Mary Hudak or is it Kostelnic? (1862-1951) Part 3

Family stories state that Mary SARNA had an older sister, Anna ZEMANY, which everyone called “Mrs. Zemany,” including family members. When my great-grandmother first came to the United States, she stayed with a Mrs. Zemany until she married George SARNA.

I found Mrs. Zemany’s death certificate easily on Ancestry.com.

Pennsylvania. Department of Health and Social Services. Certificate of Death. #18152 (1951) Anna Zemany: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg. Ancestry.com : accessed 1 Mar 2016.

Both have John Kostolnik/Kostelnick listed as their fathers. Anna’s, the older sister, husband, lists as Anna “Meholicts” Mihalyek as her mother. I now have the sisters’ mother’s maiden name.

My mother remembers her mother, Mary Sarna GABUZDA, taking her to 703 Main St. where she waited sitting on the floor at the bottom of a closed stairway. She heard the 

“death moans” of someone upstairs. This was of her great grand aunt Anna Kostelnic ZEMANY, who died on 17 Feb 1928. My mother was five years old when Mrs. Zemany died of stomach cancer.

Was my great grandmother’s maiden name HAJDUK as stated on my grandmother’s baptism record or was it KOSTELNIC now found on three documents; a marriage certificate and two death certificates?

I had been looking through several Slovakian birth records with FamilySearch.org. I made a list of several female Hudaks and Kostelniks with various spelling born in Kurima between 1858 to 1865. With this list I found a Mary Kostelnic, born on 21 Jul 1862 (baptized on the 24th), in Kurima, Slovakia, to Joan Kosztelnik and Ana Mihalek. I found her! Interesting to see a Maria Hajduk as a God-mother. Could this be the cause of the name error? Very interesting!

"Slovakia Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12149-42302-27?cc=1554443 : accessed 7 March 2016).

Looking for Anna Kosztelnik took much longer, as again her father’s surname is in a different spelling. I found Anna born on 23 [May 1850], in Kurima, Slovakia, to Janos Kosztelnik & Anna Mihalek.

"Slovakia Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12149-41414-18?cc=1554443 : accessed 7 March 2016).

I then had to see if the parents match up with 2 daughters Anna born around 1850 & a Mary born around 1862. This lead me to the 1869 Hungarian Census records now found on FamilySearch.org. I found a Koszcselnik family in the Roman Catholic Church records in the village of Kurima, of Saros, Slovakia.

Here they are!

"Slovakia Census, 1869," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-28480-19928-12?cc=1986782 : accessed 7 March 2016).

Koszcselnik, Janos born 1827 Kurima

Mihalyak, Anna born 1828 Kurima

Koszcselnik, Anna born 1851 Kurima

Koszcselnik, Fuzsi born 1860 Kurima

Koszcselnik, Maria born 1863 Kurima

Koszcselnik, E???sebel born 1866 Kurima

This is my fourth document to prove the fact that KOSTELNIC is Mary Sarna’s maiden name.

I am now on the search to find the birth records of the other two daughters of John and Anna. Did they marry, especially one who married a WARGO? Did they stay in the “old country” or did they also come to the United States, “the land of gold’? 

P.S. I have found the birth entrance of Elizabetha, daughter of Joannes Koscelnyik and Anna Mihalyek, born 16 Feb 1865 in Kurima. Again, God-mother is Maria Hayduk…hmm. Is Hayduk another family name up the tree?

"Slovakia Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12149-43239-25?cc=1554443 : accessed 7 March 2016).

Where is Fuzsi? Or is it Fursi? How do you really spell her name? This is a challenge, but I will find Anna’s and Mary’s unusually named (at least for me) sister. Does this sound familiar to anyone with Slovakian background?

My conclusion is that KOSTELNIC is Mary SARNA's maiden name. I will have to find out how HYDUK is also a relation to this family.