Wisdom Wednesday: Mystery Ladies

A mystery girl revealed?
So, we have this old family picture that's been hanging in my parents house as long as I can remember.

This is the picture.  The first time I remember talking to my Mom about it was back in the 90s...this was about when I started getting interested in genealogy.  I remember her telling me that many of the male Robinsons in this picture used to travel back to England when there was no work in Philadelphia.

The youngest child in this picture is a baby and was born in 1907, so I'd date it 1907-1908.  The couple in the middle are Mary Robinson (nee Crossley) and John Raynor Robinson.  They are my 2nd Great Grandparents and they moved to Philadelphia from England in 1868.  The rest are their children, the children's spouses and their children.  My mom had most of the people labeled (she and I had changed some as we learned more).  The exception being the 2 ladies on either side in the back row, they have always been unknown.  They are clearly dressed differently than the other women.  We had speculated that maybe they were servents, then chuckled about that idea!

So, the back row is: Unknown Girl, Thomas, Jonas, James, Mary Elizabeth and Unknown Girl
Middle Row:  Ida (wife of Thomas), Mary (wife of Jonas) with little Rayner on her lap, Mary and John Raynor, Lillian (wife of James) with Baby Howard on her lap, George Smith (husband of Mary Elizabeth).  Seated in front of Ida and Mary is James B Robinson (my grandfather's brother), on the stool next to him is Jonas and Mary's daughter, Rebecca, on the stool in the middle is Samuel Raynor (my grandfather), on the floor next to him is Lillian Smith, next to her is Mae(or Mary), they are Mary Elizabeth's children.

Well, I came across another picture while cleaning out my email.  And this one has an additional sibling in it.

Mary Lizzie, ?, Thomas, Lillie, Jonas, James, ?
Mary Elizabeth Robinson, ?, Thomas C Robinson (my great grandfather), Lilly Mae Robinson, Jonas Robinson, James H Robinson and John Raynor Robinson.  Lilly was born in 1889.  I'll guess she's about 3 or 4 here and say this photo was taken in about 1903.  I think this is the house they lived in on G Street in Kensington.  So, now I'm wondering if one of the gals on either end in the more formal picture is Lilly?  And is the other one another unknown sibling.  Everyone in that back row seems to be a child of John Raynor and Mary Robinson. So it makes sense to me that the 2 unknowns are also children of Mary and John Raynor and that perhaps they are dressed differently since they are unmarried.  Now, the question is...can I find a name for the other Robinson Girl.  The 1890 census would be so helpful here!  It's a shame it was mostly destroyed!  This picture also has an unknown woman, which could be Thomas wife, Ida, but it really doesn't look like her. I think Ida is very distinctive looking.  Maybe she's the other missing girl?

Treasure Chest Thursday: Cedar Hill Cemetery

I had a lovely adventure with my father today.  I met him at his favorite (breakfast) restaurant, M & M Restaurant at Emery Street and Allegheny Avenue in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia.  I had a fantastic Kielbasa and Cheese omelet with a side of potatoes.  It was fantastic and I won't need to eat until dinner time!   After we finished up, we pulled out the maps and other info that the lovely people from Cedar Hill Cemeteries sent me and headed on over the Frankford and Cheltenham Avenues.  This is an interesting spot in Philly where there's a cemetery on each corner.  3 of which are part of Cedar Hill.  There's North Cedar Hill, The Cedar Hill and East Cedar Hill (which was unmarked) and the 4th is Mount Carmel.  We have family buried in North and East Cedar Hills (that I know of).  So, first stop was North Cedar Hill.  My Dad's Uncle Elmer and Aunt Bert (whom I wrote about before: Wedding Wednesday: Elmer J Black and Alberta M Franks).  We easily located this grave in the back of the cemetery.  The maps provided were great.

