BB News No. 119 dtd 30 Jun 2003

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 119 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) June 30, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) RECIPIENTS PLEASE READ: You are receiving this email because you are a BB member or have asked to be added to our distribution list. If you wish to discontinue these newsletters, email with message "remove". ("Cancel" will cancel membership, homepage listings and mail.) Send address and listing changes to the same place. Sign your email with your full name and include BB in the subject line. Send no attachments or graphics unless well known to me. Please keep changes to a minimum. To join the BB, see our homepage. We can't help with non-Burgenland family history. Appropriate comments and articles are appreciated. Our staff and web site addresses are listed at the end of newsletter section "C". Introductions, notes and articles without a by-line are written by the editor and reflect his views. Please exchange data in a courteous and cooperative manner - not to do so defeats the purpose of our organization. IMPORTANT POLICY NOTICE!!! WE'VE HAD MEMBERS COMPLAIN THAT BECAUSE THEIR EMAIL ADDRESSES WERE PUBLISHED IN THE NEWSLETTERS, THEY ARE RECEIVING MORE MAIL THAN THEY WISH TO RECEIVE. OUR POLICY IS THAT ANY EMAIL RECEIVED BY YOUR EDITOR IS CONSIDERED MATERIAL FOR POSSIBLE PUBLICATION AND IT MAY ALSO CONTAIN YOUR NAME AND/OR EMAIL ADDRESS. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT WILL BE PUBLISHED BUT WE WILL TAKE YOUR PRIVACY INTO CONSIDERATION, IF SO INSTRUCTED. ADDING THE WORDS "DO NOT PUBLISH" TO YOUR MAIL WILL RESULT IN ITS NOT BEING PUBLISHED. REMEMBER; HOWEVER, THAT SHARING INFORMATION IS WHAT THE BB IS ALL ABOUT. This first section of our 4-section newsletter includes the following: 1. Taste Of The Burgenland - Gulyas Soup - Goulash Soup 2. More Members Tour Burgenland - Pum 3. Zuberbach and Narda 4. St. Bernard's Church, St. Paul, MN 5. Canadian Burgenland Immigration Records 6. Zwetolitz School Project Awarded An "A" (see BB News No. 118) 1. TASTE OF THE BURGENLAND - GULYAS SUPPE - GOULASH SOUP I've had requests for this recipe, having mentioned it in Newsletter No. 39A. It appears a few search engines have been asked to search on the word "goulash" or "goulash soup" and we've then been contacted. Somewhere I read that Gulyas (goulash) is one of the leading recipes used in the United States. It rivals spaghetti as an ethnic favorite. Unless of Austrian or Hungarian descent, however, few people know of the goulash counterpart - goulash soup, a favorite European dish. Gulyässuppe has an ancient origin. It comes from the steppes of Russia, where Magyar (and other tribal groups) carried dried meat with them tied to the harness of their horses. Legend tells us that meat was also fastened under saddles so it would be tenderized. When they wished to eat, they built a fire over which they hung a kettle. Meat and water were added to the kettle, along with salt and what ever wild herbs or onions were available. This was simmered for hours. In its thickened form, using larger pieces of meat, it was gulyäs (goulash), in its thinner form with more liquid, it was gulyäs suppe. (Note: my wife makes a tasty lunch-time soup out of leftover Goulash, by adding beef bouillon and a few other ingredients to taste.) After peppers were introduced into Hungary during the Turkish invasions, they were sun-dried into paprika and added to the traditional gulyäs and suppe, replacing expensive black pepper. Onions, lard, garlic and paprika became Hungarian staples and were later incorporated in this as well as other Hungarian cuisine. The following recipe is from a cookbook mentioned below, via my wife's kitchen, and takes advantage of modern ingredients and Berghold family tastes. It will appeal to most American tastes and is not difficult to prepare. Potatoes can be eliminated and the soup served only with bread or crackers, or no carbohydrates if desirous of cutting same. Likewise, any non-cholesterol oil, such as canola or olive, can replace butter or lard. Pinched dumplings (nockerln) or noodles can also replace potatoes [to make nockerln, use 3/4 cup flour, 1 egg, salt, and a little water, if necessary; make a stiff dough and drop small pieces into the soup. When they rise to the surface, they are done.] To really enjoy this soup, serve with a cold European bean salad, home-baked bread and a strong Hungarian red wine like Egri Bikaver (Bull's blood of Eger). If you can also forget your diet, have a second course of cabbage, bean, turnip or potato strudel and then follow with a fruit strudel dessert. Gastronomic heaven! Gulyässuppe, Burgenland Style: 1 lb beef, cubed (trim all fat) 1 lb onions, chopped fine 1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed 1/3 cup carrots, grated 3T shortening, butter, cooking oil or fat (Hungarians used 3T lard) 4 T flour 2 1/2 T sweet Hungarian (Szeged) paprika 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp. crushed caraway seed 3/4 tsp dried marjoram (some use more to taste, maybe 1 1/2 tsp) 1 tsp salt (more if using beef broth rather than bouillon) or to taste 1 tsp vinegar 1 quart beef broth (from bouillon unless you have have stock) 1/2 quart water 2 T tomato paste (adds nice touch and color) a couple dashes hot paprika (half-sharp) or cayenne Saute the beef, onions and garlic in shortening until golden brown. Remove garlic. Mix together flour and paprika, sprinkle over browned meat and onions, stir well. Add beef broth, deglazing pan, then water, vinegar and tomato paste; stir well. Add caraway seeds, marjoram, salt and hot pepper. Simmer covered for two hours until meat is tender. About 45 minutes before serving, add the cubed potatoes and grated carrots and continue simmering. Add more water if necessary. Serve piping hot. For a spicier variation add chopped chili peppers before serving or use half-sharp hot paprika. Makes 4 to 6 servings. Freezes well, but remove any left over potatoes. Adapted from the traditional Burgenland recipe found in "The Cooking Of Burgenland" by Alois Schmidl, Burgenland Chef, published by Edition Roetzer 1992, English translation by BB Lehigh Valley Editor, Robert Strauch. Bob Strauch had previously forwarded the following minor variation: Gulaschsuppe - Goulash Soup 1 oz. cooking oil 1 lb. beef cubes 1 lb. chopped onions 3 large potatoes 1 tbsp. tomato puree 1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika 1/2 teaspoon marjoram salt, pepper and caraway seeds Fry onions until golden brown, add spices and vinegar. Add meat, stir, then add tomato puree. Continue stirring until nicely browned. Cover with water and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Add potatoes cut into small cubes. