H is for Hamburg and the Hopes of Emigrants

Little Pista Tóth (Pista means "little Stephen" in Hungarian) was just shy of 2 1/2 years of age when he, his siblings, and his mother boarded the S.S. Pennsylvania in Hamburg, Germany on May 4, 1907. The family had left their home in northeastern Hungary to make a new life in America, where their father had already spent some time. István Tóth had been in Trenton, New Jersey during 1902 and 1903 and then returned to his wife Mária (Németh) Tóth and his two young daughters, Mária and Ilonka. István's young son and namesake, had arrived in 1904. István had then returned to America and awaited the arrival of his family, including the final child born into the family in Hungary: baby Lajos. (You can read more of this family's story here.)

This list of passengers departing Hamburg on May 4, 1907 lists Maria Tóth
of Gelej, Hungary with her children Maria, Ilonka, Pista and baby Lajos.
Father Istvan awaited them in Trenton, New Jersey. (Click to enlarge)

It is quite a picture to imagine this young family from the little village of Gelej, Hungary staying at the Auswandererhallen (Emigrants’ Halls) in Hamburg, Germany awaiting their ocean voyage to America.

Image of Hamburg's Emigrants' Halls thanks to
Ballinstadt Emigration Museum.

The BallinStadt, otherwise known as the Emigrants' City, was a multiple-building facility designed so that passengers arriving by rail from Eastern European countries could be directed straight to the port and avoid passage through the city of Hamburg. According to the Ballinstadt Emigration Museum website, "In the year 1907 alone, a total of nearly 190,000 emigrants departed from Hamburg into an uncertain future. Hamburg had become Germany’s number one emigration port."

The young Tóth family arrived at Ellis Island in New York via the S.S. Pennsylvania of the Hamburg-Amerika line fifteen days after departure from Hamburg. What a trip it must have been for a wiggly 2-year-old little boy, his older sisters, his baby brother, and his poor mother!

The Tóth family arrived in New York on the S.S. Pennsylvania on May 19, 1907. 

Thanks to the Ellis Island Immigration Museum in New York City and the Ballinstadt Emigration Museum in Hamburg, I can visit museums at both little Pista Tóth's port of arrival in America and his port of departure in Germany. What an amazing chance to get a personal glimpse into what this little boy might have experienced just over 100 years ago on his trip to a new world with his family.

Image of the S.S. Pennsylvania of the Hamburg-Amerika Line 
from the Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives: The Future of our Past.

Note: The Staatsarchiv Hamburg has digitized passenger lists for those departing from the port during the years 1850-1934. These Hamburg passenger lists and their handwritten indexes are available through Ancestry.com.



This article was originally published here at 100 Years in America in 2008 as "A little boy, a big ship, and a brand new world". I've reposted it as part of the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.  Follow me here at 100 Years in America as I try to keep up with the challenge to work through the alphabet while writing my family history.

G is for Grammy's Gravestone

The couple whose portrait presides over this blog will be perpetually in their twenties as they oversee the articles I write here at 100 Years in America. This photograph, however, shows only one fleeting moment out of many moments, many days, many months and many years of their togetherness. Our gentlemen (Ferencz Ujlaki) lived to be sixty years old. Our sweet young woman went on to live to the ripe old age of 97.

I have done my best to share the stories of her life here at 100 Years in America. Born Ilona Bence in Legrad, Croatia (then part of Hungary) in 1884, she married Ferencz Ujlaki in 1905. Their move to America brought many changes, including some changes to their names. He became Frank, she became Helen, and their surname went from Ujlaki to Ujlaky and then finally to Ulaky in later generations.

By the time she passed away, our blog's patroness was the clear matriarch of the family. She had no peers in the family - she was mother, grandmother and great-grandmother - and everyone referred to her as Grammy Ulaky.

Still I couldn't help being surprised when I first visited the Ujlaky family cemetery plot and I read the inscriptions on the gravestone. There they were: Ethel, Frank Jr., Frank and.... Grammy. Ilona had changed her name to Helen in America, but by the time she passed away at age 97, she was no longer known by any other first name besides the endearing "Grammy". Since I am a genealogist, I was incredulous at my first sudden realization that her identifying first name was not on her gravestone. Then I realized that it was only fitting that the loved ones who knew her by the name Grammy would choose to place that sweet name at her final resting place.

