Georgia's historical
records refer to immigrants from Austria-Hungary as Hungarians or Magyar,
due to their old homeland citizenship; regardless of their ethnicity.
Germans in Austria-Hungary who settled along the Danube River were known as
Danube Swabian or Donauschwaben. I have found little information about Donauschwaben immigrants
who settled in the South.
While researching my family
from Austria-Hungary who came to Atlanta, Georgia upon arrival to the United
States, I learned there was a
settlement of Hungarians in Haralson
County...Tallapoosa, Georgia.
I further learned Atlanta & Tallapoosa
were destinations for many Donauschwaben from the village of
Blumenthal,
located in the Banat region of Austria-Hungary, today Masloc, Romania.
Ralph Spencer of Essex, Connecticut came to
Tallapoosa, Ga. in 1886 & invited Hungarian wine-making
families, who were then employed in the mining industry in
Pennsylvania to settle on 2,000 acres of land near Tallapoosa.
Many accepted this offer. They named their largest community Budapest
in honor of the capital of Hungary. A nearby village was named Tokaj in
honor of a wine-producing region in Hungary. Tokaj was founded to
satisfy the desire of "Jacob & Paul Estavanko" for
lots larger than ten acres. Other Haralson County fruit colonies
included "Stedman" and "Boheme." An 1896 may
reveals that by then vineyards covered appx 12,726
acres of land in Haralson County.
Led to Ga. by a Catholic priest, the Hungarians
brought the Catholic faith to Haralson County. In 1893, 200
Hungarian families who had settled in Pa. mining region emigrated
to the South to begin a new industry.
They say all that remains of the Hungarian
colonies is a well constructed Catholic Rectory in Nitra
owned by a local family. The "Estavanko" family
remained in Haralson county after the demise of the wine
industry. As the story went the long time residents reclaimed
"their" land.
I have read the Haralson County 1900 census
& I found only family who is listed on Dave Dreyers
extraction list "John Knapp & Katherine". A perfect
example of a German being called a Hungarian.