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Adjust seasoning, add a little more water if necessary. You can 'stretch' the meat if needed, replacing part of the quantity by adding some sliced sausage. ED. Note: Other traditional Burgenland (German-Hungarian-Croatian) recipes can be found in our newsletter archives as nos. 39B, 74B, 81B, 83, 83A, 84A, 90, 101, 104, 104C, 105B, 106B, 109B, 114B. 2. MORE MEMBERS TOUR BURGENLAND - PUM (ED. Note: BB member Theresia Andruchowitz-Halper was among those Austrian BB members attending the BG picnic where I was awarded the Burgenland Ehrenzeichen medal. The Pums mention her in answering an inquiry.) Thanks Janet, ...for your inquiry, and ...YES, my wife Jan and I visited Burgenland last October 5th, 2002. After spending a week touring Switzerland, and another week traveling thru Austria, I rented a car from Hertz, picked up another member of the BB Bunch (Theresia Andruchowitz, a Social Worker living in Vienna, interested in Genealogy and Family Heritage, and fluent in German, Hungarian, and English) and spent the entire day driving south from Vienna to visit my "Blood Relatives" at Welgersdorf and Grosspeterdorf in SE Burgenland! We were treated like ROYALTY, fed delicious foods and drink, communicated as best we could, EAT some more, drank some more, tasted more home made desserts, met more of the villagers (the young teenagers helped with the language interpretations) ...and thoroughly had a marvelous GOOD time of it! They certainly are excellent cooks, bakers, and "Festive Party-Social People" in Southeast Burgenland! We loved every minute of it, and the hugs and tears at the end of the day, and return drive to Vienna (about an hour & a half away) were an emotional release! Hertz International was very helpful in arranging the Ford car rental, and our companion and travel guide/interpreter Theresia Andruchowitz, was exceptional in her HELP & assistance! Without the Internet and the Burgenland Bunch information, and their members e-mail addresses, I probably would not have made the trek to SE Burgenland. I did see and visit where my father lived, his school, his church, family store, the "exceptional" and incredible cemeteries and black marble headstones of my Grandparents and great-grandparents (PUM, HORWATH, SOMOGY, WAGNER, WERDERITS, LUTTENBERGER) etc, ...all-in-all, ...do make the trip Janet, should you care to visit your family heritage at Burgenland-Austria-Hungary, ...whenever you can arrange the time. Should you get to the Green Bay area of Wisconsin, ...I'd be happy to show you my photos and maps, etc. Thanks again for your interest and inquiry, ...cheers and best wishes, ... Bob and Janis Pum (HAPPY and fortunate to be BB members in NE Wisconsin) 3. ZUBERBACH AND NARDA (from Fritz Königshofer) Fritz writes: This is in reference to the e-mail conversation reported by Gerry Berghold in the BB Newsletter, issue 118C of May 31, 2003. Zuberbach (Hungarian name Szabar) and Nagynarda were villages in old Vas county of Hungary with predominantly ethnic Croat populations. When the old kingdom of Hungary broke up at the end of WW-2, Zuberbach became part of the new state of Burgenland in Austria, while Nagynarda remained in Vas county of Hungary. In 1950, Nagynarda and Kisnarda were united and now have the name Narda. Zuberbach and Narda are not far from each other, about 10 miles only, but today they are separated by the Hungarian-Austrian border. With the forthcoming accession of Hungary to the EU, one can look forward to the day where this border will soon only exist on paper and the old connectedness of land and culture will be back. If you intend to search your roots, Zuberbach had its Roman Catholic parish in Dürnbach (Incéd), while civil recording (from October 1895 onwards) was in Weiden bei Rechnitz. I don't know whether Nagynarda was its own parish, but the proper parish would be easy to find out. (ED. Note: Nagynarda was its own parish. Records from 1722-1895 are available from the LDS as microfilm nos. 0601442-443.) 4. ST. BERNARD'S CHURCH - ST. PAUL, MN (from Joelle Knopf) I was wondering if you might like to pass along this information. My family church and neighborhood were populated by Austrian immigrants. I called the church this morning and they said that the church was established in 1890 and the records go back to that date. Others in the "Bunch" may find them helpful. St. Agnes is only a few miles south of St. Bernard's so, if you wouldn't be able to find something in one church, you may find it in the other. St. Bernard's Church Business Office, 1160 Woodbridge St, St. Paul, MN 55117 Phone: (651) 488-6733. 5. CANADIAN BURGENLAND IMMIGRATION RECORDS (from Jean Novosel) I thought you might like to add this website to your newsletter. National Archives of Canada ArchiviaNet (On-line Research Tool - Databases) Immigration Records (1925 to 1935) which includes Burgenlanders to Canada http://www.archives.ca/02/02011802_e.html. Thank you for your great work. Jean Novosel (Toronto, Canada) 6. ZWETOLITZ SCHOOL PROJECT AWARDED AN "A" (from Frank Zwetolitz) A big Thank You to everybody! My daughter received a grade of 100% for her project. Given more time she would have done more research. She provided the majority of original thought. I helped her with some of the symbolism. I also shared the e-mails with the entire family. They were very delighted to read the information you provided. The design chosen was: A) Shield template: 1) At the top was grapevines to signify my daughter's great-grandfather's (Zwetolitz) interest in wine making. He would always make wine and share it with the neighborhood, who then would play and sing music when the wine was ready for consumption. 2) A motto was used: Love, Wisdom and Honor. Where the flower represents love of beauty, the eagle in the crest representing wisdom and then the cross showing honor to God. Lower Left: The symbol of Burgenland is a crest (a single headed eagle whose wing tips hold two crosses - he is perched on a mountain and has a crown on his head). On his chest is a shield with red-white-red-white horizontal lines. My Burgenland family heritage extends to at least 1524. Lower Right: Coat of Arms for Croatia. This is where my ancestors migrated from in 1524. The coat of arms (13 red squares and 12 silver squares arranged intermittently in a 5 times 5 pattern). This coat of arms was affirmed by 15th century documents. It is a very old symbol of Croatia resembling a red-white chess table. Now it also has a crown composed of five regional symbols representing 1) The oldest known Croatian coat of arms, 2) Dubrovnik, 3) Dalmatia, 4) Istria and 5) Slavonia. Upper Left: The flower is an Edelweiss. The flower grows in the mountains of Austria. The flower is used to represent all things pure and white, simple and beautiful. The flower is used here to represent the family name meaning of flower, blossom or bloom. The Edelweiss flower has always been known as a "Medal of Honor" because of the strength and bravery needed to reach the flower high in the mountains. Also known for its fame of the emperors. Just as Austrian Emperor Franz Josef had a painted picture of his wife Elizabeth with silver stars of Edelweiss to adorn it. Upper Right: The cross is used to represent the other meaning of our last name. Phonetically spelt "svet" has the slavic meaning of saintly or holy. However, our families continued reverence to God and church has given this symbol a special meaning to me. In the Middle: A "Z" with a circle around it to show the new world spelling and ties to the old world. * We respond: Well done! The BB also awards your daughter an "A" for a great job. I hope this moves some other schools to develop an interest in family history. Sharing your daughter's project with the family was a plus that may well live on in future generations. Your immigrant family members and their origin have achieved immortality. *Bob Strauch replies: Gerne gescheh'n!. Kudos to both of you. I can't remember if we advised you to have a look at the site www.best-of-ungarn.com, which has lots of fotos of the border villages, including Raabfidisch/Rabafüzes. Also the site www.best-of-burgenland.com. Congrats again and hope to see you at Stiftungsfest. Newsletter continues as no. 119A.