CLAN MAGDALEK
As with the other clans, origins of this one are lost in time. Oral traditions that I know, speak of two brothers who came to Moravia from someplace in Balkans and settled in village of Mistrice. Who they were, when or why they came is a mystery. This family name is not very common, there are only few of us. In the village of Mistrice which was founded sometime before 1247,there were two Magdalek clans that did not mix and were supposedly not related, but I think it was because they had a same ancestors and did not want to inbreed or the original brothers had a major family feud. Magdaleks do not look any different from the rest of people there. Some are blonds, others red heads or brunets, most are light skinned, but men tend to be on the tall side. There are number of versions of this name in Czech as well as in other languages. Just to make it more interesting, I found that in ancient Akkad language word “Migdal” means a fortified temple, in old Hebrew, word “Migdol” means a tower. Term “Magdalene” refers to someone belonging to or from city of Magdala, an unidentified location on the western shore of the sea of Galelee. A city named Migdol was also located on Horus Road leading from Egypt to Gaza. There also is a huge fortress in southern Ethiopia named Magdala. Today there are many versions of this name through the world, given to places, towns and rivers. Looks like we have kin everywhere. While checking Ellis Island records I have come across one entry from 1907 when Josip Magdalek has immigrated into USA, interestingly enough from Croatia from a place called Cabnna, which I have so far been unable identify. Because the family research is not an easy or a quick task we have been able with any certainty go only to the year 1724 for now. In that year on 26 Aug son Matous was born to Jan Magdalek and Barbora , of other siblings we know nothing yet. On 27 Jan 1750 Matous married Mariana Malinova daughter of Jiri and Mariana Malina Mariana was born on 21 Feb 1726.
We do not know when they died. They had six children. First born was…..Josef…………..born 16 Mar 1752
Laurencius…..born 09 Aug 1754
Barbora……….born 22 Apr 1757
Frantisek………born 01 Mar 1760
Simon………….born 10 Oct 1762
Martin*………..born 06 Nov 1766…..he is our direct ancestor
Martin Magdalek at the age of 39 married on 11 Nov.1801 Katerina Bilavcikova, who was 16 at the time, born in 1785 to Jan Bilavcik. Martin and died on 28 Nov.1832, Katerina died of TB on 17 Dec.1854. I suspect that Martin may have been a widower or spent a long time in military, for it is rather unusual to marry so late, in any case they had six children. First born was…..Marie………….born 16 Jun 1803
Magdalena…..born 24 Nov 1805
Ignac…………..born 22 Apr 1808
Josef *…………born 14 Nov 1810…..he is our direct ancestor
Barbora……….born 23 Apr 1813
Rozalie………..born 18 Jan 1818
Josef Magdalek married first time on 28 Jan 1835 three years after his father’s death at the age of 25,his wife was Barbora Suranska. I don’t know why or when she died her father was Sebastian Suransky from Nedachlebice and she was daughter of Mariana Simek (father Jan ) of Jaborovec. Josef married again on 25 Jan 1837, 17 year old Magdalena Bajajova born on 15 Jul.1819 daughter of Cyril Bajaja from Knezpole and Anna Lisonkova (father Martin). Josef died old man at the age of 82 years in 11 Jun1892.Magdalena lived to only to age of 42, she died on 8 May 1861. They had six children. First born was…..Ursula………..born 20 Jan 1839
Anna………….born 30 Jan 1841………..died 20 Feb 1843
Jan…………….born 27 Feb 1843
Josef *…………born 16 Mar 1845……he is our direct ancestor
Katarina………born 04 Jun 1847……….died 30 Mar 1848
Sebastian……..born ………………………..died 18 Aug 1849
Josef Magdalek # 2 married at age of 22 on 15 Jan 1867 to Anna Malinova born in 1850 daughter of Jan Malina and Zuzana Hromeckova (father Jiri). We don’t know when Josef died, his wife passed on 23 Dec 1892 (pneumonia).They had twelve children, even a pair of twins. First born was……Frantiska…….born 15 Aug 1868………….died 07 Jul 1875
Rozalie……….born 08 Apr 1871
Josef*………….born 15 Jul 1873……..he is our direct ancestor
Anna…………..born 17 Jul 1875……………died 24 Jul 1875
Ferdinand……..born 22 Oct 1876…………..died 22 Oct 1876
Marianna……..born 22 Oct 1876……………died 01 Nov 1876
Tomas………….born 04 Dec 1877…………..died 06 Dec 1877
Jan……………..born 14 Jul 1879…………….died 31 Aug 1940
Frantisek………born 02 Sep1881…………….died 02 Sep 1881
Jindrich………..born 10 Mar 1883……………died 06 Feb 1952
Josefa…………..born 18 Sep 1885……………died 06 May 1946
Ignac……………born 11 Sep 1888
As you can see most of the children were either stillborn or died very young. Very sad moments. Ignac has joined Austrian army became an officer but was very harsh with his men so they shot him while on his patrol. Josef Magdalek # 3 married Barbora Foltyn born in 1873 in Popovice, wedding date is unknown so far perhaps in 1896. Josef died in 24 Jan 1932.Barbora died in 1935.They had five children. He was an ex army officer, he was also a village policeman being big man well over six feet tall, as a farmer they had a lot of land and were well off. Barbora was a small but very energetic woman. First born was……Frantisek……born 07 Sep 1897……………..died in 1972*
Cyril*………..born 18 Jan 1899….he is our direct ancestor
Vaclav……….born 18 Sep 1900……………..died 30 Nov1970
Marie…………born 07 Nov 1905…………….died 07 Mar 1988
Anna………….born 27 Nov 1911…………….died 12 Nov 1970
Both my grandpa and his brother Frantisek were members of communist party, Frantisek was very active and spent time in jails as well as in concentration camps during German occupation, his health was poor after that, his wife died shortly after the war from the harsh treatment in camps . Frantisek married Antonie Andrlova from Bilovice on 06 May 1922.
