I'm hoping for some help from anyone recognizing these names: SPEHAR, SCHEFA, SCHAEFFER, NALEISH, RAITH, all from 1907 in Milwaukee. Does anyone reading this have a city directory for the approximate year, maybe even 1910 in the city of Milwaukee? Could you do a lookup? I've been trying to find information on my aunt's parents, not that she'd ever thank me. When I do turn up a tidbit, she always seems very interested, but never remembers what I've shown her, and her kids, my cousins, mostly only want to know about the blond side of the family. Croatia is so far away and everyone there has dark hair and swarthy skin, almost as though they're gypsies. Could anything be worse? Ah, well, some of aunt's cousins ARE interested and have been quite helpful. In the interests of pure research then, I've tried to find my aunt's father at Ellis Island. The index has been touchy sometimes when I do searches, and previously I had > not turned him up. Tonight I found him as Mato SCHEFA of Novaki, Croatia ( > near Virovitica ), possibly > traveling with Franjo and Rosalia NALEISH, NALEUH of Novaki, both the couple > and he going to Milwaukee. The handwriting is rather hard to read, Mato is > clearly 27 but it was transcribed as age 22. At least on this page of the > manifest, no one else is from Novaki, just these 3. > They are going to join: > Franjo brother Josef ZAREC > Rosalie friend Franjo RAITH > both of those at 219 First Avenue, Milwaukee > Mato friend Miha SPEHAR > AT 99 1/2 N. 7th Street, Milwaukee > > Big question: have any of you ever heard of any of these names? > > One of my frustrations is that the Sefer/Schaeffer line stops at Matt, > going back. I'm certain he has relatives, I just haven't turned them up. > Perhaps he even has a sister or brother in Milwaukee. At the time he > emigrated, his wife and eldest son were left behind in Novaki. That son > recently died in Milwaukee and my aunt is elderly and has only one sister, in > poor health, left. It would please me greatly to tell her of lost cousins > found. I'd welcome suggestions for further searches but would particularly > delight in hearing from someone linked with these names above. Mato became Matt SCHAEFFER in Milwaukee. This may be a name connected with Michael SCHAEFER of the former bakery on 35th Street, originating in the same part of Croatia, but if so the two families have lost the connection. Can you help put the links together? > > > Half excitedly, > Ashley

Ashley: I've got a 1910 Milwaukee book with quite a few Schaeffers (none on 35th and no Michaels or Matts). Five Raiths however and four of them are Franks. None of the others connect. Frank lab h 353 Hamilton Frank cooper h 471 25th Frank Painter h 1176024th Frank Jr lab h 471025th John lab h 1176 24th That's the trouble with kids today - they don't know the meaning of the word "exotic"!!! Peg > From: Ashley Tiwara <grubisic@netwurx.net> > Reply-To: CROATIA-L@rootsweb.com > Date: Thu, 01 Nov 2001 22:42:25 -0600 > To: CROATIA-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [CROATIA-L] Spehar, Schefa, Schaeffer, Naleish, Raith in Milwaukee > Resent-From: CROATIA-L@rootsweb.com > Resent-Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 21:27:27 -0700 > > I'm hoping for some help from anyone recognizing these names: > SPEHAR, SCHEFA, SCHAEFFER, NALEISH, RAITH, all from 1907 in Milwaukee. Does > anyone reading this have a city directory for the approximate year, maybe even > 1910 in the city of Milwaukee? Could you do a lookup? > I've been trying to find information on my aunt's parents, not that she'd > ever thank me. When I do turn up a tidbit, she always seems very interested, > but never remembers what I've shown her, and her kids, my cousins, mostly only > want to know about the blond side of the family. Croatia is so far away and > everyone there has dark hair and swarthy skin, almost as though they're > gypsies. Could anything be worse? Ah, well, some of aunt's cousins ARE > interested and have been quite helpful. > In the interests of pure research then, I've tried to find my aunt's father > at Ellis Island. > The index has been touchy sometimes when I do searches, and previously I had > >> not turned him up. Tonight I found him as Mato SCHEFA of Novaki, Croatia ( >> near Virovitica ), possibly >> traveling with Franjo and Rosalia NALEISH, NALEUH of Novaki, both the couple >> and he going to Milwaukee. The handwriting is rather hard to read, Mato is >> clearly 27 but it was transcribed as age 22. At least on this page of the >> manifest, no one else is from Novaki, just these 3. >> They are going to join: >> Franjo brother Josef ZAREC >> Rosalie friend Franjo RAITH >> both of those at 219 First Avenue, Milwaukee >> Mato friend Miha SPEHAR >> AT 99 1/2 N. 7th Street, Milwaukee >> >> Big question: have any of you ever heard of any of these names? >> >> One of my frustrations is that the Sefer/Schaeffer line stops at Matt, >> going back. I'm certain he has relatives, I just haven't turned them up. >> Perhaps he even has a sister or brother in Milwaukee. At the time he >> emigrated, his wife and eldest son were left behind in Novaki. That son >> recently died in Milwaukee and my aunt is elderly and has only one sister, in >> poor health, left. It would please me greatly to tell her of lost cousins >> found. I'd welcome suggestions for further searches but would particularly >> delight in hearing from someone linked with these names above. > > Mato became Matt SCHAEFFER in Milwaukee. This may be a name connected with > Michael SCHAEFER of the former bakery on 35th Street, originating in the same > part of Croatia, but if so the two families have lost the connection. > > Can you help put the links together? > >> >> >> Half excitedly, >> Ashley >