Absztrakt

The preserved nominal documentations of the mid-19th century censuses are the most important out of the archive sources of Torna county: the listings of the 1850 census and the house-registers of the 1869 census. The registers of the census of 1869 indicate the names of the family-members and each co-residing members of the house who were present at the moment of the census. The register consisted of the following data about each member of the household: gender, marital status, year of birth, religious denomination, occupation, residence, presence and absence, birthplace and literacy-level. A nominal-level database could have been established based on the nominal household registers of the 1869 census, extended to 37 villages and one market-town (21.000 persons). With the use of the detailed census data the marriages can also be examined in local and regional level as well (local endogamy/exogamy, ethnic-denominational homogamy/heterogamy). There was no column for the ethnicity on the sheets of the 1869 census survey, so by relying on the preserved results of the 1850 census and some complementary sources the ethnic composition of the two districts could have been revealed. The proportion of the Hungarians was similarly high in both of the Upper and Lower districts (84% and 86%), that is, after the settlement and immigration of the Poles, Ruthenes (Rusyns) and Slovaks in the 18th century the predominantly Hungarian character of the region remained unchanged. There were altogether two settlements with mixed ethnic groups in the mid-19th century: in Barakony besides the Ruthenian inhabitants (141 heads) there were 108 Hungarians, in Rákó besides the 309 Slovak heads 72 persons confessed themselves Hungarian. Mainly in the 18th century settled the Poles in Derenk, the Ruthenians in Horváti and the Slovaks in Szentandrás which had remained as homogeneous ethnic groups till the mid-19th century. The only exception is Falucska where the vlach Ruthenian settlers arrived in the 15th century. The comparison of the ethnic data of the 1850 and 1881 censuses confirmed the necessity of correcting the 1881 census in this field, and it proved the inadequacy of the language-based ethnic listings for revealing the real dimensions of the ethnic groups and minorities. The ratio of religious denominations of the population in Torna county can be determined from the nominal census registers. The Roman Catholic and the Reformed (Calvinist) Churches were dominant in both of districts, altogether they represented 88% in the Upper District and 92% in the Lower District. In the Upper District 59% of the inhabitants belonged to the Roman Catholic church, 29% to the Reformed Church, while in the Lower District the ratio of the reformed was 51%, the Roman Catholic 41%. In the Upper District the number of Uniates (Greek Catholic Church) was relatively high (7%), who were predominantly Ruthenes of Falucska and Horváti. In the Lower District the Ruthenes were belonged to the Greek Catholic Church, the greater part of them lived in Barakony, and a smaller part in Rákó. The proportion of the Israelitic Jews was 4% in both districts. Out of the protestant denominations the ratio of the evangelicals (Lutherans) represented approximately 1% in both districts, the majority of them was migrant settler. After determining the ethnic and denominational composition of the county the author focused on the marriage practice and strategies of the non-Hungarian ethnic groups of the county (Poles, Ruthenes, Slovaks) in a micro-level analysis. There are significant variances between the examined six villages. The goral Poles in Derenk maintained an archaic structure of the settlement where the clan-character dominated (close kin groups lived side by side). Local son-in-laws could not have been perceived inside the blocks of the clans. This strategy aimed at preserving the plots and the viability of the local family economies. For this reason the ratio of the locally exogamous marriages was relatively high (35,2%) and a significant-level of out-migration could have been revealed. In Falucska the efforts for the maintenance of an ethnic homogamy led to an almost complete isolation from the other settlements of the county. It is really surprising that the descendants of the vlach (shepherd) Ruthenes did not marry from the other Ruthenian (Rusyn) groups of the county (Barakony, Horváti). The marriage practice of Falucska shows that the ethnocultural and linguistic differences were so strong between the Ruthenes of Falucska and Horváti and Barakony that the population of the village turned primarily toward the partner-settlements outside the county, especially toward the descendants of vlach Ruthenian communities in Gömör and Szepes counties (Uhorna, Porács etc.). The Rusyns of Barakony and Horváti were in the stage of linguistic assimilation (acculturation) in the mid-19th century. Barakony was the most opened community of all where the ratio of the locally exogamous marriages (45,8%) was much higher than the endogamous ones (30,5%). The more homogeneous Ruthenian population of Horváti gave rise to a significantly higher ratio of local endogamy. Both communities maintained very strong marriage-connections with the Rusyn Greek Catholics of Borsod county (Viszló, Rakaca, Irota, Galvács etc.) and had (together with Rákó) the highest ratio of mixed marriages between Greek and Roman Catholics (28,8% and 25,4%). A high ratio of locally endogamous marriages (59–60%) was characteristic for the Slovaks of Rákó and Szentandrás. The proportion of out-migration to the settlements of the county and the ratio of married males and females were comparable with the Poles of Derenk. The two Slovak communities linked together with strong marriage bonds, but the marriages between Szentandrás and Derenk were frequent too. Modern national identity or a firm group-identity could not have been revealed in the examined ethnic communities. Besides the consciousness of the common origin and the linguistic-cultural community there could have been perceived the denominational-cultural frontiers and the differences of language/ dialect/ between the Poles, Rusyns and Slovaks.