Upon pouring over various documents, and hearing some stories, the story of how John and Justina Seman created a family and brought them to America becomes a fascinating one. John joined the Romanian Army in 1899. The term of service was for 3 years. On October 18th, 1902, John Adolph Seman was born to John and Justina in Kleinmurisch, Austria. Within 4 months, by February 22, 1903, they were married. 1903 was also the year that John’s army service was up, and he began the journey.

On August 29th, 1903, he left Antwerp, Belgium aboard the SS ESIPHIA and arrived in the port of New York at Ellis Island on September 12th. He left Justina back home with one year old John Adolph, and pregnant with their second son, Julius. Julius was born on February 8, 1904.

Justina then came to America on April 10th, 1906, on the SS CARPATHIA. Family stories say that Justina left John Adolph and Julius in Austria with family during this time. John and Justina settled in the Allentown, Pennsylvania area. They had two more children, Emily : May 10th 1907, and Joseph : September 26, 1908. There no records of when John and Justina went back, but it is known that they took Emily and Joseph, and a daughter Johanna was born in Europe, on June 22, 1911. It is said that John and family had to wait until Johanna was at least three months old before she was allowed to make the two week trip at sea. The entire family made one last trip, leaving Fiume (then in Italy) on the SS CARPATHIA, and arrived at Ellis Island on December 23, 1911. This is recorded in the Ship's Manifest, and at the Ellis Island Web Site.