HARALSON COUNTY, GA - History "Budapest" Settlement Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Conley, Joe JoeandBarb@peoplepc.com Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/haralson.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm THE "BUDAPEST" SETTLEMENT IN HARALSON COUNTY The Budapest Settlement came into being when families of mostly Hungarian descent, were persuaded to migrate south to Georgia. The idea was double sided in its origin. By moving south to Haralson County, these indiviuals would be able to have a settlement, or colony, of their own where they could be among fellow immigrants of the same Hungarian background, provide them with jobs working the vineyards for the local Fruit Growers Association and allow them the chance to keep their ethnic traditions and customs. It also provided the local Fruit Growers Association with the manual labor that was needed to set the footwork for their plan of making the area suitable for grape vineyards. By recruiting and persuading these Hungarian immigrants to the area they felt assured that they would have people that were dedicated to working hard and committed to their employer. The Fruit Growers Association used a Catholic Priest, Father Janiscek, as their go between. With many of the Hungarian immigrants being of the Catholic faith, this made the offer more appealing in that they felt a bond of closeness and trust coming from a Priest. To my knowledge, the majority of these Hungarian families recruited were previously living mostly in Pennsylvania but were also in New York as well. I can make this assumption as my Hungarian ancestors arrived from Austria-Hungary and settled in New York City prior to their move south. They came to Haralson County directly from New York. My Great-Grandparents, Ignatz and Julia (Poor) Rado, arrived in about 1896 and were not part of the initial group that arrived earlier in 1893. They were living in the Manhattan section of New York City prior to arriving in Haralson County. They, along with others, were provided a home at a reasonable cost to live in. I located documentation a few years ago at the Haralson County Courthouse in Buchanan showing where Ignatz Rado along with several other Hungarians from the Budapest settlement, obtained their Citizenship and renounced their allegiance to Franz Josef, then King of Hungary. I found this to be a most rewarding and interesting a find for me, on a personal note. The Budapest settlement had a Post Office and a General Store that was run by Frank Bukzar and his wife. A Church was contructed and known at that time as St Joseph Catholic Church. It was yet standing until the mid 1970's when bootleggers made it their home and it caught fire and burned. A Cemetery was started in 1900 with the burial of Julia Rado, infant daughter of Ignatz and Julia (Poor) Rado. Known as the Budapest Cemetery and located on what is now known as Landfill Road, its last burial was in 1964. It holds not only much history but is a tribute to those hardworking people who made a difference in the history of Haralson County. Joseph F. Conley Lorain, Ohio Email: JoeandBarb@peoplepc.com ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- THE "NITRA" SETTLEMENT IN HARALSON COUNTY The Slovak settlement of Nitra was created when it was found that more people were needed and more land was needed for the vineyard growing. Things had progressed rapidly and another group of immigrants were summoned from Pennsylvania, and these were mostly of Slovak descent. The Slovak settlement of Nitra was formed nearby. A third settlement was in the making when the Prohibition Act of 1907 went into effect. That settlement was to be known as Tokai but never really took off. My Great-Great Grandparents Jacob & Mary (Czimar) Estavanko and his brother, Paul & Eula Estvanko were among those that settled in this community. It was mostly from their request for an area of their own that Nitra was established. The Istvanko brothers (now known as Estavanko and Estvanko) arrived from Pennsylvania in the area around Luczerne County (Freeland and Hazlebrook) and the area of near Reading (Coffeetown) where large numbers of Slovak immigrants located after arriving from Europe. They found work in the coal mines in these regions. Paul and Eula Estvanko ran a boarding house for the miners prior to their arrival in Haralson County. The Estavanko/Estvanko families arrived in about 1897 to the area. Jacob's son, Adam Estavanko, arrived with his parents in about 1897 and married a local Slovak girl, Maria Grega, in 1898. Maria was a daughter of Michael and Anna Grega who also from the Nitra settlement and had migrated south from Luczerne County, Pennsylvania. Adam and Maria moved back to Luczerne County and settled in the Hazelbrook community where he resumed work in the coal mines. With Maria's passing in July 1915, Jacob played the role of "matchmaker". Jacob's younger son, Joseph Estavanko had died at age 19, in 1909 and left a widow and 2 children. His widow, Mary (Majda) Estavanko was sent north to Pennsylvania to assist Adam in caring for the children left. After 3 months, Mary agreed to marry Adam "if" he would return to Haralson County. He agreed and they made the move back and made their home in Nitra across the road from Jacob where Adam lived until his death in 1940. Mary lived until 1972 and was cared for and lived with her daughters in Bremen, Mrs Selma J. "Pete" (Mary) Shadrix & Mrs Thomas R. (Helen) Brooks. A home for the Catholic Priest was built on the edge of Beech Creek on what is now known as Old Ridgeway Road. Known as "The Priest House", both then and now, it is still standing and represents much of the history from both the Nitra and Budapest settlements. After the Prohibiton Act of 1907, their was little need for the grapes or the vineyards. Crops such as cotton, corn and others did not present the opportunity or potential that the grapes did. Many families sought out their options and most all relocated elsewhere, moving back up north for better jobs and security, than they felt the area could offer. Jacob and Paul remained in the Nitra community. Jacob and his family farmed and he also traded & bartered. His land holdings increased. Paul and his family also farmed as well to make a living. Their homes and farms were located on what is now known as Estavanko Loop Road. A Cemetery was formed and is known as the Estavanko Cemetery (or Nitra Cemetery). The first burial was in 1909 and the last in 1972. In time, it will also be the resting place for other Estavanko family members as well. There are members of Jacob and Paul's family still living. They are located not only in and around Haralson County and the state of Georgia, but also in Ohio, Michigan, New Mexico, Virginia and other states. Joseph F. Conley Lorain, Ohio Email: JoeandBarb@peoplepc.com