Kolontár Memorial

Across the cemetery is a memorial that was a surprise to me. I didn't think it would have my family members' names because the monument was dedicated in 1911 and I knew my family left in 1905. I was wrong. It is full of families who left for America by 1910.

The front is dedicated to the migrants to America, praying that the Holy Trinity (depicted on the top) would watch over the 78 individuals. In 1911 that number was 10% of the population. When I looked at the first of the three sides of carved names, I found my great grandparents.

I recognize so many of these names. I immediately began to wonder if any of these people in America knew that this memorial existed before they died.

I think it would be a great idea to trace these individuals to the US and let them know about this monument. I've been adding this image to their profiles on FamilySearch. Here is the third side:

Most of these individuals named Ertl settled in Pennsylvania under the name Ardle. The wonderful part of this research is that they stayed together. Groups of family members etched into this stone are still living together as families in the States. Although my family went to San Diego (for the weather), most of the 78 lived in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.