Talk:Joseph John Szczesny (1920-1997)

Information to be integrated into Joseph & Margaret's articles

How I met my Joe

By Margaret Szczesny

When I was in my early twenties-after going with a lot of guys on dates and dancing, etc. One day I asked my mom-how do you know when you meet the right one? Being I used to go once every Tues. to St. Jude’s Novena with my best girlfriend-my mom said ask St. Jude to let me meet the right one. I did just that. On the ninth week, the last day of the Novena, my girlfriend & I met Joe (her cousin) for the first time-he just came back from World War II. We had to go to his house to meet his sister. Because his sister & my girlfriend & I used to go to dances together. The next week when my girlfriend met me to go to the Novena, she hands me a letter from her cousin Joe, asking me to go out with him. I accepted. Two years later, we were married. Then we were together for 49 years. Many years later, after we were married-he told me when he came back from the war he was very restless. So, when he went to New York-he visited the St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He lit a candle & said a prayer to meet the right girl for him. After that, he met me. Both of our prayers were answered. Also that was true love. Don’t you think?

Our Engagement

Every Friday or Saturday when he didn’t have to work, Joe came to see me. He lived in Jersey City. I lived in Hoboken. He had to take a bus. Before he came to my house he would stop at Loft’s Candy store and buy me a box of milk chocolates. He ate most of them-but the thought was there. Then we would go out. Every week he took me to New York to see a musical. It was fun. We enjoyed them & enjoyed being together. He never asked me to marry him, but being I consented to being his girl-he took it for granted, I guess. Every week he start giving me money to save for a ring. I was calm about it. Then, one day he asked me for the money, he said he’s going to get me my ring. Some guy was selling them that he knew. I thought nothing of it-gave him the money. Time went by-we were still dating but no ring. Then one night he came & showed me a large diamond ring. It looked beautiful. He said he had to bring it back to the guy-because he had it appraised and there was a large crack in it. That was that. What a let down. I was thinking that was just a lot of baloney-he’s not getting me any ring-but I never mentioned it. After that he didn’t either. We were still dating, then March 18, 1947 he came to visit. I was taking a nap on the couch-because I had to get up five A.M. to catch the six A.M. special bus to work. After work I was always tired. He woke me up and ssaid I have a star for your finger. I was still half asleep, I didn’t know what he was talking about. When I finally woke up, he put the ring on my finger. What a surprise! We were engaged. We were so overjoyed, we had to tell someone. So I put on my black Sealskin Coat and white scarf & gloves. Off we went to Union City to my brother’s house-to show off my ring. What a memorable day that was.

My Way of Life-Growing Up

By Margaret Szczesny

I’m writing this for no special reason because I know there’s a lot of people my age, still around, that lived the same way. I just wanted to leave something to my daughters to let them know the way my life was-as I remember it. I guess it was pretty much the same in some ways. Some heart-aches, some happiness. All in all a good life. Only minus the modern conveniences. We didn’t have any regrigerators. I guess the real rich people did-but we weren’t rich. We had an ice-box. It was made of wood. The top of the ice box opened up on hinges. That was where the ice went. The ice-man came around everyday. He had real large blocks of ice on his truck. You could buy a 10 cent piece of ice or 15 cent piece. He had an ice-pick & would chop it to the size you want. Put it in your ice-box, after leaving a trail of water drippings along the way. We always got the 10 cent piece, unless we were going away. We lived in Jersey City. Every now and then we went to my sister Kate’s house. She lived in Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York. It was about 65 miles away-but in those days of my childhood, it took about five hours to get there. There weren’t as many cars on the road, but the speed limit was different. My sister Eva’s husband Johnny would take my mother and me, and Theresa, my niece. We’d stay for the weekend. When we came home, the kitchen floor was all wet-because the ice-box has a pan underneath where the melted ice runs in. It has to be emptied so often, or the weekend-so out came the mop. What a mess. When we got half way to Aunt Kate’s house, we stopped near the woods. Everybody went in the bushes to empty their bladders. Then we’d have lunch. We brought coldcuts and bread, etc. Aunt Eva always had a couple of thermos full of hot coffee. All of us were coffee drinkers. We also had fruit. After eating we were on our way. Uncle John really drove slow. You’d think he was a turtle. It was always fun.

