Random Interview Notes from the Janusz Family

Rebecca Meets Her Great Grandparents

In January 1993, shortly after the birth of our daughter Rebecca, we had a visit from Jack's Grandparents Mary (Francus) Janusz and Michael Janusz. We were living at Fort Sill, Oklahoma at the time.

While they were visiting, we did a genealogy interview. I happened across a notebook today that contained my notes from that interview. Some of the information is truly random, but I decided to transcribe my notes to the best of my ability.

Mike's father Wladislaus Janusz had to come to the US because there was some trouble in Poland. (We have heard various accounts of what happened. One account included a murder. Another account included an altercation with a commanding officer in the Army.)

Wladislaus settled in Boswell, PA. {Side note: He was known as Walter on many documents, although on the 1910 Census he was listed as Gladislav. Blog on pseudonyms and bonus identities to come!}

Mike's mother had Tuberculosis. She was sent to a TB asylum and died there when Mike was 5 or 6 years old.

Wladislaus Janusz and Catherine Martinez

Mike's father remarried. His step mother Victoria was a drinker. His stepmother had a neighbor lady over. His stepmother pushed the neighbor lady off of the porch and she broke her leg. Mike had to push the lady home in a wheelbarrow.

Mike's dad worked in a mine. He was also a moonshiner. Mike carried water for the moonshine.

Mike's dad either had cancer or was hurt in the mine when Mike was around 10.

Mike only had a 3rd grade education.

Mike did a tour in the Civilian Conservation Corps in New Mexico.

Mary worked for Malone's store and was also a maid for the McCullough family. The Malones later owned the Cheswick Theaters in Cheswick, PA.

Mary met Michael at a roller skating ring. Michael was living with his sister in Harwick, PA at the time. They crashed into each other while skating and then they started dating.

Mike's sister didn't want him to leave because he was paying to stay with her.

Mike worked various jobs including mining and odd jobs.

Mary worked as a welder during World War II constructing PT Boats. She was still working as a welder when my mother Diane (Janus) Mast was born. Someone was killed on the job so she decided to quit.

Mary Francus work unit during WWII. Mary is second row, second from left.

Mary's mother Maggie lived in Cheswick. Mary's dad worked in a mine. She had three sisters (Agnes, Helen, ???) and three brothers Stanley, Charles, and David. Her brothers carried material from Creighton to Cheswick, PA to build a small two room house with an outhouse and a hand pump.  The seven children plus two additional kids (Billy and Janet) lived with them.

Agnes, Ignatius, Magdelene "Maggie", Mary, Helen and David "Dates" Francus 1938

She later lived with Al and Agnes until Diane was 16. Maggie was diabetic. Maggie took Diane shopping in New Kensington, PA on the bus. They always got a ham sandwich at Isley's.

Maggie died of Hearth Failure in 1959.

Mary's father Ignatz Francus was in a mental asylum. He died in 1953. Mary's brother David (Dates) was in the service.  {We have a 1930 Census Population Schedule from Allegheny Co Hospital for the Insane, Woodville, Collier Township that lists Ignatz Francis in slot 47. He was 42 years old.}

Mary and Mike moved moved to James Street in Springdale, PA when Diane was five years old. Diane didn't like the house because there were mice in the fire place.

Mike got a job working at Duquesne Light power plant in Cheswick, PA. He remained at that job until he was 62 years old.

Mike and Mary got their first car in the 1930's. It was a Henry J. It had a collapsible back. They went to Lake Erie a lot and slept in the car on vacation.

Memorial Day Tribute

It's Memorial Day, the day we take a break from our daily hustle and bustle to remember those who have died in service to our country. Today as we remember our fallen soldiers, our family will be honoring two of our ancestors for their service: Captain Hays B. Mast and SGT (or CPL - we have conflicting info) Jacob Transue Mast. 

Over the years, the Mast/Shappell family has had many family members serve our country, and we've been lucky enough to lose only two family members (that we know of) to war- Hays and Jacob Mast. Today we will honor them for their service and share of bit of our family line. As you may have noticed, they share a common last name! 

We won't start at the very beginning of the family, but we'd like to introduce you to Jacob Transue Mast. Jacob was the son of Jacob and Catherine (Transue) Mast. Jacob the elder and Catherine married in Easton, PA and moved in the 1830s to Clarion County, PA to homestead in Curllsville. Jacob the elder had 3 sons, Jacob T being the youngest.

Jacob Transue Mast enlisted as a PVT on 13 Aug 1862 in Clarion County, and was mustered into Co K, 148th Reg Infantry on 7 Sep 1862 in Harrisburg, PA. He was promoted to CPL on 15 NOV 1863. According to a common descendant, Jacob survived Gettysburg and the Battle of the Wilderness, but was killed at Po River, VA. 

Jacob T's brother Isaac had a son Benjamin Franklin Mast. Ben married Letitia Hays and they had children that included Wade Hays Mast. Wade H married Merle Bigelow, and their children included our second ancestor, and the 2 times great grandson of our first.

Hays Bigelow Mast was born in Rimer, Pennsylvania, on February 26, 1909, to parents Wade Hays Mast and Merle Elizabeth Bigelow. Hays was the oldest of 5 children- his siblings were Herbert F. Mast (our direct line), Kenneth C. Mast, Dent M. Mast, and Margret R. Mast.    

Thanks to Robert Underbrink's book Somewhere We Will Find You: Search and Rescue Operations in the CBI, 1942-1945, we know that Hays was a C-87 (#800) captain flying the hump in the China-Burma-India theatre during WW II.  We also have the complete crew list.

In our years of searching for our history, we found this newspaper clipping. The date is missing, but Hays died 1 Nov 1943 so we know it is from sometime in Nov 1943.

So many families have military service to reflect on. We hope that you have been able to find yours and share in the history of your ancestor.  


** I found another note I had: Dr. Jacob Mast was a graduate of Mead College who enlisted as an Army surgeon. He was shot at Bushy Creek, VA as the Union soldiers were marching south. Source: Handwritten notes from Nettie Mast Peterson.

Welcome to the Mast Shappell Family Tree Page

We are using this page to supplement our genealogy research. Over the years we have accumulated many notebooks, files, and boxes of research material. Some of it we have uploaded to Ancestry.com, but we decide to create a blog page to help us better organize some of our material.