/home/photo/family/Stolmack.HW/hws_041123.txt 10/16/14
[Originally: Stolmack.txt 11/23/04]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Ness' notes on H. William Stolmack's family history
from conversation with Bill on 11/21/04.

10/16/14: Family tree data in family.ged contradicts
	some information below; the family.ged data is almost
	certainly more reliable.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Father: Samuel I. Stolmack, born in NY or NJ probably ca. 1898,
	died ca. 1953.
Mother: Ruth Mohilewsky [Stolmack], born in Russia near Kiev
	(Ukraine) ca. 1902, died at 93 ca. 1995.
Eldest child: Rose Stolmack Dyer, b. 1917, died in her late 40s/early 50s.
Second child: H. William Stolmack, b. 12/25/20.
Third child: Frances, b. 1923/26?, still living 11/04.
Fourth child: Joanne, ca. 1926, still living 11/04.
Fifth child: David, b. ca. 1935.

Ruth's siblings: Hyman Mohilewsky and Tillie Mohilewsky.
Tillie graduated OSU in journalism,
lived in Ashtablua and Cleveland,
first woman reporter for Cleveland Shipping News.

Samuel was a yardmaster for the Pennsylvania RR,
eventually grievance chairman for the Erie & Ashtabula division.
His younger brother Victor Stolmack also worked for the PA RR.
During a strike in the 1920s, Sam went out and Victor stayed in,
leading to their estrangement.
Victor had a wife, daughter Eleanor and a son.

Another Samuel Stolmack in Columbus OH was a cousin of Samuel I.

Bill's maternal grandfather Abe Mohilewsky (wife Mariasse (sp.?))
was a vegetable vendor (huckster) with a horse-drawn cart.
Bill often rode his route with him when Bill was small.
Eventually he replaced the horsecart with a Dodge truck.

Rose was a nurse during WW2 and Korean war (on hospital ship).
Married to an army sargeant, two children.

Frances never graduated from college, worked for PA RR for many, many years.
Married electrician Abe Levine, still living 11/04 but in nursing home
in Youngstown OH.
Two children, Sanford and Howard (machinist/tool & die in Canton, OH).

Joanne married Robert Schwartz ("Smitty"), who ran a furniture store
in Akron, OH.  Two sons, Stephen (married Marcie) and Billy.

David married Harriet, had four children: Susan, girl, Marty, girl.

Bill lived in Ashtabula through 3rd grade, then moved to Youngstown
in more difficult living circumstances during the depression
until Bill went to college at OSU (eventually graduating in EE, ca. 1942).
His father's employment positions worsened for some time,
from yardmaster to baggage handler, before resuming an upward trend.
Bill sometimes worked as assistant to switch master,
running through the yard to throw manual switches.
Once, he was on the phone to the switch master during a lightening
storm when induced voltage from a nearby lightening strike
knocked him out.

In Youngstown, Bill worked at Wilkoff Iron & Steel mill from age 14 or 15
during the summer.  Conditions initially were terrible:
6am-6pm, 7 days/week, one toilet very far away, broken windows, rats.
Worked at large shear machine which cut 3/4" steel strip.
In the mid-30s, CIO staged a strike; the plant had contracts
to meet with penalty clauses, so they settled after 3 days.
Conditions immediately improved: 10h/day, 6d/week, toilets.
Between freshman and sophomore HS years, Bill worked
on a constuction crew building a steel-frame fab shop at the mill.
He learned how to climb an I-beam after it was raised.
------------------------------------------------------------------------