 
The farewell letter consists of two pages with writing on
both sides of each page - originally, it was a single piece
of paper that was torn in half so that it could be placed
in a protective cover and read without having to unfold it
(the paper was too large for the protective cover). Following
are the scanned in pages along with English and Hungarian
translations. The scanned in images are gray-scale and low
resolution to make downloading them easier. High resolution
color copies are also available upon request, but these are
larger files. If you would like a copy of the high resolution
scans I will be more than happy to send you either a CD-ROM
with the images or arrange for an electronic transfer via
FTP. (If you would like me to send a CD-ROM I would appreciate
it if you would pay for the postage.)
This is a very old document, but it may not be the original.
Judith Schwarz at the MuseumPasseier - Andreas Hofer (Passeirerstraße
72, 39015 St. Leonhard in Passeier, Italien) feels that it
is a copy from a traveler, who visited the Sandhof. The museum
claims to have the original letter and they have been kind
enough to send us a photocopy. However, they have not provided
any information about the origin/source of their document
(how they came into possession of it). She does make a good
point that the description of the clothes at the end of this
letter seems out of place.
The letter posted on this web site has been in our family
for at least six generations so if it is a copy, it is a pretty
old one. According to family lore, we are related to Hofer
albeit not necessarily as direct descendents. Exactly how
my family may be connected to him, I do not know. It is entirely
possible that one of my ancestors was simply an associate
or fan of Hofer. Here is a trace of how I ended up with the
letter:
1. My mother: Ildikó Sipos (maiden name Sztolársik,
moved from Budapest to USA in 1979)
2. Grandfather: Iván Sztolársik; Born
Berzevicze (also called Berzevice or Brezovica; changed
from Hungary to Czechoslovakia by the 1920 Treaty of Trianon),
Died in Budapest
3. Great Grandmother: Terez Benedikta Magdalena; Born 1875
Mar 3; moved to Berzevicze (formerly Hungary), Died in Budapest
4. Great Great Grandmother: Benedicta Barthalome; Born in
Ehingen, Married in Berlin, Died in Eperjes (at that time
part of Hungary)
5. And the farthest that we can trace back the letter was
Benedicta's parents - Kristóf Barthalome & Magdolna
Henginger who lived in Ehingen. (Ehingen/Ehinga was part of
Austria for over 400 years until it was ceded to Württemberg
by the Peace Treaty of Preßburg, in 1805.)
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