Osturna

Osturna is a Rusyn village in the former Spiš County of Slovakia,
stretching some five and a half miles along the Polish border beneath the
High Tatras. Founded, by local tradition, in the sixteenth century by
Lemko Rusyns, it sent generations of emigrants to industrial Ohio and
Pennsylvania — many of them to Barton, Ohio, where they built a church
modeled on the one they had left behind.

These three pieces come from the Osturna Newsletter, a project of
descendant genealogists led by Megan Smolenyak, one of the best-known
professional genealogists in the United States, whose own family traces
to Osturna. The first is her own profile of the village as it stood in
the late 1990s. The second gathers oral-history fragments recorded by
researcher Sue (Kovalcik) Balog and her son Larry from Osturna immigrants
and their children settled in Barton, Ohio — plain, unsentimental
memories of the ocean crossing in steerage, given here alongside a set of
real ship-manifest entries for Osturna-area emigrants arriving in
1902–1907. The third is a travelogue of the 1996 "Osturna Odyssey," when
thirty-six American descendants returned to meet their Slovak cousins for
the first time.

Osturna Newsletter table of contents (as of this page): International
Family Reunion — The Unforgettable Osturna Odyssey; The Trip To America;
Information on Osturna's Immigrants; The Meanings of Osturna Surnames; St.
Mary's, Kingston, PA; Second Home to Many from Osturna; 60 Years Ago In
Osturnja; A Story About Life In Osturnja.

Osturna is located in the former Spiš County, Slovakia. The village
stretches for about 5.5 miles along the northernmost road on the Polish
border. The High Tatra mountains are visible from Osturna to the south and
southwest, and the village is situated at an altitude of 2,500 feet above
sea level.

The current mayor is Josef Smolenak. According to Josef, the population is
down to about 500 from a high of perhaps 2,000 during the 1930s. He says
that the village was founded in the 1500s by Lemko Rusyns, a subset of our
ethnic group which is often referred to as Carpatho-Rusyn or Ruthenian.
The Lemko homeland is across the border in southern Poland. By now, most
of the villagers speak Slovak, though they probably also speak some Rusyn,
which is closer to Ukrainian.

The village is quaint and appears to have not changed very much over the
last century or so. A number of the houses are older, still of traditional
wooden construction and painted with folk motifs. The local church was
built in 1746 and enlarged in 1937. Those in the family who are familiar
with the Carpatho-Russian church in Barton, Ohio would notice a strong
resemblance between this church and the one in Osturna. Apparently, the
sizable community of Osturna emigrants to Barton wished to replicate their
old hometown church in their new country.

Submitted by Megan.

The Journey to America

For a fairly small place, Osturna has produced a surprising number of
dedicated researchers. One of the most notable is Sue (Kovalcik) Balog. In
addition to extensively researching Kovalcik, Palviscak, and other Osturna
families, she has worked with her son, Larry, to interview a number of the
Osturna immigrants and their children. Together they collected memories
from many of those who settled in Barton, Ohio. The topics included
everything from leaving Osturna to typical punishments for misbehavior.
From time to time, the newsletter shares selections from these interview
transcripts. For this issue, the subject chosen is the ship journey to the
United States. Thanks are due to Sue for her gracious permission to use the
portion that follows.

On a personal note, the newsletter especially values these notes for
showing the immigrants as they really were, and not as we tend to imagine
them. Many of us associate the immigrants in our families with the
white-haired people in those faded photos, the ones who never quite spoke
English fluently, who seemed so "quaint." In point of fact, as the
following segment shows, those who ventured to the United States had more
courage and ambition than most of us could ever muster.

One final comment is warranted before the interviews. The comments made
are, of course, dusty memories for some and second-hand stories for
others. While most are probably quite accurate, it's possible some took a
little poetic license.

Mickey Pavliscak: Mother had trouble coming over on the boat because
Paul (who was three years old at the time) kept going up to the first
class part and she had to keep after him.

Joe Zavatsky: Of course that was rough, a long time on the water,
herded like cattle in the boats, that must have been awful. It was all
new, they knew nothing. I guess being all alone, not being educated, and
not knowing what the outside world was like must have been an awful
experience.

