HERZ:

Good morning. This is Roger Herz for the National Park Service. Today is August 19 th , 1997 [clears throat] and I'm in the studios at Ellis Island, speaking with Victoria Polewka Slusarczyk, who came in – from Poland when she was 18 years old.

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, I — I was 18.

HERZ:

I'm also joined by Chester Slusarczyk, her son. Victoria, could we start out by you giving us your birth date, the — the day you were born?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

W jakiem – jaki dzien i w jakiem roku mama si ę urodzi ł a .

SLUSARCZYK:

Kiedy sie urodzi ł am ? .

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

I forgot something, I don't know.

HERZ:

Your birthday.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

April 16 th , [unclear]. April 16 th , 1894.

SLUSARCZYK:

No, I got — I [unclear] have nineteen years.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Your birthday, kiedy urodziny mamy ?.

SLUSARCZYK:

Jak?.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Jakie urodziny ? Jakie dzie ń ? W Kwietniu nie, Kwietniu, szesnastego Kwietnia nie ?

SLUSARCZYK:

. Szesnastego Kwietnia or something.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, 1894 nie ?. Prawda czy nie ?

SLUSARCZYK:

In April, 19 —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

1894. And —

SLUSARCZYK:

(not understood)

C. SLUSARCZYK:

103, Ma.

SLUSARCZYK:

103?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

And what was the town that you were born in?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

W jakiem mie ś cie mama ? W jakiem mie ś cie mama urodzona by ł a ?

SLUSARCZYK:

In Poland, in farm.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

Do —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

W jakiem miasto? Co to jest, miasto?.

SLUSARCZYK:

Poland, (not clear).

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Powiat —

SLUSARCZYK:

Powiat, Ja sł o.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, Cieklin is a suburb. Ja sł o is the town, the big town. Ja sł o.

HERZ:

And you said you lived on a farm?

SLUSARCZYK:

In a farm.

HERZ:

Do you —

SLUSARCZYK:

In a — I got — 19 or 20 years, I come here. And I go to working.

HERZ:

Do you remember a little bit about your mother?

SLUSARCZYK:

Huh?

HERZ:

Your mother?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Mama jak – .

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, she's die already.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

What was your mother's name?

SLUSARCZYK:

Mother, Katherine.

HERZ:

Katherine.

SLUSARCZYK:

Katherine Polewka.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

Can you tell us —

SLUSARCZYK:

Yes, mother.

HERZ:

Can you tell us a little bit about your mother?

SLUSARCZYK:

What?

HERZ:

Do you remember your mother?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Czy mo ż ecie powiedzic co ś o mamusi? Mamie mama?.

SLUSARCZYK:

Oh, she's — my father dies. She's with — with him and she got six kids and w —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

And work on the farm.

SLUSARCZYK:

And his — good — dobre wychowanie.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, so you're getting a good living, you know.

SLUSARCZYK:

And —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

And —

SLUSARCZYK:

After a while, I have 18 years, this, I come here.

HERZ:

Do you re — do you remember a little bit about your father?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Oh, oh, tata mama rozumie, pamienta co ś o — jak tata by ł ? Jaki mama tata?

SLUSARCZYK:

I don't think — my father died a long time —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

How old you was —

SLUSARCZYK:

That's my mother [unclear] —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

How old you was when — when your tata died?

SLUSARCZYK:

Huh?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Jaka stara mama by ł a jak ojciec umar . -.

SLUSARCZYK:

Ojciec umar?.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

Maybe 17. Jak father die.

HERZ:

And he was a farmer?

SLUSARCZYK:

[unclear] while I was —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

[unclear].

SLUSARCZYK:

— 19 or 20 and I come here.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Eighteen.

SLUSARCZYK:

And a care of myself and I marry and live and have kids. And that's all.

HERZ:

Do you remember —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

[unclear].

HERZ:

Excuse me.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Okay.

HERZ:

Do you remember a little bit about your farm where you were as a child?

SLUSARCZYK:

Jak?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Jak, mama pamienta o farmie tam gdzie mama mie ś ka ła na farmie, jak to było na tej farmie. Coś to miały tam, co —

SLUSARCZYK:

Because my father die. I am young.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

And is my mother, wi — with her.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

And she got six kids, or seven. And after a while, I get 18 years, I come here.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah. Co na farmie, co tam, mama pamienta farmie? Mama pamienta?

SLUSARCZYK:

On the farm —

SLUSARCZYK:

Before, in Poland, I work — work in a farm.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yes. Co tam by ł o? Jakie — ?

