Joseph Petrasek ^{1 2 3 4 5}

  General Notes:

On his 1918 WW I Draft Registration card, he indicated his first name spelled as "Josef" instead of the Americanized "Joseph", yet he signed the card as "Joseph Petrasek". He was of medium height and medium build with black eyes and black hair. He also gave his occupation as a weaver for the Audiger & Meyer Silk Company at 130 Bond Street in Paterson, New Jersey. He had not yet naturalized as a US citizen and was listed as an "alien".
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There was seemingly another Joseph Petrasek in the same area but this one was born on 24 Dec 1893 in Kempa, Slovakia making him about 10 year younger. He also worked as a weaver at the Audiger & Meyer Silk Company in Paterson. On his 1918 WW I Draft Registration card, he lived at 378 Highland Avenue in Passaic, NJ.. His WW II Draft Registration Card shows him living at 16 Yereance Avenue in Clifton, NJ with a wife named Catherine. The similarities between the two are remarkable and I'm only assuming that they are different persons but probably related in some manner.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He has alternate birth date of January 1885 and a birth location of Austria.

This birth date was provided on the 1915 New Jersey State Census. It also was referenced by his age of 45 on the 1930 US Census.

. ^{3 5}

• He immigrated in 1902.
¹

• He appeared on the 1910 US Census in Garfield, NJ on 2 May 1910. ¹

1910 US Census
Sheet 36A, District 21, Family 677, Roll 868
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
27 Semel (?) Avenue; Home rented
Married 4 years
Joseph Petrasek..Head..26..AUSTRIA..Immig. 1902..Weaver, Factory
(Living with wife and 2 children.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 14 Mar 1883, then his age should have been 27 instead of 26.
.

• 1915 New Jersey State Census: 1915, in Garfield, NJ. ⁵ 1915 New Jersey State Census
Sheet 44B, Family 946, Line 91
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
Joe Petrasek..Austria..Jan 1885
(Living with wife and 3 children.)

NOTE - His birth date is believed to be 14 Mar 1883 instead of Jan 1885.
.

• On 12 September 1918, he registered for the World War I Draft at East Rutherford, NJ.

Name: Josef Petrasek
Nationality: Austria (Czecho-Slov)
Birth Date: 14 Mar 1883
. ⁶

• He appeared on the 1920 US Census in Garfield, NJ on 2 January 1920. ²

1920 US Census
Sheet 1A, District 44, Family 7, Line Number25, Roll 1018, Ward 4
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
11 Semel Avenue; home owned, no mortgage
Joseph Petrasek..Head..36..Austria..Immig. 1902..Weaver, Silk Mill
(Living with wife, 4 children, and uncle.)
.

• He appeared on the 1930 US Census in Garfield, NJ on 15 April 1930. ³

1930 US Census
Sheet 23B, District 97, Family 485, Roll 1312
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
11 Semel Avenue; home owned, $7,000
Joseph Petrasek..Head..45..Slovakia..Immig. 1901..Naturalized..Weaver, Silk, Mill
(Living with wife and 4 children.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 14 Mar 1883, then his age should have been 47 instead of 45.
.

• He appeared on the 1940 US Census in Garfield, NJ on 8 April 1940. ⁴

1940 US Census
Sheet 7B, District 2-138, Family 138, Roll 2308
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
11 Semel Avenue; Home owned, $2,000
Last residence: same house
Joseph Petrasek..Head..56..Slovakia..10th grade..Weaver, Woolen Mill..earned $600 in 1939
(Living with wife and 2 sons.)
.

Joseph married Christina Screwik in 1906.^{1 2 3 4} (Christina Screwik was born in 1888 in SLOVAKIA ^{1 3 4} and died on 6 October 1957 in Clifton, NJ.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1910 US Census in Garfield, NJ on 2 May 1910. ¹

1910 US Census
Sheet 36A, District 21, Family 677, Roll 868
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
27 Semel (?) Avenue; Home rented
Married 4 years
Joseph Petrasek..Head..26..AUSTRIA..Immig. 1902..Weaver, Factory
Christun Petrasek..Wife..22..AUSTRIA..2/2..Immig. 1896
Mary Petrosek..Daughter..3..NJ
Andrew Petrosek..Son..3m..NJ

NOTE - There were six other boarders living in the household with the 4 adults coming from "Austria". Their surnames were Petrasek, Kuentz, Petrosek, and Hulkez which means they may have been some siblings of Joseph Petrasek.

