Vasil Eshcoff

Vasil Kozma Eshcoff[1] was an emigrant from Ottoman Macedonia, known as a pioneer of the Coney Island hot dog in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was also briefly the second president of the Macedonian Patriotic Organization.

Vasil Eshcoff
Vasil K. Eshcoff
Born1882
Visheni, Kastoria, Ottoman Empire
(present-day Greece)
Died15 June 1961
Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Occupation(s)Businessman, President of Macedonian Patriotic Organization
Advertisement of Coney Island Weiner Stand. There is a short biography of Eshcoff in Bulgarian language.
The Coney Island Weiner Stand. The partners from left are: Vasil Litchin, Eshcoff and Kiryak Geroff; (caption in Bulgarian).

Biography

Vasil Eshcoff was born in 1882 in the Kostur village of Visheni,[note 1][2][3] then in the Ottoman Empire.[4] In 1910 he emigrated to Fort Wayne, Indiana, US,[5] where he was involved in the work of the local Macedonian-Bulgarian society,[note 2][6][7][8] founded on November 21, 1921, by settlers from Kostur region.[9][10] They initiated the establishment of the pro-Bulgarian Macedonian Political Organization in Fort Wayne on October 2, 1922.[11]

At the Second Congress of the Organization, held in Indianapolis in the early September 1923, he was elected a president of the organization.[12] The governing body also included Atanas Lebamoff - vice president, Mike Kozma - treasurer, Mihail Nikolov - secretary and Pavel Angelov from Chicago - adviser.[13] Eshcoff was replaced at the next congress held in August–September 1924 in Fort Wayne by Pandil Shaneff.[14]

In 1927 in Fort Wayne the local organization of the MPO established a Macedono-Bulgarian school and he participated in the initiative.[15] He was a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Fort Wayne at the Bulgarian Diocese of Toledo.[note 3][16][17]

Fort Wayne's Coney Island Weiner Stand where the famous Coney Island hot dogs are still offered was developed by Vasil Eshcoff and his partners from MPO Vasil Litchin and Kiriyak Geroff.[18]

He died on June 15, 1961, in Fort Wayne. The restaurant he founded remains the hands of the Eshcoff and Choka families.[19][20]

See also

Notes
  1. In 1897 Visheni was entirely under the jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Exarchate. Both churches in the village, as well as the school, were Bulgarian. According to the statistics of Vasil Kanchov ("Macedonia. Ethnography and Statistics") in 1900 Visheni had 1150 inhabitants, all of them Bulgarian Exarchists.
  2. According to the article Bulgarians/Macedonians in "Peopling Indiana: The Ethnic Experience." issued by the Indiana Historical Society, where Eshcoff is mentioned too, the early 20th century Macedonian immigrants in the State of Indiana, were pro-Bulgarian oriented in ethnic sense, including MPO, while the separate Macedonian identity was brought en masse by the new emigrants from Communist Yugoslavia at the eve of the 1960s.
  3. At the end of the Second World War, the Macedonian Patriotic Organization in Fort Wayne made efforts to establish a Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church. Initially the services were led by the visiting Archimandrite Kiril Yonchev. The first church board included Vasil Lichin, Nikola Gulov, Mihail Kozmov, Argir Lebamov, Dimitar Lebamov, Argir Kiprov, Vasil Ishkov, Toma Lazov and Lazar Laykov. The parish was officially founded in 1947.

