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Natalie



Joined: 23 Sep 2012
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Post Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 2:38 pm      Post subject: Pietruszka from Tarnow
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Searching for any info on a Lawrence Pietruszka, birth year approximately 1870, Tarnow or Tarnow area. Went to US in late 1890’s or early 1900’s. Had 4 children with my Grandmother Mary Wujcik in Utica, NY, then disappeared off the face of the earth! Any info on Pietruszka’s from this area would be helpful. Thanks!
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mcdonald0517
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Post Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 7:10 pm      Post subject:
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Hello Natalie,

I did a bit of searching around in Ancestry.com based on the information you provided.
At first, I found 2 records for address directories for Lawrence Pietruszka in Utica, NY from 1907 and 1910. His name was spelled differently for each record. However, I could find no further records for him in Utica under that name.

Then, I found two family trees on Ancestry that have Lawrence Pietruszka (again spelled slightly differently in their trees) that seem to line up with the dates and the spouse Mary Wujcik (again spelled slightly differently in the trees but very close). Both of these trees indicate a change in surname from Pietruszka to Pikul.

I am not sure this is your family line, but it seems possible that he had such problems with the spelling of his surname, that he eventually changed it entirely from Pietruszka to Pikul. Also, a census record from Vermont in 1920 (attached) for Lawrence Pikul shows a spouse of Mary and children born in New York and Massachusetts. This census record was attached to one of the Ancestry trees I found when I searched for Lawrence Pietruszka. The family could have traveled around the northeast for work. This could explain why he seemed to disappear. Perhaps you can check the names of the children in the census and see if they match the names of your family members - if you know them.

If you have a subscription to Ancestry, you can search for Lawrence Pikul and look for family tree results. You can then review the trees and send the owners emails. Perhaps you can compare notes with them to look at this mystery. Funny, one of the trees in Ancestry is called "It's complicated"....

Alternately, you can contact the state of New York vital records office and request a search for the birth records of his children born in Utica: Leonora born about 1907; Stanley born about 1908; and Joseph Lawrence born about 1910 according to the Ancestry trees. This might help to at least prove/disprove the surname change theory.

This is definitely complicated... and I hope this at least provides you with some clues to follow up on.

I wish you all the best on your search,
Cynthia



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1920 census Vermont Lawrence Pikul and family
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mcdonald0517
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Post Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 7:50 pm      Post subject:
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Here is another clue...

A Find A Grave memorial for one of their children - Gertrude...

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68283998/g._gertrude-amuso

Cynthia
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Natalie



Joined: 23 Sep 2012
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Post Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 8:17 pm      Post subject:
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Dear Cynthia,

Thank you so much for replying to my topic question. That is my family line that you found, and it is a complicated story. I have found all of the information that you found: the 2 directory listings, the Vermont census (my Mother was born there, she was the second youngest in the Pikul family), and I have also the vital records from Utica, NY.

It is funny that you should mention that perhaps Pietruszka changed his name to Pikul! It is a theory that I have floated about for the past 8 years, but can’t really prove it, because I cannot seem to find any mention of a Lawrence Pietruszka anywhere, ever, in all of the many searches I’ve done. (Except for the directory listings) So I thought perhaps he and Lawrence Pikul might be one and the same person. But, I thought perhaps I might be stretching it a bit!

I am the family “go to” person for family history, and have been doing it for the past 10 years. The story goes that L. Pietruszka abandoned Mary in Utica, NY, with her 3 children, (Leonora died in infancy). And was never heard from again. Endless searching has led nowhere as to where he may have gone, or where he came from. My Grandmother Mary eventually went on to have more children with L. Pikul. All of her children were my aunts and uncles, as well as one being my Mother. They are all deceased now. There is also another interesting twist in the story, as L. Pikul fathered another family of 5 boys with his 1st wife, then left her, and fathered this 2nd family with Mary Wujcik. I have found plenty of info on Lawrence Pikul. It is Lawrence Pietruszka that eludes me, and this is rather frustrating! I really just want to put him to rest, but I can’t seem to get anywhere with him. So often I have thought to myself, maybe they are the same person? L. Pietruszka and L. Pikul?

Anyway, thank you for taking the time and getting back to me. I surely appreciate it, and it makes me re-think the possibility that Pietruszka and Pikul are both the same person.

