Anna Sinek “The mystery of her Bible” May 10, 1931

Question

Hi Wikitreers,

We have today out of my collection of historical items a Bible. However this Bible appears to have been presented prior to World War 2 to Anna Sinek on May 10, 1931. I would like to map her Genealogy in an effort to connect her to the Wikitree family. Times of long ago which resonate to the present has come to ask who was Anna Sinek? Is the spelling of her LNAB “Sinek” or is there an alternate? Who was she a Sunday school teacher perhaps? There is not much more sourcing provided, but maybe with collaboration we can solve the puzzle. The Bible is a worn artificact in fair condition with some pages missing and appears to have been heavily read.

Thank you

Comments

The profile you linked to is marked as living so no one can see it. The picture of the bible page (presumably) is also not working, perhaps because it is coming from an unlisted profile.

I suggest you mark the profile as "not living" and perhaps someone can help identify her.

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Updated should be viewable now. Thank you 

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I'm inclined to think her last name was actually "Simek" with an "m".  That seems like a more typical Slavic name.

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Something interesting here is that, given the King James Bible and the Sunday School, this person was most likely brought up Protestant, whereas I would have expected someone of Czech/Slovak background to be Catholic, more than likely.

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Yes my Seckla side is from Eastern Europe and we’re Catholic so yes I agree a Protestant girl in 1931 I’d love to find more about her maybe she was mentioned in an article with this Beaver Brook Union Sunday School

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One of the images shows it’s to assist young people and shows Pennsylvania 

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Also I noticed no Title of Miss or Mrs in the dedication of her name in the book

Answer 1

Could it be this person?

Anna Simek Kadlecik:  "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKWL-G6GZ : accessed 12 March 2023), Mrs Anna Simek Kadlecik, New Jersey, United States, 18 Dec 2011; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Gloucester County Times, The, born-digital text.

She would have been a child in 1931, so reasonably might have attended Sunday School.  Other records associated with this person indicate that she was married in Pennsylvania, so perhaps grew up there.  As the Bible is inscribed "Beaver Brook Union Sunday School", I would note that there  is a Beaver Brook Pennsylvania.

If this would be the right person, as Castkov is in Slovakia, it might be hard to find a birth record for her. 

Comments

I agree she would of been a child by 1931 so born in years 1915-1931? The obit for one possibility mentioned is here the key to solving I agree is in the location Beaver Brook Union Sunday School. She received this Bible for “faithful attendance” it would appear the LNAB is indeed “Simek” even the majority of memorials are Simek instead of Sinek. 

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Family search bio has “When Anna Simek was born on 31 October 1923, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, her father, Jan Simek Sr, was 34 and her mother, Maria Tomes, was 33. She died on 27 January 2021, in Gibbstown, Greenwich Township, Gloucester, New Jersey, United States, at the age of 97.”

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See  The Bridgeport Post Bridgeport, Connecticut 04 Feb 1961, Sat • Page 4 and https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120718236/

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Note that the person in the legacy.com obituary that you reference was born in Czechoslovakia and died in 2011, whereas the person in the Family Search  bio was apparently born in Philadelphia and died 2021.  So, evidently two different women named Anna Simek both born about 1923/1924 and residing in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

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Do we have a census from Connecticut and the  Bridgeport area about 1920-1940? It might have a Sinek or Simek age appropriate to correlate

Edit: Also another article about this The Bridgeport Post Bridgeport, Connecticut 10 Sep 1961, Sun • Page 82

We have narrowed it down. She was a young girl of Protestant faith probably living in Bridgeport Ct area in may of 1931. Beaver Brook Chapel Union Sunday School, Beaver Brook road

The school commemorates is beginning in May 1861 Civil War Era Connecticut 

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Here is an Anna Simek living in Danbury Connecticut, which is where the Beaver Brook Union Chapel that was referenced in the newspaper was. This Anna was 27 in 1940, (and still living with her parents), so would have been 18 in 1931.  Seems a little on the old side, but perhaps? 

"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7BP-3ZK : 8 January 2021), Anna Simek in household of Stephen Simek, Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 1-28, sheet 21B, line 45, family 518, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 494.

