James Lea, Cracker Barrel, and Me - Mystery Monday

(Photographs and Text, Copyright (c) 2015 Cynthia Shenette) A couple of weeks ago my family and I had a late breakfast at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Sturbridge, MA.  My son had a soccer game in Brimfield, so we figured we'd stop to eat on our way home.  After our meals were getting ready to leave, and I noticed a framed diploma on the wall.  

The name on the diploma was for a James Lea who graduated from Warren High School in Warren, Ohio on 7 June 1928.  How did James Lea's diploma end up on a wall in a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Massachusetts, some 550 plus miles and 87 years later? 

I did a quick search, and according to Ancestry.com a James D. Lea was born on 27 or 28 October 1910 in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio and died on 2 July 2002 in Columbiana, Mahoning County, Ohio.  A James Lea is listed as part of the 1926 sophomore class in a yearbook photo from the Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio.  The diploma is signed by H. B. Turner, Superintendent of Schools, J.W. Davis, Principal, as well as R. G. Ingersoll, H. S. McKibben, Lynn B. Dana, and A.L. Button, of the Board of Education.

If you knew James Lea I'd  love to hear from you.  I'd love to know how his diploma ended up as wall decor in a Cracker Barrel in Sturbridge, MA.  Or as radio broadcaster Paul Harvey use to say, I want to know "the rest of the story."


Other Posts You Might Like:

The Worcester Tornado, June 9, 1953 - Those Places Thursday
A Picnic and a Surprise - Wordless Wednesday
Leokadia (Szymanska) and Feliks Szerejko - Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday: Warsaw Wedding

The Bulak Family from Newark, New Jersey - Mystery Monday

Lillian (Uskoski) Bulak
1921-1951

(Digital Image.  Photo Used With Permission from Cheryl [LAST NAME WITHHELD]; Text Copyright (c) 2014 Cynthia Shenette)

I was recently contacted by a reader named Cheryl who wanted to know if my aunt Helen Bulak was related to a woman that she was looking for whose name also happened to be Helen Bulak.  We exchanged a few e-mails and quickly discovered that my Aunt Helen was not the Helen Bulak Cheryl was looking for. Nor was my Bulak family the Bulak family that she was looking for.  The Bulak family that she is looking for once lived in Newark, New Jersey not Worcester, Massachusetts.  Cheryl is not a genealogist, but has done some genealogy research in an effort to reconnect with family.  With her permission I offered to share her story here in the hope that someone reading this might be able to help to solve a 60 year old mystery.

Cheryl's aunt, Lillian Uskoski, was born on September 10, 1921 in Hazelridge, Manitoba, Canada.  Lillian married a Felix (sometimes known as Philip or Phil) Bulak in Toronto, Ontario on November 20, 1949 when she was 28 years old.  In February of 1950 Lillian and Felix left Toronto and moved to 117 Pulaski St., in Newark, New Jersey to live with Felix's family.  Eight months after Lillian immigrated to the United States she gave birth to a daughter, Mary Ann, in October 1950.  Sadly, Lillian died a few months later on January 2, 1951 at the age of 30.  Felix was not able to care for baby Mary Ann.  Cheryl's family remembers there was talk of Felix giving the baby to his sister Helen to care for or to adopt.  Cheryl's family does not know what happened to Mary Ann.  They have not seen her in over 60 years.

What do we know about Felix's family?  Felix's parents were Paul Bulak (1890 - aft 1951) and his wife Mary (abt 1892 - ?).  Paul and Mary had three children: Casimir M., (abt 1917 - ?); Felix (20 April 1921 - 29 January 1984); and Helen J. ( abt 1928 - ?).  They lived in a multifamily dwelling at 117 Pulaski St. in Newark, New Jersey from 1929 until at least 1951 and possibly until 1954 or 1955.  Some of the Newark city directories on Ancestry for the 1950s are missing or missing information, but by 1955 the family was no longer listed as living at 117 Pulaski St., and one apartment was listed as vacant.  Other residents that lived at the address for a long time or were there around the time Mary Ann was born were:

Adam Adamoski, 1947-1955
Anthony Addotta 1940-1955
John T. Brzezinski, 1955
Edwin Byk, 1930, 1955
Charles Caruso, 1947-1955
Mrs. Rose Charzewski, 1955
Mrs. Julia Jacek, 1940-1955
Joseph M. Sak, 1940-1955
Andrew Trela, 1947-1955
Joseph W. Wortolec 1947-1955

Given that some of the people who lived at 117 Pulaski St. lived there for quite a while, someone might remember the Bulak family and might still remember what happened to Mary Ann.  Does anyone who lived at 117 Pulaski St. in the 1950s remember a story of a tiny baby girl being left without a mother? According to a Newark city directory a Helen J. Bulak married a Michael Bilby in 1951.  It is possible that Mary Ann's name might have been changed from Mary Ann Bulak's to Mary Ann Bilby.  Felix Bulak died on January 29, 1984.  He is not buried with Lillian, and a friend, Faustino Taverner, is listed as the next of kin on the funeral record.  Felix appears to have died without family.  Faustino has also died.