John H Dingler was the first to be buried here.  He died in 1914, and while there are no dates on the stone for him or Matilda, the cemetery provided a copy of all the records that they had.  John was a police officer and committed suicide at the age of 57.  I wonder if I'd be able to find more details about that!?  Next, is Alberta M Black, she was the child of Uncle Elmer and Aunt Bert and was 6 months old when she passed and was buried in 1934.  Next up is William "Billy" Murphy, he was Matilda's (John's Wife) second husband.  He passed in 1938 at the age of 67.  Note that his name was not added to the headstone.  Tillie was next, she was 94 when she passed away in 1954.  My Dad knew Tillie.  He's told me several times that she was very old and if he remembers correctly she was blind.  He said to me, "I thought you said Tillie was here!"  He didn't know that Tillie is short for Matilda and he knew her as Tillie Murphy, so he didn't realize right away that it was her in there when he saw the names!  Then I have, in 1982, "Infant Girt Lyons SB", "2ft Casket".  Another baby, how sad!  I spoke with my Aunt Joan and we think this would have been Aunt Bert and Uncle Elmer's grandchild by their daughter, Joan.  Her name is not on the headstone, either.  Uncle Elmer passed away in 1989.  And last one in was Aunt Bert, 1999!

We paid our respects and moved on...to the wrong cemetery (woops, I should have printed the big map with the full intersection), we ended up in The Cedar Hill cemetery.  But Pop straightened me out and over to East Cedar Hills we went!

Again, very nicely detailed maps were provided and we located the target grave quickly. I was surprised to find somewhat of a monument. When we spotted it, my Dad said "Wow, they must have had money!"  This is Pop Black's family. He's my Dad's maternal grandfather.  This grave also holds 7 people, however, only 2 are listed on the monument.  This is the first family grave that I've seen with a limestone monument.  This is why the letters are corroding off.  Limestone just doesn't last like marble. 

I was able to transcribe what it says: 

In Memory Of
Isabella wife of
Augustus Black
Born Sep 22 1852
Died Nov 8 1894
Augustus Black
Died Feb 1 1928
Aged 76 years

So, Isabella was buried first.  And the headstone lists her birthdate, which I didn't have before, just the year!  Jackpot!  Then Robert Black and Anna Black both buried on the same day in 1900, he was only 15 months and she was just 13 months.  I did some digging and these are 2 children of Isabella and Augustus.  He actually died in 1875 and she died in 1886.  Their death certificates say they were buried in North Cedar Hill, but they must have been moved to be with their mother.  William Black was then buried here in 1907 at age 28.  He died of pneumonia.  This was another child of Isabella and Augustus.    Pop's father, Augustus Black was buried here in 1928, No birthday for him, though!  The records indicate that he died of Nephritis, which is a disease of the kidneys.  And while the record indicates that he was 75, the tombstone says 76.  Pop Black, Mervyn Black Sr., was buried here in 1958 at age 82.  The record says that he died of senility.  The last person listed in the record is no longer a mystery.  Her name is "Sallie (aka Sarah) Price".  She died in 1969 and was 87 years old.  I just figured out who she is.  She is the last child of Augustus and Isabella, born Sarah M Black.

I took a few pictures of the rest of the monument, since it's fairly ornate, compared to what I'm used to finding.

This is a close-up of the lower front part of the monument.  You can see that the different parts are twisted a bit.  Of course, my Dad tried to twist them back, but couldn't budge em!  I wonder if there was more decoration on the part just above the "BLACK" name?



In this picture, I tried to capture the design that I saw in the upper part of the monument.  It looks like it was a line of daisy-like flowers all the way around the monument.

This is another stone at the foot of the grave.  The material matches the monument and I suspect that it's partially buried and may have something written on it, like the family name again.  My Dad says he will bring a shovel next time!
So, while the weather was not great, me and my Dad had a nice morning.  The best part is, he tells stories about the people that he remembers.  He is hoping I can locate his cousin, Jimmy Black, Uncle Elmer's son.  He thinks he lives down the shore somewhere.  Plus, now, we have a few more people to take flowers to at Easter!

Uncle Frank Samsel, WWII Veteran

Well, I should have posted this yesterday, but I was a bit preoccupied.  So, better late than never. 

In honor of Pearl Harbor Day (yesterday), this is a picture of one of my relatives who served in WWII. 