The Ujlaky family gravestone is not only missing Grammy's first name (Helen),
but Ethel's birth year in incorrect. She was born in 1920.

F is for Frankie Ujlaky and a Forgotten Epidemic

Young Frankie Ujlaki and his family lived in
New York's Lower East Side when this
photograph was taken about 1915

I shared the story of Frankie Ujlaki's early life in my article F is for Frankie: Beloved Firstborn, 1906 here at 100 Years in America. Frankie's young life was off to a good start, but tragedy struck in his teen years that altered the path of his life in a dramatic and devastating way. Here is the rest of his story.

At age fourteen, Frankie was big brother to three younger sisters. Two more siblings joined the family in the 1920's: another sister, Ethel, and a younger brother, Kasmir.

In 1921, when Frankie was fifteen, the family left Manhattan and made a move to Staten Island into a home built on Nugent Avenue by father Frank with the help of friends.

Frankie had gained an interest in drawing and found success as a young artist, even creating business cards for his work as a sign painter. These are some of his early drawings:

A postcard with some sketches drawn by Frankie Ujlaki

The portrait below was taken about 1924. This is a very special photograph for several reasons. It is the only portrait I have seen of the entire family together, and it was taken shortly before Frankie's life changed dramatically.

Frank and Helen Ujlaky about 1924 with their six children:
Wilma, Ethel, Mitzi, Frankie, Kasmir and Helene
(They had changed the spelling of their surname)

According to one of Frankie's siblings, May 1925 was the month they lost Frankie - not to death, but to something just as sorrowful, and perhaps even more difficult to accept.

It was in May 1925 that Frankie turned 19. It was also that month that he was hospitalized. He had contracted Encephalitis Lethargica, a rare disease of the brain (sometimes also known as epidemic encephalitis or "Sleepy Sickness", not to be confused with "Sleeping Sickness"). This condition caused various affects in different patients, many of them being left in a statue-like condition: not able to speak or move. The disease, however, was not always easy to diagnose. According to Dr. Smith Jelliffe, an American neurologist in practice during the epidemic, "There is probably no other acute infectious disease which gives rise to, or results in so many diversified types of mental disturbance."

This 1920 New York Times article is entitled
"New Sleeping Disease Mystifies Londoners"
(Click to enlarge)

Encephalitis Lethargica spread throughout the world slowly beginning about 1917, its seriousness becoming apparent to the medical community just as the world was reeling from the crises of World War I and the 1918 Flu. The medical profession scrambled to determine the origin of this epidemic encephalitis and find its cure. Municipal health departments worked to warn the population in hopes of preventing further outbreaks.

"SLEEPING SICKNESS WARNING SENT OUT: In an effort to prevent an increase in the number of cases of encephalitis lethargica, commonly known as 'sleeping sickness,' and other respiratory diseases. Dr. Frank J. Monaghan, Health Commissioner, issued a warning yesterday against careless coughing, sneezing and spitting." - New York Times, March 11, 1923

By 1927, doctors still had few answers about this disease, yet the "Sleepy Sickness" epidemic was coming to an end.

In her 2010 book, Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries, Molly Caldwell Crosby, writes:

"This epidemic would strike as many as 5 million people throughout the world, killing a third of them and leaving thousands more institutionalized for the rest of their lives. The victims fell into a long sleep—for weeks or even months. Many never awoke. But the world soon learned that dying was not the tragedy of this disease; surviving it was."

Crosby writes that physicians' estimates indicate that a third of victims of this disease died from it, a third recovered, and another third developed permanent disabilities. I am not sure what type of recovery Frankie Ujlaki ever made from Encephalitis Lethargica. I do know that he never returned home to his family. In May 1925, he was hospitalized at the age of 19, more than likely within the Manhattan State Hospital on Ward's Island. The 1930 U.S. Census lists him there as an "inmate".

Manhattan State Hospital, Ward's Island in the 1970s

From the 1920 Handbook of the State Hospital Commission and Hospitals for the Insane come these statistics for Manhattan State Hospital on Ward's Island:

• Certified capacity: 5,230
• Number of patients: 6,045 (2,584 men and 3,461 women)

Even if the New York health department and hospital staff had the best of intentions, these crowded conditions must have made caring for these patients an impossible task. This is the world that became Frankie Ujlaky's life.

