Mother & Father

Introduction

This section is specific to the mother and father of author Matilda Dieska Young. Originally written in 1982 the following includes some ancedotal information passed down by Dieska family members. It is written from the perspective of the family historian Matilda Dieska Young and the original copy can be found HERE. Some minor editing was done (spelling, grammar, presentation format, date adjustements, information web links) but the accounting remains the same.

THE DIESKA FAMILY HISTORY - Mother and Father By Matilda Dieska Young (born 1913)

Father: Stephen (Steve) Dieska

• Second child and first born son of Stephen Dieska and Theresa Polak Dieska

• Date of Birth: April 9, 1880

• Place of Birth: Dolná  Lehota, Orava, Austria-Hungary (Slovakia)

• Immigrated to USA: Ellis Island, New York 1896

• Settled in: Lakewood, Ohio 1900

• Naturalize: May 14, 1913, Cleveland, Ohio, Petition Volume #7 Page 90 Stub Volume 11699 Page 1 One Hundred Thirty-Seventh year of Independence.

• Date of Death: September 15, 1958, Chardon, Ohio

Mother: Lucia (Lucy) Anna Apathy Dieska

• Date of Birth: December 20, 1884

• Place of Birth: Košice, Austria-Hungary (Slovakia)

• Immigrated to USA: Immigrated with parents August Apathy and Ursula Jouhaz in 1885

• Date of Death: August 13, 1957, Chardon, Ohio

Marriage: Stephen Dieska married Lucia Anna Apathy, Cleveland, Ohio, St. Martin's Church, August 11, 1903

Children:

1. Bernard (Ben) Dieska born July 18, 1904, Brooklyn, Ohio, died January 13, 1997, Walnut Cove, NC

2. Margaret Elinor born 1906, died in infancy

3. Rupert born 1907, died in infancy

4. Elinor born 1909, died June 22, 1914 of Scarlet Fever - Lucia mourned the loss of Elinor the rest of her life

5. Gertrude Elizabeth born January 19, 1911, Lakewood, Ohio - named after one of the German ladies

6. Matilda (Tillie) Lucia born December 12, 1913, Lakewood, Ohio

At the end of the year of 1912 mother Lucy and son Ben sailed to Europe. They went to Košice, Austria-Hungary from Germany to settle an estate. While in Košice she obtained her birth certificate which was written in Hungarian. From there they went to Orava, Austria-Hungary (Slovakia) and visited Steve's family. While in Orava, which is near the Polish border, it was decided to bring Suzanne (Susie), half sister of Steve, back to the United States with them. They came back to New York from Hamburg, Germany then back to Lakewood, Ohio. Mathilda was born in 1913. The Apathy and Dieska families combined made a large group. Lucy and Steve were very successful in their businesses. Sometime later, Michael (brother of Lucy) met Susie and they were married and had six children.

In 1915, when WW I threatened, it became difficult for Steve to buy feed for his work animals (mules) so they decided to buy a farm so that he could raise feed for them intending to return to Lakewood. In July 1915 records show that they purchased a farm in Munson Township on Wilson Mills Road, Chardon, Ohio from Lillian Foster. They continued their construction business for a while then went into farming full time. Times were hard during WW I.

After WW I it was just "one damn thing after another", as their son Ben put it until they were laid to rest in All Soul's Cemetery in 1957 and 1958. That would be a long story all by itself!