Parents' Grave

Evangelical Cemetery, Bardejov

For nearly three centuries, the Kéler family actively shaped the civic and social life of Bardejov, contributing significantly to the development of the city and becoming an integral part of its history.

Kéler's mother, Anna Žofia Both (Booth), was born on July 14, 1793, in Spišské Podhradie. Her parents were Andrej Both (1764–1799) and Marianna Toperczer (1769–1842), who later became known as Meczner after her second marriage. Anna married Béla Kéler's father, Stephan Kéler, in Bardejov on September 1, 1809.

Stephan Kéler (born November 7, 1781), son of Stephan Kéler Sr. (1742–1814) and Elisabeth Laszgallner (1744–1828), served as deputy notary from 1810 to 1827 and as a member of the city council (senator) from 1829 to 1849. On February 1, 1849, he was appointed Chief Magistrate and Judge. He was also actively involved in the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church, overseeing local religious and educational affairs. He died of cholera only a few months later.

Anna gave birth to 15 children, 14 of whom reached adulthood: Emerich (1810–1837, lawyer), Friederika (1812–1877), Stephan (1813–1888, physician), Peter (1815–1849, military officer), Johann (1816, died four hours after birth), Emilie (1818–1901), Béla (born Albert, 1820–1882, composer and conductor), Amalie (1821–1890), Antonie (1823–1900), Ferdinand (1824–1870, lawyer), Apollonie (1826–1910), Victor (1827–1903, civil servant), Mathilde (1829–1894), Auguste (1831–1903), and Josephine (1832–1907).

Stephan Kéler passed away on July 15, 1849, at the age of 68. His wife Anna had died a year earlier, on May 9, 1848, aged 54. Both are buried in the historic Evangelical Cemetery in Bardejov, associated with the local Evangelical Lutheran Church congregation (ECAV).

The German inscription on their gravestone reads:

"In the blissful joy of their purest endeavor, two noble beings long united in life followed one another in death. Their memory, their work, and their blessed spirit live on."

While residing in Wiesbaden, Béla Kéler regularly wrote to his sister Emília Vandráková with specific instructions concerning the care of the family graves in Bardejov. In a letter dated July 6, 1874, he wrote:

"Do not forget my instructions regarding the decoration of our parents' grave on July 15. The grave should be cleaned the day before, as well as the grave of our kind grandmother Marianna Meczner (née Toperczer) and grandmother Elisabeth (née Laszgallner).