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View Tree for Michael StrozakMichael Strozak (b. November 21, 1871, d. June 26, 1943)


Picture of Michael Strozak

Michael Strozak (son of Conrad Storozuk and Tekla "Tessie" Styczuk) was born November 21, 1871 in Hnilice Nielkie, Poland125, 126, and died June 26, 1943 in Hicksville, Nassau Co, NY (Town of Oyster Bay)127. He married Anna Tolisz on November 21, 1898 in Hniliczki Male, Poland128, daughter of John Tolisz and Veronica Cherciz (Czerciz?).

 Includes NotesNotes for Michael Strozak:
I remember Grandpa as being taller than the average man of his day. He had a wonderful mustache and always wore thick leather belts. He worked for the railroad as I remember. Then Frankie said that Mom told him that Grandpa worked for a nursery somewhere near Syosset. His death certificate states that he was a retired laborer.
Grandpa committed suicide by hanging himself on the telephone pole in front of his home on 298 Jerusalem Avenue, Hicksville, L.I., NY. His viewing (wake) was in the living room of his home as was the custom of the time. I remember sleeping upstairs with my cousins while our parents were downstairs. It was a scary experience for us kids! He is buried in Plain Lawn Cemetery, 279 Old Country Road, Hicksville, Nassau Co, NY. Row-1; Grave-4; Section-1. Phone number of cemetery 516-938-0155.
According to the death certificate, Grandpa had lived in Hicksville for 38 years before his death in 1943. I have heard Grandpa referred to as a horse soldier. Frankie said that Mom told him that Grandpa was in the Prussian Cavalry.
March 12, 2001, I received a copy of grandpa's application for a Social Security number. It is witnessed by Michael Hawrylowicz which leads me to believe that grandpa could not read and write in English. There is a different birthday than on his death certificate and again just gives Galicia, Poland, Austria as his place of birth.
According to Grandma's naturalization papers, Grandpa made his last trip to the U.S. on the Eugenie, in 1911. I have found mention of the years 1902, 1906 and 1907, in addition to the 1911 voyage to the U.S. on the Ellis Island site on the Internet. On the 1907 ship's manifest, he states that he is going to stay with Stanislaw Tolesz, brother-in-law, at 125 Houston St, NYC. On another manifest (1911) he states that he is going to stay with a cousin, Frak Dricher in Hicksville.
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Friday, May 31, 2002

This past week I decided to clean out the cedar chest in the guest room. It was filled with old pictures, newspaper clippings and letters, which I had been throwing there since Dad died, almost six years ago. I sorted by labeling boxes; Casey's, Liz's, Cathy's, Jen's, misc, and mine. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane and then I found something that I must have overlooked many times before. It was a faded booklet with yellowed pages, which looked like a military document of some sort. I recognized Grandpa's name and the date of 1908 but it was written in two languages and neither of them contained any of the words in my Polish dictionary.

I had heard stories about Grandpa being in the Calvary and now I had a document, which could give me more information about him. The date of 1908 confused me because my research showed that Grandpa originally came to America in 1902 and he is listed on the Ellis Island site as coming into NY in 1906, 1907 and finally 1911. I am pretty certain that he and Grandma already lived in Hicksville in 1905 so why would he be in Europe in the military in 1908?

I started sending emails to family members and posted queries on the Slavic newsgroup asking for help and information. I confused many people along with me. Then answers started coming in and one man, Frank Kurchina (from the newsgroup), volunteered to translate the document for me. He also included a great deal of European history.

Frank's preliminary report told me that what I had was a bilingual German-Ukrainian Military Pass issued in Galicia in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. He said it was not a Militar Pass (active duty) but a Landsturm Pass. Grandpa was 'ehemaliger' (former, ex) and had formerly served in the Ulhan Regiment No. 13. Frank went on to explain that the Army had four classifications of military service; Active, Reserve, Landwehr and Landsturm. At the age of 17, a man might be called up to serve in the Landsturm 1st Ban, a sort of National Guard for home defense. The British Army equivalent was the Territorial force.
In peace, it was mandatory to serve in the Army upon a man's 20th birthday. A 2 year period of Active service then began, or 3 years in the cavalry and field artillery. After that time, a man would be liable to serve the next 4 to 5 years in the Reserve, usually a 2 week training period each year. Serving in
the Reserve during peacetime, was generally regarded as a vacation from home and work. After the Reserve period, a man was then liable to serve in the Landwehr for the next 11 years. The last stage was being liable for service for 7 years in the Landsturm 2nd Ban. After the age of 45, a man was then
free from further military service. It was only in times of war that the Landwehr and Landsturm were called for duty.

