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MY FAMILY IN SUSSEX COUNTY HISTORY
Student Story For 2008
Moving to Ogdensburg
Written by Sophie Daubner, grade 7, Ogdensburg Public School
My Grandfather, Joseph Bertalan, loves to tell us all the story of his childhood. He was born on a farm in Youngstown, Ohio. He was the youngest of four children, born to Claire and Charles Bertalan, who both immigrated from Hungary when they were very young.
My great-grandparents were good farmers. They raised chickens and cows and spent long days working in the fields.
One hot summer day, while the whole family was working in the fields, their farmhouse caught on fire. The children weren’t even wearing any shoes and everyone just had the clothes on their backs. Even though they tried to get neighbors to help, there was nothing they could do to put the fire out and the house burned to the ground. They lost everything.
Some relatives who were originally from the same place in Hungary heard about what happened and told my great-grandfather about a working zinc mine in a little town in northern New Jersey, called Ogdensburg. He said if my great-grandfather brought his family to Ogdensburg, then he could get a good job working in the mines.
So, the entire family packed up whatever belongings they had left and moved across the country to New Jersey. They built a small house at the bottom of Kennedy Hill, and my great-grandfather got a job in the mines. My great-grandmother continued raising chickens and eventually got a job as a seamstress at Morley’s Shirt Factory in Franklin.
When my grandfather was old enough, he got a job at the mines, too. One day, while working, he had a terrible fall and was almost killed, but was able to grab onto a pole and pull himself up. He decided to leave the mining job and went into the State Police where he worked until he retired.
The two houses they lived in are still there today. Our house is only a quarter mile from where they lived, even though things looked very different back then.
To find out more information about the topics in Sophie’s story, "Moving to Ogdensburg", you can:
TRY THESE
KEYWORD SEARCHES in the LIBRARY CATALOG
Hungary – History of Hungary – Hungary Fiction – Emigration Hungary – Ellis Island – Immigration New Jersey – Emigration – Immigration Fiction – Ogdensburg New Jersey – Franklin New Jersey – Mining New Jersey – Zinc Mines – Minerals New Jersey – Mining Fiction
JUST A FEW OF THE BOOKS YOU’LL FIND…
...ABOUT IMMIGRATION FROM HUNGARY
…ABOUT OGDENSBURG, NEW JERSEY… AND FRANKLIN!
…ABOUT MINING IN SUSSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY…
…ABOUT THE WAY THINGS LOOKED “BACK THEN”
USE THESE WEBSITES TO LOOK AT MAPS ABOUT THE STORY “Moving To Ogdensburg”
USE THESE WEBSITES TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MINING AND MINERALS IN SUSSEX COUNTY
The Stephens Collection
Sussex County Library ~ 103 Main Street Franklin, NJ 07416 ~ 973-827-6555
A history of early mining in Franklin and Ogdensburg. Compiled by the late Mr. Frederic J. Stephens, a mining engineer. An informative unique collection offering authentic materials through maps, books, pictures, letters and articles. Call the library. Viewing is by appointment only.
Click here for more information about the Sussex County Library’s Local History collection and the “My Family In Sussex County History” story contest for students. Contact Reference Librarian Heather Schaefer.
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