The SZÉKELY Family

Székely Family from Tiszadob:

The Székely family are from Tiszadob, Szabolcs County, Hungary and they come through a maternal branch of the noble Bódogh family.  Although our Székely lines does not appear to be of noble origins, our ancestors do seem to have held important positions or roles within Tiszadob.

The furthest back I've been able to research is a man named István Székely. His only appearance is within the 1707 tax list for Tiszadob. The next to appear was "Petrus Székely" [generation 2] within the 1715 tax list for Tiszadob.

A tax list from 1715, or 1744, states Péter Székely (it could be one of the two, presumably the elder) was the hadnagy within the village. Hadnagy translates literally as "army leader," which is roughly equivalent to a lieutenant or second-lieutenant in modern military terms. This period was crucial in Hungarian history, particularly due to the aftermath of the expulsion of the Ottoman Turks and the subsequent conflicts with the Habsburg Empire, such as Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711). They were responsible for raising men from the surrounding area for military service, preventing banditry or unrest and demanding supplies or lodging from the village population to support their troops; this was a duty that oftentimes caused tension with the peasants. They were also sometimes responsible for overseeing the collection or enforcement of taxation, such as in the same tax lists they appear.

 The death record for Mihály Székely on 25 Feb 1836 in Tiszadob clearly states he was the "Méltóságos Uraság Gazdája." This most accurately translates to "the Master/Landlord of His Honorable Lordship," implying he was the estate or property manager for the local Count Andrássy family. The current Andrássy Castle in Tiszadob was built between 1880-1885, with the Andrássy family residing in an earlier, existing manor house or residence that predated the grand castle. At the time of Mihály Székely's death, the current lord was Hungarian politician Count Károly Andrássy; he was father to Count Gyula Andrássy, Prime Minster of Hungary from 1867-1871, who was abt 12 years old at the time of Mihály Székely's death.

Generation 1: István Székely
Generation 2: Péter Székely & NN
Generation 3: Péter Székely & Katalin Varga
Generation 4: Mihály Székely & Erzsébet Tóth (noblewoman)
Generation 5: Erzsébet Székely & János Bódogh bodogfalvi (nobleman)