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Franceska's sister was the mother of three Waschak brothers who ended up coming from <br />Slovakia to Louisville: Paul, John, and Steven. It was because of Thomas and Franceska Haszier <br />that the Waschak brothers came to the U.S. Thomas and Franceska did not have any children. <br />It has been found that this area of Grant and Lincoln, south of Pine, where 545 Grant is located, <br />had a concentration of Eastern Europeans and particularly Slovaks for several decades. Thomas' <br />brother, Andy Haszier lived close by at 533 Grant with his wife, Victoria, while members of the <br />Waschak family ended up settling at 532 Lincoln and 541 Lincoln. <br />Thomas and Franceska made 545 Grant their home in the early 1900s. The primary home <br />appears to have been on Lot 5 to the north. A small building on Lot 6 to the south may have <br />originally been a house, but the Hasziers used this separate building as a kitchen. A later owner <br />built a connection between the two buildings. Paul Waschak's daughter, Mary Ann Pollock, <br />wrote the following: <br />Thomas Haszier's house had two separate buildings. One building <br />was the kitchen. The kitchen had a stove, and a sink in which to <br />wash dishes. Of course there was no running water or electricity, <br />but they would put a dishpan into the sink, go outside to the <br />pump to get some water, then they had to warm the water on the <br />stove so that they could wash the dishes. There were some <br />standing cabinets where they kept a few groceries and a table <br />with two chairs. They cooked and ate in this building. There was a <br />path between the kitchen and the other building, which was the <br />rest of the house. This building consisted of a living room/dining <br />room combination and two bedrooms. Both parts of his home <br />were heated with stoves that were fueled with coal or wood. <br />At some point, according to the Waschak family, Thomas went to work in a coal mine in Illinois <br />and lost one of his legs in a mine accident. He thereafter used a wooden leg that caused him <br />problems and pain as he continued to work as a coal miner and blacksmith. <br />The 1910, 1920, and 1930 census records show Thomas and Franceska Haszier to be living at <br />545 Grant. By 1930, their nephews, Paul and John Waschak, had arrived and were living with <br />them in the house. According to Paul's daughter, Paul would end up living with his aunt and <br />uncle for about ten years. When Paul's wife came from Slovakia to join him, she, too, lived with <br />Paul at the Haszier home at 545 Grant for about a year. <br />The following photo shows Thomas and Franceska Haszier by their house at 545 Grant, <br />according to the family: <br />3 <br />