1940

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project; Susan Salser

Springfield, Illinois, United States

A diary written by Mary Gasperik from 1923-1940.

Translation of Mary Gasperik's Journal Entry
Monday, January 1st
Memory and Family Introduction
I, Istvanne Gasperik whose maiden name is Mariska Mihalovitz, the child of late Istvan Mihalovitz and Vidoszaba Jasso, who is writing this book(let).

Monday January 22nd
I came to America on January 6, 1905, and arrived to Chicago to my sister, Annuska, I traveled together with my sister, Erzsike who became very sick. 2 years after my arrival I got married, thank God, with good luck. It happened 17 years ago, and God always helped me, and I hope God will help me in the future as well. Amen.

I came here on a ship called Pretoria. The life is so extremely boring that this boredom is sometimes killing me. The ship with which we began our journey was a huge one; and we traveled together with 25 nations to America. Erzsike was very sick on the ship; I was sick only one day long. We spent a week on Ellis Island then they let us go farther. When we arrived here, nobody was waiting for us at the station. A little open car(t) brought us to my sister. She became sick too; the day before, in the evening she gave birth to her first son, their child, Jozsi.

Tuesday, January 23rd
On the third day I started working in a domestic job at a Russian-Jewish family. I got $2.50 for a week. I worked for them for 3 or 4 months long, and from them I went to a Hungarian-Jewish family, to Mrs. Riejchel, I got $4 for a week. I worked there one and a half year long, and I met Pista there. In that year, November 18, 1906 we stayed at Pista's parents' for a few weeks. Pista bought the dairy store from his father, and we moved to the 6125 Ada Street. We lived there 2 years long, and from there we moved to the 5703 Halstead Street, to our house where we lived 5 years long. From there we went to Cottage Grove, to the house of Jozsi Gasperik. We bought the store from them, and we lived there 3 years long. From there we moved, and we bought the store of W. Livyr, at 9307 Cottage Grove Avenue.

That's how we moved from places to places. (She used a verb which emphasizes how unpleasant it was to move over and over again.

Wednesday, January 24
Wedding in Chicago, Ill.
We got married in 1906.
On November 18th we moved to Pista's home. From there we moved to the 6125 Ada Street where we lived 2 years long. From there we moved to Cottage Grove Avenue, where we have been living for 8 years.

My sister, Erzsike got married to Geza Gasperik in the spring of 1906. Two children were born, and both of them died.

Notes: “Istvanne” means wife of Istvan.  Istvan is the Hungarian form of Stephen.  The diminutive of Istvan is “Pista”.  Mary is referring to her husband Stephen Gasperik when she writes “Pista”.  “Erzsika” is Hungarian for “Elizabeth”.  “Jozsi Gasperik” is Stephen Gasperik’s father, Joseph Gasperik.  “Annuska” is Anna Kiss, the eldest Mihalovits daughter, who was the first in the family to immigrate to America, perhaps around 1900.   She named her first son Joseph.