How the Onufer’s Came to Be:
An annotated bibliography tracing back my family to see how I got where I am today.
The special thing about families is that every single family is different. Everyone has different parents, different siblings, different cousins. While at a larger level, every family has a different makeup to them: divorced parents, only children, adopted children, widowed spouses. All of these attributes can change how a family behaves in their present life. However, there is a reason for the differences in family matters, and that is where our ancestors are from. Our ancestors can shape our views, our culture, and even our looks.
The Onufer family story begins in the Austro-Hungarian empire of Slovakia, a true nothing to everything story. Whenever my family integrated into America, through Ellis Island, they came with nothing looking for work in America. Then eventually, they married into a very rich family. However, they had lost everything due to the Civil War reconstruction. My great-great grandfather moved to Charleston to be based there for the Air Force and met the Laroche family, he then married into the family after they came back from Florida. Ever since my family has lived in Charleston up until mine.
Each individual in a family encounters different events that influence who they are. While these events happen to a single person, they are actually working on a large scale where the entire family is affected by the individuals. I will be contacting my great aunt to learn more about my family, and my ancestors’ personal stories. I hope to dive in farther and learn why single events affected the entirety of my family for years to come
“Harvard Encyclopedia of American ethnic groups”
Thernstrom, Stephan. “Slovak” Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard U, 1980. N. pg 926–934. Print.
The exceptional thing about America is everyone arrived from a different location; immigration indicates the reason why our country happens to be the way it is today. Everyone traveled into America with a differing diverse background, leading to America’s newfound name in the nineteenth and twentieth century to be known as, “the melting pot.” Various cultures and ethnicities mixed together to create a new country with the basis of freedom and opportunity. With industrialization booming and depressions in foreign countries, there were multiple pull factors to America in the 1890s.
The Harvard Encyclopedia of American ethnic groups explains in depth multiple ethnic group’s journeys over to America during the time period of 1700–1980. The book explains the culture, history, and characteristics of over a hundred different ethnic groups from all across the globe. However, the most important part of the book is the immigration patterns of certain ethnic groups and the push factors from their home country to the pull factors to America. In the book, two specific chapters stood out to me, Slovak and Czech. With the Onufer the last name, there was first migration from Slovakia to Czechoslovakia then from Czechoslovakia to America. In order to find out the reason why this migration occurred, I paid super close attention to these entries.
Immediately after reading the first paragraph in the Slovak section, the reader begins to understand “old country” Slovakia. With “old country” Slovakia, there was a real reason why the immigration rate to America was so high in this area. As stated, “Although a few Slovak left their homeland in the 19th century in protest against Magyarization, the vast majority emigrated for economic reasons…the only way to survive was to emigrate” (Thernstrom 927–928). Magyarization was named “after Magyar — the autonym of Hungarians — it was an assimilation or acculturation process by which non-Hungarian nationals came to adopt the Hungarian culture and language, either voluntarily or due to social pressure”. As can be seen, many people immigrated in revolt to the Magyarization and the increasing population. With the time period, the 1880’s, one can tell my ancestors left Slovakia for this exact reason. At this, they moved to Czechoslovakia and very shortly headed over to America in order for a better life to raise their son. After all, America is the land of opportunity with its rapid industrial growth. After the author spoke on immigration patterns, he explains the life of an immigrant in America based on their ethnicity. Many Slovaks moved into ethnic enclaves in places such as New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. In ethnic enclaves, the group would continue on with the same practices and cultural ideas they had in Slovakia however now just in a new place. This book allowed me to gain knowledge to understand the why of my family coming to America, and it grew the respect of my culture.
South Carolina in the Civil War: the Confederate Experience in Letters and Diaries
Lee, J. Edward, and Ron Chepesiuk. South Carolina in the Civil War: the Confederate Experience in Letters and Diaries. McFarland, 2004.
Imagine the day slaves were set free. Everyone had a different opinion on the war, and my family happened to be on the other side. What is now known as Fripp Island and Edisto beach, my family owned both of these portions of land and a large plantation. They have letters speaking of the day when they lost their land due to reparations of the war, however, I did not only want to focus on my family’s views.
