Joseph A. Lison and Frances Horvath Family

Entry #68 for the year 1885 from the baptismal register of St. James’ Cathedral in Levoča:

Born May 15 and baptized May 19, 1885, Joseph, legitimate son of Jozef Lisoň, room painter from Levoča, a Roman Catholic and Katarína Sekeráková from Bajerovce in Šariš, a Greek Catholic.

Residence: Levoča, house #65.  Godparents: Vojtech Kovač, servant in Košice, originally from Taus in Bohemia, a Roman Catholic and Suzana Lisoňová from Levoča, a Roman Catholic.  Officiant: František Rolny.

 

Such is the first glimse we have of the man known in Millvale, Pennsylvania as Joseph A. Lison.  It is rumored that he and his younger brother, Franitšek, attended a technical training school and earned their machinists papers.  Documentation of this fact, however, has not been found.  After his father, Jozef, died of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1900, the Lisoň siblings began to immigrate to the United States.  Following his sister, Julia’s journey in 1903, Jozef departed the German port of Bremen on May 9, 1905 aboard the S.S. Cassel and landed in Baltimore on May 25th.  He was the only sibling to land in Baltimore, the others entering the country through Ellis Island in New York.  On the passenger arrival list, he provided the following details:

Age: 18, single male, a “joiner” by profession.  He could read and write and was an ethnic Slovak citizen of Hungary.  He was born in Lőcse and was headed for Everson, Pennsylvania.  He had a ticket to his final destination, had $8.00 in his pocket and had never been in the United States before.  The original entry reads that he was going to join his uncle, Bela Glevicky in Everson but a later hand crossed out “uncle” and overwrote the word “friend”.  He indicated that he was never in prison or an almshouse or supported by charity and that he was neither a polygamist nor an anarchist.  He was in good mental and physical condition and that he was not deformed or crippled.

             The next source of information comes from Jozef’s naturalization papers.  He filed a Declaration of Intent to become a citizen on April 13, 1917 in which he stated that he was a 32 year old carpenter, fair complexion, weight 150 pounds, brown hair and eyes and 5 feet 9 inches tall with a mole on his chin.  He correctly gave his date of birth but noted the year as 1884 instead of 1885.  The new piece of information was that he married a woman named Frances who was born in Austria Hungary and was currently living with him at 4311 Willow Street in Pittsburgh.  On March 22, 1923 Jozef filed a Petition for Naturalization at the Federal Court in Pittsburgh.  It contained the additional information that he now lived at 129 Lippert Street in Millvale, Pennsylvania.  His wife Frances was born on March 14th but the year is not given; instead the number 32 is written, presumably to indicate her age.  Her place of birth is given as Füstegy, Hungary. 

 

At this point we can turn to a passenger arrival list of the S.S. Vaderland which departed Antwerp on March 24, 1906 and arrived in New York on April 3rd.  Aboard was 17 year old Franziska Horvath, a single female servant.  She was an ethnic German born in Raurigel, Hungary.  She had $5.90 in her pocket and was headed to meet her brother, Mike who lived at 4010 Alwan Alley in Pittsburgh.  The Hungarian town of Füsthey was also known as Reurigel, so it almost assuredly this Franziska is the future Mrs. Joseph Lison.  Incidentally, Frances’ birthplace is now known as Rauhriegel and is located in Austria 20 km west of the Hungarian border and about 140 km south of Vienna.  Baptismal, marriage and burial records from 1828 to 1895 for the parish in Neumarkt im Tauchental, formerly known as Kéthely, Hungary, which should include Frances’ baptism are available on film #700661 from a local Family History Center located at most LDS (Mormon) churches.

 

The date and place of Jozef and Frances’s marriage has not been researched but is surely known to one of their surviving grandchildren.  If not, it should be among the marriage application records in the Orphans Court at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh.

 

Turning back to Jozef’s Petition for Naturalization, he gives the names and dates of birth of his five children:

 

Joseph, born April 29, 1910 at 110 40th Street

Julius, born September 13, 1912 at 123 Snowden Alley

Stephen, born August 20, 1915 at 4311 Willow Street

Francis, born September 1, 1917 at 4311 Willow Street

Mary, born February 4, 1920 at 4311 Willow Street

 

As with his incorrectly stated year of birth for Jozef, the mistake of listing his fourth child as Francis instead of Frances points out that many errors are contained in public and private records and care must be used when seeking what is “true”. 

 

On June 21, 1923 Certificate of Naturalization # 1957396 was issued making Jozef Lisoň into Joseph A. Lison, United States citizen.

 

Even though Joseph’s sister, Julia, lived in nearby New Kensington and his brother Frank and sister Kate lived in Johnstown, it does not appear that there was a great deal of interaction between the siblings.  It is not know if visits were made to see his mother, Kate, who together with his sister Kate, arrived in New York in 1913 and  lived with Frank and his family in Johnstown until she died in 1917.  With the passing of generations, cousins more distantly related to each other lost touch until, currently, many Lison descendants know little or nothing of the many relatives they have throughout Pennsylvania and the rest of the United States.

 

A telephone inquiry to Julius Lison sometime in the 1990’s revealed that of the five children of Joseph and Francis, the whereabouts of Joseph were unknown.  Becoming estranged from the family, it is reported that he headed west.  Knowing his exact date of birth, a consultation of the Social Security Death Index did not reveal the death of a Joseph Lison born in 1910, but a Joseph Lison with the same birthdate of April 29, but in 1914 is reported to have died in Pittsburgh in February, 1969.  The remaining four siblings are deceased, the last being Mary, married to Anthony Kawecki, who died July 1, 2008.  This information was supplied by Julius’ daughter, Judith.

 

It is hoped that one or more of Joseph and Frances’s grandchildren or great grandchildren would like to come forward and present photos and information so that a separate page for Joseph, Julius, Stephen, Frances and Mary can appear on this website and that the whole family can share the Lisoň family heritage.

Bill Kawecki, a grandson of  Joseph and Frances, came upon this copy of their wedding photo.  He was gracious enough  to share a scan of it with us.  Other grandchildren of Joseph and Frances have verified the identity of the couple and now we have a complete set of photographs of the Lisoň immigrant generation.

In the beginning...

Excerpt from the baptismal register of the Roman Catholic church in Levoča, the Chrám sv. Jakuba (Cathedral of St. James)