Memories of 232 Tenth Street There were two buildings on Tenth Street, Jersey City, N.J. 230 & 232. No others. I was born at 232 Tenth Street, on June 16, 1924. My sister said she ran to the corner druggist to borrow a scale. I weighed in at 12 lbs. What a bouncer. My mother lived on Tenth Street for 22 years. They were three family houses. In the back yard was a railroad, out in the open. Every day when the train passed it went kind of slow. He always tooted. The entineer always waved to us. The trains that passed in our back yard were steam trains. They put coals on a fire. I don’t recall. It’s so long ago. Later they changed to electric trains. One day right in back of our house-the electric train passed-the engineer waved as he always did. Then something happened. The train caught on fire. The lady upstairs was looking out of the window and screamed-her boyfriend was the engineer. He burned to death-what a tragedy. My mom was janitor for the two houses. I was about eight years old, but always helped her. Every weekend, usually on a Saturday, I’d scrubbed the wood steps and floor in the hall with a scrub brush. There were no rugs or linoleum covering-just wood. In the hallway on each floor was an open gas jet. Every evening before it got dark, I had to light them with a match. No globe or nothing. It was an open flame. When I think of it now, it was kinda spooky with the light flickering and casting shadows on the walls. There was never a fire. The toilet was in the hall. We were lucky-only 1 family on the floor. It was pretty good-some people in the neighborhood had their toilet in the yard. At least we had a pullchain to flush. We had no bathroom. Once a week, we take a bath in a round tin-tub. My mom would put it in the middle of the kitchen & fill it with hot water she heated on the stove in kettles. We didn’t think anything of it then-but can you imagine-what a difference now? I remember my grandpa living with us, he was 90 years old. He was my father’s father. I don’t remember what kind of bilding was next door, but my grandpa was watchman for it. He used to sit outside in an armchair in the evening. This was in the summer. I remember sitting on his lap. He had a long white beard & white hair like Santa. We would watch the lamp lighters light the street lamps across the street. One by one, they lit themwith a long pole-they were gas lights with an open globe on them. We used to roller skate in the gutter with ball bearing skates after they lit the lamps. I didn’t even remember any cars in the street. Only the green American Express Mail truck-it used to pass our house every evening. It had the large poster on the side with a picture of a pack of Double Mint Gum & with a picture of twins. The lady upstairs lived there for 22 years also. Our families were good friends. Her daughter Margie and I grew up together. I was older. Later on in years, we even worked together in a factory-breaking eggs to make powdered eggs. Her sisters and Aunt Kate used to go out together. She had two sisters. They were Polish and had relatives come in from Passaic. On Saturday night they used to come in a open car with writings all over-like the ones you see in the movies. Upstairs they always had a house full on weekends. After the weekend they had a lot of soda bottles left in the hall. So my girlfriend and I brought them to Mrs. Beans candy store to collect deposit on the bottles. We got half each I was happy, I got a small brown bag full of candy for two cents. I bought licorice hats, fifteen for a penny and 15 red candy dollars for a penny. That was a treat. Every Friday my mom made potatoe pancakes. When my friends sister came home from work-she walked in our house before going upstairs to hers. Nobody locked their doors, then. She would call my mom Ricey and come in and eat with us, then she would go home.

Memories of my Pop I remember when a horse and wagon came down the street with a rope tied on to a lot of tin cans and the driver of the wagon would be calling out, rags, rags & he’d ring a bell. Of course, he was called the rag man. He bought old rags and papers, etc. That was one way people could make a few dollars. My pop was one of those people. He had a wagon with built of sides-it looked like a wooden box on wheels. He roamed the streets before daybreak. It was dark yet. When I walked to school I used to pass him, he was on his way back. He’d look in barrels for rags and papers, pieces of copper, etc. After collecting them, he’d take them home and go down the cellar and sort them out. When the rag man came, he’d sell them. When I met him in the street I never thought anything of it. Now, I think what a shame. He wasn’t working, so that helped put food on the table. That was a way of life then, with a lot of people. One time he brought home a lot of boxes of candy, a cigar store thre out. The cigar store used them for window displas. He got fooled. Most of the boxes were filled with fake chocolates. A few had real candy in them and they were good chocolates. What a treat that was. When I think back, I can’t believe I ate them. We were poor and thought nothing of it. Also, I remember after the depression, they had bread lines, where they give away free food. My pop used to take me with him on a bread line. It was real early in the morning. It was dark yet. We lived one block away from Saint Francis Hospital, and in the morning the nuns used to give out stuff. When a child was with them, you’d get bread and buns.

