Emery Farkas

GEDCOM Note

Emery was the oldest sibling and therefore remembered the most about the "old country." According to Emery, his grandfather, Morris Pollock was, in essence, their father figure. Emery knew how to speak Hungarian as well as Rumanian. At one time he was even a translator in Bucharest before coming to the US. Emery was very athletic in his youth and spent a lot of his time on the play ground. Emery came to the US when his Aunt Elsie (Arthur Farkas's mother) returned from Europe after a visit home. The family took a train to France and left from that port on (we believe) the USS Acquatania.

While growing up, Emery was required to help out at his father's butcher shop whenever he could. After high school he tried to get a job in a different line of work because he didn't like the meat business. After one year, he met his wife, Frances, and realized he needed a skill. He first wanted to be a fireman, but wasn't hired because he was color-blind. So, he sought employment with a gentleman who was a butcher's apprentice to his father in Europe, Emerick Gross (his father didn't need the help in the butcher shop). Mr. Gross had opened up a chain of butcher shops and employed Emery until he was drafted in WWII.

He was stationed in Mississippi for a year and then shipped overseas to fight in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium as part of the First Infantry Division. He was a cook at first and then sent to the front lines for a month when he got injured from a bullet in the head. He was sent back to the states and was hospitalized for over six months of which he was paralyzed for three of those months. On September 7th, 1945 he was discharged with 100% disability. At that time, Leslie and he bought a market at 93rd Street and 3rd Avenue in New York City. They were there for 33 years.

Emery remembered his father working 12-14-hour days. He also remembered that his father was very strict and that they had to "always toe the line" or else his father would "pull the strap out on us." That being said, most of their friends and family were in the same financial situation, so there was a strong support group and they did what they could to make the most of it. For instance, Emery recounts that he was given a nickle a day to take the subway to High School. He, however, saved the nickle and walked the farther distance. He also had to work at his father's butcher shop a lot, but otherwise played basketball in the park. He had a happy childhood.