THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 149
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(Our 11th Year - Issued monthly as email by G. J. Berghold)
March 31, 2006
(c) 2006 - all rights reserved)
~VISIT THE NEW REVISED & RESTRUCTURED BB HOMEPAGE -ALL 545 PAGES!~
GO TO: http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/
My thanks to the many members who sent me their best wishes and notes of
concern and support. Your comments are deeply appreciated. Gerry
Current Status Of The BB: *Members-1278 *Surname Entries-4422 *Query Board
Entries-3462 *Newsletter Subscribers-1025 *Newsletters Archived-149 *Number
of Staff Members-16
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This first section of our 2-section newsletter concerns:
1. BB Charter Members
2. Hungarian Fank, Krapfen, Fastnachts & American Doughnuts
3. Burgenland Cemetery Visits Here & Abroad
4. Lunch/Dinner In Ethnic Northampton, PA - 1935
5. Austrian Guide Available
1. BB CHARTER MEMBERS
Purging some files the other day, I found a list dated August 18, 1997. The
title was "The Burgenland Bunch Member List Update." This must be one of the
earliest member lists we produced, since the first BB newsletter was distributed
in January of that year. The list contained the following names in alphabetic
order: Hap Anderson, Gerry Berghold, Mary Lou Brubaker, Ernest Chrisbacher,
John R. Cox, Joe Gilly (deceased), Thomas Grennes, Geri Hartmann, Helen ?, Patti
Horwath (missing), Barry Keippel, Lee Keippel (missing), Dale Knebel, Anna
Kresh, Eric Kumbusch, John Lavendoski, Fritz and Kay Meidlinger, Mary Montoya,
Glenda Moser, Kenneth L. Neal, Bobbi Newlander, John Norton (bad address), Norm
Pihale (missing), Gary Portsche, Barbara Raabe, Albert Schuch, Mike Spahitz,
Lee Spanitz, Joan Straub (missing), Sue Straw, Joseph Tanzos (bad address),
Frank Teklits, Bob Unger, John J. Unger, James Weinzatl, Lynette Wolf, Larry
Zierhut. A total of 38 members, all but five are still with us (haven't been
removed from the membership list), two have bad email addresses and 6 have served
as staff members. I wish to thank those who stuck with us or served in a staff
capacity for the last ten years.
2. HUNGARIAN FANK, KRAPFEN, FASTNACHTS AND AMERICAN DOUGHNUTS
I hadn't planned to do a subject article this year as I thought I had exhausted
the subject in previous issues. Then I received a message that queried the
origin of Hungarian "Fank."
A correspondent writes:
"I have tried to find for my grandchild the origin of "FANK," a Hungarian
dessert. As far as I could discover on the internet from Montreal, the name is
German, the dessert (doughnut in America) is Hungarian. Am I right?"
Reply:
As near as I can determine, the origin of "Fank" (Hungarian for the
English language doughnut) is not Hungarian but Germanic or Viennese, as it
doesn't appear in the two leading English language Hungarian cookbooks. It is not
found in either the "Paprikas Weiss Hungarian Cookbook" or George Lang's "The
Cuisine of Hungary." It is found in Marina Polvay's book "All Along the
Danube" in the chapter dealing with the Black Forest region of Germany. Here it is
called "Krapfen" (raised doughnuts). Fank also appears in the gourmet "Old
Vienna Cookbook" as Krapfen, including a variation called Wiener Faschingkrapfen
(apricot jam filled) with rum added to the recipe. (Note: Ernst Marboe's book
"The Book of Austria," claims that Faschingkrapfen were invented in 1615 by a
Viennese baker named Cacilie. Her shop was near the Pieler Gate [Naglergasse]
and this pastry was later named "Cilli-balls." Thirty years later it was
improved by adding a jam filling. During the carnival of 1815, 8 to 10 million of
these doughnuts were eaten. A doughnut broken in half and given to a sweetheart
was also considered a token of engagement.)
Another reason to believe Germanic or Viennese origin is that Krapfen are
well-known under that name throughout Europe - I've ordered and eaten them in
Austria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Romania and elsewhere. There is even a variation
in northern Germany called "Berliner," although these generally are filled with
jam, chocolate or creme. (When US President Kennedy announced, on a visit to
Berlin, "Ich bin ein Berliner," many German speakers grinned in amusement.) A
true "Fank" or Krapfen does not have a filling, although they are eaten with jam.
