My wife's ancestors have roots just west of Arad in the village of Pecica, Romania. This village previous was called Pecska, Hungary.

Families go back to mid or late 1800's. Surnames include: Schiop (aka Styopu); Csircsu; Libus; Hegyes; Kurunci; and Kovacs. Our Janos Kovacs (the Hungarian equivalent of "John Smith"), according to family tradition, raised Lippizaner horses for the emperor and married a Katalin Kurunci, who was raised as an orphan by priests and spoke many languages.

Will reply to all queries and share information with all who may share common roots.

I have a father immigrated to USA from Hungary btwn 1942-1962 whose family was "very well known in Hungary for raising horses" with a last name so difficult for americans to pronounce that he used a nickname "Johnny Hungary". He went into the rodeo and racing business to earn money to pay for relatives to get out of Hungary. My mother says he had some very tagic memories of his family's suffering in a war that they were trying to keep him protected from so that the last of the bloodline would not die out - he was the last male of his line. I am his only child. He died in his early twenties while racing horses to make more money for his mother and sister then for marrying my mother. When he died my mother forwarded the money he saved to his grandmother, "influential in the underground effort for refugees". He met her in the Pacific Northwest (Dayton - Wa or Oregon?). He died in Texas from an accident while racing in a lightweight chariot. His best friend's name was Jack who came bk to Dayton to inform my mother of his death, and true to his promise to his friend he offered to marry her and adopt me (my father made him promise to take care of her, never knew I was expected). Momma declined the nobel offer and lost contact. No longer remembers his last name either. She only had minimal contact with my father's grandmother while forwarding the funds to help his family bk in Hungary - don't understand why she didn't want to keep in touch with her greatgrandchild. No idea now who or where she was, only in USA. A very proud family.
The whole thing was such a big secret that my relatives still won't discuss it and once when I was ten someone threatened my mother about it, said they'd tell me - I wish! They never did tho'.
My son has blue eyes and last night I learned that my father did also. Mine are green/gray like my mother's. Other than that I am nothing like the resst of my mother's family. someone said I "looked jewish" and I've wondered if with WWII being so fresh in everyone's mind then if that was the big scary thing they were hiding???
Not much to go on. No county where he died. No surname. No area in hungary he came from... any ideas where to check into families that were famous for raising horses in Hungary? Or a refugee effort post WWII, and a list of those living in WA/OR areas?

God bless you in your searches - tv

MissyT:

Without your father's last name, you will have great difficulty in finding more about him. Assuming that his nickname of "Johnny Hungary" means his name is John (or in Hungary Janos) is of no real help since John is so common.

Is you mother still living? You need to talk to her or some other living relatives to find out your father's real first and last names, Surely your mother would know this! What is your mother's name? Did she keep your father's last name? That could be a big clue. Do you know if your mother actually got married to your father, when and where? Getting this information could lead you to a marriage record and then to other facts. Good luck with your searching.

P.S. I don't have any clues about horse raising. My wife's ancestors from the 19th century supposedly raised Royal Hungarian Lippazoner horses for the emperor. Your father wasn't around at that time.

Randy

Thank you for responding. God bless you.

Small town further west, named Hegyes in Hungary & I am searching ancestors born there last name KATREIN. Also ancestors within 15 miles of Arad in Schondorf & Koenigshof. Names are KLEEMANN, RUZICSKA & KATREIN. Someone has gone to Arad, all our old records are in the city hall there & you can hire someone to help you search & translate.....

Greater part of my ancestors lives/lived in Battonya (Batania) close to Pecska (Pecica).
My great-grandmother was Katalin Kovacs (1870-1947); her parents were Andras Kovacs and Veronika Varga.

Hope this helps
Zsolt Varadi
looking for DETT, DETH, MAK relatives

My grandparents' names on my mother's side were Flori & John Hegyes. She was from Romania & he was from Hungary. They came to America in 1910 I think. My mother was born in 1914 and she had 2 sisters--Barbara & Theresa Hegyes. I have found a record of a brother Albert, but I think he must had died in infancy, as my mother never mentioned having a brother. My mother's mother died when my mother was 4 and the 3 girls were given to other families to be raised as my grandfather could not care for them alone. I would like to know more about my ancestors. I wonder if my grandfather ever remarried? Census records show him living in Pa but I think he may have also lived in NJ or NY. Can you help?

I'm trying to find out more information about my grandfather's family , last name Csirscu as he died when I was a year old. It does not seem to be very common.

The name "Csirscu" is unusual.

There is an ancestor in my wife's family named Paulina "Csircsu" (b.abt. 1849) who married a Stephanus Styopu (aka Styop or Schiop). Their offspring reportedly were born in Pecica/Pecska, Arad District. Searching for "Csircsu" on the Internet brings up more people with that spelling than with "Csirscu".

What's your grandfather's first name and his date/place of birth/death? Ditto for his father, grandfather, etc.?

I've had very limited success in getting records on-line from Roumania (without having to pay someone). Anyone have any suggestions??

Randy

My husband's family --LEIFEL-- came from that area. I have not tried to do any research there. Do you know anything of a town named "Glogavitz"...it is in the Tamasvar region of Romania NEAR Arad...(Dracula country!!!)

we were there a couple years ago, but no time for Genealogy!