The Eighth Tribe, 1978 (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1978-07-01 / 7. szám

Page 4

THE EIGHTH TRIBE

July, 1978

Sándor Daróczy:

MAGYARS IN AMERICA

According to common knowledge Columbus discovered America in 1492. The fact is, however, that contacts between Europe and America were far older. In 895 the Vikings, who were Normans, came to America by way of Greenland. The leader of the expedition was Leif Ericson. One of his men was known as Tyrker. This Tyrker (Turk) was a Hungarian and not a Norman. This is deduced from the fact that the Hungarians had close contacts with the Normans in the 9th and 10th centuries. Further, the European peoples, especially the Greeks, referred to the Hungarians as Turks. The crown of Géza II bears the following inscription: “Gejza rex Tureorum.” The expedition of Leif Ericson landed in an eastern area of Northern America where there were grapes. Tyrker made this discovery and in his agitation, as the Icelandic sagas report, he spoke in a language which the Normans didn’t know. German scholars claim that Tyrker was a German, but the Normans would have known something of the ancient German language. When they asked Tyrker why he was so happy, he replied that he was from a country where grapes grow in abundance. Hungary was always famous for its wines. Thus, from a Hungarian point of view, it is unquestionably true that this Tyrker was Hungarian, the first of our nation who visited America.

There were no Hungarians among Columbus’ men, but in 1583, when the present United States didn’t even exist, an outstanding scholar and poet Stephen Parmenius Budai was here. Budai studied in Oxford and was most likely a Reformed minister. Budai was a good friend of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, a confidant of Queen Elizabeth, and served as chronicler of the Gilbert expedition. They reached Newfoundland and Parmenius’ only letter from there to London survives. Unfortunately, Parmenius never returned to Europe. On the return the expedition foundered in a storm and the ship bearing Parmenius sank. He was the first Hungarian who ever saw a polar bear.

The first important English settlement in North America was in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Its chief founder was Captain John Smith who had fought against the Turks in 1600 and gained recognition from Gábor Bátori, then ruler of Transylvania. Two Hungarians are among the first settlers at Jamestown. One was named Görgényi (Gurganey) and the othei was called Unger, or Hungarian.

Major General Alexander Asboth, Division Commander, U. S. Army in the Civil War.. Later on he served as U. S.

Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay.

The Mayflower brought the Pilgrim fathers to America in 1620. There were no Hungarians among them, but in 1625 Daniel Sövényfalvi, Gábor Bethlen’s legate to London, visited the new colony.

Philadelphia was founded by Quakers in 1683. There were two Hungarians among the very first settlers. The first was János Kelp, son of a Transylvanian Saxon Lutheran minister, who died in Philadelphia in 1708. The other was Isaac Sárosy, who lived in Philadelphia from 1695 to 1697.

Large scale German immigration into Pennsylvania began in the middle of the 18th century. It is interesting to note that some of them found their own America in Hungary. We occasionally find Hungarian names among the immigrants to Pennsylvania, but we also find Hungarians across the Mississippi, especially in what is now known as California, Arizona and New Mexico. Jesuit priests built missions and converted the Indians. Among them were Baron Ferenc Orbán, Nándor Konschak and others.

It is thus inevitable that Hungarians took part in the Revolutionary War. Most notable was Michael Kováts Fabrici. Born in Karcag and a student at Debrecen, he left the Prussian service and entered Washington's army. With Pulaski he organized the American cavalry. He fell on May 11, 1779, as a Colonel, in the defense of Charleston, South Carolina. John Polarecki and Ferenc Benyovszky also served in the colonial army. We also know that among LaFayette’s cavalry of foreign legionnaires there were many Hungarian hussars, for a number of Hungarian hussar regiments then served in France.