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Gabriel Grusovsky (b. March 08, 1864, d. September 05, 1907)

Seredne Church

Gabriel Grusovsky (son of Anthony Grusovsky) was born March 08, 1864 in Seredne, Uzhhorod, Ukraine, and died September 05, 1907 in 426 Walnut St, Yonkers, Westchester County, NY. He married Mary Majdan, daughter of Yanosh Majdan.

Notes for Gabriel Grusovsky:
Ukraine Geography 2000 Uzhhorod, bordered by Czechlosovokia and Hungary Hungarian: Szerednye Ukrainian: Seredne

Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia

Geographic coordinates: 49 00 N, 32 00 E

Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States

Area:
total: 603,700 sq km
land: 603,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 4,558 km
border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km

Coastline: 2,782 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south

Terrain: most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 58%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 9% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 26,050 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHY: Ukraine is located in East Europe and is a former republic of the USSR. It is bound by Belarus to the north, Russia to the north and east, the Black Sea to the south, Moldova and Romania to the southwest as well as Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to the west. The country is a vast undulating plain bound by the Carpathian Mountains to the southwest and the Black Sea to the south. The Carpathian Mountain region is heavily forested while the undulating plain is sparsely wooded and the Black Sea Lowlands are completely flat consisting of steppe. In the northwest the country extends into the Great Pripet Marshes and the country's principal rivers are the Bug, Dnepr, Donets, Dnestr, Prut and Tisza. Major Cities (pop. est.); Kiev 2,645,000, Kharkiv 1,599,000, Dnipropetrovsk 1,176,000, Donetsk 1,114,000, Odessa 1,073,000 (1994). Land Use; forested 17%, pastures 12%, agricultural-cultivated 57%, other 14% (1993).
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CLIMATE: Ukraine has a continental climate with hot summers and long cold winters. Average annual precipitation varies from 300 mm (12 inches) in the south to 600 mm (24 inches) in the northwest and increases to more than 750 mm (30 inches) in the mountains. Average temperature ranges in the northeast are from -8 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 29 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit) in July while in the south they range from -2 degrees Celsius (28 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.
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PEOPLE: The principal ethnic majority are the Ukrainians who account for 73% of the population while 22% are Russians. Other ethnic minorities include Belarussians, Moldovans, Tartars and Jews.
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DEMOGRAPHIC/VITAL STATISTICS: Density; 87 persons per sq km (225 persons per sq mi) (1993). Urban-Rural; 67.8% urban, 32.2% rural (1993). Sex Distribution; 46.4% male, 53.6% female (1992). Life Expectancy at Birth; 66.0 years male, 75.0 years female (1991). Age Breakdown; 21% under 15, 21% 15 to 29, 21% 30 to 44, 18% 45 to 59, 11% 60 to 69, 8% 70 and over (1991). Birth Rate; 12.1 per 1,000 (1991). Death Rate; 12.9 per 1,000 (1991). Increase Rate; -0.8 per 1,000 (1991). Infant Mortality Rate; 13.9 per 1,000 live births (1991).
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RELIGIONS: Mostly Christians with 85% of the population Orthodox Christian while 10% are Byzantine Catholic, 3% are Protestant and 1% are Jewish.
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LANGUAGES: The official language is Ukrainian, although Russian is also widely spoken and each ethnic minority also has its own language.
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EDUCATION: Aged 15 or over and having attained: incomplete primary education 6.8%, primary 13.8%, incomplete secondary 18.4%, secondary 31.1%, incomplete post secondary 19.5%, higher 10.4% (1989). Literacy; N/A.
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MODERN HISTORY - WWII TO 1993: In August 1991 Ukraine declared its independence, although prior to independence its history was closely tied with that of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In Mar. 1953 Yosef Stalin died and was succeeded by Georgy Malenkov who was in turn forced to relinquish the party leadership to Nikita Khrushchev after a little over one week in power. In 1955 the Warsaw pact militarily aligned the Soviet Union with other communist countries and in Nov. 1956 the Soviet Red Army invaded Hungary to quell uprisings. In 1957 three communist ministers unsuccessfully attempted to depose Khrushchev which resulted in their expulsion from the central committee. In 1962 under Khrushchev's rule the USSR was involved in the Cuban Missile crisis and in the same year relations with China were broken off as a result of ideological differences. In Oct. 1964 Khrushchev was forced to retire and was succeeded by Leonid Brezhnev. In Aug. 1968 the Warsaw Pact forces led by the Red Army invaded Czechoslovakia to halt their Prague Spring reforms. In 1977 Breshnev was elected President. In Nov. 1982 Brezhnev died and was succeeded by Yuri Andropov, the former head of the KGB. Andropov introduced limited economic reforms and established an anti-corruption program. In Feb 1984 Andropov died and was succeeded by Konstantin Chernenko who in turn died on Mar. 10, 1985. On Mar. 11, 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev was elected as Chernenko's successor and Gorbachev embarked on a program which restructured the USSR's relations with the West. Gorbachev also established Glasnost (openness) as well as Perestroika (restructuring and reform). In Apr. 1986 a meltdown in the reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine sent radioactive fallout across northern Europe. In Dec. 1987 the USSR and USA signed the Treaty on Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF). In Feb. 1988 a dispute erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh which resulted in mass demonstrations and strikes in the two republics. In Dec. 1988 an earthquake in Armenia killed some 50,000 people. In Apr. 1989 troops violently repressed demonstrations in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. In Dec. 1989 the Lithuanian Parliament adopted multiparty politics. In Jan. 1990 Gorbachev visited Lithuania and was met by some 250,000 pro-independence demonstrators. In Feb. 1990 some 18 people were killed in riots over housing discrimination in Tajikistan. In May 1990 Boris Yeltsin was elected President of the Russian Federation and on Nov. 1, 1990 launched a 500 day plan to give the Russian Republic a free market economy. In June 1990 Nakhichevan an Azerbaijani enclave bordering Iran declared its intention for a unification with Iran while a civil war was escalating between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In the same month around 150 people were killed during ethnic clashes in Kyrgyzstan. In Jan 1991 another 15 people were killed as the Red Army seized a television station in Lithuania while in Latvia the Soviet Black Berets killed 5 people in an attack on the ministry building. In the same month troops were being deployed in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova. In Mar. 1991 pro-Yeltsin demonstrators held a mass rally. On Aug. 18, 1991 as Gorbachev was vacationing in the Crimea, the Politburo hard liners attempted a coup to remove Gorbachev from power through the declaration of a State of Emergency under the control of a State Committee. Almost immediately republic leaders declared the emergency committee illegal as well as unconstitutional and began to barricade their parliaments as troops and tanks were deployed throughout the republics. By Aug. 20 senior officers had refused to order their troops to use force against the civilians and on Aug. 21, 1991 the coup collapsed as troops were ordered to return to their barracks. Immediately following the unsuccessful coup many republics suspended or purged the communist party and on Sept. 5, 1991 after 3 days of debate the 74 years of centralized communist control came to an end. On Dec. 1, 1991 a referendum resulted in 90% of the population voting for independence while Presidential elections held on the same day were won by Leonid Kravchuk. In Jan. 1992 Ukraine became a founding member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In 1992 tension between Ukraine and Russia increased over the latter assuming control of all ex-USSR embassies and overseas property. Additionally, there were concerns about Russia taking over the USSR's permanent seat on the UN Security Council as well as the costs in dismantling the former USSR's strategic nuclear weapons left on its' territory. In May 1992 the mostly Russian population of Crimea demanded independence from Ukraine, following which Pres. Kravchuk mobilized support for the returning Crimean Tartars that forced the Crimean Russians to negotiate a deal with Kravchuk to remain part of Ukraine. In June 1992 Pres. Kravchuk and Russia's Pres. Yeltsin negotiated a deal regarding the bitter dispute over the former USSR's Black Sea Fleet. The compromise involved a 3 year joint command over the fleet. In the same month, Ukraine aligned itself with Russia announcing its' support for an autonomous Dniester republic within Moldova. In Nov. 1992 Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma announced austerity measures that included "forced" privatization, tax reforms and the promotion of agriculture. Also in 1992 territorial tension rose between Ukraine and Romania who had demanded the return of Chernivtsi province and southern Bessarabia. In 1993 following the country's spiral into a state of "economic crisis" Prime Minister Kuchma and his Ministers formed a extraordinary committee. The committee introduced strict limits on the supply of money, faster privatization and greater incentives for foreign investment. In June 1993 miners began a strike in the Donbass coal fields calling for pay increases, the return of the region to Russia or economic autonomy as well as the right for a confidence vote in the government. Pres. Kravchuk responded by announcing economic concessions and called for new Parliamentary and Presidential elections. In July 1993 tensions with Russia increased over Russia's claim to the Crimean city of Sevastopol due to the fact that it wasn't included in the 1954 treaty that ceded Crimea to Ukraine. In Aug. 1993 Deputy Prime Minister, Viktor Pynzenyk, who was responsible for the economic reforms resigned claiming that the conservative Parliament was making it impossible to pass the reforms. On Oct. 21 1993 the government announced that it would not shut down the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant by the end of 1993 as originally planned. On Nov. 18, 1993 the government ratified the START I Treaty conditional upon adequate compensation for the surrender of nuclear tactical warheads to Russia in 1992. Also in 1993 the government announced a plan that called for the Army size to be reduced.

