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Birth: 11
Sep 1894 Enacoval,
Czechoslovakia
Death: Jun
1983
Father: John
BELLAS
Mother: Anna
FRATE
Misc. Notes
Social Security Death Index: (note
McKeesport is in Allegheny Co.)
JOHN
BELLAS SSN: 172-07-8935
Last
Residence: 15133 Mc Keesport,
Allegheny, PA
Born: 11 Sep 1894
Died: Jun 1983
State
(Year) SSN issued: PA (Before 195)
OBSERVATIONS FROM SANDRA BELLAS
COFFEY, 9/5/03:
Your SDI
info on my paternal grandparents is correct. They lived on Lysle Boulevard in Port Vue. Port Vue is a tiny, generally
insignificant, cemetary-ridden town right next to the very large, well-known
(within PA at least) city of McKeesport.
Although I
knew both of my paternal grandparents, they weren't very talkative about their
lives in the old country; nor were my parents. Also, I was very young while they were very old and wasn't
interested then in geneaology to ask the right questions. Grandma Bellas came over to stay with
her sister who married into the Pikula family. I found this out because in 7th grade Micky Pikula had a
serious crush on me, I think we even kissed. Luckily, before things could further progress, his parents
informed him of our relation - that our grandmothers were sisters. I had been playing baseball and going
to school with relatives I never knew I had.
ÒI am from
the second generation of US citizens. Both grandma and grandpa Bellas were
immigrants. My dad was born here in the states. I broke down one day and sent
money for my paternal grandpaÕs Social Security (application) form. Here is the
info:Ó
John Bellas 914
Lyle Avenue, Port Vue, PA
Present
employer: McKeesport Tin Plate Co. age
at last birthday: 42
Date of
birth: 9/11/1894 Birthplace:
Enacoval, Czechoslovakia
FatherÕs
full name: John Bellas MotherÕs
full name: Anna Frate
Signed on
11/23/36
REPORT OF CONVERSATION, SANDRA
BELLAS COFFEY WITH HER UNCLE EDDIE, 9/5/03:
Grandfather
John Bellas worked at the National Tube Works in McKeesport as a roughneck
(whatever that means). Got a
hernia during the Great Depression so lost his job but got rehired shortly for
the shipping and tagging of pipes.
I asked him about the type of person my grandpa was as a father: "He was tough and always boss and
extremely domineering; he was one of the reasons I took off." He came from Czechoslovakia before the
depression - (didn't get an exact date).
Worked 12 hours a day.
"Ma and pa had hard lives in the old country and here but they
raised their kids well and tried to steer them in the right direction."
Pa used to
make root beer. It was put into
glass bottles and left in the yard to ferment; afterwards it cooled in the
basement. "Root beer was a
big deal to us because there weren't too many pleasures in life for
us." (Apparently there were
other pleasures because he then remembered going to Isaly's to get hand packed
ice cream as a "Sunday party deal".)
(At this
point my dad got on the phone. He teases me when I ask questions. Told me that no dogs or cats were safe
during the depression because my uncles ate them. Laughed when I believed him, but I said, "You're my
father and if you tell me something, I expect it's true." Couldn't get any
more info - Willie was coming over to take all of them out for dinner.)
Eddie and
John were in WWII
Here is the
birth order of John and Julia Bellas' kids:
Helen; John;
Margaret; Lutzie; Eddie; Willie; Frank
WWI DRAFT REGISTRATION (1917):
He
registered as John Bellas, he lived at 444 Mulberry St., McKeesport, and he
gave his birth date as October 15, 1894. He is an alien, and gave his birth
place as "Scolinos Ung. Hungarian" (not sure about the spelling). His
nationality is Hungarian. He is presently employed, and works as a laborer in
the National Tube Co., in their National Works. He lists a wife as his
dependent, he is married, he is Caucasian. He has had no military service, he
does not claim exemption from the draft. His description is "tall",
of "medium" build, with "light" eyes and "light
brown" hair. He is not disabled. He registered in May, 1917, in
McKeesport.
1920 CENSUS, PENNSYLVANIA, ALLEGHENY
CO., MCKEESPORT WARD 1:
Family got
indexed as "Ballas". John and Julia live on Mulberry Alley (per
census taker margin note), and have a daughter "Hellen", who appears
to be 17 months old. John is 25, Julia is 23, and they both are reported to
have entered the country in 1912. John is marked "Alien", meaning he
has not yet acquired citizenship. Both claim they can read and write, and both
can speak English. Both were born in Hungary, and their mother tongue is
Slovak. The same is true for both of their parents. John is a laborer in a
steel mill.
LFC NOTES, 1930 CENSUS,
PENNSYLVANIA, ALLEGHENY CO., PORT VUE:
(Family was
indexed as ÒBellesÓ, even though original census image actually appears to show
ÒBellasÓ. Quality of the copy is terrible.)
