U-Turn: Frank Valek’s Whereabouts

When writing about my great-grandparents Adam and Elisabeth Valek, I listed their children and what became of each. The youngest, Frank, seems to have disappeared around 1919.

I think I may have found what became of him; the fly in the ointment is that there seems to be other Frank Valeks in New York State. What I really need to do is sort them all out, which is hard to do with the lack of New York records!

What I found was a 1918 World War I Draft Registration with a Frank Valek listed, who has the same age and also born in New York. Frank was working as a bus boy and living in New York City with a wife, Lizzie. I also see subsequent indexes for National Guard service. Then I see Frank Valek (obviously the same one as on the Draft Card, having the same birthday) on the Social Security Death Index, dying in February 1972 in Albany, Albany County, NY.

I really want to believe that these records are for my Frank. But I know my research has to be more thorough to ascertain this!

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U-Turn: Great-Grandmother Bertha Colomy

So long ago, I touched on Bertha Colomy’s June 27, 1900 marriage to Frederick Morton French. At the time, all I knew was that they divorced by 1910. Thanks to online city directories, now I know a little more! (Thank you, HeritageQuest!)

In the 1903 Lynn, MA Directory, I found that Bertha French was living at 63 Autumn Street (where her mother Jennie and stepfather James Starbard lived). It looks like Bertha lived with her mother until about 1905, then in other locations in Lynn.

63 Autumn Street, Lynn. Author’s collection.

So Bertha was at least separated from Frederick after about three years of marriage. Although I still don’t know when the divorce took place, this clue narrows down the timeframe a bit.