"The German Reformed community of
Feketehegy was established in 1850. At the time there were 64 couples, 45
homes, 43 quarter fields, and about 300 people. There were 57 of both
sexes of school children." (Schenkenberger, S.1) This small
community took it upon itself to acquire a school and a teacher. That was
not easy and yet we were often ready and willing to make shameful sacrifices to
meet the necessary means. In a contract with the teacher the following
salary was settled upon: "From each couple, each house, and each quarter
field (at the time 11¼ (kat.?) yokes, one half third (12.5 kg) of fruit (or
wheat). From each couple and each house every 26(xer) Kreuzer (money) in
Austrian currency. Then a vacant apartment with a cooking (kitchen)
garden, a cord of hard wood, sufficient heating with straw, a ¼ session field
(which was the teacher's own field, plowing and the fruits managed from the
homes, 4 loads from 2 stations, 10(xer) Metzen of meal, and from each married
couple and from each body 35(xer) stole fee. (Schenkenberger, S.2) The
fields, the loads, and the meals were redeemed each year from 1871 on for 60
Forints (Guilders).
But not everything was done with it.
The teacher's apartment and school room must still be cared for. So as all
beginnings are difficult, it was also not an easy beginning for this community.
Poor, barren, still not healed from the wounds of the 48's Revolution and
without funds they went towards the great building consoled. In the first
and second years (until the fall of 1852) they were interested in one room for
the teacher's apartment and one room in which the children would be instructed
at the home of Anton Kleb (Klepp, today the home of Adam Schwebler on Paschitsch
Street, new house number 22, old number 167). For three years the
teacher's apartment was one room at the home of Johann Weismann (today the place
between the two buildings is an orphanage at 31 King Alexander Street, old
number 8) and at Jakob Zuschlag's home (today a play school stands there at 25
King Alexander Street, old number 4) interested in an instruction room.
Through the eager church executives Michael Orth, Jakob Schwebler, Philipp Blath, Nikolaus Orth, Gottfried Gutwein, A. Schmoll during the first two years
the church members accomplished much in providing charity and contributions for
the welfare for the community and they acquired for themselves in 1852 and empty
house lot on the main street, the second place they could buy for themselves for
the (Notatorial?) accommodations (today the house of Istvan Bajda, 32 King
Alexander Street, old number 40). Through the further contributions of the
community members and the charitable gifts of the neighboring villages of
Szivatz, Cservenka, Verbaß, Torscha and Sive the community was able to build a
new schoolhouse on their empty lot in the fall of 1852.
House lots could begin. And so it was that
the new construction was fortunately completed in the fall of 1853. A
beautiful spacious schoolroom also served as a place of worship at the same time
and 2 rooms, a kitchen and a dining room, served as the teacher's apartment.
On the last Sunday in the month of October 1853 the first church service was
held and on the following day school instruction began and continued in the
peculiar locality of the German Reformed community.
Although still not completely free of
debt and demands were still not completely complied with in that the stables
were completely missing at the teacher's apartment, yet in an intellectual
respect things were already taken care of such as the children were instructed
in their own school and could be educated in the Reformed religion.
(Schenkenberger, S. 2-3)
II.
With the opening of the school and
the school building was the school request for the desire of a community
solution. But there awaited still a satisfied solution to the question of
other church concerns. In this respect different attempts were made.
On the 6th of April 1851 the Hungarian elders of the church were asked by 9
German representatives for a German church service to take place on every second
Sunday. But they would no longer pay as the outgoing trustees for half of
the pastors who held church service to receive pay. On the 4th of May this
request was rejected with the remarks that the Germans may also attend the
Hungarian church service, but if every one of them desired a church function, a
small tax must be paid to the Hungarian treasury by the Germans - double Stola
paid. On the 23rd of December the Germans were allowed to take part in the
communion in the German language on the second Christmas day (Boxing day) but
they didn't want this to ever happen again. - On the occasion of the canonical
visitation of the 14th of April 1852 it was again stressed that the Germans pay
no taxes. The first school and place of worship to the Hungarian community
since the church and teacher's apartment, built 1852-53, was not open for German
sermons or communion services although they are welcome at Hungarian church
services and may also hold eulogies, weddings, and school examinations in the
German language in the Hungarian church. - Before Christmas 1852 the Germans
again requested to be allowed to hold their own communion service. This
time their request was again turned down with the reason that they did not pay
the Hungarian community the small tax. However the reason was still
mentioned that through repeated use of the church they could later lay claim in
the sense of common law of completely free use, or even property law; they would
like to go to communion together with the Hungarians.
Szilady reported (S.27) that the
Reformed Germans sometimes also held church service "in the first three years
(1850-1853)." This was probably held in a rented school by the teacher.