This picture was labeled "Corsica, March 3, 1944, Frank Samsel, 3rd from left".  Francis I. Samsel was my Granny's brother, My mom's uncle.  I don't know a whole lot about him, but that he was the son of immigrant parents.  His mother and father came to the United States from Poland at the turn of the century.  Frank was the 2nd youngest of 9 children.  Although, if memory serves me correctly, my Granny mentioned that she had several siblings that died at a very young age.  The WWII record that I found for him states that he was Enlisted in the Army on 27 August 1942 in Philadelphia to the Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA.  It also states that he was only educated to grammar school.  He was single without dependants.  For occuption it just states:  "Unskilled public service occupations, n.e.c.".  He was 5' 5" and 117 pounds.  I'm unsure how long he was enlisted, but I'm proud of him, nonetheless!

Thanks to Uncle Frank and to all those who served and continue to serve our country.

Is that you, Jonas?

The Hunt for Jonas Robinson (My 3rd Great Grandfather)

Me and Pop (and Jake and Emma and Ivan) made our rounds of the cemeteries today, with my new addition, Greenwood Cemetery.  I got a pretty detailed map from a member of the organization that volunteers to help maintain the grounds.  With that, I felt pretty confidant that we could find him (and the other 5 people buried with him).  We drove in past the newly remodeled main building and drove up to a "Receiving Vault"...that's something I've never seen before.  But it was clear that they are making changes to that.  We thought we drove up to about the right spot and got out to start wandering.  However, none of the section markers matched the map...at all!  So, I assume they are reassigning the sections, somehow.  We tried to work out roughly where his section should be and started hunting.  From afar, the cemetery looked well kept, but as we walked, we came across toppled over head stones, others so sunken into the ground that all that was visible was the very top. 

Robinson, Robinson, where is Robinson?  There it was.  And that's all that is says, "Robinson". 

No names, no dates.  A bit of a letdown.  I did wander around a bit more, but no other Robinsons to be found.  I guess I'll have to wait to confirm.  There are plans to reset all of the stones in the future.  You can see the top of at least one headstone in this picture.  I wonder if this is just the top the stone?  Maybe they will reopen the office soon and someone can help me locate it for sure.

The Hunt for Jonas Robinson

He should be easy to find.  He can't go anywhere.  He's been dead for 106 years!

Jonas Robinson was my 3rd Great Grandfather.  Jonas was the father of John Raynor Robinson. John was the father of Thomas Crossley Robinson.  Thomas was the father of Samuel Raynor Robinson.  Sam was the father of Raynor Elmer Robinson.  And Raynor is my dad.  Jonas was born in England and died in Philadelphia.  He moved his family to the US in 1868. 

So, anyway...I wanted to find his grave back at Easter time when I went to the cemeteries with my Dad.  We were going to Oakland Cemetery, which is right across the street from Greenwood.  So, I thought I'd look him up and go find his grave while we were out that way.  I searched for the cemetery and found that it was under renovations.  This is something I've never heard of, but it sounds like a great thing.  The downside is that:   a. There was no office to contact to find out where he is and b. They were not allowing visitations.  So, we made the rounds and I could see the work being done on the cemetery.  They were remodeling the main house on the property.  And I could see that the property really needed some cleaning up. 

Here's a photo of what it looked like:

Well, me and Dad are getting ready to make the rounds again.  Hopefully, this Christmas he doesn't just go do it without me.  We don't call him Quick Carl for nothing!  Based on what I read on the cemetery's website, it seems they are allowing visits, but there is still no office on the premises.  I did, however, find an email address for lookups.  I'm hopeful that they will get back to me and tell me where he is so that we can go find him. 

Maybe my next post will be a picture of his grave.  Wish me luck!

John H Dingler's Obituary

Dingler – Suddenly, on Aug. 29, 1914, JOHN H., husband of Mathilda Dingler, nee Ferguson.  Relatives and friends of the family, also police of the Tenth, Fifth and Twenty-sixth districts are invited to attend funeral services, at 2:30 P.M. Wednesday, at his late residence, 2643 Janney Street, interment at North Cedar Hill Cemetery.

