Dongory family
The Dongory family/clan is a few centuries old Transylvanian old family from the city of Şimleu-Silvaniei, in the Sălaj County.[1]
Although the original family name was Rațiu, sometimes spelled Racz, no one knows where the Dongory nickname came from. For more than a century it was an affluent noble family until the communism regime confiscated most of their land and properties during the collectivization. After the 1989 fall of communism, parts of the estate were returned to the living descendants.
The legend has it that in the early 1800s, the family was quite poor, until a male member, Michael (Mihai) found a Dacian gold treasure while working in the field.[2] He used a part of that treasure to buy a lot of land and cattle, turning the family into a wealthy one almost overnight. He did not spend all of the treasure, but instead hid the rest of it. Subsequently, the clan owned a family house on a 3ha hill just outside the town, that even today bears the name of Dongory's Hill (Dealul lui Dongory).[1], a vineyard on the Măgura Șimleului and a few dozens hectares of arable land a couple kilometers away from the family house and more. Although some of the descendants looked for the rest of the treasure, no one was able to find it.
Michael had two sons and a daughter and while he took care of all of his offspring, he left the main estate to his first born Michael II also known as Michael D., born around 1901-1903. Michael D. was known in town for being quite lazy, and even though he fathered 5 sons and 2 daughters, he was going hunting all day long while his wife raised the children, tend of the house needs and made sure the helpers did their chores. Somehow he didn't squander the family estate, but the communism regime nationalize most of it, leaving only the family house and a plot of land around it, about a 5th of the surface of the Dongory's Hill.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vetişanu-Mocanu, Vasile (1985). Cartea Şimleului : Repere istorice şi culturale ale vieţii româneşti din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în 1940. Bucureşti: Litera Bucureşti. p. 202. Search this book on
- ↑ Corbeanu, Dumitru (2013). Adevăr şi mit despre tezaurele şimleuane. Şimleu Silvaniei: TIPOVID. p. 78. ISBN 978-606-8182-49-0. Search this book on
Vetisanu-Mocanu, Vasile: Cartea Simleului. Bucuresti, Editura Litera, 1985,Category:Surnames,Category:History
Dongory[edit]
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