Friends
| Since the inception of this site we have received many
messages and comments from our visitors. Most of them sign the guest book. Others
send emails. Recently we have heard from new friends, old friends and friends from Slovakia who
either have ties to Lemont or to our family. This section has been developed to
welcome them and any other new friends.
You will find contributions here from Ed Slampak, Rastislav Briskar, Jan Suvada, and Sandy Ludwick April 27, 2001 Ed can be contacted at
10500 Cypress Grove Drive, Fort Meyers, Florida 33908-6688
We have a new friend in Rastislav Briskar. He found our web site while surfing one day and became curious about a possible relationship with our family. His email follows:
Subject: Briskar family My name is Rastislav Briskar. I was surfing the net, and i found your family page where was
ihtresting me, that your grand father ( or grand grand father) was John Stephen Briscar.
It's OK, but i was pleasured, that he was born in 1888 in BARDEJOV in SLOVAKIA. And that's
the think why i was decide to write you a mail. lam' sorry, because I don't know english
good. I was also born in Bardejov in Slovakia in 1976. My father John was bornlng in 1952 in a village called Resov, about 7
kilometers form Bardejov, where live my grandfather John, which was born in 1921. And I
want to ask you, if you don't know about some connection between our family.
I responded to Rastislav's email. Perhaps there is
a connection to our family. Feel free to email him. I'm sure he will be
pleased to hear from you.
I Recently heard from a gentleman named Jan Suvada. Jan is related to the Sikina family in Lemont and he and his brothers play folk music. From: suvada@post.sk [mailto:suvada@post.sk] Hello' I saw your wwwsites and I LIKE IT. I have in LEMONT fce relatives-family SIKINA I'm writing him sometimes. They had parents from our country.I send you photo-me with my brothers. We are wear in GORAL folklore costumes and we play folklore music.Please write me some mail.Yoer sincerelly, JAN SUVADA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ZVOLEN
Sandy Ludwick, whose grandparents Johanna and Pete Dorsey lived in Lemont, sent me this nice letter in October of 2000. Sandy and her husband, Ed live in California and maintain their own family web site.
Hi Richard,
I came across your wonderful web page by
sheer accident. I can't even remember the words I typed in one of the
search engines- something to do with coal mining and Fayette County.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Lemont Furnace coming up.
I am involved with a web-site www.Calascio.com
My grandparents came from this village in Italy. They went to
Illinois first and then to Royal, PA in 1921. When you check this web
site,click on site map. Find Featured families on the list. Click
on it. It will take you to 5 or 6 names. Click on the individual
name Pietro Ursini- not pedigree chart. I have a tribute to my
grandfather and it mentions Lemont Furnace.
My grandparents lived in Lemont
Furnace for many years. I don't know when they moved there but I know
they were there in 1947 ( the year I was born) until their deaths in
1953 and 1973. Their Americanized names were Johanna and Pete
Dorsey. They have their legal names- Pietro and Giovanna Ursini on
their graves in Sylvan Heights Cemetery in Uniontown. My Mom is buried
there by her brother, Leonard. Her two sisters and their husbands are
buried there too.
You described "Patch Homes as three
rows of company homes. Are they the three streets that run up the
hill if you are standing in front of the post office? On your
map where you indicate where your house was, I recall their house
halfway up the first street on the right. The Zebley family's
house was directly beneath theirs. Grandma's house was a duplex and
my Mom's sister Babe Basinsky lived on the other side with her husband
Ed Basinsky, a brick layer. I wish I could remember other neighbors
names off hand but I don't. I was back there in 1971 and then did not go
back until 1994 when my Mom passed away. I was also back in 1995 and
1997. In 1995, we drove by my grandmother's house. The
neighborhood looked like it had fallen on hard times. We also went to
Fallingwater, the Laurel Caves and the Fort. In 1997, I was back for
Aunt Babe's funeral.
I grew up in Illinois on a farm and Dad
would drive my Mom, my brother and me back to Lemont for the summer-
probably ten times during the 50's and early 60's. Seeing your maps
brought back such fond memories of the town. I remember Shady Grove.
Grandma taking us to St. Cecilia's. We took trips to Fort Necessity. It
wasn't as built up as it is now. Seeing the lighted Jumonville cross on
the hill. Driving to Brownfield to visit my aunt, uncle and cousin.
Rooting for the Pirates on TV. My brother and I loved walking down to
the Lemont post office and getting the mail. We would then go to
the little store next to the post office for the best tasting root
beer Popsicle.
I now live near San Francisco with my
husband and two children- only one is actually home now. I hope to go
back to Uniontown in the next year or so. I am interested in going to
the mining museum at the university near Uniontown. I will send you the
link separately. You may already know of this. I would like to ask
you if we (Calascio.com )can link your coal mining information to our
web site as that is what we are working on now to add to our web page.
My late cousin Mary-Jo Basinsky Thomas
designed the poster "The Doors of Uniontown"several years ago.
Have you ever seen it? They sold it in some cultural center downtown.
She had told me grandpa worked at the Clyde mine near Fredericktown. Did
you ever hear of it?
Just wanted to wish you the best- you
have a great web page. Keep up the good work.
Sandy Ludwick
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