When I run
into a family genealogy roadblock, I always say, “There is someone out there or
some document which has the answer, I just need to find it!” Time and again, I have been proven
right. I have kept digging and either
found a document or connected with someone (usually a distant relative) who has the answer!
My blog has
turned out to be a great source of finding relatives, too. A little over a month ago, Kathy Kasich
Gallagher, found my website and connected with me. Kathy is my 2nd cousin once
removed (not even sure what that means), but it meant that I wasn’t aware of
her existence (or she mine), prior to her finding my website.
I reached out
to her and we started an email correspondence regarding our shared ancestors,
Fedor Gula and Marina (Mary) Bybel Gula.
Kathy had recently visited the ancestral home of the Gula family,
Wolowiec, Poland.
I am very
lucky to have connected with Kathy. She
shared with me a Gula family genealogy that my great aunt, Rosella Gula Higgins
Ficklin had compiled in 1995. Rosella has
since passed away, but not before sharing copies of her research with several
family members.
Based on this
compiled genealogy I wanted to share information about Fedor and Marina Bybel
Gula.
Fedor and
Marina (Mary) Bybel Gula were born in the small village of Wolowiec, in present
day southern Poland. At that time there were only about 700 residents, there are much less today. At the time of their birth, Wolowiec was part of Austrian controlled Galicia. The records
suggest they were poor subsistence farmers.
Fedor and
Mary Bybel had 9 children (3 died in infancy all born in Wolowiec (The Russian spelled Wolowiec as Volovice):
- Rose (b. March 11, 1895 d. February 4, 1976 – Shelton, CT)
- Metro Haluschak m. 1913
- Anna (b. February 1,1874 d. May 5, 1925 – Hillsboro, IL)
- Dymtro Pregon m. June 6, 1903
- Andrew (died in infancy)
- Anastasia(No record of Anastasia)
- Peter (He came to the US, but returned to Europe and is believed to have died in WW I)
- George (b. March 18, 1889 d .May 21, 1967 – Scottdale, PA)
- Mary Korba m. July 31, 1915
- John (b. December 18, 1895 d. April 19, 1968 – Scottdale, PA)
- Mary Demnovich m. June 11,1924
- Rosalie (died in infancy)
- Mary (died in infancy)
Just the
first of many future posts to come on the Gula family. This is a picture of my great grandparents: George Gula and Mary Korba Gula of Scottdale, PA.
Please email
me if you are related to the Gula family.
I am happy to share with you any info that I have on the family.
I am happy to share with you any info that I have on the family.
Hi Chris
ReplyDeleteI was looking for a place where my father was born. Wołowieci village in Poland. and the first site I saw was yous.
my father's name is Yuri Gula, he was born in the village in 1934. In 1945, they were evicted to Ukraine. I know that his dad Ivan Gula was married to Pauline (born 1906). He was older than her, but I do not know the exact date of birth.
Maybe you have some information about Ivan Gula.
thank you
Anya
Hi Anja,
DeleteWe are almost certainly related. Wolowiec was a small village and there were only a few Gula families in the village. Unfortunately, I haven't heard or have any record of Ivan Gula born in 1906. Do you know if he might have moved to the US? I would be happy to research him for you if he lived in the US. I haven't been able to get any of the Polish records, yet.
Good luck with your search.
Chris
Hello, I realize this is a bit of a long shot, my family is also Gula. My Great-grandmother was Mary Gula, born in 1903, Roselle NJ, her family came over from Poland (although it seems that the borders were a bit flexible at the time) shortly before her birth. She had several sisters and brothers, including Nickolas Vannecki (who was her brother from her mother's first marriage) and her mother's maiden name was Dilong, or some variation thereof. The father, who was the Gula connection, left the family when they were living in Syracuse NY. My great-grandmother and all of the children dropped out of school to go to work at very young ages as a result. I don't know where they were from in Poland, and any assistance is greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteHi Michellanne, as you may have seen from some of my posts, Gula is a Lembko or Rusyn name. It is likely that we are distantly related somehow and likely your family lived in what is now southern Poland, but are not ethnically Polish. I don't have any specific information on your family. What was Mary's husband name and when did they live in NJ and Syracuse?
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