GELEVAN

[Cherie]

Hello!
I am searching for my grandmother's family.
Maria GELEVAN b. 8 Jul 1891 in Tisza-Kirva Hungary now Kriva,Ukraine. Came through Ellis 03 Aug 1912. She traveled with Maria Huszti and her children also from Kriva.
Her father's name was Janos. I have very little information other than what is on the manifest.
Sure could use some help.
Cherie

[Hannia]

One of the challenges of doing research in the part of the world where Grandmother was born is the shifting national borders. For example, this part of the Carpathians was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before World War I. Between the two wars it was part of the Republic of Czechoslovakia. In 1938, after Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia, he gave this area back to Hungary, which was an ally of his. In 1944 the Germans occupied Hungary. The area had strong Ukrainian nationalists so after the war, the area was given to the Ukrainian Socialist Republic and it is now in the independent country of Ukraine in the Zakarpatska Oblast.
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As per Ellis Island, the three Gelevans shown on record, are Ruthenians coming from the same place, today village/selo Kryva (on Tysa River)> Hustskij (Khust/Chust was/is district center town) raion/district. Zakarpatska Oblast/region> UA (abbr for Ukraine) & latest zip code is 90412.

At the turn of the century this immediate area was part of the Marmaros/Maramaros County> Transcarpathia (next door to Dracula's Transylvania)>Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Emigrants coming from this area were notated as Hungarian in immigration records. Bare in mind that citizenship and ethnicity are two different things.

Untitled
http://www.zakarpattja.westportal.net/eng/5.html

Peters
http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/peters.htm

FOLK ART OF SUBCARPATHIAN RUS'
http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/hutsul/

Peters Genealogy Article
http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/cra/petercra.htm

Yahoo! Groups : rusyns
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rusyns/