They are dusted with powdered sugar or vanilla sugar and sometimes eaten
plain.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many Germans from the Palatinate (today's
Rhine-Hesse) came to the United States and settled in eastern Pennsylvania.
Today they are erroneously called Pennsylvania Dutch (from Deutsch) and they
have a traditional fried raised doughnut called "Fastnacht" - it is eaten right
before Lent and is still very popular. The recipe was brought with them from
Europe. It is, to all intents and purposes, "Fank" or Krapfen, has no center hole
and is complete with the yellow ring which occurs when the Krapfen is turned
(only once) while being fried in the hot fat. This yellow ring is found on most
variations and is the pride of Hungarian and Austrian cooks - they try to keep
it perfect. The "Fastnacht" is sometimes made with the later addition of
potatoes to the dough, all other ingredients being about the same as Krapfen. There
is also something similar in French cookery called Beignet (Beignets d'
Orleans), often filled with jam.
When the Krapfen or doughnut came to America, it originally came in the old
pattern. It retained its plain fried sweet bread aspect for many years, even
traveling west with the wagon trains as a frying pan bread, sweetened or
unsweetened as sugar, honey or molasses was available. In the early West, Louis
L'Amour would have us believe it acquired the new name of "Bear Sign." Cowboys
would supposedly ride miles to eat them. I doubt if these were a raised variety;
in the absence of yeast, perhaps a sour-dough variant.
Doughnuts became a very popular restaurant breakfast commodity, but were made
with a hole in the center (probably to make it easier to fry or dunk in
coffee) and, after WW-II, many doughnut franchises (like Dunkin-Donuts) went into
operation. Their products, while retaining a raised Krapfen dough, changed
considerably in shape, filling and the additions of various outer coatings. A cake
doughnut was also produced and a twisted shape "cruller" was also made. Today a
true Krapfen doughnut is very hard to find in the US except in limited ethnic
neighborhood bakeries right before Lent. The closest is the Pennsylvania
Fastnacht. The donut with the hole predominates elsewhere.
Not too long ago, my wife and I made a batch of Krapfen (unfilled in the old
style) dusted with only powdered sugar for a church supper. They were perfect,
according to the old recipe, but they were not popular. Those eating them
expected the heavy sweetness of commercial doughnuts with their various fillings
and outer coverings (nuts, chocolate, coconut, sugar glaze, colored sugar
sprinkles, cinnamon sugar etc.) Sadly, the doughnut is in decline in the US as not
healthy, given its sugar and fat content. Krispy-Kreme, a large commercial
national producer, recently filed for bankruptcy. The doughnut franchises have
retrenched and many now carry additional baked goods like bagels, cinnamon buns,
ice cream, etc. We now find them in convenience stores also selling gasoline.
So, we are long way from traditional Fank or Krapfen, still a delight to eat
with a cup of coffee and easy to make at home. I have even used a bread
machine to make the dough. Throughout Europe, recipes have been exchanged for
centuries among the various ethnic group, each borrowing (and sometimes adapting)
whatever appealed to them. Fank-Krapfen like Strudel (from Turkish to Hungarian
to Austrian to German) is a case in point. I believe Krapfen may have traveled
the reverse route. They can be found in Turkey and Greece as well. I like to
believe they are all a variant of the 1615 Viennese discovery by Cacilie.
Nothing beats a sack of fresh Krapfen from an Austrian bakery - in their coffee
houses it's always a hard choice between Krapfen and other delicious pastry.
A more traditional deep fried Hungarian dessert are Bowknots (Forgacsfank or
Csoroge.) I hope this is not what you had in mind - they are also called fried
twists, sprinkled with sugar and eaten with jam.
A traditional recipe for Fank (Krapfen) follows:
Krapfen (raised doughnuts)
2 packages yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tblsp sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
6 Tblsp butter
3 eggs or 2 eggs plus 2 yolks
Oil for frying
Combine yeast, water and 2 Tblsp sugar. Set aside to work. In a larger bowl,
put 2 cups flour Add milk, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and butter (room temperature)
mix till butter is combined and add yeast mixture. Add beaten eggs. Add
remaining flour using enough to make a smooth elastic dough. More water or flour
may be needed to make a pliable dough. Knead well, then place in greased bowl,
covered to rise until doubled.
(Note: up to this point, a bread machine can also be used, placing the ingredients
in the machine in accordance with machine procedure - wet items first - yeast in last
in a depression in the flour. Use dough cycle until finished - remove at the finish
beep and proceed as below.)
