Research: When and why did Leon Sejda (Sejda-7) move from Connecticut to Indiana

Date: 15 Dec 2020 [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Sejda Murawski

Contents 1 Hypothesis 2 Research Activity 2.1 Locate Leon in Connecticut 2.2 Locate Sejda's that were working for Standard Steel Car Company in PA and determine if they are related 2.3 Do more general research in the 1902-1909 timeframe for Leon 3 Sources

Hypothesis

Leon Sejda (1870-1935) immigrated in 1902 and reported he was going to family in Wethersfield, CT. By 1909, however, he moved to Hammond, IN and was working for the Standard Steel Car Company . In 1911, his wife immigrated.

The fact that Kammila did not join him until 1911 may have meant that he could not afford to bring her over until then, so it is possible that Leon was unemployed or working menial jobs in that time.

There may be a link to the Standard Steel Car Company here. There are some Sejda surnames in the records of the company in Butler, PA. Perhaps he had siblings there that connected him with a job in Indiana. Update 19 Jan 2021:' A review of those cards indicate they are not related, see below

I note that his 1910 census entery^[1] has him living with a family whose 3 year old was born in PA and the newborn in IN, providing some support to the hypothesis.

Ideas for research:

1. Locate Leon in Connecticut
2. Locate Sejda's that were working for Standard Steel Car Company in PA and determine if they are related
3. Do more general research in the 1902-1909 timeframe for Leon

Research Activity

Locate Leon in Connecticut

A review of the FamilySearch card catalog found the entry below for a directory that might cover a period that Leon Sejda resided there:

Note	Location	Collection/Shelf	Film
1905-1906 Hartford suburban directory for Bloomfield, Glastonbury, Newington, West Hartford, Wethersfield, East Windsor, South Windsor, Windsor and Windsor Locks, Conn. ... 1905-1906 ... compiled and published by Union Publishing Co. ....	Family History Library	United States & Canada 2nd Floor	Film 2308491 Item 1

Unfortunately this record is on microfilm only and can only be review in Salt Lake City.

Locate Sejda's that were working for Standard Steel Car Company in PA and determine if they are related

• Searching for the Standard Steel Car Company found this online database of STANDARD STEEL CAR COMPANY Employee Records Collection Butler, PA
  • Employee Record Cards, 1902-1946
  • There is a "John Sejda" listed in the index, but the index does not contain any other information.^[2]
    • December 15, 2020 - Contacted Sara Donaldson, Collections Manager, Butler County Historical Society about getting the card and she responded.
      • They only have some cards that were scanned.
      • She refered me to Margaret Hewitt, MA, Certified Archivist, Special Collections Librarian, Butler Area Public Library
    • December 17, 2020 - Margaret Hewitt responsed that she would pull the cards with the Sejda surname and review her obituary collection as well.
    • January 15, 2021 - Checked up on status.
    • January 19, 2021 - Received response with cards and obituary for John Sejda.
• Analysis of Employee Cards for John Sejda
  • Claims in card for employment starting September 6, 1923^[3]
    • His name was John Sejda.
    • John Sejda was born 24 Aug 1883 in Austria.
    • John Sejda was hired by Standard Steel Car Company on 6 Sep 1923.
    • John Sejda's mother was Rosie who lived in Austria.
  • Claims in card for employment starting July 8, 1925^[4]
    • John Sejda's mother was Rosy who lived in Austria.
    • John Sejda has no relatives living in this country.
    • His name was John Sejda.
    • John Sejda was born 24 Aug 1882 in Austria.
    • John Sejda was hired by the Standard Steel Car Company on 8 July 1925.
• Analysis of obituary^[5]
  • John Sejda was 85 years old.
  • John Sejda was born in Czechoslovakia.
  • John Sejda was buried at Calvary Cemetery, Butler, PA on 30 Jan 1968.
  • John Sejda died 27 January 1968 in Butler, PA.
  • John Sejda had no known survivors
• Does not appear to related to Leon Sejda (1870-1935), but I created a profile for him: John Sejda (aft.1882-1968)

Do more general research in the 1902-1909 timeframe for Leon

Sources

1. ↑ 1910 United States Federal Census, Lake County, Indiana, population schedule, Hammond Ward 6, enumeration district (ED) 64, 17B, house 48, family 249, Leon Seida; digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 26 December 2020); Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C
2. ↑ "Standard Steel Car Company Employee Records Collection". Online Index, Butler County Historical Society, Standard Steel Car Company Employee Records Collection (https://butlerhistory.com/standard-steel-car-company-employee-records-collection-butler-pa/ : accessed 15 Jan 2021), John Sejda. Appears in the index list with no further information.
3. ↑ John Sejda Employee's Record, Index Card, September 6, 1923; Butler, Pennsylvania; Employee Cards; Standard Steel Car Company Records; Butler Area Public Library, Butler, Pennsylvania.
4. ↑ John Sejda Employee's Record, Index Card, July 8, 1925; Butler, Pennsylvania; Employee Cards; Standard Steel Car Company Records; Butler Area Public Library, Butler, Pennsylvania.
5. ↑ John Sejda, Butler Eagle, 30 Jan 1968, p16. Clipping provided by Butler Area Public Library