Hungarians in Wisconsin
The size of the Hungarian population in Wisconsin prior to WWI is uncertain due to difficulties in determining Hungarians from Austrians in immigrant records. In 1920, the Hungarians numbered 4,803; in 1940, 6,500; and in 1960, 14,492. An exiled leader of the Hungarian assembly, Count Agoston Haraszthy de Moksca founded the town of Haraszthy (later Sauk City) in 1840. While the mass movement of Hungarians was not yet under way, his experiences helped to encourage an "immigration fever" in Hungary. Evidence of non-aristocratic Hungarians in Wisconsin support their presence in the 1850s and 1860s. Hungarians arrived in substantial numbers after 1890 and though many had rural backgrounds, they tended to settle in Milwaukee. By 1910, some 5,000 Hungarians lived in Milwaukee. More came after WWII under the Displaced Persons Act and after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
Wisconsin's Cultural Resources Study Units, Wisconsin Historical Society
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