Free Coffee It was very long ago, but I remember when my brother Pete lived with us. He wasn’t married yet, was still in High School. We lived in Jersey City. Hoboken was the next town. On the waterfront in Hoboken was a Maxwell House Coffee factory. One day, it was pretty early & there was a lot of commotion in the city. The Maxwell House factory was on fire and cans of coffee were floating down the river from Hoboken to Jersey City. That was the Hudson River. People were in boats, etc. picking up the coffee. My brother Pete had a canoe, so he put his canoe in the river & went to get my mom some coffee. We were all coffee drinkers, especially Maxwell House was one of the best in those days. He came home with a load of coffee. It was so exciting. My mother was happy because we didn’t have much, but mom never complained. We always had plenty of food on the table. I don’t know how she managed because my father wasn’t a good provider. Most of the time he was in another state. He was a cook for a railroad camp. He cooked for the men that took care of the rail road tracks, etc. When he was home, he was a gambler, played cards in the saloon & came home drunk most of the time. I’m ashamed to say. But that’s the way it was. Once he won a saloon in a card game. I used to go there in the afternoon & fill the little dishes with pretzels. Every Friday, it was free lunch for the customers. My mother made delicious clam chowder. It drew in a lot of customers. I never knew Dad then. We were young kids. Maybe I was nine & Dad (referring to Joseph Szczesny) was 13 years old. His mother used to send Dad to the saloon to buy clam chowder every Friday. Years ago people had little pails-if they wanted to-buy tap beer & take it home they would bring in these pails. Dad used to go with the pail & buy clam chowder. Isn’t that strange & I never met Dad until about fourteen years later. The saloon was right across the street from where he lived. Some time later my father lost the saloon in another card game. I guess a gambler never wins. His saloon was on Henderson Street & Steuben Street, Jersey City, N.J. on the corner.

Gone Fishing I must have been about twelve years old. I was on vacation in Port Jefferson, Long Island. When school closed, I stayed with my sister Kate for the whole summer, she lived there with her husband Paul Olson & daughter Ann. My brother Pete happened to be there too. We had a lot of fun times together. One day, he asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him. I said okay. So I put my bathing suit on, then I helped carry fishing poles & pail, etc. He didn’t have a car. We went to some private area. We had to go through Iron Gates which were opened. It was called Belle Air Estates. We walked on a road about two miles in to get to the water. It was the Long Island Sound. We fished from the beach. I don’t remember if we caught any fish, but I do remember it was low tide when we got there. We fished a long time & Pete said the tide is coming in-we better get out of there. Well, it was too late-we were surrounded by water. They dredge a lot of sand there & pile it up about three stories high. Our only way out was to climb one of these mounds of sand to get on the other side. Well, we start climbing-every few feet we’d keep slikding backwards. I’ll never forget it. I don’t know how but we made it to the top. It probably would’ve been a lot easier if we didn’t have to carry fishing poles, etc. Then we had to slide down-a lot of sand slid with us. It was exhausting. Then we had to walk back two miles to the gate. It was already getting dark. What a day, one I’ll never forget. Besides, I didn’t know then, but my brother had a hole in his heart. All I can say, God was with us. He lived his life to the fullest. His heart condition was discovered when he was seventeen & had his tonsils removed. He was rurning blue-a patient in the next bed called the nurse. That saved his life. He lived till 53 years old.

Misc Notes We wore bloomers, puffed out dress My honeymoon at Berkshires, receptionist loaned us her car My shower-gifts I got-lace doilies my sister had in her store window All the things we did together-I relive them in my thoughts.

Years ago-no welfare We were poor during depression so we were on relief. Twice a year my mother got a coupon to get me free shoes. We had to go to a certain shoe store. You had a choice black shoes with laces or black patent leather shoes. In the winter my mother got me the black with laces. Around Easter, she got me black patent leather. Most of the children in Jersey City had the same shoes. My mother got a food coupon for a certain store to by some food. Sometimes she had to go & stand on line to get a bag of free cornmeal. She always took me because I was about 5 years old.

This is how it was. When I was born at 232 10th Street in J.C. NJ on June 16, 1924 my sister Kate, 10 years older than me, had to run to the drug store to borrow a scale to get my weight at birth of 12 lbs, so my sister Eva tells me (years later). I was my mother’s 7th baby.

We dressed up for Thanksgiving. I was always a gypsy. Then we went begging.

Coney Island Adventures With my niece Anne, somebody stole our carfare 22 cents while we were swimming in ocean An old man sitting under an umbrella went to use, gave me car fare after I told him

My sisters Eva & Lizzie were already married & had children 1 year or so older than me. We got to be a large family.