John is age
36, Julia is age 37. They own their home, worth $1200(?), they donÕt own a
radio, and they do not live on a farm. They were married when John was 22 and
Julia was 23. They are able to read and write. They, and all their parents,
were born in Czechoslovakia. Before coming to the United States, their language
was Slovak. John came to the US in 1911, Julia in 1912. Whether or not they
were naturalized, and whether they spoke English, are both illegible. JohnÕs
job is as a laborer in a steel mill.
There are
six children living at home. Helen is 12, John is 10, Margaret is 8(?),Lutzie
is 6, Edward is 3 and some months, William is 1 and some months. Helen, John
and Margaret have been attending school, and Helen and John can read and write.
All the kids were born in Pennsylvania.
POSSIBLE LEAD, ELLIS ISLAND
IMMIGRATION RECORDS:
The
following is by no means an established connection. However we found a ÒGejza
BellasÓ, who appears to offer a good match to the census information. Sandra
says the pronounciation would be ÒJezwaÓ, which sounds like it could be easily
adapted to ÒJohnÓ.
Anyway,
Gejza Bellas entered on March 11, 1911. He gave his age as 18 (versus 17 from
the birth date of our John, but is entry might be facilitated if he was
slightly older?) His occupation was Òwood burnerÓ (probably a laborer in
charcoal making). He was from Hungary (in 1911 the Austria-Hungarian empire
would have included what is now Czechoslovakia). He was Slovak. He was headed
for Ford City, PA (not far from where our John ended up).
Sandy says
his reported height was too short, but at 17 he may not have finished growing?
Also he said he was planning to meet up with his father in Pennsylvania, which
does not match family recollections that he came alone without family, but his
entry may have been facilitated if he could claim he had a relative? SandyÕs
family have no recollection of John ever having been called ÒGejzaÓ or anything
else but John. But then I donÕt
believe ÒJohnÓ would be a Slovak name -- the nearest translation would likely
be ÒIvanÓ -- so itÕs perhaps unlikely that John was called John before he left home?
Marriage: abt
1916
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Spouse: Julia
PAVELKO
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Birth: 13
Feb 1893
Death: 8
Apr 1988
Misc. Notes
JULIA BELLAS SSN:
162-50-5966
Last
Residence: 15133 Mc Keesport,
Allegheny, PA
Born: 13 Feb 1893
Died: 8 Apr 1988
State
(Year) SSN issued: PA (1973)
This is a
PROBABLE connection from Ellis Island -- the name, the age and the destination
are right:
Source:
www.ellisisland.org
Name: Pavelko, Julia Ethnicity: Hungary, Slovak
Place of
Residence: Natafalva, Hungary Date of
Arrival: April 15, 1913
Age on
Arrival: 20y Gender: F
Marital
Status: S Ship
of Travel: Pannonia
Port of
Departure: Carnaro, Triest,
Austria
DETAILS FROM
VIEWING THE ACTUAL MANIFEST:
She appears
to be traveling alone. She reports that she has never been in the USA before
and that she has $17 (? number hard to read). She is going to meet her
brother-in-law (name illegible) in Molbery (?) Alley, McKeesport, PA. She is 5Õ
tall, dark complexion, fair hair, blue eyes. (City of birth is illegible.)
THE SHIP
ÒPANNONIAÓ:
Built by
John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland, 1904. 9,851 gross tons; 501 (bp)
feet long; 59 feet wide. Steam triple expansion engines, twin
screw. Service speed 14 knots. 840 passengers (40 first
class, 800 third class).
Built for
Anchor Line, British flag, in 1904 and named Pannonia. London-New
York, Mediterranean-New York service. Scrapped in 1922.
REPORT OF CONVERSATION, SANDRA
BELLAS COFFEY WITH HER UNCLE EDDIE, 9/5/03:
His mother
loved gardening. Grew beautiful
roses. Didn't do hard labor of
digging but did weeding. (Uncle
Eddie asked if I knew her really well but she was very reserved with my sister
and I. I felt closer to my grandpa
than her.) She grew up on a Czechoslovakian farm. Her sister did marry a Pikula. "This Pikula guy got on the booze wagon so I didn't get
to know my aunt really well. It
was like a Real McCoy situation, just like last night when your father got into
a scrap with Willie. The Bellas' are tough, when they think they're right, they won't back
down." (Don't think I got
much of the Bellas genes, seems I'm always mediating rather than starting
fights.)
Children
John BELLAS (11 Sep 1894 - Jun 1983) & Julia PAVELKO (13
Feb 1893 - 8 Apr 1988)
Helen BELLAS (abt 1918 - )
John BELLAS (abt 1920 - )
Margaret BELLAS (abt 1922 - )
Lutzie BELLAS (abt 1924 - )
Edward BELLAS (abt 1927 - )
William BELLAS (abt 1929 - )
Frank Raymond BELLAS
& Dorothy Louise RASZEWSKI (9 Oct 1932 - )
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Please
report corrections or additions to...
Fred Coffey,
2604 University Blvd., Houston, TX 77005
713-592-9076 FredCoffey@AOL.COM