Kowallis/Kowalis

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Kowallis/Koval/Kowall/Kovalev Name and Family Origins of Some Branches

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This discussion is mainly about the Kowallis family. If other members would like to contribute information about other variations of the name, I would be happy to add it to the website (Bart Kowallis, group administrator)

       KOVAL FAMILY -- (This information from our group member Vitaly Khoruzhko) --The surname Koval in Belarus in the translation from the Belarusian becomes Kovalev, Kovaleva, and Kovaliou.


KOWALLIS FAMILY

The name Kowallis (or Kowalis or Kowaliss) has a background in the Eastern European old Slavic language. Kowall or Koval means smith (blacksmith) and is one of the most common roots for names in Eastern Europe. Indifferent areas they extended the name with different endings. For example, Kowallow (Russia); Kowalski, Kowallek, Kowalsky (Poland); Kowallis (Latvia, Lithuania); Kowalowsky (Russia/Poland), etc. In the United States there are several Kowallis/Kowalis families.

One family immigrated in the late 1800's from Germany and settled in Utah. The most distant ancestor of this German Kowallis clan is Jacob Kowallis born in 1735 in Berlin, Brandenburg, Germany. Jacob was married first about 1766 Sophia Elisabeth Schoenholtz, who died in 1770. He married second on 1 April 1771 in Berlin, Anna Katharina Schulze. Jacob and Anna had several children, but only two sons who produced male Kowallis descendants, Johann Jacob Gottlieb Kowallis (b. 16 Feb 1777, Berlin) and Johann Daniel Gottfried Kowallis. This family remained in and around Berlin until the late 1800’s when one branch of the family immigrated to America.

Another Kowalis family immigrated from Lithuania about 1900 and settled first in Pennsylvania. This family had at least three sons, George Kowalis (b. 1873), Antoni (Tony) Kowalis (b. 1878/1882) and Paul Kowalis (b. 1887). George Kowalis immigrated in 1894, worked as a loader in a coal mine, and married Eva (b. abt. 1876, Lithuania) who immigrated in 1892. Tony Kowalis immigrated in 1907, worked as a coal miner, and was married to Stella (b. abt. 1889, Lithuania), who immigrated about 1917. From Pennsylvania this family spread out to the west into Illinois, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma.This family may also include some of these immigrants: Joseph Kowalis (blacksmith, b. abt. 1891, Lithuania) and his wife Petronella Kowalis (b. abt. 1888, Lithuania) who were living in East Moline, Rock Island Co., Illinois in 1930 and 1940; Matt Kowalis (b. 17 November 1896, Lithuania) and his wife Nellie Gretchen (or Griess) (b. abt. 1902, Lithuania) who were living in Johnston City, Williamson Co., Illinois in 1940; Madeleine Kowalis (b. abt. 1877, Lithuania) living in Boston, Mass. in 1940; Frank Kowalis (b. abt. 1892, Lithuania) who immigrated in about 1912 and was living in Adams, Houghton Co., Michigan in 1920 where he was working in a copper mine; Peter Kowalis (b. abt. 1881, Lithuania) who immigrated in 1900 and his wife Alice (b. abt. 1883, Lithuania) who immigrated in 1883, the same year she was born (Peter and Alice were living in Chicago in 1910 where he was working as a railroad car repairman); David Kowalis (b. November 1879, Lithuania) who immigrated in 1899 and was living in Chicago, Illinois in 1900 and working as a day laborer.

Other Kowallis/Kowalis immigrants include:

·     John Kowalis (b. February 1868, Germany) who immigrated to the U.S. in 1870 and was working as a tea dealer in Chicago, Illinois in 1900.

·     Frances Kowalis (b.March 1873, Germany) wife of John Kowalis listed above, she immigrated in 1890.

·    Jonas Kowalis arrived at Ellis Island in 1895 from Russia at the age of 28 years.

·     Mikodim Kowallis came in 1896 from Russia at the age of 23 years.

·     Beth and Holmom Kowalis, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1907 from Tamlin, Hungary. At the time they immigrated, Beth was 15years old and Holmom 19 years old.

·     Pawel Kowalis arrived in the U.S. in 1907 from Dzubu,Russia at the age of 20 years.

·     Bill Kowalis who immigrated in 1907 from Greece and was living in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois in 1920.

·     Nellie and Sophia Kowalis who immigrated in 1904 and 1909, respectively from Austria (Polish part) and were living in Chicopee, Hampden Co., Mass in 1910.

·     Constantin Kowalis immigrated in 1909 from Shlon Plety, Russia at the age of 19 years.

·     Amelia Kowalis who immigrated in 1912 from Riga, Latvia and was living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1920.

·     Iwan Kowalis came to America in 1912 from Puriaisch,Russia at the age of 26 years.

  

We'd be interested in any other immigrant Kowallis or Kowalis families that you might be aware of. Please contact the group administrator to have additional families added here or to provide additional information on these families.

     To get a test kit for Y-DNA or autosomal DNA, go to Family Tree DNA (https://www.familytreedna.com/) and order a kit. If you are doing a Y-DNA test, you should at least have the Y-DNA 37 marker test done. If you need help paying for the test, please contact the project administrator, Bart Kowallis at bkowallis@gmail.com before you order your test.

        Note: Be sure to check out the goals, news, results, and other sections of this website. If you have questions or comments, please contact the site administrators. Thanks.

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