STAVROVSKY
RUSYN FAMILY GENEALOGY
Additional Information
Emma Stavrovsky Marcinek "Miller" (c. Sep. 15, 1893/95 - May 23, 1958) was the daughter of Peter Stavrovsky and Maria Takac. Emma was born in the village of Kis-Pereszlo, Zemplen, Hungary (Priszlup, Slovakia), a quiet agricultural village situated in the Ulic valley. Her siblings included Peter (b. circa 1887); Gizela (b. circa 1889); Maria (b. circa 1891); Jozefina (b. unknown); Pavlina (b. Apr. 17, 1904) and Jozef (b. Feb. 14, 1906). It is a Rusyn village, one that had a population of only 168 in 1910. She emigrated to America on the steamship Rhein, sailing out of Bremen on May 22, 1913, arriving in Baltimore on June 6, 1913. She went to join her sister Gisela ("Elza"), living at 312 New Market Street in Philadelphia. Maria (Marica) emigrated to Philadelphia in 1909. When Emma arrived, she was employed in a factory as a cigar maker and resided at 729 Cherry Street when she married my grandfather in 1915 (located between Arch & Race Sts. and N. 8 & 9 Sts.). Later in Philadelphia, she was a member of the Slovak Gymnastic Lodge.
Gizella (Gisela) arrived in Philadelphia on Aug. 9, 1905 via New York, joining her brother-in-law Joszef Takacs. She married in 1911 to "Andreas Szewczik" (Sevcsik), license #260529. Maria /Marica("Marya Staroski") sailed into Philadaphia on Sept. 12, 1909, joining her sister Gisela, and married in 1914 to a "Bejnovski," license #312791. Both Gizella ("Lizzie") and Maria are listed in the 1910 census as living with their uncle "Jos. George Harris," from Hungary, at the New Market Street address in Philadelphia.
My grandmother Emma kept house, cooking traditional Rusyn dishes such as pierogie and stuffed cabbage, to simple chicken steaks, potato pancakes and poppy seed bread. She worked very hard and was quite resourceful in getting the family through some very lean years. At Eastertime, she would have the food that she prepared blessed. She will always be much loved.
PRISZLUP (PRISLOP), SZTAKCSIN (STAKCIN) & SZINNA (SNINA)
ZEMPLEN, HUNGARY (SLOVAKIA) CIRCA 1910
Peter Stavrovsky (Feb. 16, 1862 - Jan. 4, 1906) was the son of Peter Stavrovsky and Maria Bukoveczky and was born in Stakcin. He was a Greek Catholic cantor and a church teacher in Prislop, serving as assistant to the priest. (This could have been supplemented by skilled labor, as Vasil Fedic notes for this general time period in his History of the Ulic Valley that among the highly regarded craftsmen were blacksmiths who manufactured important iron products needed in homes; among them were "P. Stavrovsky from Prislop.") According to my second cousins in Snina, it is believed that his parents originally came from the Spis area. Military enlistment (muster roll) records state that he was living in Sztakcsin Rosztoka in 1882 and confirm that he was born in Sztakcsin. Peter Stavrovsky (GC) and Maria Takacz (RC), who were married on November 7, 1886 in Szinna (as reflected in the RC church records). He, at the reported age of 25 from Szinna, along with his brother-in-law Josef Takacz and Josef's father, travelled to America on the steamship Hammonia, sailing out of Hamburg on May 13, 1888 and arriving in New York. It is surmised that this was his first and probably only trip to America, whereupon he then went to Philadelphia to find possible places of work and residence with the objective of establishing the means to bring the rest of the family. This groundwork having been accomplished, undoubtedly his presumed ill health and death in 1906 and the overall poor economic conditions of the region gave rise to the determined immigration of the oldest Stavrovsky sisters to America.
The elder Peter Stavrovsky was born June 19, 1837 in Hodermark/Stotince, Spis; house #112. He married Maria Bukoveczky (Buchoveczky) on March 1, 1861 in Feketekut (Sambron) in Saros megye (Saris); he was aged "24 1/2" and she "35." He also is distinctly listed in the church records of that village with the primary occupation of cantor and teacher. The distance from Hodermark to Feketekut is not far, an eastward migration of only about 10.3 miles (17.5 km). Peter (b. 1837) was the son of Joannes (Janos), also a cantor in Hodermark (GC) and Maria (?) (RC). Maria Buchoveczky died in February 1879 in Regetto (Regetov). Peter, widowed, then married a second time, i.e., to the widow Maria Kovacs in October 1879 in the RC church in Zborov.
Maria Tkac (Feb. 1, 1867 - Apr. 2, 1930) was the daughter of Joannes Tkac and Maria Fischer and was born in Snina. Joannes Tkac (b. Aug. 25, 1840, in Snina) was the son of Andreas Tkac and Maria Nascsak. Joannes was a shoemaker by trade. Maria Fischer (b. Nov. 4, 1847, in Zemplinske Hamre) was the daughter of Janos Fischer and Maria Karlya; a family of Germanic origin employed as metallurgists. Joannes Tkac and Maria Fischer were married Jan. 11, 1864.
DEDICATED TO ALL OF MY LIVING & DECEASED FAMILY MEMBERS
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED, MAY YOU EVER BE REMEMBERED ! VICHNAJA PAMJAT' !
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THANK YOU! A VERY SPECIAL AND SINCERE THANK YOU TO MR. MICHAEL SURA, PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGIST FROM KOSICE, SLOVAKIA, FOR HIS EXPERTISE & EXCELLENT RESEARCH, HARD WORK, AND KINDNESS. ALSO, MANY THANKS TO FELLOW RESEARCHER BOB STAUROWSKY AND MY SECOND COUSINS IN SNINA, SLOVAKIA, PAVEL STAVROVSKY AND ZUZANNA TOKAROVA, AND JAN STAVROVSKY, LIVING IN TREBISOV (i.e., the grandchildren of Peter [b. circa 1887]).