{"id":19,"date":"2026-10-06T12:16:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T17:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefamilyopus.com\/?page_id=19"},"modified":"2026-10-08T08:37:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:37:54","slug":"rudy-family","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thefamilyopus.com\/?page_id=19","title":{"rendered":"Rudy Family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Family albums<\/a> \u00b7 Francine\u2019s family overview<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this page:<\/strong> Joseph S. Rudy and Frances Okulewicz<\/a> \u00b7 Rudy family photographs<\/a> \u00b7 Frances\u2019s parents and siblings<\/a> \u00b7 Sources and evidence<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph S. Rudy and Frances Okulewicz<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Individual profiles: Joseph S. Rudy<\/a> \u00b7 Frances Okulewicz Rudy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family research identifies Joseph Rudy, also recorded there as Joseph Sylvester Rudy, and Frances Okulewicz as the parents of Carol A. Rudy Samuel. The 1950 census records their household in Sayreville, New Jersey. Joseph is recorded as Joseph S. Rudy, age 52, born in New Jersey; Frances is recorded as age 45, also born in New Jersey. Joseph's birth date remains unresolved; the 1950 age alone is not enough to settle his birth year. [R1]<\/a> [R2]<\/a> [R6]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1940 \u00b7 An earlier household snapshot.<\/strong> The 1940 census records Joseph Rudy and Frances with their children in Sayreville. Both spouses are recorded as New Jersey-born. Frances is recorded as 37. Joseph\u2019s age appears to read 46, although the handwriting remains uncertain. The 1950 census records Joseph as 52 and Frances as 45; these entries do not establish exact birth dates. [R9]<\/a> [R2]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original New Jersey brides index records Frances Okulewicz, husband initials J.R., August 26, 1923, volume 30, page 448. This entry supports the marriage date used in the family research. The index alone does not give the husband's full name or either spouse's parents. [R1]<\/a> [R3]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Social Security applications-and-claims index names Joseph S. Rudy and Frances Okulewicz as the parents of Florence Felicia Rudy, also recorded as Florence Felecia Scassera and Florence Scassera. This supplies additional evidence for the parental couple and Florence\u2019s married surname. The original application has not been inspected. [R10]<\/a> She is distinct from Florence Okulewicz Bogush, whose obituary names Frances Rudy as a sister. [R5]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph\u2019s obituary reports that he was born in Sayreville and died there on May 20, 1963. It names his wife as the former Frances Okulewicz and his surviving brother Edward and sister Sophie Rhatican. It does not name his parents or state his age. His exact birth date and his parents remain unresolved. Family accounts of origins in the former Yugoslavia remain oral history. [R11]<\/a> [R6]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A possible earlier household for Joseph<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Two South River census records offer a possible lead to Joseph\u2019s parents. In 1900, Charles and Susan Roder appear with Annie, Joseph, Emil and a daughter whose name is read as Lizzie or Lissi. In 1910, Charles and Susanna Rudy appear with Annie, Joseph, Emile and Lizzie, plus Rosa, Edward and Sophie. The matching sibling group and ages strongly support connecting these two households. [R13]<\/a> [R14]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The records differ in some details: both parents report immigration in 1886 in the 1900 census and 1887 in 1910; their reported marriage length rises from eight to nineteen years. The 1900 record gives Joseph\u2019s birth as December 1893, Charles\u2019s as June 1866 in Bohemia, and Susan\u2019s as October 1866 in Hungary. In 1910, Charles is recorded with Austria\/Bohemian wording and Susanna with Austria and a less certain Slavik-like notation. These entries do not establish an exact arrival date or ancestral town. [R13]<\/a> [R14]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two entries in New Jersey\u2019s delayed-birth index offer another lead. Edward F. Rudy is indexed with birth year 1902 and mother \u201cUNDRICK SUSI\u201d; Sophia D. Rudy with birth year 1905 and mother \u201cANDREK SUSAN.\u201d The names and years fit Edward, age 7, and Sophie, age 5, in the 1910 household. Neither entry names a father, and the index does not prove these are the same children or that the two maternal names refer to one woman. The underlying certificates still need to be checked. [R15]<\/a> [R14]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This earlier family has not yet been proved to be the childhood household of Joseph S. Rudy who married Frances Okulewicz. Neither census names Susan\u2019s maiden surname, so the proposed name Undick remains unproved. A marriage certificate or another direct record is still needed to connect the generations. [R13]<\/a> [R14]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rudy family photographs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Anne
