FAMILY OF THOMAS AND MARY (KISS) DUDZIK
Census records has these names (Dudzik, Durick, Duzick ,Dusik, Duzik, Dusick, Dugils, Dussie)
1900 Census name is Durick
1910 Census name is Dugils
1920 Census name is Dussie
1930 Census name is Duzick
1940 Census name is Dusick
A lot of genealogical records are subject to spelling errors, misstated dates, “I wrote what I thought you said”. That goes for census takers, transcribers, government agencies, clergymen, and newspapers. Sometimes you can only guess at the actual information. For instance Julia Duzick’s birthdate is 1870 in the 1900 Census, 1873 in the 1910 Census, 1878 in the 1920 Census and 1875 in the 1930 Census. That’s an 8 year swing. Which I will go into later.
The Family originated in the Village of Vysne Ruzbachy, District of Stara Lubovna, Region of Presov, Northern Slovakia with a population count of 1296 in the year 2005. The town is considered also as being in the high western Carpathian Mountains in the Tatra Mountain range between Slovakia and Poland. Our Family is SLOVAK.
Vysne Ruzbachy( 2016 population of 1,412) is 1.7 miles from Nisne Ruzbachy(2016 population of 634). The current telephone books in both villages have about 5 or 6 Dudzik’s and 5 or 6 Dudzikova’s. The “ova” on the end of a Slovakinan name means a female. Ergo Thomas Dudzik and Maria Kiss Dudzikova.
Tomas Dudzik (great-great grandfather) 30 Dec. 1819 d. in Austria in ?
Maria Kiss Dudzikova (great-great grandmother) b. 1815 d. in Austria in ?
Children: (Son Joannes 1850, Daughter Maria 1853, Son Paulus 1856, Son Ignacz 1849 Daughter Anna 1857, Daughter Sophia 1860, Son Tomas 1862(great-grandfather), Daughter Victoria 1865)
Tomas (John) Dudzik(Duzick) (great-grand father) b. 16 Dec. 1862 d. 15 Apr. 1934 came to U.S. 1882
1st wife Mary Wasil b. 1863 d. 10 Feb. 1896
Various records show maiden name as Wasel, Wassil, Wasill, Wasyl, but Marriage Cert of Thomas and Julia say WASIL). Thomas had married Mary 16 Dec. 1885. A marriage license from Luzerne County Pennsylvania indicates a “John” Dudzik and Mary Wasill were married on 16 Dec. 1885. It is established that Thomas Dudzik lived and worked in the mines at Plymouth Pennsylvania at this time. The description of the ages of “John” and Mary match exactly to Tomas and Mary. As neither of them spoke English very well my guess would be that the clerk erred in the name or he used his middle name John on the marriage record. Also, in 1943 a Birth Certificate Amendment was made for Elmers name. The document was signed by Thomas who also signed as John and that too was amended to correctly be shown as Thomas. Lastly, a 1918 draft registration document for Thomas John Dusick lists Thomas John Dusick as his father. So my guess is sometimes he used Thomas as his first name and other times he used John. Confusing isn’t it?
Mary died 10 Feb 1896 and Thomas married Julia on 18 Feb. 1896. When Mary died, Thomas had children ages 9 months, 3, 4, 6, and 9 years old it would be impossible to raise the children by himself and work in the mines. Their first child together (Andrew) was born 9 months after the marriage.
Also, there are two references connected to Vera that list mothers name as Mary Wasyl. Veronica’s Birth and Baptism records from St. Stanislaus Church lists Thomas Dudzik as Father and Mary WASYL as Mother. Pap Dusick’s WWI Veterans Compensation Application lists mothers name as Mary Wassil. Pap Dusick’s Marriage Certificate lists Mothers maiden name as Wasel. The Slovak name would be Wasil. In Polish and Ukrainian it would be Wasyl. Another variation is Vasil.
The 1900 census shows all of the children except Frank (who was really a nephew of Thomas) being born in Pennsylvania. A family newspaper article say that Thomas arrived in the United States in 1882 and first lived in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and then moved to Plymouth Pennsylvania before eventually settling in Shamokin. My best guess for when Thomas actually arrived in Shamokin is at least 1892 as Veronica was born in Shamokin January 1892. Plymouth was a large coal mining town. The Boyd’s Directory supports this time frame. I do believe Thomas met Mary after arriving in the United States because of their marriage date of 1885. And that I cannot locate Mary’s family name in the Vysne Ruzbachy area while she did maintain she was born in Austria. Mary and Anna were likely born in Plymouth or Shamokin. Vera, Catherine and John were born in Shamokin. None ever declared they were born in Massachusetts or that they were born in Austria. Plus census records indicate quite of few “Wassil’s” in Plymouth. Could be he met here there, but there is no way to be sure of that.