Julia Gereg: My husband, John, was born in Europe (not Osturna), and
was two years old when his mother brought him over. They, too, were where
the cattle were. They had to take John on board — he used to be glad to go
out. He only had a dress, they didn't have pants, you know, little boys.
Here he was going overboard, they just grabbed him by that dress. He would
have drowned — that long dress saved him. If he had worn pants they could
not have grabbed him fast enough.

Mary Grena: I know Mother said it took her three weeks or more, it
took them that long. They were always in that third class and they were
sick all the way. They would just prod them and make them get up and go on
deck every day, but they were so sick, they couldn't get up if they had
to.

Sue Balog: I remember saying to my mother that I never went anywhere
except to Barton, that I had never traveled and that she at least had
traveled to get to America. She didn't explain or express it in words, but
the feeling I got was like, "Are you kidding?" Now I think I know why.

Martha Rose: It took my mother 19 days to come here.

Barbara Mlecik: All I remember them saying is that it was rough.

John (Bearcat) Koval: Mother used to mention how sick they got. They
came steerage, the cheapest there was, no modern conveniences, almost like
a slave ship, you know.

Julia Gereg: You know how they have on a ship — first class, second,
and third. My mother was supposed to come second class. Here they put her
down with the cattle, she never got that money refunded or anything. It
took 21 days to come here from Europe, and when the ship went back, it
went down, sunk. That ship was so bad, my mother said, that those cattle,
their feet, were just sinking into the boards and it was flooded. My
mother was so sick on that ship, she said that every day they would make
her go out on board to get a little air. She would have died there from
that stink from the cattle. You had to be right there with that.

Veronica Dezera: When they came over, on board ship they stood all the
way.

Larry: Surely they had to sleep some time.

Veronica: She said they slept somehow in shifts and before the trip
was over many of them had died and that made more space for them.

Jacob (Joe) Kovalcik: Dad came on a freighter. It took five weeks of
rough weather. I don't remember him saying anything about being seasick.

Paul Koval: I'm sure they came steerage. You're down in the lower hold
of the boat, which means that you have no outside visibility.

Katie Kovalcik: My dad knew how much trouble he had coming over, he
didn't want to let Uncle Joe come alone. But then they had to have
passageway for two and they had to take the cheapest one, steerage, where
the cattle were or with the sailors and workers. They had to put their
money in their pocket and sleep on it because they stole everything from
them, the men that worked on the ship.

Ship manifest entries, Osturna-area emigrants

S.S. Gneisenau, left Bremen March 3, 1906, arrived New York March 16,
1906:

Katerina Waszura, age 35, going to husband Jan Vasczura in Barton, Ohio
Maria Lazarak, 18, to brother-in-law Stefan Glevaniak, Larksville,
Pennsylvania
Maria Rusnak, 17, to mother Barbara Zavacky, 4635 Wood St., Chicago,
Illinois
Anna Repchak, 18, to brother Andrej Repcsak, Larksville, Pennsylvania
Maria Smolenjak, 18, to friend Zuska Kapral, Bound Brook, New Jersey
(mills)
Georg Yasencak, 17, to brother-in-law Josef Werfin, Larksville, PA (note:
was in hospital)

S.S. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, left Bremen December 13, 1902, arrived
New York December 22, 1902:

Petro Smoleniak, 32, to acquaintance (illegible), Pennsylvania (note: had
been in the U.S. before, in 1897, Eleonora [sp?], Pennsylvania)
Michal Petrulak, 18, to uncle (illegible) Petrulyak, (illegible),
Pennsylvania
Peter Brejczak, 27, to brother(?) Miklos Brejcsak, Bridgeport,
Connecticut
Jakob Jascendziak, 34, to cousin Mihaly(?) Vanecsko, Barton, Ohio
Andreas Wanecko, 25, to (?) Nikolaj Vanecko, Barton, Ohio
Ilies Kapral, 21, to friend Gyorgy Repszak, Dunbar, Pennsylvania

