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Note: Notes for Viliam or Vilhelm or Wilhelm or Vilem "William" Surma: There has been some uncertainty about whether Mr. Surma's first name was William or if somehow, it may have been Valentine.
But whether his first name was William or Valentine in the United States, those spellings were the English spellings, so they were not the way his name was spelled in the old country.
For the purpose of this genealogy chart, it is desired to list him using the original spelling of his name. But there are many possibilities.
Here is a very long attempt to try to determine what Mr. Surma's first name originally was:
Maybe the original spelling was Viliam, the Slovak language spelling, since Mr. Surma's ethnicity was Slovakian.
Maybe the original spelling was Vilhelm, the Hungarian language spelling, since Mr. Surma's nationality was Hungarian.
Maybe the original spelling was Wilhelm, the German spelling. The German language was sometimes used in the area where Mr. Surma lived in Europe; in what, at the time, was Austria-Hungary.
Maybe the original spelling was Vilem, the Czech spelling. There were people of the Czech ethnicity who lived in the area where Mr. Surma lived in Austria-Hungary.
Other than variant spellings of the English name William, it has been thought that maybe Mr. Surma's name in English was Valentine. But if so, his birth name would have been a variant spelling of Valentine. Genealogical investigations done by people now living have discovered that Mr. Surma's father's first name was Walentyn, which was and is the Polish spelling of Valentine.
A reason why people may have thought that Mr. Surma's first name might have been Valentine, could be that Mr. Surma may have had a Catholic confirmation name of Valentine that he occasionally used, especially in important Catholic church matters.
Maybe the policy of Chicago's St. Michael the Archangel Catholic church, where the only two instances of variants of the name Valentine have so far been found written, was to write a man's Confirmation name on official church documents that recorded a sacrament, instead of his actual first name.
The only two times that have so far been found, where a variation of the name Valentine was written, were for the sacrament of marriage, and later, for the sacrament of baptism. Both of those times that a variant spelling of the name Valentine was written, it was done by the same priest, a Rev. Bart Kritek.
Rev. Bart Kritek was also the same person who wrote Vilem on Mr. Surma's church death record. But dying was not a sacrament. Which may be why he wrote the name as Vilem, although that is the Czech spelling.
Rev. Bart Kritek also wrote Vilem Surma as the name of a witness for the marriage of Mr. Surma's sister-in-law. Marriage is a sacrament, but Mr. Surma wasn't getting married, he was just a witness.
Here is a list of 11 documents that so far have been found where Mr. Surma's first and last name was written or printed:
1) Mr. Surma's November 9, 1906, marriage license from Cook County, <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/CX36aZcfJc6AkKtp7">photo,</a> shows his name as Wilhelm. That's how the name was and is spelled in Polish and German. But Mr. Surma's nationality was Hungarian, and his ethnicity was Slovak. But Wilhelm could have been correct.
2) Mr. Surma's November 11, 1906, Chicago Catholic church marriage record, <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/xmKvviEriEgMAnG78">photo,</a> shows his name written in the Latin form of Valentine. The sloppy handwriting looks something like Valentinium.
3) Information from the November 3, 1907, birth of Mr. Surma's first son, Andrew John Surma, was recorded in a Cook County Birth Register book. <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/wFBu97qAGdU8f58L9">Photo</a>
But there was some strange information in that birth registry entry. As was the case in the next family church baptism record from 1909, the infant's first name was written as the same as the father's first name. For the 1907 birth of Andrew, the father and son most definitely did not have the same first name. That 1907 Birth Registry shows both the son's and father's names were written as Walter. (The baby's baptismal record, his listing in the 1930 U.S. census, and his listing in the U.S. Social Security Death Index all agree that his name was not Walter, it was Andrew.)
The mother's name looks to have been written an "Gizzie Trap". The nickname of Lizzie makes sense, but it was mis-written. Her maiden name was actually Trzop, but she no longer used the "z".
Correctly written information was the number of the mother's child (1), the date of the birth within November of 1907 (the 3rd), the parents' ethnicities (Slovia, apparently Latin for Slovakian), the father's age (25), and where he worked (Stock Yard).
Andrew Surma's birth happened at 2035 W. 47th St., Chicago. (He married Mary R. Petrasek. The couple had children John, Mary "Marie", Rose Marie, and Andrew W. Andrew John Surma died December 7, 1983, in Chicago.)
