The Eighth Tribe, 1979 (6. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1979-05-01 / 5. szám
May, 1979 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 7 "“If I went out of that four block area, I’d be lost. The colony did the same thing” for the Hungarian immigrants, he said. It was a secure home in a strange land. To Mrs. Dely, the wall was a fact of life. “They had the fence and they had police protection,” she said. “And there was a shack built there by the gate — a big gate — and they opened that up in the morning and let them out for work, and the children were allowed to go to school and come home for lunch. But there was a curfew in the evening and the gates were locked.” Much of the controversy surrounding the Kossuth Colony centered on Moscowitz. Some called him a tyrant while others considered him a benefactor. “We knew (Moscowitz) very well,” Mrs. Dely said. “Some people claim he was hard. To us, well, we knew him since the beginning. He was always nice to us. He used to come to collect the rent. Mom told him — she was a good cook — and sometimes, if she had something, slic’d say, ‘Sit down, Mr. Moscowitz and have a cup of coffee.’ And he liked to talk, he knew us such a long time and he never did anything against us. He was nice to us. I can’t say a thing against him. The Kossuth Colony did not have a long life. As the fortunes of the Barney & Smith Car Works declined, more and more colonists were forced to find work elsewhere. The 1913 flood crippled the car works. While the flood did not damage any houses in the colony, it did change the face of the settlement: The wall came down. “They took the fences off in 1913,” Mrs. Dely said. “They used them for rafts.” Once the barrier was gone, residents were free to come and go as they pleased and shop where they chose. Some moved out of the colony, but as soon as the houses were empty, they were rented again. The Kossuth Colony as the first residents knew it is no more. The houses remain, and some still have neat gardens, but the picket fences which once lined the sidewalk are gone. No signs of the once-controversial fence remain. Of those who settled in the colony in 1906, some have moved away, some have died. But their children remember. Some second- and third-generation Hungarian-Americans are returning to the colony, Nagy said, buying houses and renovating them so they can preserve a piece of their heritage. In that way, the Kossuth Colony remains a link between past and present in Dayton. Family Names — How they originated A previous issue of the EIGHTH TRIBE (May, 1977) contained a letter asking the following question: “Our family name is Taraczküzy; my mother’s maiden name is Marosi. My parents came to this country from Beregmegye, Beregszász, Hungary.” Can you give me any information? Margit (Taraczközy) Bragg, Beckley, West Virginia. Centuries ago, people were known by only one name. Family names started being used about the 15th century. Many Hungarian names, as well as those of other ethnic groups, can be traced to “places” where an ancestor once lived. The letters “i” and “y” at the end of a Hungarian name often mean “from.” For example, my family name of Bartfay means “from the Hungarian city of “Bártfa.” Bártfa is in Slovakia. It was part of Hungary for about 1,000 years. The first Hungarian library was in Bártfa. Part of the library is now on display in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest. The city is also famous for the 12th century St. Aegidius church, with 11 carved altars, plus the city hall (városház) which was built during the rennaissance, as well as the nearby spa (the Bártfa fürdő). Today, the city of Bártfa is called Bardejov. After WW I, Slovakia was severed from Hungary when Hungary was dismembered. Slovakia was merged with the Bohemia and Moravia to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Similarly, Mrs. Bragg’s parent’s names can be traced to places which were part of “historic Hungary.” That is, they were part of Hungary prior to the post-WW I 1920 Treaty of Trianon, which divided up over two-thirds of Hungary’s previous territory and over one-half of its peoples among four nations—Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Austria. The city of Beregszáz (now Beregovo) was part of Hungary for about 1,000 years. This city is located in the area often referred to as the “Sub-Carpathian” region or Ruthenia. It was inhabited by Hungarians, Germans, Slovakians, and Ruthenians. After WW I, this area became part of Slovakia in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. After WW II, the Russians seized control of this area and it is now part of the U.S.S.R. The city of Beregszász (Beregovo) is less than 10 miles from the present Hungarian border. Mrs. Bragg’s father’s name of “Taraczközy” comes from the city of “Taraczköz” in Máramaros county, which is adjacent to Bereg county and is also part of this “Sub-Carpathian” region that is currently held by Russia. “Taraczközy” means “from the village of Taraczköz.” Her mother’s family name of “Marosi” may also have come from one of a number of geographic entities in “historic Hungary.” It may come from the county of “Máramaros,” which was just discussed. Or, perhaps from the county of “Maros-Torda” (formerly a part of Hungarian Transylvania, now a part of Romania). Or, from the city of Marosvásárhely (now called Targu-Mures in Romania). Or, even from the Maros River, which is located south of Szeged (a major city in modern Hungary), and flows into Romania. Arthur A. Bartfay Columbus, Ohio — Why not help this Magazine to grow! —
