A young teen traveled across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to New York to take a position as a lady’s maid to a well-to-do family in New York City. Her older sister, Anna, who came at an earlier time, arranged for her to obtain this position. Elizabeth was born in Nemecha, Hungary, on December 4, 1897. Elizabeth expected her sister to meet her when she arrived at Ellis Island but Anna was late and didn’t arrive until a day or so later. Elizabeth who didn’t speak any English probably feared she would be returned to Hungary but her sister finally arrived and away they went to a place that would be her new home.
Elizabeth spoke some about her position as a lady’s maid. She learned about fashion, style, purchasing high quality clothing, and taking care of another person’s needs which would serve her well for the rest of her life.
She married Maxmillian Voelkel on 16 Nov 1915 in New York. She gave birth to a son named Max in 1917 but tragically he died in 1921. She was devastated. After little Max’s death, Max took Elizabeth on a trip to Europe to visit family hoping to cheer her up. This was in 1923. While checking the passport application, it states that she was from Ger. Romania.
In 1925 Elizabeth gave birth to Helen. Life became more active and happy. She died in April 1976 in College Point, New York.
Family History Revisited 