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Grayban - Graban - Name Changed in Early 1900's

Grayban - Graban - Name Changed in Early 1900's

Posted: 12 Jun 2003 5:52PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Grayban, Graban
My grandfather, Gayza Grayban americanized his name when he can into the U.S. in the early 1900's. We have not been able to find any records at Ellis Island containing this change and there is no paperwork to link him to his parents. He was from Hungary and was married to Viola Malanoski who was from Poland. They had two sons, Clifford, whom changed his name to Gary in the 1950's and Eugene whom died in 1933 at 3 years old. They all resided in Midland Park, Passaic County, New Jersy. If you have any information, I would appreciate anything you could offer!

Thanks, Glen Grayban

Re: Grayban - Graban - Name Changed in Early 1900's

Posted: 18 Sep 2007 10:04PM GMT
Classification: Query
Our grandfather had 2 sons, and one daughter, his parents came from Austria, his father was a teacher (drank too much, did not make enough $), his brother was a doctor who died early, (caught disease that he was trying to treat), anyway, one son was named John who came to the U.S., we know about him, but the other ran away from my grandfather's place, was never heard of again. This son's name I don't remember, maybe this is the guy that changed his name. My grandmother's name was Teresa Graban, don't remember her maiden name. At the time of running away they lived near Gorlice, Poland. If you have some more information, post it, or send it to me, maybe we can connect some dots.

Re: Grayban - Graban - Name Changed in Early 1900's

Posted: 18 Nov 2009 5:43AM GMT
Classification: Query
My grandfather Gayza, had a brother named Bela who came to the US with him. My other brother found information that Gayza might have come from Romania and not Hungary but we aren't sure. It's frustrating not being able to find any family roots due to last name spellings! Does anyone have any info on this?

Re: Grayban - Graban - Name Changed in Early 1900's

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 2:58PM GMT
Classification: Query
loreelizabeth

You might want to post on Hungary's and Romania's board for wider exposure.
Some of US documents of Bela and Gayza [Geza] should contain a precise place of birth in old Hungary:
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/austhung.htm
http://www.brainworker.ch/Oesterreich/Austria-hungary.png

http://genforum.genealogy.com/how-to/
http://www.progenealogists.com/genealogysleuthb.htm
www.surnamenavigator.org
www.radixforum.com

A first name site:
http://web.archive.org/web/20051128070722/www.fam.aust.com/t...
http://www.progenealogists.com/hungary/names.htm

Graban, Geza Colosvar, Roumania 26 1896 1922 he arrived NY Ellis Island.

Re: Grayban - Graban - Name Changed in Early 1900's

Posted: 16 May 2012 12:48PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Graban, Menezes, Lyford, Viada, Donovan, MacDonald
Hi Glen, my reply answer is a very long shot. I went to a neighborhood estate sale and want to find a Graban relative who belongs to what appears to be a high school graduation photo of a woman named Mira Graban. The photo was taken in San Francisco and my guess on time and date is about 1944-1949. The spelling on some documentation which I saw was Graban as a surname. A couple of very old pieces said Mira Graban on them. As for this girl's portrait photo, the framing stock is stamped San Francisco, Ca. She is a lovely girl about age 18 in the photo, thus my assumption as the pose, hair, blouse is similar to the vintage guess. Graban would be her married surname. Some identified in other photos show surname Viada, MacDonald, Lyford, Fernandez, and and Harders. So she could have been Mira MacDonald which matches to pencil with one out of seven other names in a group photo. But: lots of Other photos were at the house reflected what appears to be NY, NJ, and PA for location(s) and some old ones from a European city perhaps pre-WWII. I wondered if her husband was a German, but, from evidence seen he had worked on US submarines, apparently in WWII for our USA Navy, not theirs. He was very active in VFW in USA after WWII and I don't yet have his first name but I can get it and can try asking what country his mother was from, etc. He had a Great Lakes USN photo, so at least for that guy that's where he went to basic training. I'm investigating a bit, to see if I can find relatives of some persons in a couple of these snapshot photos in order to return them with the Mira photo as a group. Apparently, they had no children. As to his background, based upon other old photos I'm guessing you're on track, probably Hungarian, Polish, Jewish, Latvian ancestry, maybe German or Russian. Many names were changed to sound and spell less ethnic Jewish for the US social culture. That point was brought out in a recent edition of the tv show who do you think you are and specifically this occurred in a relative of mine who came through Riga, Latvia with a exit name change, plus an entry to US name change, too. Based on visuals of old photos, they're Russian Jews as to heritage and perhaps this particular Graban's ancestry is consistent with my guess.
As for the wife, Mira Graban, it seems by appearance she is Italian, Portuguese, or perhaps Irish with black hair and dark eyes, and I have very little evidence. A snapshot from the same box is labeled Piedade Fernandez and Rose Fernandez with Winifred (Smiles) Weathers--Santa Maria. A mother daughter style snapshot is stamped 1930 and printed in California. Writing in pen on it says Zulmira and also Maria Menezes on it. Menezes is a Portuguese name, mostly from the Azores. The girl is about 11 and could match the senior class grad photo type described above. But that doesn't help you as it seems her aunts and uncles are in the other group snapshot, probably, labeled as surname Lyford, Viada, Donovan, and MacDonald. I don't recognize Zulmira as an Irish, Portuguese, or Italian first name but maybe without the Z U L she became Mira then married Graban.

