The Eyes of an Ancestor

 

52 Ancestors, Week 2, "Favorite Photo"

It's her eyes that get me. The intense gaze from pale blue or gray eyes is quite mesmerizing. Very little of her face is shown, outlined as it is by her nun's habit. I wonder if beyond the photographer's lens she was as no-nonsense as she appears, or gentle and kind, the severity of her face perhaps only a reflection of discomfort in sitting for a portrait.

The photograph—a current favorite—is of Barbara Trauscht, my 2nd cousin, 4x removed. It comes from the Sisters of St. Joseph (SSJ) archive in Clarence, New York.¹ I discovered Barbara's vocation while helping my Belgian friend, Daniel, learn more about Barbara's mother, Maria Schung. Maria was the daughter of Susanna Cailteux and sister of our common ancestress Anne Marie Cailteux.² Maria, like Anne Marie, immigrated to the U.S. and with her family eventually settled in Wyoming County, New York.³

Maria married Mathias Trauscht, and their family grew to include children Peter, Barbara, Mary, Lucy, John, and Michael.⁴ Between 1884 and 1887, the couple's three eldest children, Peter, Barbara, and Mary, entered Roman Catholic religious life. Barbara joined the Sisters of St. Joseph (SSJ) order in Buffalo, Erie, New York, as did her sister Mary, while Peter became a diocesan priest in Buffalo.⁵

Barbara Trauscht became a postulant of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Buffalo, received the habit on April 26,1886, and took the name Sister Mary Scholastica. She was assigned to St. Mary's School of the Deaf in Buffalo, where she was a drawing teacher. She made her final vows on 9 August 1888.⁶

To research Barbara, I corresponded with Jennifer Anderson-Rath, a congregational archivist for the Sisters of St. Joseph, who explained the path that Barbara would have walked to become Sister Mary Scholastica.

"Women who wanted to become a Sister of St. Joseph had to formally apply to the order. They would send documents such as baptismal/confirmation certificates and letters of recommendation from their parish priest that attested to the applicant's suitability to join religious life," explained Jennifer.⁷

"Once their application was accepted by the Reverend Mother, they were a Postulant for 6-10 months. A group of Sisters, called a 'band,' were accepted together sometime during the fall. They underwent studies and classes in the Motherhouse and as a group at St. Mary's School for the Deaf to discern whether they wanted to continue in religious life," said Jennifer. "The Sisters would have their reception in the following spring or summer. That's when they were given a habit and veil as a new novice. It is when they received their religious name, such as 'Sister Mary Scholastica.'"⁸

"When the Sisters of St. Joseph received their habit and became a novice, they were assigned to location (Mission) for the upcoming fall to live/work for the next year. These were the schools, orphanages, old age homes, and hospitals that the Sisters helped to administer. Sisters were assigned duties such as teaching, nursing, childcare supervision, domestic work, etc., based on their literacy, language proficiency, and occupational background. It was a relatively safe opportunity for women to enter the world of work and receive further education in a society that had many barriers to that," explained Jennifer.⁹

"Novices continued to meet at different points of the year at the Motherhouse for classes and workshops. They also received educational and religious training through correspondence courses."¹⁰

"Prior to 1887, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Buffalo were Novices for about two years before they professed their final wows. That year, the Sisters of Saint Joseph Congregation changed their policy. After about two years, a Sister recited her first vows. Then she was considered a 'Juniorate Sister' and recited her final vows 5 years after that," said Jennifer.¹¹

Tragically, Sister Mary Scholastica's life of service would be tragically cut short—as were those of her siblings, Rev. Peter Trauscht and Mary (by then Sister Mary Peter Claver). All three contracted tuberculosis in the late 1880s. The siblings, who were always close, nursed each other through their illnesses—but to no avail. Barbara succumbed first, in October, 1890.¹² Peter followed the following June, and Mary died in December, 1891.¹³ The three siblings were buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna (then West Seneca) Erie County, New York.¹⁴

Sister Mary Scholastica's photograph serves as a tangible reminder of her brief and holy life. I was fortunate to obtain it, and to learn more of her religious life.

Notes on Researching Religious in Your Family

• If you have identified women who joined various religious orders, determine which one they belonged to. As a start, search the internet for religious orders in the locality where they lived. Most orders have an archive, where a dedicated archivist can provide you with biographies, photos, and information, if available.
  
