Maria Leonie (Barkóczy) Wengraf Baronin (1894 - 1928)

Born 29 Aug 1894 in Wien

Ancestors

Wife of Edmund Wengraf — married 10 Apr 1928 in Wien, Austria

Died 10 Apr 1928 at age 33 in Wien

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Biography

cf. mainly family sources plus Wien cemetery data at www.friedhoefewien.at.

BARONIN MARIA LEONIE, BARONIN WENGRAF [SZTANKOVITS-BARKÓCZY] was born on 29 August 1894, in Wien. She became known as ‘Lola’.

On 5 August 1921, aged 26, she was a secretary at "Neue Revue" of which Edmund Wengraf was editor - c.f. notes in Wien.

At birth her address was Wien, Kauntizgasse 6B. Before 1928, when younger than 33, she resided in Wien 18, Ferrogasse 28.

Lola died on 10 April 1928, aged 33, in Wien. She was buried on 12 April 1928 in Wien, Gersthofer Friedhof: 2-2-8. (N.B. the name on her gravestone is spelt "SZTANKOVICH-BARKÓCZY")

The following information is also recorded for Lola: Conversion on 14 February 1928, aged 33, in Wien; Marriage on 10 April 1928, aged 33, in Wien.

Notes: • Wien XVIII, Ferrogasse 23 (Residence in 1928). • from Catholicism to Protestantism (Conversion). • on her deathbed (Marriage in 1928).

Edmund WENGRAF, aged 68, married "Lola" - Maria Leonie - Baronin WENGRAF [SZTANKOVITS-BARKÓCZY], aged 33, on 10 April 1928 in Wien.

Notes: • As of 16th. April 2012: Recent far-reaching research has shed new light on "Lola's" ancestry. Although it had been noted that a certain "Sarolta Barkóczy-Sztanvovich" was buried in the same grave at the Gersthofer Friedhof it wasn't until by chance that a whole family tree of the celebrated Barkóczy de Szala dynasty was stumbled upon on the internet that the pieces of this particular jigsaw fell into place. All documents concerning Lola in our family's possession gave the name of Lola's mother as "Carolina Johanna" and mentioned the name of grandfather & grandmother as Baron Franz Barkóczy & Eugénia, née Richter.

Thanks to - http://genealogy.euweb.cz/hun/barkoczy.html - it became quite clear that Baron Ferenc Barkóczy and his wife Eugénia, née Richter had a daughter by the name of "Sarolta" ... The fruit of this research is to be seen on those three respective profiles.

• N.B. According to a note on the back side of he new version, dated 14th. Feb. 1928, drawn up of Lola's original birth and christening certificate of 29th. Sept. 1894 ... she was accorded a change of family name from "Barkóczy" to "Sztankovits" on 8th. May 1914. (Name). • also N.B. The tracing of Lola's possible Sztankovits links is particularly complicated due to the many different spelling versions of this family name - e.g. Sztankovich, Sztantovics, Szankovich, Szankovics etc. etc. ... (Name). • Wien VII, Kaunitzgasse 6B (Address at birth: cf. Lola's birth & christening certificate of 29th. September 1894)(Birth). • according to the 14th. February 1928 version of Lola's original 29th. September 1894 birth & christening certificate permission had been granted to her for a change of name-at-birth from "BARKÓCZY" to "SZTANKOVITS" - cf. footnote on back side of certificate & further comments on this under her mother, Sarolta Carolina Johanna BARKÓCZY-SZTANKOVITS's profile (Change of family name). • from Catholicism to Protestantism (Conversion in 1928). • Lola came from a family of Roman Catholic tradition (cf. notes for her grandfather Ferenc/Franz BARKÓCZY).

In fact Lisl states that at one time Lola was intending to become a nun. (also quite tradional in the Barkóczy family judging by a couple of other female members listed on the family tree). It is probable that she converted in order to be able to marry Edmund Wengraf, a divorcée of originally the Jewish but converted to the Evangelical faith himself. They had clearly been enjoying a loving relationship for several years. (N.B. numerous photos in the family archives depict Edmund with "a lady" who is probably Lola - most are, sadly, of inferior amateur quality and there are no good close-ups ...)

Although at one point Edmund's son Hans expressed anxiety at the risk of "losing his father" because of Edmund's affair with Lola, both Edmund's children appear to have become reconciled with the idea - above all because they could see how happy their father was with Lola - and they did both actually like her themselves as well (cf. family correspondence).

At the time of her conversion Lola already knew that her health overshadowed future prospects. She was terminally ill and had been poorly off and on for some time (Conversion in 1928). • on her deathbed (Marriage in 1928). • Although Lola & Edmund had already taken the first steps towards a possible marriage it was Lola's sudden critical state that made push come to shove. Lisl recalls that her mother Erny was summoned urgently to go in search of a priest to perform the matrimonial ceremony at short notice on the very day that it was clear poor Lola was dying. Erny ran frantically around Wien and finally found a willing clergyman and rustled up two witnesses: Leo Walk, of course, and also the ever-obliging "uncle" Otto Waldstein (he makes frequent appearances as witness in several other family documents).

Edmund Wengraf obviously wanted to grant his Lola her last dying wish - and it was done ... (Marriage in 1928).

As of 15 June 2012:

Having finally found a moment to rummage through Lisl's antique ancestral linen drawers and brainstormed with the living members of the family a bit ... many monogrammed treasures can now be highlighted here on pertinent profile pages. The two pretty pieces which clearly came from Lola are excitingly embroidered with the nobly-crowned "BS" for BARKÓCZY de SZALA.