W. Feit - Pennsylvania

[redclover]

Hi, I have just found Mathias Pfeil on the 1920 census for Ford City, Armstrong County PA, I see that Johanna now calls herself Jennie. The only thing that worries me about this particular family is that the immigrants consistently give their place of birth as Germany. The position of Bircza, Piotr's birthplace, close to the border of Austria and Russia in partitioned Poland, meant that family members invariably put Austria or Russia as place of birth.

I have also found a World War 1 Draft Registration record for a younger Matthias Pfeil (born 1899). The interesting thing is that he registered at Kittaning PA. I am convinced that Pfeil is the name to look for, the only problem when you put the name in search engines for Pennsylvania, you get hundreds of hits.
I wonder why Piotr Szalajko put Kittaning as his final destination in America and then put going to join his brother in law, Yatesboro PA. Maybe W. Feit (Pheil) fixed him up with a job there.

Richard.

[redclover]

After employing lateral thinking to come up with alternatives for the original search name W. Feed (W.Feit),  looking at names such as Pheil and Freal, I have come back full circle.

By chance I looked at the home site for the Polish village of Bircza, where Piotr Szalajko was born.

http://bircza.reproots.org/

The 1921 business directory and the 1941 name list gives the name A. Feit. Looks like a long standing family and seems to point to FEIT being the correct surname.

I also came across a World War 2 Draft Registration Card for William Feit, born in Bircza, Poland and living at Elizabeth, Cranford, New Jersey.

William was born in 1890 so can't be the W. Feit in Piotr Szalajko's manifest listing, but perhaps W. Feit could be William's father. Unfortunately I cannot, up to now, find any listings for William Feit in the 1920 or 1930 census records which might show the name of his father.

Any ideas would be welcome.

Richard.

[shellyesq]

California Death Index has William Feit b. 24 Dec. 1891 (1 yr. off from Draft Registration Card) in another country, died 8 Jun. 1958 in Los Angeles, mother's maiden name Ringel.

[redclover]

Thanks Shelley,

I saw that one.

William Feit's mothers name was Ringel. Looking at the Jewish Community Election List of 1904 for Bircza Village (on the Bircza Online site) there are nine members of the Ringel family listed so it seems as if this is the Feit family connected with Piotr Szalajko.

Richard.