Jacob Gbur of Dobra Austria
Jacob Gbur was born on Mar 10, 1873 in the village Dobra (Galicia) Austria. ( Dobra was in the Austria Hapsburg empire from 1772 to 1918 and is now located in Poland). Jacob married Mary Piotrowski a daughter of John Piotrowski in Dobra around 1895. Mary was born on July 10 1871 in Poland (her place of birth on the ship manifest was Sanok Austria). The date of her birth is from Census records which show she was two years older than Jacob.
Jacob Gbur came to America on Apr 1, 1902 aboard the ship Batavia. The Batavia sailed from Bremen Germany to NY, NY. Jacob was listed as 30 years old, from Dobra Austria and married. His final destination was the home of Jan Piotrowski in Scranton Pa. 19 year old Dmytro Cankowski ( probably Hankowski) from Dobra was also aboard the Batavia. Dmytro was single and his final destination in the U S was also Jan Piotrowski of Scranton Pa.
Jacob most probably worked for 2 years in the coal fields of Pennsylvania before returning to Dobra. Records show that Jacob, Mary and Mike arrived in the USA on board the ship SS Hamburg November 14, 1904. The ship SS Hamburg had departed Germany on 2 Nov 1904 and sailed from Hamburg to Ellis Island, NY. Jacob's Son Mike was born in Sept 20, 1900 in Sanok, Austria. Jacob, Mary and Mike would later settle in Olyphant Pa.
The manifest of the ship shows that a Jan Gbur, age 19 traveled with Jacob. A note listed him as Jacob's cousin. Jan Gbur's final destination was listed as a brother Michael (no address). Jacob's final destination was listed as Joseph Piotrowski, Scranton Pa. Joseph Piotrowski was listed as a Brother (Joseph was apparently a brother to Mary Piotrowski Gbur). Jacob was 31 and Mary was 32 when they arrived in the U S in 1904. A Petro Hankowski age 18 from Dobra was listed directly below Jacob's family. His final destination was a brother Micholy Hankowski in Scranton Pa. There was apparently some intermarriage between the Gburs and Hankowski's from Dobra and Petro may have been related to Jacob.
With the above 2 manifest we can establish a relationship between Jacob and two cousins Jan and Micholy Gbur (Maybe Scranton Pa) . We can also show that Mary had brothers Joseph, Jan and Frank Piotrowski living in Scranton Pa.
Frank Piotrowski came to the U S around 1895 from Dobra. In 1900 he was listed as a witness to a marriage of Stephan Gbur and Tecla Burger. Stephan, 24 years old was a son of Andrew and Maria Gbur from Dobra. Tecla 15 year old was the daughter of Paul and Rosalie Tylycz from Galicia, Austria. They were married on 17 Oct 1901 at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Olyphant Pa. The second witness at this marriage was Michal Soroka. He was also from Dobra. Michael Soroka was the grandfather of Olga Soroka Gbur wife of Andrew Gbur.
After working in America for a few years, Frank visited Europe and returned on the ship SS Hamburg on Sept 24, 1905. The ship manifest list Frank's final destination as a brother to Jan Piotrowski, Olyphant Pa.
Anna Piotrowski and children Katharina and Michal traveled aboard the ship Batavia from Hamburg Germany to NY, NY on 18 Nov 1905. Anna's final destination was husband Franz Piotrowski, Olyphant Pa.
The ship Feeland manifest dated 20 Feb 1909 list Jan Piotrowski returning to the U S from Dobra. The manifest shows Jan as being in Scranton Pa from 1900 to 1907. His contact in Dobra was wife Cecylia Piotrowski, Dobra Austria. Jan's final destination in the U S was brother Frank Petrowski, Olyphant Pa.
A review of the Information presented above shows that Frank, Jan and Joseph Piotrowski were brothers and that Mary Piotrowski was their sister. Mary's father is listed on her birth certificate as John Piotrowski. These Brothers and Mary lived near Scranton/Olyphant Pa in the years between 1900-1910. We have also identified Frank's wife as Helen and they had no children as shown on the 1910 Census. This census also shows Jan living in the home of Frank and is listed as a boarder.