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CURRENCY: The official currency is the Karbovanets (K).
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ECONOMY: Gross National Product; USD $99,589,000,000 (1993). Public Debt; USD $7,100,000,000 (1994). Imports; USD $9,767,862,000 (1994). Exports; USD $9,882,560,000 (1994). Tourism Receipts; N/A. Balance of Trade; R -548,700,000,000 (1993). Economically Active Population; 23,900,000 or 45.9% of total population (1993). Unemployed; 14.2% (1994).

"SVITANOK"
The tourist sanatorium complex "Svitanok" is situated near the city centre of Uzhgorod - on the spurs of a picturesque mountain Calvaria. At the territory of the tourist center many kinds of bushes and trees - migrants from the warmer latitudes are planted and grow. And around, on the slopes of a mountain - luxuriance of the grapes. Here are especially favorable opportunities for saturated, interesting leisure of the visitors. This opportunities are given by the historical, scientific and cultural centre on western boundaries of Ukraine, what Uzhgorod is. It, as a magnet, attracts to itself the tourists from many countries. Uzhgorod castle - historical - architectural monument of XIII-XVIII centuries - annually is visited by over 100 thousand tourists. Only in 3 km from the tourist center is Ukrainian-Slovak border. In two tens kilometers is Hungary. This, in its turn, new opportunities in the organization of rest of the tourists. The complex "Svitanok" represents three sleeping buildings - construction in 3, 4 and 6 floors, and also two- floor shopping center. It functions the year round. The distance from the railway and bus is stations 3 km.

The complex consists of 43 guest numbers (126 places):

10 - luxes
17 - for two persons
4 - for three persons
1 - for four persons
11 - of block accommodation (2+3).

The part of the rooms are equipped with TV sets and refrigerators. The services to the tourists include the restaurant, bar, cafe, guarded parking place, card telephone, post office with a news-stall, hire station of the tourist and mountain - skiing equipment, stomatological room. The large (on 280 persons) conference hall allows to carry out there the prestigious measures in the limits of the congress tourism. The thematic excursions on city, to the Transcarpathian Museum of Regional Studies of II category (in the Uzhgorod castle), owning a collection from more than 120 thousand exhibits are offered to the visitors. In the program there is visiting of other museums too: the open-air museum of the national architecture and life, zoological, art, houses - museums of the artists F.Manaylo, and A.Kotska. The auto excursion to the Nevitske castle (XIII-XVII c.c.) is stipulated. The tourists can visit here the concerts at a regional philarmonic society (there the organ is installed), regional drama theatre and puppet-show. The guests of the tourist center "Svitanok" make the trips on the health resorts of the Transcarpathian region. The auto excursion to the wine-making centre of the village Seredne includes the tasting of the wines in the ancient cellars, - thse, from which in XVII-XVIII centuries the solar drinks were taken out in the countries of Europe. The wines from Seredne were delivered to a court of Petr I too. In the presence at the tourists of the foreign passports "Svitanok" organizes for them one-day tourist trips in Hungary. Together with science-and-production union "Rehabilitation" the medicinal - sanatorium trips are carried out. To ski the visitors of the tourist complex go to the complex, located at a mountain Plishka (15 km from Uzhgorod), at a village Lumshory (50 km) and at a mountain Krasia (75 km). The special bus for the additional payment drives the amateurs of the ski slopes to the mountain routes.

Journey: According to the done early agreement with the tourist center, the guests are met by bus, minibus, or car. This kind of the transport drives the tourist to the place of the rest.

