Lajos Czapf

Lajos "Louis" Czapf was born on May 1, 1870 in Hungary. His parents, Maria Lakher and Samuel Czapf, had at least two children already. The family, which would grow to include at 3 more children, lived in Edeleny, a village in Hungary near the Slovakian boarder. As a young man Lajos became a cavalry soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army. Part of his job while in the military was to make dies for military wagon wheels in a government owned factory.

Czapf, Lujos (1891-1894) The poster (with Louis Czapf's face inserted) is a souvenir of his military service.

In 1895, at the age of 25, he married a young lady named Mariska Gonda. The couple lived in Hejocsaba, about 20 miles south of his home village. There they had a son Louis Jr (1896), another son Samuel (1897), who died at birth, a daughter Mary (1899).

At some point between 1897 and 1899 Louis made a mistake on the job and a result thousands of wagon wheels ended up ruined. Louis was blacklisted and found finding a job impossible. He decided to take his chances and left his wife and young children in Hungary and immigrated to the US. He settled in Marion Heights, Pennsylvania and found a job working as a blacksmith. He soon sent for his wife and children, as well as his brother Samuel who stayed with the family until his death in 1924.

Once Mary and the children had arrived the family quickly grew to include Elizabeth (1899), Alexander (1904), Joseph (1907), Julia (1909), Andrew (1911), Michael (1913), Helen (1915) and Olga (1916.) Sadly several of the children did not live to adulthood. Julia die at 7 months old of the measles. 1915 was the year of tragedy for the family. Baby Helen died in January at less than a month old from pneumonia, in July Joseph died at age 8 from endocarditis, and then in October 2 year old Michael died from injuries related to knocking a pot of boiling milk off the stove on to himself. And in 1918 oldest daughter Mary also died of pneumonia at the age of 18.

Around 1925 Lajos' oldest son, Louis Jr, and his family decided to move to Michigan. Mariska and the two youngest children, Andrew and Olga, moved to Michigan as well to be near them. Lajos stayed behind in Pennsylvania, staying with his recently widowed niece Anna and her children for a while. Mariska died in 1930 in Michigan.

In 1933 Lajos eventually moved in with his daughter Elizabeth and her family where he remained until his death in 1959 at the age of 89. He was survived by three sons, 2 daughters, and 9 grandchildren.

While many of his children did not live to adulthood his surviving children lived very long lives. The youngest dying at 85, the oldest 105, and his youngest daughter Olga is still alive at 104!

Lajos is my 2nd great uncle

You can read Lajos' daughter Elizabeth's story here