By about 1931 (according to his death certificate; at least by 1935 according to the 1940 U.S. Census), Frankie had been moved upstate into the Harlem Valley State Hospital in Dover, Dutchess County, New York. He would be attended by Dr. Charles Greenberg, who was the same age as Frankie, for over six of his eleven years there.

The 1940 U.S. Census indicates that Frank Ujlaky was a 29-year-old patient who had lived
at Harlem Valley State Hospital in Dutchess County, New York for at least five years.
He was actually 33 at the time of the census. (Click to enlarge image)

In 1936 Harlem Valley State Hospital was the site of the first demonstrations to doctors of insulin shock treatment, which would become commonly used throughout United States hospitals until the 1970s.

The empty Harlem Valley State Hospital today (photo thanks to Brian C.)

Frankie would spend the rest of his relatively short life institutionalized. He died at Harlem Valley in 1942 at the age of 36. His death certificate lists Pulmonary Tuberculosis as the cause of death.

Frankie Ujlaky was separated from his family for so many years, yet they remembered, loved and prayed for him throughout his hospitalization. I can only hope that he found comfort in happy memories of his early years with his loving family. Rest in peace, Frankie.

Frankie Ujlaky 1906-1942

More about Encephalitis Lethargica

For some reason, the early 20th century outbreak of epidemic encephalitis has fallen strangely out of the public consciousness. Molly Caldwell Crosby writes, "The 1916 outbreak of polio afflicted nine thousand people and went down in history as the most devastating polio epidemic in New York. By the time the epidemic encephalitis would suddenly and inexplicably disappear, it would infect at least five thousand New Yorkers, and it would not go down in history as anything at all." [Emphasis mine]

There has been surprisingly little written about Encephalitis Lethargica in the decades since this epidemic shocked the world of the early 20th century. We have very limited information about this illness, although a few theories have circulated as to its cause.

For further reading on the subject, I recommend Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries by Molly Caldwell Crosby and Encephalitis Lethargica: During and After the Epidemic by Joel Vilensky PhD, both published in 2010.

More about Mental Institutions of the Early 20th Century

I understand that patient records for both Manhattan State Hospital and Harlem Valley State Hospital are inaccessible to researchers at this time. If you have any further information about access to these records, please post a comment or email me and I'll share the info with readers.

For an interesting look at some of the lives of patients within mental institutions during the early 20th century, see my article An Attic, Suitcases and a Window into a Hidden World.



This article was written as part of the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.  Follow me here at 100 Years in America as I try to keep up with the challenge to work through the alphabet while writing my family history. I'm way behind getting started, but here goes!

F is for Frankie: Beloved Firstborn, 1906

The firstborn child plays a special role in the life of each family. He or she helps ease (or shock) their mother and father into the parenting role, is usually the clear winner as the sibling with the most baby photographs, and holds a special place in his or her mother's heart. The firstborn is the reason each mother became a mother.

It was no different in the Ujlaki family with firstborn son Ferencz (later called Frankie). His parents first learned of his coming when they were thinking of immigrating to the United States from their native Hungary (they lived in an area that is now part of Croatia). Concerned that he would have difficulty pulling himself away once the baby was born, 27-year-old father Ferencz (later called Frank) sailed on ahead to establish himself in America and waited for news of the baby's birth.

Young Ferencz came into the world on May 9, 1906, a month after his father's departure.  He and his 22-year-old mother Ilona spent some time living with her mother-in-law Teresija Globlek, but according to family legend, left because Teresija had the habit of keeping the money sent by her son for his young family. While Ilona waited for baby Ferencz to grow, they stayed the rest of the time at the home of her parents, Stjepan and Magdalena Bence, in Legrad.

Baby Ferencz with his mother Ilona, 1906

1909 arrived. Little Ferencz was now 2 1/2 years old and it was time to make the voyage to America. They sailed on the S.S. Carmania from Fiume on February 13, 1909 and arrived in New York seventeen days later on March 2, 1909. The trip must have been a true trial, and their suffering did not end once they stepped on land.