Lillian was sometimes called Lily.  Lily could be spelled Lily or Lilly.  Her maiden name was Uskoski, but was also spelled Uszkowski.  She was described as being 5'8" tall, with a fair complexion, and hazel eyes. Her daughter may have a similar appearance.  According to her immigration document Lillian's last known address in Canada was Drurie (sic), though probably Durie, St., in Toronto, Ontario.  She immigrated to the United States from Canada via the Niagara Falls, New York border crossing on February 4, 1950.

Cheryl and her mother, Mary Ann's aunt, would very much like to hear from her or her family.  If you are Mary Ann Bulak, know Mary Ann, or remember the Bulak family from 117 Pulaski St. in Newark, NJ, please contact me at cshenette at gmail dot com.  I will forward your contact information to Cheryl.  All information you share with me will be kept confidential.



Other Posts You Might Like:

A St. Joseph's Day Celebration  - Wordless Wednesday
A Window In Time, April 11, 1940
Send Up a Flare, Mystery Bride Identified! - Mystery Monday
The Opal Ring 

Send Up A Flare, Again! More Mystery People Identified!

(Digital Image. Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Text Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette)  Will wonders never cease?  A reader identified three more people in one of my mystery photos!  According to their great-granddaughter, Joseph Choronzak is the man seated on the left and his wife Antonina (Walat) Choronzak is the woman in the back row, second to the right. Joseph and Antonina's oldest daughter, Mary (Choronzak) Bialecki, is the little girl standing in front of Antonina.  Joseph and Antonina are the couple I wrote about in my series of posts on the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Sadly, both husband and wife died on the same day of complications from the flu leaving seven young children orphans.  If you'd like to read more about this family please see my posts listed below:

Flu 1918 (Part 1 of 3) - Amanuensis Monday
Flu 1918 (Part 2 of 3)
Flu 1918 (Part 3 of 3)
Send Up A Flare, Mystery Bride Identified! - Mystery Monday
Choronzak - Tombstone Tuesday

I'd like to say a huge thank you to Joseph and Antonina's great-granddaughter (a.k.a. Sophie's grand-daughter) for (again) taking the time to look through my photos and helping to identify three of the people in this wedding photo.


Other Posts You Might Like:

Catechists, Our Lady of Czestochowa - Wordless Wednesday
(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: WWI Red Cross Volunteers
Got Dissertations? - Tuesday's Tip
Meditation: The Strength of Ordinary Women

The Mystery Brides Are Back, A New Season Begins - Mystery Monday

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette)  After taking a bit of a hiatus over the summer I am returning to my regularly scheduled programming of posting photos of mystery brides from my collection for the Geneabloggers theme of Mystery Monday.  It's a new season, and I have a whole new batch of brides in store.

To recap last season (I feel like I'm doing reality TV here, by the way.) I presented a group of ten mystery brides between June 2010 and June 2011.  The photos are so lovely I hate for them to be buried in a box at the bottom of my collection somewhere.  I'd hoped someone would by chance be able to identify one or more of the brides on my blog.  Well it finally happened!  The grand-daughter of one of my couples contacted me to identify her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter (Sophie) Shenkowski.  The excitement in finally identifying one of my brides was tremendous! A geneablogger's version of "sweeps week" in television!

I invite you to review Season One (This is kind of like watching reruns, but it will help new followers/readers catch up with what has happened thus far.):

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Here Come the (Mystery) Brides
Mystery Monday: Here Come the (Mystery) Brides, Again
Mystery Monday: Another Polish Wedding
Mystery Monday: Yet Another Polish Wedding...
The Mystery Brides Return - Mystery Monday
Mystery Wedding #9 - Mystery Monday
Send Up A Flare, Mystery Bride Identified! - Mystery Monday
Always a Bridesmaid - Mystery Monday 

This week I present another photo from my collection.  What do I know about this photo?  My best guess is the bride and groom, as well as their attendants, were members of the Polish community in Worcester, MA.  The wedding probably took place at Our Lady of Czestochowa (also known as St. Mary's), also in Worcester, MA.  I don't know for certain, but my guess is the wedding took place sometime in the late 1910s or 1920s, given the style of the ladies' dresses.  The embossed imprint on the card that the photo is mounted on identifies the photographer as DeDuke, 411 Main St., Worcester, Mass.  The next time I get down to the Worcester Public Library I'll look through the city directories to see when DeDuke photographers was in business at that location and report back.

