Image of IU Seal

Ukrainian-Americans in the Midwest

1990-1991

12 interviews



CSHM Home > Collection Index


This project examines the lives of Ukrainian-American immigrants. Two of the interviews are conducted in Ukrainian. The time periods covered are the 1930s-1990s. The interviewees discuss immigration, traditions, religion and Ukrainian-American community organizations. Some of major topics are the United States culture, Ukrainian-American youth organizations, Ukrainian religious ceremonies in the United States, and Ukrainian language and culture instruction. Ukrainian wedding and holiday traditions are also discussed.

Interviewees

Hulewicz, Maria

Lah, Marta

Liber, Maria

Medynsky, Irene

Ostapchuk, Eugenia

Stadnik, Jo

Vaughn, Katherine

Wasylowsky, Anna

Wasylowsky, Geraldine

Werkiansky, Wasylyna

Wojtechko, Emil

Wojtechko, Maria


Interviewee: Hulewicz, Maria
Call number: 90-058
Date(s) of Interview: March 11, 1991
Physical Description: not transcribed; 5 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 282 minutes; interview conducted in Ukrainian
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Maria Hulewicz of, Goshen, Indiana, discusses the Ukrainian-American community, her life history, and religion.

Keywords

Place Names

Goshen, Indiana

Subjects

Ukrainian-American churches

Ukrainian-American community

Ukrainian-Americans

Back to top


Interviewee: Lah, Marta
Call number: 90-057
Date(s) of Interview: February 12, 1991
Physical Description: not transcribed; 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 46 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Marta Lah, of Lafayette, Indiana, discusses her ethnic background and education. Lah's father is an immigrant from the Ukraine and her mother is from Austria. She describes speaking German and Ukrainian in her home as a child. She also discusses the Ukrainian ethnic community in Chicago and her involvement at the Ukrainian school.

Keywords

Corporation Names

Inland Steel Company

Plast

St. Nicolas Ukrainian School

Place Names

Austria

East Chicago, Indiana

Gary, Indiana

Poland

Portage, Indiana

Samir, Ukraine

Occupation Names

tailor

welder

Subjects

German language

Plast camp

Ukrainian church

Ukrainian language

Ukrainian school

Ukrainian-American community

Ukrainian-American community

Ukrainian-American organizations

World War II

family history

holiday traditions

Back to top


Interviewee: Liber, Maria
Call number: 90-059
Date(s) of Interview: March 26, 1991
Physical Description: not transcribed; 7 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 389 minutes; interview conducted in Ukrainian
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Restricted: contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory for more information
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Maria Liber, of Crown Point, Indiana, discusses the Ukrainian-American community, her life history, and religious traditions.

Keywords

Subjects

Ukrainian-American churches

Ukrainian-American community

Back to top


Interviewee: Medynsky, Irene
Call number: 90-060
Date(s) of Interview: May 24, 1991
Physical Description: 171 pp.; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 119 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Irene Medynsky, of East Hammond, Indiana, discusses her life as a Ukrainian-American woman in Munster, Indiana. She describes her education at a Ukrainian-American boarding school in the United States, her traditional wedding ceremony and her children. She discusses Ukrainian-American organizations and the traditional cultural education of her children.

Keywords

Corporation Names

St. Basil's Academy

Ukrainian Congress Committee of America

Ukrainian Youth Association

Place Names

Buchutz, Ukraine

East Hammond, Indiana

Galacia, Ukraine

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Subjects

Ukrainian foodways

Ukrainian holiday traditions

Ukrainian wedding traditions

Ukrainian-American organizations

Ukrainian-Americans

boarding school

education

educational youth organizations

first generation Ukrainian-American

Back to top


Interviewee: Ostapchuk, Eugenia
Call number: 90-063
Date(s) of Interview: March 13, 1991
Physical Description: 185 pp.; 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 137 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Eugenia Ostapchuk of Elkhart, Indiana, born 1912, discusses her life as an immigrant to Elkhart, Indiana and her life in the Ukraine. She discusses customs, education, and community involvement in the Ukraine. She also talks about religious customs and Ukrainian organizations in the United States. Her ties with the Ukraine spans the Russian Revolution, World War I, Polish occupation, World War II, and the Cold War.