Some of the obits of the family state that Thomas came to the United States in 1882 and lived in Plymouth Pennsylvania before coming to Shamokin. Plymouth was a coal mining town and I assume Thomas worked in the mines in that area. They couldn’t have been there long as Mary died in 1896 in Shamokin, and the “Boyd’s Directory of Shamokin 1895-1897” shows Thomas Dusick at 300 S. Coal Street in this directory. Pap Dusick always said he was born in Shamokin by a “midwife” Susie Gally of 246 S. 5th St. That makes sense as Madeline and Elmer were both born via midwife Susie Gally. Coincidently, both Madelines and Elmers birth certificates were corrected. Madeline was born Margarete, and Emer was born John. They also had Elmer’s Father listed as John which was corrected to Thomas. Mary didn’t die at childbirth as the time between Paps birth and Mary’s death was 9 months.
Children of Thomas and Mary
Mary Dudack(Dudach) b. 30 Apr. 1887 d. 14 Dec. 1963
Anna Dexter b. 21 Jan. 1890 d. 10 Apr. 1966
Frank (nephew) b. 10 May 1890 d. 8 May 1977
* Veronica(Vera) Quinn b. 22 Jan. 1892 d. 29 Nov. 1968
(Run over by auto in Del Ray, Fla.)
Catherine Jorgensen b. 1 Aug. 1893 d. Apr. 1970
(1st Husband was Hiltbrand)
John (our Pap) b. 9 Jun. 1895 d. 3 Jun. 1969
*The 1910 census shows her name a Veronia Duzick but her real name was Veronica. Census takers handwriting was very poor and the conversion to Ancestry data no doubt was in error. However, through the years she was known as Verna and Vera. Her first marriage was to Josef Zufa of 330 S. Coal St. He died 15 Nov. 1916 at 26 years old, they had three children. She married Harold Quinn in Nov. 1921. There were three children Joseph (b. 1908), John (b. 1912), and Madeline (b. 1913). When she married for the second time to Quinn, all of the kids took the name Quinn.
Thomas(Thomas) Dudzik(Duzick)
2nd Wife Julia Kalapas b. Aug. 1879 d. 22 Sept. 1932 (came to U.S. between 1894 and 1900)
These are names used in documents related to Julia.. Colobush, Kolapas, Kalepasi, Kalapas, Kalapacz, Kalapasz, Kalaposh, Kalopush). Thomas and Julia married on 18 Feb. 1896.
Various birth, death, newspapers, obits of family members have used these variations. In the Austrian Region of both Vysne Ruzbacy and Nisne Ruzbachy surnames of Kalapas, Kalapacz, and Kalapasz appear.
Her first marriage was to a Paul Seich who died 28 Mar. 1893. She married him on 5 Nov. 1889.
Children of Thomas and Julia
Andrew b. 13 Oct. 1896 d. 2 July 1959
Helen (Ellen) Gulash b. 3 Nov. 1897 d. June 1975
1940 US Census name changed to “Gulias”
Thomas b. 5 Jan. 1899 d. 18 Dec. 1976
Michael b. 19 Sept. 1900 d. 11 Dec. 1986
Joseph b. 9 Mar. 1902 d. 24 Jun 1973
Stephen b. 2 Nov. 1903 d. 25 Oct. 1957
Elmer b. 18 Jan. 1907 d. 23 Mar. 1986 (Elmer’s birth cert was corrected from John to Elmer)
Madeline Andrusko b. 7 Sept. 1911 d. 24 Oct. 1995
(Madeline was born named Margarette, she used Madeline until 1981 and officially changed her name)
I also sent for and received an “Indenture” dated 12 October 1932 from Northumberland County that shows Great-Grandfather Thomas Duzick passing the deed of the properties at 300 and 302 S. Coal Street Shamokin, Pa. to Mary’s children only. They being Mary Dudach, Anne Dexter, Catherine Hiltbrand, Verna Quinn, and John Dusick. In the document in shows the property originally was conveyed to Mary Dusick and that she had died in 1896 in Shamokin. I know she is buried somewhere in one of the Catholic Cemeteries. I assume St. Mary’s but I called Mother Cabrini Church who has all the records and they do not have Mary. There are other Mary Duzicks buried there but are wives of other Duzick families.
