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This profile was first created by a GEDCOM import[1] and edited by Keith Riggle
Name: George Thomas Gdovin Sr. [2] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] AKA George Gergan (misreading on a census). [23] AKA George Golavin (misreading on a census). [8]
Born 24 DEC 1876. Nagy Folkmar, Szepes County, Kingdom of Hungary. [24] [14] [7] [10] [16] [20]
Died 12 DEC 1919. Universal, Vermillion, Indiana, USA. Map: Latitude: N39.621693. Longitude: W87.451408. [25] [4] [14] [15] [16] [20] Cause: Gunshot wound.
Naturalization as a Citizen: 2 AUG 1904. Cambria, Pennsylvania, USA. Map: Latitude: N40.494076. Longitude: W78.715347. [24] [23] [10]
Occupation: Coal Miner. [25] [23] [4] [9] [12]
Residence BET 1918 AND 1919. Universal, Vermillion, Indiana, USA. Map: Latitude: N39.621693. Longitude: W87.451408. [24] [4] [16] 1907 St Boniface, Cambria, Pennsylvania, USA. Map: Latitude: N40.666653. Longitude: W78.681091. [2] BET 1900 AND 1901. Hastings, Cambria, Pennsylvania, USA. Map: Latitude: N40.665051. Longitude: W78.712257. [23] [12] 1898 Sykesville, Jefferson, Pennsylvania, USA. Map: Latitude: N41.050343. Longitude: W78.822258. [9] 1904 St Boniface, Cambria, Pennsylvania, USA. Map: Latitude: N40.666653. Longitude: W78.681091. [10]
Baptism: 26 DEC 1876. Nagy Folkmar, Szepes County, Kingdom of Hungary. [7]
Religion: Roman Catholic. [7] [15]
Immigration: OCT 1893. New York, New York, New York, USA. Map: Latitude: N40.714169. Longitude: W74.006378. [10]
Buried 15 DEC 1919. Riverside Cemetery, Clinton, Vermillion, Indiana, USA. [15] [17]
Marriage 5 FEB 1898. DuBois, Clearfield, Pennsylvania, USA. [26] [27] [28]
Georgius (George/Juraj) Gdovin and Anna Klein are about 99% proven as George's parents. I believe they were his parents because the baptism date for their son Georgius was 26 Dec 1876, only two days after our George's believed birth date. In addition, they lived in Nagy Folkmar (today Velky Folkmar, Slovakia); a few other researchers believed our Gdovins came from there (Helen Seebold in particular). Most significantly, George's death certificate lists his father as George Gdovin born in Austria, which jibes, and his mother as Annie, no last name given, also born in Austria, which also jibes. The informant for George Gdovin's death certificate was his wife, Mary Gdovin. She was certain to have heard George say who his parents were. So until we can find corroborating evidence for his place of birth, such as his immigration record, this is about as good as it gets.
Veľký Folkmar lies in the Slovak district of Gelnica, Košice Region, at 48 ° 51'00 "S 21 ° 01'00" W. It was in the Hungarian county of Szepes (Slovak Spis) and was included in the 1869 Hungarian Census on FHL INTL film 2151173 Item 2, and in the 1828 Hungarian Census on FHL INTL Film 623102.
Former names of Veľký Folkmar: 1773 Folkmár, Folkmar, 1786 Folmar, 1808 Folykmár, Folymár, Folkmár, 1863–1902 Nagyfolkmár, 1907–1913 Nagysolymár, 1920 Veľký Folkmár, 1927– Veľký Folkmar Source: Juraj Cisarik, “Veľký Folkmar,” Slovakia Genealogy Tourist Guide, http:/www.cisarik.com0_Velky_Folkmar_Gelnica_KI_Szepes_Spis.html
George's Slovakian name was probably Juraj, or he might have gone by the Hungarian name, György.
If George immigrated to the US in 1882 at the age of 6, then surely he accompanied his parents. However, if he immigrated in 1893, then he could have come by himself.
George Gdovin and Mary Larko were married by Rev. A. Szymkiewicz in DuBois, Pennsylvania. He was the same minister who married Annie Larko and Joe Petkacs.
