Patrosz Family Orgins

The family Patrosz originated from small village named Blechnarka in Carpathian Mountains.  The village is now in southern Poland, half a mile from a Polish-Slovak border, but at the time it was in province of Galicia which was part of Austro-Hungarian empire.

Austro-Hungary was a multi-ethnic country.  In some places it was difficult to distinguish where one nation ends and the other begins.  People living in Blechnarka and in the region are called Lemko and are closely related to Ukrainians but there were also Gypsies and Jews living in the village.  Their distinct language has influences from Ukrainian, Polish and Slovak languages.  The main religion of the inhabitants was Greek Catholicism - which combines elements of Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.  The name Patrosz could be of Hungarian origin but there are other villages in Lemkovyna region where other Patrz families can be found: Komancza, Lupkow, Preluki, Czystogarb (Gorna Wies),  Wislok Gorny.