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 119A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) June 30, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) BURGENLAND BAND CONCERT - CHICAGO JULY 20 - CONTACT TOM GLATZ! BB MIDWEST PICNIC - AUGUST 2 - SEE HOMEPAGE FOR DATA This second section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. Was Mom Really A Citizen? - Bob Eder 2. Why Wasn't A Border Village Ceded To Austria (or Hungary)? 3. Purpose Of Ethnic Organizations Like The BB and BG? 4. Burgenland Composer Michael Brand (Mihály Mosonyi) - Fritz Königshofer 5. Finding Villages: Spelling-Spelling-Spelling! 6. How To Find New Member Data 7. Austrian Band At Musikfest 2003/Bethlehem, PA - Bob Strauch 1. WAS MOM REALLY A CITIZEN? (from Bob Eder) (ED. Note: I often tell members to check naturalization papers filed by their immigrant ancestors. However, many immigrants planned to return to the Burgenland; it's estimated as many as 25% did and, therefore, they did not apply for citizenship. War then intervened, as did a better lifestyle, and return was delayed or forgotten. Naturalization was put off and sometimes ignored. Some families were trapped by a change in the laws. Bob tells us of one case in his family.) Bob writes: I have a story that might be of interest to BB readers. It has to do with the discovery that my mother, living in the United states for fifty years, believing herself to be a citizen, was not! This revelation occurred after I applied for a position with the National Security Agency in 1957. The NSA asked me to prove that my parents were citizens. This was easy in my father's case. His father had been naturalized on Dec. 22, 1915. The Naturalization Law at that time automatically provided citizenship for his foreign born wife and children. My mother's case was more complex. She arrived at Ellis Island June 3, 1907 (age 1 year, 4 mos.) with her mother and two sisters. They joined her father, Jacob Pogledic, who had arrived Jan. 9, 1907. They took up residence with friends in New York. Sometime before 1910, Jacob died and my grandmother re-married, to one Jacob Stutz, an immigrant from Germany. Jacob, now my mother's step-father, did not apply for citizenship until May 21, 1924, two years too late for the automatic family citizenship provision to apply. The law was altered Sept. 22, 1922 and excluded the foreign-born family provision. Until the truth was unearthed, my mother simply believed she was a citizen, and of course in her heart, she was. I wonder how many others passed on without knowing the truth. There was a happy ending for my mother. On Aug. 29, 1957, amid much hoopla, she spoke the Oath of Allegiance in front of Judge Kenneth H. Koch at the Lehigh County Court House in Allentown, PA. My hope is that this story sparks additional genealogical research by those who are still not certain that their parents were citizens. 2. WHY WASN'T A BORDER VILLAGE CEDED TO AUSTRIA (OR HUNGARY)? (courtesy Albert Schuch, Bob Strauch, Fritz Königshofer et al.) (ED. Note: The question of why some villages are in one country or another constantly surfaces. When you view the convoluted border of present day Burgenland, you may well wonder why it was done in such a seemingly haphazard manner. Most borders follow straight lines (viz. US western states) or natural barriers like rivers or mountains. Why is Burgenland so different? The first reason is that the allies in WW-I, as victors of that conflict, wanted to dismantle Austria/Hungary. Secondly they wished to do so on racial and ethnic lines (per US President Wilson's 10 Points, specifically the Doctrine of Self Determination) in order to preclude future conflict. Almost an impossible task considering the vast ethnic make-up of the empire. As we all know, Germans, Magyars and various Slavic groups had migrated all over the empire for centuries, even though some were more predominant in some areas than others. Various treaties followed the end of the war, but it was mainly the Treaty of St. Germain that established the first eastern border configuration of the new Austria. Since the western Hungarian counties of Vas, Sopron and Moson were mostly populated by people of Germanic extraction, this area, the proposed new province of Burgenland (although then not named as such), was ceded to Austria. Various problems immediately arose, particularly in the Sopron area, where Magyar (Hungarian) influence created civil unrest. The Hungarians claimed (and there is evidence to support their claim) that given a choice via plebiscite, many of the non-Hungarian ethnic groups would have voted to remain in Hungary rather than be ceded to Austria. Plebiscites were mainly denied by the allied powers except for the Sopron region, which did in fact vote to remain in Hungary, thus denying the new province what would have been its capital and severing natural north-south rail and road networks. Wasp-waisted Burgenland was the result. The Treaty of Trianon then modified the previous treaty, establishing the Burgenland as we know it today. (This treaty also addressed other Balkan borders as well.) Ethnic and political reasons aside, there were certainly other factors which entered the picture, as the following exchange of correspondence indicates.) Albert writes (some time ago): Fritz, Thanks for forwarding this interesting exchange: << ... why Rábafüzes ... did not end up in Burgenland ... Jákabháza, Felsõ and Alsó Rönök ... something to do with the fact that the Bavarian royal family owned a lot of land in that area ... >> Certainly the Bavarian Prince was a factor. But so was the economy: Those villages were used to selling their agricultural goods & other products in Szombathely (or had their jobs there), hence many inhabitants wanted their communities to remain in Hungary. An interesting sidenote: The weekly "Der Freie Burgenländer" of 28 Dec 1921 published a letter received from one Josef Taus in "Schiloh, Ohio, Nordamerika". He writes (dated 1 Dec 1921) that he had learned of the existence of this paper by reading a Viennese paper. He asks for political pressure to claim the German villages Raab-Fidisch, Jakobshof, Ober- and Unter-Radling for Austria. Mr. Taus apparently also sent a letter to the Austrian State Department. This (anonymous) letter has been published in Otto Guglia's "Das Werden des Burgenlandes" (Eisenstadt 1961) and is dated 19 Sep 1921. Therein, the author (who signs as "Ein deutscher Burgenländer"; the letter has been stamped in Ohio) explains why the Raab river would make a suiteable border, from Unter-Radling to Jennersdorf. Bob Strauch writes: << From what I've read, the villagers were swayed by the influence of the priest, Father Pataki, who was kidnapped one night (by Freischärler from the Steiermark, they say) and found shot to death in the woods outside of town the next morning. >> Guglia's book also includes an official Austrian police report about Father Pataki's death. The report (prepared by Revierinspektor Alois Luggos) states that Father Pataki was in favour of Pernau's annexation to Austria and that he has been abducted and killed by Hungarians. If this is of interest to one of you I can provide the whole report (just one page). 