His death notice is in the Terre Haute Tribune, 13 Dec 1919, p. 1. The librarian at the Vigo County Public Library (Indiana) who looked it up for me said, "This was the only article I could find on your George and it is lacking place of funeral and burial or other survivor information. I searched the morning edition known as the Terre Haute Star and the evening edition called the Terre Haute Tribune and this was all I was able to come up with." Here is the text of the article:
UNIVERSAL MAN SLAIN BY SON IN QUARREL
UNIVERSAL, Ind., Dec. 13--George Gdovin, Jr., shot and instantly killed his father during a family quarrel at the home last night. The victim had been abusing his wife and the boy took the mother's part. This action was followed by the father leaving the house. He returned with an ax and after knocking in the door started after the boy, declaring he would kill him. Fearing for his life and that of his mother, the boy grabbed a shot gun and shot his father in the head. Gdovin, Jr., who will be 21 years of age next moth, has not been arrested. His act is held justifiable by the citizens of this place who know the facts. The said man had been mistreating his family for days and was of a mean disposition in his home affairs. The widow and two sons survive. The dead man was formerly employed in a local mine and his son worked with him.
FUNERAL SERVICES OF GEORGE GDOVIN TODAY
The funeral services of George Gdovin, who was shot and killed by his son George at Universal Friday night, were held at 9 o’clock this morning, at the Universal Catholic church. Burial was in Riverside cemetery. The officials seem to consider that the youth shot his father in self-defense and it is probable that the case will not be brought before the grand jury. Mrs. Gdovin and the son, George, were in Clinton Saturday afternoon to give further testimony. Source: “Funeral Services of George Gdovin Today,” The Daily Clintonian, Clinton, Indiana, 15 Dec 1919, p. 1 col. 7.
[Try to find a copy of the following article] Clinton Daily Clintonian - Clinton, Indiana - Dec 13 1919
Newspaper Archive Text: "... Appears to Have Been Done in Self-Defense While Son Was Endeavoring to Protect Mother From Attack; Gdovin Had Repeatedly Abused His Wife, According to Statements of Children and Neighbors...."
Goal: Determine George's village of birth and/or residence in Slovakia or Hungary
Plan: Find entry on passenger manifest. Find naturalization record (his WWI draft card said he was naturalized). Search passenger lists for friends and neighbors the person might have traveled with, then examine the list for your ancestor's (possibly garbled) name. If you can't find a town of origin, use censuses to see if his neighbors are from the same country, then study those folks.
Soundex for Gdovin = G315; it's the only name with this soundex. Spelling variations: G'dovin, Gdovine, Gdoven, Gdovan, Gergan, Godovin, Vdovin, Dovin, Gdowin
Searched CastleGarden.org <http://CastleGarden.org> for Gdovin, G'dovin, Gdovin*, Gdov*n, and Gergan but found nothing
Searched Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger List Index Cards, 1883-1948 at <https:/www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://hr-search-api:8080/searchapi/search/collection/1921483>, but there were no cards for Soundex G315. There are no index cards for 1800-1882 (<https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://hr-search-api:8080/searchapi/search/collection1908535>)
Searched 1910 US Census, Elder, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, which includes St Boniface, but found no names similar to Gdovin. Did find Stephen and Mary Larko.
Searched 1910 US Census, Clinton, Vermillion County, Indiana, District 117, which included Clinton township (part of) excluding Clinton city and Fairview Park town. All south of the Clinton and Paris Gravel Road. Did not find any names similar to Gdovin.
Searched 1910 US Census, Clinton, Vermillion County, Indiana, District 91 (Universal) but did not find any names similar to Gdovin.
Searched FamilySearch Hungary Catholic Church Records for Gdovin and found Gdovins in the following locations (but no George):
Gava, Szabolcs, Hungary Alsovárosi, Szeged, Csongrad, Hungary Bercel, Szabolcs, Hungary Hajduszoboszlo, Hajdu, Hungary Ujfeherto, Szabolcs, Hungary
"Population statistics show that in 1869, there were 1,818,228 Slovaks in Hungary (in Slovakia around 1,570,000). In 1900, that number rose to 2,008,744 (1,684,681 in Slovakia). [Stanislav J. Kirschbaum, A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival, 2nd edition, p. 153]
GDOVIN in Slovakia in 1995, located 322 ×, the total number of sites: 75, mostly found in the following locations: PRESOV , reg. PRESOV - 37 ×; Petrovce , reg. Vranov Nad Toplou - 17 ×, Klagenfurt , reg. PRESOV - 14 x; Hankovce , reg. BARDEJOV - 13 ×, LASCO , reg. BARDEJOV - 13 ×; Nižná WILL , reg. BARDEJOV - 12 ×; VYSNe Raslavice (village Raslavice ) district. BARDEJOV - 12 ×; BYSTRA , reg. VRANOV NAD TOPL - 9 ×; Vranov Nad Toplou , reg. Vranov Nad Toplou - 9 ×; BARDEJOV , reg. BARDEJOV - 8 x; .. Source: http:/slovniky.korpus.sk?w=gdovin&s=exact&c=P9d4&lang=en&d=priezviska&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
There were Gdovins who came from Kojsov SPIS, and Lascov SARIS. Source: http:/slovakpride.homestead.comAbout_Us.html
According to a Marek Gdovec, who posted on the Ancestry message board, "All surnames [Gdovin/Gdovec] you wrote comes from Eastern Slovakia, district of Vranov nad Toplou."
