The origins of the Hollósi family

We know all about my paternal grandparents, Gyula Hollósi and Erzsébet Ficthacher. Gyula was born in Budapest in 1893. He worked in the printing trade for all of his life, and lived to 87 years of age. Erzsébet was born in Szászrégen in Transylvania, which is now Reghin, Romania. She migrated to Hungary in 1920, where according to the lore, she and her family were temporarily accommodated in a converted railroad carriage.

According to family legend, the parents of my grandfather, Gyula Hollósi, were Pál Hollósi and Katalin Elchinger. Pál senior was a railroad worker, and before that, a coachman. Katalin's father, Antal Elchinger, was a cabinet maker. Pál and Katalin lived on Dessewffy street in Rákospalota (then a suburb of Budapest, now district XV.), Tata was born there too. They were already city dwellers, they lived on Elemér street, also in the VIII. district, they moved around a lot because great-grandmother Katalin was superintendent in a number of apartment buildings. She was a good-looking redheaded woman. Pál was born in Balatonfőkajár (in Veszprém county, near Lake Balaton), and his forebears came from Soponya (nearby, in Fehér county).

Starting out from these facts only, it was a somewhat daunting task to assemble a family tree. It was easy enough to find the 1927 marriage certificate for Gyula and Erzsébet, since civil registration records are now available online. For Gyula's birth record, I had to go to the baptism records of the Kálvin-tér Reformed Church of Budapest. (Fortunately the baptism records of both the Catholic and the Reformed churches are now indexed online by the Family Search organization). From this, the birth place of great-grandfather Pál was confirmed to be Balatonfőkajár. There was only one person of this name born on Balatonfőkajár in the 1800's, 1858 to be precise. From this we could find the name of Pál's parents - their marriage record was not found in the register of Balatonfőkajár, but was located in Soponya. So, indeed, Pál's mother, Julianna Bozai, did come from Soponya, but his father was born in Balatonfőkajár. The male line was traced back 6 generations to about 1700, all living in the same village. Unfortunately, the registries don't go back any further.

The Elchinger family seems to have come from Dunaföldvár. They were Roman Catholics, and Gyula's older brother was at first baptized a Catholic, but he and Gyula were registered in the Reformed (Calvinists) Church.

A1. György Hollósi, *c. 1701.

B1. István, *Balatonfőkajár, 1726.6.11.

C1. Péter, *Balatonfőkajár, 1745.9.1. Married: Susánna Sziget

D1. Sára, *Balatonfőkajár, 1773.2.22.

D2. Ersébet, *Balatonfőkajár, 1779.9.20.

C2. Éva, *Balatonfőkajár, 1747.7.9.

C3. István, *Balatonfőkajár, 1757.10.8.

C4. Judith, *Balatonfőkajár, 1756.5.2.

C5. István, *Balatonfőkajár, 1760.9.22. Married: Katalin Olasz *Vörösberény, 1764.2.2 (father: György Olasz).

D1. György, *Balatonfőkajár, 1785.11.21.   †1785.11.30.

D2. János, *Balatonfőkajár, 1786.12.19.   †1786.12.23.

D3. Ádám, *Balatonfőkajár, 1789.6.8.   †1789.7.1.

D4. Éva, *Balatonfőkajár, 1789.6.8.   †1789.7.1.

D5. Pál, *Balatonfőkajár, 1792.1.12.   †1794.12.20.

D6. Pál, *Balatonfőkajár, 1798.3.27. Married: Judit Csuka, *1799 k. (father: Mihály Csuka).

E1. Éva, *Balatonfőkajár, 1822.9.17.

E2. Rebeka, *Balatonfőkajár, 1823.9.17.

E3. István, *Balatonfőkajár, 1825.9.24.

E4. Mihály, *Balatonfőkajár, 1827.9.24. Married: Julianna Bozai, *Soponya,1834.5.3. (father: György Bozai and Éva Horvát), marriage: Soponya, 1854.2.

F1. Rebeka, *Balatonfőkajár, 1856.9.29.

F2. Pál, *Balatonfőkajár, 1858.9.8. (see below)

E5. Éva, *Balatonfőkajár, 1829.3.5.

D7. Sára, *Balatonfőkajár, 1800.3.4.

D8. István, *Balatonfőkajár ,1803.10.4.

C6. Sára, *Balatonfőkajár, 1761.1.12.

F2. Pál Hollósi, *Balatonfőkajár, 1858.9.8.

married: Katalin Elchinger, *Budapest, 1860.10.27 (parents: Antal Elchinger and Terézia Takács)

G1. János, *Székesfehérvár, 1880.8.9.

G2. Gyula Pál, *Budapest, 1893.9.27,  †1980.

1st marriage: Mária Wodicska

H1. Gyula György, *1920.

2nd marriage: Erzsébet Mária Fichtacher,  *Szászrégen 1903.12.9 (parents: János Fichtacher and Irma Balthes), marriage: Budapest VI., 1927.2.19, †1985.

H2. Gyula, *Budapest, 1928.

H3. Pál, *Budapest, 1930.1.1.

H4. Erzsébet, *Budapest, 1935.1.31, †1990.8.

