STEVE, SR. SENDS FOR ŠTEFANKO

In 1921 when Štefan was eight years old his father made arrangements for Emerencia (Emera) Varačka, a twenty- three-year-old woman from Drahovce, to accompany Štefan to America.  The route would be via train from Czechoslovakia through Germany where they were to board a boat to Liverpool, England, and then cross the Atlantic Ocean to Ellis Island in New York Harbor. The final parts of the trip would be on trains to Chicago and then Iowa.

They left Slovakia in July. While on the train to the port in Germany, Štefan stuck his head out the window to take a look.  He got cinders from the train’s smoke stack in his eyes and they turned red. There was a health inspection before they got on the boat.  Because of his red eyes the inspectors thought Štefan had trachoma, a contagious eye infection.  So he was sent back to Slovakia*.

At Ellis Island there were heath inspections to assure that diseased persons were not admitted into the Country.  If one of their passengers was rejected it was the responsibility of the steamship company to return that passenger to where they came from.  To avoid this expense the steamship companies carried out their own inspections before passengers were allowed to board.  To learn more about the immigration process including the health inspections view this 28-min video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4wzVuXPznk

*Steve told me the story about sticking his head out of the train window and getting cinders in his eyes and he thought that is why he was turned back at the boat dock.  But he also told me that he had been hospitalized in Bratislava for his eyes.  Perhaps he really did have trachoma, an infection that may lead to blindness.

EMERA ARRIVES IN IOWA 
While Štefan was sent back to Czechoslovakia, Emera, his escort, continued on the trip to America. His father Steve, Sr. planned to meet them at the train station in Fort Dodge, Iowa. When Emera arrived without his son he asked, “Where is Štefanko?” She replied that he was sick so that he was sent back to Slovakia. Steve Sr. then said to her “And you came anyway?!” Steve Sr. may have told his son about this exchange of words with Emera at some point.

Regardless of his disappointment in Emera for not having fulfilled her task of bringing Štefanko to America, Steve Sr. married Emera three weeks after she arrived in Iowa (They were married on August 21, 1921). This made me wonder if Steve, Sr. had had a relationship with Emera before he left Slovakia. But that was unlikely. He was 28 when he left Drahovce in 1914. She was only 16 at that time.

Steve, Sr. might have known Emera’s older brothers back in Drahovce. There are six men with the name Varačka (Emera’s maiden name) listed on the war memorial that I posted a photo of on March 13. Were some of these Emera’s brothers?

Perhaps Steve and Emera were writing to each other when he was in Iowa and she was in Drahovce. Maybe they exchanged photos. Steve, Sr. might have sent Emera the photo that I posted on March 11.

Here is a picture that includes Emera. She is the front row - third from the left (there is a close-up above).  The photo was taken in 1920, the yeare before she left Drahovce. It includes the participants in an opera named, "Škriatok" or Elf. I received this picture from Helen Miklo, widow of Joe, who was the youngest son of Steve Sr. and Emera. Helen told me the Emera enjoyed singing and that she had a beautiful voice. (Click on the photo for larger image.) 

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