3. PURPOSE OF ETHNIC ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE BURGENLAND BUNCH (BB) & THE BURGENLANDISCHE GEMEINSCHAFT (BG)? (with thanks to Bob Strauch and Tom Glatz) Some time ago, Bob Strauch sent me an excerpt from the Allentown Morning Call, which included a letter to the editor complaining about local ethnic organizations formed by the descendants of Pennsylvania Palatinates (commonly known as Pennsylvania Dutch). The complaints mainly concerned the fact that ethnic organizations often become merely social groups, interested only in eating, drinking and having a good time (albeit with ethnic overtures). Some also engage in worthwhile local social works, sponsor money-raising events and even commercial ventures like fairs and concerts. Although these activities have value, they do little to promote ethnic heritage or preservation of ethnic language, the prime reasons for founding the organizations in the first place. When we consider the decline of ethnic clubs, we tend to blame television, current family activities and modern lifestyles. One rarely hears that an even more important reason may be the lack of other than social reasons for becoming an active club member. The Internet has changed all that and we now have purely non-social ethnic organizations like the BB (although there are some gatherings of Internet groups like our own Mid-West Picnic sponsored by Hap Anderson), who are strictly devoted to preserving heritage and language. That they attract large memberships (like our own 1000+ members) is indicative that they are fulfilling other than a social need. Family history certainly adds a very strong element, which is often completely lacking among purely social groups. Language preservation, while viewed as impossible and hard work by some, is readily taken up by others, viz. the Hianzen efforts of the BG and the language queries received by the BB. We can't ignore the fact, however, that we are social animals. We require physical as well as mental interaction. A physical meeting often cements relationships which have been acquired strictly through mail, telephone or Internet communication. When I visualize the BB and BG, I see the faces and hear the voices of those whom I have personally met. The others are still a vague outline, even though we may have become kindred spirits. I have come to the conclusion late in life that the preservation of ethnic heritage and language has a significance far beyond what we may imagine. As families fragment geographically and disperse, as the older generations pass on, we may well wonder why we feel rootless and alone in a seemingly uncaring and shrinking world, increasingly populated by strangers of an ethnic heritage other than our own. Family history and the study of ethnic heritage can go a long way in supplying roots and a circle of family. This is the magic we find as members of an Internet-based BB, but it should also be assisted by social activity as provided by an organization like the BG. I strongly urge BB members to consider joining a local heritage group like the BG. If a BG group has not been formed in your vicinity, consider any Austrian, Hungarian or Croatian group or join the BG by sending annual dues of $15 to their Güssing office in order to receive their newsletter and be advised of world-wide Burgenland affairs. You will be promoting your ethnic heritage as well as advancing your family history. Any BB member in the Chicago area can contact Tom Glatz; in the Lehigh Valley area, Bob Strauch. More information concerning the BG and their snail- mail address can be found by viewing their website at www.burgenlaender.com. They can also be reached via the BB homepage. 4. BURGENLAND COMPOSER MICHAEL BRAND / MIHÁLY MOSONYI (from Fritz Königshofer) In the slowly progressing BB newsletter series on "Composers of the Burgenland" (of which, so far, articles on Joseph Haydn and Franz Liszt have been published), my next installment would be on Mihály Mosonyi, the first Hungarian writer of symphonies, who was born in 1815 in Frauenkirchen as Michael Brand, son of the master furrier Michael Brand and Elisabeth nee Thell. It seems that the first Brands who moved to Frauenkirchen (in about 1776) were a Michael and wife Franziska, perhaps the grandparents of the composer. Mr. Gmasz, who works for the Austrian TV/Radio and heads the city archive in Neusiedl, wrote to me that the records of Neusiedl show in 1770 the marriage of a Michael Brand, furrier, with Franziska nee Gartner. Does anyone have any information on this couple? They did not have children in Neusiedl, and may have lived in Mönchhof for a few years before settling in Frauenkirchen. If my supposition is true, that they indeed were identical with the Michael and Franziska of Frauenkirchen, we have found the extension of this family line. 5. FINDING VILLAGES - SPELLING-SPELLING-SPELLING! The BB has solved the problem of finding villages in the Burgenland. If you can't find a village that is in Burgenland today, you are not searching our website. A search of Albert's List, our Village List, the Burgenland Map Site and our archives will find your village plus much more. There are three places, however, which can cause trouble. Burgenland records often refer to border villages that are now in Hungary, Slovenia or Slovakia. They now carry names in those languages as opposed to German. Our map site will identify some, the others may take some searching in other websites like those available from World-GenWeb (through Roots-L). Nonetheless, you must be able to spell them correctly. Below is an example as written by Albert Schuch, who is replying to a query we recently received. The query stated: "Her father was Georg Czuppon, born in Szentpeterfa, Hungary, in 1862, served as village Wachtmeister in Stegersbach, Austria, until about 1922, died in 1936; married to Johanna Korpits in 1896 in Goruja-Lendava (spelling is from record, but no idea where it is). Albert replies: Exchange the "u" for an "n" and you have "Gornja Lendava", today's "Grad", a place (an old castle) in the northeastern corner of Slovenia, close to the Austrian and Hungarian border. 6. HOW TO FIND NEW MEMBER DATA To find BB members, you just have to search our website member list. You may not have done so recently and thus you may have missed some. You may not know that new members are identified at the end (following "Z") of our member list for a short time before being alphabetized. A member writes: I read the BB newsletter last night. I am amazed at how it has grown in such a short amount of time. I do miss seeing who the new members are every month and what names they are researching. Reply: Data concerning new members would reduce the space available for other articles in the newsletters. Since the same data is available from the membership list at our website, I opted to stop publishing them some time ago. Hannes Graf, our membership editor, also lists new members with a "new" tag at the end of the membership list. He holds them there for a short time, before adding them to the alphabetic section. To see new members daily or weekly, just go to the BB website, click on membership and go to the end of the list. 7. BB-AUSTRIAN BAND AT MUSIKFEST 2003 / BETHELEHEM, PA (from Bob Strauch) Here's something of possible interest to BB members in the Lehigh Valley or those planning to visit the area in August. This year's Guest European Band at Musikfest in Bethlehem (August 1-10) comes from Austria: "Ludwig Gruber und seine Steirischen Musikanten" (Ludwig Gruber and his Styrian Musicians), who hail from Krieglach in the northeastern Steiermark. Krieglach lies in the Mürz Valley between Bruck an der Mur and Mürzzuschlag, on the main train line Graz-Vienna. For more information on the group, as well as photos and listening examples, check out their website at www.musikmarkt.at/steirmus/. For complete information on Musikfest, including performance schedules, go to www.musikfest.org Newsletter continues as no. 119B.