4) The November of 1907 Catholic church baptismal record of Mr. Surma's first son, Andrew, shows that Andrew's father's name was written as Vilem. Baptism was a sacrament, but Mr. Surma's name was not written as Valentine. It's impossible to know why some church documents show his name as a variant spelling of William, and some show a variant spelling of Valentine: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/cpMUUWuF3xH6wZMTA">Photo</a>
5) The July 1908 Chicago Catholic church marriage record for Elizabeth's sister Anna Trzop shows that Mr. Surma was a witness. His name was written as Vilem. <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/qHKFJPAqBqESrkNW9">Photo</a>
6) Mr. Surma's November 1908 church death record shows his name written as Vilem. (A link to the photo is below.)
7) A November 1908 <i>Chicago Tribune</i> newspaper story about Mr. Surma's death shows that Mr. Surma was known in Chicago as William. (A link to the photo is below.)
8) Mr. Surma's December 1908 death certificate shows his name as William. (A link to the photo is below.)
9) The January 6, 1909, issue of Chicago's Polish daily newspaper, the <i>Dziennik Chicagoski</i>, printed a list of names of Poles who had died relatively recently. One name in the list was Wilhelm Surma. But he wasn't Polish. So it isn't known why somebody put his name in the list. But his printed age and date of death prove that the name was referring to the correct Mr. Surma.
10) Mr. Surma's second son, William, was born August 9, 1909, in Chicago. That was about eight months and 21 days after the newborn's father had died. The August 15, 1909, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church baptismal registry book entry for young William shows that Mr. Surma's name was written as Valent. The infant's name was written as Valentine. So Rev. Bart Kritek basically wrote that the father and son had the same name, which in Slovak would be Valentin. The son and late father did have the same name, but it wasn't Valentine, it was William: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/RH9NVL9sS4FxrdYZ7">Photo</a>
11) Mr. Surma is listed in Resurrection Cemetery records as Vilem Surma.
Of those 11 documents, one shows that this man's first name was Walter, which was a mistake.
Two of the 11 documents are in pretty much in agreement by showing; Valentinium and Valent. But those two names came from the same source, one specific church, and were written by one priest.
Eight of the 11 documents are pretty much in agreement by showing; Wilhelm, Vilem, Vilem, Vilem, William, William, Wilhelm and Vilem. Those three instances showing Vilem were all written by the same priest. Maybe that priest didn't know that Vilem was the Czech spelling of Wilhelm or William. Mr. Surma was of the Hungarian nationality. The Hungarian spelling was and is Vilhelm. However, Mr. Surma was of the Slovak ethnicity. The Slovak spelling was and is Viliam.
Those eight instances of names that are Vilem or similar, come from a variety of sources, which lends significant credibility to their consensus. The sources were:
1) A county marriage license 2) A church baptismal record 3) A church marriage record 4) A church death record 5) A Chicago Tribune news story 6) A county death certificate 7) A Polish newspaper's list of fairly recent deaths 8) Cemetery records
The variety of sources in agreement of this man's root name, if not the exact ethnic spelling, are why his original first name in this chart, for now, will be entered as: Viliam or Vilhelm or Wilhelm or Vilem (known as) "William".
So all of this investigation and analysis didn't accomplish much, except that it seems that Mr. Surma was not actually named Valentine, and that is seems that Mr. Surma's birth name most likely was a foreign language spelling of William.
Maybe more evidence will later be found to help show what Mr. Surma's first name at birth legally was. There may be an immigration ship's manifest that shows his name. - Mr. Surma was only four years old when his father died. - Now, after that long name investigation explanation, here is a long explanation of where Mr. Surma was from:
It was written on William's 1906 church marriage record that he stated that his last residence was in the town of Krembach, in the administrative region of Spis. Krembach was a misspelling by the priest. The German spelling was Krompach, and the Hungarian spelling was Korompa. The Slovak spelling is Krompachy, which was and is in the tourist region called Spis. Krompachy is now in the Kosice Region (similar to a state) in the country of Slovakia. The population of Krompachy is now about 8,900.
Korompa was founded within Spis, about the year 1350. At that time Spis was an administrative region in the country of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Kingdom of Hungary included much more geographical territory than the republic of Hungary does now.
On this map, the red overlaid borders around the large word HUNGARY in red text, show the size of the former territory of the Kingdom of Hungary, compared to the size of Hungary today: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/mud8wXQaodvBcZ8XA">Photo</a> That map also shows where Mr. Surma was living - Krompachy - just before he moved to the United States.
The territory of the former dual monarchy known as Austria-Hungary is also indicated on that map.
The Kingdom of Hungary existed from about the year 1000 to the year 1946, when the monarchy was abolished, and the form of government was changed to a republic. Spis was an administrative region in the Kingdom of Hungary until October 31, 1918. Since then, Spis exists only as an unofficial tourist region.
In 1867 the Kingdom of Hungary and the Austrian Empire combined their lands into a constitutional monarchic union (a.k.a. a dual monarchy) known as Austria-Hungary.