SLUSARCZYK:

Farm.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

Potatoes and everything. Farm, farm.

HERZ:

What — what things — what type of work did you do on the farm?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Co tam robi li na farmie, co wy robili na farmie? Jaką robotę?

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Co robili na farmie — (unclear)?

SLUSARCZYK:

Potatoes and plant potatoes — and cut the na ż niw ą —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Wheat. Powiec —

SLUSARCZYK:

Co ś tam ros ło to my żnily ręką .

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Oh, they cut it by hand, cut whatever they had to cut.

SLUSARCZYK:

Farm job.

HERZ:

Did you do —

SLUSARCZYK:

Helping my mother (unclear) and hard work. And [several words unclear] at 18 years, I come here.

HERZ:

Do you — do you re —

SLUSARCZYK:

Here myself and marry and have a kids. every kids. I got good kids.

HERZ:

Uh-hmm.

SLUSARCZYK:

[unclear]. That's all.

HERZ:

Do you remember a little bit about the town that you lived in? The people —

SLUSARCZYK:

Co?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

On —

HERZ:

— as a child?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Mama pamienta o mie ś cie gdzie mama mieszka ł a, czy to Cieklin — .

SLUSARCZYK:

No, in Poland.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Cieklin.

SLUSARCZYK:

Not — not tam. Just Poland. Farm.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Cieklin is a suburb.

SLUSARCZYK:

A farm worker.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah , Cieklin to by ł o, nie by ł o miasto, malutka miasto by ł o? Nie, to tylko farmy .

SLUSARCZYK:

No, no.

SLUSARCZYK:

In Poland, farms.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Just like a province. You know, like — there was no —

SLUSARCZYK:

And my mother [unclear] and after a while, I grow. Eighteen years, I come here.

HERZ:

Did you — did you go to school as a child?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Mama sz ł a do szko ł y tam?.

SLUSARCZYK:

My kids?

HERZ:

No, you.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Do szko ł y mama. Sz ł a do szko ły w Polce?

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, I — I — eighth — eighth grade.

HERZ:

The eighth grade.

SLUSARCZYK:

And after a while, I come here, the — the —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

Then I just stayed.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Y —

HERZ:

Do you —

SLUSARCZYK:

[unclear] in Poland.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

Did your whole — did your whole —

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

— family —

SLUSARCZYK:

When I got 18 — 18 or 19 —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

— from Poland, I come here.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

After a while, I marry.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

And I got twenty years.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Mama, jak si ę nazywa ł a szko ł a co mama posz ł a? Jak ą szko łę?

SLUSARCZYK:

Catholic School, St. John. (not understood)

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Szko ł a?

SLUSARCZYK:

Szko ł a.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Co by ł a, parafia jaka?

SLUSARCZYK:

Parish, parish.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

The Parish of the —

HERZ:

The Paris school?

SLUSARCZYK:

School. Yeah —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

A Catholic —

SLUSARCZYK:

[unclear] farmer. Farmer.

HERZ:

Uh-huh.

SLUSARCZYK:

[unclear].

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

And the church? Did you —

SLUSARCZYK:

Church, we had a nice church. [unclear].

HERZ:

Can you — do you remember?

SLUSARCZYK:

Everything a nice —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Jak si ę nazywa — jaka parafia?

SLUSARCZYK:

St. John Cantius.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

St. John Cantius.

SLUSARCZYK:

St. John Cantius —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Tu St. John Cantius — ale tam co by ł o?

SLUSARCZYK:

Huh?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Both, jako si ę nazywa ł a parafia?

SLUSARCZYK:

St. John, Cantius.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Tu tak samo jak mamy tu?

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Tutaj? My nale ż amy do —

SLUSARCZYK:

Swi ę tego Jana Cantego. Tam w Polce.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Tam w Polce?

SLUSARCZYK:

W Polce.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, St. John, Cantius.

SLUSARCZYK:

St. John, Cantius.

HERZ:

Do — do you remember what the church looked like?

SLUSARCZYK:

I have 18 years; I come here.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Ma, mama pamienta jak ko ś cio ł wygl ą da ł ? Czy to —

SLUSARCZYK:

Swi ę tego Jana Cantego.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Wielky ko ś cio ł , czy ma ł y?

SLUSARCZYK:

Nice — nice building, new church.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Wielky czy malutky, jaki by ł ?

SLUSARCZYK:

Not — not bigger and — and, well, farm —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Farm — it's a small church.

SLUSARCZYK:

Farm —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

But she —

SLUSARCZYK:

Catholic school, Catholic church and —

HERZ:

Do you remember your trip to America?

