My Hungarian Ancestry:
The Szedmáky Family
by Alex Glendinning
visitors since February 12 1997
On February 4th 2001 Lubomir Sestrienka of Bratislava wrote:
The name Szedmáky is a Magyarized transcription of a Slovak name
Sedmák. Sedmák is derived from a Slovak word ´sedem´.
It means ´seven´. Sedmák is a man who owns seven pieces
of something (maybe children, fields) or he is at seventh place in a sequence.
Coat of Arms given to Michaële Szedmáky 24.2.1717 by Charles
Habsburg King of Hungary and Austria.
The original had been lost by his father Michaële I who was
held in captivity for seven years by the Turks after being captured during
the battle of Ersekújvár in 1663. He was forced to bury his
armour on the battlefield (1).
Michaële II married Helena Krulovich and had at least
three sons: Joszef, Ferenc and Anton. The last two
were living in County Trecsin, Northern Hungary (now Slovakia) in 1750.
Their wives were sisters, Ferenc married Teréz Fanszky and
Anton; Magda Fanszky (2).
There was a János Szedmáky acting as an assessor in
County Posnoy, Northern Hungary in 1826 (2).
References:
(1) The records of the Secretary to the Court of King Charles VI of Austria.
(Microfilmed copy at the National Archives, Budapest - original in Vienna).
(2) Nagy Iván - "The Families of Hungary, Their Coats of Arms
and Generation Tables" published 1863 Pest. (Copy at the National Archives,
Budapest).
My mother Margit Jolan Glendinning (neé Szedmáky)
- and known as Puci - was very proud of her Coat of Arms, during her lifetime
it was always displayed in a prominent position in her house and, since
I inherited it, it is in a prominent place in mine.
Unfortuntely Puci died when I was eleven years old and I was left with very
little knowledge of her life, beyond the fact that she and her sister Emmy
had been born in Budapest and brought up away from their parents (who were
refugees in Paris) in the Netherlands.
My Dutch cousins and I had lost touch over the years and when contacted,
I found that they could tell me much of the last two generations, but had
no great knowledge of their forbearers either. Where to start ?
In 1991 I made a trip to Hungary (partially documented in Family
History in Hungary and Grand Mama Came From Pápa)
to look into my grandparents' ancestry. The records at the National Archives
in Budapest proved fruitful, but principally in the case of my grandmother's
ancestors The Edelényi Szabó
Family, rather than the Szedmákys.
It was time to plan a second trip - this time to Slovakia.
The connection came up during the first expedition. One of my ancestors,
Ignaz Szedmáky (see tree below), was born in what was
then known as Upper Hungary, having no time to look further (and finding
the registers were not at the National Archives) I concentrated on my grandmother's
family. Next time I would go to Bratislava.
Next time had to wait three years. In September 1994 I made the second trip,
beginning at Sala, the central archives for the Nitra region, where the
records are actually kept and the work is done, although the archives administration
is based in the town of Nitra itself. I had an interest there in seeing
the records of Lúcnica nad Zitavou (formally Vajk when this part
of the country was Hungarian) and where my great grandfather Jozsef
Szedmáky worked as an Ispan, or Estate Bailiff, for the Boronkay
family.
Although I cannot tie up my earliest Szedmáky ancestor
with the noble line yet, I have one important clue to work with: Jozsef's
entries in the Vajk registers are all annotated with the suffix "Nemes".
There were so many noble families in Hungary (as all the children kept their
father's titles) that, as they had larger and larger families, younger sons
would become dispossessed and have to take up a trade in order to survive.
Therefore a Hungarian middle class emerged. "Nemes" was frequently
written in the parish registers, as those of noble extraction were fiercely
proud of their ancestors.
This what I have so far..........
Go to: The Glendinning Family
Puci and Fred Glendinning (c.1954 Jersey)
Puci and her parents (1921 Budapest)
The story of my uncle Sanji, who
died in Russian captivity in 1945.
Other Szedmáky References:
This is not the end of the story as I now knew Jozsef's birth year (as his
age at death was given in the Vajk registers). Where to look next? He would
have been born in 1814.
I searched the Roman Catholic Registers in Bratislava, both St Martin and
Blumental came up with nothing between 1813 and 1815.
One stray mention of a Szedmáky in the St Martin's records gives
a marriage of March 23 1795 of a Daniel Szedmáky aged 22, so born
in 1773, at Kosúty near Galanta. Checking my copy of "The Parish
Registers of Slovakia 16th-19th Centuries" the Kosúty registers
begin in 1788 as a district of Galanta and Galanta's themselves begin in
1691. The first was too late for Daniel, but were worth checking for Jozsef
between 1813 and 1815. Galanta could then be checked for both of them. Neither
showed up!
In the town of Galanta and the village of Kosúty a number of other
scattered Szedmáky references were found.
