A Grandfather's Story
My research into the beginning of my father's family led me back to Fayette County, Pennsylvania, 1917.
Lisa's Father, Edward Trimbath
On May 17th of 1917, Grandfather Charles Trimbath and Grandmother Mary Margaret Buksar were wed at Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church in Republic, Pennsylvania. During the next 11 years 5 children were born to them, three boys, two girls; George, Joseph, Anna, Paul and Margo. My father Paul was their youngest son.
Charlie's father, Frank, and his mother, Anna, immigrated to the United States when Charlie was a young boy. His father worked in the mines; one day he was gambling in a bar and was killed during a fight. His widow Anna decided to leave America and return to the "old country" and her family.
In Europe rumors of war were spreading and Anna feared that young Charlie would be conscripted into military service. She made arrangements for Charlie to stay by himself at a boarding house they had once lived in, then she returned to Europe alone.
With no family or friends Charlie barely out of childhood went to work in the mines and began to make a new life for himself.
Frank and Anna had settled in a coal patch. What is a coal "patch"? Patches were small towns built by coal companies near the coal mines. The houses were close to the mines so the men could walk to work.
Mary Margaret Buksar must have seemed to be a ray of sunshine in his life. Her family had moved into the Republic area sometime between 1905 and 1910, coming from another coal mining patch, near Connellsville. The couple first met when her older brothers brought Charlie home from the mines to meet their sister. They fell in love and were married.
The family had always been told that Charlie Trimbath was not Grandpa's real name; he said when he went to work in the mines that's what they called him. I always took this story with a grain of salt until last year. That's when I received an email from a man named Robert Trimbath; his family is from Fayette County. This is what he told me “my father, who has past now, told me of Charles. He said that he thought he was Polish but couldn't remember. Anyway, the story I was told was that my great-grandfather worked at the mine with Charles and kind of took him in since he had no family here. He had a name, which I do not know, but dad said it was very hard to pronounce, the paymaster at the mine just started calling him Trimbath and it stuck. I guess this seemed logical since they were always together”.
This is the first time I've had someone outside of the family collaborate a family story so I have given this much more weight in my research. Not that it helps much if I don't know Grandpa's real name. I did find his marriage license. April 25, 1917, name Charles Trembath, born Austria, age 21, father Frank Trembath, deceased, mother Annie Trembath (maiden name Medleck) living in Austria.
Another fact about Grandpa is that he was never naturalized and never voted.
On his WWI Draft Registration of June 5th, 1917, he stated his name Charley Trembath, age 21, living on Gil Road, Republic, Fayette, PA. He was listed as an Alien, and stated he was born December 30, 1895 in Zara, Sigar, Austria and was a citizen of Austria Hungary.
My trip to Fayette County was a wonderful journey back into the lives of these families. I was able to see the house where my father and all his siblings were born. I visited the church were my grandparents married, and their children were baptized. I saw the Catholic school my father and his siblings attended and visited the graves of my grandparents and great-grandparents.
If you are interested in more of my family's history, you may visit Baker Family Roots.