More on Julia and an anomaly in the 1900 census. There are lots of things about Julia that are out of whack. Not only her age, but her arrival date into the United States. In the 1900 Census an Aaron 7 years old, shows up as a son of Thomas and Julia. His birthdate is listed as 7 Feb. 1893. Catherine was born 1 Aug. 1893 so who is Aaron? He does not appear in all the other Census records. I doubt that Aaron was Julia’s son by her first husband Paul Seich because Aaron was born in 1893 the year Julia married Paul. So in the 1910 Census he would be 17 years old and probably moved to another location. I cannot find any other references.
In any research project involving genealogy you can run into something called a “brick wall”. I’m afraid that is the case with Catherine Duzick Hiltbrand Jorgenson. As best I can find, Catherine also was in New Britain Connecticut as I found Mary (Duzick) Dudack, Anna (Duzick) Dexter, and Fred Hiltbrand there at the same time. The 1930 census shows Fred Hiltbrand, Catherine and a daughter Catherine (age 16) in New York. By 1940, Fred was divorced from Catherine and was living as a boarder in New York. I don’t know how Catherine connected to her husband Aksel Jorgensen, but they wound up in Delray Beach Florida where Verna (Duzick) Quinn was also living. Catherine died in 1970 in Florida. However, my request to Florida Vital Statistics did not come up with her death certificate. She might be buried in the same cemetery as Vera, don’t know. Her husband Aksel Knud Jorgensen lived to a ripe old age of 90 in Florida. There is no obituary for either of them. The only proof I have of Catherine’s death is the Social Security Death index.
I also tried some tracing using her daughter Catherine. Nothing was found.
Catherine applied for Social Security on June 1, 1942. Shows her at 265 N.E. Fourth St. in Miami Florida. It shows Mary Dudack as her Mother. This is not accurate as she must not have known her Mother’s name was Wasil. Dudack was her sister Mary’s married name.
The Dusick’s, Duzick’s, etc. are scattered far and wide.
Mary had John, Anna (Jasinski), Elizabeth (Halco), Madeline (never married), and Blanche (Gallo). Madeline died in 1974. She worked at Stanley Works in New Britain Connecticut in the 1940’s. My Dad worked there as well for a year or two right after getting married.
Anna had Walter, Richard, and Marion (Lally)(Colson)
Frank had Robert, and Frank Edward
Vera had Joseph (Zufa-Quinn), John (Zufa-Quinn), Madeline (Fox)
Catherine had Catherine (Stewart-Lamberson)
John had Eleanor (Nacinovich), John(my Father), Margaret (Bednarcik), and Harold
Andrew had Phyllis(never married), Joseph, Henry, and Andrew
Helen had Helen (Landsberg), John, Leona (Kautz), Veronica (Schmidt), and Ronald
Thomas had Albert,Thomas, Stephen, Raymond and Mary (Hoffman)
Michael had Marie (Costa)
Joseph had Madeline (died at age 11), Marcella (Rozowski who incidently was still alive in 2020 in Augustaville, Pa.), and Joseph (Jak Sie Eija)In Polish it means “How are you”, in Slovak it means “How are they”.. I made contact with Marcella in 2022. I sent her a copy of the family research. She lives at 116 S. Vine St. in Coal Township, Pa. Her son Stan owns Little Mountain Bees Farm in Augustaville. Marcella passed away on December 29, 2023.
Steven had William, Robert and Rose (Williams)
Elmer had Lucille (Spatzer)
Madeline had John, Rose Marie (Walter), James, Jerome, Ronald, Jane (Klein), Eleanor (Steinhardt), and Leonard
Of note, Vera Duzick Zufa Quinn’s sister was Madeline (Duzick) Andrusko. Vera named her daughter Madeline who married Bernard Fox. Madeline Fox named her daughter Stephanie Madeline Fox who married Keith Cannon. Joseph had a daughter Madeline who died at age 11. My son named his daughter Madeline Dusick.
On September 25, 2021 I managed to get in touch with Stephanie and we spoke for a while and she confirmed a lot of the information that I have collected. Stephanie confirmed the fact that Vera is the woman off to the right in the famous photo of August 14, 1945 (V-J Day) of the sailor kissing the nurse.
There is a web-site //www.thedusickfamily.com. This information and many photos, documents, etc. are posted on the web site.