Put dough on floured surface, roll 1 inch thick and cut with doughnut cutter
or cut into 2 to 3 inch squares. Cover and let rise again - about 1/2 hour. Fry
in hot (drop of water should sizzle) deep oil or fat (Hungarians used lard)
about 1 minute per side - golden with a yellow stripe. Drain on paper towels and
dust with confectioners sugar or a combination of granulated and cinnamon to
taste. Sooner eaten the better - they will begin to go stale in 24 hours, but can
still be eaten and enjoyed. As a youngster I bought yesterday's Krapfen from
a local bakery for a penny and enjoyed every bite - I still do when I want a
treat.
3. BURGENLAND CEMETERY VISITS HERE & ABROAD
When Frank Paukovits initiated his website "Burgenland Immigrants Honored &
Remembered" (BH&R), see newsletter 148A and previous newsletters, it made me
think of the many cemetery visits we made while putting our own family histories
together. As a youngster, I would accompany my grandmother to the Sacred Heart
cemetery on Fullerton Avenue in Allentown, PA. Here were the graves of many
deceased Burgenland immigrants. My great-grandmother's grave was there as well
as other family members. I also accompanied my mother to other cemeteries in
the Allentown area where I too noticed Burgenland immigrant graves. Many years
later as I was completing our family genealogies, I noticed we were missing
many later generation death dates. These can be found in newspaper obituaries
and such, but it's never that easy, even though many in the US are now on-line.
Trips to cemeteries, a short trip away, were for us a better approach,
particularly since we knew where most deceased family were buried. Upon retirement,
my wife and I made a few trips to these family cemeteries, took pictures of
grave markers and filled a notebook with names and dates. Visits to relatives
resulted in the names of other cemeteries where family names could be found. It
wasn't long before we had found most missing dates of those who died in the
Lehigh Valley.
The next obvious move was to consider family who hadn't emigrated. While the
LDS 1828-1921 church/civil death record microfilm furnished most of the older
generation death dates, few were available for later generations, given the LDS
records ending at 1921. A few letters to Austria brought a trickle of such death
dates but it was obvious that a trip overseas was necessary. The most rewarding
one was in 1993 when, in a period of 11 days, we visited almost two dozen
village cemeteries gathering death dates of family members. I came across our
notes for these visits the other day and reviewed our photos and I'm amazed at
how voluminous they are. I must consider publishing them. Of course it is rarely
possible to find graves of the earlier generations, as the graves in Europe
are recycled, but many of the post-1921 family graves are still extant. Our
family histories are now missing very few death dates.
With the establishment of the BH&R website, it may no longer be necessary to
plan cemetery trips to ethnic enclave cemeteries in the US. Frank Paukovits
and his crew are expanding their geographic areas almost monthly as Burgenland
descendants supply cemetery data as well as family photos. I recently submitted
my family cemetery notes and photos for the Lehigh Valley area and I'm most
happy with the results. If you are missing death dates of immigrants who
settled in areas covered, visit the site frequently, you may get lucky. Now all we
need is someone in the Burgenland to follow Frank's lead.
4. LUNCH/DINNER IN ETHNIC NORTHAMPTON, PA - 1935 (from Bob Strauch)
While perusing the Morning Call microfilm today, I came across these
advertisements in the Feb. 2, 1935, issue:
Newport Hungarian Restaurant
1332 Newport Ave., Northampton
Crab Patty, Fr. Fries, Pickled Cabbage, Saltines.....10c
Home Made Sausage Platter............................20c
Sauer Kraut with Pork................................20c
Hungarian Goulash....................................20c
Music by Sharkazy Quartette
POLZER'S BEER GARDEN
1069 Main St., Northampton
Beer.................................. 5c, 6 Glasses 25c
Sauer Kraut with Pork............................... 20c
Hungarian Goulash....................................15c
Crab Patty, Pickled Cabbage, Saltines................10c
MUSIC
5. AUSTRIAN GUIDE AVAILABLE (from Austrian Trade & Consulting Group)
After great efforts and thanks to the help and support of all those involved,
the first edition of the "Austrian Guide" - a directory of Austrian Business,
Culture and Politics in the United States - was recently published. The
Austrian Guide is the perfect handbook for anybody willing to set up or deepen
business relations with other Austrian companies, organizations and individuals.
It contains almost one thousand Austrian organizations and corporations within
the United States.
