Eternal_Memory
	Village_History
	Jarabina Surnames
	Village Photos Courtesy of Steven M. Osifchin

 

Eternal Memory

Note: For those of you who had ancestors from Jarabina, feel free to submit photographs and/or brief history honoring their memory in this section.

Click to Enlarge	Description	Photograph Date	Immigration	Photo Courtesy of
Click Here Submit Photo	John Kanya 1893 - ? New York. Married Mary Salony of Jarabina on 02 Aug 1914 in Manhattan, New York.		Immigration pre 1914	In Memory of the John Kanya/Mary Salony Family
Click Here Submit Photo	John Kravchak 1878 - 1956 New Jersey. Married Mary Tyrpak of Jarabina about 1909.		Immigration about 1895	In Memory of the John Kravchak/Mary Tyrpak Family
	Samuel Kravchak 1882 - 1967 Clifton, Passaic, New Jersey. Married Rose Kovalycsik of Passaic, New Jersey about 1906.	1919-1922 New Jersey	About 1898	In Memory of the Samuel Kravchak/Rose Kovalycsik Family Courtesy of Cathy Carney
Click Here Submit Photo	Ignatz Osifchak 1868 - 1935 Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Married Teresa of Slovakia about 1905.		Immigration 5 Apr 1901 SS Rhein sailing from Bremen. Arrival Port of New York. 26 Jun 1901 SS Barbarossa sailing from Bremen. Arrival Port of New New York. Destination Springtown, New Jersey.	In Memory of the Ignatz & Teresa Osifchak Family
Click Here Submit Photo	John Peles 1893 - 1969 New York, New York. Married Helen Marcisak from Litmonova.		Immigration about 1913	In Memory of the John Peles/Helen Marcisak Family
Click Here Submit Photo	Andrew Salony 1904 - 1969 New York (son of Salony & Justina). Married Magdalena of Slovakia.		Immigration 6 Oct 1920 SS Noordam sailing from Rotterdam. Arrival port of New York.	In Memory of the Andrew & Magdalena Salony Family
Click Here Submit Photo	Mary Salony 1895 - 1975 Flushing, Queens, New York (daughter of Salony & Justina). Married John Kanya on 02 Aug 1914 in Manhattan, New York.		Immigration pre 1914	In Memory of the Mary Salony/John Kanya Family

 

Village History 

In historical records the village of Jarabina was first mentioned in the year 1329.

 

Different names of the village over time:

 

1329 Gyerimp, 1372 Yerubina, 1360 Zombach, 1364 Jerubina, 1408 Gyrem, 1808 Jarabina, 1920 Jarembina, 1927 Orjabina, 1948 Jarabina, over time also called Jarembina and Berkenyed.

 

Administrative Structure:

 

Spis County; District Stara Lubovna, Region Presov until1960; Region Poprad, by 1968 District Stara Lubovna, Eastern Slovakia.

 

Population Statistics:

 

1869-1184

1880-1167

1890-1207

1900-1247

1910-1115

1921-1215

1930-1153

1940-1213

1948-1157

1961-1110

1970-1030

 

Acreage:

 

The municipality lies at an altitude of 587 meters and covers an area of 22.896 km.

 

Religious:

 

There is a Baroque Style Greek Catholic Church from the year 1809.

 

In more recent times a Russian Orthodox Church has been constructed for the Orthodox faithful of the village.

 

Historical Figures:

 

Sergeant Michael Strank

 

Sergeant Strank was in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was only 25 years old, leading a dozen Marines, when he and his men raised the American flag atop Mount Suribachi in the Pacific. This became one of the most famous images from World War II.

 

Michael Strank was born to Rusyn parents in Jarabina in the year 1919. He was the son of Vasil and Marta Strank nee Grofik. He emigrated from Slovakia to the United States in 1922. He made the journey to America with his mother Marta on the S.S. Berengaria from Southampton, England on the 29th of July 1922. They arrived at the Port of New York on the 4th of August 1922.  They were joining Michael’s father Vasil ‘Charles’ Stank in Conemaugh, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Vasil ‘Charles’ Strank had emigrated a year prior in 1921.

