors? Maybe they went to school together? I’m continuing the search for the so-called FAN club.
My grandmother arrived at Ellis Island on 2 February 1902. She was fifteen years old and had $6 in her pocketbook. Can you imagine traveling alone to a foreign country when you were a fifteen-year-old child? She and my grandfather lived in different villages in what is now Slovakia. I don’t know if they knew each other in their native country. Nor do I know how they got to know each other and marry in 1910. When they arrived here a month apart, they went to live with their respective families in different towns in Pennsylvania albeit only about 30 miles apart. How did they connect? Unfortunately, I have no elders in my family to ask these important questions. I’m continually looking for descendants that have some information they can share about our shared ancestors. I’ve been successful yet, but as you know, we never give up.
These questions and more are paramount in my mind to try to find answers. So, I continue to search. Like most of us, we do not want to give up this important mission so we may keep those who sacrificed so much for us to enjoy our freedoms and lifestyle.
Katie Gertz
FHSA President
