Tag Archives: Funeral Cards

Funeral Cards

Gustave Glosz aka Gloss, 1895-1945

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The funeral card of Gustave Gloss was among my grandmother’s mementos, but for some reason, I don’t ever remember seeing it even though it was scanned and among all the other images. I came across it during my self-inflicted project of re-organizing the files on my computer.

Gustave Glosz was born 10 August 1895 in L’ubica, Slovakia, not too far from Nana’s village of Udol, but far enough away I doubt that they knew each other in Europe. He was the son of Joseph Glosz and Maria Griglak.

Gustave arrived in New York on 13 August 1923, undoubtedly to make a better life for himself and his family. He married Julia, possibly the Julia Pavlicsko who was baptized on 12 January 1896 in the parish of Spisska Bela in Kezmarok, Slovakia. L’ubica was another small parish also in Kezmarok.

When Gustave arrived in New York, he headed straight for Clifton, Passaic, New Jersey, to live with his brother, Joseph. He left wife Julia and an infant son, Alois, born 10 December 1922 back in L’ubica.

According to the 1930 census, Julia arrived in the United States in 1929, but little Alois was not enumerated with them. With the high infant mortality rate in Slovakia, it is likely he died very young.

Gustave and Julia lived at 178 Third Street in Passaic at the time and there were no other children in the household with them. Gustav worked as a tailor; Julia had no occupation listed.


178 Third Street, Passaic, NJ
Google Maps

Gustave came to America with the definite intention of spending the rest of his life here, as he applied to become a citizen on 26 July 1924. By 1930, he was enumerated as a naturalized citizen and his papers can be found online at the Passaic County Clerk’s office.

In 1940, Gustave and Julia were still living in Passaic, but at 55 Dayton Avenue, which is no longer there. Also in their home was their four year old daughter. By this time, Gustav had done well in his new life, as he was not only a tailor, but the proprietor of his own shop.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Nana got to know this family because of the time when they lived on Third Street, which was most definitely an immigrant neighborhood and not far from St. Michael’s and several other Catholic churches. She might have even been a customer in the tailor shop.

Gustav’s World War II draft registration card is dated 1942:


Source: Ancestry

Sadly, Gustave died on 18 March 1945. I have not found an obituary, nor have I found any gravestone for him.

Widow Julia Gloss continued to live at 55 Dayton Avenue at least until 1956, which is the last Passaic city directory I found online.

If you are related to Gustave Gloss, I would like to return this funeral card back to a family member.

UPDATE: Descendants found and this funeral card is going back home to family.

 

 

Funeral Cards

Looking for Family of Anna Kowalsky, died 29 Nov 1936, Passaic, NJ

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There are a few more funeral cards in my possession that belonged to my grandmother. Today’s card is for Anna Kowalsky, who died on 29 November 1936. She passed away only two days after my grandfather, George Sabo. Interestingly, her funeral was handled by the John J. Labash & Son funeral home at 40 Monroe Street in Passaic, New Jersey, while my grandfather’s was handled by the Andrew Labash funeral home at 102 Market Street, also in Passaic. The Labashes might have been cousins as there are a couple of different Labash families in Passaic and all are undertakers.

AnnaKowalskyPrayerCardFront1936
Anna Kowalsky Prayer Card

AnnaKowalskyPrayerCardBack1936
Anna Kowalsky, reverse side

I don’t recognize the Kowalsky name from my grandmother’s many friends, so she must not have kept in touch with the family in later years.

The Kowalskys are a bit confusing. I have found several different John and Anna Kowalsky family groups (Anna and husband John are buried together at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Garfield, Bergen, New Jersey) but none of their children are buried there.

Online family trees have the usual splattering of records attached for them in Cleveland, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, Litchfield County, Connecticut and Passaic and Clifton, New Jersey. Children’s names don’t match up. Some records say born in Germany, some in west Prussia, some in Kiev, Russia.

However, John Kowalsky’s naturalization declaration record, dated 16 December 1918,  is recorded in Passaic County, New Jersey. He was born 18 October 1879 in Resolv, Poland. Anna, according to the same petition, was born in Nowa Grobla, Poland. It indicates that he arrived in New York from Hamburg, Germany on 29 May 1905.

It appears from the 1910 and 1940 censuses that John and Anna Kowalsky had at least two children, Mary, born about 1908 and Nicholas, born about 1912, both in New Jersey.

Links to Mary call her Elizabeth Marie and indicate that she married Harry Feld. Harry appears to have been born 13 October 1899 and died on 6 July 1993 in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey. Wife Betty was born 21 September 1907 and died 19 December 1992 in Passaic, New Jersey. Both are found in the SSDI.

Nicholas was born 5 December 1911 and died in January 1975, also found in the SSDI.

If you are related to John and Anna Kowalsky, please contact me. I would love to return Anna’s funeral prayer card to a family member.

Funeral Cards, Passaic NJ

Looking for Family: Michael and Henry Wancho, d. 1964, Passaic, NJ

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These are the last two funeral cards, I think, looking to be returned to family.

Michael and Henry Wancho were father and son and died only four months apart – Michael on 11 May and Henry on 1 September, both in 1964.

Michael Wancho
Michael Wancho, died 11 May 1964

Henry Wancho
Henry Wancho, died 1 September 1964

I recognize the surname “Wancho” as the Americanized spelling of “Vancso,” found in the village church records of Udol, Slovakia. Many villagers emigrated to Passaic between 1890 and 1920.

I can’t find the family in 1940, likely because the name is not indexed correctly, but in 1930, they lived at 52 DeWitt Street, Garfield, NJ. They lived in that house for a long time, because in the early 1960’s, I remember addressing Christmas cards for my grandmother and 52 DeWitt Street was one of the addresses I remember writing.

I am sure there are descendants of this family today, but I long lost touch with them.

If you are part of this Wancho family or know where to get in touch with them, please leave a comment. I would like to return these funeral cards to the family.