According to this passenger list for the S.S. Carmania
which departed Hungary for New York on Feb. 13, 1909,
Ilona Ujlaki had only $10 to her name. Her husband had only $5.70
when he had set out for America three years before.

After embarking at Ellis Island, Ilona's young son was diagnosed with measles, separated from her and quarantined at the Ellis Island hospital. Several days later, the reunion of the little family - father, mother and toddler son - must have been a moment a joy and relief.

Young Ferencz with his father: new immigrants to America

The Ujlaki family settled within Manhattan's Lower East Side along with many other immigrant families. In 1910, they lived at 415 Fifth Street and welcomed a new baby girl into the family.

The wedding of Peter and Maria Gres.
Ilona and Ferencz Ujlaki are seated with
their young namesakes at their sides.

1911 and 1913 saw the arrival of two more little sisters for Frankie. The 1920 census finds the family living at 431 E. 16th Street. Frankie is age 13, his sisters are Helene, age 9, Marie, age 8 and Wilma, age 6.

The Ujlaki family in 1915

The Ujlaki family attended Mass at St. Stephen of Hungary on 14th Street. (This parish would continue to play an important role within the family for many years, even after relocating to its present address uptown on 82nd Street in 1927). The Hungarian parish did not yet have a Catholic school, so Frankie (and more than likely, his sisters) attended school at the parish school run by Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (which was also on 14th Street). During the years 1906 to 1917, this parish was one of the largest within the diocese and educated more than 3,000 students within its crowded classrooms. Many of them were the children of European immigrants like Frankie.

Frankie Ujlaki on the day of his confirmation into the Catholic Church

The girls were taught by the Sisters of Charity. The boys' education was provided by the Christian Brothers, such as Brother Aloysius who figures prominently in these class photos from about 1917-1919.

Two class photos from Immaculate Conception Catholic School.
Teacher Brother Aloysius is the central figure in each of them.
Frankie Ujlaki is the boy circled in each photo.

Despite his family's difficult start after their emigration from Hungary to America, the Ujlakis had succeeded in providing for their family and giving their children an opportunity to receive a Catholic education.

Frankie's young life was off to a good start, but tragedy would strike in his teen years that would alter the path of his life in a dramatic and devastating way.

I'll tell the rest of Frankie's story in my upcoming article: F is for Frankie Ujlaky and a Forgotten Epidemic.

This article was written as part of the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.  Follow me here at 100 Years in America as I try to keep up with the challenge to work through the alphabet while writing my family history. I'm way behind getting started, but here goes!

E is for "dear sister Ethel": 1920-1943

She was the youngest daughter of Frank and Helen Ujlaky. A beautiful baby girl, she was baptized Etelka on March 21, 1920 at the age of one month. A first generation American born of parents who had emigrated from Hungary, she came to be known as Ethel. Two years later Ethel's younger brother Kasmir was born into the family: the last of the six Ujlaky siblings.

Ethel Ujlaky (age one) with her sister Mitzi
riding Buster the horse.
Staten Island, circa 1921.

The Ujlaky family of South Beach,
Staten Island, New York, circa 1926.
Ethel is the young girl standing
at left of her mother (seated).

Born between their two brothers in this closeknit family, the four sisters, who entered the family within the span of a decade, developed a special sisterly bond that grew throughout the years.

Here they are together in 1936 outside the family's South Beach, Staten Island home. Ethel, third from the left, is sixteen years old. Her sisters, all in their twenties, were making their way into adulthood, getting married and having children of their own.

The Ujlaky sisters, circa 1936.
Ethel is the third from left.

Sadly, when Ethel reached her twenties, tragedy struck. Suffering from tuberculosis, she was admitted to Sea View Hospital on Staten Island. Ethel died in 1943, about a month shy of her twenty-third birthday.

Knowing the love that her sisters share, I was deeply touched when I learned the story of their beloved younger sister Ethel. They, her brothers, and her parents suffered a deep loss when she left them at such an early age.