Address of the tourist sanatorium complex "SVITANOK":
30, Koshitska str.
88010, Uzhgorod Transcarpathian
fax: (03122) 3-45-14, 3-70-19
tel.: (03122) 3-43-99, 4-21-12, 3-43-17

OL'XOVEC'KYJ [ OLCHOWCENSIS ]
Suppresaed after World War I
Deans
Stefan Matljakhovs'kyj 1828]- 1830 Ivan Salac'kyj 1871-[l877] adm.
Ivan Zhelekhovs'kyj 1830-[1831] adm. Ivan Salac'kyj [1879]-1896
Mykhajlo Karpins'kyj [1833]-1835 adm. Teofil' Kaluzhnjac'kyj 1896-1901+
Mykhajlo Karpins'kyj 1835-1860+ Antin Barnovych 1901-1902 adm.
Dmytro Zyblikevych 1860-1863 adm. Josyf Hamers'kyj 1902-1917+
Dmytro Zyblikevych 1863-1871+ Vasyl' Poljans'kyj 1917-[1918]

Annual reported Population
1828 7,152 1860 8,463 1895 10,930
1830 8,011 1861 8,540 1896 10,989
1831 8,159 1862 8,592 1897 11,092
1833 8,055 1863 8,574 1898 11,288
1835 7,050 1864 8,607 1899 11,305
1836 8,331 1865 &665 1900 11,348
1837 8,631 1867 8,732 1901 11,397
1838 8,517 1868 8,774 1902 11,458
1839 9,631 1869 8,759 1903 11,732
1840 8,406 187'0 8,920 1904 12'046
1841 8,732 1873 8,901 1905 12,158
1842 8,837 1874 8,901 1906 12,3'78
1843 8,961 1875 8,770 1907 12,378
1844 9,075 1877 8,834* 1908 12,396
1845 9,173 1879 8,989 1909 12,458
1846 9,240 1880 9,088 1910 12,560
1847 9,336 1881 9,797 1911 12,670
1848 8,967 1882 10,018 1912 12,795
1849 8,475 188,3 10,341 1913 12,840
1850 8,382 1884 10,341 1914 13,735
1851 8,438 1885 10,745 1918 13,611
1852 8,5M 1886 10,170 1924 --
1853 8,438* 1887 10,170 1926 --
1854 8,387 1888 10,273 1928 --
1855 8,234 1889 10,370 1930 --
1856 8,058 1891 10,469 1934 --
1857 8,172 1892 10,819* 1936 --
1858 8,141 1893 10,786 1937 --
1859 8�396 1894 10,863 1938/39 --

[1828-1918] (9):Chashyn, Kal'nycja, Lukove, Seredne, Ternava horishna, (all povit Lisko) and Ol'khivci, Polonna, Zahirje and Zaluzh (all povit Sjanik).
From 1835 until 1863 Sukovate, formerly a filial church of Kal'nycja, was made a main church and Kal'nycja was made a filial church of Sukovate. From 1863 until [1939] Kal'nycja was again the main church and Sukovate the filial.
[1924] Suppressed. The churches were divided as follows: Kal'nycja went to the Balyhorods'kyj Deanery. Polonna to the Bukivs'kyj Deanery, Chasyn, Lukove, Seredne velyke and Ternava horishna to the Lis'kyj Deanery and Ol'khivci, Zahirje and Zaluzh to the Sjanic'kyj Deanery.

There were jews in Seredne, "Schindler said she was 14 years old in April of 1944 when she and her family of 10 were transported in cattle cars to Auschwitz from their home in Seredne, a town then in Hungary but now part of the Ukraine. "

1954 Seredne, Ukraine Anna saw apparition of Jesus or Mary
Joe Diamond was born in the eastern part of Czechoslovakia, in the Carpathian Region, in 1929. The first 1O years of his life were spent peacefully in Seredne (which means "middle" in Czech), a small town of 15-20,000 people, located between Uzhorod and Munkacevo. After World War I, the Austrio-Hungarian Empire split into many small countries, forming Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Germany. In addition to the official language, Czech, Joe and everyone in town could also speak Hungarian, German, and Russian. People of many different religions lived in his town, including Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, and Jews. His country's government was a democracy, modeled after the U.S. Life was normal, probably very similar to the way we feel about life today.

Looking desperately for allies after losing in World War I, Germany began to rebuild itself, and their hatred toward the Jewish people grew. Anytime something went wrong, the German people looked for a scapegoat. They blamed the Jews for everything because they were different. Joe said that at first he didn't pay any attention. He and his younger brother attended local schools. Since they were Jewish, they observed the Sabbath, and they didn't cross themselves like most of the other people. After being called "a rotten Jew" at school, all Joe did was come home and ask "why?"

