Hungarian Heritage Review, 1990 (19. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1990-01-01 / 1. szám
GOING IT ALONE ON THE TEXAS FRONTIER-by-James P. Me Guire Most think that single parenting is a late-twentieth century phenomenon, but its antecendants are found throughout history, including the nineteenth century Texas frontier at San Antonio. Whether caused by death, divorce or abandonment by a spouse, single parents faced legal, social, economic and parental problems, particularly if they were recent immigrants attempting to adapt to local conditions. Such was the case of Helen (also Ilona, Ilka) Ujhazy Madarasz who was born at her noble parents’ estate of Budamer, Sáros County, Upper'Hungary (now Slovakia in Czechoslovakia) about 1838. She was about twelve years of age when her family was exiled to America following the abortive Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49. He father, László Újházi (1795- 1870), was a leading political and governmental figure in Louis Kossuth’s shortlived effort to throw off Habsburg rule over the ancient Hungarian kingdom. Accustomed to gentry life with servants, Helen accompanied her family to New Buda, the Hungarian colony established by her father in southern Iowa for exiles of the failed revolution. As a lively child approaching womanhood, she did manual labor for the first time. Riding sidesaddle, she herded the family’s livestock during their trek onto the Iowa prairies in 1850 and assisted with household tasks. But, following her mother’s death the next year, Helen lacked close, supervision. She soon fell in love with Vilmos Madarasz, the teenage son of a neighboring Hungarian exile. Against her father’s wishes, Helen eloped with Vilmos and was married in Missouri in 1853. Her father and other relatives soon moved to Texas. The next four years were eventful for the young Hungarian noblewoman. Her first son, Ladislaus (1854-1904), was born in Iowa. Then with Vilmos she returned to Hungary where he inherited a fortune from a grandmother. Once there, he abandoned his again-pregnant wife and son, claiming that his American civil marriage was not binding. In short order, Vilmos created a family scandal and squandered his inheritance. Meanwhile, a second son, Bela, was born. Although the couple briefly reconciled and had a Catholic marriage, nineteen-year-old Helen was again pregnant when she finally separated from her husband and left for Texas in 1858. During the journey, the infant Bela died suddenly at Galveston, and Helen’s third son, Louis (1859-1910), was born at the- continued next page 16 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW JANUARY 1990
