Steve Wilkos
Birth Name: Steven John Wilkos
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Date of Birth: March 9, 1964
Ethnicity:
*50% Polish
*25% Hungarian/Slovak
*12.5% Czech/Bohemian
*12.5% German
Steve Wilkos is an American television personality, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and former law enforcement officer with the Chicago Police Department. He has hosted The Steve Wilkos Show since 2007.
Steve is the son of Jeanette (Pelikan), a beauty school instructor, and Stanley John Wilkos, a police officer. He is married to television producer Rachelle Wilkos, with whom he has two children.
Steve’s paternal grandparents were Stanley Wilkos and Angeline/Angela Kostecki/Kostasvi. Stanley and Angeline were born in Dąbrowa Tarnowska, Poland.
Steve’s maternal grandfather was Orville James Pelikan (the son of Joseph Thomas Pelikan/Polkan/Pelkan and Anna Marie Koehler). Joseph was the son of Bohemian parents, John Pelikan and Barbara. Anna was the daughter of German parents, Joseph Koehler, from Baden-Baden, and Barbara Hammerschmitt/Hamerschmid, from Trier.
Steve’s maternal grandmother was Anna/Anne/Ann/Annie R. Evans/Evan (the daughter of George Ivan/Evans/Evan/Eaven and Eliszbeth/Elizabeth). Anna was born in Pennsylvania, to parents from Hernád-Szőlled, Hungary, who appear to have been of Hungarian/Slovak descent.
Sources: Steve’s maternal great-grandparents, Joseph Thomas Pelikan/Polkan/Pelkan and Anna Marie Koehler, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Steve’s maternal great-great-grandparents, John Pelikan and Barbara, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
John Pelikan and Barbara on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Steve’s maternal grandmother, Anna/Anne/Ann/Annie R. Evans/Evan, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Anna/Anne/Ann/Annie R. Evans/Evan on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Obituary of Steve’s maternal grandmother, Anna/Anne/Ann/Annie R. (Evans/Evan) Pelikan – https://www.legacy.com
Steve’s maternal great-grandparents, George Ivan/Evans/Evan/Eaven and Eliszbeth/Elizabeth, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
George Ivan/Evans/Evan/Eaven and Eliszbeth/Elizabeth on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
George Ivan/Evans/Evan/Eaven and Eliszbeth/Elizabeth on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Photo by www.prphotos.com
bablah, are the Hungarian part of his ancestry correct?
Regarding his maternal grandmother:
1920 census says her parents spoke “Slavish Ger”. Ger (stands for German) is added on the top.
1930 census says they spoke Hungarian.
1900 and 1940 censuses says they were born in Hungary (Austria on the others, but that’s likely unspecified).
So Hungarian is what I assumed.
I’ll look it up.
On another note, you were right about Chriss Messina’s family. I confirmed his grandfather really was Leon Messina.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JX6Z-G6X
George Ivan and wife Eliszbeth from Szőlled, Hungary, language Slowak.
This woman was also looking for them:
https://www.ancestry.com/boards/localities.ceeurope.hungary.general/24998.1/mb.ashx
Her profile has Adam as Elizabeth’s last name.
Where does it say Slowak in that record? It just says they were from Hungary. And Szőlled doesn’t exist.
I actually found the 1910 census, and it says they were both “Magyar”. So I guess it’s certain they were indeed Hungarian.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MG4H-WLN
Turn to page 154 (you have to click twice because there’s a duplicate of page 153).
Szőlled is Hernádvécse now. It used to be called Hernád-Szőlled.
I tried to find them on civil marriages from there, but I’m not sure when (or where) they got married.
Hmmm… so what do you think her ethnicity is? I feel like her parents wouldn’t call themselves Magyar if they weren’t Hungarian. But I don’t know…
Here’s a theory. Slovak husband says they’re Slovak when he’s answering the question, his Hungarian wife says they’re Hungarian when she’s answering the question.