In this request the school building brought the desired solution. The
school room could also be used for church service. Such was frequently the
case for Reformed brothers who settled in Syrmia and Slavonia. So did the
Reformed Germans of Feketitsch also since their school was finished. In
one legal letter to the Senior that Rev. Kozma read from the 13th of March 1855
that the teacher Schenkenberger held church services every Sunday in the school
in years past until now but the community paid him nothing for his service and
he was not inclined to continue to do this for free. However this was a
temporary situation, after which the teacher would not perform this service
without a special salary. The community finally arranged it with Rev.
Kozma. Now (that the school question was finally solved) the parents also
had the desire that not only their children but also they themselves receive
religious lectures. So they joined with the Hungarian Reformed pastor at
the time, Kozma Lajos, and he performed a sermon for them on every second Sunday
in the German language through his assistant and on festival days the Holy
Communion was given. For his service he was rewarded with one third of
fruit (25 kg. wheat), one third of barley, and one Guilder from each couple. -
and he received the Stola fee besides that since it was collected in the
Hungarian community. So in a religious respect the parents and children
were cared for. (Schenkenberger, S. 3-4). This agreement was met on the
29th of March, 1855 and on the occasion of the canonical visitation on the 12th
of April it was confirmed and remained valid until Rev. Kozma's death in
1868.
So no an ever more orderly community
life could be lead. Since 1851 the yearly accounts were regularly compiled
by the church fathers and they were examined by the elders, the community
elected the church father and elder who led them and wherever possible they
always settled matters in agreement with the whole community which was easily
possible in so small a community. Since 1855 minutes were regularly kept
at the elder's meetings and community assemblies.
The chairman - and certainly also the
community member - desired for a church service every Sunday. On the 2nd
of April 1856 they asked teacher Schenkenberger, if he was prepared to hold
church services on the Sundays when the pastor held no church service with no
additional reward. "But the teacher did not want to take this on without
payment." On the 20th of April the whole community was asked if they would
like to give a payment to the teacher for the desired service. "Besides
Philipp Blath they all answered . . . that they would prefer there be no
church service if the teacher did not want to hold it for them." The
behavior of the teacher and the community one can hardly look at as right.
A similar case also occurred in 1863 between Rev. Kozma and the community. However, to the fathers it is also human,
often all too human to go this way. Fortunately, after all these
inconsistencies no other bad consequences happened.
III.
Since 1855 the elders were
often negotiating over the missing stall to be built on to the teacher's
apartment in 1859. The teacher could now satisfied with his apartment.
But the community could also be satisfied in one respect: They were free of
guilt and could breathe easier. (Schenkenberger, S.4). But that naturally
did not mean that they were regarded as rich and when the elders gave the answer
to the question of the church districts concerning the material state in 1861,
they answered that they were poor rather than well-to-do and that was certainly
a conscientious answer. But in a few years their economical situation
improved so that an ending balance of 307 Forints, 73 Kronen could be entered
for the year's account 1865-1866. The elders decided to lend 250 Forints
to somebody who could give enough security. So then from the elders, the
pastor, and the majority of the community members a clock could be purchased in
1868 from an approved plan. But because they could not get the clock they
wanted with the money available, this plan was postponed until "better times."
Soon the community could use the
money for another purpose. On the 28th of March 1868 the chairman
and a few of the community members told the pastor of their desire "that they
wanted to buy Johann Weidinger's house opposite the Hungarian Reformed church to
use as a church, school, and teacher's apartment. Of this comment the
presiding pastor expressed his sincere joy and wished them luck." Karl
Schuh from Werbaß had (lizitiert?) the house for about 1108 Forints. On
the 2nd of April church father Theobald Hauser, jurors Jakob Orth and Jakob
Schwebler were instructed to buy the house from him. They were all given
the same money with them for their service. It is recorded that on the
20th of June they went to Werbaß to pay Karl Schuh the 505.90 Forints they still
owed for his house. On the 11th of May it states in the minutes: "it was
told that the respectable Comitat juror Istvan Agoston has bought the
prayer/schoolhouse for about 925 Forints of which he paid an amount equal to 550
Forints before those present, and the remainder was to be paid on the 29th of
September. So then the house and lot could be completely paid off in June,
as mentioned. It is the site on which all buildings of the community
stand. "Now the community had so much to do again since a new school must
be built. The site behind the thatched-roof building (this stands on the
site behind today's church, where later the teacher's apartment (bezw.?)
parsonage stood).
Where a brick shed stood at the time which was
approximately 6-7 fathoms longer was to be used to build the new school and
school roof from its tiled roof. (So the school was built in the yard.)
The treasury of the community could not be claimed for it, so they had to rely
on the strengths of each community member to provide all possible manual labor
at the construction site. It was covered with (Koth?) bricks, the walls
formed, wound, and only the cabinetmaker, the glazier, and the locksmith of the
manual laborers were rewarded. In October the school was finished and
instruction could be begun anew." (Schenkenberger, S.4) The teacher
received his apartment in the thatched house.