At the time of her death a friend of the Ujlaky family wrote a beautiful poetic tribute to Ethel. I treasure the handwritten copy of Ida's poem that I have in my possession. It is a glimpse into the life of a dear family member whom I never had the chance to know. Here is Ida's tribute to her young friend:

To Ethel

You were so lovely, with your figure so slim,
Always, you were smiling, and you would never give in;
Though your pain was severe, still you never lamented
You put on a good front and appeared contented,
We know you had the courage, and tried very hard to win,
But your strength gave out, in your valiant fight
And you just had to leave your kin.
You have gone to rest to eternal peace and may God bless you
For a brave soldier, you were both stouthearted and true;
Your spirit is here although you’re gone
And the memory of you Ethel will live on and on.

~ Written in 1943 by Ida, friend of the Ujlaky family

Rest in peace, "dear sister Ethel".

For more on Ethel Ujlaky's story, including a picture of her bronzed baby shoe, see The footprint of little Ethel.

For more about the Ujlaky family's home on South Beach, Staten Island, see "The Waves' Rippling Song": South Beach, Staten Island.

Sources of images:

Ujlaky sisters with Buster the horse, Staten Island, New York. Sepia photographic print. Circa 1921. Privately held by Lisa, [address for private use]. 2009.

Ujlaky family, Staten Island, New York. Sepia photographic print. Circa 1926. Privately held by Lisa, [address for private use]. 2009.

Ujlaky sisters, Staten Island, New York. Sepia photographic print. Circa 1936. Privately held by Lisa, [address for private use]. 2009.

This article was originally published here at 100 Years in America in 2009. I've reposted it as part of the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.  Follow me here at 100 Years in America as I try to keep up with the challenge to work through the alphabet while writing my family history. I'm way behind getting started, but here goes!

D is for Donja Dubrava and the Drava River

No matter what continent or country our ancestors called home, many of them found that the river was life. Waterway, food source, center of community life... Many grand modern cities had their start as a small fishing community at the edge of a river.

The confluence of the Mura and Drava Rivers in northwestern Croatia (photo by Filip Lučin)

The little town of Donja Dubrava that my great-grandfather Ferencz Ujlaki came from never became a modern city, yet for centuries it has bustled with the busy-ness of a river's edge village.

"Donja Dubrava is an old crafts and trade centre at the east of Međimurje County in northwestern Croatia, at the meeting place of two grand rivers – the Mura and the Drava. This position, at the confluence of these great rivers, was an important natural factor that influenced the historical and geographical development of this trade city."

Donja Dubrava, Croatia from the air (photo by davorfiles)

The area has seen continuous settlement from as far back as the early stone age, including throughout the Roman period. The Croatian people first arrived in the 7th century, with the first mention of the town's name (as Uj Dombo) in the year 1446.

Though the maximum population (which occurred around 1910) only reached about 3,500 (there are about 2,300 residents today), the town has a proud heritage and a history book of its very own: Općina I Župa Donja Dubrava: Povijesno-geografska Monografija (The Municipality and Parish of Donja Dubrava: A Historical and Geographical Monograph), published in 2007 by Bartolić, Feletar, Feletar and Petrić.

According to the book, "Donja Dubrava developed into the most significant trading and crafts town in eastern Međimurje. The town served the central functions for the geographic region of eastern Međimurje, Legrad Podravina and the Zakan region in Hungary. Craft guilds were established, trade and hospitality developed and the town had a particular role in activities tied to the Drava River – milling, sieving for gold, fishing, boat trade and raft transport. From 1828 to 1940, the largest wood trading company operated in Donja Dubrava, transporting wood along the Drava from Pohorje to Osijek, Novi Sad, Belgrade and Smederevo. Agricultural activities, particularly the production of cereals and livestock breeding, were of great significance for the life and development of the town."

St. Margareta Catholic Church in Donja Dubrava, established in 1790 (photo by Filip Lučin)

It's location at the confluence of two rivers has often brought much concern to the town during times of flooding. According to Ivan Vecenaj-Tišlarov in his book To My Homeland, "The Drava has never been timid and humble... The history of continuous changes in the Drava River course are both interesting and tragic." In fact, the neighboring village of Legrad (from which my great-grandmother emigrated) was previously on the same side of the river as Donja Dubrava. A serious flood in 1710 caused the river to change its course and placed the town of Legrad on the other side! For more about that story, and the history of the Međimurje area, visit my article Međimurje: Meeting place of rivers and cultures.