Original sources

István Hollósi 1726
Baptism: Balatonfőkajár. 1726.6.11, son of György Hollósi

Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-3LX : accessed 4 May 2012), Istvá Hollosi, 1726

István Hollósi 1760
Baptism: Balatonfőkajár, 1760.9.22, son of István Hollósi

Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-XTG : accessed 4 May 2012), Istvánját Hollosi, 1760.

István Hollósi és Katalin Olasz 1785
Marriage: Balatonfőkajár, 1785.2.27. Groom: István Hollósi, unmarried. Bride: Katalin Olasz, unmarried, from V. Berény.

Forrás: Református Egyház, Balatonfőkajár „Anyakönyvek, 1739-1895”. Mikrofilm. Filmre vette a Genealogical Society of Utah, 1963. Az eredeti iratok mikrofilmrevétele Budapesten a Magyar Országos Levéltárban történt. Hungary. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Pál Hollósi 1798
Baptism: Balatonfőkajár, 1798.3.27, son of István Hollósi.
Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-DGW : accessed 4 May 2012), Pál Hollósi, 1798.

Pál Hollósi and Judit Csuka 1821

Házasság: Balatonfőkajár, 1821.7.13. Groom: Pál Hollósi, unmarried, 22. Bride: Jutka, unmarried daughter of Mihály Csuka, 21.

Forrás: Református Egyház, Balatonfőkajár „Anyakönyvek, 1739-1895”. Mikrofilm. Filmre vette a Genealogical Society of Utah, 1963. Az eredeti iratok mikrofilmrevétele Budapesten a Magyar Országos Levéltárban történt. Hungary. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Mihály Hollósi 1827

Birth: Balatonfőkajár, 1827.09.17. Baptism: 1827.09.30.  Parents: Pál Hollósi and Judit Csuka .

Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-T3Y : accessed 20 April 2012), Mihály Hollosi (1827).

Julianna Bozai 1834

Baptism: Soponya, 1834.5.3. Parents: György Bozai and Éva Horvát.

Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VFKJ-HDD : accessed 20 April 2012), Juliánna Bozai (1834).

Mihály Hollósi és Juliánna Bozai 1854

Marriage: Soponya, 1854.2. Groom: Mihály Hollósi, farmer, residence: Kajár 89., Calvinist, 26 years old, unmarried, parents: Pál Hollósi, Judit Csuka. Bride: Juliánna Bozai, farmer, lakhely: Soponya 58, Calvinist, 19 years old, unmarried.

Forrás: Református Egyház, Soponya „Anyakönyvek, 1739-1895”. Mikrofilm. Filmre vette a Genealogical Society of Utah, 1963. Az eredeti iratok mikrofilmrevétele Budapesten a Magyar Országos Levéltárban történt. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Rebeka Hollósi 1856

Birth: Balatonfőkajár, 1856.09.27. Baptism: 1856.09.29. Parents: Mihály Hollósi, Julianna Bodai, Ref., day labourers.

Forrás: Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-1XC : accessed 30 March 2012), Rebeka Hollosi (1856).

Pál Hollósi 1858

Birth: Balatonfőkajár, 1858.9.6. Baptism: 1856.9.8. Parents: Mihály Hollósi, Julianna Bozai, Ref., day labourers.

Index: 1858.09.08., Balatonfőkajár, Veszprém m., szülei: Hollósi Mihály,​ Borai Juliánna [Bozai]. Forrás: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-12F : accessed 30 March 2012), PálHollosi (1858).

János Hollósi 1880

Birth: Székesfehérvár, 1880.8.9. Baptism: Székesfehérvár, R. Cath. parish, 1880.8.12. Reformed Church Registry: Budapest, Kálvin tér, 1891.8.8. Parents: Pál Hollósi, Ref., Katalin Elchinger, R. Cath. Godparents: Horváth Mihály baker, Láposi Teréz.

Index: Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QX-B5T : accessed 30 March 2012), János Hollósi (1880).

Gyula Hollósi 1893

Birth: Budapest, 1893.3.27. Baptism: Budapest, Kálvin tér, 1893.4.2  Parents: Pál Hollósi, born in Balatonfőkajár, Ref., occupation: factory worker, and Katalin Elchinger. Residence: VIII. Kőris u. 12, Godparents: Czeiz Emil, Matyovszky Boriska.

Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QF-W5G : accessed 30 March 2012), Gyula Pal Hollósi (1893).

Gyula Hollósi és Erzsébet Fichtacher 1927

Marriage: Budapest VI., 1927.2.19. Groom:  Gyula Pál, Hollósi, journeyman typographer, Ref., born Budapest, 1893.3.27, residence: Rákospalota, Zápolya utca 89, (parents: Pál Hollósi deceased and Katalin). Bride: Erzsébet Mária Fichtacher, Ref., born Szászrégen, Maros-Torda county, 1903.12.9, residence: Budapest, VII. Andrásy út 41, (parents: János Fichtacher, Irma Balthes deceased). Witnesses: János Hollósi, Béla Fichtacher.

Forrás:"Hungary Civil Registration," images, FamilySearch.org; from Archiv Der Stadt Budapest, Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kis-Kun, Hungary. “Állami anyakönyvek.” Az eredeti iratok mikrofilmre vétele Budapesten a Városi Levéltárban történt, Hungary. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11754-21924-98?cc=1452460&wc=14339454