In addition to the Catholic church, there were Lutheran churches in Slovakia called the Evangelium church. The Larkos were probably Catholic, so maybe the Gdovins were, too.
There was a census in 1869 in Hungary which included Slovakia. Family History Centers have it on microfilm.
The Slovak National Archives has birth and marriage indexes for villages but not death indexes. The LDS church is microfilming all the village death indexes.
Parish registration ceased and civil registration began on 1895. The parish registers were sent to the Slovak National Archives. These records go back to the 1600s.
11 Mar 2012
Searched GenTeam.at <http://GenTeam.at> for Gdovin, Larko, Largo, Rochinsky, and Roskovensky but found nothing.
8 Jan 2013
See notes for Mary Rochinsky
13 Jan 2013
Searched Cambria County Marriage License Index 1885 - 1920, http:/www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambriamarriage-index.html, for "Gdovin" and "Larko" but did not find them.
Searched Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1800-1882, https:/www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://hr-search-api:8080/searchapi/search/collection1908535, for "Gdovin" but did not find anything.
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1883-1945, https:/www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://hr-search-api:8080/searchapi/search/collection1921481, is being indexed.
Searched Cambria County Naturalization Dockets, http:/www.digitalcambria.com/ccpanccpani_list.php, for Gdovin and found George Gdovin, Docket D9, page 132, image 42021NA002985
Searched Cambria and York County Marriage Index, http:/www.digitalcambria.com/ccpamlccmlindex_list.php, for Gdovin and Larko but found nothing. Found their marriage license in Pennsylvania County Marriages at FamilySearch.
Possible source on Catholic churches: "100 years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843–1943". Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, 17:1 (Summer 1990).
29 Jan 2013
Searched Ancestry.com All New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 for ?dov?n (both first and last names); did not find a George Gdovin born about 1876, arriving 1893. However, did note the following:
- Almost all spelled their name "Gdovin." A few variations were Vdovin, Gdoven - Before 1900 all departed from Bremen or Antwerp - Before 1900 all were listed as Hungarian
According to SteveMorse.org, the following ships departed Bremen and arrived in New York in 1893: Saale, Spree, Dresden (pages missing), Kaiser Wilhelm II, Lahn, Ems, Havel, Laughton, America, Elbe, and Aller. I scanned their entire lists for Gdovin, Dovin, Vdovin, George, Gyorgy, and Juraj but found nothing. The following ships departed Antwerp: Waesland, Friesland, Apollo, Rhynland, Westernland, and Chicago. Nothing. The following ships departed Hamburg: Rugia, Astrakhan, Moravia, Russia, Suevia, Dania, Marsala, Gellert, and Amalfi. Nothing.
Searched EllisIsland.org for all males named Georg*, Juraj, and Gyorgy born 1875-1877 who were Austrian, Hungarian, or Slovakian arriving 1892-1899: No names similar to Gdovin.
Searched CastleGarden.org for Gdo*, Glo*, Sdo*, Vdo*, but found nothing.
The passenger list he was on may have been lost, or his name was so badly misspelled I'm not recognizing it, or he didn't arrive in 1893, or he didn't arrive in New York. The passenger list probably didn't list his full place of residence anyway. Most of the earlier ones have just the country.
6 Nov 2017 - Searched “Ellis Island and Other New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957” at MyHeritage.com but did not find him.
Clinton Daily Clintonian
Publication: Clinton, Indiana, United States of America
Date: Dec 15 1919
Text: "...the other north tralin and arrives at Ninth street' twenty-four minutes earlier in the evening. FUNERAL SERVICES OF GEORGE GD0VIN TODAY The funeral services of George Gdovin, who was shot and killed by his ... son George at Universal Friday night, were held at 9 o'clock this morning, at the Universal Catholic church. Burial was in Riverside cemetery. The officials seem to consider that the youth shot his father in self-defense and it is probable that the case will not be brought before the grand jury. Mrs. Gdovin and the son, George, were in Clinton Saturday afternoon to give further..."
MyHeritage.com family tree
Family site: Riggle Web Site
Family tree: 300943-11 Data: Date: 30 MAR 2015 Note: Event: Smart Matching Role: 11000140 Data: Text: Added by confirming a Smart MatchGeorge Thomas Gdovin Sr.
Gender: Unknown
Birth: Dec 24 1876 - Velký Folkmar, Gelnica, Košický, Slovakia
Death: Dec 12 1919 - Universal, Vermillion, Indiana, United States
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