The Austrian Guide is categorized into different sections, touching all
aspects of Austrian life in the United States: Politics, Culture and Entertainment,
Media, Science and Education, Restaurants and Hospitality as well as
Enterprises, again categorized into Consumer Goods, Industrial Goods and Services.
It also includes an alphabetical index and an organization-by-state listing.
For further information and for a copy of the Austrian Guide at a price of
$29, please go to www.austrian.us
Newsletter continues as number 149A.
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 149A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(Our 11th Year- Issued monthly as email by G. J. Berghold)
March 31, 2006
(c) 2006 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved)
~VISIT THE NEW REVISED & RESTRUCTURED BB HOMEPAGE-ALL 545 PAGES!~
~BOOK MARK THE NEW URL~
http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/
This second section of our 2-section newsletter concerns:
1. Next Month Will Feature Our 150th Edition
2. Burgenland Cemetery Data
3. Upcoming Cultural Performances In Burgenland
4. Burgenlandische Gemeinschaft 50th Anniversary Program
5. Ethnic Restaurants Come & Go
6. Burgenland Deed Changes
1. NEXT MONTH WILL FEATURE OUR 150TH EDITION
It seems like yesterday that we released the first edition of the BB News.
Next month will see the distribution of our 150th. Like me, the BB grows old but
it improves with age. Comparing some of our earlier editions with the new,
tells us we've improved content and format considerably, even though some of
those older editions had some definitive and outstanding data. Our thumbnail
village sketches, research and help guides and cultural articles are as important
today as they were years ago. Some of the serialized issues, like the Teklits
translation of the History of the Croatians in the Burgenland, the Königshofer
Burgenland composer or Hungarian newspaper series, or the Gerhard Lang
translations concerning Pater Leopold's "Mein Leben" are priceless. Albert Schuch's
translations of the Pater Gratian Leser series (Urbars and Canonical Visitations)
concerning the histories of southern Burgenland villages can be found nowhere
else. There one finds the earliest mention of Burgenland family surnames.
Then we have the many interesting and helpful trip reports like one of the first
(followed by others) by Bob Unger that supply a present-day glimpse of the
Burgenland. I could devote this whole section to the important material in our
newsletter archives. If you are not scanning our newsletter archives, you are
missing the most important contribution that the BB has made to Burgenland
family history. If you are serious and passionate about Burgenland Family History,
you'll download, print and bind most if not all of our newsletters. This can
be a most important research aid for future descendants (and there will be
some) who wish to study family history.
I am planning a special anniversary edition for the 150th issue. I have asked
the BB staff to provide an article of their choosing. It can be on any
Burgenland or family history subject although I hope some will feature what the BB
has meant to them and their research. If any of the membership would also like
to contribute an article, I'll be pleased to consider publishing them as well.
In the (hoped for) event that I receive more material than I can publish in
two sections I'll go to three or four or even more, so look for a multi-section
newsletter next month. If you plan to contribute to this most momentous
issue, I must have your email copy by April 15th at the latest; please no graphics
and email your article as a text file.
2. BURGENLAND CEMETERY DATA
This is the start of a series in which I will publish tombstone data taken
from our 1993 five-week visit to the Burgenland. The surnames are mostly those
that appear in my family but I know there are many members researching the
same surnames. If you do not find your family surnames, you may be interested in
reviewing them anyway as I have not been able to link all to my family. The
visits were generally made on a fine morning with my wife and I donning mud
shoes, alternately walking between the rows of graves. Armed with cameras and
notebooks, we would record everything of interest. Invariably the cemeteries
would have a few local women tending the graves, and they would help us locate
family sites. We would often break for a "Jause" or picnic lunch. The peace
and quiet of these sites is something that is hard to imagine unless it has been
experienced. It was almost as if we were one with those who had gone before.
Shown are the village and cemetery names. Family plots are grouped together
and names of wives rarely include maiden names. Markers with only birth dates
signify a life in being as of 1993. German phrases have been translated. Names
with an umlaut like Pöltl will normally be spelled with an "E" (Poeltl) in the
US. Most, if not all, of the families had relatives who emigrated. Notice the
missing and dead from WW-II. Full dates when shown read day.month.year.
