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Note: Notes for Alzbeta Trzop Surma Svec Mucha: In the United States, she was also known by the English version of her original first name; Elizabeth. She was also known in the United States as "Lizzie".
Her name was Alzbeta Trzop when she lived in the village of Czarna Góra (pronounced CHAR-nah GOO-rah). In every instance but one, where Alzbeta's maiden name, or one of her sisters' maiden names, or her father's last name has so far been seen written, the spelling was usually Trop, and sometimes Tropp. But on Alzbeta's sister Marianna's Cook County marriage license, the County Clerk wrote her name as Trzop. A website that shows Polish surname distributions, shows that there is almost nobody in Poland named Tropp. There are a few people named Trop, but they live 200 miles from Czarna Góra. But there is a high concentration of people named Trzop surrounding Czarna Góra.
What probably happened was that either the Trzop sisters were advised to drop the "z" from their last name on their way to the United States, so it didn't sound so foreign in the U.S., or most Americans, including immigration officers, County Clerks, and priests, who needed to write down people's names, dropped the "z" for them.
When Alzbeta was born, when she was a child, up through the time she emigrated to the United States in 1905, and continuing on through October 31, 1918, the village of Czarna Góra was in an extreme northern tip of the Hungary portion of Austria-Hungary. But on October 31, 1918, Austria-Hungary (a.k.a. Austro-Hungary) was dissolved, and the territory of Hungary itself was severely downsized. The international border in the small area near Czarna Góra was moved a few miles to the south. Since then, Czarna Góra has been within Poland's borders.
Now, Czarna Góra (Cierna Hora in Slovak) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Bukowina Tatrzanska, within Tatra County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland. Czarna Góra is in extreme southern Poland, only four miles from the border of Slovakia.
The location of <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Zht5oQaJTfVE6toz5">Czarna Góra, on a map.</a>
Even though Czarna Góra is now in Poland, at the time Alzbeta lived in Czarna Góra, it was in Hungary. At that time, residents of that area, including Alzbeta, spoke the Slovak language. It isn't known how fluent she became in English during the many decades she lived in the United States.
It was written on her 1906 church marriage record; <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/xmKvviEriEgMAnG78">photo</a> that she stated that her place of birth was in an area that was written by the priest as either Cerna Gora or Crna Gora. The correct spelling is Czarna Góra, which was correctly written as being within the (now unofficial) region named Spis.
In February of 1905, sixteen year old Alzbeta Trzop left her home in what the immigration officer wrote was the town of "Czarnazara". But as usual, the name of an obscure town, spoken in a foreign language to an American officer was then misspelled when written. "Czarnazara" was a misspelling of Czarna Góra.
Alzbeta was accompanied by her 16 year old friend "Suzanna" Rusznak. But the correct Slovak spelling was Zuzana. They were both unmarried servants. They boarded the steamship <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/3ogAvy9MoWqZAbid6">Brandenburg</a> in the port of Bremen, Germany, on February 25, 1905. The ship arrived in New York city on March 12th.
They were both listed as being of the Hungarian nationality, and their race was listed as Slovak. Alzbeta and Zuzana were both headed to addresses on Honore Street in Chicago, three quarters of a block apart. They apparently had train tickets to get to Chicago.
Each girl had $12 in her possession. It was written that neither girl could read or write. Alzbeta claimed she was going to the home of her sister Anna "Tropp" at 4454 S. Honore St., in Chicago.
A photo of the "Brandenburg" ship's manifest page that listed Alzbeta "Trop": <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/xKmL2MMMXwiLTAHx8">Photo</a>
<a href="https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-91XM-99FF?i=659&cc=1368704">A much higher quality photo is here,</a> but if you don't already have a free account at familysearch.org, you would need to creat one to be able to see the image.
In the United States, Alzbeta went by either the English version of her name, Elizabeth, or by a nickname for that, Lizzie.
On November 11, 1906, Alzbeta "Elizabeth" Trzop "Trop" married "William" Surma at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, which is still at 4821 S. Damen. That church served people who spoke Slovak.