If you are able to identify this couple or any of the brides/wedding couples in my collection I'd love to hear from you.  At the very least, stay tuned for another exciting season of - The Mystery Brides!  Become a follower!  Tell your friends!  I promise you a season filled with lovely couples, refined taste, and classic beauty!  And (thank goodness) not a bridezilla in sight!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...


Other Posts You Might Like:

Meditation: The Strength of Ordinary Women
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...
First Communion - Mystery Monday
The Rope Pull - Wordless Wednesday

Always A Bridesmaid - Mystery Monday

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) What would "Wedding Month" be without an appearance by one of our mystery brides.  I know my great-aunt Helen Bulak is the bridesmaid standing to the right behind the happy couple.  My Aunt Helen never married but served as a bridesmaid to numerous brides.

I don't know who the other people in the wedding party are.  My guess is the couple, as well as the young man in the photo, were probably members of Worcester's Polish community.  Given the clothing style the photo was probably taken in the late 1910s, and the wedding probably took place in Worcester, MA at Our Lady of Czestochowa.

If you recognize the happy couple or the young man who appears to be the best man, leave a comment at the end of this post.  I'd love to hear from you.


Other Posts You Might Like:

Szerejko - Szymanska Wedding Invitation - Amanuensis Monday
Send Up A Flare, Mystery Bride Identified! - Mystery Monday
Fascinating Ladies 
It's Wedding Month (Again) at Heritage Zen! - Wordless Wednesday

Send Up A Flare, Mystery Bride Identified! - Mystery Monday

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette)  It has finally happened!  Someone has actually recognized one of my mystery brides AND was kind enough to contact me!  I posted a photo of this lovely couple back in October of 2010 for Mystery Monday.  Today, I am happy to report the couple has been identified by their grand-daughter as Mr. and Mrs. Walter Shenkowski.  The bride is the former Sophie Choronzak, one of the children I mentioned was orphaned in my post Flu 1918 (Part 1 of 3).  According to Sophie's grand-daughter, her grandparents' wedding took place at Our Lady of Czestochowa in Worcester, MA in November of 1928.  Wow!  How about that!

Sophie was the daughter of Antonina and Josef Choronzak, the couple who died during the flu pandemic leaving seven children orphaned.  Sophie's grand-daughter remembers my aunt Helen Bulak, and I learned that Sophie worked at my aunt's store, Helen's, on Millbury St. in Worcester for many years. Sophie's grand-daughter said she Googled "Antonina Choronzak" one night and was more that a little surprised to find her great-grandparents name pop up on my blog.  She was even more surprised to find her grandparents wedding picture on my blog!  What's even more amazing?  She has the same photograph in a frame above her computer at home! 

We started a nice little e-mail correspondence over the weekend.   Maybe together we can learn a little more about Sophie, Antonina, and our respective families.  She said she suspects that between her and her mom, they can help me to identify many of the mystery photos in my collection.  Sophie's grand-daughter's final comment to me was so poignant.  She said, "I'm so glad that Antonina brought us together.  Their remarkable story continues..."  Indeed it does.   


Other Posts You Might Like:

A Comedy of Errors: My Family in the Census (Part 1 of 3)
(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: WWI Red Cross Volunteers
What's In A Name? (An Ongoing Series): Kowalewski
The Stories My Grandmother Told Me

First Communion - Mystery Monday

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) My son just received his First Communion last Sunday.  It was a big day for our family.  My son's First Communion made me think about all of the First Communion photos I have.  Sadly, I have a number of lovely ones in my mystery collection.  I've decided to take a break from posting my mystery wedding photos and post a mystery First Communion photo instead. 

Isn't this one beautiful?  I love the girls faces, the flowers, the veils, and the dresses.  I wish I knew who they were.  My best guess is the girls and their families were members of Worcester's Polish Community.  I suspect, but I don't know for sure, the photo was probably taken some time in the 1920s.  The First Communion itself probably took place at St. Mary's Church (Our Lady of Czestochowa) in Worcester, MA.  Why did the girls have their photos taken together?  Are they sisters?  Twins?  Cousins?  There definitely seems to be a resemblance between the two girls. 

If you recognize either of these lovely young ladies, please leave a comment at the end of this post.  I'd love to be able to put a name to a face.


Other Posts You Might Like:

A Matter of Habit: Solving a Mystery
Mystery Wedding #9 - Mystery Monday
Flu 1918 (Part 1 of 3) - Amanuensis Monday
Does Your Public Library Have a Vertical File? - Tuesday's Tip

Mystery Wedding #9 - Mystery Monday

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) Here we are again with another wedding photo from my mystery collection. What can I tell you about this one? Sadly, not much. My guess is the wedding probably took place in Worcester, MA. My family didn't settle permanently in Worcester until 1900, therefore the wedding probably took place 1900 or after. Several people in the photo resemble my grandmother's Bulak side of the family, including the groom and the best man.

