|
|
 |
| Vitus "William" Galinovsky, date unknown |
|
|
| Enlarge, click on picture |
The son of Konstanty and Annie (Adanowicz) Galinovsky.
Born 2 Jan 1886 in the eastern region of Poland that was annexed by Russia during the first and second partitioning of Poland
in 1772 and 1793; and died 28 Jan 1967 at his home in Crucible, Greene County Pennsylvania. William is buried in Saint
Mary's Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, Crucible Pennsylvania. Vitus or Witus, as it is spelled in Polish, does not translate
to William. Why he choose the name William is unknown. William was commonly known as Bill in Crucilbe and the
Greene County area.
William immigrated to the United States from
Russia-Poland, exact date is unknown. The 1920 census William was listed under the name "Winosky" and indicates that
he emigrated in 1904; while the 1930 census list William under the name "Golonosky" and indicates he emigrated in 1902.
As to the discrepancy, I believe they are due to the language barrier between the census taker and individuals
from Eastern Europe, which was a common problem. Both census' indicate that he was from Poland and his mother tongue
was Polish and his parents were Polish. There is evidence that sometime during the mid-1940's William may have
submitted naturalization papers to become a citizen of the United States, and apparently he did study for the exam.
However, it appears that he never took the exam to became a citizen.
It appears William first settled in Scranton,
Lackawanna County Pennsylvania, where he was a boarder in the home of Elizabeth Kavulic. William married Elizabeth between
1909-1910. Prior to October 1912 they moved to Barnesboro, Cambria County Pennsylvania. They moved to Jerome,
Somerset County Pennsylvania prior to December 1915. Then in 1918 they moved to Crucible, Greene County Pennsylvania.
In Crucilbe he was employed as a coal miner with the Crucible Fuel Company, a subsidiary of the Crucible Steel Company
of Pittsburgh. U.S. Steel Company eventully became the owners of the mine.
While working for the Crucible Fuel Company, William
was injured in a mining accident, date is unknown. He attempted to be compensated by the Crucible Fuel Company
for his injury, but failed to receive any compensation. As a result of his attempt for compensation William
was blacked balled from working in the mine. To provide for his family, he took a job with the Greene County's
Cumberland Township. There he worked as a laborer maintaining township roads. He continued to be employed by the
township until his death.
William and Elizabeth lived and raised their
family in house #430 which he rented from the coal company. The house consisted of three rooms; living room, bedroom
and kitchen. The kitchen had a coal stove, and the living room had a coal furnace. The house only had cold
running water and no indoor toilet. In 1947 the Crucible
Steel Company sold 207 company homes to an investor from Fredericktown, Washington County Pennsylvania. The
new owner eventually put the houses up for sell. If the current residents were able they had the option to buy the house
that they had been renting. In 1949 William and Elizabeth purchased the home that they had lived in, raised their
five children and had rented since 1918.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
