Pensylvania sisters (orphans)

[RCB]

Cheers, I found the entry but no dates given, and no details on the find a grave site so probably no headstone.  There's a M Marie Shustic? at the same cemetery but again no dates or details.  Do you see something I can't?  There's a list of mining accidents and fatalities on line but the spelling of the surname makes this so difficult to find the right one.

[jorose]

I don't have pay access so don't know what's on the full record, just thought it would be worth checking out. It is on the "Pennsylvania Deaths and Burials" database. On the free access by search-spamming* I could see his dates were something like b. 1864 d. 1906 so thought he might be a good bet.

*search-spamming: when Ancestry or similar sites don't return full details, select "exact" or "range", put in a year and see if you still get that result back.  Doing this you can narrow down quite a few details before you decide if it's worth paying for.

Part of the problem is that there were so many mining accidents.
I presume you mean these lists?
http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r45_MineAccidentRegisters/r45-14AccidentRegistersInterface.htm
You could look through all the Sch-/Sh-/(Sz-?) names of the right time for a John/Jan/(?) who died and was married with 2 or more children.  It also could be that he was injured and later died, so not listed as a fatality in those lists but the family remembered his death as connected to the accident?

As for "Stella", I think you should look at:
 Paul Mcchancy and Stella "Shustick"
1940:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQCR-LJY
1930:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHCW-HCZ
"Stella" is born PA but parents b. Austria

I can also see what I guess is Paul's family in 1900:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3M8-P3W

I'm having trouble finding Stella earlier or Paul in 1910/1920 but I did find this which gives Stella, mother of a McChancy as "Stephanie Shustick" and says she had a sister Josephine who married a Faber!
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/FABER/2002-07/1026537722

Maybe if you can trace Stella in 1920 (already married?) and before it will give some hint about the rest of the family.  Her marriage to Paul probably took place in Allegheny Co (where both their families seem to have lived) or Washington Co (where they settled later).  His parents are buried in Oakdale, so I would check there first:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=70933348

I think you would have to contact Allegheny county for a marriage there, I can't see anything online.

[shellyesq]

The 1906 death certificate for John Shustic says he was married, about 42 years old with exact date of birth unknown, place of birth "Slavish", son of John & Annie Shustic both born Austria.  His occupation was laborer, usual residence was Duquesne, and he died of typhoid fever in McKeesport Hospital.  Place of burial looks like St. John Duquesne.

The information on Find A Grave is placed there by volunteers.  If there is no picture of a headstone, it may just be that one was never requested or no volunteer was available yet to take one.

[RCB]

I really didn't expect any more info from you.  Yes I'm pretty sure most of that ties in, Slovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  Could the find a grave lack of info be down to the name coming from a register?  No stone, but usually a burial register gives a plot number and some member of family.  I keep saying thank you, but thanks again. Fred

[shellyesq]

It looks like 2 different contributors added John and M. Mary Shustick to Find a Grave and both have added over 100,000 memorials, so I suspect they are not really close relations.  You could try to contact them through the site and see if they have any further information. 

There is a family tree that says Marie (whose maiden surname was listed as Dneuscka) married a man named Heidseck or Hadsick and had children Albert & Rose with him.

[RCB]

I've started an Ancestry tree adding this info in the hope somebody will have more information.

[jorose]

the findagrave entries at Saint Patrick's Cemetery Oakdale contain these notes, which suggest to me the information is not from a burial register but from someone walking the cemetery and taking notes.
for M. Mary Shustick
Note: No dates / Homemade cement cross
for John Shustick
Note: No dates / Homemade cross

Email address for someone who might be able to supply photos (but no more details, I would think) at this link:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njm1/04StPatricks-Nblstwn.html

I'm not sure these burials and the 1906 death are linked, however.

Perhaps if you can get in touch with Stella's descendants, they will know more? I think you may be reaching the point at which boots on the ground will be necessary.

I also highly encourage you (or the family) to consider trying to get records from diocese regardng their stay at the orphanage, as mentioned earlier:
http://diopitt.org/office-archives-and-record-center/information-genealogists

Information in these records consists of the child's name, date of admission, and date of departure.  Other information that may be included are father's and mother's first and last names; correspondence; grades; medical records; whether Baptism, First Communion, or Confirmation were administered and when and where; and reason for placement.

[JC214]

Fred, have you learned any more anecdotally about Josephine and Anna since this original thread? I recently discovered Josephine was my great-grandmother so I’ve been researching her extensively the last couple of years, but would love to know even more about her extended family. (I do have her father’s death certificate and the news articles re: his mine accident - happy to share.) Thank you!

[polacmel]

Hi - I know this is an old thread, so not sure if this is resolved or not, but I am Anna and Josephine's great niece. Stella was my grandmother. I can fill in a lot of blanks here, but also have questions. Let me know.