Elizabeth stated for that church marriage record that her father's name was Bartolomej "Trop": <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/vTrHCmpVyo3TUEaE7">Photo</a>
But in 1905 when her sister Marianna Trzop, age 20, married Wojciech Waclaw in Chicago, Marianna stated for her own marriage record that her father's name was Jakub "Trop": <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/KPNWh4GsR5baUtZp7">Photo</a>
In 1908 when Elizabeth's sister Anna "Trop", age 20, married Simon Buc or Bucz in Chicago, Anna also stated for her own marriage record that her father's name was Jakub "Trop": <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/u4NYVnoYprZZVT9n7">Photo</a>
In 1913 when Elizabeth's sister Agnieszka "Trop", age 20, married Adam Siska in Chicago, Agnieszka (known as Agnes), stated for her own marriage record that her father's name was Martin "Trop". Martin had to have been incorrect. But the name she stated for her mother, Agnieszka Remijas, matches the Agnes Remijas that Elizabeth stated: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/mZvUiTEVHdScLEc36">Photo</a>
In 1914 when Elizabeth's sister Sophie "Trop", age 20, married Adalbert "George" Vojensky in Chicago, Sophie also stated for her own marriage record that her father's name was Jakub "Trop": <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/sRXJgLX7DdFgMRj98">Photo</a>
George died at the young age of 27, on June 19, 1922.
In 1916 there was an 18-year-old Katarzyna "Trop" who married an Andro "Andrew" Rusnak at the same church as the other "Trop" women. Katarzyna may be yet another sister to Elizabeth, but the church marriage record that shows the birthplaces of the couple, and their parent's names, isn't available online as of this writing. <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/tBRq6bnZsPQ7cXiF7">Photo</a>
It's strange that Elizabeth's four known sisters all stated that they were 20 years old when they got married. Maybe "twenty" was the only number they had memorized in English. Elizabeth stated she was 22, but she was actually 18.
On November 3, 1907, Elizabeth Surma and her husband William Surma had their first son, Andrew John Surma.
After only two short years as a married couple, Elizabeth Surma's husband William Surma died on November 18, 1908, leaving Elizabeth as a young widow who was about nine days pregnant, who had a one-year-old son.
On August 9, 1909, the widow Elizabeth Surma gave birth to her son William. Elizabeth obviously named him after her late husband. William's birth was not listed in the Cook County birth register book like had been done for the birth of his brother Andrew. No birth certificate has been found for William, either.
The 1910 U.S. census had an effective date of April fifteenth. The Elizabeth Surma family was enumerated April twenty sixth. The census page shows Elizabeth "Shurma", 22, a widow; her sons Andrew, 3; and "Wiliam", 9 months of age; plus three boarders. Elizabeth and Andrew were living in the same home, at 4611 S. Winchester Ave., Chicago, that they were living in when Elizabeth's husband William had died in 1908. But Elizabeth had since rented out rooms, which was why her occupation was listed as a housekeeper at a boarding house. It was written that the language that Elizabeth spoke was Slovak. Elizabeth was listed as having immigrated in 1904, but the correct year was 1905.
A photo of part of that 1910 census page: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Wqzq6g1BFkSFQZB28">Photo</a>
After April 26, 1910, and by mid 1911 at the latest, Elizabeth Surma took her two sons back to the old country of Austria, which was a part of Austria-Hungary, to the town of Krompachy (although she pronounced it using the Hungarian spelling: Korompa). That was where her late husband's widowed and remarried mother Anna still lived. She handed the young boys over to Anna and Anna's second husband Wojcech Galiniak to be raised.
That was apparently done to free herself up to be able to more easily find a new husband. Elizabeth/Alzbeta was still a very young woman. She very quickly did get remarried, to a Valent Svec. They had one son, Jacob Svec, who was born April 13, 1912, in Krompachy. Elizabeth/Alzbeta and Valent Svec may or may not have had one more child by October of 1913, at the latest. (Jacob Svec married Rozalia Bizub on January 25, 1933, in Krompachy [which was then in Czechoslovakia]. Jacob died April 8, 1983, in Krompachy.)
By October of 1913 at the latest, Elizabeth/Alzbeta Svec supposedly was told that her husband Valent was reported to have been died. (Who knows, maybe she just left him.) Then, she left her new, Hungarian born son or children with Valent's parents! That was the second time she had done a similar thing. Then, for the third time, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean to find a new husband and to start another family!
In October of 1913, Elizabeth/Alzbeta Svec traveled from Krompachy to the port of Bremen, in Germany. She boarded the <i>S.S. Hannover</i> on October 29th. The ship arrived in New York on November 15th. Page six of the ship's manifest listed her on line four as "Elzbieta Szwec", but further to the right on the page, it was written that she was going to see her sister Anna Svec. Svec was the correct spelling.