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 119B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) June 30, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This third section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. Online Genealogy Classes 2. Croatian and Other Records in the Burgenland Parishes of Szt. Peterfa and St. Kathrein 3. Was Meint "Heimat"? (How Is "Heimat" Defined?) 4. Some Help for a Lehigh Valley, PA Query (Vollman) 1. ONLINE GENEALOGY CLASSES (courtesy Margaret Kaiser) I'm sure we have some members who have little or no experience with genealogy. While the BB can help those interested in Burgenland family history, such help often requires at least a basic familiarity with genealogical tools and methods. The BB was never intended to be a purely genealogical website, it is more of a micro-genealogical family history center. One of the reasons behind the formation of the BB is that the Burgenland is pretty unique among family history locales. First, Burgenland descendants in the US are rarely more than three generations removed from the homeland of their immigrant forebears. They thus are often fully aware of their pedigree in the new land and often have knowledge of the their origins. This differs from other groups (the Pennsylvania Palatines for instance or the Scotch-Irish-English immigrants of colonial days). There the thrust is on American pedigree, first and foremost, as opposed to European pedigree. In other words, BB members are interested mostly in European family history whereas others are more interested in American. There is a considerable difference in the two approaches. Secondly, the Burgenland is a mixed ethnic area with a long history of migration and strife. At least four languages will be encountered and political changes often affect where records will be found. A knowledge of history and religious change is a necessary tool. American family history, on the other hand, requires much emphasis on census, land records, naturalization records, wills, military service and the like, whereas European (especially Burgenland) requires emphasis on church and civil records (particularly those great LDS microfilms of the 1828-1921 period). The 1825 Hungarian census is secondary. Both Burgenland and American family history require some knowledge of ship manifests and immigration records as far as the link to Europe is concerned. Internet availability is also common to both. Members interested in preparing a valid genealogy or family history will often encounter the need for expertise in both American and European genealogical methods. This is where a structured class or educational help in genealogical tools and methods will be of value. We have often encouraged members to acquire a genealogical "how to" book. For some this is the answer. For others, a class may be a better approach. Member Margaret Kaiser, a proven Burgenland genealogist and frequent contributor to this newsletter, has forwarded the following, which you may find of value. I have not investigated this offer myself, but I do know that Ancestry.com has been doing some good work in this area. As usual, the BB cannot guarantee results or value, you must make up your own mind. If anyone participates in any of these classes, we would appreciate your comments. Margaret writes: These on-line classes may be helpful to researchers beginning their Burgenland research. Course outlines can be read by copying and pasting the URL/s into Internet browsers. I recommend locally-taught classes when these are available. Local genealogy societies and community schools often conduct excellent beginning to intermediate genealogy classes at reasonable cost, however, these classes are generally not specific to Burgenland and Eastern European area research. These listed on-line classes can be considered overviews. Upcoming Online Genealogy Classes at MyFamily.com Each class is $29.95 and includes: --- Four weeks of lessons and interaction with a genealogy expert --- 30-day subscription to Ancestry.com including more than 1.8 billion names and online census images --- Tips and advice on how to find ancestors online --- Lessons through site interaction and worksheets --- Ability to create your family tree using Online Family Tree software and downloadable genealogy forms --- Collaboration with other site members to grow your family tree over the course of a year Immigration And Naturalization Research Class 03 July 2003 George G. Morgan http://ancestry.myfamily.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=3598&sourceid=831 *NEW* Other German-Speaking Countries Research Class 07 July 2003 Adele Marcum (Switzerland, Austria, Germans from Russia, and other small German-speaking settlements such as Luxembourg, Polynesian Islands, etc.) http://ancestry.myfamily.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4622&sourceid=831 *NEW* Eastern European Research Class 24 July 2003 Lisa Alzo (Austria, Hungary, Czechia, Poland, the Ukraine, Rusyn, and Bohemia) http://ancestry.myfamily.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4624&sourceid=831 2. CROATIAN AND OTHER RECORDS IN THE BURGENLAND PARISHES OF SZT. PETERFA AND ST. KATHREIN In earlier newsletters, I have mentioned the work done by BB members John Lavendoski and Frank Teklits in photocopying and digitizing the church records of the parishes of Szent Peterfa (Hungary) and St. Kathrein. If you have missed them, the following message from John Lavendoski to Martin Ivancsics (a member of the Burgenland governor's office), will introduce the availability of these records. John Lavendoski writes (June 2002) to Martin Ivancsics: It was with great pleasure that I spoke with you in Northampton during your visit. Our discussion at the Edelweiss concerning Croatian settlers in the region near Eberau was very enjoyable. Here is a review of the points which we discussed: 1) The Burgenland Croatian population of Northampton (PA) primarily hails from the following villages: Szentpeterfa (Prostrum / Pertovo Selo), Edlitz, St. Kathrein, Harmisch, Kroatisch Ehrensdorf, Winten, Gass, Eberau, Moschedorf, etc. 2) Several researchers from Szentpeterfa and also from the US, including myself and Frank Teklits (who received one of the awards at the Coplay Sagerbund), are quite interested in tracing the origins of these people back to Croatia and discovering properly the circumstances surrounding their movement into present-day Burgenland. 3) Over the past 5 years or so, I have made digital copies of thousands of early Roman Catholic church records from the Szentpeterfa and Kathrein parishes. These records go back to 1683. 4) Frank Teklits has constructed a detailed index of these records, which is in Microsoft Excel format. It is sortable by name and date. It is a great aid in determining which Croatian names flourished over the years in these areas. 