 A monument in Donja Dubrava (photo by Filip Lučin)

I've written this article as part of the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.  Follow me here at 100 Years in America as I try to keep up with the challenge to work through the alphabet while writing my family history. I'm way behind getting started, but here goes!

C is for Cars: The love of fine cars, it's in the genes!

It's not the kind of hereditary trait that I would ever be able to confirm with DNA testing. I've noticed for many years, however, that a love for fine automobiles runs in the Toth family.

Not to mention the many gems in more recent generations, Steve Toth was the owner of a number of humdingers. There was the 1956 convertible pink Cadillac that he bought used in 1957. His wife Mitzi surely enjoyed that car the most out of all of his vehicles, since she has always favored the color pink.

Back in 1943, when World War II was in full swing, Steve ordered a Fleetwood Cadillac. By the time his order was filled, four years had passed. He received his black Fleetwood Cadillac in 1947. (Here he is enjoying a "trunk-side view" from the Fleetwood with his young son Stephen.)

You may have read earlier about Steve's Reo Flying Cloud, the car that he owned during his courtship with Mitzi. They drove off to their honeymoon in style in that car in 1930.

My hunch that this love for fine cars was hereditary was confirmed one day a few years back when I found Steve's father's World War I draft card. István Tóth had arrived from Hungary only a decade or so earlier, and now used the name Steven Toth. Although I don't believe he served in World War I, along with every other male citizen of eligible age, he was required to report to the United States government and fill out the appropriate papers.

Steven's World War I draft registration (pictured below) indicates his occupation at the time. Only ten years after Henry Ford had begun producing his Model T, Steven Toth, according to the document, was working as "Repairer" in the "Boston and M. Car Shop" in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Another bit of circumstantial evidence? Or definitive proof? I'll leave it to you to decide whether or not this confirms the hereditary nature of this family's appreciation for fine automobiles.

This gene didn't seem to be as strong on the other side of the family - the Ujlaki branch. You see, Frank Ujlaki brought a car home to his family one day, more than likely sometime in the 1920's. In the process of introducing it to his wife and children, he somehow managed to plow into the fence with it. His wife Helen, concerned that the thing was too dangerous, made him take it back. He never owned another car again.

Frank did, however, work as a carpenter for many years. Part of the time he was a "wheelright" building wooden wheels. He also worked jobs buildling wagons and trucks out of timber. It took a lot of mathematical precision, talent and hard work to create the vehicles that he did. But I don't think his wife Helen would ever have let him drive them!



This article was originally published here at 100 Years in America in 2008. I've reposted it as part of the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.  Follow me here at 100 Years in America as I try to keep up with the challenge to work through the alphabet while writing my family history. I'm way behind getting started, but here goes!

B is for Bassinet (and baby pictures!)

B is for Bassinet: A basket with a hood over one end (often made of wickerwork), for use as a baby's cradle.

Family members and friends that remain with us throughout much of our lives reside in a very special place within our hearts. So do some family treasures. This family bassinet is one of those dear to my heart.

Purchased by my grandmother in the early 1940s, this sweet bassinet has welcomed many babies throughout the seventy-some years that it has been in use within my extended family. Lots of cousins new to the world have slept soundly within the comfort of its cozy wicker warmth.

Here I am as a newborn being held by my other (Irish) grandmother - next to the already two-decade-old bassinet. Pink ribbons for baby Lisa!

Over the years this little bassinet has turned baby blue for little boys (like my brand-new son pictured here):

And been decked out in pretty pink for little girls (like my sweet daughter pictured here):

I can't tell you what a joyful sight it has been for me to see a real baby sleeping soundly in this special bassinet after having it reside empty in my bedroom for awhile at the end of each pregnancy.  All prettied-up and waiting for a baby, it has kept me (and many other mothers within my family) company during those last trying weeks, and warmly welcomed my little newborn bundles into the family once they'd arrived.

And, did I mention? It's the perfect height for big sisters to peer over and take a peek at the new baby!

This article was written for Treasure Chest Thursday. It was also written in response to the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.  Follow me here at 100 Years in America as I try to keep up with the challenge to work through the alphabet while writing my family history. I'm way behind getting started, but here goes!

