Family albums · Francine’s family overview · Samuel / Samul family
On this page: Names, dates and open questions · Sources and evidence
Frank Samul, also recorded as Frank Samuel, lived with his wife Sophie and their children in Sayreville, New Jersey. The 1910 census describes him as a brick-factory laborer; in 1920 he was recorded as a laborer in a rubber-tire factory. [2] [3]
His 1913 declaration of intention and 1917 naturalization petition report a birth on December 15, 1872, at “Calvar, Russia.” The petition says he left Hamburg on March 12, 1890 and arrived in New York on March 27 aboard the Victoria. These details are what Frank reported. His voyage and the present-day location of Calvar have not been confirmed from other records. [1]
Frank filed his petition on December 19, 1917 and was admitted as a United States citizen on June 13, 1918. The 1940 census records Frank and Sophie together; in 1950 Sophie appears as a widow. These census snapshots place his death in the intervening decade. A memorial prayer card kept by the family names Franciszek Samuel Sr. and shows “21go Maja, 1945” (May 21, 1945). This date falls between the two censuses. The card does not label the date as death or funeral; the exact day is attributed to the card. His civil death certificate has not been inspected. [1] [4] [5] [6]
Names, dates and open questions
Birth date. December 15, 1872 is the naturalization-record statement. Census ages point to an earlier birth, so the discrepancy remains open. [1] [2] [3]
Marriage. The 1910 census describes both spouses as first-married for eleven years, suggesting about 1899. This is an estimate, not a documented wedding date. [2] A separate 1900 marriage-index lead discussed in Sophie’s profile remains unconfirmed and differs from this estimate.
Earlier generations. Frank’s parents and precise European birthplace have not been established. The naturalization packet’s “Calvar, Russia” remains an unresolved place identification. [1]
A passenger-record lead. The original passenger list for the S.S. Pisa, arriving in New York on March 30, 1910, records 19-year-old Wladyslaw Samul and names his father Stanislaw Samul abroad and his uncle Franciszek Samul in Sayreville. The handwritten village appears as “Woski” or “Waski”; its reading and modern identification remain uncertain. This passenger list may help with further research, but it does not prove that the uncle was the elder Frank described here. It does not identify Frank’s parents or birthplace, or explain the reported uncle relationship. [7]
A census comparison. The April 1910 census adds a useful comparison: a 19-year-old boarder in Frank and Theofilo Samuel’s household reported immigration in 1910, with his birthplace recorded as “Russ Polish”. His name is difficult to read, approximately Salinon or Salimon, Vadislock; the index transcribes it as Salmon, Vadishock. His age, arrival year and household fit the passenger lead, but the census calls him a boarder and does not establish the passenger’s identity or a nephew relationship. He is separate from Frank’s nine-year-old son Walter on the same page. [B1]
Recorded names. This account retains Samul and Samuel. The family-held memorial prayer card prints “Franciszek Samuel Sr.” The naturalization and census records cited here use Frank; no middle initial for the elder Frank is established. [1] [2] [3] [6]
Further research
The exact modern identification of “Calvar, Russia,” Frank’s parents, and the passenger record for his arrival remain unresolved.
Sources and evidence
[1] Middlesex County, New Jersey, Court of Common Pleas, Frank Samul naturalization packet: petition no. 3076, filed December 19, 1917, p. 1; oath and order of admission, June 13, 1918, p. 2; declaration of intention, November 1913, p. 3. Digital copy supplied for this research, “Frank Samul Petition.pdf.” The petition refers to November 13, 1913. The handwritten day on the declaration is difficult to read, so its exact date remains under review.
[6] Family-held memorial prayer card for Franciszek Samuel Sr., bearing “21go Maja, 1945” (May 21, 1945); funeral imprint Mateusz A. Maliszewski. Owner-supplied photograph, uploaded October 5, 2026. The date is not explicitly labeled as death or funeral.
[7] New York passenger arrival list, S.S. Pisa, sailed from Hamburg March 15, 1910, arrived March 30, 1910, list 25, line 2; NARA T715, roll 1441, images 0420–0421; Ancestry collection 7488. First page: Wladyslaw Samul and father Stanislaw. Continuation: uncle Franciszek Samul in Sayreville. Both original pages were inspected. The uncle’s identity and the handwritten village name remain unresolved. Access through Ancestry may require a subscription.
Source for the boarder comparison:
[B1] 1910 U.S. census, Sayreville Township, ED 44, sheet 11B, April 20, dwelling 157, family 161, line 71, with household boundaries at lines 63–72. Original census image inspected and independently checked. Open original census.