My Favorite Books of 2024 (Pt. 1): First Generation Lemko-American Businessmen

At the recent convention of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies  (ASEEES) in Boston, Mass., it was noted that 2024 was a banner year for new books on Carpatho-Rusyn topics published in the English language. These include:

• Treading Paths: Lemko Literature in the Years 1848-1918, by Helena Duć-Fajfer [purchase | preview]
• Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus’: The Sojourns of Petr Bogatyrev and Ivan Olbracht, by Patricia A. Krafcik [purchase | preview]
  
• From Nowhere to Somewhere: The Carpatho-Rusyn Movement. A Personal History, by Paul R. Magocsi [purchase | read online]
  

While these are all worthy of the time and attention of anyone interested in Carpatho-Rusyn topics, in my biased outlook I have two books I’d like to highlight here due to their relevance to Carpatho-Rusyns in Pennsylvania.

My first selection is by Lemko Rusyn-American specialist in Lemko history, Bogdan Horbal:

From Thatched-Roof Houses to Immigrant Entrepreneurship: First Generation Lemko-American Businessmen (Higganum, CT: Carpathian Institute, 2024)

From the book notes:

The Lemko people are a numerically small population of highlanders who, for centuries, inhabited the northern slopes of their Carpathian Mountains in what is today the Polish borderland with Slovakia. In the late nineteenth century, they started arriving in the United States.

With almost no resources and little education on their arrival, they were forced to accept hard and dangerous labor that most of them kept for their entire working lives.

Some, however, opened small businesses.

This book offers an overview of Lemko entrepreneurship during the early decades of immigration along with more than two hundred biographies of Lemko immigrant businessmen. It is richly illustrated with over three hundred historical advertisements, photos, documents, and maps.

We know that Pennsylvania was for Lemkos, and all Carpatho-Rusyns in general, the top destination when they emigrated to the United States until at least the mid-1920s. And so a large portion of the businessmen (and a few women) profiled in this book spent at least part of their lives and careers in Pennsylvania. Among them:

• Jacob Adamiak - Mayfield, Lackawanna Co.
• Peter Barna - Edwardsville, Luzerne Co.
• Peter Basalyga - Jessup, Lackawanna Co.
• Daniel Bavolack - McAdoo, Schuylkill Co.
• William "Wasil" Bincarowsky - Mauch Chunk & Nesquehoning, Carbon Co.
• Peter Bohaczyk - Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• John Boroshovich - Philadelphia
• Andrew Bybel - Coaldale, Schuylkill Co.
• John P. Chowanes - Shenandoah, Schuylkill Co.
• Alex C. Chylack - Saint Clair, Schuylkill Co.
• John Chylack - Saint Clair, Schuylkill Co.
• Theodore P. Chylack - Saint Clair, Schuylkill Co.
• George Chylack - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Hnat Cikot - Shenandoah, Schuylkill Co.
• Peter Cirko - Lower Askam (Nanticoke), Luzerne Co.
• Steve Corba - Carnegie, Allegheny Co.
• Metro Drosdak - Hauto, Carbon Co.
• John Dudra - Charleroi, Washington Co.
• Nicholas Dzwinchik - Nanticoke (Hanover Section) & Larksville, Luzerne Co.
• Ozim Dzwonczyk - Mayfield, Lackawanna Co.
• Joseph Harry Fekula - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Jacob Gambal - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Mitrofan Gambal - Old Forge, Lackawanna Co.
• Wasco Gambal - Old Forge, Lackawanna Co.
• John Glowa - Excelsior/Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Charles D. Grucelak - Scranton, Lackawanna Co.
• Nicefor Habura - Excelsior/Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Alex Halaburda - Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• Michael Halenda - Mahanoy City & Frackville, Schuylkill Co.
• Michael N. Halkowicz - Mount Carmel/Diamondtown/Atlas, Northumberland Co.
• Nicholas Halkowicz - Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• George Hassick - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Stephen Havrilak - Simpson, Lackawanna Co.
• Akim Hawran - Simpson, Lackawanna Co.
• Thomas Hawran - Simpson, Lackawanna Co.
• Michael Hoblak - Kingston/Edwardsville, Luzerne Co.
• John Holda - Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• Justin Homiak - Diamondtown/Atlas, Northumberland Co.
• Paul Homiak - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Theodore Homiak - Mount Carmel & Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Peter Horoschak - Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• Simon Horoshchak - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Basil Hrishko - Scranton, Lackawanna Co. & Allentown, Lehigh Co.
• Daniel Humecki - Heidelberg, Allegheny Co. & Philadelphia
• John Kaczmarczyk - Mahanoy City, Schuylkill Co.
• Joseph Kaczmarczyk - Mahanoy City, Schuylkill Co.
• Gmitro Kapitula - McAdoo, Schuylkill Co.
• Charles Kasych - Allentown, Lehigh Co.
• Cost Koban - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Lewis Kochansky - Beaver Meadows, Carbon Co.
• Julian Kopyscianski - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Roman Korbicz - Shamokin/Johnson City (Ranshaw), Northumberland Co.
• Alex Kotys - Monessen, Westmoreland Co.
• Alex Kowalchik - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Onufer Kowtko - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Hilary Krenitsky - Simpson, Lackawanna Co.
• Ilko Kudlik - Monessen, Westmoreland Co.
• Dennis A. Kulanda - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Nicholas Kulanda - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Phillip Kulanda - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Daniel Kurey - Northampton, Northampton Co.
• Peter C. Kuzmicz - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Thomas Lahutsky - Mahanoy City, Schuylkill Co.
• Peter Legosh - Edwardsville, Luzerne Co.
• Efrem Luczkowec - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Ivan Madzelan - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Gabriel Maliniak - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• John L. Merena - Excelsior/Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Seman Metrinko/Mitrenko - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Onufry Joseph Murdza - Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• Phillip Murdza - Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• Stephen Murdza - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Paul Nescott/Nyskot - Jeannette, Westmoreland Co.
• Harry Onuschak - North Catasauqua, Lehigh Co.
• Jacob Onuschak - Mahanoy City, Schuylkill Co. & Northampton, Northampton Co.
• Joseph Oseniak - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Emil J. Paulishak - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Joseph Pelak - Hudson, Luzerne Co.
• Max Pelak - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Andrew Pelechacz - Hazleton, Luzerne Co.
• Michael/Metro Porada - McKees Rocks, Allegheny Co.
• John Puschak - Coaldale, Schuylkill Co.
• Michael Radio - Allentown, Lehigh Co.
• John Renchkowsky - Charleroi, Washington Co.
• John Repa - Wilkes-Barre & Kingston, Luzerne Co.
• George Retick - Shenandoah, Schuylkill Co.
• Wasyl Seedor - Frackville, Schuylkill Co.
• Peter Serniak - Mayfield, Lackawanna Co.
• Alexis Sharshon - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Alex Shlanta - Mayfield, Lackawanna Co.
• Michael Shostak - West Hazleton, Luzerne Co.
• Andrew Skwier/Skweir - McAdoo, Schuylkill Co.
• Marko Smetana - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Peter Sopchak - Simpson, Lackawanna Co.
• Fannie Stoppi (née Fenna Kicak) - Frackville, Schuylkill Co.
• Wasily Sudia - Grapeville (Jeannette), Westmoreland Co.
• Teodore Swantko - Nanticoke (Hanover Section), Luzerne Co.
• John Talpash - Shamokin & Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• Theodore Talpash - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• John Tatusko - Frackville, Schuylkill Co.
• Michael Tehansky - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Stephen F. Telep - Mayfield, Lackawanna Co.
• Arkhip/Archie Trembach - Mayfield, Lackawanna Co.
• Enoch/Hnat Trochanowski - Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• Samuel A. Trohanowsky - Johnstown/Conemaugh, Cambria Co.
• John W. Turko - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.
• Theodor Wachna - Mayfield, Lackawanna Co.
• Nicholas Wartella - Edwardsville, Luzerne Co.
• John Worhach - Mount Carmel, Northumberland Co.
• Theodore Worhacz - Shamokin, Northumberland Co.
• Nicholas Yackanicz - Beaver Meadows, Carbon Co.
• Wasil/Wasco Yackanicz - Beaver Meadows, Carbon Co.
• Thomas A. Youshock - Olyphant, Lackawanna Co.

You'll also find information in the book on many Lemko entrepreneurs in other states, especially other major centers for Lemkos, such as Ansonia, Conn., Cleveland, Ohio, Jersey City and Passaic/Garfield/Clifton N.J., and Yonkers, N.Y.

Bogdan Horbal is the Curator for Slavic and East European Collections at the New York Public Library He holds a Ph.D. in history (University of Wroclaw, 2005) and MLS (Queens College, CUNY, 1999). He has numerous peer-reviewed articles and several books to his credit.

Bogdan is the current president of the Lemko Association. He was also the 2024 recipient of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society New Jersey Chapter’s John Mihalasky Award – congratulations!

From Thatched-Roof Houses to Immigrant Entrepreneurship: First Generation Lemko-American Businessmen is available in hardcover or paperback from the Carpatho-Rusyn Research Center, the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, and other online booksellers (e.g., that tropical rainforest’s namesake and others). You can also preview the book here.

This book is an amazing treasure-trove of information about Lemkos in the U.S., most of which has never been explored in depth and never before in one place. I'd call it a must-read! And I was thrilled to support Bogdan in gathering some visual materials and identifying/verifying many birthplaces and burial locations for the Lemko immigrants profiled in the book.

Watch for my second pick in the next post!

Original material is © by the author, Richard D. Custer; all rights reserved.