A is for Assembly: "The angels were singing"

A is for Assembly: Those present to celebrate the liturgy; the community, the Church (as in people, not building), the worshippers, the faithful, the congregation.

It is hard to remember when I first saw the photos of my great-grandmother's village church in what is now Legrad, Croatia.  My heart was drawn to the place immediately.  I had known and loved my great-grandmother while she was in her 90s.  Yet here was a picture of her childhood Catholic church helping me to imagine her there as a baby being baptized, a young girl receiving her First Communion, a young bride at her wedding. Later, I learned more about this little church - including its name (the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, called Župa Presvetog Trojstva in Croatian) and more about its three-hundred year history. I was also privileged to receive modern photographs of the building from a current parishioner (a distant cousin) and thrilled to find sacramental records for many special family milestones that occurred there.

One of my favorite glimpses into the church, however, came from a book of fiction. Marija Bango, a citizen of Legrad and a friend of my great-grandmother's, shared the stories of her childhood in her home village through a series of children's tales. One precious chapter in her book King of the Drava (Kralj Drave) shares the story of a little girl's unexpected adventure set in the little church in Legrad. Before the story begins, the author (in the voice of a young narrator) starts with an introduction to the inside of the Holy Trinity Catholic church from the perspective of a little girl whose short stature made the stained glass windows and statues seem to rise gloriously above her. It also describes the Croatian Catholics' customs which dictated where people sat during Mass and what they wore, etc., all from the perspective of this young observer.  Here is an excerpt:

Altar of Legrad's Catholic Church today

"When I was but a girl, three or four years old, I'd go with my mother to Sunday Mass. I used to love that dinner Mass (that is what we called it, probably because we'd all go home to dinner afterward); they sang so nicely there. I'd listen to the sermon about angels on high somewhere in Heaven who had wings; they were good, they watched over children and grownups when they crossed the narrow wooden bridges scattered everywhere in our neighborhood spanning the Drava streams. "I have to describe for you, first, the inside of our church and the order in which the people stood and sat when attending these dinner Masses. On the left - the older women sat in the first row of pews and in front of them stood the girls from 10 to 14. Behind the pews stood bareheaded younger girls; then there were six rows of pews and behind them a great space. Here stood younger women with small children. The darker part of the church under the gallery was where men and women from other villages would stand. To the right of the church doorway was the same order of pews but on this side sat the men.

Young Medimurska Croatian girls (Legrad region) in traditional folk costume, 1915. Legrad children's author Marija Bango was born in 1917.

"The church was always crowded. When women were standing around me I'd feel as if I were at the bottom of a hole; I could hear the singing high up above swelling to the church ceiling. From time to time everyone would kneel. That was the moment when we children could finally see something. I would stand up on my tiptoes. I'd quickly examine everything: around me were countless heads. Something was gleaming at the front of the church. Behind me in the great gallery I could see nothing but hair. Since that was where the pretty singing came from I felt certain that the angels were singing."

  

The beautiful interior of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, called Župa Presvetog Trojstva in Croatian

The little girl goes on to describe the beautiful stained glass windows and the lifelike statues in the church that captured her imagination. Marija Bango's stories about her childhood village and its lovely Catholic church are a treasure for those of us that can visit, but cannot turn back the clock and step into the time of our ancestors. What I would give to be able to step into the assembly during my great-grandmother's First Communion! The little girl in the story tells us:

"I loved to go into the church whenever I saw the door open. On my way to school in the morning before I turned left at the park toward the school house I'd look over toward the back door of the church to see if it was open and if it was I'd walk straight toward it, leaving my schoolward path behind me. I'd have time to stop in at morning Mass and still arrive punctually at school."

This little girl is probably much like my great-grandmother was as a child in Legrad. Though she left her homeland as a young bride, she kept a strong faith and found herself at home at other Catholic churches in America, helping to inspire the faith of many of her descendants, including me.

Marija Bango's second book of children's stories (pripovijetke djecu) about her native Legrad was published in 1993. The text is in both Croatian and English.

This article was written in response to the "Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge" suggested by Australia's Gould Genealogy and History News blog.  Follow me here at 100 Years in America as I try to keep up with the challenge to work through the alphabet while writing my family history. I'm way behind getting started, but here goes!