Eugene Kardos’s bar, Bronx New York, about 1910

The United States 1910 Census tells us that Eugene and Anna Kardos were living in the Bronx, and had been married three years. He was 26, she was 21, and their first baby was two.  “Color: White. Naturalization Status: Alien”. They and all their parents were Hungarian (nationality), Magyar (race, or today we might say ethnic group). It said their native tongue was English, which was definitely not true.  I’m taking that as an innocent error.

Judging purely from the other names on this page, I’d say they were in a predominantly Russian Jewish neighbourhood, with one Italian and one Irish family as exceptions.

His occupation was Bartender, in a Saloon, and claimed to have had no days out of work. This photo would seem to be the place, with his name above the door. Quite a few relatives, family legend and guesswork (not substantiated yet) say Eugene’s dad helped him set up this business, with an older partner, George. I believe that’s big George with the cigar. Gran cooked in the café. She was known as someone who was phenomenally strong, phenomenally busy, and almost always cooking.

If the small child in the picture belonged to Eugene, and wasn’t a grandchild of George’s for example, it could be Eugene and Anna’s second born Bertha, who died before she was three. This is guesswork only.

I wonder if they lived in the apartment above the bar. Or maybe that was George and co.

At any rate, this was their census summary in 1910. By 1920, Prohibition would come in, making alcohol illegal and their bar business finished. By then they’d have three sons, the youngest of whom would be my dad Alex.

More next time.