"The world is a book...

...and those who don't travel read only a page." ~ St. Augustine

I've been busy on a wonderful family trip to a place with lots of rich heritage and beautiful weather. I'm looking forward to getting back to blogging now that I'm back from traveling.

Check back soon for some new posts!

Mother of our exiles

A discussion of the history of our family would not be complete without mentioning the faith that sustained them throughout so many struggles and trials.

Ilona's Catholic faith, such an important part of her life, was passed down to her children through family prayer and by attending Mass together. For many years Ilona was a member of the Mother Butler Society, serving the Church in many ways. One of the tasks of this society that she participated in was the making of macrame Rosaries to be sent overseas to missions. The Rosary in this picture is one that she made that is now in my possession. (Picture coming soon...)

The Rosary, such an important part of her life, is a prayer and meditation honoring the Virgin Mary and focusing on different periods in her life and the life of Jesus. The Hail Mary is an important part of the Rosary.

Here is the Hail Mary in Hungarian, Croatian and then in English.


Hail Mary in Hungarian

Hail Mary in Croatian

Zdravo Marijo, milosti puna, Gospodin s Tobom, blagoslovljena Ti medju zenama, I blagoslovljen plod utrobe Tvoje: Isus. Sveta Marijo, Majko Bozja, moli za nas grjesnike sada I na cas smrti nase. Amen.

Hail Mary in English

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Mother of Exiles

All of us have seen the image of the great Statue of Liberty. Some of you have probably taken the ferry ride out to Bedloe's Island and actually seen her up close. A very different perspective is to imagine the view of the statue that our family members might have had as their ship pulled into New York harbor after the long trip across the Atlantic, or as they stood at Ellis Island awaiting clearance to enter their new country.

Picturing the way the statue might have looked to these new immigrants, entering a promising yet still unknown world, it is meaningful to read Emma Lazarus' famous poem, The New Colossus. First published in 1883 as part of a collection of poems written to raise money for the construction of the pedestal, it can now be read over the Statue of Liberty's main entrance. Here is the beautiful poem in its entirety:

The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus, New York City,
1883

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

From the old country to a new world

Ferencz Ujlaki (senior) had grown up in the little village of Alsódomboru (now called Donja Dubrava). As the story goes, his parents, Josip & Teresija (Globlek) Ujlaki were both aged and his father was blind. Supposedly Ferencz had a sister who died from diptheria at the age of six. (I intend to try to confirm these stories with birth and death records from the village courtesy of LDS microfilm.) Because of his father's blindness and age, Ferencz was expected to perform many of the household duties. He only attended school up to first grade because he was needed at home.

Ferencz had left for America before the birth of he and his wife Ilona's first child. Supposedly he did not think he would be able to make himself leave after the birth of their baby, so he left ahead of his family in order to make a start for them in the new country.

I have found what could possibly be Ferencz' Ellis Island ship manifest. If this is him, his name is spelled wrong (Ujhazi) and his town of origin is also incorrect (Veprod). The name Ujhazi is an actual surname and Veprod is an actual town in Serbia/Montenegro, so this could be another person's record. However, both the surname and the village name could easily have been miswritten by a quick-writing customs agent. Because I cannot find another record that comes close to appearing to be his, and because this date makes sense, I assume this is correct. If you learn otherwise, please let me know. (The best way to search the Ellis Island website is using Steve Morse's search engines, if you'd like to give it a try yourself. I would appreciate any additional research assistance!)

Baby Ferencz (later known as Frankie) was born on May 9, 1906 in Legrad. With her husband gone, Ilona and her new baby settled in to live with her mother-in-law, Teresija (Globlek) Ujlaki, in her home in Legrad. I guess it was not a happy arrangement. Ilona eventually left her mother-in-law's home and moved back in with her parents, Stjepan and Magdalena Bence. Supposedly Teresija, Ferencz's mother, was keeping all the money that Ferencz was sending through the mail for Ilona. When I imagine this happening, I think about this old poor widowed woman, whose only child had left for America. I am not sure how many other close relatives she had. She might have felt abandoned.

Once the baby had turned age 2, he and his mother made the long trip to meet his father in America. It is too difficult to read the writing on the Carmania's ship list that indicates the address in New York to which Ilona was heading once she and her son left the ship and Ellis Island. Somewhere in Manhattan, that is sure. The little family settled into their new life in the new country, but all around them were fellow countryman from the old country. They were learning to speak English, I'm sure, but had plenty of opportunity to speak Hungarian and possibly also Croatian and/or their Kajkavian dialect.

Here is the first photo that we have of Ferencz and his first-born son together. He was born a world away while his father was in the new country. Little Ferencz, his father's namesake, looks to be about 3 or 4 years old in the picture, a new immigrant to the United States.

A postcard from Croatia

The postcard photo of the Legrad school that I posted here earlier had an inscription on the back that was just kindly translated for me by a native Croatian speaker.

