Rozalia (Rosalia, Rosie) Fialla Hurbanek - Great Grandmother, wife of John Hurbanek

Rosalia Fialla Hurbanek - this picture was taken on 238  Climax Street, Beltzhoover, Pittsburgh, PA.  It's the only picture of her that I have. 

FIALLA spellings:
Fialla
Fiala
Fijala

Rosalia was born Rosalia Fijala in Gbely, Slovakia  on 10/29/1879

Here is her baptism record:

Interesting that they ask if she is legitimate!  How times have changed.

Also looks like a Susanna Hurban was her Godmother.

Here is the full page:

She married John Hurbanek in Gbely - having trouble finding marriage records

LINDA LOOK MORE INTO THIS

She came to the United States with Louis (Ludwig) when she was 24 years old and he was 9 months old.  John was already there in Pittsburgh.

Mom's notes say that John's mother and father came over at the same time that he did. 

LINDA KEEP LOOKING FOR THIS BOAT RECORD

Mom's notes:  Rosalia Fialla (died 1949).  Her family all came to America at the same time.  She had a sister Mary who married John Nedlick and a brother Michael who went to New York state (don't know if there were others).  Nedlick children are in CA, FL, NY and PA. 

There does look like there are several other Fialla siblings including:

Jacob 1881-1951

Michael 1884-1957

Maria 1885-

Angela 1887-1887

Mom's notes:  John Hurbanek and Rosalia Fialla Hurbanek  were separated, I don't remember him at all.  Grandma said that he and Fritz lived at 238 Climax Street in Beltzhoover, in my memory.
Sarah married late in her 30's.  When Fritz went to the Army, Grandma Rosalia  got pneumonia which they said settled in her brain.  Daddy & Uncle Kon took her to Mayview.  She was allowed visitors one day a week.  I remember Daddy going often. 

That's sad that the end of her life was like that. 

John (Jan) Hurbanek - - - great grandfather who came to the U.S. on 5/26/1901

On prior page is John's naturalization papers where he became a U.S. citizen on 11/7/1917.  Wish I had a picture him. 

John was born as Joannes Hurbanek on 5/14/1875. 

From Egbell:

Still looking for his boat record where he arrived in the U.S. on 5/26/1901 at the age of 26. 

The 1910 census shows John working in the coke ovens.  These records really messed up the Hurbanek name as Huerbingk.  Louis was 10 years old.

John's WWI draft record of 9/12/1918 states that he worked at Jones &Laughlin Steel on 2nd Avenue  in the coke drawer.  At that time he lived on 96 Irvine Avenue.  He had brown eyes, brown hair and was tall and slender.

 The 1920 census has Louis already out of the house.  I believe he was in the army then.

Sadly, John died on 4/10/1953 of a coronary occlusion (unfortunately, he saw his son Louis die the year before).

It states on here that John's father's name was John Hurbanek, but we know from Egbell birth records that it was Vincent.  I am finding that birth/death certificates and census records are not always accurate.  I think we should go by the Egbell birth record of Vincent as his father's name. 

Tree so far - lets go on Hurbanek branch! Ludwig = Loius

Here is the tree so far.  How did Louis J. Hurbanek, Sr., come to the U.S.?  He came over with his mother, Rozalia (aka Rosalia aka Rosie) Fialla Hurbanek.  They joined John (Jan) Hurbanek who was already there. 

John came over to America from Gbely, Slovakia (aka Egbell, Austria-Hungary) via the boat named Travo which left Bremen and arrived in the New York port on 5/26/1901.  I've been trying to find this boat record, but am still looking.

LINDA KEEP LOOKING FOR THIS BOAT RECORD

Here is his naturalization papers dated 11/7/1917.  Interestingly, he requests that his name be changed from Jan to John.  Also, Rozalia is called Rosie.

The boat records for Rozalia and Louis Hurbanek were easy to find. 

I never realized that Ludwig = Louis

They are #9 & 10.  Rozalia was only 24 years old and Louis was only 9 months.  She came over with $4.00 in her pocket!  Also, she came over by herself with baby Louis.  No one else from Egbell.  What a brave woman!!!

The ship was the Bremen.

Ship Name:	Bremen
Years in service:	1896-1921
Funnels:	2
Masts:	2
Aliases:	Constantinople (1921), King Alexander (1924)
Shipping line:	North German Lloyd
Ship description:	Built by F. Schichau, Danzig, Germany. Tonnage: 11,570. Dimensions: 550' x 60' (569' o.l.). Twin-screw, 15 1/2 knots. Quadruple expansion engines. Two masts and two funnels. Lengthened from 525 to 550 feet in 1901. Tonnage had been 10,525.
ShipVersion:	II
History:	Served also in Australian trade. Renamed: (a) Constantinople (1921), (b) King Alexander (1924). Sold for scrap to Italian shipbreakers in March 1926.

This is the picture from Ancestry - I hope the Bremen is the one on the right!

More on Uncle Lou Hurbanek- South Hills High School band and U.S. Army during WWII

Thanks Kathy for sharing some memories - love the part when you said there were many family dinner pictures were taken with us sitting around the table with Owens Corning Fiberglass Insulation paper decorating the walls. 

I didn't realize that Uncle Lou was in the high school marching band!  He played the "alto horn" in his senior year of high school.  The below is from Ancestry.com's yearbook collection:

Uncle Lou is the second from the left in the front row.

Here is the entire page

It states that Louis Hurbanek is one of the graduating seniors that year and that he plays the alto horn.

Uncle Lou went into the service after high school. 

From mom's story:  Lou went to the service after high school.  We were all so upset.  He went to Fort Meade in Maryland.  He had a cushy job in the hobby shop.  Every time he came home on leave, we all cried and carried on when he had to go back. 

Cushy hobby shop job or not - when he joined the service he didn't know what he was going to be doing or where he would end up and that is very brave!

I'll never forget Uncle Lou's amazing train platform.  I could spend hours looking at everything.  Christmases there were so much fun - the trains, the cookies (Aunt Flo's cookies blew me away!) and the Christmas tree decoration that revolved and changed colors.

 

Louis J. Hurbanek, Jr. and Florence Bruner - some recollections from Kathy Bennett

Recollections of Kathy Bennett (6/1/2016):

My dad (Louis J. Hurbanek, Jr.)  married Florence Marie Bruner on 9/15/1951. She lived in Pittsburgh on Woodstock Avenue. Worked at the counter of a dry cleaners for a period of time then at a drug store cosmetics counter. Her parents, Martha Zapf and Joseph Bruner had 8 surviving children, Helen, Ruth, Mary, Edward, Joseph, Katherine, Dorothy, and Margaret.

I think when first married my parents had an apartment (Location unknown, Belzer Avenue maybe) and then moved into another apartment in Mt. Lebanon (I know where it is, can’t remember the name of the street) (It is a little bit from Gram’s house south on Route 19). We lived there in 1957 until I finished Kindergarten and moved that year to 2443 Willowbrook Road in Upper St. Clair where I started 1st grade at Johnston School. The house was originally a summer cottage and my dad spent years renovating it. Many family dinner pictures were taken with us sitting around the table with Owens Corning Fiberglass Insulation paper decorating the walls.

My dad was born 7/1/1927 died on 8/5/2000. Mom was born 10/31/1927 and died on 6/27/2005. Like his father, my dad also worked in a steel mill. For a period of time he worked in the chemical lab and then as an electrician. He finished his career and retired from Cyclops Specialty Steel in Bridgeville, Pa. He could fix anything and my mom was a terrific baker.