William Penn Life, 2013 (48. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2013-04-01 / 4. szám
Tibor's Take with Tibor Check, Jr. Kindred spirits The definitions of the term "kindred spirits" are as varied as the regions of Hungary. My topic for this month concerns the connections we humans share, whether they be by blood, religion, nationality, common goals or some innate subliminal bond. My apa (father) and his longtime friend and best man in his wedding, Sonny Tollas, are perfect examples of kindred spirits. Both fellows are linked by all but one of the five aforementioned types of connections. At those times when I am privy to their conversations, I am amazed just how similarly they think when discussing and deciphering matters of circumstance and resolve. Only once have I ever seen the two differ in ideological thought and conviction. Their combined mental consciousness is so similar that it appears both are communicating telepathically. I have observed this phenomenon countless times. They can be across a room from each other, glance at the other momentarily, then meet hours later and commence with a conversation that seems to have been going on for hours. Such kindred spirits are truly rare. Another type of "kindred spirits" will be experienced in the future by many from my generation, in particular, those of us who are of American-Hungarian ancestry and want to know where our past generations came from. We will be linked by our desire to know why our ancestors settled in America, who they married, what town they came from, whether we have more relatives still in Hungary, and so forth. For some of us, obtaining that information may be as simple and easy as a phone call. Unfortunately, for many others, it may be far more difficult, if not impossible to acquire. In the past year or so, I have discovered long lost relatives that I never met. The first such discovery happened right here in America. In fact, it was in Youngstown, Ohio. The other discovery involved relatives in Csőt, Hungary. Here is the story of connecting two kindred spirits here in America. A little over a year ago, my brother Endre was playing his cimbalom at the Youngstown Hungarian Heritage Day. This annual event has been taking place for over a quarter century. Good food, music, history and culture make this a must attend event for the Hungarian- American community in the Tri-State Area. A small ad in the Vindicator newspaper and an ad for the event on my family's Magyar radio program are all it takes to attract hundreds of Magyars to 2219 Donald Avenue. Each event is packed with fun and excitement. This particular time, it turned out to be a never-to-forget event for everyone in my five-member család (family). About an hour into the event, two well-dressed and articulate ladies approached my brother after he played a rousing rendition of the Ritka Búza. One of the women asked him if he was a member of the Check family. "Yes," he answered, "and my apa is over on the other side of the room talking to someone. May I ask you why?" m fUiLrian Heritage Day- | _ The other woman said, "I think we are cousins of yours." My brother immediately summoned my apa to come over and meet the two "new" relatives. The second woman then said they had seen an article about my father in the Youngstown Vindicator when Endre played his cimbalom at the Youngstown State University Arts Festival this past July. They found out that our family would be at the Hungarian Heritage Day and decided to meet us in person. The first woman then introduced herself as Joan Cseh and her companion as Debbie Cseh. Their actual surnames were different, since both were married, but they were of Cseh lineage. My brother returned to his cimbalom playing and my apa went to a corner of the hall and spent the remainder of the event talking with them. Since that first encounter, my apa, Joan, Debbie and the rest of my family have met several times, exchanging information, pictures and family histories from both here and in Hungary. Many ancestral-related questions have yet to be answered. Most of those inquiries deal with people and events dating back two generations and beyond. If only my apa and cousins would have asked questions when the older generations were still here. Still, it is quite reassuring to know there are more Cseh család members living here in the U.S.A. The big questions concerning our newly-discovered cousins remain how the relationships between our predecessors dissolved away and how are lineages crossed in the first place. The narrative of my other "long-lost relative discovery" is not quite as dramatic as the first. In this particular case, my parents—through a combination of a little luck, divine 6 0 April 2013 0 William Penn Life