S.S. Grosser Kurfürst, left Bremen June 4, 1905, arrived New York June
14, 1905:

Mihaly Szmolyenak, 40, to Mihal Barcak, Kingston, Pennsylvania (note: had
been to the U.S. before, in 1900, Kingston, Pennsylvania)
Matyas(?) Lazarik, 17, to mother Zsofia Lazarik, Brooklyn, New York
Janos Szmolenyak, 37, to John Glevanyak, Kingston, Pennsylvania (note:
had been here twice before, 1899 and 1902, Kingston, PA)
Janos Harabics, 17, to sister Anna Harabics, (illegible), West Virginia
Janos Glevanyak, 44, to acquaintance (illegible) Glevanyak, Kingston,
Pennsylvania

S.S. Grosser Kurfürst, left Bremen May 25, 1907, arrived New York June
8, 1907:

Anna Kosturak, 18, to acquaintance Mary Smolenyak, Bound Brook, New
Jersey
Zsofia Szmolenyik, 18, to sister Mary Smolenyak, Bound Brook, New Jersey

S.S. Belgravia, left Hamburg October 6, 1903, arrived New York November
2, 1903:

Stefan Smoleniak, 26, to acquaintance Ilko Kapral, Fayette City,
Pennsylvania
Johann Pawlik, 24, to acquaintance Ilko Wach, Wind Gap, Pennsylvania
Stanislaw Wach, 25, to brother Ilko Wach, Wind Gap, Pennsylvania
Vojciech Bassar, 21, to (illegible)

Return to Osturna Newsletter.

International Family Reunion — The Unforgettable Osturna Odyssey

How does one begin to describe the long-awaited Osturna Odyssey, a
gathering that reunited 36 Americans with their cousins in Osturna? It's
not easy. In fact, doing so will probably take portions of several issues.

It all began in a rather chaotic fashion as we assembled on June 23rd at
Newark Airport in New Jersey. Although many of us were related in some
way, the majority were meeting each other for the first time. We managed
to make our collective way to Bratislava, Slovakia, where we were greeted
for the first of many times by our relatives. Dušan Smolenák and his
family came to meet their cousins at the airport.

We spent several days exploring Bratislava and its surroundings, including
Devín Castle, where a construction crew was building the scenery for a
movie which would be filmed there shortly. In Bratislava, we were also
fortunate to meet up with Vladimir Balejka of California, who has done so
much of the translating of letters between Osturna family members. After
that, there was a sojourn to the relaxing spa town of Piešťany, where many
in the group treated themselves to mud baths and massages. And then it was
on to our true destination, with time for a quick break in Martin, the home
of several ethnological museums.

On the evening of June 28th, we pulled into our hotel in Spišská Stará Ves,
approximately 15 kilometers from Osturna. Here we were once again warmly
greeted by relatives. On hand were the mayor, Jozef Smolenák; Ján Smolenák,
who had come from Detva; and Andrej Homza. A few of us were fortunate
enough to venture into Osturna that night, but most took advantage of a
quiet evening to store up energy for the next day's reunion.

And what a reunion it was! It would be fair to say that none of us truly
appreciated the magnitude of the events we had put in motion. It seemed
that everyone was on hand at the town hall that afternoon. A group of
perhaps 35 local youngsters and musicians entertained us for more than an
hour, performing a number of folk dances. The town hall was full to
capacity and overflowing. Afterward the party spilled out onto the lawn,
and continued as both locals and visiting Americans danced, sang, and
tried to figure out family connections. Some stayed at the town hall,
while others went off on visits to the homes of their first and second
cousins. Inevitably, these home visits included a few toasts, huge
quantities of food, and tears when it was time to leave. In the evening,
everyone reassembled in the town hall for more mingling and dancing. This
zábava went on until the wee hours.

The following morning, locals and visitors alike attended Mass at St.
Michael's Church in Osturna. There was a special ceremony to welcome the
American cousins, who were all called out by name. After Mass, the priest
was kind enough to let us view the Osturna church records for a while, a
much-appreciated privilege. Due to wet weather, a planned raft ride had to
be cancelled, so some took this opportunity to stroll through the cemetery
or walk through the village. Still others visited the homes of more
relatives. Again, in the evening, there were plenty of tears and wistful
looks when it was time to go our separate ways.

