Stuck on two Austrian-Hungarian / Slovakian Immigrants, born 1880s

[J.J.]

Looking at Google maps, Coaldale / Lansford / Summit Hill are a half hour walk from each other.
Found a Catholic church St Mary of Assumption Church - 41 E Ruddle St, Coaldale, PA
( Anna was living Ruddle St. on one of the censuses...) No, sorry, at her death.

Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish in Coaldale can trace its roots to 1826, when Father William Fitzpatrick was the first priest to minister to Catholics in the Panther Valley. He journeyed from far distant Sunbury to Summit Hill. In the early days, the people of Coaldale walked to Summit Hill to attend Mass. On August 6, 1892, the parish of Saint Joseph in Summit Hill donated $1,000 to the people of Coaldale for the construction of the church. Mass was offered for the first time in Coaldale on August 14, 1892, in the Phillips Street School Building. Father Francis Brady officiated at the first service held. On May 21, 1893, the cornerstone of the new church was laid. On November 1, 1893, Father Daniel Murphy arrived as the first pastor.

[J.J.]

  You can also try (Greek/Ruthenian) St John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church, Lansford, PA
Saint John the Baptist Church was founded in 1892 by Slavic immigrants who emigrated from the Carpathian Mountain region of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire!!! ...altho don't see any relatives on Find-a-Grave.
Shown on map  http://www.rootschat.com/links/01tdp/
http://www.stjohnsbyzantinecatholicchurch.org/cemetery-information.html
adding:
Was there ever a St. Michael's church that the Summit Hill cemetery was named after?... The only one I could find was the Ukranian Catholic church in Shenandoah, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania.

adding, to answer my own question ( I think?)... it had an extended name... Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, Lansford was established in June 1891 to serve the area Slovak Catholics. On September 21, 1890, the Slovaks of the Lansford area first organized a fraternal society under the protection of the Sacred Heart...  Several churches united to form Saint Katharine Drexel Parish.
https://stjscatholicchurch.org/saint-katharine/
Perhaps someone at the site can help you chase down some information.

[J.J.]

Saint Michael the Archangel Parish...I'd been searching away for "St Michael's"
Not sure if the film is available for viewing at local LDS sites
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01tdq/
adding: Or pay to read here: http://www.rootschat.com/links/01tdr/
   Might make for an interesting library read online
   https://www.jstor.org/stable/44211201

[jamesm113]

Thanks for all the research and links!

I believe these PDFs provide (at least a partial) copy of "Roman Catholic Church. St. Michael the Archangel Slovak Parish" book:

• https://www.tccweb.org/Site/pdffiles/MARRIAGE19031933.pdf
• https://www.tccweb.org/Site/pdffiles/commonbapnames.pdf
• https://www.tccweb.org/Site/pdffiles/deaths19121956.pdf
• https://www.tccweb.org/Site/pdffiles/additonalslovaknames.pdf

(PDFs linked from https://www.tccweb.org/pennsylvania.htm)

Michael and Anna are listed, including her hometown as Krivostany, Zemplen, which is a breakthrough!  Helena Rohal listed as well, with the same hometown.  George Rohal listed as Krivoscany, Zemplen - possibly a misspelling?

I've also reached out to gentlemen who helped take a picture of Michael and Anna's grave to see if he can provide any birth/marriage/records - he was listed as an archivist at St. Joseph parish.  Hoping that can shed more light on things.

[J.J.]

Well done finding such a great resource & a helpful person on site!

Jan Rohal   Anna Pavlocak
Pavlocak Paulachock  Palovchak  Pavlovcak b. Zemplen age 47 d. 1942

Ah, so Jan is John I found in 1910???...But where is he in the other censuses as here he is as an older fellow - Military Draft Registration 1942 
John Rohal - Birth  24 August 1885 address 26 "W. Ruddle" Coaldale ( Your Anna Rohal B. was living on Ruddle but again, could be cousins)

 John Rohal 1885- 1961 (from 1910 census) Anna Telepchak
 Saint John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery
 Summit Hill, Carbon County, Pennsylvania,
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153608331/john_rohall

 Appears to be John- No parents given...says b. Aug. 21 1885
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K9V-5F6K
 Anna's father: Frank
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K9R-FGGB?treeref=GY9B-HNJ
 son Peter, born Austria? Did they venture back home for a visit while she was pregnant?
 Go back home after they married?
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KMT-C2G3

adding...Family tree for John...Is this your tree? I see you found them 1930 & 40.
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/GY9Y-6SQ

If you have ancestry a great resource!
https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/60575/

adding Found them - I think - on 1920 but weird transcription of family.
 Actual image is better...Perhaps son is John peter, so used Peter later for less confusion?
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFBH-GR4

[jamesm113]

Yes, I created that John Rohall on FamilySearch in an effort to map out all the Rohal/Rohall/Rohallys in the area..  I went ahead and starting attaching the sources you found when/where they made sense.

Do you think Anna Pavlocak is the same person as Anna Telepchak?

The draft registration age + year doesn't quite line up.  47 in 1942 would make birth year 1895.

On the flip side, his son, Michael, has a draft card that points to that same address and lists his father John: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSWP-T97K-1?i=989

[J.J.]

Oh, boy...am I getting mixed up with the Rohal searches or what? Sorry... No, couldn't be the same John. I was just losing the plot?
This is the John b. 1885, Paste didn't work I guess... ( married to Annie Telepchak?)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQN4-99W

John Frendak/Frndák married Mary Palovcak / Pavolochak etc. etc. But now I am confused again...
ahh, census says they came over 1913...so this is the other John.
so https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RJ9-4BZ

If you want more Rohall...Here's one I couldn't wrap my noggin around
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01te9/

[J.J.]

Apologize for the confusion...Just advising you, though, that it is better to make notes in notepad rather than attaching directly to a tree on Family-search until you know it to be correct.  It can be a lot harder to detach than attach.

[jamesm113]

Yeah, you are right, that draft registration belongs to John Rohall, born 1885, who married Anna Telepchak.

I believe that Mrs Anna Rohal obituary belongs to Anna Durilla, wife of a Michael Rohall (1870): https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GY62-JHP

I came across her and Michael Rohall last night.

To make things more confusing, her daughter, Anna Rohal (born 1903), married a Wash Telepchak.

I'm only making edits in family search if I am certain beyond a reasonable doubt.  That's why that John Rohai 1920 census hasn't been attached - I'm not entirely convinced it's a match to John Rohal, 1885.