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Mama pamienta —

SLUSARCZYK:

Lusitania —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Ma —

SLUSARCZYK:

I got 18 years, I come here.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Mama, on si ę nie pyta ł to —

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Mama pamienta w Polce jak tu przyjecha ł a I na jakim okr ę cie? Ni pamienta, jak z Polce mama — przyjecha ł a na train-ie, I po tym no okr ę cie —

SLUSARCZYK:

A po tym na boat-cie

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah —

HERZ:

You took the boat here.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

Na boat, yeah.

HERZ:

And — and when you left your farm, went away from the farm, how did you go from the farm to the boat? Was it easy?

SLUSARCZYK:

From the Poland, I come, now, train.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

On the boat to — do New York.

HERZ:

Uh-hmm, and —

SLUSARCZYK:

And then New York, take a boat and come here.

HERZ:

Do you remember the boat?

SLUSARCZYK:

Boat.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

I come — I — I was in a — in Poland and go na — na boat, seven day or eight day —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

No, no.

SLUSARCZYK:

The boat and come here, and after a while, go to work — working and marry and have kids and live.

HERZ:

And the boat —

SLUSARCZYK:

Not so bad.

HERZ:

You were on the boat for seven days?

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah. Seven days, the boat.

HERZ:

W — was it easy?

SLUSARCZYK:

Huh?

HERZ:

Was it easy? Did you have play or did you eat on the boat?

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, that — I think. You know, you go on a boat. They give you — eating. Only that's it.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

By ło trudno? By ło trudno?

SLUSARCZYK:

Jak?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

By ło trudno, czy dobrze by ło? Trudno było — Was it hard, Ma, or was it easy —

SLUSARCZYK:

Not —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

— on the boat?

SLUSARCZYK:

My mother was by me to guard — on the boat. And I come here and —

HERZ:

And —

SLUSARCZYK:

— I got job. And after a while, two — two or three years, I marry and afterwards got kids and —

HERZ:

What — what kind of —

SLUSARCZYK:

And live eight kids.

HERZ:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

School. A regular —

HERZ:

What kind of a job did you get when you came here?

SLUSARCZYK:

Bake. Baker.

HERZ:

In a bakery.

SLUSARCZYK:

Bake company. Bake.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

No, the name of the company —

SLUSARCZYK:

Sewing bag.

HERZ:

Oh, a bag company.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Sewing clothes and [unclear].

HERZ:

Uh-huh.

SLUSARCZYK:

Come on, chodz.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, wait, Mom.

HERZ:

And — and how many children did you have?

SLUSARCZYK:

I have seven. And after a while, kids marry and I get 18 years before — I got 18 years. I come here —

HERZ:

Do you —

SLUSARCZYK:

— and marry and I got seven or eight kids.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

And how many grandchildren [unclear] —

SLUSARCZYK:

[unclear] kids marry —

HERZ:

[laughs] What was your husband's name?

SLUSARCZYK:

And I got husband and husband die and —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Co imi ę , powiec imi ę .

SLUSARCZYK:

Huh?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Imi ę , tatowy imi ę powiec.

SLUSARCZYK:

John Polewka.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

John Slusarczyk. Polewka, Mome imi ę.

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

John —

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

John Slusarczyk.

SLUSARCZYK:

Slusarczyk my husband.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

SLUSARCZYK:

My — my father named Polewka.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

Do you remember the name of the boat that you came on?

SLUSARCZYK:

Powiadesz ł o.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah ale co imi ę tego boat-a co mama —

SLUSARCZYK:

Tam — jak ojciec si ę nazywa ł .

C. SLUSARCZYK:

No, no. imi ę ten boat , okr ę t co mam przysz ł a na —

SLUSARCZYK:

Boat?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Jakie imi ę . Yeah, boat.

SLUSARCZYK:

Ja nie pamiętam jaki boat . I did, no, take it boat in (not understood) Jas ł o. You know Jas ł o in Poland?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah. Ale co imi ę boat-a by ł co jak mama przyszła?

SLUSARCZYK:

Nie pami ę tam

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Lusitania, yeah? Lusitania?

SLUSARCZYK:

Ja nie pami ę tam, gdzie ja tam —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Okay you don't, she don't — she says she don't remember. But I think it was [unclear].

HERZ:

What were the na —

SLUSARCZYK:

I come and — it was two years. I go to work in bag company. And after a while I marry and I got kids and live in —

HERZ:

What are the names of your children?

SLUSARCZYK:

I have six kids.