Even though Osturna is a small village, everyone agreed that there simply
was not enough time to do everything they wanted to do there. A measure of
how wonderful the reunion was is the fact that many of the Osturna Odyssey
travelers are already planning to return for a second visit.

Osturna presently has some 250 homes, about half of which belong to
weekenders who have created wonderful escape cottages. A 40-bed hotel is
scheduled to open this summer, and here and there one sees satellite
dishes, so it has not avoided modern trappings. Still, actually walking the
street that meanders through Osturna, it doesn't require much imagination
to picture what our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents must
have seen before they left, for much has thankfully remained the same. In
this respect, we are uniquely blessed.

Who Came on the Odyssey

A total of 36 Osturna descendants made the trip from the United States to
the village of their ancestors. The group included children, grandchildren,
great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren of Osturna immigrants.
The youngest, at age 10, was Leigh Mary Bannworth of Westfield, New Jersey,
while the oldest was 88-year-old Mike Rusnak of Port Charlotte, Florida.

Parents from Osturna: John Smolenak; Andrew Smolenyak; Mike Rusnak; Jake
Drugatz; Andrew Van Echo; Helen Vanecko Goebel; Margaret Zavacky Gumerlock;
Anne Mudrak O'Malley; Dorothy Mudrak Zonker; Eli Homza and his wife Marie
Anna Homza Ferree.

Grandparents from Osturna: Mike Smolenak and his wife Brenda; Barbara
Spishock Kachensky and her husband Frank; Smolenyak Martha Deborah
Smolenak Dixon; Steven Smolenak, Sr.; Ruth Ann Smolenak Rolle; Shirley
Emma Smolenak Board; Paula Ann Smolenak Buss; Dolores Rusnak Knecht;
Kathleen M. Drugatz Hornung; Peg Drugatz Van Fleet; Mary Gumerlock
Bannworth and her husband Mark (Zavacky); Margot Gumerlock (Zavacky); Cathy
Zavacky Barrek; Mary Jane Kovalcik; John Koval.

Great-Grandparents from Osturna: Megan Smolenyak; Steven Smolenak, Jr.;
Kristine Lightcap (Zavacky); Lauren Bannworth (Zavacky); Leigh Mary
Bannworth (Zavacky).

Great-Great-Grandparents from Osturna: Lindsay Neuberger (Smolenyak).

On hand to greet the group were relatives not only from Osturna but from
around the Slovak and Czech Republics. Some of them had not been to
Osturna in 20–50 years, and a few had never been there at all. Within the
Smolenák clan alone, numerous family members came from a variety of cities
and towns, including Poprad, Žilina, Ľendak, Prague, Veľká Lomnica,
Košice, and Detva. Another pleasant surprise was the appearance of
Virginia Polinsky from St. Clairsville, Ohio (near Barton), along with her
husband, Richard, and their daughter Martha. They had just come from
seeking Richard's family across the border in Poland, and arrived in time
for the celebration in Osturna.

Colophon

Three pieces from the Osturna Newsletter (Carpatho-Rusyn Knowledge Base),
led by genealogist Megan Smolenyak, whose own family descends from
Osturna, Slovakia. Captured 2026-08-05 from
http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/villages/osturna.html,
http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/villages/amer.html, and
http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/villages/trip.html. No restrictive
copyright notice accompanied any of the three pieces; the oral-history
piece explicitly thanks researcher Sue (Kovalcik) Balog for "her gracious
permission to use the portion that follows," and all three read as
community-newsletter material shared for open community use, last modified
per the source page in 1998. Diacritics on Slovak personal and place names
(Ľendak, Piešťany, Košice, Dušan Smolenák, etc.) restored where the source's
plain-ASCII rendering was unambiguous; ship names and manifest entries are
reproduced as given, including the source's own "(illegible)" and "(sp?)"
markers where the original records could not be fully read.

Prepared for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, with
AI-assisted research and preservation.

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