Magyar News, 2001. szeptember-2002. augusztus (12. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2001-11-01 / 3. szám

daughters of the soil, and they showed it with what they grew. They believed in "Say It with Flowers", but no one ran off to the flower shop. They simply went to the flower garden and picked wonderful bouquets for every appropriate event. There were bleeding hearts, baby's breath, cosmos, zinnias, roses, gladiolas, and more.

A number of Hungarians became serious farmers, moving out to Fairfield, Easton, Weston, and Trumbull where they purchased acreage, and created working farms. Sipőcz's "Arrowhead Farm" on Stillson Road in Fairfield was a fine example. I seem to remember that Mr. and Mrs. Sipőcz were from Sopron. They raised strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. They raised chickens, and turkeys, and milk cows. They even had a beautiful trout pond which fascinated me since I could look into the clear depths and see dozens of beautiful trout swimming about. My first job ever was that of picking straw - beriies at the Sipőcz Farm for five cents per basket. At noon, Mrs. Sipőcz could bring us lunch. Wonderful Hungarian salami sandwiches on that special heavy rye bread with butter from the farm. The Sipőcz boys, Joe and Louie, were scientific farmers who used the latest methods taught at the University of Connecticut at Storrs. Joe, by the way, had classic Hungarian looks. You can see him driving the wagon in the film, "Searching for Wordin Avenue", done at Sacred Heart University about our early Hungarians. I would meet him from time to time around Fairfield, and addressed him as my "Quintessential Hungarian" .

Another prominent farming family were the Katonas, whose farm was located where the Shaw's Supermarket now stands on Black Rock Turnpike. I can still remember our regular Saturday trip to Katonas, to pick out the chickens for Sunday dinner. It was always, "Jó nappot kivánok, Katoná-né" and " "Jó nappot kívánok, Krajnyik-né". They would chat for a while to catch up on the latest news, and then Grandma Agnes would point out to Mr. Katona which chickens she wanted. He corralled each one, slit its throat, and let it run around until it passed into chicken eternity. It doesn't get any fresher than that. Of course, today, someone might call the police!

The Katona's daughter, Mary, helped on the farm. Mary went on to graduate in chemistry from St. Joseph's College in West Hartford. She became a very popular Town Clerk for Fairfield and a leader of the Hungarian-American community in the area, also working tirelessly for the then University of Bridgeport Hungarian Scholarship Program. Mary was modest, and ever pleasant. She was loved and respected by all who met her. You can see a painting of Mary in the Fairfield Town Hall, painted by the noted Hungarian artist and illustrator, Stephen Dohános. I remember her as a young woman helping her par- Page 6

Robert Kranyik’s wedding at the St. Stephen R.C. Church in the westend of Bridgeport

ents around the farm, also at church, and later when we worked together at the University of Bridgeport on the Scholarship Program.

Our closest Hungarian farm neighbors were the Antals. The Antal farm was located on the comer of Greenfield Street and Berkeley Road in Fairfield, and it backed up to what is now Tunxis Hill Park. Mr. and Mrs.

Antal ran a small, though very productive farm. They had cows, chicken, and pigs. They raised all manner of fruits and vegetables. They had a summer kitchen, a pond, and several bams. Their large family of sons and daughters were all regarded as friends as well as neighbors by the residents.

Mr. Antal dressed in classic Hungarian attire much of the time. He wore his jaunty hat with its feathers, riding pants and leather boots. Antal bácsi smoked one of those Hungarian clay pipes with the long stem. Mrs. Antal, a small, pleasant gray- haired woman seemed to be everywhere at once - cooking, baking, working in her flower gardens. She sold wonderful bouquets of flowers for $ .25 and there were always tasty Hungarian cakes and cookies on hand for visitors. Grandma Agnes and I would sit under the Antal grape arbor with Mr. and Mrs. Antal. Both the food and the conversation were enjoyable. And, following the killing of a pig, there was the szalona, tepertő (cracklings), and the kolbász. The raw szalona drenched with paprika, was eaten with good Hungarian rye bread from one of the bakeries in "Hunktown" or the West End. (I'm sure, from personal experience, that szalonna is a heart surgeon's dream).

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Youhouse (Juhász) lived on Black Rock Turnpike, and were members, like the Katonas of our church, Holy Trinity Greek Catholic, on Bostwick Avenue. They were also friends of our family. Mr. Youhouse was the first Hungarian to be elected a Selectman in the Town of Fairfield. I believe that he was an engineer. Their boys all served in World War II.

Grandma Agnes and Grandma Mary were heroic women. They both left Hungary in their teens to seek out a new life in the United States. That took courage and they certainly had it! Both lost their

husbands early due to illness and perhaps the relatively limited state of medicine in those days.

Grandma Agnes was widowed before the age of 40, and raised four sons before and during the depression, running a grocery store. She remained active in her Church, maintained a circle of friends, and always had beautiful gardens. We lived with her, and her legacies to me included my ability to speak the Magyar tongue, my appreciation of Hungarian food, and my understanding of how the "Hungarians" lived, thought and worked.

Grandma Mary was also a widow before the age of forty. She raised four daughters, of whom my mother was the oldest. Grandma Mary went to work at the McKesson Pharmaceutical Laboratory, and kept the wonderful old house on Kings Highway with a New Haven milestone out in front. She found time to complete her Americanization courses, and I am exceptionally proud that she received an award from the Daughters of the American Revolution for her achievements. And, she was an active member of the Calvin Church on Kings Highway. These women would have stood out in any group of modem American women. How privileged I was to be one of their grandchildren!

Another interesting immigrant in our family was George Tóbis. Uncle George was a tall, handsome man who lived on Poplar Street in the West End. He was the first Hungarian to become a Bridgeport policeman, quite an accomplishment at the time. I have a wonderful photo of him in his uniform (taken at Balkány's, of course). Active in Hungarian circles, Uncle George later became president of the Rákóczi Association. In those days, many Hungarians belonged to the Rákóczi.

(To be continued with part two)