Rohony family papers

The Rohony family papers are comprised of postcards and photographs documenting the Rohony family’s circumstances during World War II, primarily between 1943 and 1944. Comprised of János, his wife Anna, and their daughter, Zsusana (later Susan), the Rohony family was living in Budapest, Hungary until 1943 when János was forced into the Hungarian labor battalions and Anna was arrested by the Gestapo. János perished in Ohrdruf in 1944. Anna and Zsusana survived the war. The vast majority of this collection consists of extensive correspondence in the form of postcards and letters between János and Anna written while János was in the forced labor brigades in Transylvania and later, the outskirts of Budapest. Also included are photographs of the family in the years before the war.

The Rohony family papers are comprised of postcards and photographs documenting the family’s circumstances between 1943 and 1957. The vast majority of this collection consists of extensive correspondence in the form of postcards and letters between János and Anna written while János was in the forced labor brigades. The letters discuss their life and relationship before the war, care packages Anna sent to János, the deteriorating situation for Jews in Budapest, the loss of their possessions and property, and the effects of war on the city. The last postcards were sent by János in the weeks leading up to his death in December 1944, with one from the Józsefváros train station near Budapest where he bids his love for Anna and describes his uncertainty about the future. János wrote his last postcard around December 9th stating his brigade was at the border and he bids farewell to his wife, daughter, and country. The photographs comprised in this collection depict the Rohony family before, during, and after the war between 1925 and 1950. Images of Anna, Zsusana, and other extended family members are contained here within.

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