5) Sadly, 1683 in the cut off point, so it reveals nothing about the late 1500s and early 1600s when many of these Croatian families may have come to the area. We are interested in sharing our info with your office and also in receiving your help in tracing the origins of these families in the Eberau area. 3. WAS MEINT "HEIMAT"? HOW IS "HEIMAT" DEFINED? (courtesy Bob Strauch) Bob Strauch forwarded the following from The Week in Germany, May 30, 2003 Editors: Margaret Dornfeld, Valerie Belz; Contributing Writer: Tanya Jones This is a partial extract: Where the Heart Is? What Heimat Means Today "Germans are known for their attachment to Heimat - a word with broad and deep connotations commonly translated as "homeland" or "home." Since the 19th century, Heimat has been invoked to boost everything from nationalist causes to sentimental movies about life in the high Alps. But what does it really mean to the average German? According to a survey recently conducted by the social research institute Emnid for Reader's Digest Deutschland, 94% of Germans, cutting across all age groups, have a place or an idea they call Heimat. For 32% of these, it is the place "where I live now," while for 14% it is Germany as a whole. Another 13% equate Heimat with family, 12% with their birthplace, 11% with "a certain region or landscape," another 11% with "where I feel at ease" and an equal number with the idea of "home in general." (end of extract) A BB definition. As a Burgenland writer, I use the term often. To me it means the homeland of my forbears: my Burgenland grandparents and their ancestors. It also refers to a special place in my own mind: the place of the origin of my clan, my family, the source of my European family history. I was born and raised in Allentown, PA -- I no longer call it home -- I don't think of it as my "heimat." I spent time in other places, then 30 years in Delaware and now almost as many in Virginia. I consider neither my "heimat." I have relocated too often to have deeply attached roots anywhere. A problem with today's American generations -- few of us remain in one place long enough to develop a personal sense of "Heimat." To a Burgenländer, who can look back on many generations of his family living in one house, one village, however, "Heimat" can only mean his village or, at most, the general geographic area of his village, his parish, his "Bezirk", his district. To an immigrant, it had even deeper meaning, it meant the source of his roots -- the place where family still remained -- the place for which he forever yearned, remembering the good, forgetting the bad. Heimat to us, means our ancestral immigrants' heimat. 4. SOME HELP FOR A LEHIGH VALLEY, PA QUERY (from Bob Strauch & Margaret Kaiser) Craig Vollman write to Bob Strauch: I am writing you because I saw that you were the Lehigh Valley Editor and I would like your insight. My name is Craig Vollman. I live in North Carolina now but I was raised in Bethlehem. I have been a BB member for some time and have found a lot of information about my Vollman relatives. My great-grandfather Josef Vollmann came from Radafalva (Rudersdorf) in 1892. I found the Ellis Island records of his arrival. I know my great-grandmother Cecilia Kefer or (Kafer)? was from Burgenland (Raba Szt Kereztur-Heiligenkreuz) and came over in 1893, but I am unable to find any arrival records for her. I am unable to find any marriage document for them. I checked with Lehigh and Northampton county court houses with no luck. I believe they were married in late 1893 or 1894. Their first child was born on 01/05/1895 and baptized at Friedens Reformed Church in Friedensville, PA. I found that in a book from that church at the Lehigh Historical society in Allentown, but they did not have any marriage document. They also spelled the surname Folman. They lived their entire life in Friedensville, then the Freemansburg area. They were Lutheran and were baptized in the Lutheran church in Eltendorf, Burgenland. Do you have any idea where I could look for any information to locate a marriage document, either another county or church that was popular at that time in history? I would love to find that document. I am headed up that way in July and will be able to do more research. Bob replies: The only other possibility I can think of is St. Peter's Evang. Lutheran Church on Vine St. in S. Bethlehem, which was the main German-speaking Lutheran parish in Bethlehem (Holy Ghost being its Catholic counterpart) and where the Lutheran Burgenländers in Bethlehem would have gone. Just speculation, but maybe your great-grandparents married there and later joined the church in Friedensville. The church has its own website: www.stpetersbethlehem.org. I have a friend here in Allentown named Julius Köfer (spelled Koefer now) who was born and raised in Rosendorf, not far from Heiligenkreuz. I went to the Ellis Island site and searched the names Kofer, Koefer, Koffer, Koeffer. I did find a Cecilia Koefer and a Cecilia Kofer, both from Heiligenkreuz, but coming in after 1900. I'm copying Gerry Berghold as well as Margaret Kaiser from NJ on this for their input and ideas. Margaret has done a lot of research in S. Bethlehem. Margaret Kaiser writes: I looked for your family in Ancestryplus.com (available only in subscribing libraries), and found the following: 1910 PA Census Enumeration District 0088 Visit 0145 County Northampton Joseph Vollman, age 36, birth place Germany, Head of Household Wife, Cele, age 32, born Germany Son, Joseph J., age 15, born PA Daughter, Cele, age 12, born PA Daughter, Annie, age 11, born PA Son, William, age 8, born PA Daughter, Julia, age 6, born PA Daughter Lucy, age 3, born PA Daughter Ada, age NR, born PA (maybe NR = not readable) Brother, Samuel, age 25, Germany 1930 census Northampton County Freemansburg borough Enumeration district 48-59 Vollman, Joseph, Sr., Head, has radio, age 56, widowed, born Austria-Graz, immigrated 1892, occupation packer Vollman, Samuel, brother, age 48, single, laborer, power & light company Vollman, Anna, daughter, age 31, single, born PA, occupation none Vollman, William, son, age 28, single, born PA, occupation none Vollman, Ada, daughter, age 21, single, born PA, sewer in silk mill Vollman, Lotti, daughter, age 17, single, born PA, examiner in silk mill Vollman, Robert, son, age 14, single, born PA, none Vollman, Esther, daughter, 12, single, born PA, none I looked at the Eltendorf films, which I have on permanent loan, but found the marriages for the late 1890s are on film no. 700738, which I do not have on loan. You can order this film through your local Family History Center. In some of the parish records I have seen, marriages in the USA were recorded there as well. These were recorded sometimes well after the fact. Presumably the pastor/priest was advised by someone in the village of this event (or maybe the Churches in the USA notified the Church in Europe). I don't know about PA rules and regulations re marriages. I was searching about a year ago for a couple who married in Philadelphia. Their marriage record was found in court records. I imagine the Church has a record as well. If the 1910 census is correct and this is the family you are interested in, the eldest child was Joseph Jr., who would appear to have been born in 1895 in PA. I did not find this family in 1920 in PA; perhaps you will have more success. It would appear that someone advised the census taker in 1910 that the family came from Germany, rather than Austria. The following might be of interest to you Vollman, Albar, from Rudersdorf, arrived 1902 at age 19 Vollmann, Anna, from Rudersdorf, arrived 1912, age 20 Vollman, Franz, from Lzt Keraszt, Hungary, arrived 1909 at age 27 (Heiligenkreuz) Vollmann, Rudolf, from Rudersdorf, Austria, arrived 1924 at age 26 Vollman, Yulie, from Harringkreunz (probably Heiligenkreuz), arrived 1906 at age 20 I tried to search for Cecilia, but the Internet site is having difficulties. Cecilia is a name which can be spelled various ways. Try to search using the following: For First Name (enter only "C") For Last Name (enter only "K") leave town name blank (in this case) for Year of Arrival (enter between 1893 and 1895) for Age of arrival (between 15 and 18) and hopefully you'll find her. (Newsletter continues as no. 119C)

