Family Tree Research Hungary Transylvania Slovakia

12/04/2020

Happy Easter! 🐰

www.multkutatas.hu

23/02/2020

https://www.facebook.com/secretsofhungary/photos/a.1498595703493079/3120442294641737/?type=3&theater

The only black soldier in the Hungarian army throughout Hungarian history.
Simon Perris (or Ali Mahmud) came to Hungary when he was a kid, and grew up here. He was the servant of a Turkish man who lived in Budapest. When the Turkish man died, Simon stayed here in Hungary. He spoke beautifully in Hungarian and declared himself a "proud Hungarian".
He applied to join the Austro-Hungarian army but was rejected because he was a foreign national. But he didn't give up. He repeatedly tried to apply again, even going to the Secretary of Defense.
He said: "I am very ashamed that as a Hungarian I have to sit at home when others can fight. I want to fight for my homeland."
Finally, he got permission to join the army.
He was quickly on the front page of the newspapers. They wrote:
"a man with a completely black face is walking down the streets of Budapest in Hungarian military uniform".
It was also written "we can look at him from the left and right, but this is sure he is a "szerecsen" (Saracen)".
(Many people think that Hungarians are racists, but here's the explanation: it's simply unknown and strange to us the presence of dark-skinned people. Still to this day, we are looking curiously at them on the bus and tram, even in the 21st century.
If you go to Africa and the black people look at you curiously because you are white, you don't think that they are racist.)
Simon eventually fought bravely, received a medal, and the people got used to him, and accepted him as a Hungarian.
Simon said "I want to deserve a Hungarian woman" ^_^
I don't know what happened to him later. Hope he found a Hungarian woman and lived a happy life.
Photo: © Titusz Várkonyi

10/01/2020

https://apnews.com/c3220ef7a29c458a26d005718d85ae58?fbclid=IwAR3GyWP0bTaJHJGoKs_coUwRDrJhagjBcme4_yipIdrPB_ruon4JPa-mtA4

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Although she turned 99 on Thursday, even a 9-year-old would have a hard time keeping up with Agnes Keleti's irrepressible energy and enthusiasm. Keleti is the oldest...