The Search for Uncle Frank
Piecing Together a Hidden Past
My Great Uncle Frank has always been a bit of a family mystery. Growing up, I noticed that my extended family was pretty tight-lipped about our roots, so tracing this particular branch of the family tree was never easy. Like many of my ancestors, Frank’s family came to Philadelphia from Poland in the early 1900s.
My great-grandparents, Andrzej Watracz and Kazimiera Gut, had nine children, though sadly, three of them died as infants. Frank was their third child - and the only living son. From what anyone could remember, he lived his whole life at home with his parents, never married, and as far as we know, never had kids. It’s also said that he struggled with alcohol, but honestly, none of the living relatives seemed to know much about him at all.
I got curious and decided to dig deeper into Frank’s story. I managed to track him through paperwork up to the 1950 US Census, but after that, he seemed to vanish. There was a family rumor that he died in 1993, but no one had any proof.
Then I took a closer look at his World War II draft registration card. I noticed something odd: in parentheses next to his last name, Watracz, was the name “Wagner.” The card also listed his parents’ address and named his sister Monica as his next of kin. I reached out to a friend who’s a WWII records expert, but he couldn’t find anything solid either. Apparently, Frank never served, just completed his draft card.
Next, I tried searching the Social Security Death Index for a Frank Wagner with my uncle’s birthdate. Amazingly, I found exactly one match - a Frank Wagner died in 1996 in Wyncote, PA. Wyncote is not too far from Philadelphia, so it was a valid clue. My next move was to order his SS-5, which is the application for a Social Security Number. I jotted down the number from the SSDI, paid my $27, and waited.
About ten days later, the SS-5 arrived in my inbox. I opened the file - and bingo! In 1936, when Frank filled out the form, he listed his home address as my great-grandparents’ house on Edgemont Street in Philadelphia. He named his father as Andrew Wagner and his mother as Catherine Gut. That was all the confirmation I needed - I’d found Uncle Frank!
Of course, finding answers always leads to more questions. The biggest one: why did he start using the surname Wagner instead of Watracz? There doesn’t seem to be an obituary for him, but I did find out that he applied for benefits - possibly welfare - in 1974, a little over a year after his mother died. His last known address was in Wyncote, PA, where his benefits were sent. I’ve requested his death certificate from the state, so maybe that’ll shed some more light on his story.
Stay tuned—maybe there’s more to uncover about the mysterious Uncle Frank!
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Looking forward to the next installment. I hope the death certificate gives you some info.