Bio: Verschay & Dragosh Families

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Verschay, Dragosh, Cesnik, Routar, Meyer, Jeras, Isaacson, Grap, Anderson

----Source: Family Scrapbook

Gregor "Pete" and Maria Dragosh were born in Slovenia, Austria Hungary. To them, in Prebince, Slovenia, two daughters were born, Ana Barbara on May 3, 1888 and Katherine in 1890. Pete Dragosh arrived in the United States in 1889, settling in Ontonagon, Michigan. There he homesteaded. In 1902 his wife Maria and children joined him.

Later the family moved to Mohawk, Michigan where his daughter Ana worked for a cousin, who owned a grocery store in Calumet, Michigan, until she married John Michael Verschay on August 23, 1905 in Calumet, John was born in Cernomelj, Slovenia, Austria-Hungary on May 20, 1882 and came to the United States in 1902. He settled in Calumet where he was employed by Calumet and Hecla Mining Co. until 1913 when the mine workers went on strike.

To John and Ana Verschay were born six children in Calumet: Anne, Marie, Jean, John, Joseph and Kay.

In the winter through a newspaper ad, Dragosh purchased 100 acres of land in Section II, Town of Hendren, Clark County, Willard from land agent Ignac Cesnik. The only access to the farm was via the railroad tracks known as Foster and Northeastern Railroad.

There with the help of a cousin from Duluth, Minnesota, he built a frame house and in November of 1914 the Verschay family arrived via train, moving with her parents.

In 1918 the Verschays purchased 40 acres from Dragosh, cleared away the trees and built a frame house. The flat cars of lumber would be unhooked and left near where they were building the house and hooked up to the empty flat cars again. They later purchased an adjacent 40 acres and renting 60 acres from Dragosh, they farmed the 140 acres. There, their youngest daughter Christine was born.

In 1949 their oldest son John purchased the family farm plus the Dragosh farm and in 1961 an additional adjoining 20 acres was added to the family farm. Since 1970 this farm is known as the Wayne Routar farm.
 
When their son purchased the farm, John and Ana Dragosh Verschay moved to Greenwood where they purchased the former Carter residence on the Main Street. There they lived until their deaths.

Deceased: John Michael Verschay, June 19, 1968; Ana Dragosh Verschay, April 10 1976; son, Joseph Verschay, October 31, 1978; Maria Dragosh, September 11, 1932; Pete Dragosh, April 12, 1948.

Surviving Verschay children are: Ann Meyer, San Jose, California; Marie Jeras, Greenwood, Wisconsin; Jean Isaacson, Marshfield, Wisconsin; Kay Grap, Greenwood, Wisconsin; Christine Anderson, Kansas City, Missouri; and John Jr., Willard.