Friday, June 08, 2012

The Hajdu-Pethe Marriage


Back about 5 years ago, I discovered a newspaper article from the late 1910's that stated an Emma Gombash was divorcing an Alex Gombash. This Alex Gombash was my great-grandfather. Not many in my family knew about a first wife, but those who did knew nothing about children from this marriage. They had a daughter, who died in infancy, and a son who I later found out lived to be 79 years old. My grandfather had an older brother!


This marriage record is for the parents of Emma Gombash, who was born Irma Hajdu on 21 Oct 1899 in Büdszentmihály, Szabolcs county, Hungary. Ironically, the Hajdu family and my own Gombash family were from the same town in Hungary. And even more, they immigrated together on the same ship and were listed next to one another on the passenger manifest. Quite an astonishing find, when I finally realized who this family was! Irma Hajdu's parents are András Hajdu and Zsófia Pethe, and this is the extract of their marriage:




Entry Number: 4
Date of Marriage: 14 Jan 1891

Groom: Hajdu András, farmer
Residence: 1051
Religion: Evangelical Reformed
Age: 23; born 21 Nov 1867
Marital Status: Single
Father: Hajdu Bálint, farmer
Mother: Balogh Zsuzsánna

Bride: Pethe Zsófia
Residence: 842
Religion: Evangelical Reformed
Age: 16; born 01 July 1874
Marital Status: Single
Father: Pethe József, farmer
Mother: Dancs Juliánna

Witness: Gombás Miklós, farmer (coincidentally, my great-grandfather's great-uncle)
Witness: D. Gál Balázs, farmer
Priest: Nyakas Balázs, Reformed parish priest
Marriage Banns: Jan 01, 04, 11
Notes: The groom was a soldier in the 15th Huszár Regiment, Company 3 and was discharged 31 Dec 1890.