The manifest shows that Elizabeth/Alzbeta Svec said she was a 24-year-old widowed housewife, which was correct. She stated that her father's name was Bartolomej "Tropp". But her supposed destination of Clifton, New York, the same as the three people before her on the manifest page, seems to be misinformation. The small town of Clifton makes no sense when Elizabeth's sisters were living in Chicago.
A photo of the <i>Hannover</i> ship's manifest page: <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/oGp1TukCWLbG2DYy6">Photo</a>
At some point by 1918, Alzbeta/Elizabeth Trzop "Trop" Surma Svec met Karel/Karol "Charles" "Carl" Mucha, probably in Chicago. But they did not get married until 1922.
On January 19, 1919, in their home at 5237 S. Francisco Ave. in Chicago, Karel Mucha and "Lizzie" "Trupp" (her maiden name was spelled Trzop, but she had been married twice since then, so her current surname was Svec) had a son, Ludvig. He was known as Louis.
The 1920 U. S. census had an effective date of January first. The Charles Mucha family was enumerated January nineteenth. The census page shows Charles, 33, Elizabeth, 29, (actually 31) and their one year old son, Louis. They lived in an apartment building at 4737 S. Loomis St., Chicago. Charles was a laborer at a meat packer, almost certainly employed at the nearby Union Stock Yards. He was from Poland, and he had also immigrated in 1913. Charles spoke Polish, while Elizabeth spoke Slovak. But they must have been able to communicate.
The 1920 census shows that Elizabeth's sister Sophie Wojensky and her family were living at 4756 S. Robey (now Damen) which was one mile to the west of Elizabeth's home. That census also shows that Elizabeth's sister Agnes Siska and her family were also living in Chicago.
On July 8, 1921, in their home at 5703 S. Richmond St. in Chicago, "Carl" Mucha and Elizabeth "Throop" had a daughter, Elizabeth. About 1923, in Illinois, probably Chicago, the couple had a son, Carl.
On July 26, 1922, in Chicago, Elizabeth "Sfiec" (actually Svec) married "Carl" Mucha. The serial number of the marriage license was 0954093. But Mr. Mucha's original first name when he lived in or near current day Poland was probably spelled either Karel or Karol. In the United States, in addition to being known as Carl, he was also known as Charles and as Karl.
The family lore has it that at some point after Elizabeth married Carl Mucha, she was contacted by someone with news that the report of her second husband Valent Svec's death had been an error -- so she was actually married to two men at once! It isn't known if that situation was reconciled, but she stayed in the U.S. until her death.
About 1923, in Illinois, Elizabeth and Carl has a son, Carl.
Somewhere between 1923 and 1926 the family moved to Wisconsin, probably straight to a farm in Necedah Township, in Juneau County.
On November 12, 1926, in Cutler Township, the couple had a daughter, Ann.
The 1930 U.S. census had an effective date of April first. The Charles Mucha family was enumerated April ninth. The census page shows Karl, 42; Elizabeth, 41; Louis, 11; Elizabeth, 8; Karl, 6; and Anna, age three. They lived on a farm in Necedah Township, Juneau, Wisconsin.
On September 7, 1932, Carl Mucha was arrested for making alcohol: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/oKtEQGThp39zyxhq5">Photo</a>
Carl died in 1936 in or near Necedah. He is buried at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Cemetery in Necedah.
The 1940 U.S. census had an effective date of April first. The Elizabeth Mucha family was enumerated April thirteenth. The census page shows Elizabeth, a 50-year-old widow; her daughter Elizabeth, 18; son Carl, 16; and daughter Anna, 13. They lived on a farm in Juneau County, Wisconsin. It was written that the oldest three had eighth grade educations.
The May 26, 1972, edition of the <i>Capital Times</i> (Madison, Wisconsin) newspaper printed an obituary for Elizabeth: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/RFm58c7QtBuSspvaA">Photo</a>
That obituary had an incorrect maiden name for Elizabeth, and an incorrect year of marriage with Carl. Elizabeth and Carl may have deliberately told their children that they had gotten married seven years earlier than they actually did, to hide the fact that Elizabeth and Carl had two children before they got married. Since the obituary lists Andrew and William Surma among her children, that means that Elizabeth's children with Carl Mucha knew of their mother's sons with her late husband William Surma. This obituary mentions Elizabeth's sister, Sophie "Mainowski" (probably Malinowski). Apparently Elizabeth's other sisters had died by then.
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