In The Kardos Saga, episode 7, Eugene and Anna had left Hungary behind, for good. They’d settled in the Bronx, New York, where they would stay for the rest of their lives.
When Eugene first came to New York in 1905, he wrote on his entry form that he was staying with his brother Rudolf, who sailed over only a few months before. Rudolf didn’t stay in New York for long, however.
He went back to Budapest, married Aranka Hollander in 1912, the same year both his dad and his granddad died. He stayed there, as far as I know. I only know he was living there in 1914 and working as Branch Manager of a Bank. It’s similar to his dad Lipot, who on various census forms was called a stockbroker or banker. This job sounded to me like he intended to stay.
He also reverted to his Hungarian name which was not Rudolf but Rezso. While we’re at it, in his ship’s landing papers in New York, he used the old family name Kohn and not Kardos, a gesture I liked too. He is a loose end I’d like to follow up. Plus, there were five other siblings and countless other kin back in Budapest, to wonder about.
At the start of the 1920s, Eugene and Anna were age 35 and 30, and the boys were 11, 8 and 5. They’d moved from Adams Street near East 183rd, to an apartment on 1941 Southern Blvd, where they’d stay for a long time.
They may have lost their bar when that strange experiment Prohibition came in 1920, but they went on to run Kardos Garage, on West 127th street. Unfortunately, this garage didn’t last very long. But, its purchase was in the New York Post newspaper:
The census forms of the day had strange secret codes. One heading was Class. Eugene and the boys each had a pale x suggesting it was not applicable. Anna had a large capital letter N in that space. What could these administrators have meant by that?
There were quite a few of these unexplained codes. They were in City Ward A.D. 6, Block C. House number 750, Dwelling number 67, Family number 175.
The place was not owned but rented, at $80 a month, and they had a radio.
It was confirmed, yet again, that he could read and write, and he could also speak English, but his native tongue was Hungarian.
By 1925, Eugene and Anna were 41 and 36. Albert was 17, Edward 13, and Alex 11. The formal group photo, a family favourite, was probably taken around that time. Dad looks about ten or so, and already very authoritative, even though his feet didn’t touch the ground yet. This was a hint of the dad to come.
On the 1925 census form, it said Eugene and Anna were born in Hungary, but the boys were all born in the United States and automatically citizens. The parents had been in the US for 20 years, and became naturalised citizens in 1914. Those awful boat journeys that first delivered them, were now twenty year old memories.
Also in 1914, Eugene had to register for the draft. He did not serve in the US military, but he had to register – for both WW1 in 1914, and WW2 in 1942.
When he became a US citizen in 1914, maybe WW1 forced him to declare his loyalties? I don’t know what sort of military service his siblings back in Hungary had to deal with, at that time.
Strangely, on the 1910 census, they said they were Hungarian – Magyar. In 1920, they said Austrian – Magyar. Then in 1940 they were Hungarians again.
I’m not sure why the garage launched in 1920 did not work out. I do not know exactly how the 1929 Crash and Great Depression affected them, other than to make my dad scared for the rest of his life.
The 1930 census called Eugene’s occupation Assistant Manager in the Insurance Industry. He was no longer a Proprietor, but a “Wage or Salary Worker”. This was the start of the longest steady job he ever had.
The boys were all still at home. Albert, 23, was an office clerk at a rubber tyre factory. Eddie, 18, was a bookkeeper at an insurance company. Alex, 16, was still at school. Previously, Anna’s occupation was listed as Housekeeper. Now it was listed as None. Obviously she did more work than anyone.
As for Eugene, family rumour said he’d fallen into gambling again, and Anna put her foot down and told him to get regular safe work. He went into insurance. He’d stay until retirement.
That’s when they stayed in one place, according to Dad. He used to sigh and say they moved house a lot, before that.
Also, once Eugene was in the insurance business, if they took a vacation out of the city and into the countryside, he always arranged much more insurance cover, to the hilt, for all kinds of travel mishaps, and just about anything.
When they got safely home, he’d cancel the extras and go back to basics.
Dad said it was legal but just barely, and he’d shake his head with a shrug. Dad was a lawyer, and a by-the-book kind of guy. Never a gambler.
More on those country outings, next time.
There’s chit-chat & daily snippets from Thailand and other travels, on the Noodle Trails page here:
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