I think my great-grandmother was Ukrainian - Part 3

In Part 1 of this research project, I looked at the record that led my friend’s family to believe that her great-grandmother, Anna Warcaba, who married Wasyl Warcaba and lived in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, immigrated to the United States aboard the Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm on 31 March 1913.

In Part 2, I followed the trail of the Anna Warcaba who did immigrate to the United States aboard the Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm on 31 March 1913 to Boston, Mass. After determining that the Anna Warcaba who went to Boston was not the same one who went to Ohio, I located the marriage record for Wasyl Warcaba and Anna Kocinch and a census record that said they both arrived in the United States in 1913. So when exactly did Anna Kocinch arrive in the United States, and from where?

I found a female servant named Anna Kocuik, age 18, unable to read or write, and born in Wytoky, Austria, on the ship manifest for the S.S. Vaderland, arriving from Antwerp, Belgium on 1 November 1913. Her last residence was in Wykoty. Her mother’s name was listed as Anna Kocink, residing in Wykoty. Anna’s final destination was Lackwood (sic), Ohio. Her passage was paid for by brother, and she was carrying $20 when she arrived. She intended to stay with her brother in Lakewood, Ohio.

Source: "New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com, Anna Kocich, S.S. Vaderland, Antwerp to New York, arriving 13 Nov 1913.

A Declaration of Intention for Wasyl Warcaba, the husband of Anna in Lakewood, was filed on 20 Dec 1920. In it, Wasyl stated that he arrived in New York, New York, on or about 18 July 1913, aboard the Wilhelm Friedrich from Bremen, Germany. He stated that he was born in Poland on 15 Dec 1890. His Petition for Naturalization states that he was a mason born on 15 Dec 1890 in Klodic, Poland. This petition also refers to his wife, Anna, born 24 May 1897 in Poland. All four of their children were included, listed as being born and residing in Cleveland, Ohio. These names and ages reflect the information found in census records. I had to refer to Wasyl’s naturalization records instead of looking for Anna’s because from 1855-1922, a woman automatically gained citizenship from her husband when he was naturalized.

By correlating all of these records, I was able to determine that Anna Warcaba (nee Kocinch), was born between 1895-1897 in Wykoty, Austria, which is now Vykoty, Ukraine. She arrived in New York aboard the S.S. Vaderland, from Antwerp, Belgium, on 13 Nov 1913. She married Wasyl Warcaba on 16 May 1916, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

It turned out that my friend’s great-grandmother was Ukrainian. Thank you to Kim Nemeth for letting me share her ancestor’s story!

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