Domelle (surname)

Arrival and Residence in the United States
There were four Domelle siblings (William, Nickolaus, Anna, and Magdalena) who arrived in the United States in the early 20th century. The siblings were children of Adam Domelle and Christine Rizer. Two sisters did not emigrate to the United States.

Domelle Surname in Europe
Nickolaus Domelle referred to his birthplace as NagyOsz, Hungary. This town is now contained within the borders of modern day Romania due to the changes in country borders that happened after World War I. The other siblings either just referred to their birthplace as Austria-Hungary, or stated their last residence.

On the passenger list for the SS Kronprinz Wilhelm, Magdalena Domelle lists her last residence as Gattaja in Hungary, and also states that her closest relative, her father, resides there.

So that narrows the area to these two towns, NagyOsz and Gattaja.

Another complication is the fact that this area was subject to a great influx of German and French speaking people from the Alsace-Lorraine region in the 18th century. Because of that, it is likely that the Domelle name originated in Alsace-Lorraine, not Hungary.

The change in borders also resulted in a change in the primary language. The town of "NagyOsz" will not be found on any modern maps. NagyOsz is the Hungarian name for the town. Originally, it went by the German name of Triebswetter and on modern day maps, it can be found as Tomnatic.