CONNIE LENZEN E-mail: clenzen@oregonvos.net

The Stariha and Cvar Families By Connie Lenzen,

This story is about Joseph Stariha and his nephew Anton Stariha, two men who married the Cvar sisters: Frances and Angela. Intermixed in the narrative, we meet Louis Cvar, brother to Frances and Angela. He is the one who "got in trouble with the immigration authorities." We are briefly introduced to John Cvar, father of Frances, Angela, and Louis. He almost met his goal of finding American husbands for his three daughters. We meet Terezija Cvar, the sister who stayed in Slovenia.

Much of the story comes from oral tradition. Oral tradition is sometimes reliable and sometimes not. Siblings remember events differently. A person can say one thing and mean another. City directories, naturalization records, a homestead file, vital records (birth, marriage, and death), and censuses have been used to supplement the oral history.

Joseph Stariha	To the US	Fort Benton	Homestead, Yachats, Oregon
Naturalization	Waldport, Oregon	Spokane, Washington To be completed later.

Joseph Stariha

Joseph Stariha was born on 11 November 1857 Metlika, Slovenia. At the time of his birth, Slovenia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was the sixth, and youngest, child of Stephan Stariha and Mary Petric. The other children were: Martin, born 2 August 1845; Agnes, born 12 January 1848 and died in 1855; Margareta, born 7 May 1849 and died in 1853; Anna, born 18 March 1851 and died in 1854; and Barbara, born 20 October 1854. All were born in house number 71, in Metlika. ^[1]   Joseph's father had children from his first marriage to Agnes Derganc. They were Maria, born 3 December 1834; Janez, born 27 August 1837; Katarina, born 15 May 1839; and Barbara, born and died in March 1841. These children, too, were born in house number 71.

Joseph's father died in 1863, at the age of 61, when Joseph was only five years old. Joseph would repeat this pattern of leaving young children when he died in 1930 at the age of 73. At his death, his children ranged in age from nine to twenty-two years.

Martin Stariha, Joseph's brother, was seventeen years old when their father died. Martin became the head of the family. It was Martin's son, Anton Stariha, who later went to the United States and joined Joseph.

One of the stories handed down about Joseph's childhood tells about the time when he and some friends came upon a Mosque. According to Moslem custom, the worshippers left their shoes outside the building. Joseph and his friends took some of these shoes and hid them. Consequences are unknown.

 It is remembered that Joseph did not like school and often played hooky. At the most, he may have had four years of school. In the nineteenth century, this would be an average number of school years.

Joseph enjoyed traveling and meeting people. He was an extrovert and carried on conversations with anyone and everyone about any subject. [2] A number of his children are known to have inherited this ability.

To the US

From the 1910 and 1920 censuses, we find that Joseph Stariha arrived in the United States in 1884 [3] . He would have been around 27 years old. 

A Jos. Stariha, age 27, born in Austria, is found on the passenger manifest of the Steamship Elbe. The ship arrived in New York on 28 June 1884. [4]

The North German Lloyd Company built the Elbe in 1881. It was part of the group of ships that went from Bremen to Southampton to New York and back. [5]

An advertisement in the 27 June 1884 issue of the New York Times gives prices for the July 2nd sailing for the Elbe to Europe. First cabin cost $100 to $150, and the rate for second cabin was $60. Steerage was “at lowest rates.” [6]

Joseph's reason for leaving his birth home is unknown. However, the Martin Stariha home where he was living now contained a growing family.  Martin was married and had children: nine-year-old Antoinette, seven-year-old Jozef, and one-year-old Anton.

A story is told that Joseph would have been drafted into the Army if he remained in Slovenia. [7]   One would think that a 27-year-old was beyond the draft age, but there may have been some regional military action. This may have provided the push to migrate.

Rev. John Stariha, a Slovenian, was living in the United States. He was eventually appointed Bishop of Lead, North Dakota. In later years, Joseph told his family that Bishop Stariha was a relative. The story goes: "Way back in time, there were two brothers. The Bishop descended from one, and Joseph descended from the other." [8]

Rev. Stariha visited his Slovenian home in the 1880s for rest and to cure his vocal chords. He was known as a settlement organizer, and one of his visits may have inspired Joseph's move.

Whatever the motivation, Joseph Stariha left his family and friends and immigrated to the United States. It is told that one of his first jobs was that of interpreter for newly arrived immigrants. The same story indicates his knowledge of five languages. One of these was German. [9]

Where Joseph first went in America is not known. In the few documents that we have for him, it does not appear that he lived in Slovenian communities. That means he could have gone anywhere.

Rev. John Stariha was in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1884 when Joseph went to the U.S. [10] Perhaps that is where Joseph first touched down.