{"id":9,"date":"2026-10-06T12:15:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T17:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefamilyopus.com\/?page_id=9"},"modified":"2026-10-08T08:37:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:37:54","slug":"our-families","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thefamilyopus.com\/?page_id=9","title":{"rendered":"Our Families"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Back to the family albums<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

The Family Opus follows four principal branches of Francine\u2019s family history. Each branch combines family-held artifacts, public records, newspapers, church material, and ongoing genealogy research.<\/p>\n\n\n

Family branches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Four family names organize this side of the story: Samuel, Wistuba, Rudy and Okulewicz. Robert Frank Samuel\u2019s published obituary names his parents as Frank and Viola Wistuba Samuel. Carol A. Rudy Samuel\u2019s obituary names Joseph and Frances Okulewicz Rudy as her parents. These family connections are reported in the obituaries. The linked family pages examine the earlier generations. [1]<\/a> [2]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Samuel<\/h3>\n

Frank\/Franciszek Samuel, Theofilia \u201cSophie\u201d Samuel, their Sayreville family, and the continuing search for their exact European origins.<\/p>\n

Samuel Family<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Wistuba<\/h3>\n

Viola Wistuba Samuel, William and Mary Wistuba, and the effort to document the Wistuba and Turbak lines farther back.<\/p>\n

Wistuba Family<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Rudy<\/h3>\n

Joseph S. Rudy, Frances Okulewicz Rudy, their children, and the search for the earlier Rudy family and ancestral homeland.<\/p>\n

Rudy Family<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Okulewicz<\/h3>\n

Charles and Anna Okulewicz, their large Sayreville family, and continuing research into their Polish origins.<\/p>\n

Okulewicz Family<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

[1] \u201cRobert Samuels,\u201d King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory, January 6, 2018, obituary hosted by Legacy.com.<\/a> The notice\u2019s title uses Samuels; its parentage statement uses Samuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] \u201cCarol Samuel,\u201d Daily Democrat, September 15\u201316, 2023, obituary hosted by Legacy.com.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People, photographs, and documents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The family accounts link people to the census entries, citizenship papers and marriage indexes behind their stories. Photos and family papers will have captions, any known dates and source notes. We\u2019ll clearly mark any uncertain identifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bob Samuel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Studio
Bob Samuel; possibly his high school graduation portrait.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bob and Carol\u2019s wedding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Bridal
Carol Rudy Samuel on her wedding day in August 1965.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Carol
Carol Rudy Samuel and Bob Samuel at their wedding, August 1965.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Carol
Carol Rudy Samuel and Bob Samuel with their wedding cake, August 1965.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Related photographs: Rudy family photographs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Documented<\/strong> means the cited evidence supports the stated event or relationship. Probable<\/strong> means the evidence points toward a connection that still needs proof. Family recollection<\/strong> identifies a remembered story. Unresolved<\/strong> marks a question that remains open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read how sources, conflicting records and family memories are handled<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open research questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Research findings can be added to the branch they belong to, with the records that support them and any remaining questions. A surname match alone will not be treated as proof of a relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four questions remain open: which reported birth date belongs to the younger Frank Samuel<\/a>; whether Viola Wistuba Samuel was born in February or March 1921<\/a>; who Joseph S. Rudy\u2019s parents were<\/a>; and what Anna Okulewicz\u2019s maiden surname was<\/a>. The linked accounts explain the evidence and what still needs to be checked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing family material<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A future contribution option is planned for photographs and documents. An online submission form is not available yet. Submitted material would be reviewed before publication, including identifications, permission to share, and the privacy of living relatives.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back to the family albums The Family Opus follows four principal branches of Francine\u2019s family history. Each branch combines family-held artifacts, public records, newspapers, church material, and ongoing genealogy research. Family branches Four family names organize this side of the story: Samuel, Wistuba, Rudy and Okulewicz. Robert Frank Samuel\u2019s published obituary names his parents as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nOur Families - 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=\"Our Families - The Family Opus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Back to the family albums The Family Opus follows four principal branches of Francine\u2019s family history. Each branch combines family-held artifacts, public records, newspapers, church material, and ongoing genealogy research. 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