Re: Grayban - Graban - Name Changed in Early 1900's

Posted: 18 May 2012 10:44PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Graban, MacDonald, Menezes
Glen, I found that the persons I wrote about include Augustine J. Graban, who graduated from St. Augustine Diocese Academy High School in Burlington, New Jersey, where he lived. It appears he was born in 1924 in one record, and 1928 in another. 1928 makes the most sense as he graduated the high school academy class in January 1947.
Augustine Graban mustered out on several Navy vessels, and later married a woman first name of Zulmira who went by just a shortened Mira, later. One group photo snapshot has penciled in names including this: Mira MacDonald on the reverse. The photo is taken about 1929-1931 based upon the paper upon which it is printed with a slight scallope to the edge of the photographic paper, similar to some I have from about the same era. The only other surnames MacDonald on this photo is Foss MacDonald. I'm guessing that is her father or perhaps a step father. In the photo of her taken on a sidewalk on city street the writing is Zulmira (only) then also Maria Menezes. So MENEZES is likely her surname at birth and Maria would appear to be her mother. That photo is printed by Bear Photo Service on 5 Feb 1930. I recognize Bear Photo Service as a Bay Area firm name, probably located either in Berkeley, Oakland or San Francisco as I have other photos with the same stamp on the back from my family which are printed in the Bay Area about that time era.
I am not related to either Zulmira- Mira Menezes or Augustine Graban. I did check death records for Mira Graban and found Zulmira Graban was born Oct 1919 and died May 2008 as death record shows Zulmira Mary Graban She lived on Schmidt Lane in El Cerrito, CA and married to Augustine J Graban.
I also saw that a different first name but shown as Rev.Paul Graban is listed in the City Directory for Burlington New Jersey where photo was taken of St. Augustine's Diocese Academy, perhaps that is Burlington New Jersey or else of Brooklyn NY as the photo studio is Vieheger Studios, Brooklyn (only). The graduating class of January 1947. There are about 45 boys in this graduating class photo including Vincent R. Ligouri, a surname which I recognize as being one local to Richmond and El Cerrito,perhaps just coincidentally.
California where Augustine Graban lived in the 1950'1960s etc.
A quick review of records for the Rev. Paul Graban name seems to indicate that he moved to California and changed his surname. He appears to have lived in Long Beach and or Orange County, CA. I believe he is an older cousin of Augustine Graban.
Other records indicate surname Graban as being from Poland or Czechoslovokia as per birth of parents on old and not-apparently-related to Augustine J graban but in NJ and NY.
I would like to return these photos to a related person to Zulmira (Mira) Menezes. It seems that she was of Portuguese ancestry. She's beautiful in her graduating( senior) high school photo--my assumption.
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