The Eighth Tribe, 1975 (2. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1975-08-01 / 8. szám
Page Four THE EIGHTH TRIBE August, 1975 OUR HERITAGE IN AMERICA j Column editor: Joseph Széplaki j We will reprint here articles, essays and poems as they appeared in the early American press regarding our heritage in America. We (dso welcome articles reflecting the history and I accomplishments of Hungarians on the American continent. _ __ m __ LESLIE KÖNNYŰ: HUNGARIANS IN ST. LOUIS After the joint Russian-Austrian invasion of Hungary in 1849, 4,000 Hungarians, mostly officers in Kossuth’s Home Defense Army, traveled through Turkey and England on their journey to the United States. On March 9, 1852 the leader of the Hungarian War of Independence, Governor Louis Kossuth also arrived in St. Louis. The city delegation, under the leadership of Mayor L. Kenneth, requested him to stay here and erect a new Hungary. This was in accordance with their desire (July 22, 1850): “.. L. M. Kenneth and others, citizens of St. Louis, Missouri, praying that a portion of the public lands in that state may be set apart for the benefit of the Hungarian Refugees now residing in the United States. Governor Kossuth occupied the place of honor in an immense parade from the harbor to the Planters’ House where he made an address of thanks to the people of St. Louis. However, he was scheduled to deliver his main talk to a public meeting on the next day at the Lucas’ Market. On March 14, he spoke in French to a group of French-speaking citizens. On March 15, he spoke in German to a packed house at the Wymann Hall. St. Louis citizens bought about $30,000.00 worth of Hungarian Bonds. On March 16, 1852 Kossuth left St. Louis for Jackson, Miss., and in a year or two a new street was named after him in North St. Louis. The city map of 1854 already has shown Kossuth Avenue. The Missouri Historical Society still keeps two Kossuth letters and one of the Kossuth banknotes issued in America. From records we know that quite a few Kossuth followers stayed in St Louis. Anselm Albert’s home was at 1725 Michigan Avenue. During the Civil War Albert became a Colonel in General Siegel’s Division and was wounded in the battle of Wilson’s Creek. After the war he became president of the Metropolitan Bank and later, editor of the German Daily, “Amerika”. The Rombauers served as officers in the Union Army. A military camp and a Missouri town was named after them. Raphael G. Rombauer was a Major under General Washburn in West Tennessee. After the war he became an officer of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad. In 1897 he established the Rombauer Coal Company at Novinger, Missouri. Another brother, Roderic E. Rombauer, rose to the rank of a captain in the First Missouri Volunteers. Later he became a judge of the St. Louis Court of Appeals. The youngest of the brothers was Robert J. Rombauer. He served as a Colonel in the First Missouri Volunteers, then became Commander of the Second Brigade in the Army of the Southwest. Later he was also an editor and a historian. The Rombauers’ brother-in-law, John Fiala, was first a railroad engineer. He served as Lt. Colonel in the St. Louis National Guard. Fiala advised General Lyon to fortify St. Louis. Under General Fremont he became chief topographical engineer and made the first great map of Missouri. Former Captain William Waigly, a secretary to Governor Kossuth, became a housepainter in St. Louis. Coloman (Lukács) Lucas, another Kossuthfollower, during the Civil War was a Sergeant in the Third Missouri Infantry Regiment. John Beiziegel was an Indian scout under General Custer. His family had a general store and restaurant in St. Louis. John Xantus, Hungarian naturalist of the Smithsonian Institute, became a U.S. citizen in the St. Louis Circuit Court on July 21, 1852. Another Hungarian unionist was Joseph Pulitzer. After the Civil War he came to St. Louis and worked for the German Westliche Post. In 1878 he bought the St. Louis Dispatch which he joined with the Westliche Post under the name of St. Louis Post Dispatch. He founded the School of Journalism at Columbia University, established the Pulitzer Prize, collected for the foundation of the Statue of Liberty. His bust is in the Jefferson Memorial at St. Louis. After 1870 the surplus agricultural population of Hungary flooded the industrial cities of America. About 30,000 Hungarians settled in St. Louis. Half of them were Hungarian speaking individuals and about half of them were German-speaking Hungarians. Both groups organized churches, fraternal, cultural associations, papers, and later radio programs here. At the time of the St. Louis World’s Fair (1904) many Hungarian trade people came to St. Louis.