Keywords

Corporation Names

St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church

Ukrainian Congress Committee of America

Ukrainian National Women's League of America

Family Names

Dijurd

Feisser

Marcwich

Najuk

Papp

Sacawash

Personal Names

Horan, John

Pershum, Mike

Place Names

Elkhart, Indiana

Massachusetts

Sapka, Zbaraz, Ukraine

Zalusha, Zbaraz, Ukraine

Subjects

Greek Catholic church

Polish occupation

Soviet occupation

Ukrainian Catholic church

Ukrainian cooperatives

Ukrainian education

Ukrainian farming

Ukrainian holiday traditions

Ukrainian nationalist movement

Ukrainian wedding traditions

Ukrainian-Americans

World War II

choir

economic conditions

employment

Back to top


Interviewee: Stadnik, Jo
Call number: 90-054
Date(s) of Interview: August 20, 1990
Physical Description: not transcribed; 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 155 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Restricted: contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory for more information.
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Jo Stadnik, of Hammond, Indiana, discusses her family background and her experience with Ukrainian education and tradition. She discusses her ethnic identity and pride. Stadnik describes her involvement with the Ukrainian Orthodox church. She also shares her work experiences during World War II.

Keywords

Corporation Names

AMOCO

General American Corporation

Inland Steel Company

St. Michael's Sisterhood of Our Lady of Perpetual Health

St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church

St. Nicolas Russian Orthodox Church

Standard Steel

Ukrainian Orthodox League

Family Names

Evanso

Personal Names

Stadnik, Michael

Verminski, Peter

Place Names

Czechoslovakia

Hammond, Indiana

Velega, Austria-Hungary

Occupation Names

homemaker

steelworker

Subjects

Great Depression

Ukrainian community

Ukrainian dance

Ukrainian education

Ukrainian festivals

Ukrainian foodways

Ukrainian language

Ukrainian occupations

Ukrainian-American churches

World War II

church activities

church calendar

church choir

church construction

church memorial

employment

ethnic identity

family history

fundraising

gardening

gender roles

house structure

leisure activities

schooling

Back to top


Interviewee: Vaughn, Katherine
Call number: 90-061
Date(s) of Interview: June 23, 1991
Physical Description: not transcribed; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 81 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Katherine Vaughn, of Munster, Indiana, discusses her life as a Ukrainian-American woman. She describes Ukrainian holiday and religious traditions that she practices with her family. She shares the American traditions that are followed in her household. She also discusses growing up in a family that was different because of their ethnic heritage and how this affected her. Katherine describes her pride in her ethnic background and her desire to continue her ethnic education.

Keywords

Corporation Names

Indiana University

St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church

Place Names

Iowa City, Iowa

Munster, Indiana

Subjects

Roman Catholic church

St. Nicolas celebration

Ukrainian Catholic church

Ukrainian Christmas: Traditions, Folk Customs, and Recipes

Ukrainian foodways

Ukrainian holiday traditions

Ukrainian-American community

church organizations

ethnic education

gender roles

holy communion

religious celebrations

Back to top


Interviewee: Wasylowsky, Anna
Call number: 90-052
Date(s) of Interview: August 6, 1990
Physical Description: not transcribed; 1 tape, 1 7/8 ips, 30 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Anna Wasylowsky, interviewed in her home in Munster, Indiana, describes the Ukrainian community. She discusses her involvement with Ukrainian organizations such as the Ukrainian National Women's Leagues and the Ukrainian National Association. She also shares her work as a sponsor, notary, typist, and clerical worker for refugees applying for immigration to the United States after World War II.

Keywords

Corporation Names

Ukrainian National Association

Ukrainian National Women's League of America

Place Names

Chicago, Illinois

Ukraine

Subjects

Communism

Ukrainian community

Ukrainian ethnic education

Ukrainian famine

Ukrainian holiday traditions

Ukrainian organizations

Ukrainian-American churches

Ukrainian-American community

Ukrainian-Americans

cultural division

fundraising

refugee applications

refugee employment

refugee immigration

refugee sponsorship

Back to top


Interviewee: Wasylowsky, Geraldine
Call number: 90-055
Date(s) of Interview: August 21, 1990
Physical Description: not transcribed; 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 139 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Geraldine Wasylowsky of, Munster, Indiana, discusses her life as the child of a Ukrainian Immigrant. She describes her childhood experiences, her profession as a high school history teacher, and how she integrates Ukrainian history and customs into the classroom. She discusses Ukrainian historical literature, art, and heroes. Ms. Wasylowsky also shares her feelings about her ethnic background and her pride in her heritage.

Keywords

Corporation Names

Chicago Museum of Science and Industry

Delta Delta Delta Sorority

News-Star Newspaper

Northwestern University

St. Nicolas Byzantine Catholic Church

St. Nicolas Catholic School

Ukrainian Congress Committee of America

Ukrainian National Association

Ukrainian National Women's League of America

Personal Names

Aldreich, Ira

Manning, Clarence A.

