Flipside: Julia Bodo Marchese of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

230 Fleet Street, Rankin, Pennsylvania

Julia Bodo, daughter of Alex Bodo and Julia Horvath, was born on August 11, 1917 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The Bodo home is pictured above and Julia lived there into the 1940's. Julia, her mother's namesake, never knew her. Julia Horvath Bodo died four months after giving birth. Julia was raised by her step-mother, Barbara Bodo.

1930 Pennsylvania Federal Census taken on April 11, 1930

Julia's first census. The census enumerator missed 230 Fleet Street in 1920. She is age twelve, born in Pennsylvania, attending school and can read and write. Her parents were both born in Hungary. Her four older siblings, who were all born in Felpec, Hungary, have moved onto other states.

On December 27, 1934, Julia married James Marchese at Wellsburg, Brooke County, West Virginia, a well known Gretna Green. Reverend F.M. Billingsley performed the ceremony. The married couple returned to 230 Fleet Street to live with the Julia's family.

Julia and Jim suffered a huge loss on June 23, 1935. Julia was pregnant with twins and they were born prematurely at Braddock General Hospital. The little girls were buried at Monongahela Cemetery, North Braddock, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on June 24, 1935-- Baby Girl Marchese #1 and Baby Girl Marchese #2. Julia's mother was buried at Monongahela Cemetery in 1917 as was her father, Alex Bodo in 1939.

1940 Pennsylvania Federal Census taken on April 22, 1940

Julia and Jim Marchese are living with Julia's stepmother, Barbara Bodo, in the Bodo family home, 230 Fleet Street, Rankin, Pennsylvania.

Julia Marchese, age twenty two, born in Pennsylvania, and was living in the same house in 1935. She completed two years of high school.

James Marchese, age twenty seven, born in Pennsylvania, and was living in Harmarville in 1935. He completed all four years of high school. He is employed as an electric welder at a steel mill.

Nancy Lee Marchese, age two, born in Pennsylvania.

1940 World War II Draft Registration

James Marchese, age twenty seven, born on December 17, 1912 in Harmarville, Pennsylvania. It appears that James is splitting his time between the house at 230 Fleet Street in Rankin and his home with Julia at 1316 Electric Avenue, North Braddock, Pennsylvania. He was employed at Reliance Steel Products in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, located on Walnut Street along the Youghiogheny River.

1316 Electric Avenue, North Braddock, Pennsylvania

Julia and James home in 1940. It was about 3 miles away from the 230 Fleet Street Bodo house.

Reliance Steel Products was founded in Los Angeles, California. One of the primary products manufactured out of the McKeesport, Pennsylvania plant was steel grating. The design and patent for this product was developed at the McKeesport plant.

James had a trip traveling to Reliance from either Rankin or North Braddock. It's about seven miles away. Back in the 1940's, Pittsburgh Railways had street cars to assist workers to travel outside their home area to work. This is probably how James traveled to and from work.

A little personal memory from me on streetcars. I grew up in Pittsburgh and even with the advent of a car in every garage, we continued to use streetcars past the 1960's. As an elementary school kid in the 1950's, my friend and I would go in town in a streetcar. My mother would take a streetcar if she was shopping in town even after she drove a car.

Sometime after 1950 James and Julia relocated to:

Name:	James Marchese
Birth Date:	17 Dec 1912
Address:	6225 Roslyn St
Residence Place:	McKeesport, Pennsylvania, USA

1955 McKeesport High School Yearbook

By the time James and Julia's daughter, Nancy Lee Marchese, graduated from high school in 1955, the family was living in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. At age forty six, Nancy married Terrance P. Mardell and lived in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. She was born on January 30, 1938 in Braddock, Pennsylvania and died at age seventy nine on February 27, 2017.

From Nancy's obituary, additional siblings are listed. James and Julia Marchese had five children--three daughters and two sons.

James Marchese died in August, 1974 at age sixty one. There is a burial record for a James Marchese at Jefferson Hills Cemetery, Pleasant Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. There is no information given, so I'm not certain this is James Marchese husband of Julia.

Julia Bodo Marchese died on February 17, 1995 at age seventy seven. Her last residence was Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. She could have been living with her daughter, Nancy Lee Mardell, whose residence was in Elizabeth.

There is a burial record at Jefferson Hills Cemetery, Pleasant Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania for a Julia A. Marchese. There is no information given, so I'm not certain this is Julia Bodo Marchese wife of James Marchese. The two Marchese listings in Jefferson Hills Cemetery are both buried in Section G39 BENEDICTION Lot 207D.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however, if they are inappropriate, they will not be published. PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.