István Kancsal was 26 when he married 21 year old Terez Vörös from nearby Pölöske, Zala county. Daughter Kristina was born 15 months later followed by brothers Gyula and István in the next few years. A sister, Irén was born in 1901 but died a few months later. Téréz died in 1903 leaving Krisztina with two small brothers to care for.
István married Julia Lazór later that year. In 1904 daughter Ilona was born. She died before her 1st birthday. Two more daughters and three sons followed. István worked as a blacksmith and the family struggled to make ends meet.