Mary Meloy’s Legacy
Letter about her grandmother, Juliann Slivka Baulovich (Baulovics)
coming here from Europe in 1921.
This letter is a (fictitious) conversation between a mother,
Anna, and her daughter, Juliann. In truth, Juliann, after her husband,
Paul, had died, was living in Czechoslovakia with her 3 year old
daughter, Anne. Paul’s brother, Vasil (Charles), was in the
United States and asked Juliann and her daughter to come to the
U.S. and get married to him. Juliann is now having this conversation
with her mother asking permission to let her go, or shall I say
telling her she is going to the U.S. to marry Vasil:
Juliann (J): Mother, I am going,
I can’t stay here any longer! Vasil has asked me to marry
him and I am going.
Anna (A): But it is such a long journey and there are other men
here in our homeland, why don’t you choose one of them?
J: Because, Mother, I think I love Vasil. I loved his brother, Paul,
with all my heart and he died and is gone and Vasil is the closest
I can get to him. He looks just like him Mom, he sent me a picture.
My child needs a father, one like her own father.
A: But you have never met him?!
J: I know but he is his brother, he must have some similarities.
I believe he really does love me. He writes that in his letters.
Please, Mother, send me good wishes, please. I promise I will come
back to my homeland here in Czechoslovakia after I get settled.
You can come visit me too.
A: No my dear that will not happen.
J: Well, Mother, it won’t if you don’t want it to!
A: I don’t want you to go. Who will tend to the house when
we are gone, the farm?
J: My sisters will, Helen and Anne. I know, I know, I will miss
them too, I will miss them all. I will miss you. But I must follow
my heart and I cannot stay here. Vasil promised he will take care
of me. Don’t you want me to be well taken care of? Are you
only thinking of yourself? I love you Mother. I will miss you. I
promise to come visit, I promise.
The truth unfolded as Juliann
did move to the U.S., never to return to her homeland. She took
a boat vessel, Blucher, to Ellis Island in 1921 and met her husband
to be, Vasil, in Johnson City, Tenn. He was in the Veteran’s
hospital taking care of an illness. They would then move to Dunmore,
PA and have 2 more children, Helen and Mary. Vasil died in 1925.
Juliann raised her 3 daughters alone but with pride and never to
marry again nor return back to her family in Europe. Periodically,
she would write to her family. As she raised her family and spoke
of Europe, the story unfolded further. Juliann, according to custom,
went to live with her in-laws after Paul died in Czechoslovakia,
but they were mean to her and did not want to take care of her and
Anne. Perhaps they were all sad and grieving? I believe she needed
to find her own way and take care of her daughter. Maybe, it was
the only way out? Helen’s daughter, Mary Helene, would have
a similar conversation in 1978, when she also wanted to move to
California and start a new life. However, they did visit each other
and kept a strong relationship despite their distance.
In May, 2007, Mary Helene would
return to her grandmother’s homeland!