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 119C DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) June 30, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This fourth section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. BB Statistics 2. New Member Extraordinary! 3. Heimattreffen in Grossdorf/Vaskeresztes (from Bob Strauch) 4. Ethnic Joke Of The Month (learn a little German) 5. Add Village History To Family History 6. Preparation For Emigration? 1. BB STATISTICS Number of members: 1038 Number inactive (email addresses not current): 46 Number of hits to membership page: as of 21 June, 20,000 since Feb. 14 Number of Burgenland surnames listed on Surname website: 3838 Number of Staff volunteers: 16 2. NEW MEMBER EXTRAORDINARY! The average new member supplies two or three family surnames and perhaps the same number of places of origin. On occasion we attract someone who has obviously done a lot of research. The following is one of those and we extend a hearty welcome to the Hladky family. Some of their data is from contiguous border villages. Viktor & Regina HLADKY write: We would like to join the BB... We can help with Trausdorf/Daraszfalva Oslip/Oszlop Sankt Margarethen/Szentmargit Zillingtal/Völgyfalva (especially 1820-1920) Ancestors: Trausdorf/Daraszfalva HLADKY, FERSCHIN, STALANICH, BARILICH, ZEICHMANN, KRISANICH, KLIKOVICH, SKARICH, KRAJASICH, DUNARICH, WAIKOVICH, MERTINSICH, IVANCSICH, SLANDOSICH, KROJER, JANKOVICH, GOLUBICH Oslip/Oszlop GERDENICH, SCHRUIFF, KOGLER, STROMMER, MIKATS, SCHUSTER, SCHNEIDER, HÖLD, KRUPICH, PANTNER, HUIBER, KUTROVATZ, SCHUMICH, SCHANESZ, BARILICH, PALANICH, PFAFFLMAYER Siegendorf/Cinfalva MIKATS, JURINA, JURKOVICH, RAIMANN, MALICH, BUKETICH Zillingtal/Völgyfalva LAKITS, ADLMANN, CSARMANN, HEISZ, STUMPF, GALLOVICH Wien/Vienna ZICKBAUER, SCHIFFER, OLIVA, CHOUTKA, SCHMELZER, SCHMIED Niederoesterreich/Lower Austria ZICKBAUER, HASLINGER, TREIBER, ERBER, ANZINGER, NAGL, SCHAEBASSER, ROSENBERGER Czech Republic HLADKY, SVEDA, JELINEK, SLEZACEK, MARAK, HLOUSEK, SMAK, POSPISIL, SCHMIED, PECHER, REMTA, VEVERA, MOUDRY, JEDLICKA, MARTINEK, KLOUFAR, KLOBUKOVA, ERHART, MUZIKA Thanks for everything you are doing! The Hladky-Family 3. BB - HEIMATTREFFEN IN GROSSDORF/VASKERESZTES (from Bob Strauch) I thought that this might be of special interest to those of us with roots in the villages across the border in Vas County, from St. Gotthard/Szentgotthárd to Steinamanger/Szombathely to Güns/Köszeg and a bit beyond. Every few years, the ethnic-Germans living in Vas County get together for a folk festival / reunion (called "Heimattreffen" or "Heimattag"). Folk dance and singing groups perform, speeches are given, a special mass is celebrated, and awards are given to those persons who are working to preserve the German language and traditions in the villages, not an easy task when one remembers that these villages lost many, if not most, of their German-speaking inhabitants during the expulsions after World War II, and also during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. This year's "Heimattreffen" took place on June 1st in Grossdorf/Vaskeresztes in the Pinka Valley. Several BB members have roots in this village. After BB'er Frieda Eberhardt made me aware that the homepage of Eisenberg an der Pinka (www.eisenberg.at) had recently updated their photo archive, I checked it out and discovered a whole set of photos taken at the event in Grossdorf. The direct link to the photos: www.dbase.at/album/2003/grossdorf. Unfortunately, the photos are not labeled. Several I can identify: Photo #1830 shows the German Chorus from Grossdorf, and photo #1840 shows the German Ladies' Chorus from Pernau/Pornóapáti. 4. ETHNIC JOKE OF THE MONTH and learn a little German (from Margaret Kaiser) Customer: "Aber Herr Ober, der Kaffee ist ja kalt!" "But waiter, the coffee is cold! Waiter: "Gut, dass Sie mir das sagen, mein Herr! Eiskaffee kostet nämlich einen Euro mehr..." "It's good (or I'm glad) you told me, my man! Ice coffee costs one Euro more." 5. ADD VILLAGE HISTORY TO FAMILY HISTORY (Pamhagen) (suggested by Marlene Thuringer Bennet) In a message dated 6/26/03, Marlene writes: I am a member of the Burgenland Bunch and am presently involved in writing a family history. My grandparents emigrated to the U.S. in 1903 and 1904 from Pamhagen, Hungary-Austria. I would like to include a brief history of the village of Pamhagen but I'm rather confused about the village name change. In Newsletter Jan 24, 1999 it states the village name changed several times over the centuries. In 1268 a document said it was called "Pomog", 1431 called Pomaken, 1589 Pommogen, 1653 Pammaggen on Lutheran church records, 1696 Pomogy seu Pamhaken. In BB Newsletter No. 116B pg 4 of 5, it states in 1346 it was known as Pamhagen. Would you be able to shed some light on this matter or direct me to someone who may be able to help me. I have very much enjoyed being a member of your "bunch". I am a member of the LDS Church and work at the Family History Center in Wichita Falls, Texas. It has been a rewarding experience to be able to assist others with their research. I appreciate the assistance you and your members have provided. Reply: All the names you mentioned are correct, Pamhagen being the last and present name. In a family history, I would mention all of them. It is very common for Burgenland (as well as many European) villages and towns to have many names over a period of a thousand years. Even in the US, we have had more than one name for some places - vis. New Amsterdam-New York, etc. The names can often mean the same thing in another language; in this instance we have a Latin name, Hungarian (Magyar names) and German names; often the spelling varied. The original Latin name was Villa Pomog - probably the name of a Roman family villa. Doesn't take much imagination to change Pomog to Pamhag in German. Our village history found in our village list (click on blue village name in list) also shows the following: Pamhagen Called "Pomog" in 1268, "Pammaggen" in 1653 (in the Lutheran church records). The Urbarium of 1589 counts 65 houses (including the vicary) in "Pommagen". Surnames of 1589: 8 MUTH; 3 PFANN, SCHNEIDL, LANG, KIEREIN; 2 KRIEGLER (KRÜNGLER), KLEINDL, PAUER, GABRIEL, GRAF, KRAMER, OBRECHT, KAINZ, WALLOSCH (BALOS), RABA (RABOLT); 1 TITSCH, WEIDENHOFER, JÄCKL, DÜRNFELDER, PLÖDL, FÜRST, AUGUSTIN, ANDOCK, PLANK, FLEISCHHACKER, AUSSENSCHMIED, PLATTEIS, GREUSS, ANDRE, HÖDL, WETTL, KOWITSCH (KOVACZ), ORGOTSCHI (ORGOCSI), FÜRASS (FÜRESZ), MÄCKHUSCH (MAKKOS), ANNOTSCH (ANYOS), ERDESCH (ERDÖS), RUDITSCH. From 1596 