Human nature, everyone has different thoughts, views, and opinions. Using this book, I wanted to show how other people, not just in my family, felt during the Civil War. As noted, South Carolina was highly involved in the war and was known to be a state that supported the Confederacy to the highest. During this time period, South Carolina was the first to secede and one of the last to rejoin the union. Therefore, there was a lot of controversy and issues that occurred in the state; such issues were, war, revolts, and civil disagreements. All of the issues led to the burning of buildings, loss of lands, and disagreements on slave ownership. This led to many migratory patterns out of South Carolina post civil war with not only freed slaves but also prior plantation owners and supporters of the war.
In the book, there are a variety of letters and encounters to explain the period during and after the war. The text is interesting because it explains many different experiences of the war through the lens of various citizens of South Carolina. For example, one chapter shows the famous journal entries of Emily Harris. As opposed to hearing stories from soldiers, plantation owners, and prior slaves, this viewpoint is from a newfound widow. The different opinions and thoughts allow for a full story that everyone can relate to.
As can be seen in the title, the book focuses on Confederate experiences, and my family owned a large plantation in South Carolina before and during the civil war. So, I felt that the book was a good fit to go alongside my project. From that, I have many personal family letters that trace back their encounters during the years. I wanted there to be no bias and my paper to be open-ended so many people could relate to my words, so I added in the viewpoint of others.
William Williams Documents: Ellis Island Immigrants
Rowell, Rebecca, and Vincent J. Cannato. William Williams Documents: Ellis Island Immigrants. Essential Library, an Imprint of Abdo Publishing, 2018.
When thinking of an immigration port, the most famous to come to mind happens to be Ellis Island. The port opened in 1892 when the time of immigration began to change. During this time, immigration laws and quotas on the number of people allowed in the country came into existence. After the 1890’s immigrants were medically checked and documentation came into play. From this, Ellis Island was opened in an effort to control immigration into the country. In the time being opened, the port processed more than 12 million people, and it became the busiest immigration inspection center in America.
From the book, I mainly used the source for images of the infamous inspection center. Pictures allow the reader to feel closer to the subject and truly see what our ancestors saw. When looking at the image of Ellis Island, the narrative can be told with a visual image in the mind, therefore, making the story more realistic. While looking at the image of a person being inspected while entering the country shows a quick and easy process. Without the picture, while reading the information a person can picture the inspection process as nearly anything.
My ancestors immigrated into Ellis Island in 1915, during this time immigrants were seen as poor and working class, and fewer Americans wanted outsiders in their country. With industrialization, there were many job openings and Americans wanted them for themselves, not for the immigrants. With the expansion of immigration centers, at this time immigrants had to be legal in order to come into the country. Luckily for my family coming from Czechoslovakia, they had little issues entering into America, unlike Chinese immigrants who at this time had an exclusion act keeping them out of the country. All in all, because my family immigrated into Ellis Island, I have exact records as to when they came over, so I can truly pinpoint the pull factors to America during this time.
The Laroche Family
Laroche, Bertha. The Laroche Family
Who can tell your family’s story better than you? The answer to the question is easy, your own ancestors. My main source of information came from a personal heirloom to my family, “The Laroche Family Book”. Imagine having a book filled with family trees, birth dates, and personal letters: one’s own ancestry.com. My dad’s grandma’s side of the family created a book that dated back all the way to the 1700s. The book is filled with information that helped me piece together my research and see a more personal side of my family.
As can be seen from the book, the Onufer name is mentioned, yet as “Onifer”. This allowed me to see a timeline when my great-great-grandfather anglicized his name in order to sound more American. Also, it allowed me to see which lineage of Laroche I came from because from there I could follow a family tree.
There are many stories that can be told from the Laroche family. Just the names on the family tree had many stories to tell. Richard Jenkins, the cousin of my ancestors was a very famous Civil War general, and the Fripps and Laroche’s were very wealthy in the state of South Carolina prior to and during the Civil War. They owned Edisto Island, Fripp Island, and one of the largest plantations in South Carolina. They married within each other to maintain the wealth until post Civil War when they lost a lot due to Reconstruction. They sold their land to the state of South Carolina and moved to Florida to escape the pressures since they were so involved in the Civil War.
In the book, there are letters to account their movement to Florida. All of these aspects allowed me to get an understanding of why my ancestors moved from South Carolina to Florida and then back to South Carolina.
Query Letter
Stolarik, M. Mark. Where Is My Home? Slovak Immigration to North America (1870–2010). Vol. 1, Lang, 2012.
