Itt-Ott, 1990 (23. évfolyam, 114-117. szám)
1990 / 116. szám
AKADÉMIA ORENCOI From: Jan Imes, Washington County Museum To: Prof. T. Poulsen, Geography, Portland State University I spoke to you on Thursday about giving me some background information on this oral history from a Hungarian immigrant. This document will be part of a packet of materials on immigrants in Washington County, Oregon. My program is designed for use in 8th grade U.S. history classes, to familiarize students with their county history, with social history trends and techniques, and with the process of analyzing primary documents. I am interested in any details you can give me on Hungarian culture which might help me and the students understand this document. However, I am specifically interested in the following: 1. What is the correct or plausible spelling of the proper and place names mentioned? 2. Her mention of Emperor Joseph seems defensive. Any idea why this might be? (i.e. religious loyalties?) 3. The father seems strangely absent even on an economic level. Any ideas why? 4. The account of the conflict with the mother’s inlaws has a very Biblical tone. Does it seem convincing to you? 5. How unusual was the mother’s training and her dominance in the family? 6. Could you fill me in on some background to the class conflict between the mother and her in-laws? 7. What are Hungarian dress customs? 8. What is the background of the religious conflict mentioned? 9. Is gardening a cultural interest? I realize you may not know many of these answers. Any information you do have or suggestions as to additional sources will be helpful. I don’t need it to be scholarly for this age level, just reasonably accurate. Thank you so much for your interest and assistance. If you could just write out your answers and leave them for me in the history department I can pick them up there. — Jan Imes From the transcript: We left Gyula Vari 6:00 p.m. evening by train. A band of Christians knelt down upon their knees and prayed for us and kissed us good-bye as we boarded the train. They said we will meet again at Jesus’ feet.... (We) embarked on Pannónia ship for America and sailed the Adriatic Sea the day before Easter. We entered the Mediterranean Sea, went to Messina, to Palermo, Sicily, and passed the Rock of Gibraltar, and that was just wonderful to me, to see something that stood solid in the midst of all that water. I have seen very little water in Hungary where we lived... Emperor Joseph was very kind to the people, he really was, so it was lovely, but Mother wanted greater religious freedom so we came to America. When we came here, my father came first and he went to Canada. He took the money and bought real estate and for two years there was either frost or hail or something and the crop was ruined. He had to file bankruptcy and come to Oregon. Instead of coming to a beautiful home like we had in Europe — my mother was a midwife and also the county health doctor — she was trained because there the women wouldn’t have any dealings with a male doctor — Mother was in charge of that county so she earned quite a lot of money — so instead of being welcomed to a lovely home, there we were, we were welcomed to a tent. Our tent was set up in Tigardville. Now it’s Tigard. We lived there with a family for about maybe half a year. There was a lovely creek... We used to wade there and catch crawfish. We just had a picnic! After we were able to put up a tent here in Orenco, so my father and uncles could work in the Orenco Nursery Company. We stayed with a Hungarian people by the name of Balogh and we slept on straw mattresses. We thought that was fun until wintertime came and then it wasn’t quite so funny with the rain and snow. We finally were all settled in Orenco. It was quite a number of years before we could get lumber to build a home. Our home still is in Orenco... From the interview: L.M.: You mentioned you came over from Hungary. How old were you at the time? J.L.: Four years old. L.M.: You remember much about the old country then? J.L.: Oh, yes. Well, all I remember is the huge muskmelons and I remember going to the station and most all the women had black kerchiefs round their heads, dressed in black, and then they kissed us and we boarded the train. I remember that. I remember mostly about our trip across the ocean. It took seventeen days to come from Hungary to New York. When I saw the Statue of Liberty, I yelled out, “Mother, we are entering Heaven!”, and she says “Why?” — “Well,” I says, “that’s the angel Gabriel welcoming us there.” “Oh, no, this is America.” “Oh, no,” I just told her, “this is Heaven!” When we went to Ellis Island there was a big place for us to run around and then they served us food. Oh, I really thought we were in heaven. And Mother says, “Well, you know, this is America. It’s the land of the free...” L.M.: Why exactly did your parents come across, over to the United States? ITT-OTT 23. évf. (1990), őszi (116.) szám 33
