Joseph Gerbic Sr.

 Feb. 6th 1906 - Dec 1961

Joe Sr. married: Mary "Marie" Omaster

their child: Joseph Gerbic Jr.

Joe Sr. then married: Margarete "Bertha" Allen

their children:

Joyce Gerbic 1942-44

Joann Gerbic married Phil Borowitz

Site last updated Aug. 6, 2007

I located Joe Gerbic Jr. from a simple Internet search, I had asked him which of the people he might be related to that I had already found.  He was the son of Joe Gerbic Sr. that I had found on the Social Security Death Index.  Joe Sr. had died Dec 1961 in Illinois.  He was born Feb. 6th, 1906.  The following is what I got from our phone interview.  This history of his grandparents John and Marie is different from another source who says that the names were actually Mike and Elizabeth.  How confusing, but I put it here for what it is worth if only to show how confused people can be about their family history. 

Conversation with Joe Gerbic Jr., Hayward, CA.  June 30, 1997  Age 73.

"My grandfather was John Gerbic, grandmother Marie Omaster.  They came from Belgrade/Serbia in the 1900's.  They moved to St. Louis, MO, bought a farm with a large vineyard located on a hill."

John and Marie had 5 children, 4 girls and one boy. 

"Nell is about 93 at this time, and has a son named Matthew.  (I have "7?" written after his name so I suppose that means he has 7 children?) Ann had a daughter named Violet and also a boy but I don't remember his name. (Here my notes are unclear again and I think the other two are Elizabeth and Francis).  The only son was Joseph who was born around 1904 or 05."

"Joseph met his wife,  in St. Louis she was born in 1906.  Joseph opened a trucking business in Chicago then divorced his wife.  They had only one son, Joseph Jr. (the person being interviewed).  I moved in with my grandmother in Granite City, Ill.  Joe Sr. moved to Granite City also where he married Bertha they had one child a daughter.  Joe Sr. died at 58 due to smoking, he also worked in a coal mine and was a musician.  He smoked everything he could as often as possible."

"Bertha is about 80 and living with her daughter (Borowitz?) in Texas."

"I (Joe Jr.) lived in San Francisco for awhile, worked in aerospace and then taught business, math, and history for 15 years.  I had only daughters and is now retired and have traveled the world, I found my grandmothers family (Omaster) in Belgrade/Serbia when I was there in 1959.  I met her 3 sisters and all their families."

 "John Gerbic came from Trieste as married couple in 1900 and moved to St. Louis, MO.  They brought one or two of their kids with them and talked about having relatives in the East."  (Again here my notes are not clear why I now say that John came from Trieste which is not the Belgrade/Serbia I mentioned earlier? I'm confused)

Follow-up interview July 14, 2005

Joe explains that he was raised by his mother's parents in Granite City.  He says that Mike came to America in the late 1890's and settled in Panama, Ill.  He was a grape grower and Panama was a great place for growing grapes.  They made and sold wine as well.  He also worked in a Cole mine.

Elizabeth lived a happy life on the vineyard and lived alone after her husband died.

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In 1930 Joseph Jr. is living as a border in Chicago, IL.  He is divorced, says born in Missouri and his parents are from Jugoslavia.  He is not a veteran.  All this info from the 1930 census.  Year: 1930; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T626_457; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 931; Image: 0198.

 

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Real Estate Transactions from The Edwardsville Intellinger: 

 "George Hayward Niedringhaus, et al, to Joe Gerbic, lot 7, blk 72, resub of blk 73 and add. to blk 72, $1"     (Jan. 25, 1946)

 "Joe Gerbic to Paul Lichtenberger lot 7, blk 72, resubf blks 73 & 72, Granite City $10" (May 2, 1949)

 "J P Edwin Niedringhaus et al trs to Joseph Gerbic lot 8 to blk 72 of the subd of blk 73 & add to blk 72 $1"  (Sept. 27, 1949)

"J P Edwin Niedringhaus tr et al to Joseph Gerbic pt lot 6 of add to blk 72 in Granite City $1" (April 30, 1955)

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Margarete B. Gerbic

 

Margarete B. Gerbic, 89, of Gonzales, died Thursday, April 14, 2005. She was born October 2, 1916 in Woodriver, Illinois to the late Harold Oswald and Mary Clark Allen, of Woodriver, IL and Alton, IL, respectively. She was a member of St. James Catholic Church of Gonzales, Gonzales Women's Study Club, Holy Trinity Hospital Auxiliary. She worked all of her life, including having a career with Rebholtz Insurance Company as an office manager. She married Joseph W. Gerbic on December 22, 1935 in Chicago, IL and he preceded her in death on December 31, 1961.

