Joseph Vidich in International Falls, Minnesotta - 1913

Joseph Vidich is pictured in the back row on the right side.

Pauline Pesjak received this postcard a few days after it was mailed on August 14, 1913 near International Falls, Minnesota. At the time, Pauline was vacationing with the Norden family, her employers, at the posh Harbor View Hotel on Cape Cod in the town of Edgartown, Massachusetts. This hotel was a destination retreat for New York's wealthiest residents and Pauline certainly enjoyed her stay there even if her duties required her to tend to the Norden's children. Fluent in German, Slovenian and English, Pauline was a very attractive young lady who was well regarded by New York's upper crust families - having also worked for the Rheingold family - of beer fame. 


Built in 1891, Harbor View Hotel has been nicknamed the “Grand Dame” of Martha’s Vineyard and introduced a new era for Edgartown and Martha’s Vineyard. With an extraordinary view of Edgartown Harbor from the hotel's broad veranda, Harbor View became a summer haven for wealthy New Yorkers visiting the Vineyard.

Pauline Pesjak received this postcard from her fiance in August 1913 while vacationing on Martha's Vineyard

The photo shows Joseph Vidich in the right rear row with several other gentlemen including Pauline's older brother Franc Pesjak who it is believed came to America before her sister. 

It was just eight months later that Joseph married Pauline in St. Louis County Minnesota - apparently impressed by this handsome twenty seven year old Slovenian man.

Certificate of Naturalizaton for Joseph Vidich

U.S. Dept. of Labor Naturalization Service

Original envelope in which the Certiificate of Naturalization was sent on December 12, 1921

Joseph Vidich was naturalized as an American citizen on November 2, 1921, about seven months before the birth of his son Arthur Vidich. His naturalization papers contained some errors in the birth dates of two of his children (e.g., Paulina was actually born January 3, 1915 - not January 1, 1915; Elizabeth was actually born September 28, 1920 - not December 30, 1920). The naturalization papers reveal that Joseph was 35 years old, had brown eyes, dark brown hair and was 5 feet nine inches tall. It also indicates that he was a subject of the King of Serbs, Croates and Slovenes before petitioning to become an American citizen. His wife Paulina, five years his younger, had three daughters and was pregnant at the time her husband was naturalized. The original certificate of naturalization was kept by Mary Jauquet Royer, Joseph Vidich's grand-daughter who presumably received this document from her mother Elizabeth Vidich who is still living today. The certificate was mailed to Joseph Vidich on December 12, 1921 to his address in Trommald, Minnesota (see original envelope in which the naturalization papers arrived).

For those interested in the history of naturalization, it is interesting to note that the U.S. Department of Labor included a notice with each certificate of naturalization indicating that it was a crime to forge or falsify such documents.  Those convicted of forging naturalization certificates could face 10 years in jail or fined up to $10,000 - an enormous sum of money in 1920. Anyone impersonating someone else or falsely appearing in the name of a deceased person or an assumed or fictitious name could be fined up to $1,000 or imprisoned for up to five years or both. The United States government even made it a crime to deny one was a U.S. citizen if the intent of such denial was to evade or avoid any duty or liability imposed or required by law.  Those caught in such activities could face up to $1,000 in fines or five years in prison or both.

Joseph Vidich's Austrian Passport

Joseph Vidic left Austria for America from the port of Hamburg, a very common point of departure for many eastern Europeans seeking a new life in the new world. His passport indicates that he left his native land on January 3, 1911, when he was 25 years of age. He must have spent only a few days in Germany before he departed for America. His vessel departed Hamburg on January 3, 1911, taking him on his historic voyage to New York City.

Josef Vidic

Born in 1886 under the reign of his majesty Franz Joseph I, King of the Austrian empire. Joseph was smart dresser from the village of Kropa. His last name, Vidic, of Latin origin, comes from the root word "seer" or one with vision. His name was changed when he arrived in America to Vidich. It is not clear why he added the letter "h" to his name but this is how he spelled his name on his naturalization papers and throughout the rest of his life. See page 2 of his Austrian passport for his signature prior to arrival in America.

It is also worth noting that his passport was stamped with the name of Radovlica, a city not far from Kropa, where immigration affairs were apparently handled at that time. This passport was provided to Arthur Vidich, Joseph's only son and later this document was given to Arthur's son Charles who is now maintaining an archive of family documents and photographs.