Who would be the winner of the genealogy research lottery today? Just a random choice…just a random number taken from the ship’s manifest…for the Georgia leaving Trieste, Italy, on 30 April 1906. She was leaving for America with my grandmother, a girl from her village.
Her name was Franciszka Fuss. She was the same age of 16, or so she had reported . She, too, had paid for her passage and had $10 hidden in her clothing. She was headed for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She would be met at Ellis Island by her brother-in-law. Meanwhile, the voyage would take three weeks. What did this new beginning mean to her? Who would discover her true story?
Clues from records were gathered…really just basic facts. In 1910, she married Josef Pacian. She was 17 years old…she had adjusted her age when she applied for passage to America. (She was only 13 when she came alone to America.) Josef was from the same village in Poland as she. By 1920, the couple had moved from Philadelphia to Bucks County, Pennsylvania where they were farmers. The couple had two children, Anthony and Elizabeth. By 1930, she was a naturalized citizen. One more daughter, Amelia, was added to the family. By 1940, Franciszka and Josef continued to farm, but Josef also worked for a engineering firm in Philadelphia. By 1950, two of their adult children remained at home…son Anthony engaged in farming while Amelia was a seamstress in a hosiery factory. In August, 1968, Franciszka died of heart disease. Her husband and children survived her.
Little bread crumbs of facts are scattered for genealogy detectives’ discoveries. What is not found are the little details of Franciszka’s workings of her heart and soul. Her thoughts, her memories, her real story are lost to the genealogist detective who looks for random clues.
Once Upon A Lifetime: Tales And Vignettes Of My Ancestors 