Sincerely,
Natalie
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mcdonald0517
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Post Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:47 pm      Post subject:
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Hi Natalie,

If I were you, I would try tracking down the following if you haven’t already done so:

1. Contact vital records office in Utica and request a search of marriage record and license application for your grandparents 1903-1910. It May provide you with some clues such as declaration of previous marriages, parents, residence, etc.
2. The 1920 census in Vermont indicates Lawrence Pikul was naturalized in 1900. See if you can locate his naturalization papers. His application may provide details such as marriages, origin of birth, and children. It may also reveal if there was a request for surname change at the time of citizenship.
3. Assuming Lawrence Pikul is a separate person, see if you can find a marriage record and license application for him in Massachusetts and/or Vermont either for marriage to your grandmother or to a previous spouse. If you find the application for him and your grandmother, it will tell you if your grandmother was widowed and date of death for previous spouse, or if she was divorced.
4. Request a search of death records for Lawrence Pietruszka in Utica for 1909-1915 (assuming Mary was widowed).
5. Request a search of divorce records in Utica for 1909-1915 assuming she was abandoned.
6. Search for WWI military enlistment for Lawrence Pietruszka. Perhaps he abandoned his family to fight in the war. He may have perished in the war or never returned MIA. Or, given his German heritage, he may have returned to Europe to fight for Germany - a wild speculation.
7. Request a search of sacramental records from the diocese/church they attended in Adams Mass. to find their sacramental marriage record. If they were married in church, then neither of them were divorced. They were widowed.
8. Search local Utica newspapers for obits, divorces, marriages, directories, etc. for 1906-1915. You might get some clues.
9. Perhaps y- genetic testing of male descendants of Pietruszka and Pikul could solve the question of whether they are different men or the same man with surname change.

That’s all I can think of for now. You probably already chased a lot of these down, but perhaps there are a couple in the list you haven’t considered.

Good luck!
Cynthia
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Natalie



Joined: 23 Sep 2012
Replies: 7

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Post Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 4:09 pm      Post subject:
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Hello Cynthia,

Once again, thank you for your various suggestions! I have chased down many of these, but others, such as the WW1 enlistment, and perhaps perishing in the war, or MIA, I had not thought of.

We are also considering the y-genetic testing of male descendants, another suggestion you made.

It is so gratifying to have someone with your expertise willing to give of their time and skills to this community! I am amazed! Thank you again!

Sincerely,
Natalie
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mcdonald0517
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Post Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:46 pm      Post subject:
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Hi Natalie,

You are very welcome. I understand what it feels like to have a "lost" grandfather. My paternal grandfather was lost to my family for almost 100 years. No one knew any real details about him, but there were lots of family stories about his "bad influence" and some kind of scandal associated with him and my grandmother. My father knew nothing about my grandfather because he was only 2 months old when my grandfather died. So nothing was passed on to us. I could never find my grandparents marriage record and was beginning to think they never married. I didn't even know where he was buried.

Finding him and their story is what got me hooked on genealogy. It took a lot of persistence, patience, and time, but after about 5 years of searching, I finally found him - and I discovered the "scandal". One day, on a whim, I called the clerks office in the city of Pittsburgh and asked to speak with someone about how to go about requesting a search for divorce records. To my surprise, they transferred me to a man who actually searched while I was on the phone. He found the entire divorce case file for me and offered to send me a copy for a fee. I received a stack of legal documents related to his divorce including the Master's report which detailed the entire sad story. He was married prior to meeting my grandmother. He was divorcing his first wife due to her multiple adulteries, but the divorce was dragging out because he was so poor he couldn't afford to pay the legal fees. Meanwhile, he met and fell for my grandmother. Then she got pregnant with my aunt out of wedlock. Finally, he secured his divorce in Aug 1918 and that's when I was able to find my grandparents marriage record for Sep 1918. My grandma marched him right down to the clerks office to make an honest woman of her! Then, my father was born in Jan 1921, and sadly my grandfather died in April 1921 at the age of 27. I did finally find where he was buried, and several years ago, I placed a memorial stone for his unmarked grave. This past September, I even went to his village in Poland and visited his family church, town, the house of his brother that is still standing, and the graves of his siblings and parents.

So, don't give up - and follow your intuition. Also, sometimes you have to go to these places in person and search for yourself. For example: I made multiple requests for a search of their marriage record by mail and they always came back empty. Last year, I was in Pittsburgh visiting family, and made a point of going to search for the record myself at the clerks office. I found it within 2 minutes. They just made a mess of those Polish surnames in those days and it had a very odd spelling for their names - that's why a stranger looking for the record couldn't find it - but since I knew what I was looking for - I found it immediately spelling mistakes and all.

Keep on looking. You will find him and their story. I found a newspaper announcement for the birth of one of their children in Utica. It is attached.

Wishing you the best on your search,
Cynthia



1908 newspaper birth Stanley P..pdf
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Natalie



Joined: 23 Sep 2012
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Post Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2019 4:04 pm      Post subject: Pietruszka
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Hello and thank you,

Once again, thank you for the words of encouragement. I like that you said follow your intuition, I’ve been trying to do that! That is quite a story you told about finding your grandfather...just fascinating! Yes, they did make a mess of those Polish names in those days!

I will keep on with the search, my persistence and patience hopefully will reap rewards!

Sincerely,
Natalie
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