John H. Dingler was my 2nd Great Grandfather.  He was the father of my Dad's Grandmother, Lettie Mae Dingler, AKA Mom Black, mother of Lettie Mae Black Robinson, my Dad's Mom.  This obituary halped me find Matilda(Tillie)'s family.  I didn't have her maiden name before I found this.

Finding James B Robinson

James Benjamin Robinson.  I grew up calling him Uncle Pete.  He was my Dad's Paternal Uncle.  I got to thinking about him the other day, while Jake was playing his harmonica at my Dad's house.  My Dad grabbed it and played a song for them.  I thought of Uncle Pete.  He always had his harmonica.  I can picture him sitting on the couch in my parents living room at Christmas time, jamming on the harmonica (if that's possible).  He was really into it!
The mystery that I'm trying to resolve is:  Who did Uncle Pete live with after his father passed away?
I've been told for years that he was raised by Ida's sister, Mabel.  My dad and mom had told me years ago that Uncle Pete was raised by an Aunt.  Never any mention of the father having passed away.  My Dad didn't know how young the brothers were when their father passed, so he just thought they didn't have the money to keep him.  Which is likely true, except that it was due to the fact that Thomas died.

The family consisted of Ida Alice Mason, AKA Mom Kuster (she later remarried), Thomas Crossley Robinson were the parents.  They had my grandfather, Samuel Raynor Robinson in 1898 and his brother James Benjamin Robinson in 1901.  They lived in the Kensington section of Philadelphia on G Street.  Hopefully it was a better place to be back then!  Thomas passed away in 1911, the death certificate says it was from Epilepsy with mental derangement as a contributing factor, when Samuel was 14 and James was 10.  I've been told that at this point James had to live with Ida's sister, Mabel.  Ida couldn't afford to keep both children.  It is my guess that Samuel was probably working already at the age of 14, so he was contributing some income.  I can't find any evidence of the split of the brothers, however, due to the time frame.  It all falls right smack in the middle of 2 censuses.  In 1910, They all lived with Thomas' mother, Mary,  at 3439 G Street (I suspect Thomas was sick at the time).  In February of 1911, based on the Death Certificate they lived at 807 Schiller Street.  By 1920, the next census year, Ida was remarried to Henry Benhart (unsure of spelling) Kuster, AKA Ben Kuster and both children were living with them at 3546 G Street.

So, this leaves me with my mystery...did Uncle Jim live with his Aunt Mabel?  My Dad and his brother Sam both recall this, however, Aunt Grace does not.  She tends to have the best memory about all of the Robinson family stories.  So, my Dad asked me to see if I could figure out if this is true or not!  So far, I cannot come up with a way to verify this.

Uncle Jim never married.  He was sent to Denver, Colorado by General Electric or Westinghouse to do electrical work there.  As far as we know, he worked for them until he retired.  While living out west, he developed a love of the rodeo.  I am unsure whether he just liked to watch or if he participated.

I wonder where I'll find him in the 1940 census when it's released next year.  It will likely take a while to find him, since it will not be indexed right away!!

Mystery Monday: I know who...wish I knew where!

Helen Josephine Samsel

This is a great picture of my Granny Smyczynski, taken well before she was my granny and even before she was a Smyczynski.  Her name is written on the back, looks like her writing to me.  "Helen Samsel".  This dates it before 1932, which is when she married my grandfather.  I with I knew where it was taken, such a cool spot!  I would assume it was taken in Philadelphia, somewhere...but of that I can't be sure.

Motivation Monday: Spring Cleaning

Talk about Spring Cleaning!  This is my Grandmom, Lettie Mae (Black) Robinson, washing her beautiful marble steps at their house on Cedar Street in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, PA!  She was a wonderful woman and I miss her.  For some reason I thought about this picture today and thought I'd share it.  Not sure if it will motivate me, but it made me smile!

Fearless Females: Day 1: Favorite Female Ancestor

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor?

