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Archiver > CROATIA > 2002-04 > 1019688115


From: "Birkholz, James" <>
Subject: RE: [CROATIA-L] Belobraidic from Grubisno Polje
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2002 17:43:27 -0500


Do you know of any resources off the beaten track that might help learn more
about Mato Belobraidic's life in the US? Here are some details.

It is unknown whether he was married when he immigrated about 1905, or
whether he married shortly after. Born in Grubisno Polje late in 1886, he is
in Akron, Ohio for the 1910 census. 1910 was also the year of the birth of
his second of three children (Dragntin or Charles), whose birth certificate
declares Mato was a Rubberworker. I believe the census has his name as
"Michal Belobridich".

Two years later, the birth of his third and last known child started a
series of tragic events that have caused problems for his children and
grandchildren ever since. His wife, Helen Skuban became infected during
childbirth and the high fever damaged her brain, leaving her a paranoid
schizophrenic. Mato placed her in the state hospital, and the three children
in an orphanage.

He then disappears, surfacing in 1925 to visit his wife in the hospital,
telling the staff that he was working in a bath house in Detroit.

Later in life, he called one or more of his children, seeking assistance in
his last year or years of life. One daughter received some of his
possessions after he died including a trunk that was intended for his only
son. This son (Dragntin/Charles) however, was so bitter from the hard life
that he lived as an orphan, that he refused to have anything to do with it.
This man and the one sister who was adopted by a loving family have died in
the last 10 years. The third sister disappeared after being turned away from
the orphanage when she turned 18. She turns up in correspondence with an
orphanage in San Francisco in 1932 at age 20. And she once called her
brother for help but was treated in the same manner as her father was.

So we are trying to determine what happened to Mato. We don't even know when
or where he died, the descendants became interested too late to get reliable
information from his two children. And we'ld like to find out what happened
to the third child.

So if you know of any Craoatian in the US resources for us to search, please
let me know.

TIA,
James and Tami Birkholz

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