NOTE - The census enumerator wrote that their place of birth was "Austria-Slovakia" and the language spoken in the household was "Slovak".
.

• 1915 New Jersey State Census: 1915, in Garfield, NJ. ⁵ 1915 New Jersey State Census
Sheet 44B, Family 946, Line 91
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
Joe Petrasek..Austria..Jan 1885
Cutina Petrasek..Austria..Jul 1893
Joseph Petrasek..New Jersey..Mar 1907
Mary Petrasek..New Jersey..Jul 1908
Edward Petrasek..New Jersey..Apr 1912
Andrew Petrasek..Austria..Dec 1856
.

• They appeared on the 1920 US Census in Garfield, NJ on 2 January 1920. ²

1920 US Census
Sheet 1A, District 44, Family 7, Line Number25, Roll 1018, Ward 4
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
11 Semel Avenue; home owned, no mortgage
Joseph Petrasek..Head..36..Austria..Immig. 1902..Weaver, Silk Mill
Kristina Petrasek..Wife..32..Austria..Immig. 1894
Joseph Petrasek Jr...Son..13..NJ
Mary Petrasek..Daughter..10..NJ
Edward Petrasek..Son..7..NJ
William Petrasek..Son..2..NJ
Andrew Petrasek..Uncle..54..Austria
Mary Surma..Boarder..45..Austria
.

• They appeared on the 1930 US Census in Garfield, NJ on 15 April 1930. ³

1930 US Census
Sheet 23B, District 97, Family 485, Roll 1312
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
11 Semel Avenue; home owned, $7,000
Joseph Petrasek..Head..45..Slovakia..Immig. 1901..Naturalized..Weaver, Silk, Mill
Christina Petrasek..Wife..41..Slovakia..Immig. 1895..Naturalized
Mary Petrasek..Dau..20..NJ..Weaver, Silk Mill
Edward Petrasek..Son..18..NJ..Apprentice, Engraving Company
William Petrasek..Son..12..NJ
Rudolph Petrasek..Son..4-7/12..NJ
.

• They appeared on the 1940 US Census in Garfield, NJ on 8 April 1940. ⁴

1940 US Census
Sheet 7B, District 2-138, Family 138, Roll 2308
Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey
11 Semel Avenue; Home owned, $2,000
Last residence: same house
Joseph Petrasek..Head..56..Slovakia..10th grade..Weaver, Woolen Mill..earned $600 in 1939
Christine Petrasek..Wife..51..Slovakia..2nd grade
William Petrasek..Son..22..NJ..9th grade..Laborer, Paper Mill..earned $1560 in 1939
Rudolph Petrasek..Son..14..NJ..8th grade
.

  Marriage Notes:

Joseph had indicated on the 1910 US Census that he immigrated to the US in 1902 and that he and Christina had been married for 4 years. That would place the marriage at about 1906. Christinia had immigrated in 1896. I have not been able to locate a marriage document in any location but the surnames may be so misspelled that it will be difficult to locate the document.
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It seems likely that Joseph and Christina had a son named Andrew who was born about 1909 and appears in the 1910 US Census with the family. However, his name no longer appears on the 1915 New Jersey State Census, 1920 US Census or 1930 US Census leading one to believe that he may have died sometime between 1910 and 1915.

If this is true, then their 5th child, William Andrew Petrasek, was given his middle name as a memorial to this lost son.
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The birth locations for Joseph and Christina appear under different names depending upon the date of the document. The area of Slovakia (now the Republic of Slovakia) was known through history under different names such as Austria-Hungary, Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary-Slovakia, etc.
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