When I was a little girl, I lived 1 block from the Fire House. When it was a real hot day in summer, the firemen opened up a pump, put up a shower, for the neighborhood children. It was fun. When they shut it off, we plop in the water in the curb. They blocked off the street. Not many cars then. I’m 81 now-where did the time go?

I remember it was still dark out in the AM. When I was about 5 years old, my father took me to St. Frances’ Hospital in the garage, nuns used to give bread to the poor & if a child comes, too. They give cup cakes. This time they gave pigs feet. I remember telling my father, pop they have whiskers. He replied-That’s OK. I’ll shave them when we get home.

Laugh, laugh, laugh. I got high putting tile down in the laundry room.

He never left me. He’s always in my heart.

Fire house-9th Street Showers

Hair-cuts by Pop’s bar friends

Peddler-mom takes apple, wipes it off in her apron & hands to me

When I was young, about 9 years old, I lived across the street from a convent. Now and then the nun would go to the 5 & 10 cent store, but not alone. They asked me to go. When we returned, they gave me a handful of pennies.

This story is about a dog. His name was barney. His fur was a light brown. He was a cute little guy. He was a small dog-never grew real big. The people tat owned him neglected him. The owner had a jewelry store-had to go to the store every day. Her husband was a invalid. Stayed home alone all day. Barney roamed all over the neighborhood. It was in Hamburg-a wooded area-real pretty. The houses were far apart. Everybody knew him My grandson had to walk a little way to get the school bus. One day in the winter, he came home from school, it was real cold & Barney was out roaming. So when my grandson came from school, nobody was home, so he brought Barney in the house. Barney laid down in front of the fireplace. Then my grandson cooked some hot dogs for himself & shared them with Barney. From then on he lived there. His owner knew it. They couldn’t care less. At first my grandson used to bring him home to his house, but it followed him home. When he went to school, he used to go to the bus with him. After school, he was by the bus waiting for my grandson. Write about dog catcher.

Grandpa

Correction to death list: Eva Marie Siney (7/28/1903-5/21/1994)

Robert Walsh, Jr. (Evelin) 43 Dianne Court 07012 Henerich & Bertha Shotis, 7056 Bowan, District 9, MI Frank Szczesny (Irene), 5715 NW 65yh Terr., Tamarac, FL 33321

Per mom, never went back to France. Looked into it, went to a travel agent (from his notes), and was going to fly to Paris with grandma.

From mom:

Grandpa was a firefighter in Oregon as part of the Army Core of Engineers. Also made rock walls, such as in Pallisades Park in New Jersey, and in other parks, etc. Ben Dzyleski was his friend since childhood.

From Grandpa: Swam under barges in Hudson river, raced with other children, mother chased him and beat him when she found out Always wanted to be a pilot. Was finally selected, but missed the call. Said he’s happy, because then he never would have met grandma Listened to Meltzer and other talk radio Grandma liked big band music Grandpa liked polka music and attending polish festivals. That’s why he wanted to be buried in Pennsylvania. Liked Jimmy Sturr.

Played guitar, liked to play “You are my sunshine” Also occasionally played the harmonica.

Crane operator (longshoreman), began to ILA (International Longshoreman Association), never made first pick because he wouldn’t pay the mafia

Grandma’s jobs Radio transistors (during war) Cracked eggs on assembly line Worked in 5 corner bakery in journal square in the 1950s and Malberts on Central Avenue Also paid by democrats to advertise their campaigns (posters, flyers, etc.)

Took potatoes that fell off the train carts (when mom was young)

7 dwarfs and lobster tails for not snitching on the mafia

Grandma went with her mother a few times to Michigan

Hawaii for anniversary, trip bought by 3 daughters

Tora Lora Lora (song during their honeymoon), Berkshires in MA, grandma would often sing the song later

Liked to read about other countries, nature, liked watching non-fictional TV programming

Sometimes drove the foreign cars off the ships

Attended school until the 6th grade, and quit to help his mother

Liked to draw

Went to Our Lady of Czestochowa School

Liked planting trees & knew the names of all different varieties, collected leaves

Grandma: salt & pepper shakers & dolls (children and grandchildren bought her souveneirs)

Lived through the great depression, didn’t spend money, had a record player, but only simple TV and radio, hid money in pillows and other places throughout the house, always kept numerous bank accounts, didn’t trust leaving the money in one bank

Cars: Plymouth Valient, Aries K Car

Grandpa took children to get paper at night and get ice cream

Liked to go to the shore, retired in Ocean County

Grandpa liked to make wood carvings & small pieces of furniture. Also made three dimentional straw-paper stars.

Devout Roman Catholic.