Richard Frank Muschalik is my paternal grandfather. I never knew him because he died before I was born.

At the time of his birth and through his naturalization on 11 Oct 1894, Poland was actually part of the Prussian (German) Empire. We show he was born in Szaricj (Szarlej)?, Katowice, Prussia.

Katie and Richard Frank were married on 5 Mar 1893 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. They had 10 children. All are listed and have memorials on Find A Grave. One, Walter, died as an infant.

Katie & Richard are buried about 100 yards away from one another. When Richard died, there may not have been enough funds to pay for two plots or grave plots were not paid for ahead of time. Not really known. When Katie died 17 years later, a plot was chosen as close to Richard's as possible.

Transcription:
The Oregonian
Saturday, April 22, 1939
Page 5, Col. 3

Fractured Hip Fatal
Richard Frank Muschalik, 66, of 1334 North Larrabee street, died Friday at Multnomah county hospital, victim of a right hip fracture suffered in a fall in June, 1938, according to report from the coroner's office.

(11 Sep 2010-Transcribed by Kaye from copy of newspaper article found on GenealogyBank.com)

27 Nov 2018-Some background on Richard's immigration to the U.S. - Richard Franciskus Muschalik came to the U.S. in 1889 (before Ellis Island) as a 16-year-old with little/no money and some barbering skills, from what was then "Prussia" but is now, again, Poland. By the time he met & married Katharine Byrns Pessara, from Germany, in 1893, he was 19 years-old, living in Chicago and working as a clerk and barber. By the Great Depression, the family was living in Portland, Oregon and he had 8 barber shops...a success story if there ever was one! Unfortunately, the Depression pretty well wiped him out and, by the time of his death in 1939, they only had one shop left.

Henry Muschalik is Richard's older brother and the only other family member known to have come to the United States.