Mappy Monday ~ Handler and Hollander from Hungary

I've been writing about my husband's paternal grandparents, Josef Handler and Lena Hollander. They immigrated from Hungary in 1910 and 1911. I know Lena was born in Bonyhád, Hungary and naturalization records indicate that Josef Handler was born in Ilok, formerly in Hungary and now part of Croatia.

The following screenshot, from Google Maps, shows the locations of their birthplaces on a current map of eastern Europe.

From Google Maps

"A" represents Ilok, Croatia, and "B" represents Bonyhád, Hungary. They are about 180 kilometers (about 112 miles) apart.

In contrast, going back one generation, Lena's parents were born in towns much closer to each other. (Their birthplaces are indicated on Lena's birth record and her siblings' birth records.) Samuel Hollander was born in Bonyhád, Hungary, and his wife, Anna Honenváld, was born in Hőgyész, Hungary, about 27.6 kilometers (about 17 miles) north.

From Google Maps

In this map, "A" represents Hőgyész, Hungary, "B" represents Bonyhád, Hungary, and "C" represents Ilok, Croatia. I have added the country names in yellow because they did not appear on the map at this magnification.

If you want to have some fun looking at an interactive map of Europe throughout history, visit European History Interactive Map. 

Mappy Monday is a daily blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers, the genealogy community’s resource for blogging. It is used by many genealogy bloggers to help them tell stories of their ancestors. 

(Almost) Amanuensis Monday ~ Birth Record for Samuel Hollander

An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. This is (Almost) Amanuensis Monday because below is an 1863 Hungarian record that is handwritten in German so I don't feel that I'm truly copying and translating exactly what is in this record; I'm just doing my best. 

I've written about finding the birth record for Bubbie Lena (Lina Hollander Handler) on a Family History Library microfilm of vital records for the Jewish residents of Bonyhád, Hungary. I also found at least four siblings of Lina's in Bonyhad's Jewish birth records up to 1895.

This very useful (for me) microfilm, "Registers of Jewish births, marriages and deaths for Bonyhád, Tolna, Hungary. Text in Hungarian and German." FHL microfilm no. 642923, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, starts with records in the late 1850's. Following is the birth record for Samuel Hollander, Lina's father.

Lena Hollander's siblings

While researching the birth record for my husband's grandmother, Lena (or Lina) Hollander, in Bonyhád, Tolna District, Hungary, I did my best to look at every page on the microfilm of records and decipher the handwritten records to look for any other Hollander records, especially siblings. Family members vaguely remember Bubbie Lena mentioning that she had a sister or maybe two sisters.

I found the following records of children born to her parents, Samuel Hollander and Anna Honenváld on the same microfilm: "Registers of Jewish births, marriages and deaths for Bonyhád, Tolna, Hungary. Text in Hungarian and German." FHL microfilm no. 642923, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

See Lina Hollander's birth record for details of the headings and how I figured out the translation.

Closeup of above record, far left

Daughter, Fanny Hollander was born on May 12, 1888. (I'm not sure about this name. If you think it reads something else, please let me know in the comments below.)

Closeup of above record, center left

Her father is Samuel Hollander, who was born in Bonyhád and her mother is Anna Honenváld, who was born in Hőgyész (also in Tolna District, Hungary). The family lives in Bonyhád. The midwife's name is Bertha Hausser (or Hausner).

Closeup of above record, right

Fanny Hollander's naming ceremony was held in Bonyhád on May 21, [1888], and the name of the officiant is Sol Gurwitz. (Again, if you think the name is something else, please let me know in the comments.)