Henry A. Fischer
 |
|
The Children of the Danube were on the move again. They were the descendants of the settlers who had joined the trek down the Danube River in the Great Swabian Migration from Germany to the Kingdom of Hungary in the early 18th century. Perhaps like their forebears, adventure may have been the driving force for some of them, while desperation drove others as they sought to make a life for themselves and their families. They were faced with limited options if they remained in their original settlements: where land was running out, restrictions against the Lutherans and Reformed were becoming more intolerable and the increasing and often unjust demands of the nobles made it more and more difficult to provide for their families. For those reasons and others, the Children of the Danube were on the move everywhere but wherever they went they planted their roots deeply into the soil of Hungary and their faith, customs, traditions and language thrived and flourished among them in this new emerging environment for the succeeding generations. The Pioneers tells this story through the lives and loves of three generations of the Tefner family in the unfolding story of Dörnberg where their lives intersected with the families who would eventually become part of the author’s extended family and which they shared with all the others who were part of their life together.
They found themselves isolated, confronted by a wilderness and created an economic miracle. Destructive fires and raging floods, famine and drought, bandit raids and epidemics tested them but did not overcome their indomitable will, which was sustained by their faith. A faith that was outlawed but continued underground unabated until the Edict of Toleration granted them freedom of conscience. Nor would they simply cower before the injustices inflicted upon them by the nobles and authorities without protest. Their lives were lived within the broader scope of the history of their times that played a vital role in their development, destiny and character. Emperor Joseph II, the Bishop of Veszprém, Martin Biró von Padány, Anton von Kaunitz, Count Styrum Limberg, the Empress Maria Theresia, the three Counts von Mercy and countless other notable personages all make their appearance and leave their mark on The Pioneers.
Henry Fischer was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The son of Swabian immigrant parents from Hungary, who has spent the past several decades researching his family origins and the history of his people that resulted in the publication of his first book: Children of the Danube. This current work, Remember to Tell the Children, is the sequel. The Pioneers is the first in a trilogy, which explores the lives and tells the stories of members of his extended family across more than two centuries. Their stories encompass the common experience of the Children of the Danube, the descendants of those indomitable pioneers who were part of the Great Swabian Migration into Hungary in the early 18th century.
He resides in Oshawa, Ontario with his wife Jean enjoying the freedom of retirement and over 40 years of a life together, blessed with two sons, their wives and four grandchildren. He is a former Lutheran pastor and co-founder of InterChurch Health Ministries, a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Waterloo Lutheran Seminary.
After the next set, Valentine needed to catch his breath and get some air and excused himself from his partner after accompanying her back to her grateful Fraache who smiled graciously and wondered how far things had gone with him and the Heinrich girl and if there was still a chance for her grand-daughter after all. The girl felt very much the same.
Stepping outside he accepted some wine and noticed that there were already several men who had imbibed beyond their capacity, but that was always a risk among the Hessians, especially on occasions like this. It was another transplanted tradition that would be detrimental to both the men and their families. He knew it was one of the issues that concerned his father.
But there were other men more interested in talking and discussing than dancing at the moment. One in particular seemed to hold the floor. Valentine joined the group as unobtrusively as possible and listened. It was only later that he discovered he was one of the younger sons of their host. Sebastian Stark had come home to join in the Kirweih celebration with the rest of his family.
“Well with things going the way they were around here my father suggested that I consider moving on elsewhere, like he had from Kalaznó over in Tolna County before he came up here when we were just kids,” Sebastian commented in answer to a question that Valentine had not heard.
“What year was that?” Someone in the group asked.
“Back in 1736,” he replied to the question.
“How did you hear about there being land down there? Asked another.
“My father got wind of it!” He answered simply. That was hardly surprising to anyone who knew how well informed and involved Johann Konrad Stark was in matters like that throughout the County.
“This János Hunjady from Upper Hungary bought up the whole area back in ’33 and began trying to recruit settlers over in Tolna County but not with much luck. Some Magyars and Slovaks came but not enough to make much of a difference. He had two prospective villages surveyed and tried to get some settlers by offering more than most of the other nobles…”
“Like what?” An interested listener asked.
“No taxes or robot the first three years, a session of land including a vineyard for a small price or if you signed a loan, a house lot and garden and some pasturage. He offered us free wood for cooking and heating, material and timber to build. It sounded better than what I could ever find here. My older brother will get the mill and the land and I would have to work for him with not much of a future. So some of us decided to go and see Hunjady over in Szil where he has built his manor house. He made us an even better offer and we signed an agreement with him and came back for our families and settled in what we call Dörnberg because we couldn’t pronounce the Hungarian name that sounds something like Döröschke.”
All of the men laughed because most of them had great difficulty with the language themselves.
“Who went with you?”
“Let’ see. There was our Johannes Ferber and I in the first group, his younger brothers Peter and Paul came later,” he paused a moment thinking about it and then said, “and yes, there was Johannes Knoch, some Wiandts and Johannes and Michael Kurz and their families. But there have been others since then. And then some Hungarians came along and now lots of people are coming from Tolna County and not just our Hessians but some Schwove too.”
“What’s it like living there?” Someone wanted to know changing the direction of the conversation.
“Not easy!” Sebastian was quick to say. “Pioneering never is. Just ask your fathers and grandfathers who first came here and they will tell you. It’s not much different now. You work hard but in the end you have something to show for it and you are working for yourself. Most of us are building better houses now,” and then almost as an aside he said, “We sure could use a good mason and so could the Hunjadys who are anxious to build a hunting lodge I’m told.”
From out of nowhere the men heard a voice that was familiar to most of them ask the next question.
“How old do you have to be to take up land?” It was Valentine Tefner.
“Eighteen I think, but you have to be married,” Sebastian replied realizing that the person asking the question was serious about knowing the answer.
“I suppose you call it Dörnberg for a reason.” Another man commented.
“It’s the highest point in the County. Not really a mountain but as close as you can get to one around here. And as you have probably guessed it’s infested with thorns. It’s back breaking work to uproot the thorns and plant the vineyards on the slopes, but the grape harvests we have taken in so far have been worth it.”
“How far away is it?” Valentine asked. Sebastian was now certain he was interested.
“It takes about two days by wagon depending on the weather. But you need to travel in a group for mutual protection. Most of the post road from Tab to Igal passes through bandit territory. Not to mention it is heavily forested and isolated. There are one or two river crossings, not to mention swamps and bogs and it doesn’t get much better when you turn east in the direction of our settlement. So you need to take your musket with you when you travel. But you’ll need it in Dörnberg too. Brigands sometimes raid isolated farms. Nothing has happened to us yet, but we are prepared and we have a night watch. Every man takes his turn because there are also wolves and mountain cats around, not to mention foxes and other creatures that would be a danger to our cattle and fowl if we left them out to pasture unattended.”
That was not welcome news to most of the men gathered around him who began to disperse and get back to the festivities but Valentine stayed on and spoke with him.
