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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Buckinghamshire => Topic started by: Roy G on Wednesday 11 December 13 16:43 GMT (UK)
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I believe Bella Jokai died 30th January 1947 in the Amersham district of Buckinghamshire. Can anyone direct me to a newspaper containing a possible obituary or any other information?
Thanks in advance
Roy G
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Have you already got her age (68) and administration details? Her estate of only Ł20 was administered (in 1962) by Louis Nagy aka Lajos Nagy journalist.
Bella's address at death was Manor Lodge, Manor Way, Chesham.
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Was she (formerly Bella Nagy) the widow of this man?
http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3kai_M%C3%B3r
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Yes, here she is. Hope your Hungarian's better than mine :)
http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagy_Bella
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Thanks avm228.
Yes that's her (born 1879, died 1947). She came to the fore as the very young bride of Jókai Mór a famous Hungarian writer who was born in 1824 and died in1904. As you can see, he was some 55 years her senior and because of their age differences, she offten suffered "Gold Digger" taunts from his close Hungarian relatives, who are also on record as bickering over his estate.
One of his biographers out here in Hungary wrote that he knew Bella died in England in 1947, but had no idea in what town and where she was buried. The problem of finding that out was a challenge that I found too exciting to resist
I am much obliged for your rapid response with info showing her estate was minimal and that her younger brother was an executor, for that has certainly narrowed the search for her last resting place down to a cemetery (possibly Jewish) in the Chesham area. Hopefully a Chesham newspaper also contains a more detailed obituary.
Regards Roy G
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There was no death notice placed in The Times for Bella - just to cross off that possibility.
Yes I can see the tussle over his will, reported at the time :) And the Morning Post of 29 Aug 1899:
The announcement that Maurice Jokai, Hungary's greatest author, is about to marry Madlle. Arabella Nagy, a charming actress at the Magyar National Theatre in Budapest, has excited the liveliest interest in Austria and Hungary, more especially as M. Jokai is seventy-four years of age, while his bride is only eighteen.
On your quest for a burial I was going to say that by 1947 one must also bear in mind the real possibility of cremation - but that's less likely if she was Jewish.
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Hello I have just come across your search and I believe that Bella Nagy formerly lived and was the first owner of our house in Chesham and I have a photograph of her (I think) which comes with the house. I am looking into house deeds but am very interested in finding out more and I am intrigued about your link with her. Can you let me know any further information and likewise I will after I've dug a little deeper? Many thanks
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Thanks for your follow up on this NAJ71
I have to say that I have no family connection with Bella whatsoever, my motivation to find out more came after a present day Hungarian biographer stated that after her husband's death, Bella settled in 'London' England, adding rather dismissively, that "little else is known." That I found, was a challenge that I could not resist and hence my interest. For a start London was incorrect, for as you know, Chesham, Bucks is some considerable distance away from London.
I can give you various internet links that would tell you more, but there would invariably be language complexities. The best sources are the Hungarian Wikipedia entries for Bella (spelled with two LLs) and her husband Jókai Mór which both have a translate into English facility. Even just Googling their names will give you an early series of pictures of her with her husband which I think you will also enjoy picking through.
The main thing that intrigued people then and now in Hungary, was an age difference between groom and bride of some 55 years. Some believe that the bride was a sort of Victorian dolly bird that only married the groom for financial reasons, whilst others contend it was a genuine love match. I could not say either way, but I strongly favour the latter.
Roy G
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Thank you for your reply. I am now very intrigued and will post any further information from this end.
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Hi. You were asking information about Bella Jokai
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You are right, it was me who was asking a while ago. What's your interest?
Roy G
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I had a connection with her brother Louis Nagy years ago. What is your connection?
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No family connection whatsoever, but a prominent author here in in Hungary just wrote in a biography about the couple, that she died in London. 'London' also appears as her place of death in Wikipedia. As you may gather, London is a very broard and woolly statement at the best of times and it was that that motivated me to be more specific and find out exactly where. The responses I subsequently got from this and other websites, added an interesting extension to the published accounts of their lives.