Footnotes
  1. Olga Paliganoff spouse Vasil Kosma Eshcoff.
  2. Македонски алманахъ. Индианаполисъ, Индиана, САЩ, Централенъ Комитетъ на Македонскитѣ политически организации въ Съединенитѣ щати, Канада и Австралия, 1940. с. 47. Macedonian Almanac. Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Central Committee of Macedonian Political Organizations in the United States, Canada and Australia, 1940. p. 47. (in Bulgarian).
  3. Кънчов, Василъ. Македония. Етнография и статистика. София, Българското книжовно дружество, 1900. ISBN 954430424X, с. 265. (Второ фототипно изд. Академично издателство "Проф. М. Дринов", София, 1996); Kanchov, Vasil. Macedonia. Ethnography and statistics. Sofia, Bulgarian Literary Society, 1900. p. 265. (Second phototype edition of the Academic Publishing House "Prof. M. Drinov", Sofia, 1996). (in Bulgarian).
  4. Funeral Home Records, Allen Co., Indiana. Eshcoff, Vasil K.
  5. Македонски алманахъ. Индианаполисъ, Индиана, САЩ, Централенъ Комитетъ на Македонскитѣ политически организации въ Съединенитѣ щати, Канада и Австралия, 1940. стр. 223; Macedonian Almanac. Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Central Committee of Macedonian Political Organizations in the United States, Canada and Australia, 1940. p. 223; (in Bulgarian)
  6. Thernstrom, Stephan; Orlov, Ann; Handlin, Oscar, eds. (1980). "Macedonians". Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Harvard University Press. pp. 690–694. ISBN 0674375122. OCLC 1038430174. The Macedonians.
  7. Ophelia Georgiev Roop and Lilia Georgiev Judson Bulgarians/Macedonians in "Peopling Indiana: The Ethnic Experience." (1996) Robert M. Taylor Jr. (Author), Connie A. McBirney (Editor) and John Bodnar (Editor); Indiana Historical Society, pp. 534-556; ISBN 0871951126.
  8. Victor Roudometof (2007) Collective Memory, National Identity, and Ethnic Conflict: Greece, Bulgaria, and the Macedonian Question, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 109, ISBN 0275976483.
  9. Македонски алманахъ. Индианаполисъ, Индиана, САЩ, Централенъ Комитетъ на Македонскитѣ политически организации въ Съединенитѣ щати, Канада и Австралия, 1940. стр. 223; 258 - 259. Macedonian Almanac. Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Central Committee of Macedonian Political Organizations in the United States, Canada and Australia, 1940. p. 223; 258 - 259. (in Bulgarian)
  10. Иван Гаджев (2003) История на българската емиграция в Северна Америка: поглед отвърте. 1860-1944, Институт по история на българската емиграция в Северна Америка; стр. 188-190, ISBN 9549943445; Ivan Gadzhev (2003) History of Bulgarian emigration to North America: a look inside. 1860-1944, Institute of the History of Bulgarian Emigration in North America; pp. 188-190, (in Bulgarian)
  11. Трендафил Митев, Добрин Мичев, Антон Първанов, Изследвания по македонския въпрос, книга I, Македонска библиотека, Македонски научен институт, стр. 466, ISBN 9548187027; Trendafil Mitev, Dobrin Michev, Anton Parvanov, Research on the Macedonian Question, Book I, Macedonian Library, Macedonian Scientific Institute, p. 466, (in Bulgarian).
  12. Веселин Трайков (1993) История на българската емиграция в Северна Америка: от началото и през средата на XIX в. до 80-те години на XX век. Университетско издателство "Св. Климент Охридски", стр. 175, ISBN 9540702062; Vesselin Traykov (1993) History of the Bulgarian emigration to North America: from the beginning and in the middle of the XIX century to the 80s of the XX century. University Publishing House "St. Kliment Ohridski", Sofia, p. 175, (in Bulgarian).
  13. MPO History - Vasil K. Eshcoff was the Second President of the MPO Central Committee, archived from the original on 2010-01-05, retrieved 2012-04-17
  14. Трендафил Митев (1993) Българската емиграция в Америка и борбите за освобождението на Македония: 1919-1945; Военноиздателски комплекс "Св. Георги Победоносец", стр. 22, ISBN 9545091029; Trendafil Mitev (1993) The Bulgarian Emigration to America and the Struggles for the Liberation of Macedonia: 1919-1945; Military Publishing House, p. 22,(in Bulgarian).
  15. Протокол No 30 на МПО „Костур “, Форт Уейн, Индиана за създаване на училище. 20 януари 1927 г... Разискванията при които се подчерта значението на българското училище... Протоколът бе подписан от присъствалите на заседанието... Правилник за Македоно-българското училище в гр. Форт Уейн, Индиана, САЩ. Македонската политическа организация „ Костур “, по желанието на членовете на организацията взе инициативата и основава първото македоно-българско училище във Форт Уейн... (на български език); Protocol No. 30 of the IGO "Kostur", Fort Wayne, Indiana for the establishment of a school. January 20, 1927 ... Discussions emphasizing the importance of the Bulgarian school ... The minutes were signed by those present at the meeting ... Regulations for the Macedonian-Bulgarian school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. The Macedonian political organization Kostur, at the request of the members of the organization, took the initiative and founded the first Macedonian-Bulgarian school in Fort Wayne...(in Bulgarian); For more see: Веселин Трайков (1993) История на българската емиграция в Северна Америка: от началото и през средата на XIX в. до 80-те години на XX век. Университетско издателство "Св. Климент Охридски", стр. 111-125, ISBN 9540702062; Vesselin Traykov (1993) History of the Bulgarian emigration to North America: from the beginning and in the middle of the XIX century to the 80s of the XX century. University Publishing House "St. Kliment Ohridski", Sofia, p. 111-125, (in Bulgarian).
  16. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church - Ft. Wayne. Parish Information. Bulgarian Diocese of Toledo.
  17. Веселин Трайков (1993) История на българската емиграция в Северна Америка: от началото и през средата на XIX в. до 80-те години на XX век. Университетско издателство "Св. Климент Охридски", стр. 206, ISBN 9540702062; Vesselin Traykov (1993) History of the Bulgarian emigration to North America: from the beginning and in the middle of the XIX century to the 80s of the XX century. University Publishing House "St. Kliment Ohridski", Sofia, p. 206, (in Bulgarian).
  18. Vasil Ishkoff and Vasil Litchin who were partners in the proprietorship of Coney Island Weiner Stand on 131 W. Main Street... All were active MPO members. For more see: Bulgarians/Macedonians by Ophelia Georgiev Roop and Lilia Georgiev Judson in "Peopling Indiana: The Ethnic Experience." (1996) Robert M. Taylor Jr. (Author), Connie A. McBirney (Editor) and John Bodnar (Editor); Indiana Historical Society, pp. 534-556; ISBN 0871951126.
  19. "History page". Ft. Wayne's Famous Coney Island. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  20. Elchert, Keith (2019). Classic Restaurants of Fort Wayne. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439666739.
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