Olenick Family History

So this is where our story begins in the village of Zavadka located in the Carpathian mountain region of Galicia. That’s where my "baba" (grandmother) Maria, daughter of Joseph and Anna Holubovskyj was born on May 12th, 1895. It was growing up in this rural region that she would learn the fermentation and preservation techniques that we use today in our pickle making process.

Picture of current day Slovika Region - Carpathian Mountains.

Fast forward to the early 1900’s. Maria has migrated to the United States. So has Gabriel Olenik, born 1898 in Empire of Austria, Principality (Village) of Halychhyna, Galicai. Both would meet in the Allentown area of Pennsylvania and eventually become married on September 13th, 1919 in Minersville, PA. Gabriel, also known as Harry and his wife Maria would go on to have 11 children and start a bootleg coal mining business. During the early years Baba would preserve and store foods in the basement of their coal company home. Of the things available, pickles were always ready in a barrel.

Pictured is the first generation Olenick family (circa 1936).

Here's where it all began

(Standing L-R) Anna, Michael, John, Steven, and Peter

(Sitting L-R) Mary, Olga, Gabriel "dziadzi" (jajee) w/Dorothy, Helen, Paul, Maria (Baba) & Nicholas (Mickey)

dziadzi (jajee) aka: Grandfather

Peter Olenick would go on to obtain a degree in accounting from Wharton and complete his midshipmen training at Columbia University. During the tail end of WWII he was assigned gunnery officer aboard a destroyer serving in the Pacific. He would again later serve aboard a destroyer during the Korean conflict. Finally settling on Long Island, NY he would meet and marry his wife Margaret Morrell and go on to have a daughter Caroline and son Mark.