"Ancestrees"

Mihaly KACSMAR ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7}

   Another name for Mihaly was Michael KACMAR.

  General Notes:

According to the christening record of Michael Kacsmar on Oct. 20, 1869, in Koprivnica, Slovakia, his parents were Juraj Kacsmar and Ann Kuchar.

Family tradition says that blonde haired Michael was a sheepherder in the old country and brunette haired Susan (Mary) Hruskovic was a cook for 30 people. These two met when they lived on either side of the border. (What border it is not known.) They were married in Austria and had two children, Mary and Anna, before they came to America (D-18).

According to their daughter, Sue Irene, they were Slovaks although her father might have been German (D-18). Michael came over first to America, got a job, and then sent for his family. He arrived on the Pennland from the Port of Antwerp on July 3, 1893. The Ellis Island records state that he was 24, married, from Pokrivnica, Hungary. He was a workman who could not read or write and whose destination was Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania (D-18, 74, EL).

Michael was employed in many different capacities. He supposedly came to America for work as a lumber jack. He is listed as a laborer and dye maker in his daughters' marriage certificates. He worked largely in chemical factories according to daughter, Katie. He and most of his sons might have worked in the charcoal plant in Custer City, Pennsylvania He and his family supposedly moved a lot because he was a teamster of horses. He was a roustabout and pumper for independent producers of oil and a gardener at the end of his life. (D-57,73)

He became a U.S. citizen June 2, 1903 (D-53). He made his own beer and snuff (out of 5 Brothers Tobacco). According to his grandson, John Dudick, the beer was quite good - without bitter aftertaste. (D-73) His granddaughter, Shirley Augustine, remembers that he also made great pigs feet. Granddaughter, Betty Helbert, adds that he loved and ate great quantities of salt pork and butter on his bread. He use to stoke up the wood stove in the living room until it was real hot and then sit right in front of it. He also made wagon tongues and handles for his tools. (D-152)

In the 1930 census for Bradford Twp., McKean Co., PA, it states that he, his wife and both their parents were born in what was currently called Czechoslovakia. He and his wife were supposedly both age 58. He was 28 when they married and she was only 17. If you do the math on what we know of this family, their ages and marriage ages are both off. The language spoken in the home was Slovak. He emigrated in 1893 and she in 1895. It's hard to tell if he had become a U.S. citizen, but his wife definitely had not. They rented their home. It's contents were worth $8.00. He was listed as a laborer for all jobs.

Susan, his wife, was a midwife. She, herself, had 8 children as well as 4 other stillborn children. Our older relatives remembered her stuffed cabbage that "was out of this world." (D-74) Granddaughter Betty Helbert recollected that she made aprons and dust caps and had her grandchildren go to the neighbors to sell them. She raised two of Betty's siblings, Pat and Margaret Ross, after Betty's mother died. (D-152) Residences: Backus, PA (D-57) (Their children went to school in Backus). Lewis Run, PA (D-57) Oct. 21, 1900; Ormsby, PA (D-36) Aug. 7, 1907; Lafayette Twp., McKean Co, Pennsylvania (D-27) Aug. 11, 1913; Dunmore, PA (D-74) Mar. 30, 1917; Custer City, PA (D-26) Dec. 29, 1919; Custer City, PA (D-24) Degolia, PA; (D-57) Sept. 24, 1934; Bradford City, Bradford Twp.: Mike and Mary each purchased two acres of land from Dorothy Healy. (D-22)

Possible nieces and nephews or cousins of this Michael Kacmar, immigrated to PA and moved from Dunmore, PA to Hamlin, Hollistervilel, and Pennsburg, Pennsylvania This family included siblings named John Kacmar, b. 1890, Mary Motichka and possibly Andrew. (D-168) They could have lived in Dunmore at the same time as Michael Kacmar. ^{10 11}

  Noted events in his life were:

• Immigration, 7/24/1893, , , AUSTRIA.

• Naturalization, 6/2/1903, , McKean, PA, USA.

Mihaly married Maria HRUSKOVIC, daughter of Josephus HRUSKOVIKS and Catharina KOTULYAK, before 1891. (Maria HRUSKOVIC was born on 10/2/1867 in Zborov Parish, Saros, SVK ^{12 13}, christened on 10/5/1867 in Zborov Parish, Saris, SVK ^{12 13} and died on 2/8/1947 in Degolia, Mckean, PA, USA ³.)