If you have or had family who were members of the Polish community in Worcester, MA in the early part of the 20th century, particularly if you have ancestors named Bulak or Bullock, please check out this photo. I'd love to put a name to a face.


Other Posts You Might Like:

The Mystery Brides Return - Mystery Monday
Mystery Monday: Another Polish Wedding
Mystery Monday: Yet Another Polish Wedding...
(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Here Come The (Mystery) Brides

The Mystery Brides Return - Mystery Monday

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) I posted the last wedding photo from my mystery collection back in October 2010. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I have a large collection of mystery photos, many of them wedding photos.

Here's the latest couple to appear in our wedding parade. What can I tell you about this lovely bride and groom? Unfortunately not much. My guess is they were members of the Polish community in Worcester, MA. They probably got married at St. Mary's Church (Our Lady of Czestochowa). Given the short dress on the bride, they were probably married sometime in the 1920s.

Please comment if you recognize the happy couple, or take a look at my other mystery photos if you are looking for wedding photos of Polish ancestors who married in Worcester, MA between 1900 and 1930. I'd love to be able to "give the bride away," to a family member who does not have a photo of their ancestor's wedding.

Other Posts You Might Like:

Flu 1918 (Part 1 of 3) - Amanuensis Monday
(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Here Come the (Mystery) Brides
Mystery Monday: Another Polish Wedding
Mystery Monday: Yet Another Polish Wedding

Mystery Monday: Yet Another Polish Wedding...

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2010 Cynthia Shenette) This is a beautiful photo, and once again I have no idea who the bride and groom are. As for clues regarding the photo's origin, my guess is that it was taken around 1920. The wedding was probably performed at St. Mary's Church (Our Lady of Czestochowa) in Worcester, MA. The bride and the groom were probably members of Worcester's Polish community.

If you have or had family in the Polish community in Worcester, MA at the early part of the twentieth century please take a look. Check out my other mystery wedding photos as well. I'd love to put a name to a face. I'd especially love to find a relative of one of these happy couples, someone who doesn't have a photo of their ancestor's wedding, and send them a copy.

Other Posts You Might Like:

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Here Come The (Mystery) Brides...

Mystery Monday: Here Come the (Mystery) Brides, Again

Mystery Monday: Another Polish Wedding

Trip to Poland, 1937 (An Ongoing Series): Bon Voyage

Mystery Monday: Another Polish Wedding

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2010 Cynthia Shenette) Here is another item from my mystery wedding collection. My guess is that the photo was taken about 1920, judging from the style of clothing. Though I don't know for certain, it was probably taken in Worcester, MA and the wedding probably took place at St. Mary's Church (Our Lady of Czestochowa). The maid of honor next to the bride could be my grandmother, Anna (Bulak) Szerejko, but I am not sure. There is a definite Bulak resemblance. The bride and the other bridesmaid have similar features, so they could be Bulak (sometimes spelled Bullock) relations as well. If you recognize anyone in this photo let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

Mystery Monday: Here Come the (Mystery) Brides, Again

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2010 Cynthia Shenette) Thank you Thomas MacEntee for introducing new daily blogging themes at Geneabloggers! I've been trying to figure out how to post all of my mystery photos to hopefully identify some of the people in them. Mystery Monday presents the perfect opportunity to do just that.

My mystery collection seems to include an inordinate number of wedding photos, as I mentioned back in June in my post (Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Here Come The (Mystery) Brides. Call me an optimist, but I'm hoping some of you out there in geneablogger land can help me to identify some of the people in these portraits.

I honestly believe my grandparents and great-grandparents attended EVERY Polish wedding in Worcester, MA from 1900 until 1970. They received a photo of each event and then promptly forgot to label the photo as to whose wedding it was. I found the photos in the basement of my mom's house several years ago, and I just can't seem to toss all of these lovely brides out. Some of them I suspect are relatives--I can tell by the family resemblance. Others, I don't have a clue. My aunt Helen Bulak seems to be a bridesmaid in a number of them. My grandmother was a soloist at St. Mary's Church (Our Lady of Czestochowa) in Worcester and in her own words, "I sang all the weddings." My guess is she sang at someone's wedding and received a photo as a thank you in return.

What do I know about this photo? The photographer on the cardboard mount is listed as Knight's in Worcester MA. So the photo was probably of a wedding that took place in Worcester, MA. I see a family resemblance in the bride and the bridesmaid to the left of the bride. My guess is the bride and the bridesmaid are perhaps related to my Bulak or Kowalewski relations. My grandmother's family didn't live in Worcester until 1900, so the photo was probably taken after 1900. If you have family, or know someone who has family of Polish descent who lived and married in Worcester, MA, about 1900 to 1912, particularly if they have the last name Bulak, Bullock, or Kowalewski, send them my way.

Now who's ready to catch the bouquet?