Surname Origins

I have been researching the roots of our family names in our direct line (back to our great great grandparents). This is the best information I can find on the Internet. Where there is conflicting information the various possibilities have been listed.

WALSH

This famous national locational and descriptive nickname surname derives from the pre 7th Century Olde English and Anglo-Saxon word "waelisc", meaning "foreigner" or perhaps more likely in the passage of time, "stranger". Be that as it may it is one of the ironies of history that the invaders from North Germany and even the later Vikings, should apparently refer to the people that they conquered or at least drove from their original homes, as 'The Foreigner" and even more so that the name should have stuck. The surname is popular in many areas and countries, there being a large "Walsh" contingent in Ireland, where it is the fourth most popular surname, and even a small number in France, originally in the Nantes area. The modern surname is recorded in a wide variety of spellings, including Welch, Welche, Welsh, Walsh, Walshe, Walch, and Wellish. The early surname development includes examples such as Walter Walsheman of London in 1279, Simon Welshe of Bedford in the year 1279, John Walsh of Roxburgh, Scotland, in 1330, Margery Wellis in the 1327 Pipe Rolls of the county of Essex, and Lawrence Walsh of County Mayo, Ireland in 1588. The first recorded spelling of the family name is from Ireland. This is believed to be that of Haylen Walsh, the son of Phillip the Welshman, and dated 1171. He is recorded as being with Strongbow, earl of Pembroke, in his initial invasion of Ireland in that year. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

© Copyright: Name Origin Research www.surnamedb.com 1980 - 2012

Walsh - Breat(h)nach (Welshman) which is re-anglicized also as Brannagh, Brannick etc. A name given independently to many unconnected families in different parts of the country and now the fourth most numerous of all Irish surnames. It is sometimes spelled Welsh, which is the pronunciation of Walsh in Munster and Connacht.

FAZIO

Italian: from the personal name Fazio, a short form of Bonifazio (see Bonifacio).

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4

GOODHINES

Anglicized spelling of the original name Gutheinz. Gutheinz literally means Good Heinz (or Hans) in German.

STOSAL

The Stosal name (also Stosel) is spelled Staszel in Poland and is a derivative of Stanley.  I have not been able to confirm this through internet sources but I believe I was told this (or read it) at one time. Unfortunately I cannot find the source of my information.

BATTLE

http://genforum.genealogy.com/battle/messages/275.html

LUPONIO

Could not find any information on this surname as written although Lupo is Italian for wolf so I suspect that that might be the origin of the name.

MEYERS

Originally Maier (or Mayer) in Southern Germany.

Surname Origin: German

Definition: From the Middle High German word "meiger," meaning "higher or superior," often used for stewards of landholders or great farmers or leaseholders - today a Meier is a dairy farmer. Meier and Meyer are used more often in Northern Germany, while Maier and Mayer are found more frequently in Southern Germany.

Alternate Surname Spellings: MEIER, MAYER, MAIER, MIER, MEIR
http://genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/m/bl_name-MEYER.htm

One reason why the surname is so common is that it has an occupational origination in the European Merovingian Dynasty of the fifth century and comes from the Gallo-Roman term "major" , meaning "someone in a higher position". The term "major" evolved into "Meior" in Old High German , then "Meier" in Middle High German. In the 12th Century, it is known that the name was given to those that administered estates for the aristocracy or the clergy. It was, also, applied as the name for a farmer who leased land belonging to the nobility or clergy. The lease was of such a long duration that the land-lease was often inherited by the eldest son of the farmer. Thus, descendants of the original title bearer often became know as "Meier", too.

FUNKET

Could not find any information on this surname as written.

Karen Melis (Spis County genealogist) says the name is recorded as FUNKE, FUNKE with a line over the E and Funket in local church records.  If Funke is the original surname (brought by the Germans who populated the area) then here is the meaning according to several Internet sources:

Funke is a family name of German origin. Funke means "spark" and refers to the work of a smith.