Shevchenko, Tara

Place Names

Chicago, Illinois

Kiev, Ukraine

Munster, Indiana

Paramesh, Ukraine

Wynetka, Illinois

Occupation Names

teacher

Subjects

Ukrainian Literature

Ukrainian American art

Ukrainian Catholic grammar school

Ukrainian Easter egg exhibits

Ukrainian foodways

Ukrainian historical literature

Ukrainian independence

Ukrainian language

Ukrainian newspapers

Ukrainian organizations

Ukrainian traditions

Venetian Nights

World War II

church bazaar

ethnic prejudice

family history

gender roles

gender roles

religious calendar dispute

union work

Back to top


Interviewee: Werkiansky, Wasylyna
Call number: 90-056
Date(s) of Interview: November 15, 1990
Physical Description: not transcribed; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 89 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Restricted: contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory for more information
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Wasylyna Werkiansky of Elkhart, Indiana, discusses her life in the Ukraine and her immigration to the United States after World War II. She describes her home village of LaPushna, Ukraine, the layout of their farm and house. She also discusses the Romanian, Soviet, and German occupations of the Ukraine. Wasylyna discusses her family's escape from Soviet rule after the war. She explains their life in the displaced persons camps in Germany and the life they made in the United States.

Keywords

Corporation Names

Church World Services

International Relief Association

Plast

Personal Names

Raybright, George

Place Names

Bochwana, Ukraine

Brooklyn, New York

Elkhart, Indiana

Kalisberg, German

LaPushna, Ukraine

Munich, Germany

Neumarkt, Germany

New York, New York

Occupation Names

farmer

Subjects

American liberation

Church of the Brethren

Easter

German school

Romanian occupation

Soviet repatriation

Ukrainian Easter eggs

Ukrainian Orthodox church

Ukrainian foodways

Ukrainian organizations

Ukrainian school

Ukrainian village layout

Ukrainian village life

Ukrainian-American churches

Ukrainian-American community

Ukrainian-Americans

World War II

displaced persons camps

holiday clothing

inheritance customs

refugee sponsorship

religious holidays

Back to top


Interviewee: Wojtechko, Emil
Call number: 90-051
Date(s) of Interview: August 2, 1990
Physical Description: not transcribed; 5 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 243 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Emil Wojtechko, of Illinois, discusses his experiences as a Ukrainian growing up in his home country and then his immigration to the United States. He explains the layout and jobs in his small village, and his education. Emil also discusses Polish and Soviet occupation of the Ukraine. He then shares the experiences of his family during World War II during German occupation and their stay in displaced persons camps throughout Germany after the war. Emil goes on to describe his immigration to the United States and his education after he arrived. He discusses his career, family, and Ukrainian pride.

Keywords

Corporation Names

United States Army

Place Names

Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Czechoslovakia

Dabranil, Ukraine

Dachau, Germany

Karlsfeld, Germany

Kolberg, Germany

Monee, Illinois

New York, New York

Poland

Ruhr, Germany

Swiko, Germany

Ternava, Ukraine

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Zwickau, Germany

Occupation Names

farmer

mason

steelworker

Subjects

Polish occupation

Ukrainian army

Ukrainian education

Ukrainian independence

Ukrainian life

Ukrainian-American churches

Ukrainian-American community

Ukrainian-Americans

farming

house structure

inheritance customs

Back to top


Interviewee: Wojtechko, Maria
Call number: 90-053
Date(s) of Interview: August 8, 1990
Physical Description: not transcribed; 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 125 minutes
Physical Location: Interviews are housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for the Study of History and Memory office.
Access Status: Open
Interviewer: Huk, Chrystyna

Maria Wojtechko, of Illinois, born March 26, 1919, discusses her life as the child of Ukrainian immigrants. She discusses housing, education, and language in the Ukrainian community. Maria describes her Ukrainian ethnic education, learning to play the mandolin, and ethnic dancing. She also discusses the financial hardships of the Great depression, work during World War II, and her marriage. She concludes by briefly discussing raising her children to be aware of their ethnic background.

Keywords

Corporation Names

Curtiss-Wright Corporation

International Working Men's Association

Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church

Ukrainian-American Youth Association

Personal Names

Beck, Mary

Place Names

Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Illinois

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Occupation Names

steelworker

welder

Subjects

Great Depression

Ukrainian language

Ukrainian school

Ukrainian traditions

World War II

child-rearing

class differences

club activity

elementary education

gender roles

immigration

mandolin playing

steel mills

tenement housing

Back to top