• I had previously researched Mary Jane Cassidy, my father's aunt, who joined the Sisters of St. Joseph in Toronto. I guessed that Barbara was in that order as well, given the proximity of her home, Wyoming County, New York, to Ontario, and knowing the order's presence in that area about that time. I located the most likely Sisters of St. Joseph archive in Buffalo and inquired. The archivist not only answered my many questions but also sent me obituaries of Barbara and her sister Mary, photographs, biographies, and more.
• Once I had this information, I was able to locate more records of Barbara's life, including birth and baptism information, burial information, census records, and newspaper clippings.

If you have an ancestor who may have been in the SSJ in Buffalo, here is contact info:

Sisters of St. Joseph Buffalo Archive
Jessica Anderson-Rath
Congregational Archivist
Sisters of St. Joseph
Clarence Residence
4975 Strickler Rd.
Clarence, NY 14031
ssjarchives@gmail.com

Until next time...

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© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2025. All rights reserved.

 

NOTES

¹ Jessica Anderson-Rath, archivist, Sister of St. Joseph Archives, Sister Mary Scholastica photograph, 8 November 2024; citing Sisters of St. Joseph Archives, Clarence, New York.

² Eglise catholique, Paroisse de Hachy [Luxembourg, Belgium], Liber Baptizorum, .??27-1899, p. 234, Maria Schung, born and baptized 3 April 1828; imaged, "Registres paroissiaux, 1669-1899," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSVQ-794X-S : accessed 15 Nov. 2024); citing Archives de l'Etat, Arlon.

³ 1900 U.S. census Wyoming County, New York, population schedule, ED 133, sheet 8A, Sheldon Twp, Martin Troust household; database and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-X464-9R : accessed 13 November 2024).

⁴ 1875 New York state census, Wyoming County, Sheldon, p. 50, line 17, Martin Troust household; imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1357469131:7250 : accessed 14 Nov. 2024); citing "Census of the State of New York, for 1875," New York State Archives, Albany.

⁵ "Obituary: The Rev. Father Trauscht of the Limestone Hill Protectory," Buffalo Courier [New York], 16 June 1891, p. 3, col. 1; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/354448630/ : accessed 11 Nov. 2024). Also, Jessica Anderson-Rath, archivist, Sister of St. Joseph Archives, Trauscht sisters biographies, 8 November 2024, Sister Mary Scholastica biography; citing Sisters of St. Joseph Archives, Clarence, New York.

⁶ Jessica Anderson-Rath, archivist, Sister of St. Joseph Archives, Trauscht sisters biographies, 8 November 2024, Sister Mary Scholastica biography; citing Sisters of St. Joseph Archives, Clarence, New York.

^7-11 Jessica Anderson-Rath, Clarence, New York, [(e-address for private use),] to Nancy Casey, e-mail, 12 Nov. 2024, "biographical info"; Cailteux file, gmail email account; privately held by Casey, [(e-address for private use,], Tioga, Texas, 2025.

¹² Sister Mary Scholastica obituary, ca. Oct. 1890, unknown publication; citing Sisters of St. Joseph of Buffalo Archive, Clarence, New York. Clipping provided to N. Casey on 8 Nov. 2024. Obituary possibly from the St. Mary's School for the Deaf publication LeCouteulx Leader.

¹³ Holy Cross Cemetery, Lackawanna, Erie, New York, p. 135, Section O, Grave 6, Rev. Peter Trauscht, d. 14 June 1891, bur. 17 June 1891; database and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C34G-299K-3 : accessed 7 November 2024); citing Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, New York. Also, Sister Mary Claver obituary, ca. 7 Dec. 1981, unknown publication; citing Sisters of St. Joseph of Buffalo Archive, Clarence, New York. Clipping provided to N. Casey on 8 Nov. 2024. Obituary possibly from the St. Mary's School for the Deaf publication LeCouteulx Leader. 

¹⁴ Holy Cross Cemetery, Lackawanna, Erie, New York, p. 135, Section O, Grave 6, Rev. Peter Trauscht, d. 14 June 1891, bur. 17 June 1891. Also, Holy Cross Cemetery, Lackawanna, Erie, New York, p. 129, Sister of St. Joseph, Lot 129, Sec. O, Grave 10, record 213-703, Sister Mary Scholastica Trauscht, 3 October 1890; database and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZD9Y-CXZM : accessed 7 November 2024); citing Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, New York. Also, Holy Cross Cemetery, Lackawanna, Erie, New York, p. 129, Sister of St. Joseph, Lot No. 129, Sec. O, Grave 16, record 243-1082, Sister Mary Claver Trauscht, 7 Dec. 1891; database and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZD9Y-CFMM : accessed 7 November 2024); citing Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, New York.