DWYER

This ancient Irish name is one of the Anglicized forms of the Gaelic "O Duibhuidhir", descendant of Duibhuidhir, a personal name composed of the elements "duibh", dark, black, with "odhar", sallow, tawny. The O'Dwyers were an important sept in County Tipperary; their lands were Kilnamanagh, the mountainous area lying between the town of Thurles and County Limerick. The O' Dwyers were always noted for their staunch resistance to English aggression, and many are recorded in this connection; Michael Dwyer (1771 - 1825) defied the English Government forces for five years, from 1798 to 1803, and was sentenced to transportation after his voluntary surrender. He eventually became a policeman in Australia. In America Joseph O' Dwyer (1841 - 1898) was noted as a pioneer physician, particularly in his contributions to the treatment of diphtheria, while William O' Dwyer, born in 1890, was an emigrant labourer from County Mayo who became Mayor of New York and a notable ambassador for the United States of America. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Denis Dwyre, witness, which was dated November 19th 1677, in "St. Peter and St. Kevin, Dublin", during the reign of King Charles 11, known as "The Merry Monarch", 1660 - 1685.

Source: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Dwyer#ixzz3PwQNxVDB

TIGHE

This name is an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic O Taidhg. The Gaelic prefix 'O' indicates 'grandson' or 'male descendant of', plus the personal byname Tadhg meaning poet, bard or philosopher. There were four distinct septs of O Taidhg in Ireland, but from an early date the name became indistinguishable from MacTaidhg or MacTeague, the 'mac' prefix meaning 'son of'. Some branches of this family are said to be descended from Tadhg, brother of Connor O' Connor, King of Connacht, who died in 973. Others still, claim descent from a son of Cathair Mor, King of Ireland in A.D. 119. One, Donal (Mac) Teague was Archbishop of Armagh from 1560 to 1562. On May 16th 1694 Stephen Tighe, an infant, was christened in St. Michan's Church, Dublin, and on January 2nd 1753 Ann, daughter of Barnabas Tighe, was christened in St. Michael the Archangel, Dublin. Michael Tighe, of Sligo was a famine immigrant into New York on January 5th 1847. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Muircheatach MacTaidhg, which was dated 1159, 'Manx Names' by A. W. Moore, during the reign of King Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, 1134 - 1171.

Source: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/tighe#ixzz3PwR6slhB

KIEFER

This interesting and unusual surname is of Germanic origin, and is a metonymic occupational name for a maker or repairer of wooden vessels such as barrels, tubs, casks and vats. The derivation is from the German "kief(e), kufe", itself coming from the Old High German "kuofa", barrel. Job-descriptive surnames originally denoted the actual occupation of the name bearer, and later became hereditary. The importance of this specialist trade in the Middle ages is borne out by the number of surnames derived from the above source including Kiffe, Kieff, Kief, Kiefer, Kupper and Kupker, cognate with the English Coop(e), Coupe, Cooper, Cupper and Kooper. Recordings of the surname from German Church Registers include the marriage of Maria Kiff to Henrich Swenne at Sankt Clemens Katholisch, Telgte Stadt, Westfalen, on February 2nd 1677, and the marriage of Maria Kiff to Johannes Eluerick, in the same place on April 14th 1695. On March 20th 1742, Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew Kiff, was christened at St. Michael's, Saint Albans, Hertfordshire, a parish which incidentally the name is particularly widespread. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Kiffe, which was dated February 23rd 1588, christened at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603.

Source: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/kiefer#ixzz3PwSJot3t

BRAUN

Originally a nickname or descriptive name for an individual with brown skin, brown hair, or even brown clothing, from the Middle High German "brun" meaning dark, brown. BROWN is the English version of this surname while BRUNO is from Italy.

Surname Origin: German

Source:  http://genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/b/bl_name-BRAUN.htm

LIO

https://www.houseofnames.com/Lio-history?A=54323-292

BARTOLOMEO

https://www.houseofnames.com/bartolomeo-family-crest

MIŚKOWIEC

Could not find any information on this surname as written.

HAGOWSKA

Could not find any information on this surname as written.

The Goral

Source: http://www.e-targ.org/Gorals.html 

Here's a very brief history of the Goral (Highlander) people, who originated in and around the Tatra mountains.

