Anton Pene, 1901.
Anton's immigration record.
One could say Anton Pene risked everything in 1899 when he left the small village of Veliki Slatnik, Slovenia (then Austria-Hungary) at the age of 26 aboard the Kaiser Friedrich and landed at Ellis Island with $3.00 in his pocket. Or, you could say he got out in the nick of time. For if he had stayed, he mostly likely would have been drafted into the Austro-Hungarian Army and possibly fought during World War I at the Battle of Kobarid, historically one of the deadliest battles ever fought on Slovene land. World War II would follow and Anton would have seen his country trisected and completely annexed to Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and Hungary (see citation below). Of course, he knew none of this when he left.
Anton & Johanna's wedding, October 1901.
After arriving in America, his final destination would be Eveleth, Minnesota where, presumably, a mining job was waiting for him. Mining Company recruited Slovenes, among other nationalities to work the strip mines around the Mesabi Iron Range. Immigrants already employed on the Mesabi Range sent letters and money back to family which also attracted more immigrants to the iron range. Upon arriving in New York City, my guess would be that the mining company either paid his rail fare, loaned him the money or filled a "cattle" car with immigrants headed for Minnesota because I hardly think $3.00 would have been enough for train fare. In any event, Eveleth would be his home for the next 50 years.
In 1900, Anton lived in a boarding house and was working as a miner at the Mesabi Iron Range for the Oliver Iron Mining Company. Over the years he worked in the Adams, Fayal and Spruce Mines holding jobs as a driller and timberlander. In July 1907, the first organized mining strike occured on the Mesabi Range. The miner's main complaints were ethnic discrimination, low wages, dangerous working conditions and long work days. In early August strikebreakers were brought in and by mid-August there were enough strikebreakers that the strike officially ended. Ultimately, the strike was not successful because the miner's demands were not met, however, everyone working the Mesabi Range at the time would have been affected in some way, including Anton. Although I do not know the exact date he retired from the mines by 1930 at 57 years old he was working for the City of Eveleth and later the Health Department before relocating to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The story told to me by my grandmother is that a local (Mesabi Range) tavern owner named Jance told Anton he knew someone back in Slovenia who had a daughter that would be perfect for him. Apparently, letters were written and Johanna Kocijančič arrived in April, 1901, with her sister, and by October of the same year she married Anton.
In 1912, the family became naturalized American citizens.
Anton and his son Matt, circa 1924.
Baby Johanna's funeral photo. This practice was common during this time and often, with children, their only photo ever taken.
Anton and Johanna's would have 10 children: Johanna in 1902 and who died before she turned a year old, Mary Anne in 1903, my grandmother Anna/Anne in 1905, Anton in 1906 and who died in 1914 from septicemia/pyaemia of the elbow, thigh and knee, Frank in 1908, Albert in 1910, Louis in 1912, John and Vid were twins born in 1915 but Vid did not survive the birth and Mathew in 1916 who he died in 1928 from complication from pneumonia/heart issues.
By the mid-1940's, Anton and Johanna had relocated to join their children who all previously removed to Milwaukee. Their new home was an apartment shared with their daughter and son-in-law attached to the tavern. Even though almost 70 years old, they both worked in the tavern, Anton performing odd jobs and keeping the kegs organized and tapped and Johanna cooking and cleaning. After Frank and Mary sold the tavern, they bought a home on W. Greenfield Avenue. They shared the lower level with Anton & Johanna and rented the upper level to Mary's brother (Anton's son) Louis and his wife Fran. Family was an integral part of their life including parties at the tavern to Sunday dinners at the Zupanchich/Pene home with grandchildren and "Ma and Pa" were the center of it all.
Anton & Johanna Pene date unknown.
Anton's obituary in the Milwaukee newspaper.
The untimely death of Anton and Johanna's daughter Mary in 1950 followed by Frank in 1959 and then Johanna in 1960 caused another relocation for Anton when he went to live with his surviving daughter (my grandmother), Anne on Walker Street in Milwaukee. This was his last home and also when I was lucky enough to be photographed with him.
It's not important that you cannot read the obituary written in Slovene on the right. My translation would be: "Today we lost a loving, amazing, and hard-working husband, father, uncle, grandfather and great grandfather who took a journey across the ocean and lead the way for generations of his descendants to be born Americans. We are all forever grateful for the sacrifices you made and we will never forget you.
Additional information:
Visit http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/kaiserfriedrich.html for history and photos of the Kaiser Friedrich.
Information regarding immigrants to the Mesabi Range http://collections.mnhs.org/mnhistorymagazine/articles/27/v27i03p203-215.pdf
Information on the Iron Range Company Communities/Locations http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/48/v48i03p094-107.pdf
For more information and photos of Minnesota's early iron range history visit this link to Minnesota Historical Society http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/52/v52i07p246-263.pdf and http://www.miningartifacts.org/Minnesota-MInes.html
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Citations:
History of Slovenia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenia and Gregor Joseph Kranjc (2013). To Walk With the Devil, University of Toronto Press Scholarly PUblishing Division, p. introduction 5.
Oliver Mining Company recruitment.