I think it's safe to say that I have several favorites.  But, for today, I'll mention the one I've been researching this week.  (She's actually my husband's ancestor.) 

Angelina Marrone Parlante was my hubby's Great Grandmother.  She was his Mom's Mom's Mom!  I am actually working on a mini-bio for her already. 

From what I've been told, she was a lovely woman.  Here are a few quick facts:

• She was the daughter of Italian immigrant parents. 
• She lived in South Philadelphia. 
• She was the oldest of 7 siblings. 
• She married Rocco Parlante, who was born in Italy. 
• They had six children. 
• She lived from about 1888 until July 27th, 1961

For more on Angie, look for her bio later this month!

Tombstone Tuesday: Piotr and Antonina Smyczynski

Piotr Smyczynski 1872 - 1948 (AKA Peter Smith)

Antonina Smyczynski 1878 - 1965 (nee Nowak, AKA Anna, Antoinette)

This is the grave for my Great Grandparents, Peter and Anna.  They were both from Poland.  They were my Mom's Paternal Grandparents.  I first saw this tombstone last year.  My Dad, Emma and I went on a little tour of all the graves that he and my Mom would hit on their Christmas and Easter rounds.  He wanted to make sure that one of us knew where everyone was to continue the tradition.  It was very important to my Mother that each grave be visitied and have a grave blanket for Christmas and some flowers for Easter and Mother's Day.

This was our first stop.  This is Holy Redeemer Cemetery in the Bridesburg section of Philly.  It's a very cool cemetery, if you are into that sort of thing.  It has a big fancy entrance and it spans several city blocks, but the streeets continue through it.  So to get to this grave, we drove into the entrance off of Richmond Street, then through a portion on the cemetery and then crossed a street, drove through another section of cemetery and then crossed a street.  I think it's pretty neat.  We went there first because it is right near the Betsy Ross Bridge, quickest for me to get to!  My Dad had to remember how he could tell where the grave was and told me that years ago my Mom couldn't remember where it was.  Her parents took her when she was young, but she couldn't place the plot.  She found out that she had a cousin that worked for an affiliated cemetery and she looked it up for her.  Peter and Anna have been on the rounds ever since.  Peter died in 1948, my Mom sort of remembered him.  Anna passed away in 1965, so she knew my 2 eldest siblings.  I've seen her in pictures, she looked like a happy gal!

Speaking of Happy Gals, here's a pic of Emma enjoying a ride down the boulevard on our tour:

I now have all of the usual stops saved in my GPS, I think I had better write down the coordinates in case said GPS dies on me!

Great Genealogy Day

I made a great find today!  I have been hoping to discover my father's great grandmother's maiden name for a while now.  Matilda Tillie UNKNOWN Dingler Murphy.  I wrote about her a few weeks back.  I found her in another family tree today on Ancestry.com.  I had not looked clearly at the 1880 census record that I had for her and John Dingler and their daughter Lettie.  Tillie's parents lived with them in Kensington!  James and Martha Ferguson (or Furgeson, I've seen it spelled both ways now).  I can' believe I hadn't seen it sooner that another family lived with them.  I am guessing that it was actually James' home, but for whatever reason The Dingler's are listed first.


1880 Census

 This has lead me to locate her with her family in previous censuses.  Martha and James are both from Ireland.  I am not sure how I will make out finding them there, but time will tell!  For now I am happy with Matilda Tillie FERGUSON Dingler Murphy!

Lettie Mae Black and Samuel Raynor Robinson Wedding Photo

This is a wedding picture from My Grandmom and Grandpop Robinson's Wedding Day.  They were married on September 12th of 1923 in Philadelphia.  I have a version of this photo, hanging in my dining room, without the Maid of Honor and Best Man in it.  I am not too sure who they are.  My Dad and I think that the maid may be my Grandmom's Best friend, Margaret Esmond, but in the pictures that we have of her, she is older, so it's hard to tell.  I have no clue about him, I'll have to ask my Aunt.  The happy couple are Lettie Mae Black and Samuel Raynor Robinson.  The flower girl is Lettie's niece, Grace Mae Miller (Hughes).  She is the daughter of Lettie's sister, Eurella Black Miller.  She and her husband, Albert lived behind my childhood home in Trevose.  I am told that he built that house and the house around the corner that their son Albert and his family still live in, along with another house nearby for another of their children (that I don't know).  I had a picture taken on my wedding day with this and a picture of my Mom's parents in the background.  I love both pictures!