Regards Roy G
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Hi Roy, She moved to London as they said, but as a previous reply stated the family moved to Chesham, Manor Lodge, soon after I believe. This I think was about 1938-9 when they moved to Chesham Im not sure of the exact date they left Hungary.
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I am also led to believe she left Hungary around that time. She being so young and he having been so elderly, there was a lot of bitchyness from some of the more senior members of the family who were angling for the entire or a portion of the estate. Her financial support was no problem though for she also held all the publishing rights to her late husband's popular works and published other works besides. Regards Roy G
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Hi Roy, Yes she would have been 59 if she came to England in 1938, her brother certainly came then.
She did not come from a poor family anyway, as her brother although stated as a journalist was in fact a barrister. I knew him personally. I would be interested to read the book about Jokai. I have been to Budapest to see the statue to Jokai out of interest , but understand there is a house which is a memorial to him Is there one in Budapest.
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A villa which is a museum to him is not in Budapest, it is near lake Balaton in the town of Balatonfured. Rootschat tries to avoid 'chatters' adding links, so you may find the following translated abstract from museum's text informative.
Jókai Commemorative Museum
Móric Ásvai Jókay (Révkomárom, February 18, 1825 – Budapest, May 5, 1904), a member of the Hungarian Academy of Science, was the son of József Jókay (lawyer) and Mária Pulay. He studied in Komárom, Bratislava and graduated from secondary grammar school in Pápa. He made friends with Sándor Petőfi (one of the greatest Hungarian poets in the 19th century, a key player of the March Revolution in 1848) at the meetings of the autodidactic circle: Petőfi encouraged him to publish his first short stories. He graduated from law school in Kecskemét and practiced as a lawyer in Pest. After the success of his first novel entitled Hétköznapok (Weekdays) in 1844 he dedicated his life to writing. He was an influential figure in the Reform Age. He changed the y in his surname to i after March 15, 1848 to indicate that he did not want to take advantage of his privileges granted by his noble birth. He actively participated in the 1848-49 War of Independence. He took part in the drafting of the 12 articles. He was a national guard and the editor of the government’s paper.
He met his wife, Róza Laborfalvi at the theatre on March 15, 1848. She played the role of Queen Gertrudis in Bánk Bán and pinned a cockade on Jókai’s jacket. Jókai married the celebrated actress, who was eight years older than him on August 29, 1848. After the fall of the revolution he was forced to hide. In 1849 he was pardoned partly due to his wife’s intervention and took up writing. He was the most productive and popular as a writer in the 1850s. He became a member of the Academy in 1858. He launched various newspapers and humour magazines. He was sentenced to one year in prison for violating press in a leading article.
He first visited Füred in 1857 and he spent his holidays there in subsequent years with his wife, actress Róza Laborfalvi. Róza’s younger sister, Jozefa married István Huray, a doctor in 1865. His villa can be found at 2 Blaha Lujza street. Mór Jókai purchased the plot near Huray villa in 1867 and the eclectic villa with two closed verandas and six rooms was built in 1870. Róza Laborfalvi died in 1886 and the writer stayed away from Füred for many years. He sold the villa to János Michelini, a grain merchant in 1889.
In 1894 a collection of 100 books by the writer was published in a de luxe edition and he was appointed honorary doctor at the Royal Hungarian University of Science in Budapest. In 1899 he married Bella Nagy, 20 years old at the time causing considerable scandal. The couple was not disturbed and lived happily. The grandson of Jókai’s brother Miklós Jókai-Ihász repurchased the villa in 1908 and it was owned by the family until 1950 when state control was assumed. On the 50th anniversary of the writer’s death in 1954 the Jókai commemorative museum was opened, the only one so far. It was reconstructed in 2009.
Information
Address: Honvéd u. 1.
Opening hours: V.1-X.15.: 10-18h
Regards Roy G
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Thats great info thanks. They were a very interesting couple as I said although critised for money grabbing she was not without money herself but the family left everything when they left Hungary for Uk and had to start again They had substatial property and belongings in Budapest and it was all left behind in 1938. . Also I think it was very much more common for younger women to marry much older men in that time. I am trying to do a chart of their families so any info would be a bonus
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I have sent you my email address in a PM
Roy G