52 Ancestors: Antonia Dona Kosina-Smith-Esterak

Rosa Anna SMITH & Antonia KOSINA

This post is part of the 52 Ancestors Series

This week I was contacted by a distant cousin who had tracked me down as a result of my blog. It was this kind of meeting that made me think all of this has been so worthwhile! If you have followed my blog you know that my Paternal Great Grandmother was Dorthula Dalue SMITH. Her father was one Charles Frank SMITH. I wrote in an earlier post how grandfather Charles was married twice but we did not know for certain which one of his wives divorced him and which one died. I descend from his first wife Lucinda, whose maiden name is unknown. You can imagine my surprise when this gentleman contacted me and gave me lots of information on my 2nd Great Grandfather Charles Frank SMITH`s 2nd wife, the subject of this post: Antonia Dona KOSINA. In the photo to the left is Antonia on the right and to the left is her daughter Rosa "Rosie" Anna SMITH, daughter of Charles F SMITH and my Great Grand Aunt, half- sister to my Great Grandmother Dorthula Dalue SMITH.
Antonia KOSINA and Charles Frank SMITH were married 28 June, 1896 in Wayne County, Missouri. There were two daughters born to their union and their names were: Rosie Anna SMITH and Mary Katherine "Katie" SMITH.

Rosie Anna SMITH & Sister Mary Katherine "Katie" SMITH

On the 1900 Census we find Grandfather Charles Frank SMITH living with his parents Alexander SMITH and Catherine WRIGHT and for years we did not know what become of his wife Dona, who has been referred to by other researchers as having the name: Donia KASIMEAS. We now know that that interpretation was clearly as misspelling as her name was actually Antonia Dona KOSINA. On the 1900 Census for Wayne County, Missouri we find Dona living with her two young daughters Rosa and Katie in the household of her parents James and Mary KOSINA for recording purposes the surname was spelled COSINA during this years census record. Her daughter Rosa is 4 years old and her surname is listed as COSINA however, my source states she was the Biological Daughter of Charles SMITH and Dona KOSINA-SMITH.
Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: St Francois, Wayne, Missouri; Roll: 907; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0156; FHL microfilm: 1240907.

Antonia is listed on the Passenger List for the Ship:Rugia. Her nationality was listed as: Bohemian which backs up the census records that state she was born Bohemia.  Her place of origion is listed as Bohemia, Czechoslovakia.  Port of Departure: Hamburg, Germany and Le Havre, France.  She arrived in New York, New York on 7 Feb, 1885 at the age of 8 years.
Source Citation: Year: 1885; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 489; Line: 55; List Number: 1116.

Dona and Charles divorced and she moved to Texas and married one Charles ESTERAK. Her daughters took the surname of their step father ESTERAK.

Rosie E SMITH-VOLLENTINE 1974

 Great Aunt Rosie married twice, her first husband was one Fritz PIEPER and her second husband was Joseph Earl VOLLENTINE
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Rose E PIEPER & Children

Dona VOLLENTINE-FAUST

Many thanks to cousin Robert FAUST for generously sharing this information and these photographs with me. I am now able to solve one brick wall in my family tree and this one came about through traditional genealogical research verses DNA research efforts. Never give up folks! You never know when you might get a message from someone who will break through that wall!