By 1000 A.D., the original Celts, Saxons and Slavs living together around the Tatras for seven centuries had finally mixed and a new mostly-Slavic culture began to form. In the 1200s more Germans, Slovaks, Poles, Wallachians (Romanian & Baltic shepherds), and Russians arrived. The largest influx of settlers came in the mid-1500s when many Germans arrived from Levoca, Slovakia, Wallachian shepherds from the Carpathians, Poles from Zywiec, and Hungarian nobles from southern Slovakia, all given special privileges by the king. In the 1600s an influx of fleeing peasants from Zywiec, Sucha and Wadowice, Poland joined them. Out of this crucible in remote and rugged country of battling the harsh climate, infertile soil, invading armies, and oppressive rulers a highland culture emerged. The 1600s really marked the maturing of the Goral's culture: its distinct dialect, farming practices, architecture, dress, music, cuisine and mindset.
By this time the Gorals settled all around the Tatras, but were mainly concentrated in far northern Orava, Slovakia, the Podhale area of Poland (north side of the Tatras), in the Pieniny mountains to the east, and northern Spis county, Slovakia. They have always been a very independent people and loved their "Szlebodu" or freedom as they say it in their Goral dialect. In 1651 they rose up and ousted a particularly feared tyrant named Mikolaj Komorowski who ruled Zywiec, Nowy Targ and Zakopane. Their ornate costumes of wool and flax are very regional in design, but the men's trousers bare the kind of military stripes once common to Hungarian troops in Orava and Liptov counties in Slovakia.
In the years of World War II the Goral were much persecuted and killed by German troops. They responded by fighting the Nazis as partisan freedom fighters and keeping open the courier routes across the Tatras. The Goral are revered throughout the Slavic world -- especially in Poland -- for their wisdom, self-sufficient nature, hard work ethic, and bravery. And their rich cultural dress, music, tales of the mountains, and hearty cuisine are also beloved. The majestic Tatra mountains are still where they feel most at home. And many people are discovering the colorful beauty of their culture, their kindness, and their unique farming and shepherding inhabitants. These are the Goral.

Kacwin

There is some evidence recently discovered that Walenty Funket (my second great grandfather) was born in Kacwin, Poland.  I will be writing the catholic church there to see if they can tell me his birth date and his parents name. Here is a little bit about Kacwin found on the Internet...

Off the main road between Lapsze Nizne and Niedzica Castle in Polish Spisz is Kacwin, Poland. It is an isolated village very near the Polish/Slovak border. Before 1920 it was actually a Slovak village named "Kacvin". But it started in the 14th century as a Germanic village named "Katzenwinkle" -- the meaning of which is literally "cat's whisker". 
Kacwin's population of less than 1200 makes a living mostly from farming the steep hillsides along the Kacwin brook that runs through the village. There is also a 200-year-old mill and a waterfall near the village center. On the far edge of town next to the Slovak border fence is a small Polish army outpost. The tall peaks of the Tatra mountains are very close here.
The small Baroque-style church in the village was originally built in the early 1400s soon after the town was settled. It is a Roman Catholic church known as "All Saints Church". Many of the headstones in the nearby cemetery still have German-sounding names on them.

Source:  http://www.e-targ.org/Village%20Info/Kacwin%20PL.html (extracted on 1/25/2015)

More information on the Luigi Luponio murder

Several additional articles have been discovered concerning the murder of Luigi Luponio.  The news spread throughout the state even being picked up by a newspaper in Lowell Mass. One interesting fact that was not known by me earlier is that Luigi Luponio was actually a railroad worker (#213) working on the West Shore Railroad.

An excerpt found on this website on 1/21/2015 ...

Building of the West Shore had many impacts on the growth of Central New York, Utica, Syracuse, and many other communities. 

Farmers benefited greatly from the railroad as they began to grow more and more crops for faraway markets. 

Between 1850 and 1895, nearly a dozen smaller railroads originated in the region or passed through it ... including the West Shore. Many of the workers who built the West Shore in 1883 were Italian immigrants who liked what they saw in Utica and ... like the Irish who had built the Erie Canal 65 years earlier ... decided to settle in the city.