In terms of “The Hero’s journey”, I am only in the threshold of my project, and I need to find more information from an outside source. I planned on reaching out to M. Mark Stolarik. He was born in wartime Slovakia while issues and war were outbreaking. He evacuated to Austria in 1945, and he lived with his family as a refugee until 1950. He grew up in Canada and earned his BA and MA degrees at the University of Ottawa and his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. Since 1992 he has held the Chair in Slovak History and Culture at the University of Ottawa. He wrote a book about Slovakian immigration, and I believe he will have a lot of insight in terms of my project.
In order to farther expand my knowledge on the subject, this is the email I sent in regards to receiving an interview.
Dear Mr. Stolarik,
My name is Isabel Onufer, and I am an undergraduate student at the University of Georgia. I am writing to you in regards to a project I am working on in my English 1102 class. The project focuses on family history and the routes and roots of our ancestors. The idea is to follow our lineage to see how we got to where we are today. After in-depth research, I found out that my family is originally from Slovakia, and they immigrated to America in 1891. Looking farther into this subject, many of your books popped up in light of my research. The description of your book, “Where is My Home”, seems that it would be very beneficial to my project due to your high level of knowledge on the subject. Due to your focus on Slovakian immigration and your personal experiences in the area, I have looked farther into your work and believe that your experiences will help me fit my family’s immigration into the bigger picture.
I would like to request an interview with you to use in my project. The interview would consist of a few questions about your personal research and experiences. Due to the distance between the University of Georgia and the University of Ottawa, I would like to interview over the phone for a few minutes. If this is not too much of an inconvenience, it would greatly help me in my research and succeed in the class.
Thank you for your time,
Isabel Onufer
Slovak Folk Art and Architecture
Johnova, Helena. 1986. Sperk. Bratislava: Tatran.
Eye-popping photos of gorgeous detailed images and various Slovak folk Artwork: embroideries, jewelry, belt buckles, buttons, combs, and frogs, easily catches the eyes of an onlooker. The Slovakian art is known as peasant art, yet shows the culture of how everyday life was in 19th century Slovakia. I wanted to catch the eye of the cultural life that my family was apart of. Slovak embroidery is some of the most popular folk art due to the detailed stitching of many peasant people and detailed flower work. this shows the outfits that were worn in the past which allows me to have a visual image of how my ancestor looked before they immigrated to America.
Vibrant colors fill all of the artwork including their jewelry. The vibrant colors helped fill the dull and overpopulated country of Slovakia. The art worked as the light of the time period, the color represents the happiness of the citizens even with the tough times enduring. When thinking of folk art, unknowingly Slovakian art is what first comes to mind. In everyday folk tales, such as Hansel and Gretel, this is how the characters look and dress.
Two well known artistic architectures are the “Spis Castle” and “Vlkolinec village”, show past Slovakian architectures and cultures. The castle flows along the landscape and looks similar to many castles that are seen in movies that are based in the past. The village shows the vibrant colors and woodwork used in an everyday past life. Slovak folk art is so important to cinema and folk tales today, and people do not even realize the beauty of Slovakian culture. Due to being pulled into the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the early 20th century, the country’s beautiful past can be easily forgotten.
Bardejov and it’s surrounding
XHTML CSS PHP: bart.sk. Wooden Churches
The farther and farther back one looks into their family the harder it is to figure out the lineage. However, finding a simple statement of something from your family’s past opens an array of research possibilities. After looking at Ancestry.com, I had trouble learning more about my great-great-great-great grandfather. Eventually, I found one thing that gave me insight into my ancestor, George Anufer, from 1858. I found a baptism record from Lukov, Slovakia.
The baptism record allowed me to not only figure out where my family was from, but also what religion they were. The church in Lukov at this time was a Roman Catholic church and to this day is a tourist destination. The reason this church is of such significance is that it allowed me to follow the religion of my Dad’s side and trace it all the way back to 1858. Specifically, though, the church is so unique because it is wooden.
This specific church happens to be very special and have a unique story behind it. The church is named Saint Cosmas and Damian, named after two very famous saints in the Catholic faith. The story is that Saints Cosmas and Damian were twins born in the third century and were physicians known for their skill as well as their refusal to charge for their services. Their charity won many converts to the faith and earned them a place of prominence in the Christian communities of Asia Minor. In 287, they were captured and ordered to deny their faith in Christ. They refused and underwent a series of tortures, including Crucifixion, from which, they remained unscathed. The torturers finally beheaded them both.
“Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer”
The Song Spinners.“Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer.” Robins Music Copr., 1943.
Imagine D-Day. Now imagine being in the air force, flying over Normandy attempting not to be shot down by the opposing pilots. The plane to your left gets shot down, and you watch as the plane crashes into a field covered in soldiers. The exact scenario happened to my great-grandfather during World War II, and he carried through on a wing and a prayer. The song, “Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer”, seemed to be a fitting song to describe the feelings of soldiers as they are fighting in the war. The song talks about how a plane was missing for over two hours but came into land with only one motor as well as on a wing and a prayer. This is how the song goes.
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
Though there’s one motor gone
We can still carry on
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
What a show, what a fight
Yes we really hit our target for tonight
How we sing as we limp through the air
Oh. Look below, there’s our field over there
With our full crew aboard
And our trust in the Lord
We’re comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
One of our planes was missing
Two hours overdue
One of our planes was missing
With all, it’s gallant crew
The radio sets were humming
They waited for a word
Then a voice broke through the humming
And this is what they heard:
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
Though there’s one motor gone
We can still carry on
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer.
What a show, what a fight
Yes we really hit our target for tonight
Now we sing as we limp through the air
Oh. Look below, there’s our field over there
With our full crew aboard
And our trust in the Lord
We’re comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
Though there’s one motor gone
We can still carry on
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
The song is very important to my story because my grandfather was both a pilot during the brutal war, and he was a religious man. One could only imagine that a man being shot at in a plane would be praying for his life. The song continues to repeat “on a wing and a prayer”, which makes me believe that there were plenty of times that the only thing that got my great-grandfather, as well as his peers, through these tough times was a prayer.
Newspaper Article
D-Day Gallantry Wins Onufer Medal. 1944.
The thought of war is terrifying: the violence involved, the fighting of opposing parties, and the deaths that come along with it. My great-grandfather had to experience all of the pain and suffering for he served a large part during WWII.
Shooting down towards the ground, flying at all angles, avoiding getting shot down, my great-grandfather flew over Normandy. I have grown up listening to stories from my dad talking about his hero of a grandfather. Flying over the very famous battle, D-Day, my grandfather feared for his life but was excited to fight for his country. I cannot imagine being in the forefront of war such as my grandad, however, he had the drive to help end the deadly war.
The article allowed me to farther see where my ancestors are from. Due to the immense detail, the article informs me of both my great-great grandfather's address and my great-great-great grandfather's address. Finding this article allowed me to learn more information and maintain a larger grasp on where my family lived and why they moved. From this article, I learned why my family moved. They moved because of my great-great-grandfather being based in Charleston for the air force. The air force was the reason Michael Onufer moved from New Jersey to Charleston, and the newspaper piece filled in my missing piece to my puzzle.
Gone With the Wind
Gone With the Wind. Victor Fleming, 1939. Perf. Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland. Youtube.
Before the Onufer’s married into the LaRoche family, the Laroche’s story could be easily compared to events that happened in “Gone With the Wind”. The movie follows a woman named Scarlett O’Hara throughout her adult life, however, the part of the movie that correlates to my story is about the civil war and reconstruction.
From the records I have of the Laroche’s, they migrated to Florida after the civil war due to reconstructionists implementing taxes and releasing all the slaves. They moved to start over and escape the pressures of the repercussions of the war. The family not only had a major civil war Lieutenant in the mix, but they also had one of the biggest plantations in South Carolina. This made the very a prime example of people that received negative impacts from the war due to their high involvement. As can be seen, there are some minor comparisons between my family and Scarlett O'Hara.
The plot that compares can be explained as the tide of war turned against the Confederacy after the Battle of Gettysburg in which many of the men of Scarlett’s town were killed. Upon her return home, Scarlett finds Tara deserted, except for her father, her sisters, and two former slaves: Mammy and Pork. Scarlett learns that her mother has just died of typhoid fever and her father has become incompetent. With Tara pillaged by Union troops and the fields untended, Scarlett vows she will do anything for the survival of her family and herself. With the defeat of the Confederacy, she is unable to pay the taxes on the Tara Plantation implemented by Reconstructionists. The scene shows how people of the south had hope in a win against the North, however, Rhett Butler foreshadowed the loss which led to the reconstruction of the south.