O.K., now I could understand why Grandpa was still carrying a military pass when he went back to Europe in 1908! Then I started searching for information about the Ulan Regiment No. 13 and found one site through google.com: http://akmilitaergeschichte.de/newsletter/nl11/essays/stoneman.html but it wasn't too much help to me personally.

I then received another note from a member of the Slavic newsgroup, which I share with you:

Hi,
The Uhlans were light horse and had replaced most heavy horse units by
Napoleon's time. They were Polish and some Prussian and world famous with
many countries trying to imitate. At Waterloo the Prussian Ulans came in
somewhat late but definitely changed the outcome. The English copied most of
it and call their saddles English saddles. Any painting of Wellington or
others shows the legs fully straight in stirrup-not Uhlan style. Today the
riders all ride at a crouch or "half seat". It's easier on the horse. The
last war still had a lot of horses. The Poles Uhlan brigades sacrificed
themselves as a tripwire. ("Remember the Ulans") They actually stopped
armor (tanks) temporarily in one battle. They were expert horsemen and not
just run of the mill cavalry. You should be proud.
Ted Krasicki
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The year is 1902, one hundred years ago (the year Grandpa first came to America)
... what a difference a century makes.

Here are the US statistics for 1902.


The average life expectancy in theUS was forty-seven (47).

Only 14 Percent of the homes in the US had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily
populated than California.

With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most
populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist
$2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place at home.

Ninety percent of all US physicians had no college education. Instead,
they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the
press and by the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee cost fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg
yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country
for any reason.

The five leading causes of death in the US were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii
and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.

There were no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

One in ten US adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all
Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at
corner drugstores.

According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives
buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is,
in fact, a perfect guardian of health."

Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time
servant or domestic.

There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.

What will the next 100 years bring?







.




More About Michael Strozak:
AKA (Facts Pg): January 09, 1920, Mike STOROZUK.129
Date born 2: November 20, 1869, Per SS-5 .130
Burial: June 29, 1943, Plain Lawn Cemetery, Old Country Rd., Hicksville, Nassau Co, NY.131
Employer: June 08, 1937, Unemployed.132
Immigration: January 1911, SS Eugenie, last trip used as date of permamence residence.
Military service: Ulan Regiment No. 13.133
Occupation: Retired Laborer.134
Residence 1: Bet. 1925 - 1943, 298 Jerusalem Ave., Hicksville, Nassau Co, NY.
Residence 2: Bet. 1902 - 1905, Buffalo, Erie Co., NY.
Residence 3: Bet. 1905 - 1906, 125 Houston St. Manhattan, NY.135
Residence 4: Bet. 1906 - 1925, 10th St., Hicksville.
Social Security Number: June 08, 1937, 116-09-9668.136, 137

More About Michael Strozak and Anna Tolisz:
Death of one spouse: June 26, 1943, Hicksville, Nassau Co., NY.
Marriage: November 21, 1898, Hniliczki Male, Poland.138

Children of Michael Strozak and Anna Tolisz are:
  1. +Jennie Strozak, b. October 05, 1902, Austria139, d. March 17, 1968, Meadowbrook Hosp, Nassau Co., NY.
  2. +Florence Theresa Strozak, b. October 12, 1914, Hicksville, Nassau Co, NY, d. November 27, 1991, Inverness, Citrus Co., FL.
  3. +William Strozak, b. March 29, 1917, NY, d. June 04, 1999, Portsmouth, VA.
  4. Xenia Strozak, d. Bef. 1943.
  5. Mary Strozak, d. Bef. 1943.
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