Rocco Angelo Parlante WWI Draft Card

WWI Draft Card, September 12, 1918

This is the WWI Draft card for my husband's Great Grandfather, Rocco Angelo Parlante(1880 - 1950).  He was his Nana's father.

It's full of good information.  It gives his address at the time, 830 Moore Street in Philadelphia.  His full birthdate is listed, April 21, 1880.  It states that he was a Naturalized citizen (He was from Italy). 

Of course his occupation is musician!  He worked for The Stanley Company.  He played in an orchestra in the Earle Theater on Market Street.  The orchestra would play during the silent movies.  His wife is there, Angelina.  I love that his signature is right there!  He is described as being of medium height, stout build, blue eyes, and light hair.


Rocco Angelo Parlante
1880 - 1950



Matilda "Tillie" Dingler Murphy

Tillie was my Paternal 2nd Great Grandmother.  She was born in Ocober of 1859.  She was my father's (Raynor Robinson), mother's (Lettie Mae Black), mother's (Lettie Mae Dingler) Mother.  Can you follow that?

I am unsure of Tillie’s maiden name.  The first record that I’ve found of her is the 1880 census.  She was married to John H Dingler by this point.  They had a daughter named Lettie Mae (Letta in the census record).  John was a police officer for the city.  They resided at 2314 Commerce Street.

Unfortunately, most of the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire, so I am unable to locate them there!

They lived at 2508 Moyer Street in 1900 and at this point Lettie was married and no longer living with them.  Elmer and James lived at home; they were 12 and 15 working as laborers at a pottery company.

In 1910, Tillie lived at 2328 E. Firth Street alone with a boarder (Charles Miller).  Her husband John lived with his parents.  John is listed as single in the 1910 census and Tillie is listed as widowed.  I think it was common for women to be listed as widowed when they were divorced!  Why did they divorce??

John passed away in 1914, from a self inflicted gun shot wound to the head.   Death certificate also says “suicide while temp deranged”.   At the time that John died, Tillie and John lived at 2634 Jeanney St.  Did they get back together since 1910!?  Tillie remarried in 1918 to William Murphy.

In 1920, Tillie and William lived at 2639 Aramingo Avenue.  William was 11 years younger than Tillie.  He was a boilermaker at the shipyard.  They rented this home.  My Dad tells me that boilermaker's were big drinkers...hence the drink name!!

In 1930, Tillie and William owned a home at 2435 Ann Street.

I look forward to the release of the 1940 census, some time next year!  Hopefully I will find them there!

All along, Matilda’s parents are listed as being from Ireland.  I need to find the marriage certificate for her and John Dingler in the hopes of finding her maiden name.

My Dad and Aunt Norma have told stories of Tillie living or visiting with Lettie Mae and Mervyn (Mom and Pop Black) on Aramingo Avenue.

My Dad guesses that she died around 1944, but I am unsure.  I cannot locate a death certificate.

World War I Draft Card: Rocco Angelo Parlante

It's a bit hard to read, but great anyway!  Rocco was my husband's Great Grandfather.  Not that he ever knew him.  He died when My Mother-in-law was quite young. This was Nana's Dad!  His wife was Angelina Marrone.

I LOVE his name, it's just wonderful!  He was born in Bisenti, Italy on April 21st, 1880.  Bisenti is near the sea, on the eastern side of Italy, kind of across from Rome.

He was a musician and worked for The Stanley Company.  He worked in an orchestra that would play in the theater while silent movies were playing.

They lived on Moore Street in what I'm guessing is South Philly.  There is a lot more to be told about Rocco, but I'm focusing on this Draft record, for now!

