We are currently researching our family history for the surnames: KUSTRA, KANTARIK, VARECSKA, CHUDOSKY, ADAMIK, and NOVOTNY. With over 470 family members in our database, and many many others who have contacted us over the years who may be related to our family, you can see what a monumental task family history research can become. Often records are few and far between, and we have to rely on the memory of family members to piece together the puzzle. We welcome your input and corrections, and if you have any information which might be helpful, such as names, dates of birth and death, immigration, nationality, etc., we'd love to hear from you. We'll be happy to share with you any relevant information from our research that might help you with your own family history. Here's some of what we know about our ancestors to the best of our knowledge:
Jozef Kustra was born to Juraj and Maria Kustra in 1883, who lived in Bobrovecek, a small town in the Liptov region of Slovakia. Bobrovecek is located in northern Slovakia between the Tatra Mountains and the Vah River, and is a suburb of Liptovsky Mikulas, the administrative center of the Liptov region since the 17th Century. Jozef, as far as we know, was an only child. He married Agnesa Kantarik in Svatej Juraj (St. George) Roman Catholic Church in Bobrovecek, whose building dates from the 16th Century. Agnesa was born in 1891 to Ondrej and Teresa Kantarik in the family home in Bobrovecek. Ondrej was a glazier who installed stained glass windows in churches. Agnesa studied in the gymnasium at Budapest, and spoke Hungarian and Polish, in addition to Slovak.
Jozef and Agnesa Kustra immigrated to the U.S. sometime before 1911. Jozef came first, looking for work, and Agnesa followed shortly after. They settled in the vicinity of Pittsburgh, PA, where Jozef worked as a coal miner, and later as a foreman in Tarentum Paper Mills. They had 7 children and 17 grandchildren, many of whom today live in Western Pennsylvania. Jozef died in 1950 and Agnesa in 1977.
Agnesa had a brother and a sister. Frantisek was the oldest of the three Kantarik children; Anna came next (1885-1981), and Agnesa (1891-1977) was the youngest. Anna Kantarik married Jozef Kissel, whose family may have at one time had the surname of Garat. Anna and Jozef Kissel immigrated from Bobrovecek to the Pittsburgh area a short time before Agnesa and her husband came to America. The Kissels settled in East Deer Township, which is about 16 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, PA. Jozef and Agnesa Kustra eventually settled there, too, as did other family and friends from Slovakia. One of these was Jozef Varecska, who was Jozef Kustra's cousin from Bobrovecek.
Juraj and Maria Kustra
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+-Jozef Juraj Kustra (1883-1950)
Agnesa Kantarik (1891-1977)
Ondrej and Teresa Kantarik
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+-Frantisek Kantarik
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+-Anna Kantarik (1885-1981)
| Jozef Kisel
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+-Agnesa Kantarik (1891-1977)
Jozef Juraj Kustra (1883-1950)
We know of two main groups of Kustra families, one is centered in the old Liptov county of Slovakia around the city of Bobrovecek, the other is from southeastern Poland around the cities of Rzeszow and Blazowa. The two regions, separated by the Tatra Mountains, are about 100 miles apart. It is likely the two groups are related, but we have not yet found a common ancestor to link the two. Some family members in Poland and Hungary spell their name as "Kusztra."
It is also possible that the surname Kostro is another spelling of Kustra. The Kostro name goes back at least to 1520 to the Polish village of Podlasie, and has also been found in Rawa, which was in the Russian Voivodship (Province) in Eastern Poland. Rawa is possibly the present-day city of Rava Russkaya in the Ukraine. (See Mieczyslaw Paszkiewicz and Jerzy Kulczycki, Herby Rodow Polskich [Polish Coats of Arms]. London: Orbis, 1990.)
There exists a coat of arms for the Kostro name, which consists of a young woman with arms outstretched, wearing a gold crown, gold sash, and blue dress, sitting atop a black bear, on a gold background. The same coat of arms also appears under the Rawicz surname. (See the illustrations in J.-B. Rietstap, V. & H.V. Rolland's Illustrations to the Armorial G,n,ral. Baltimore: Heraldic Book Co., 1967, v. III & IV, v. V & VI.) The black bear is often found on crests of Germanic origin and may indicate that the ancestor won some important military battle. We've been told that the 16th Century Polish poet, J. Kochanowski wrote about a Knight named Kustra who migrated from the region of Austria to Poland.
Jakub Chudovsky was born in 1895 to Jan and Stefina (Smetana) Chudovsky, who lived in the Trencin region in Western Slovakia. The family may have formerly gone by the surname of "Djavura" or "Dvur." Jakub came to the U.S. around 1912 and settled in Tarentum, a small town 18 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, PA. There he married Maria Adamik in St. Clement Roman Catholic Church. Jakub and Maria Chudosky had 4 children and 7 grandchildren. Jakub died in 1970, and was followed by his wife in 1971.
Jan Chudovsky
Stefina Smetana
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+-Jakub Jan Chudosky (1895-1970)
Maria Stefina Adamik (1902-1971)
Smetana
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+-Maria Smetana
| Pavol Sikora
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+-Stefina Smetana
| Jan Chudovsky
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| +-Jakub Jan Chudosky (1895-1970)
| Maria Stefina Adamik (1902-1971)
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+-Jan Smetana
Maria Adamik was born in 1902 to Stefan (1876-1961) and Anna (Novotny) Adamik, who lived in the town of Mala Bytca in the northern part of the Trencin region. The Adamiks had four children. The older two, Maria and Paul, were born in Slovakia, and the younger two, Joe and Frank, were born after the family emigrated to America in 1909 and settled in Tarentum. Stefan's parents we believe were Frantisek and Franciska (Fabry) Adamik. Anna Novotny (1878-1945) was one of seven children born to Leopold and Teresa Novotny. Leopold was a park ranger in the Trencin province of Slovakia.
Frantisek Adamik
Franciska Fabry
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+-Stefan Adamik (1876-1961)
Anna Novotny (1878-1945)
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+-Maria Stefina Adamik (1902-1971)
Jakub Jan Chudosky (1895-1970)
Leopold and Teresa Novotny
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+-Anna Novotny (1878-1945)
| Stefan Adamik (1876-1971)
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+-Leopold Novotny
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+-Maria Novotny
| Stefan Kratkoruky
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+-Gisele Novotny
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+-Elona Novotny
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+-Pistina Novotny
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+-Jozef (Francis) Novotny
This is a map of Slovakia with the counties as they were when our ancestors emigrated in the early years of the 20th Century. At that time Slovakia was part of Austria-Hungary. The counties are shown in double-spaced type.