Was Great Grandpa Joe Orshoski Related to Jackie Orszaczky?

In August of 1998, I received a letter from Laszlo Orszaczky of Budapest, Hungary. At that time, Laszlo felt that everyone in Hungary was related to each other, as there were so few individuals with that surname (less than 40) in the country of Hungary at that time. Laszlo suspected that the name Orszaczky (which my ancestors spelled Orshoski) was originally of Polish origin. Laszlo had a brother named Miklos Orszackay, who became a well known musician, first in Hungary, and then in Australia. His stage name was Jackie Orszaczky. Laszlo and I had always hoped we could connect our families, his from Budapest, and my Orshoski family from Felső Vadász. Sadly, both Laszlo and Jackie Orszaczky both died in 2008, and we were never able to make a solid connection. As I look back through my Orshoski Family Notebook, I am reminded of an email I received from Jackie Orszaczky in January, 2001. He said that after viewing a few family pictures via email, "the relationship is obvious." Both Jackie and several of my male Orshoski relatives have dark hair, a slender face, and most wear glasses. So, while I do not have solid proof that we are connected, in my heart I truly believe that my Orshoski family is related to Laszlo Orszaczky from Budapest, and to Jackie Orszaczky, the jazz musician from Australia. Maybe someday I will make a solid connection! You can read more about jazz musician Jackie Orszaczky here.

My great grandfather Joseph Orshoski is pictured below with his sons and several neighbors and friends at the funeral of his first wife Julia in 1919, in Sandusky, Ohio. (My Great Grandpa Joe is the man with dark hair standing behind the casket of Julia Orshoski.)

(Note: Top photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons.)