Helena Jospehine Samsel Smyczynski (aka My Granny)

This is my favorite
picture of Granny

1.10.1906 to 3.10.1992

Since this week was Granny’s birthday, I will write about her!  Granny would have been 105 this past Monday!  Helena Josephine Samsel was born on January 10, 1906 to Polish-Catholic immigrant parents in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia.  Her parents, Ignatius Samsel and Julianna Gadomska(Gadomski), both came to this country from Poland.  Helen was the oldest girl of the 8 siblings in her family.  If I remember correctly there were also 3 or 4 siblings who died when they were babies.  Helena was christened on January 21^st at St Adalbert's Roman Catholic Church on Allegheny Avenue.

While it appears that the Samsel family stayed in the Port Richmond area throughout Helen’s life, I am unable to locate them in the 1910 or 1920 censuses. 

In 1918, Helen made her First Holy Communion at St Adalberts. She attended school there until 8^th grade.  She then had to help the family by going to work.  By 1930, Helen was 24 and living with friends of the family, the Pachuckis at 2532 Gillingham Street.  It looks as though this was in the Bridesburg section of Philly.  She worked as a reeler in a woolen factory. 



Two Helens
Granny is on the right holding her dog, Esso.
She is with her sister-in-law.



On January 27^th, 1932, she married Zygmunt James Smyczynski (he went by Jimmy) at St Ann’s Church in Frackville, PA, which is northwest of Pottsville.  Helen’s cousin SJ Gartska was the minister.  This is why they went out there to marry.

Helen and Jimmy (Sonny Boy, as he was known to his family) had their first child, Leonard Vincent Smyczynski on April 27^th, 1934.  He was born at Northeastern Hospital.  I knew him as Uncle Lenny.  Helen and Jimmy then had their little girl, Constance Helena Smyczynska.  She was born on Mother’s Day, May 14^th, 1939.

The Smyczynski families often used Smith as a last name.  They did this to avoid discrimination and misspellings.  It does make it quite difficult to track them all down!  The children seem to have always been Smyczynski, but Helena and Zygmunt Smyczynski frequently went by Helen and James Smith.

Helen and James opened a candy store to help pay the tuition for Connie to attend Nazareth Academy High School for girls.  She started there in 1953 and graduated with High Honors in 1957. They were very proud of her accomplishments while there. 

Both children married and had families of their own.

Granny with my sister,
Donna Rae in Merchantville, NJ.

James died in 1970 from a heart attack.  It was quite sudden.  I never met my Grandpop, since I wasn’t born until 1973.  I know that my Mom and Granny really struggled with the adjustment.  My Mom frequently told me how great my Dad was at the time.  He really helped her cope.  I found a note that My Mom sent to My Granny in 1976, 6 years after his passing.  Having realized that we often take people for granted until its too late, she wanted to thank her mother for all that she did.

She remained very close to Connie and her family.  Unfortunately, money came between her and Lenny’s family.  I remember him from when I was very young.  Then we never really saw them. 

I spent so much time with Granny.  I absolutely adored her.  She lived at Belgrade and Ontario Streets in Port Richmond.  I visited her on most weekends.  I would sleep over Saturday to Sunday, or Monday if I was lucky enough to be forgotten when my dad was heading home from the city! My Dad would arrive home from working in the city and my Mom would say, “Did you forget something?”  Whoops!  We would get the call that he forgot me and we would both celebrate!  I was “Her Becky”!

Granny, Donna Rae and Me
Easter 1982

I spent 2 weeks with her most summers.  Occasionally, my girlfriend, Tracey, would join me!  We loved to play in her tiny back yard.  It was all concrete, but fun and secluded.  She would set up a little pool for us and we’d let our barbies swim!

Thinking about this now makes me sad, not so much for me, but for my kids!  I would have loved for them to have developed a similar relationship with my Mom.  I think my eldest nieces were lucky enough to have had something similar with her.  I think my kids have a chance at that with their Dram!