Joe lived with his mother, father and little brother, Arie. His family owned a farm, where they grew grapes and made wine. His father, a good businessman, also had a small grocery store and clothing store. In 1939, when WWII began, Czechoslovakia was still an ally to the U.S. and England. Then, Hungary occupied Czechoslovakia and the government became a German Nazi puppet government. Laws against the Jews began and there were pogroms. Since the Jewish people were Caucasian and looked like everybody else, they each had to wear a yellow star or armband to mark that they were different. Joe was proud to wear a star because he was proud of his country and proud to be Jewish. One of the laws was that Jewish people had to give 50% of their earnings to the new government. This didn't please them, but they hoped the war would end and things would return to normal soon. Joe went to religious school in the morning, then public school and then back to religious school. Conditions continued to worsen and he had to fight his way to and from school, all because he was Jewish. Even his teachers sided with the German government, which especially disappointed him.

As Germany rose into power, Hitler could frequently be heard making speeches throughout Europe. People thought he was the Messiah. He believed in a pure race and began rounding up Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and anyone who opposed him. In 1943 the German army passed through Joe's town on their way to Russia. He said they looked like "Roman heroes -- tough." One year later they returned "undernourished, and frozen." It was apparent that the Germans were not doing well in the war and the more the Germans suffered, the tougher they were against the Jews.

In 1944, the town crier announced that anyone that is Jewish or has any Jewish descent, must be packed with minimal belongings in the next 24 hours in order to be taken away. All Jewish people were declared a security risk and were told they would be taken to a German farm to work on the harvest. The next morning, Joe and his mother, father and brother were dressed in their best clothes. Two storm troopers came into his house with guns and fixed bayonets to take them to a local school for processing. The 600 people there, including Joe's family were now prisoners. The soldiers searched them for valuables. Joe recalls an officer sticking his hand in a baby's mouth to check for any hidden gold. Thirty German soldiers surrounded the group as they walked down the streets. The whole town was watching, like it was a parade, with no concern or anxiety. Joe vividly remembers a man chewing tobacco, spitting on the ground and saying, "It's about time to get rid of these Jewish people." Joe reminds us that these onlookers, and soldiers were college educated people, who had families and children, just like the Jewish people they were persecuting.

Joe, his family, and the other Jews were taken by train to Uzhorod - to a brick factory, a temporary ghetto, where they spent four weeks. Life there was primitive.

From: "mc myden"
>To: palmpix@hotmail.com
>Subject: Re: majdan/Grusovska(y) in Seredne, Uzhorod, Ukraine
>Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 07:36:01 +0000
>
>Hello,
>Unfortunatley, I do not have any genealogy program on my computer
>yet. I can give you what I know about my line. I'm really stuck
>when it comes to Seredne. Here is a quick outline of how my family
>goes:
>Basilius Majdan and Anna Grusovska of Seredne, Uzhorod
>(On my great grandfathers application for a social security card he
>listed his mother's name as Anna Gruzsockely, Grosovska was listed
>on his death certificate)
>Their children: All of them born in Seredne
>1.Bela (William) Majdan (Myden)b. Sept. 12 or 13, 1885 in Seredne,
>Uzhorod d. Dec. 1, 1959 in Bitner, Fayette Co., PA
>2.Maria (Mary) married ? Tatto and lived in S. Norwalk, CT in 1959
>3.Elisabetha (Elizabeth) b. June 1901 married ? Levko and lived in
>Montreal, Canada
>John Myden b. June 10, 1891 d. Feb. 3, 1972 in Bitner, Fayette Co.,
>PA
>
>My great grandfather William(Bela), married Veronica (Verona Ocimko
>or Ozimko)
>they married Sept. 18, 1909 in Dravcre (In 1939 Dravcre was in
>Czechoslavakia. My great grandmother Veronica (Verona) was also
>born there.
>
>This is all I know about the family coming from Seredne, Uzhorod
15290 thompson Rd.
Thompson, OH 44086

More About Gabriel Grusovsky:
Burial: Unknown, St. Joseph's Cemetery, Yonkers, Westchester, NY.

Children of Gabriel Grusovsky and Mary Majdan are:

+John J. Grusaky, b. July 25, 1892, Yonkers, Westchester County, NY, d. January 16, 1981, East Orange, New Jersey 07018.