Croatia in America: George Bucar

by Sam Begg

The Main

The ship entered New York harbor at night [the Main - arrived December 17, 1905].  There was no joyful dancing at the sight of America.  Gjuro knew the possibilities; he had heard his father-in-law's tales and was ready for anything that might come his way.

The processing through immigration was chaotic.  Gjuro had his papers in order, so he had been told, and anticipated no problem.  There was a large group of people sitting in a roped off area; they seemed a woeful lot.  A sign with letters on it marked the area and occasionally a worker would escort another immigrant to the area.

Gjuro did not know what the sign meant but it seemed to be a place to be avoided.  This was the holding area for those whose papers were not in order. Their processing would be lengthy; for now they sat forlornly behind a sign that read WOP (WithOut Papers).

Gjuro finally got to the front of the line.  His papers were in order.  A man speaking rudely (one needn't know the language, only the tone, to discern this)  began processing him.  Gjuro knew that in English his name was George. So he gave his name as George Bucar.  The bureaucrat processed him as George Butcher.  Gjuro did not question; perhaps this was how Bucar was spelled in America. From then until we marked his gravestone, he was, officially, George Butcher.

Next, Gjuro took a ferry across the harbor to a landing in a large railroad station on the New Jersey side.  George's ticket, and some help from an attendant, got him on a train to Pittsburgh, PA.  The train ride was long; for a young man from Privinci / Prvic it seemed he had traveled all the way around the world, rather than just halfway.  Much of the trip was through beautiful countryside, fields, and mountains. George started to wonder what America his father-in-law had seen.  Some cities were dirty but there were a small part of the trip.  George began to feel very optimistic about America.

In Pittsburgh he changed trains.  The smoke, the grime - now he had his first look at Peter Novosel's America.  George went to the rail yards (or rail yards to be) in  Pitcairn.  Here he worked for two years; when his commitment was up he walked out and moved to Rankin.

There was very little to do but work, sleep, and drink.  George had a fondness for the drink and his savings for Dora's trip grew very slowly.  He was capable of holding his own with any man in a brawl; in fact he had a reputation for starting more than his fare share of brawls.  The bar keepers kept a wary eye on him - but didn't deny him entry. First was the likelihood they would pay a physical price and second, he always paid for his drinks - and he consumed more than most men.

Pine Street Bridge, Rankin PA 1912

For six years, George cut a wide swath through the little Croatia that existed in Rankin.  Despite his drinking he had finally managed to save enough to send for Dora.

Dora arrived in Rankin in December 1912.  Their lodgings were meager but it was a happy Christmas.  Dora had lived in fear that she would never see Gjuro again. With her fears behind her, she was determined to make a good life in America.  Her father's fears were not hers.






Pitcairn photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PostcardPitcairnPABirdsEyeViewCirca1909.jpg

Rankin photo: http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?rgn1=ic_all;xc=1;g=imls;sort=dc_da;c=hpicasc;c=hpicchatham;c=hpiccma;c=hpichswp;c=hpicmonroeville;c=hpicnpl;c=hpicoakmont;c=hpicphlf;c=hpicpitcairn;c=hpicpointpark;back=back1328019018;resnum=2;view=entry;lastview=thumbnail;cc=hpicasc;entryid=x-715.122494.cp;viewid=20090624-CP-0430.TIF;start=1;q1=wool%20company;chaperone=S-HPICASC-X-715.122494.CP%2020090624-CP-0430.TIF;np=next;evl=full-image