Granny was at our house for all of the holidays.  I was always excited when my dad would bring her up from the city.  My dog, Freckles, got very excited to see her, as well.  He ate like a king when she was around!  She cooked special meals for him.  Bacon, just for him, or Meatballs, for the pup!  Spoiled!

Granny in 1991

Granny passed away shortly after I went away to college.  She had been suffering with Alzheimer’s Disease for quite some time.  It was terrible to see.  My Mom took great care of her at our house.  I remember the day of her funeral, us grandkids wanted to be the pallbearers.  I couldn’t do it…I was crying too pathetically.  My Uncle Jim jumped in to take my place! 

I love and miss you Granny, and Happy Birthday Week!

Ida Alice Mason Robinson Kuster (Mom Kuster)

October 1877 – About 1945

Ida was born in Pennsylvania, most likely in Philadelphia.  Her parents, Samuel and Sarah were born in England.

The first record of her, that I have found, is the 1880 census.  Ida Mason was 4 when the census was taken on June 9th, 1880.  She lived with her family at 1923 Emma Street.  Based on a quick search, Emma street no longer exists.  However, if I look at previous pages in the census, I would say it was around Dauphin Street and Germantown Avenues.  Her brother, Joseph was two years old and George was only one month old.  Her father worked in a Woolen Mill.



Ida with Thomas, Samuel and James



She married Thomas C Robinson in about 1898.  My grandfather, Samuel Raynor Robinson,  was born in 1899.  In 1900, they lived on G Street, near Venango, they owned this house.  My grandfather, Samuel was 5 months old at the time of the census.   Thomas’ parents lived on G Street as well, at address 3439.  James B Robinson, whom I knew as Uncle Pete, was born in 1901.

 

Ida is pictured here with the Robinson Clan.
She is leftmost in the middle row.



I have been told that the family traveled back and forth to England together.  This included Thomas and Ida’s family, his siblings and their families and his parents, John and Mary.  They went to England to work in the winters.  Thomas was a bricklayer, as were his father and brothers.



Lettie Mae and Ida
in Atlantic City



When the 1910 census was taken, Thomas’ father, John Raynor had passed and Thomas, Ida, Samuel and James moved in with Mary (Thomas’ mother).  Thomas’ younger sister, Lillie M and her husband, Harry, lived there as well!  That was a fullhouse!  Thomas' sister Mary Lizzie lived next door at 3441 G Street. 

Thomas died February 21^st, 1911.  When he passed, they lived at 807 Shiller Street.  The death certificate states that he died of epilepsy with a contributing factor of mental derangement!



Sam, Jimmy, Norma and Grace with Ida



Sometime after Thomas passed, Ida married Henry Benhard Kuster, known as Ben Kuster.  In 1920, they lived at 3546 G Street.  Ida’s children, Samuel and James, lived with them.  Ben was a carpenter and had come to the US from France when he was 10.  

Mom Kuster with Uncle Sam
and Aunt Norma
Fox Chase



By 1930, Ida and Ben lived at 3029 Cedar Street.  Ben built this house.  They lived there with a "Roomer" by the name of Joseph P. Little.  For whatever reason, Ben is listed at 3031 Cedar, however this was a garage.   The property as a whole was worth $20,000 at the time.  The story craziest story that I've heard about Ben pertains to his car.  My father and his siblings were young when he was still alive.  In fact, my dad barely remembers him.  He would "electrify" his car by hooking it to the light somehow.  If the kids touched the car, they would get shocked!  WOW!



Mom Kuster, Mom Black and Bill?
Grandmom Robinson at Fox Chase

After Ben passed away, Ida lived at 3029 Cedar Street for a while but she couldn’t keep up with it financially.  Her sons, Sam and Jim took over the home and moved Ida to Sargeant Street.   Sam and his family lived in the Cedar Street house.  When the 1940 census is released, I will search for Ida.  I hope it doesn't proove to be as difficult as finding her in the 1930 census was. 

I have been unable to determine the exact date of Ida's death but it is estimated at about 1945.  I have been looking at these pictures of Ida more closely lately, I would guess she had a pretty tough life, but she sure looks like she knew how to laugh!