Here is the message, written to Ilona (known as Lenčika, her nickname):

"So I sent you, dear Lenčika, a picture of our school for remembrance. Show it to your children so that they know where you went to school. With heart from your country."

Prošćenje!

Yesterday, July 13, was the feast of St. Margareta, the patron saint of the village of Donja Dubrava, Croatia, the birthplace of Ferencz Ujlaki, my great-grandfather. St. Margareta's Day and the Sunday following it are known as Prošćenje and are the most celebrated days of the year in Donja Dubrava.

Happy Prošćenje!

Thanks very much to a current resident of Donja Dubrava for the information. Although it is written in Croatian, you may enjoy taking a look at photos of the town's festivities at this webpage. While you're there, take the time to sign into the guest book on this webpage. Here's a little Croatian guest book lexicon for you:

Ime i prezime ---- name and surname
E mail---your e mail
Lokacija----your location
Komentar----------your message

Then press Pošalji---send
(Obriši is delete)

The residents of the town are very much aware of the exodus to America that occurred a century ago (including our family members) and would enjoy hearing from relatives/friends overseas. Please take the time to sign in and send your greeting if you would like.

Legrad's Catholic Church

The above photo (and the inscription on the back) was sent to Grammy Ulaky and her family from someone back home in what was then Yugoslavia sometime after World War II. The church in the picture is the Catholic Church in Legrad where Grammy and her husband (Ilona & Ferencz) were married in 1905. It looked much better in the earlier photo I posted.

A native Croatian speaker has kindly translated the inscription on the back of the photo. The message is as follows:

Dear Lady Miss,

I'm sending you the picture of our lovely church, which was destroyed in World War II and is very damaged. No one is starting to do anything about it or starting repairs. We are afraid that the church tower is very damaged and that it can't stand in this condition longer. It can crumble any time and destroy four church bells and the organ. Please ask the generous Croatian people there who can send us some money for the first necessary repairs. I hope in God's and in your help.

According to the translator, the church is still in need of some repair even today.

A happy day in 1905

This image of the new Mrs. & Mrs. Ferencz Ujlaki was supposedly taken about a month after their marriage. He was just shy of 26 years and she was not yet 21.

They were wed in the Catholic Church of Legrad, Hungary (now Croatia) on February 15, 1905. The church is pictured below in a postcard image that was in Grammy Ulaky's possession.

More later on this church (and a few more photos coming)...

I was happy to find the actual civil marriage registry record from the town of Legrad thanks to the LDS church members who microfilmed the records and provide access to them via local family history centers.

I have yet to finish translating the entire document, but will post the information when I do. Ferencz & Ilona's marriage record has provided some interesting information so far, even though I still have not been able to read the whole thing.

• Ferencz was born in Donja Dubrava (then called Alsódomboru), although he and his mother lived in Legrad at the time of his marriage.
• Ferencz' father had passed away by the time of Ferencz' marriage, and had lived in Donja Dubrava, so he is probably buried there.
• Both Ferencz and Ilona's fathers were farmers, or foldmuves.

More information coming later, as I decipher this wonderful record of our family's history: the record of a marriage union that has produced so many descendants in just 100 years.

Our farmer and his wife

I really enjoy looking at this photo of Stjepan and Magdalena Bence, my great-great-grandparents, parents of Ilona (Bence) Ujlaki. It is one of only two photos that we have of them (not counting a photo we have of Magdalena's funeral). The other photo of the couple is the formal portrait posted here on this blog.

I like this image because they look here more like they probably did in everyday life - he the farmer (although he is wearing a jacket and hat) and she the hard-working farmer's wife. She looks like such a kind, gentle and friendly woman. I'm saddened when I think that they never were able to meet their daughter Ilona's children, who I know and love. She looks like such a wonderful grandmother and he looks like he would make a very nice grandfather. I'm very thankful that we have this wonderful photographic insight into the lives of Great-Great-Grandma and Grampa Bence (Baka and Djed in Croatian).

Lado!

Lado is an archaic Slavic word, a synonym for words meaning good, lovable, and dear.

According to the website of LADO, the Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia, it was frequently used as a refrain in old ceremonial songs of north-western Croatia. LADO (the ensemble) was founded in 1949 in Zagreb. Its objective is to research, collect, artistically interpret and present on stage the most beautiful examples of the rich traditions of Croatian music and dance.

I was very happy to find this group and learn that they are carrying on the beautiful musical heritage of my ancestors.


The above is a photo of Ferencz Ujlaki, my great-grandfather, along with his own musical ensemble back in the old country. (He's the fellow circled in the right middle.) His partner, although I don't believe she is related, seems to resemble his future wife Ilona. Coincidence or cousins?

Like the costumes? Check out the LADO website for more beautiful costumes from this region. The musical ensemble has more than 1,000 in its collection.