The Grave of My Ancestors

Ivan Kabanuk, a Russian immigrant, portrayed how real the American dream could become with hard work and dedication. Kabanuk was born in Russia (what is now the Ukraine) in October of 1895. He immigrated from Russia to Cortland, New York with his pregnant wife, Mary Kabanuk, in 1913. The United States of America offered hope and new opportunity that pre-revolutionary Russia didn’t. At the time of their immigration, Russia had experienced a significant growth in population and industrialization; while this growth would eventually lead to higher wages and standards of living, the Kabanuks didn’t stay long enough to find out.

 After migrating to New York, Ivan and Mary Kabanuk bought a townhouse at 24 Pine Street in Cortland, New York. The house has been passed down, so my grandfather, mother, and I have all been raised there; the connected residence was given to my great uncle who passed it down as well. In Russia, Ivan worked in the steel wire mill. In New York he began working at a factory until he bought his own bar, “Ivan’s”, named after himself, that still exists in Cortland.

Ivan died in November of 1975 and was buried in Cortland Rural Cemetery with his wife, Mary, who died in 1997. They lay in a public 19^th century rural style cemetery, with a flush marker style headstone. 

I chose to research my great-great-grandfather Ivan Kabanuk because I grew up hearing stories about his immigration with Mary Kabanuk. My mother often talked about how strong Mary must have been to board a ship while pregnant and move to a new country not knowing what to expect when she got there. I began my research using Ancestry.com, this offered many records, offering insight on occupation, migration, life, and death. I then went to Findagrave.com to find their cemetery and gravestone. Once I had this information I looked deeper as to what style cemetery and gravestone, as well as asking relatives for more personal knowledge. Lastly, I researched pre-revolutionary Russia to understand what was happening culturally and if that may have had an effect on their decision to migrate.