Galanta Baptisms
13.11.1716 Anton
05.08.1719 Michael both sons of Michael Szedmáky and Eva Drobraly
of Galanta. Could this be Michael husband of Helena Krolovich? Could he
have married twice?
Careful research reveals no more Szedmákys between this date and
the 1730s. Then a new branch appears that I cannot tie up with these early
entries.
31.12.1738 Anna, daughter of Josephus Szedmáky and Barbara Salgoczi.
Another 8 year gap indicates the family had stopped producing until ...
21.11.1747 Christina, daughter of Franciscus Szedmáky and Tseresia
Fansky. NOTE: This is Ferenc, son of Michael Szedmáky, mentioned
in Nagy Ivan as living in County Trecin in 1750. His wife's name gives us
a positive identification.
Again the Szedmákys disappear from almost 40 years before returning
to Galanta.
01.02.1779 Antonius Johannes, son of Johannes Szedmáky and Jularma
Tanhoffer of Galanta.
16.08.1782 Sigismund, son of Johannes Szedmáky and Jularma Danhoffer
of Galanta.
11.08.1784 Clara, daughter of Johannes Szedmáky and Jularma Danhoffer
of Galanta.
09.02.1786 Julianna, daughter of Johannes Szedmáky and Jularma Danhoffer
of Galanta.
Kosúty Baptisms
1. 30.10.1813, Johannes, son of Julianna Szedmáky and Johannes Mihálik
(Agilis - of Noble House)
2. 30.11.1818, Rudolphus, son of Julianna Szedmáky and Johannes Mihálik
(Opidon - a town dweller)
3. 11.05.1820, Lazarus Karparus, son of Julianna Szedmáky and Johannes
Mihálik (Agilis) - Marriage not found.
4. 19.10.1822 Emericus (Imré) son of Anna Szedmáky and Franciscus
Zsrgárdy (Nobilus)
5. Anna 11.07.1824 Emericus (Imré) daughter of Anna Szedmáky
and Franciscus Zsrgárdy (Nobilus) - Marriage not found.
Research stopped here due to lack of time. Following advice from the Archivist
I also searched nearby Sladkovicovo, but found no Szedmákys at all
in the baptism registers. However, I understand there was a sizable German
community there and they may have provided some of the wives with Germanic
sounding names, like Jozsef's Anna Becker, Johannes' Julianna Tannhoffer
and Ferenc's Tseresia Fansky. Unfortunately I did not have time to look
for them either!
Next we have a reference from the Marriage Registers of
Galanta :
Marriage: 29 April 1798
Perill D. Michael Szedmáky - Nobilis Celebs Anno 52
Translation: The Very High Michael Szedmáky, noble bachelor
age 52
Date of Birth: 1746, but not found in Kosúty or Galanta
Anna Czismadia Anno (aged) 27
Witnesses: Michael Kiss and Michael Czismadia
Their Children:
Maria, bap. 10.08.1804. Godparents: Anton Irmellah and Bihari Anna.
Entered in Kosúty but parents listed as residents of Galanta.
By 1805 their relationship has deteriorated.
Galata Baptism Registers - 02.08.1805
Francisus Steven Nothiy (?)
Mother: Czizmadia Anna, but written in Latin under her name is:
Husband Michael Szedmáky, not living together, he does not recognise
the child.
Burials:
Kosúty (1788 - 1852)
Sp. D. Francisus Szedmáky Anno 86 19.09.1791
Confessionem egus excepis P.N. Csiba ex. Ord. S. Trecin
Translation: Made confession and was accepted by the Rev. Csiba of the order
of South Trecsin.
Therefore born 1705, not in Kosúty or Galanta or Bratislava - all
searched.
15.10.1806
Francisus Szedmáky, son of Daniel, aged 1. This coincides with the
Francisus, son of Michael, and may be an error on the part of the priest.
Or is this the name of the true father?
So, a considerable amount of information, but nothing ties up! A further
visit to Slovakia and a general search through the Registers of Co. Trecsin
and a look at the 1750 Census of the Nobles is required. Something
to do on my next holiday!!
Found a connection? Please e-mail me: glen@hades.itl.net
The Dutch Connection: My Aunt and her Daughters
Left to right: Emmy Van Roosendaal (neé Szedmáky) Margit and
Ilonka - September 1996
Under Construction
I am researching the Red Cross Trains (Kindertransport) that brought children
from Budapest to the Netherlands between 1919 and 1924, my mother and aunt
among them. Anyone who has photos of their departure or arrival are invited
to contact me on glen@itl.net
Sandor Szedmáky with his daughters Puci and Emmy in 1924,
once they were safely in the care of the Reoloffs family of Papendrecht,
Netherlands.
For more information on tracing your ancestors in Hungary and Slovakia
go to:
Family History in Hungary
The Edelényi Szabó Family
Tree (1713 to date)
Please call back to: Alex Glendinning's Home Page