 

By 1930 the family was residing in the Franklin Borough of Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Michael had a brother John and Peter that had been born in Pennsylvania. Their immediate neighbors were another Jarabina family, the Steve and Mary Kindya family. 

 

Michael enlisted in the United States Marines with the rank of Private on the 6th of October 1939.

 

He landed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. The famous flag-raising took place just four days later. Five other men were with Sergeant Strank on this fateful day. They were Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, John Bradley, Harlon Block, and Rene Gagnon.

 

Wounded by enemy artillery fire Strank, Block and Sousley would die shortly afterwards. Bradley, Hayes and Gagnon became national heroes within weeks.

 

Sgt. Srank was buried in the 5th Marine Division Cemetery with the last rites of the Catholic Church. On the 13th of January 1949, his remains were re-interred in Grave 7179, Section 12 at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

He was awarded the Bronze Star; Purple Heart (awarded posthumously); Presidential Unit Citation with one star (for Iwo Jima); American Defense Service Medal with base clasp (for his service in Cuba before the war); Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four stars (for Pavuvu, Bougainville, Consolidation of the Northern Solomons and Iwo Jima) The World War II Victory Medal.

 

In May of 2007 Sergeant Strank was honored at his birthplace by the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia. At his ancestral home Sgt. Heather Parry stood guard along side the Slovak honor guard.

 

Ambassador Vallee, Ministry of Defense Services Bureau head Miroslav Sim, and Jarabina mayor Mikuláš Kaňa participated in the ceremony. A commemorative plaque was dedicated to Sergeant Strank by Ambassador Vallee.

 

Ambassador Vallee also laid a wreath at the memorial for Jarabina citizens who lost their lives in the fight against fascism in World War II.

 

Editors Note:

The Greek Catholic parish registers of births, marriages and deaths (1789-1929) for Jarabina, Slovakia, formerly known as Jarembina, Szepes, Hungary are available via the LDS (Family History Center). The film numbers are 1739141, 1739142, and 1739143.

The current Greek Catholic resident priest is Father Rastislav Visnovský. The parish address is Jarabina c. 171, 06531 Okres Stara Lubovna. Telephone 0963/4361101.

Akimjak

Andraš

Babjak

Balaz

Bandy

Barnovskij

Bulik

Bulko

Cabra

Chanat

Chobor

Choroščak

Cicak

Derevjanik

Dic

Drenčko

Dziadik

Dziubina

Godarska

Grab

Grofik

Grofik-Gand

Hadžega

Herko

Hlavač

Hubka

Hutnik

Jabrockij

Jacenik

Janoščik

Jarembak

Jarembinski

Juščak

Kanja

Kindja

Klimčak

Kmeč

Konkol

Korčak

Kormanik

Kormanik-Dic

Kovalčik

Krajnjak

Kristelbauer

Križovskij

Krulovskij

Kukac

Labuda

Ladišinska

Ladyšinskij

Lajčak

Leščak

Lešiga

Liptak

Lojko

Lukačovska

Marčak

Marčišak

Medvecka

Michnja

Minčik

Mosorjak

Mucha

Murdza

Njanjko

Okres

Ostrovska

Ostrovskij

Parskuta

Pazin

Peleš

Peleš-Kozak

Pištej

Pivovarska

Polomčak

Poradišin

Prosuch

Ratkievič

Redaj

Repak

Salonj

Salonj-Dutkov

Salonj-Stašov

Salonj-Tymko

Ščavinskij

Sember

Ševčik

Šidik

Šipoš

Špjak

Sroka

Strenk

Strenk-Bača

Strenk-Bulko

Šurik

Surma

Tyrpak

Urda

Varchel

Varšik

Vasilik

Vorobel

Ždvčak