HERZ:

What are the names?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Powiec imi ę ka ż dego jednego, ka ż dego jednego.

SLUSARCZYK:

Oh.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Mariszka —

SLUSARCZYK:

Mary. Mary. I — was Mary Polewka.

HERZ:

Yeah —

SLUSARCZYK:

I got Mary Polewka name.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Imi ę dzieci, imię dzieci.

SLUSARCZYK:

Some — my daughter, Mary Polewka, Frank Polewka, Grzegorz Polewka.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

That's her brothers and sisters.

HERZ:

Uh-hmm.

SLUSARCZYK:

Jaki , Joe. Grzegorz I kto?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Grzegorz —

SLUSARCZYK:

Frank —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Frank.

SLUSARCZYK:

A to Polands. Not here.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

I want to — ale on si ę pitał, mamy dzieci —

SLUSARCZYK:

No to moje dzieci.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

No, ja dziecko jestem —

SLUSARCZYK:

Huh?

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Ja dziecko jestem!

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

I kto wi ę cej to jest?

SLUSARCZYK:

Oh, W Polce — My mother had the kids —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

No, Mamy familia tutaj, tu! St ą d.

SLUSARCZYK:

Oh, I don't know. (not understood)

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Mariszka, Tadek, Ja , Regina,L o dzka.

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

On to si ę pyta ł . Mo ż esz powiedzic?

SLUSARCZYK:

To powiedz!

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Powiedz od starszego, Marisza by ł a (not understood)

HERZ:

Do —

SLUSARCZYK:

To najstarsza by ł a — daughter, Mary Polewka.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Nie Polewka, Slusarczyk. Mary, i po tym co?

SLUSARCZYK:

Mary, Frank —

HERZ:

Mrs. Slusarczyk —

SLUSARCZYK:

Najstarszy by ł brat.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Ni mamy familia! Okay.

HERZ:

Do you remember on the boat —

SLUSARCZYK:

O daj mi spokoj! I go home, Come on.

HERZ:

Mrs. —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Wait — czekaj.

HERZ:

One more question.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

Yes.

HERZ:

One more question.

SLUSARCZYK:

I go home.

HERZ:

Do you remember when you came on the boat, seeing the Statue of Liberty?

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

What was — what did it feel like when you saw that?

SLUSARCZYK:

Nice. I'm glad I came here. I'm glad. I love him. Before, I like — [laughs] now, too. That's United States. I like.

HERZ:

Are — are you —

SLUSARCZYK:

Is good. I got seven kids. Grow, everybody nice, good one, healthy. That's not [unclear]. That's nothing. Good kids and —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

She was sitting —

SLUSARCZYK:

— and my husband and I. I'm older and poor lady in —

C. SLUSARCZYK:

She was sitting on — by the wall over there looking at the Statue of Liberty with me, you know, and she was saying, "Come on. Come on." You know, [laughs] like the lady was calling us.

SLUSARCZYK:

And that's why I like the United States and — and I two — two or three years here single. And after a while, marry and after a while I got seven kids.

C. SLUSARCZYK:

I hope you can —

SLUSARCZYK:

And kids grow and husband die. And my — this is my — I widow and kids —

HERZ:

Do —

SLUSARCZYK:

— marry. This —

HERZ:

You — you speak —

SLUSARCZYK:

Everyone gets marry.

HERZ:

You speak pretty good English. Do you remember what it was like to —

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah.

HERZ:

— learn English?

SLUSARCZYK:

In Poland, everybody Ca — Catholic and — and good — good kids. And I leave kids in Poland and come to — to United States. After a while, I marry and I have kids here.

HERZ:

Hmm.

SLUSARCZYK:

With my husband. After a while, my husband die. This, I stay with my kids.

HERZ:

Well, I — I think this is a good —

SLUSARCZYK:

And my kids good, not trouble with — with — with the jail, not trouble. Nothing. Just very good. This coming — very good thing.

HERZ:

Well, I think that's a good place to end the interview and I want to thank you very much —

SLUSARCZYK:

Yeah, okay.

HERZ:

— for taking your time.

SLUSARCZYK:

Okay.

HERZ:

This is Roger Herz —

SLUSARCZYK:

Thank you.

HERZ:

— and we've speaking with —

SLUSARCZYK:

Come on Chester.

HERZ:

— Victoria Slusarczyk —

SLUSARCZYK:

Come on. Yeah.

HERZ:

— for the Ellis Island Oral History Project. And today is August 19 th , 1997.

SLUSARCZYK:

Okay.

HERZ:

Thank you. [END OF INTERVIEW]