legal documents are known concerning the inheritance of a Margarethe BINDER, Thomas FRIES, Thomas ANOTSCH and Simon FLEISCHHACKER. In the middle of the 16th century Pamhagen annexed the former village Micheldorf, which had been destroyed in 1529 by the Turks. The Pamhagen inhabitants subsequently became Lutherans. Lutheran church records for 1653-1660 have been used to (try to) prove Lutheran immigration from Styria and the Bodensee area in 1606-1620. PATSCH, PHILIPP, MUHR, GRAISY, GUTSCHI and DENK have been said to be Styrian names, WUNDERLE (WUNDERLICH, WUNDERLE) has been said to be a Bodensee area name. The Urbarium for 1675 gives the following surnames: 6 ANDERT; 4 RAUHORT, MUT, LENTSCH; 3 KOHLNDORFER, WUNDERELE (WUNDERLE, WUNDERLICH), KOTZENMACHER, OBRECHT; 2 WEISS, SCHNEIDER, FLACKER, KRAMMER, SCHUSTER, SCHERER (SCHIER), IRMITZ, FRONAUER, LANG, BAUMGARTNER, PERICH, HOLZBAUER; 1 HALBBAUER, WENIGER, DÜNNAGL, NERMANZ (NEMAC ?), DACHS, GRAF, ROTH, KLENGER, GUTENDINGER, BIERBAUER, FROMM, GRÜNBERGER, PFANN, PREINER, GELBMANN, RAHMKÄS, KÜHRAIN, PLANK, REINHARDT, BUSCH, ECKER (EGGER), TURKER, MANNER, HEISS, MAURER, RIEPL, WORTA (BERTA ?), WIEGER, KOPPA (KAPI), KAINZ, WEINER, SCHEDL, RIECHEL, GROSS, DENK, GREISY, MÜNZENEDER, SPRENZL, FLEISCHHACKER, KLINGER, SCHAFFER, TATEN, MUHR; additional Söllner surnames: FUCHS, WAGNER, WEIDINGER, PFAIDL, SAGENMEISTER, KEGL, KAMITZ, HOFER. Catholic church records started in 1681 by a priest named Gregor STANITZ, stopped in 1683, restarted in 1686. Seems that the Turks burned down village and church during the 2nd siege of Vienna (1683). 1734 Wallern became an independent parish, having belonged to Pamhagen until then. Teachers: Paul STUPPACHER (1726-1728); Josef HALLER (1800-1808; married to a STUPPACHER); the "praeceptores" (assisting teachers) Johann NEUKAM (1807) etc. Source: Dr. Josef Loibersbeck's series "Um den Eisenberg", published in "Volk und Heimat" 17-19/1966, 1/1967; summarized and translated by Albert Schuch 10 Nov 1999 (end of fragment) I am very pleased that you work as an LDS volunteer. Their Burgenland records are the finest extant. Unfortunately they can be difficult to understand, which is one of the reasons why the BB was formed. There is a lot more information concerning history if you are interested. For instance I would include the fact that at one time it belonged to the Herrschaft of Forchtenstein, later the Nadasdy family and then various emperors. It was (and is) a market town of about 2000 inhabitants. It is a so-called "linear village" - that is, the houses stretch along the main street (road) on both sides with the farm plots behind the houses. There is a Toll House from 1777 as well as a "Turk" tower dated 1683 (a bell tower and observation post during the Turkish Wars). A popular holiday site called "Pannonia" is now nearby. We have tried to archive a short history of most villages. As you can imagine, there is very little available for some and trying to find even fragments can be very difficult. They frequently require translations. What we have is available from our Village List (maintaind by editor Bill Rudy - click on blue village names) or in our newsletters, both of which have been supplied as English translations by Burgenland editor Albert Schuch. We are very proud of these village history fragments. By all means include them in family histories. 6. PREPARATION FOR EMIGRATION? (suggested by Marlene Thuringer Bennet) Marlene writes: Thank you for your response to my e-mail concerning the name Pamhagen. Have any of the Burgenland Bunch addressed the advanced preparations the early emigrants had to make before making their voyage to the US? I've recently read about my early ancestors who came from Norway and all the preparations they had to make before coming to the US. They were months salting meats, baking flatbreads, making clothing, etc. They even had to bring brandy, vinegar and wine, as well as raisins and prunes to make a soup for the seasick. Sulfur powder and ointments for the itch. A good supply of soaps and fine combs. Water enough to supply each person with 3 quarts a day. After reading this article, it made me wonder about the preparations, if any, that our early ancestors had to make before their voyage to the US. Reply: Short of finding some diaries, it would be very difficult to answer your query with any degree of accuracy. However we can make some educated guesses as to what would be necessary. We must recognize that conditions varied with time and mode of travel. The preparations you mention would seem to be necessary for a voyage on a sailing ship (1880's or earlier), which would require considerable time (four to six weeks or longer). Even in the very early days of steam, it was often necessary for the cheaper-fare passengers to provide their own food, bedding and other requirements. Sometimes these earlier vessels did provide bare minimum food and water and sleeping facilities, which the passengers would supplement. By the advent of steam ships in excess of 15,000 tons, the shipping line would supply these items as part of the passage fare, even for third class, steerage. I would estimate that these preparations may well have been necessary on some ships prior to 1900 and even later for sailing vessels. After 1900 (when most of our Burgenland immigrants traveled), the requirements were much simpler. Based on my grandparents' experiences, their most pressing preparations involved securing the necessary travel papers, tickets and itineraries (these too varied with time). The only food they carried was enough to cover their train travel to the port of embarkation, they then ate and slept in shipping hostels until they boarded their ship. All four remembered the fine meals provided by the shipping firms. They did carry new clothing and blankets in steamer trunks. One grandfather traveled steerage and said the food was as good as he got at home, one grandmother said she and her mother felt like royalty, as they had second class tickets provided by their immigrant brother and son - they didn't know how to eat bananas and some of the other food served in the 2nd class dining room. Perhaps some other BB members might respond to this subject. END OF NEWSLETTER BURGENLAND BUNCH STAFF (USA unless designated otherwise) Coordinator & Editor Newsletter: Gerald J. Berghold Burgenland Editor: Albert Schuch; Austria Home Page Editor: Hap Anderson Internet/URL Editor: Anna Tanczos Kresh Contributing Editors: Austro/Hungarian Research: Fritz Königshofer Burgenland Co-Editor & BG liaison: (Klaus Gerger, Austria Burgenland Lake Corner Research: Dale Knebel Chicago Burgenland Enclave: Tom Glatz Croatian Burgenland: Frank Teklits Home Page village lists: Bill Rudy Home Page surname lists: Tom Steichen Home Page membership list: Hannes Graf, Austria Judaic Burgenland: Maureen Tighe-Brown Lehigh Valley Burgenland Enclave: Robert Strauch Western US BB Members-Research: Bob Unger WorldGenWeb-Austria, RootsWeb Liason-Burgenland: Charles Wardell, Austria BB ARCHIVES (can be reached via Home Page hyperlinks) The BB is in contact with the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft, Hauptplatz 7, A-7540 Güssing, Burgenland, Austria. Burgenland Bunch Newsletter distributed courtesy of (c) 1999 RootsWeb.com, Inc. P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 Newsletter and List Rights Reserved. Permission to Copy Granted; Provide Credit and Mention Source.