Croations: George and Dora Bucar

George and Dora Bucar started their family. In 1915 a daughter, Mary was born. They lived on 3rd Avenue in Rankin. George was settling into family life. 

Nikola Bucar death certificate

In 1917 a son Nikolas was born. In that same year George’s brother's (Jospeh) wife died, and Joseph Bucar and his son moved from Steelton to Rankin. Nikolas Bucar was a frail baby and he died after living less than a month. George and Dora were distraught, it seemed that their family was doomed to suffering in America. They contemplated returning to Croatia. Necessary travel documents were secured, and tentative plans were made for a return to Privinci. 

Fate, in the form of WWI and the influenza epidemic of 1918 intervened. George and Dora did not want to return to a country, Austria-Hungary, which was at war with the United States. While they waited for an end to the war Dora fell victim to the influenza epidemic.  

Dora Bucar death certificate, 1919

George decided that he did not want to take his daughter back to Croatia to be raised by the family there. 

He opted to remain in America, and have others care f Initially Mary went to live with her godmother in Braddock Hills, Pennsylvania. This was the beginning of a peripatetic childhood for Mary, and a lonely life for George. 

George Bucar lived in boarding houses near his work, he was to spend the rest of his life living in one room in boarding houses. George became more of a brawler; his brawling being directly related to his level of intoxication. He had a saying. He would hold up his left hand and say “six month hospital.” Then he would hold up his right hand and say “grapeyard.” With his accented English graveyard came out as grapeyard. This would be part of a game we would play with him, grabbing each hand as he spoke and being lifted into the air. It was not used for games in his younger days.

Union Switch and Signal, Swissvale

The work in the mill, ultimately in the forge shop, was hard. George’s strength stood him well. Having the strength to handle the hot ingot being forged was an asset to management. One strong man could be used where typically two men were used, the savings were 50% in wages. The years in the forge shop singed his hair and gave him the strength to cause fear in those who heard his little ditty.

Editor's note: George's death certificate lists Union Switch and Signal as his employer

George’s dependence on alcohol continued throughout his life. How often he must have wondered what life would have been had he returned to Croatia, with his wife, or after her death. In 1921 Dora’s brother Nicklaus made. that return trip and George pondered returning with him. For whatever reason, he decided to stay.

in 1930, Ralph Yurich wanted some help for his wife in keeping house and raising their two children. He offered to have Mary (15 at the time) live with his family. Ralph was well liked, and the position of butcher provided additional benefits. A butcher’s family, even if he didn’t own the shop, ate well. There were also opportunities to help friends obtain better cuts of meat. Such action created an indebted group of friends who could be called on when help was needed.

It did not bother George that Ralph was a Serbian-American. Old world ethnic differences carried little weight with George. Besides, Ralph’s wife, Mary, was a Croation-American, whose family had been involved from the start with the church in Rankin. So Mary Bucar tried again, this time as an “au pair” for Mary Begg Yurich.