This will be the 30th Father's Day without my father. And, on top of it, a good friend would have celebrated her 64th birthday today. In some ways, this has been a hard day for me (including a problem I have with swallowing certain food cropping up - no pun intended - and I am not feeling my best. ) But, as they say, consider the alternative.
So, I will let part of a post from Memorial Day, 2015 do the heavy lifting today. The amazing thing about what I did on Ancestry.com that day in 2015 led a long-lost cousin in his mid 80's to find me (actually, his daughter). He had been looking for me for years.
Amazing things can happen online.
* * * * * *
Today (May 25, 2015), the genealogy website Ancestry.com has free access and you can look up military records for anyone in their database.
I looked up my grandfather on my mother's side and found (definitely) his World War II draft registration and (possibly) his World War I draft registration. For the first time in my memory, I saw his signature on the World War II document. More intriguing, I found his town of birth - something I never knew - but it doesn't seem to exist -"Altsandas, Austria" - another mystery for a later date. (I am not sure what country it is in today, but it was Austria-Hungary when he came to this country around 1903).
I then looked up my father's World War Two enlistment record and found this. After the war he worked for several years on Governor's Island, part of New York City, where his enlistment took place. What I know of his enlistment is that he was already considered disabled (a childhood illness destroyed his hearing in one ear) and had tried to enlist without success. But, by 1942, we needed anyone who could serve.
| State of Residence: | New York |
|---|---|
| County or City: | Kings[Brooklyn] |
| Enlistment Date: | 6 Aug 1942 |
| Enlistment State: | New York |
| Enlistment City: | Fort Jay Governors Island |
| Term of Enlistment: | Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law |
| Component: | Selectees (Enlisted Men) |
| Source: | Civil Life |
| Education: | 2 years of high school |
| Civil Occupation: | Semiskilled occupations in manufacture of miscellaneous electrical equipment, n.e.c. |
| Marital Status: | Single, with dependents |
| Height: | 69 |
| Weight: | 130 |
More memories. Why would my father have been single, with dependents? Because he helped to raise his youngest brother after his mother died. Just as he raised me after my mother died.
These documents may not show much, but they can still tell a story. You just need to be creative to read and understand the story.
Dad, I want you to know I miss you today, and my friend, too. It was a beautiful day here in upstate New York. I wish I could have shared it with both of you.
Oh dear it is a hard time for you...hope you feel better . I can commisserate with your swallowing problem because I have some issues with food too. Of course it's not the same as yours but I can understand how difficult it makes things. Take care
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI do Genealogy and have some relatives came out of Vanhornsville near Stark (Herkimer) NY.
ReplyDeleteSince I do Genealogy and I've had family members serve in our Military, the French and Indian war...Coffee is on
It's been years since I've been to Herkimer -it's past time that I return. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteI hope you feel better, Alana... I don't know what the feeling might have been in finding something about your ancestors, things you may or may not have known about...but anyway, I really hope you feel better..😊
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nabanita.
DeleteYou may have more luck looking for "Alt Sandez" or "Alt Sandetz" (in Galicia) or even "Neu Sandez" (which isn't the same place, but maybe is in the same region?) I'm not sure, but I'd bet that's the place.
ReplyDelete"Stary Sącz (deutsch Alt Sandez) ist eine Stadt sowie Sitz der gleichnamigen Stadt- und Landgemeinde im Powiat Nowosądecki der Woiwodschaft Kleinpolen in Polen."
ReplyDeletehttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stary_S%C4%85cz
In English (and you'll see why, maybe, it's hard to find references): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stary_S%C4%85cz
http://www.stary.sacz.pl/
Good luck - I hope this leads you to lots more info on your family!
Thank you. I went directly to the information on World War II for that town - and it did not surprise me. Strangely, it did not sadden me. I think I've always, somewhere in my heart, known what was probably the fate of any family members I had that were still in the area.
DeleteOh, dear. That doesn't sound good. I'm glad that it didn't sadden you; I had hoped it would lead to happier revelations than it apparently did, though. :( I just found the place names - I didn't read too deeply.
DeleteLosing parents and loved ones must be hard. I hope you feel better, both emotionally and physically. Hugs
ReplyDeleteThank you. All these virtual hugs have helped. Thank you, all.
DeleteI'm so sorry your father is gone. Amazing that looking that up led to finding a long-lost cousin.
ReplyDelete