Austria-Hungary was a single great state, primarily for purposes of war and foreign affairs, but also certain economic affairs. But both the Austrian and Hungarian lands maintained their own parliaments and their own autonomy. There was no combined citizenship; a person was either an Austrian or a Hungarian citizen. So Mr. Surma was a Hungarian citizen.
The 51-year-old dual monarchy named Austria-Hungary was one of the world's great powers until it dissolved on October 31, 1918.
On that date, many European national borders were moved. The various changed borders were confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon on June 4, 1920. New, significantly downsized borders for Hungary were established. Hungary lost 66% of its population and 71% of its territory, including Spis.
A new nation, Czechoslovakia, was formed and was granted a large part of the former land area within the Kingdom of Hungary, (and much of the former territory of the Austrian Empire), including almost all of Spis, except for a small part that extends into southern Poland.
At the end of 1992, once again, a new nation took over the territory of the Spis region. On December 31, 1992, at midnight, Czechoslovakia dissolved and split its territory into two nations, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Since then, Spis has been an unofficial region in eastern Slovakia.
In United States censuses that asked people for the name of the country where people were born, people from Spis (and the rest of what is now Slovakia, plus surrounding areas), had differing answers.
They might have said they were born in Austria. What they meant was Austria-Hungary, of which the Kingdom of Hungary was a part, from 1867 to 1918. Or, they might have said they were born in Hungary, because either they were born before 1867, when Austria-Hungary was created, or because they were born in the Hungary portion of Austria-Hungary between 1867 and 1918. Or, when asked the question after 1918, including for the first U.S. census after that, in 1920, they probably said they were born in what was then Czechoslovakia, because Czechoslovakia had been given the Spis area (and much more territory) when Czechoslovakia was created in 1918.
This geographical history was written here in these "notes" to try to explain why people gave varying answers from one census to another, and from one document to another, as to where in Europe they were born and where in Europe they had most recently been living.
Another confusing factor in determining a person's nationality, was that often a person's nationality did not indicate which language they spoke. Many people from Spis spoke Slovak, such as Mr. Surma's wife, and apparently, Mr. Surma himself. - Now, here is information about Mr. Surma's short life in the United States:
Mr. Surma immigrated to the United States in 1904, according to information on his 1908 death certificate. He hasn't so far been found on any immigration ship's manifest. Once in the United States, he went by the English version of his first name; William, at least outside of his home and outside of the Slovak community.
At some point before or after getting married in late 1906, William got a job working for the Armour Company at the massive Union Stock Yards on the south side of Chicago.
On November 11, 1906, William Surma married Alzbeta "Elizabeth" "Lizzie" Trzop at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, which is still at 4821 S. Damen as of 2013. That church is known to have served people of the Slovak ethnicity.
That church registry book entry is a very valuable genealogical document because it shows the couple's names, marriage date, the names of their parents, and the location where they were born in Europe, as well as the names of the witnesses and the priest.
The Surma family was living at 4611 S. Winchester Ave., Chicago, when on November 18, 1908, William was killed when a railroad tank car being pressure tested suddenly exploded. The <i>Chicago Examiner</i> and the <i>Chicago Tribune</i> newspapers each included a story about the incident the next day, although both mistakenly reported William's last name as Somers, instead of Surma. The <i>Examiner</i> printed an incorrect address for William. <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/HExGbMwFShrLckVW8">Stories</a>
The January 6, 1909, issue of the <i>Dziennik Chicagoski</i> Polish newspaper included an obituary (in Polish) for "Wilhelm" Surma. As of now (2016) that newspaper has not been digitized and posted on the internet.
William's death left Elizabeth as a young widow who was about nine days pregnant, and who had a young son, Andrew.
A photo of William's death certificate: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/zmak8RKfciXyLRmP9">Photo</a>
William's death was recorded in the St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church Record of Interments book. "18-20" indicated the days in November when he died and was buried. "26" was his age. His first name was written as Vilem: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/dF5mC9Q4a6fTeAmq7">Photo</a>
He is listed in Resurrection Cemetery records as Vilem Surma.
After William died and was buried at Resurrection Cemetery, a large white stone obelisk grave monument with an oval photo of him embedded within, was made and installed at the grave site. That monument may very well have been the only compensation given by the Armour Company to William's widow Alzbeta "Elizabeth" Surma.
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top. That monument existed for decades. But that section of the cemetery had flooding problems. Management decided to move the graves, at their expense. Families of those buried in that old cemetery section were contacted and told they'd need to pay to move the markers if they wanted them on the new grave sites. Apparently William's adult sons didn't want to pay the price (or couldn't) so the obelisk was destroyed. That left William buried in an unmarked grave.
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