Anne Rudy Panella and Carol Rudy Samuel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Related photographs: Portrait of Frances Okulewicz Rudy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frances\u2019s parents and siblings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Frances Rudy\u2019s 1965 obituary explicitly names her parents as the late Charles and Anna Okulewicz. This adds direct obituary-reported parentage to the 1920 household, which records Charles\u2019s daughter Frances, age 15, and the earlier census evidence. Identifying the census family still rests on the combined household and sibling evidence. Anna\u2019s maiden surname remains unproved. [R12]<\/a> [R7]<\/a> [R8]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier evidence for Anna<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The 1910 census records Charles and Anna in their first marriage, married for ten years, with five children at home, including five-year-old Frances, recorded as Franziska. Anna is recorded as having borne six children, five still living. Together with the later household records, this strongly supports Anna as Frances\u2019s mother. Her maiden name still needs a birth or marriage record. [R8]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frances died on January 11, 1965, as explicitly dated in the separate death notice on the obituary page. Her obituary also gives Joseph\u2019s death date as May 20, 1963. Neither obituary states an age. Both announce funeral services at St. Stanislaus Church and burial in its cemetery; the announcements do not establish completed interment or a grave location. [R11]<\/a> [R12]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Current priorities are Joseph\u2019s parents, the family\u2019s exact European origin, the role of siblings Edward and Sophie as collateral clues, and the family story that the surname may once have been different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exact household address and the full transcription of the children\u2019s names should be checked against both original 1950 census sheets. [R2]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources and evidence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

[R1] Rudy research update<\/span>, October 5, 2026. Attributed research report preserving transcriptions, original-record references and limitations. Its 1930 census locator is corrected in source R4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R2] 1950 U.S. census, Sayreville, Middlesex County, New Jersey, enumeration district 12-241, sheets 20\u201321, April 6, 1950; enumerator Mary L. Phillips. Joseph and Frances appear on sheet 20; the household continues on sheet 21. NARA image IDs 185424-0021 and 185424-0022. Sheet 20<\/a> \u00b7 Sheet 21<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R3] New Jersey brides marriage index, 1920\u20131929, L\u2013O, archive leaf 663. Entry: Okulewicz, Frances; husband initials JR; place code 38; August 26, 1923; volume 30, page 448. The index does not name the husband in full or either spouse\u2019s parents.<\/a> A modern privately prepared code key by Debbie Hadley maps place code 38 to Middlesex County. This county interpretation comes from that secondary aid, not an original official key, and does not identify a town or church. 1920s marriage place-code key<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R4] 1930 U.S. census, Sayreville, Middlesex County, New Jersey, enumeration district 12-106, sheet 23B, April 30, 1930; enumerator John O. Baumann; roll 1368; archive leaf 1021; lines 93\u201398. The original image was checked for this draft. This corrected locator does not by itself establish Charles as Frances\u2019s father.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R5] Florence Okulewicz Bogush obituary, Spezzi Funeral Home.<\/a> The obituary names Frances Rudy among Florence\u2019s sisters. This helps connect Frances to the earlier census household; Frances\u2019s own obituary names her parents (see R12<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R6] Francine genealogy research handoff<\/span>, prepared September 3, 2026; and Francine genealogy master handoff<\/span>, prepared September 4, 2026, Rudy and Okulewicz sections, pages 4\u20135. Compiled family research supplies the family framework, the Joseph Sylvester name form and oral-history attribution; it is not independent proof of unresolved parentage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R7] 1920 U.S. census, New Jersey, Middlesex County, Sayreville Borough, enumeration district 64, sheet 17B, January 10, lines 80\u201389; NARA T625, roll 1057; Internet Archive image n487.