William Penn Life, 2017 (52. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2017-07-01 / 7. szám
Tibor's Take Uniontown, Pa., on July 4,1776, not knowing the importance that date would have. Uniontown is the home of George C. Marshall and where the Big Mac debuted, so as far as places go, it is a pretty remarkable one to have had an ancestor create. That same ancestor qualifies my brother and me —but not my dad —for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution. My ancestor, a Quaker, did not fight but instead provided milled flour, provisions and other supplies to Colonial forces in the area. Since he was a man of relative importance, his strand in the tapestry is a little longer than most of the others. Quakers kept good records, so I've been able to trace that line of descent all the way back to a small village in Cornwall, England, as far back as the early 1600s. Another strand from my mom's side terminates in 1856. My third great-grandfather on mom's side married my third great-grandmother in 1856 (who, coincidentally, is the link to the founder of Uniontown). Aside from this marriage license, there is nothing else that I've been able to find about his family or where the man came from. He shows up in historical records after 1856, but there is nothing from before. Part of it might be a matter of bad luck—before 1850, the federal census was based on head of household, so everyone in the family was recorded under the breadwinning male's name. But, this does not explain why this particular ancestor of mine is not recorded in the 1850 census, or why he does not show up in the Civil War draft records. Are these mere coincidences, or is there some other explanation? Was he a draft-dodger? Or a scofflaw? Was he fleeing debt in another state (he was born in Pennsylvania)? Or was he simply one of those nomadic people — the rural poor — who were not tied to one place long enough to be counted by census workers or too impoverished to buy any property. So, that strand terminates, abruptly, leaving me to wonder and speculate. This brings me to my dad's side. Because we have all made a conscious effort to do so, my family has a clear understanding of where one particular branch of our family originates: Csót, Veszprém County, Hungary. Still, I've been able to trace that line back only to the late 1860s, and much of what I've learned came from immigration records and ship tickets. We have a general idea about what the family looked like as far back as the 1830s, but these are just mere silhouettes on the canvas. We have the outline, but it is too grainy and unclear, especially when compared with the well-documented and clearly defined lives of later generations and of contemporary generations that happened to live in a different land. This is the branch of my family that I know the most about, at least on my dad's side. Other ancestors on my dad's side are even murkier than that. I know one greatgrandparent was born in Zemplén County, Hungary, in the 1880s, but that is not much to go on. Zemplén, now part of Slovakia, was and is a big area—it would be like saying to my descendants that I was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. That's a big place too, and does not give an amateur genealogist like myself much to go on. Which brings me to the point of my column for this month. I have found it much harder to research my Hungarian and Slovak roots than my English ones. I think there are several reasons for this. Point to Ponder.... I have had a hard time finding personal and family histories of American-Hungarians...until recently. In a future edition of Tibor’s Take, I will have the honor of telling you about a man who had a dream of coming to America and who wrote a brief memoir portraying his saga and the hardships he, his wife and their children endured on both sides of the Atlantic. This story begins at Kassa, Hungary, in 1914. Do you have in your possession a similar family story, preserved in writing by a loved one from generations ago? If so, I would love to hear from you. Drop me a line at Silverking1937@gmail.com.- Tibor First, there is the language barrier. Sometimes, there are multiple languages used. I've found some records pertaining to Hungarian ancestors written in German, the administrative language of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before the dual monarchy in 1867. Then, there's the relentless tidal wave of history. The United States (especially the North) and the United Kingdom had a better time of it over the course of the 20th century than did Hungary or Slovakia. Both suffered multiple wars, invasions and tyrannical regimes each with its own twisted vision of history. It would not surprise me if many governmental and historical records were destroyed in the dark decades of the past century. I think that this loss has not yet been realized. Years from now, I think that historians will look back on that period and liken it to when the Mongols raided the libraries of Baghdad or when the library of Alexandria was burnt down. There is much that was probably lost for all time. So, I ask you, my readers, what tips and tricks and advice do you have for me regarding Hungarian genealogy? Did you make any discoveries or find any surprises in your own research? I would be interested to hear your perspectives and your stories. Please write to me at Silver Kingl 93 7@gmail.com. Until next time... / Éljen a Amerikai-Magyar, Tibor Tibor Check, Jr., is a member of Branch 28 and an attorney working in Washington, D.C. Let's hear your take If you have any questions or comments about me or my column, please email me at: silverkingl937@ gmail.com, or drop me a letter in care of the William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. WILLIAM PENN LIFE 0 July 2017 0 7
