Kolodzeys of New York

We do not know whether they knew each other in Slovakia, met somewhere on the voyage, or met after they arrived in America. Nonetheless, In October of 1893, Francz and Erma were wedded at Saint Peter’s Catholic Church in Newark, NJ.  Karl Dlugolinszky, likely Franciscus' 1st cousin, witnessed the marriage.

Francz and Erma's oldest son, Frank Eduard, was born on 30 July 1894 in Newark, New Jersey.  Their Second son, John Jacob, was born on 26 January 1898 in Newark, NJ.

In 1900, the young family of four lived at 206 Melvin Avenue in Richmond Borough, New York City.  We know this from the 1900 census; also that Franciscus worked as a day laborer, so he probably made very little money. 

A few weeks after the census interview, Franciscus was a Naturalized US Citizen. What a happy day that must have been!  A local shopkeeper, Cornelius Schales, served as a witness for his naturalization.

On 1 July 1901, their third child, Joseph Frank, was born in Staten Island, NY.

On 28 July 1905 around 12:30pm, Franciscus died of Endocarditis (per his death certificate below, highlighted in red: his Aortic and his Mitral valves failed, contributed to by anasarca edema of the lungs). A few hours later, Erma went into labor and gave birth to Charles Stephen Kolodzey (later Kolodgy) where they lived at Mildred Avenue at 3:30pm. We can only imagine how Erma and her boys felt that day. What a way for young Charles to come into the world.

Two years later, Erma died of typhoid fever which has only a 10 to 30 percent mortality rate (Johns Hopkins). Being a widowed mother of 4 boys, she likely was unable to afford treatment and it is likely that her health had diminished so much after the death of her husband that she lacked the ability to fight the illness and succumbed to Typhoid. When their mother Erma died, Frank was 13, John was 9, Joseph was 7, and Charles was only 2 years old. The four brothers were left alone as orphans, and thanks to their determination, and the good people that took care of them, they lived long productive lives.

Franz is buried at Saint Peters Cemetery in Castleton, Staten Island, NY and Erma lies in rest at the Holy Trinity Cemetery in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Pictures of their headstones are on the Gravestone Gallery page.

Charles, the youngest brother, was put into an orphanage and was listed on the 1910 Census as living in Saint Mary’s Orphan Home in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He was only 4 years old in 1910. A letter from St. Michael's Orphanage reports Charles Kolodzey was admitted to that institution on September 12, 1908.