It Wasn’t a Dream

Not long before she died, my great-aunt Florence (Florence Mae Orsha Fetekie) told me a story of when she was a young girl sitting in the backseat of her mother’s car. Her aunt, Mary Orsha, was in the passenger seat, and the two women talked about a child buried in New York. Florence couldn’t recall if this event truly happened or if she dreamt the scenario. She knew of no one buried in New York and never questioned her mother about the event.

In retelling this story to my brother, he asked if I had done the research to prove Florence’s story true. At that point, I had not. But together, my brother and I began digging. We discovered that Florence wasn’t dreaming, and in fact, there is a child buried in New York.

Anna Zagaiko and Michal Czernega married on 10 February 1910 in New York[1]. Anna was born in Bolszowce, Galicia[2] (current day Bilshivtsi, Ukraine), and Michal was born in Dorohiv, Galicia (current day Dorohiv, Ukraine). Less than three weeks later, on 28 February 1910, Michal died[3].

On 16 July 1910, their daughter Mary Czernega was born in New York City[4]. On 14 April 1914, at the age of three, Mary died of a virus of the heart. If she had been alive today, this virus would have been treatable. Mary is buried in a pauper’s grave in Calvary Cemetery in Queens, NY. I hope one day soon to visit little Mary, and perhaps be able to give her a proper gravesite marker so that she isn’t forgotten once again.

 

[1] New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan; Volume Number: 1

[2] Record of Detained Aliens 1820-1957; New York, New York

[3] Extracted Death Index, New York, New York, 1862-1948

[4] Death certificate

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