Coco
García, Bernal G, Anthony Gonzalez, Benjamin Bratt, Darla K. Anderson, Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina, and Matthew Aldrich. Coco. , 2018.
What would your ancestors say if you could see them today? Would you even know what they looked like? Before I started my project, I had no idea who my ancestors were. If I saw a picture, I would not be able to match a face to a name. However, Ancestry.com worked like an online “ofrenda”, basically tracing back my past to keep remembrance of the ones that came before me. Miguel, the main character of the movie, goes on a journey through the Land of the Dead and discovers the truth about his family history. Through researching our family’s past, we are going on a journey of our own to learn new things about our families.
In the film, Miguel’s family has banned music for generations because his great-great-grandfather left behind his family to pursue his dreams of music. As opposed to the others in his family, Miguel is passionate about music and when he ends up in the Land of the Dead on Dia de Los Muertos, he has to connect with his ancestors to get their blessing to return to the land of the living. Along the way, he meets Hector, a soul who is nearly forgotten by the living, who also happens to be his real great-great-grandfather. On this journey, Miguel encounters many surprises and secrets about his family, and he ends up bringing lasting forgiveness and reunion of long-divided loved ones. In the end, Miguel learned a very important lesson, he learned how meaningful the love that ties his family together truly is.
From watching the movie, it helped me realize the purpose of this project. Not only am I researching my family’s history, but I am traveling back in time and uncovering stories and memories from people I never even knew. Just like Miguel, I am learning the story of my family, I’m figuring out the events that led me to where I am today because each event can affect how a family ends up.
Origin of Macaroni and Cheese
Wright, Clifford A. “Origin of Macaroni and Cheese.” Did You Know: Food History — Origin of “Macaroni and Cheese”
After doing research, I figured I had never heard of or eaten anything remotely Slovakian in my life. From that, I realized both sides of my family have lived in the south and their food habits show that they have become cultivated. At that, I want to speak on traditional southern food because I feel that it is a part of my family’s heritage. Some examples of Southern food are:
- Biscuits and Gravy.
- Southern BBQ.
- Shrimp and Grits.
- Mac and Cheese.
- Fried Green Tomatoes.
- Chicken Pot Pie.
- Fried Chicken.
All of these things are cooked by my family, especially my grandparents.
Macaroni and Cheese, a traditional southern comfort food, is a staple side all across America. Diving back hundreds of years, the first “Macaroni” recipe was located in Southern Italy. However, this recipe was not the famous dish seen today in America, for it was more of a Lasagna in Italy. Ironically enough, most Americans believe the roots of what is known as Macaroni and Cheese is due to Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson brought back the pasta machine from Italy, and his daughter, using the machine, is credited with the invention of Macaroni and Cheese. She initially used parmesan cheese in her recipe, however people quickly began to use cheddar cheese. In 1937, Kraft made boxed macaroni that was cheap to purchase, so the meal quickly became popular widespread.
However, my family being of deep southern roots believes in always home cooking their meals leading to our baked Macaroni and Cheese casserole that quickly gets eaten at every family reunion. The origins of a baked Macaroni and Cheese Casserole happens to come from Church “Suppers” to easily feed the number of people present. Reading this makes sense as to why my family always indulges in making this meal, my grandparents and great grandparents always attended church dinners where they would make large pans of Macaroni to feed their peers. The recipe has been passed down ever since. A Macaroni and Cheese Casserole shows a sense of community feeding many people, making the meal very important to me. Every family gathering, party, and holidays this dish is prepared to serve all of our peers and family. This food brings joy to everyone’s faces and leaves people wanting more.
Recipe and Instructions:
4 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
4 cups of milk
2–4 cups cheddar cheese
1 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
2 cups macaroni cooked
Melt butter and add flour to make a paste. Add milk and everything but cheese, cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add 2 cups of cheese. Pour over cooked macaroni and top with 1 -2 cups cheese. Bake at 400 for 30–35 minutes
Growing up, I would always help my mother and grandmother cook our Thanksgiving meal. Being the chefs of the family, they would always be rushing to make the dishes for the fifty people coming to celebrate the holiday. To relieve them of making multiple meals and sides, they would always ask me to choose a side to make, I would always choose Macaroni and Cheese. The meal is so easy to make that a beginner can easily make the dish well and have people wanting more.
