Yes, today our excursion included a drive to several small villages and towns, including Gherla, my grandmother's hometown. A little north of Cluj, it is a small town bustling with small industries and business. We drove around the streets, with no particular destination, and finally decided to move on to Dej, further north. As we left town we noticed an old cemetary on the left. Ron turned the car around and parked in front of the fence. We found an open gate and began to walk around, Ron taking photos and me thinking of the extreme long-shot of finding any family names.
We continued to scan for "Lazar" and Ron found one - but the dates were very recent. Could be a cousin or some distant relative, so we took photos and moved on. Just as we were about to leave, quite near the main gate, I glanced up and saw the names I've been hoping to see: Eugen and Maria Lazar! Even his title, de Purcaret, was on the monument, along with birth and death dates. A bit of new information seemed evident; another woman's name, Ana Lazar n. Buzdugan, born 1889, and died in 1963! Seems like a second wife, after Maria's death in 1924, would be the reasonable conclusion.
I was so emotional; my dream - to walk where my mother had once walked in Romania - was absolutely reality. She had been here when her grandmother, Maria, died suddenly from a stroke, so she most certainly would have stood at the gravesite, just as I did today. It was quite a day for me. Many more days might bring more information, but unfortunately that time isn't available. I should leave something for my children to search for, right?
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