Vaclav married Filomena Jurenova from Nedachlebice. Marie married Alois Vlkojan from Vcelary…..lived in Bridlicna. Anna married Antonin Grebenicek from Hustenovice. Cyril married on 06 May 1922 Marie Polaskova who was born on 26 May 1901 daughter of Frantisek Polasek and Marie Malinova. Grandpa was a brewery worker and a farmer. He died of a kidney failure on 12 Aug 1946.Grandma died of a stroke on 19 Jun 1979.They had three children. First born was…….Josef*……….born 15 Dec 1921…………..he is your direct ancestor
Antonie ……..born 31 Aug 1924
Marie…………born 08 may 1927
Josef Magdalek # 4 married on 28 Aug 1948 Juliana Mokra born 04 Feb 1931 in Yugoslavia daughter of Valentin Mokry and Maria Hrubcova .Josef died from stomach cancer on10 Feb 1991.They have three sons. Antonie married Josef Vasicek has two children, second husband was Mr.Stasa from Lhota u Kelce. Marie married Ladislav Vasat and had a son, her second husband was Antonin Travnicek and has a daugher by him. First born was…..George*Jiri……born 09 Sep 1949 in Bridlicna (Frydland nad Moravici)
Pavel……………born 18 Jan 1955 in UH.Hradiste
Lubomir………..born 21 Jun 1957 in UH.Hradiste
George Jiri married on 22 Sep 1973 Maria Isolina Calix born in La Ceiba Honduras daughter of Alfredo Calix Andino and Sofia Bardales Streber. They have tree children. First born was……..Sophia Malinche………born 25 Dec 1979 in Calgary Canada
George Jiri Itzamna…..born 17 Sep 1981 in La Ceiba Honduras
Juliana Marie Xochitl…born 01 Dec1987 in Calgary Canada
Latest addition to the Magdalek clan was born in Calgary on 24 Feb 2001 “Tibetan New Year” to my unwed daughter Sophia Malinche. Boy was named Christopher Valentin “Pacal” Magdalek, his father’s name is Roger————— of San Pedro Sula Honduras.
CLAN HRUBEC and BRUNKALA
At this moment I know very little, about these two ancestral branches. They both came from northern Slovakia, Orava region. They were all ethnic Slavs. Ignac Hrubec, father of my grandma Maria Hrubcova was born in a place called Brezovica {birch tree place} on 23Jul1866. As a young man he worked in a flourmill and later moved to Budapest, where he met and lived with my great grandma Anna Brunkala. At first they could not marry, because you had to be twenty-one, to do that. They had four daughters, but only my grandma Maria and her sister Rosa Aranka survived, both born in Budapest. He worked in the railroad yards and she worked in a tobacco factory where she wrecked her lungs. There is a page left from his workbook, which I am still keeping .It is all written in Hungarian. They finally got married in 1890 and eventually moved to Lipovljani, Croatia where they bought land and farmed. Great grandpa migrated three times to Pennsylvania USA, he worked there in the coal mines, saving money and buying more land every time he came back. He died in Lipovljani on 13 Feb1928. Anna Brunkala was born on 22Sep1867 in a place called Liesok ,again in Orava region .Her father Tomas Brunkala was a miller, had three daughters in all, Anna, Veronika and Maria .He also married three times, all wives died and I don’t know their names or who was whose mother .My grandpa met two other sisters by chance in Budapest, at some dance party, when he was on military maneuvers there. Both were about to immigrate to USA .It was some time between 1908 and 1914, they never wrote back, so this family branch is lost. Anna returned to Liesok and brought her sick father back to Lipovljani where died. While she lived in Liesok, elders of the village sent her to Nitra, to learn and became a midwife, she graduated and I still have her diploma, it also is written in Hungarian, very old and can be considered a family treasure .She died in Lipovljani on 16Feb1946.My grandma Maria was born in Jun1890 in Budapest, and died in Lipovljani in Jan1950, just a few months after I was born .Her sister Rosa Aranka was born on 20Sep1894 and died 08Aug1975.She was married to a distant cousin of my grandfather ,his name was Kojnok .None of their children or grandchildren survived and this branch of the family is dead as well. I vaguely remember meeting this grandaunt on a couple occasions. I do also have her birth certificate, but no pictures at all.
That is all I know about these two clans for now .I hope that either I, or my brothers will some day be able to find more information about these ancestors. While checking Ellis Island immigration records I came across my great great grandfather’s name. He arrived in USA on 30 Apr 1907 from Bremen Germany on a ship named Grosser Kurfurst, he was 41 at the time. Interestingly enough there was another Ignac Hrubec on board age 19 from Lipovljani as well, however who he was I have no idea nor does my mother nor my aunt.
Name Brunkala is not a very common surname and seems to come from Orava region only. Liesok, Pekelnik, Oravka and Babin are villages where this name appeared. I also found a note on Roman Brunkala from Oravka born in 1782 who died in Pest 12 Aug 1821, it is all in magyar and I am having it translated. He must have been an important person. Another one was Tamas Brunkala born in Nadas-Dladany, county Feher, who lived in Szombathely, county Vas, some time between 1914 and 1939.Name Brunkala had also appeared in some school records of Budapest and Szekesfehervar. There is few Brunkala’s living in Saskatchewan and more in USA . Family name Hrubec is again from Orava region, namely from villages Brezovica, Hladovka and Vitanova, which very close to each other.