Survivors include her daughter, Joann Borowitz and husband Phil of Gonzales; a step-son, Joe Gerbic, Jr. of Harward, CA; six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by a daughter, Joyce Gerbic and a son, Donald Green.

Funeral services were held at St. James Catholic Church on Monday, April 18, 2005 at 10 a.m. Burial followed at the St. James Catholic Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Joel K. Loehman, Lorenzo Hernandez, Bobby Scheske, Andy Rodriguez, Lamoine Wallace and Lloyd Victor Ashe. Honorary pallbearers were Danny Burditt, Dan Pratt, Gregory Borowitz, Sr. and Ted Borowitz.

Memorials may be made to the St. James Catholic Church Building Center Fund. Seydler-Hill Funeral Home of Gonzales was in charge of arrangements.

This is the "Bertha" that Joe Jr. was referring to.  Joe Jr. said that the only child from the marriage of her and Joe was a daughter which must be Joyce Gerbic.  Donald Green was a child of Bertha's from a marriage before Joe Gerbic.  Donald Green died in 2004. 

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http://www.tamburitza.org/TAA/bios/krajnovich.html

Sam Krajnovich
Inducted - Detroit 1985
 
Sam Krajnovich's parents came to this country in 1907 from Austria-Hungary, which is now known as Yugoslavia.  In 1918, Sam was born in Kansas City, Missouri.  For over 50 years, Sam has dedicated much of his time to teaching, playing and promoting the heritage and tradition of the tamburitza music in Kansas City, Kansas and also Missouri and Illinois. 		 
 
In 1932, Sam learned to play the tambura with his church orchestra in Kansas City, Kansas.  He also has taught music to many young people.  Through the years he has taught three youth tamburitza groups and organized five other groups. 		 
 
Sam organized his first orchestra in the 1930's along with the late Johnny Soptich on bass, Henry Pear played bugarija and Sam played the brac.  At that time they played Farkas tamburitza. 		 
 
In the late 1930's, Sam went to Madison, Illinois.  There he played with the Danica Tamburitza Orchestra.  He played with the late Mickey Brncic, who played the prim.  Also the late Mike Novacic played bass.  Then in the 1940's, Sam went back to Kansas City.  There he taught the John Muzas family to play the tambura. 		 
 
In 1947, Sam formed an orchestra to play for his church.  Sam obtained the service of Frank Chelesnik for their instructor.  Sam returned to Madison, Illinois.  There he played with Steve Buchevich Jr.'s Junior Tamburitza Orchestra.  They played at the Croatian Hall.  Frank Mudrovich played bugarija and the late Joe Buchevich played the bass.  Steve Buchevich Jr. played first brac and Sam played second brac. 		 
 
In the later 1950's and 1960's, Sam organized a tambura orchestra in Granite City, Illinois with the late Joe Gerbic, M. Finley, and his son Bob.  Sam went back to Kansas City in the 1970's and organized another tamburitza orchestra comprised of Bob Cigich, Ed Grisnick, Johnny Soptick and Sam.  They played together until 1977 when Sam moved to Texas for his health. 		 
 
In 1981, Sam started the Pan-Slavic Club in Dallas, Texas.  In 1982, San organized another tamburitza orchestra in Dallas, Texas, with John Miskudin on first brac, Joe Kirin on prim, Evan Geusic on bugarija, Tony Carevic on bass, and Sam playing second brac.  They played for the city of Dallas in 1983 and 1984 at the International Bazaar.  This is the first tambura orchestra in Dallas, Texas. 		 
 
Sam was General Chairman when Kansas City hosted the Tamburitza Extravaganza in 1977.  He has revolved his life around music and has been so giving of his time, talents, and money to promote music.  If he heard of a child that was interested in music, he would go to great lengths to pick the child up and deliver him back home, just so he had an opportunity to learn to play the tambura. 		 
 
Sam is still playing tambura and keeping it alive in Texas. 		 
 
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