From the old material it probably did
not have a good foundation and without a master mason to build it the school
caved in after a high water level on the 26th of February 1870, being completely
together on Sunday evening "without which one could have contributed to the
danger pertaining to the salvation of the building. Fortunately the
teacher and the students were not in the building, all of them and the relatives
truly had reason "to give thanks to God." On the next day the elders
decided to rent a schoolroom. On the 20th of March a community meeting was
held in the Hungarian school which because the pastor was prevented from doing
so "the office duty in the parent community" was led by the notary public Miklos
Molnar, a seldom or only an isolated case. "After more guidance it was
decided: that the new school to be built would be placed on the south side of
the street front, the foundation excavated down to solid earth and then with the
prepared existing essential masonry stone which was intended for the
construction a new place of worship was formed. And then so was the
school, which together with the (Kuchel?) kitchen had a length of 7 fathoms,
throughout the summer it was built with God's help, and instruction could be
begun in November of the same year." (Schenkenberger, S.5) The
construction was done by master mason Gottfried Gutwein.
"In 1871 in the middle of January the
community was once again afflicted by an accident. Through the damp and
wet year, which followed on top of the other, also moved the walls of the
teacher's apartment. The middle wall behind the living room caved in and
the remaining walls were near the danger. The teacher was put up with his
household appliances in Agoston's house (in the former teacher's apartment); and
the damp walls were then supported with masonry stone." (Schenkenberger, S.6)
On Georgi 1871 it was decided by the elders "that
the floor of the living room would be paneled from the community's account
(the room had no floor until then); the teacher received the demand to be
advanced 31 Florints for the boards with the condition that the 31 Forints in
Austrian currency without interest remain in the community until his death or
until he leaves from the community." (Schenkenberger, S. 6-7)
IV.
In between there were also other
difficulties. "In this year the community also had the difficult loss to
lament in that their generally beloved pastor Kozma Lajos, after a six week long
heart condition he gave up his shepherd's staff and passed on to a better world
on the 29th of September 1868.
In 1869 the Hungarian parent
community elected for the position of their dead pastor Kozma Lajos, his son
Kozma Lajos to be pastor. The joy of such a fortunate choice that the
Hungarian community met and also found a large reception center for the German
community. They joined with him, and for his service to give the sermon
and the Holy Sacrament on every second Sunday it was recommended that he receive
240 Forints in Austrian currency yearly and the Stola fee as it was collected in
the parent community." (Schenkenberger, S.5). This agreement however did
not come about so easily as it first appeared. It was discussed with the
pastor about four times until it came about. Also with it the plan for a
church service on every Sunday, which was first raised as an issue in 1856, was
newly considered. On the occasion of the canonical visitation on the 19th
of April 1870 the chairman expressed this desire again. The pastor
explained that it was impossible for him to serve every Sunday in the German
community and advised the community to make an agreement with the teacher.
But this solution did not come about at this time.
Some of the community members then
had what was at the time a bold plan prepared for the community. The
community should request an administrator of their own. In this sense they
handed in an application to the superintendent. But this plan was not
approved by everybody and it caused disagreement in the community. For
this reason for a few months the pastor, who was also against it, held no church
service. From the 16th of May until the 30th of August there was also no
elder's meeting, what the pastor gave as a reason for it, he wanted to convince
the superintendent with the information that those who had requested an
administrator had not gone about it the right way. But then they arrived
at the answer. "After that this matter was not discussed by the Seniorat.
- Also at the moment the regulation of the relationship between the parent and
the branch communities - will block its completion there." The pastor made
the chairman aware that they had to go through the Seniorates to ask for an
administrator, if they wanted to achieve something. But one obstacle was
that the community with the salary for the dead pastor was still in arrears.
The chairman decided to levy a tax to pay the balance. On the 3rd of April
1871 the pastor suggested to the elders that if they wanted to undertake further
steps for the sake of an administrator to do so through the Seniorates and
wherever possible pursue a united and common cause. On the 11th of April
the yearly canonical visitation took place. The chairman informed the
Senior that they wanted to request the Seniorat for an administrator. "The
highly esteemed canonical visitation had the intention of taking notice, but
advised for a consultation for the purpose of a union with the parent
community rather than forcibly urge the desire for detachment because the
current circumstances demanded excessive sacrifices." On the 16th of April
it was questioned at the community meeting which under the guidance of the
pastor, the chairman, the church father, and 33 community members took part."
The pastor presented the question of the appointment of an administrator and the
suggestion by the canonical visitation of a union with the parent community; the
possibility of the latter is extremely doubtful, so they did not desire to
discuss it at this time." There could be no question about it. But
on this question: "Should we request an administrator at this time?", 3 of those
present voted yes and 28 voted no. So for the time being everything
remained as it was.