<\/a> The original image was checked. The household surname\u2019s handwriting is unclear; the identity connection uses the household and later evidence together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R8] 1910 U.S. census, New Jersey, Middlesex County, Sayreville Township, enumeration district 43, sheet 29B, May 2, lines 51\u201357, family 497; NARA T624, roll 899; Internet Archive image n1077.<\/a> The original image was checked. The head is recorded as Charlie; the surname\u2019s handwriting is uncertain. The connection uses the household pattern across the census records. Anna\u2019s maiden surname is not recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R9] 1940 U.S. census, New Jersey, Middlesex County, Sayreville, enumeration district 12-148, sheet 64A, lines 34\u201340; NARA T627, roll 2363, image m-t0627-02363-00075.jpg.<\/a> The original image was checked. The enumeration-date field is blank; no exact enumeration day is assigned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R10] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936\u20132007, Ancestry, record 19772268, Florence Felicia Rudy.<\/a> Indexed parents: Joseph S. Rudy and Frances Okulewicz; alternate names Florence Felecia Scassera and Florence Scassera. Database transcription checked; original application not inspected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R11] \u201cJoseph S. Rudy\u201d and separate RUDY death notice, The Daily Home News, May 20, 1963, p. 14.<\/a> Original newspaper page inspected from a ProQuest research copy. The death notice supplies the exact death date; burial language announces arrangements. The obituary does not state an age. Link access may require a library subscription; no newspaper scan is reproduced here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R12] \u201cMrs. Joseph Rudy,\u201d continued into the next column, and separate RUDY death notice, The Daily Home News, January 12, 1965, p. 9.<\/a> Original newspaper page inspected from a ProQuest research copy. The death notice supplies the exact death date; burial language announces arrangements. The obituary does not state an age. Link access may require a library subscription; no newspaper scan is reproduced here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R13] 1900 U.S. census, New Jersey, Middlesex County, South River borough, enumeration district 68, sheet 11A, June 13, lines 12\u201317; printed page 190A; NARA T623, roll 985; Internet Archive image n381.<\/a> Original image checked. The household is recorded as Roder; the youngest daughter\u2019s name has a Lizzie\/Lissi reading uncertainty. Birth months and years are reported, with no exact birth days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R14] 1910 U.S. census, New Jersey, Middlesex County, South River borough, enumeration district 52, sheet 31A, May 4, family 479, lines 19\u201327; printed page 323; NARA T624, roll 898; Internet Archive image n650.<\/a> Original image checked. The household is recorded as Rudy; both spouses are in their first marriage, reported as nineteen years. The birth and language wording does not identify a town or establish a modern nationality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[R15] New Jersey Department of Health, delayed birth index, births 1901\u20131929, reel 1 (A\u2013S), unnumbered page containing Rudovick through Ruggiero; Internet Archive image n1057, published digitally by Reclaim The Records.<\/a> Entries: RUDY EDWARD F, mother UNDRICK SUSI, birth year 1902, state file 002836; RUDY SOPHIA D, mother ANDREK SUSAN, birth year 1905, state file 002999. Original index image checked. Both rows show an unexplained 4 under \u201cPlace of birth\u201d; no locality is assigned here. The underlying delayed birth certificates have not been inspected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to Francine\u2019s family overview<\/a><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Family albums \u00b7 Francine\u2019s family overview On this page: Joseph S. Rudy and Frances Okulewicz \u00b7 Rudy family photographs \u00b7 Frances\u2019s parents and siblings \u00b7 Sources and evidence Joseph S. Rudy and Frances Okulewicz Individual profiles: Joseph S. Rudy \u00b7 Frances Okulewicz Rudy Family research identifies Joseph Rudy, also recorded there as Joseph Sylvester Rudy, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":9,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-19","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nRudy Family - The Family Opus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rudy Family - The Family Opus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Family albums \u00b7 Francine\u2019s family overview On this page: Joseph S. Rudy and Frances Okulewicz \u00b7 Rudy family photographs \u00b7 Frances\u2019s parents and siblings \u00b7 Sources and evidence Joseph S. 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