Julia Gbur (age 33) and her 3 children traveled to the America from Dobra Austria in the ship Blucher on May 6 1909. Julia was the wife of Michael Gbur of Olyphant Pa. Julia's contact in Dobra was listed as her father Michael Kowalczyk of Dobra. The children were Hania age 11 (This was identified as Anna By Sarah Wright), Marza age 8 and Kasia age 4. Kazia was the only child born in the America. Julia had been in Olyphant previously from 1904 till 1908. I believe that this Michael Gbur is Jacob's cousin. It is noted that Anna Piotrowski wife of Frank Piotrowski was also on board this ship with Julia Gbur.
According to son Mike, Jacob was a coal miner and the family lived in a company house (coal camp) in Olyphant Pa. Mike described the house as having steps outside which went upstairs. It is noted, at that time the family conversed in the Polish and Ukrainian language.
Maria (Mary) was born in 1905 at Olyphant Pa. She and her brother Mike were both baptized in the Ukrainian Church in Pa. According to Jacob's petition for Naturalization dated Oct 1940, Jacob came to live in Chicago, Cook Co, IL on Oct 15 1906, Jacob and his family lived at 9226 Greenwood Ave. when they first came to Chicago. Mike stated that Jacob had a half brother and cousins who had settled in Burnside, a suburb of Chicago.
Jacob worked as a laborer in Chicago. On Sept 8, 1908 Nicholas (Nick) Gbur was born to Jacob and Mary. He was born on Greenwood Ave. Andrew and Tania Kowalsik were god parents of Nick. Tania and Andrew were the parents of Joe Kowalsik (Kowalczyk). They lived across the street on Dobson St. from Mary and Jacob. Sandra Kubo daughter of Nick had a childhood friend Rosemary Kowalesik who were school mates and graduated HS together.
Examination of the 1910 Cook County IL census shows Jacob living at 9026 Dobson St. The census taker listed his name as Jacob Ball, 39 years old, and born in Austria. The census also shows Jacob and Mary being married for 15 years or married in 1895. Mary was listed as 31 years old (this is incorrect should be 41), born in Austria, and the mother of 5 children, 4 children still living. This information supports family tradition that one child remained in Austria.
Mary’s brother Joe Petroski was also living in Jacob’s home in 1910. Joe was listed as a boarder, 30 years old, born in Austria and came to America in 1901. Apparently this is the Josef Piotrowski that Jacob boarded with in Scranton PA in 1902. Joe worked on the steam railroad.
Mike can also remember a cousin Sophia Hankoski who accompanied him to school on his first day at school. When ask what Mike's father name was, she answered ya-ku-ba which was Jacob in Ukrainian. Some how the teacher interpreted this as Kubo. From that time forward Mike used the last Name "Kubo" and when Nick started school, he used the same name as his brother. Mike, Mary and Nick attended the Oliver H. Perry School in Chicago.
Mary and Jacob purchased a home at 9008 Dobson St. before 1910. Jacob worked for the City of Chicago at this time. He could neither read nor write English.
Jacob and Mary were still living on Dobson Street during the 1920 census. Mike had left home and joined the U S Army. In 1920 the census taker listed Jacob as Jacob Budd. They just couldn’t understand that “Gb” in Gbur. Mary’s brother Joseph Petroski was still living in Jacob’s home and his age is listed as 52. He is also shown as being married.
Sometime between 1910 and 1920 Jacob had a job on the railroad.
1920 Cook County census
Jacob was laid off from his job during the depression and lost his home on Dobson Street. In 1938 Jacob submitted the paper work for his citizenship which is called a declaration of intention. A copy of this form is shown on the next page. There are some very important dates listed on the form. They include Jacobs’s date of birth, the date and place Jacob and Mary were married, the date Jacob brought his family to America and the date and place of the births of his three children. Jacob lists his race as Ukrainian. It is noted that the name of the ship listed is incorrect. The ship that brought them to America was SS Hamburg.
Jacob was 70 years old when he becomes a citizen in 1941. The family moved to 7543 S. Dorchester St., Chicago IL and lived there until the death of Jacob on May 17, 1947. Mary died on Feb 6, 1950. She died as a result of an accident in which she fell and struck her head. She was 76 years old. Jacob and Mary are buried at Chicago Oakwood Cemetery, Section R, Division 5, Lot 56
1930 Cook County Census
The identity of Jacob's half brother remains unknown.
Nick s/o Jacob Gbur died in 1988 and his brother Mike died in 1999 at the age 99. They were both living in Chicago.
Ron Blackburn e-mail: Blackburn289786@bellsouth.net