Magyar News, 2003. szeptember-2004. augusztus (14. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-05-01 / 9. szám
An old orbituary gives an extensive information on relatives the family names with those of later generations. I think that I will go back to these records now that I have more information gathered from other sources. The 1828 Hungarian Land Census Margaret: Since Bob has alluded to this source, it may be a good time to make this recommendation. If you are seeking copies of this census to review, Mrs. Martha Remer Connor has devoted considerable time and eyesight to the task of transcribing the census, county by old Hungarian counties. I have obtained copies of her transcriptions for the Counties of Bereg and Ung (one book) and Zemplén (another book). The books vary a little in cost but are certainly reasonable for the work that she has devoted to them. The primary purpose of the census was to detail property, but the books amount to a listing by village of household names. In Bes, Ung County, for instance, there are 71 households, and there is only one Csutorás, so I am fairly confident this Csutorás is part of our family. Mrs. Connors completed both Bereg & Ung books and the Zemplén book in 2001. She was working on Book #20 Veszprém next. Her address is: 7754 Pacemont Ct., Las Vegas, NV 89147-5122. Other Religious Sources It is very helpful to know the religious backgrounds of ancestors. Initially, this can be helpful in locating the local churches or synagogues attended by ancestors which may have important birth, marriage or funeral records. Usually, clergymen will look these up for you, although you may not be able to see the records personally for privacy reasons. Sometimes immigrant churches have ceased to exist in a given neighborhood, but the records have often been transferred to a nearby church of the same denomination. More than half of all Hungarians are Roman Catholic, and many of the rest are of the Hungarian Reformed persuasion. A small proportion are Byzantine Rite Catholics, an Eastern rite associated with Rome. This tends to be located in the Eastern part of present-day Hungary, and in present-day Slovakia and a small portion of Ukraine. In addition, there is a population of Jewish Hungarians whose genealogical records may be accessed in many cases, as well as a scattering of other religious groups. So, as your search moves back into either present-day Hungary or "Old Hungary" (pre-Trianon), it is very helpful to know ancestors' religious backgrounds. Reformed Church Archives (Magyar Református Levéltár) are located at Kálvin Tér. 8, 1091 Budapest. The Byzantine Catholic Diocese (Hajdudorog Püspöki Hivatal) is located at Bethlen G.u. 5, 4400 Nyiregháza, Hungary. Slovak Republic Archives Many Hungarians emigrated from the northern and eastern counties of "Old Hungary" which are now located in the Republic of Slovakia. Regional archives are located in various parts of the Republic and seem to be staffed by cooperative and From a book of records, even though it might be difficult to read, one finds that it contains useful names and places capable specialists who can help you with your search at a reasonable cost. If you know the region from which your ancestors originated, contact the archive serving that area. Let them know by letter whom you are looking for, supplying whatever information you have regarding names, dates, locations, etc. They will get back to you by letter indicating whether or not they have information, and if they do what the research fee will be. You can then make payment by International Money Order or Cashier's Check or Bank's Check. It is no longer possible to pay with postal money orders. Once they have received your payment, they will send you the information. We have found that our fees ranged from $15 to $83. Margaret: I have received one research packet on my Krajnyik and Gyüre families of Vaján/Deregnyó, and one packet on my Csutorás and Jakab family of Bes. Each packet cost about $50 and took several months to be completed. My earliest known ancestor now is Mihály Krajnyik who was bom in 1799. One disappointment is that his mother's name is not recorded by the church, though the names of both his Godmother and Godfather are acknowledged. The end of last April I requested information about all of my father's families - Molnár, Szőke, Megyesi, and Pándi. In mid-January 2004 I received all the research which this time cost $83. I now have known ancestors from all of these families: Abraházi, Búza, Csonka, Csorba, Daróczi, Juhász, Petruska, Szabó, and Varonnai. My grandparents were all from regions now served by the Slovak Arvhives at Kosice: Ministerstvo vnutra SR, Sttny archív v Kosiciach, Bacikov ul.c.l, P.O. Box C-26, 041 56 Kosice, Slovenska republika. The director of this regional archive has been Ph.Dr. Milena Ostrolucka. One additional hurdle that I have encountered is that sometimes a page or two about the research is written in Slovak. Through the internet I was able to find several sources for the translation of Slovak. In my case I chose Blazena Critchfield of Jerome, Idaho who translated a year or two ago at the rate of $25/page. Her email was critch@magiclink.com. Bob: Dr. M. Bodnarova of the Presov Archive did a search for me. She confirmed that my great-grandfather was, in fact, bom in Koromlya (then Hungary, now the Slovak Republic). I also learned that my great-great-grandfather was János (John) Krajnyik, and my great-greatgrandmother was Maria Gajdos. Dr. Bodnarova also told me that there were no earlier Krajnyik ancestors in Koromlya. This seemed to tie in with the idea of mobility among church people. My search cost $15, but the information was in Slovak. Fortunately, I found a young lady locally who was bom in Slovakia, and she was kind enough to do the translation for me. (continued in next issue) Page 5