Here is another census record for the same person which estimates that she was born in 1916:

"United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCF3-P51 : 31 January 2021), Annie Simek in entry for Steve Simek, 1920.

After looking at the 1940 census again, it looks like Anna's age was written over and appears to end in a 5, so must have been 25, so born in 1915.

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I’m almost positive it’s her wow good find

They had kindergarten through high school and Sunday school from what it appears not sure if it was a Bible college or seminary

Quote “ Classes include kindergarten, primary, junior and senior grades and an adult Bible class.”

I get the feeling she was very involved and graduated from there possibly 

Anna being 27 not married is interesting too

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I’m almost 100% confident them now. Her father was listed as a farmer in 1940 a beef butcher in 1920. The father and his parents immigration year 1905 from basically same timing as my Seckla family coming over from same region. The daughter Annie is 4 years old in 1920 placing her at age 13 in 1931 about. wow! I’d love to get her connected and Slavic roots how interesting being a Protestant from that area !

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Found Paul’s wife Mary Ann Simek on FindAGrave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31610488/mary-ann-simek

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I think the parents of Steve Simek are Paul and Anna.  They are listed in both the 1920 and 1940 censuses.

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I concur  still unable to find death details a memorial yet for Ann maybe she moved out of Ct and maybe married or there is a obit. 

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I have not worked on this since yesterday afternoon,  but I will mention what I have come across since then.

#1) This draft registration record would seem to be for Anna’s father, Steve/Stefan Simek. Interestingly, he specifically lists Beaver Brook as part of his address, so that must actually be a neighborhood of Danbury, CT.

"United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZFV-HGL : 23 December 2021), Stephen Simek, 1917-1918.

#2) There also appears to be a death record for Steve:

"Connecticut Death Index, 1949-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZP5-78N : 9 December 2014), Stephen Simek, 08 Jul 1951; from "Connecticut Death Index, 1949-2001," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2003); citing Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut, Connecticut Department of Health, Hartfort.

#3) Given the close proximity in dates and the fact that the parents listed are Pavel (=Paul) and Anna, I think this is probably Steve’s birth record:

Slovakia Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1935, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KS5R-P1Q : 28 June 2022), Stefan Simek, 01 Jan 1894; citing p. , , Baptism, , Odbor Archivnictva (The Archives of the Republic), Slovakia; FHL microfilm 2,431,383.

If you look at the actual Slovak record, Stefan’s DOB is listed Dec. 29, 1894 and baptism on Jan. 1, 1895, while the draft registration record lists a birth date for him of Dec. 28, 1895. Pretty similar dates – confusion would be understandable since he was born on the cusp of a new year. Also, the locations seem to relate: The cover of the Slovak church book refers to the place Tura Luka, which could easily be garbled into Torokika, the birth location that the draft registration says. If this is really his birth record, that would be pretty lucky!

Edited to correct name

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I see there is a picture online of the Beaver Brook Union church, now Zion Pentecostal Church:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaverbrook,_Connecticut#/media/File:Beaver-Brook-Chapel.jpg

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Great link it’s a bit smaller than I imagined but maybe hard to see from images; historic and very informative. Thank you 

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I would think it’s the right group as how many Anna Simeks were there in Beaver Brook at this time and at this age. Very good sources!

Answer 2

I have added a few sources on her profile

Comments

These sources relate to people born either around 1898 or 1906, and thus would have been adults in 1931. I would think we would be looking for someone younger than that.

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I would agree likely Young person who received the Bible for attendance unless it was an adult Sunday school but more rare. I’d like to find more about Beaver Brook Union Sunday School

Answer 3

Anna A Simek Bene findagrave ID 75939066

Comments

I see the link https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/75939066/anna-a-benes 

Anna A. Benes 

BIRTH 13 Jan 1888 Czech Republic

DEATH 1 Apr 1956 (aged 68)

Maybe but her age would be 40’s by 1931

Answer 4

Some more possibilities:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/197830177/anna-kollar

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/193679163/anna-mary-blasdell

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27234922/anna-emily-pechacek

Comments

First two are of Catholic faith which we believe this Ann was Protestant the last mentioned like is I know faith but of Czek roots is buried in Czech National Cemetery, Prague, Lincoln County, Oklahoma, USA. 

Interesting though as the name is similar