ELTENDORF CEMETERY
Josef Neubauer 1858-1936
Elisabeth Neubauer 1879-1949
GÜSSING (Szt Jakob Church) CEMETERY
Franz Sorger 1875-1942
Maria Sorger 1878-1917
Paulina Sorger 4.5.1917-6.9.1977
Johann Sorger 4.5.1909-20.3.1987
Johann Sorger 1910-1979
Johanna Sorger 1923-
Elisabeth Stern 1950-1993
Ludmilla Pöltl 1907-1944
Emmerich Pöltl 1905-1981
Erich Pöltl born & died 1955
Erwin Pöltl born & died 1956
Franz Sorger 1906-1977
Gisila Sorger 1911-1991
Johann Schlederer 1879-1949
Gisila Schlederer 1883-1960
Franz Weber 1911-1982
Anna Weber 1922-1988
Rosina Reichel 1887-1976
Julia Mikovits 1912-
Joseph Mühl 1879-1966
Maria Mühl 1901-1951
Franziska Mühl 1873-1926
Andreas Mühl 1924-1944 (Vermisst - missing in action WW-II)
Andi Urasch 1947-1969
Albert Urasch 1908-1989
Anton Sorger 1.9.1900-3.7.1962
Franziska Sorger 18.7.1910-27.9.1990
Anton Sorger 1871-1952
(note: immediately to the right was a broken plaque, no data, that was
probably the grave of my g-grandfather Aloysious Sorger)
GROSS MÜRBISCH CEMETERY
Ida Klucsarits 1892-1964
Josef Klucsarits 1894-1963
Maria Mühl 1920-1975
Hermine Sorger 1921-1986
HEILIGENKREUZ CEMETERY
Maria Weinhofer 1865-1932
Andreas Weinhofer 1864-1943
Franz Pfeiffer 1899-1931
Walter Berghold 1939-1953
Maria Pfeiffer 1901-1978
Theresia Berghold Dec. 4.1893-Apr. 2.1961
Karl Berghold Feb.29.1884-Mar.23.1949
Eduard Berghold 1892-1948
Julia Berghold 1898-1971
Andreas Berghold 1903-fell 1944 (WWII)
Familie Berghold
Franz 1923-1987
Franz, Cacilia, small Franz
Franz Berghold Nov.14.1853-June.21.1928
Julia Berghold Aug.15.1857-Dec.20.1942
Maria Käfer (born Berghold) Aug.18.1837-June.28.1915
JENNERSDORF CEMETERY
Alois Holzer 1905-1978
KLEIN MÜRBISCH CEMETERY
Josef Sammerl 8 Mar. 1872-28 Sept. 1946
Berta Mühl 1921-1980
Julius Mühl 1920-1982
Kalman Mühl 1890-1941
KÖNIGSDORF RC CEMETERY
Gottlieb Mühl 1838-1910 -teacher
Theresia Mühl 1894-1974 -teacher
Erich Mühl 1921-1942
KÖNIGSDORF GEMEINDE CEMETERY
Franz Neubauer 1884-1945
Theresia Neubauer 1885-1944
Josef Neubauer Oct.28.1856-Jun.30.1933
Julia Neubauer 1865-1947
Cecelia Neubauer 1857-1942
NEUSTIFT CEMETERY
Maria Sorger 1909-1971
Julius Sorger 1891-1973
POPPENDORF CEMETERY
Joseph Schlener 7.1.1909-29.1.1983
Marie Gotzi 6.10.1905-22.5.1985
Anna Berghold 1861-1938
Andreas Berghold 1860-1945
Andreas Berghold 1901-1978
Berta Berghold 1904-1989
Josef Gröller 1876-1957
Cäcilia Gröller 1885-1957
Michael Schlener 1861-1933
Ida Schlener 1860-1933
Alfred Schlener 1895-1975
Gisela Schlener 1899-1984
Franz Schlener 1852-1924
Franz Gibiser 1855-1917
Gisela Gibiser 1865-1939
Josef Gibiser 1894-1955
Johanna Gibiser 1896-1976
Julia Gibiser - born Mirth died 12 May 1918 in her 62nd year
Joseph Gibiser - died 8 June 1934 in his 83rd year
Samuel Berghold 1886-1961
Julia Berghold 1891-1960
Klothilde Gibiser 1889-1954
Rudolf Gibiser 1889-1945
Josef Gibiser 1922-1943 + (WW-II)
Rudolf Gibiser 1919-1944 +
RUDERSDORF CEMETERY
Maria Neubauer 23.3.1882-30.1.1962
Karl Neubauer 18.10.1878-1.10.1967
Maria Neubauer 26.10.1923-1.11.1983
Johann Wallitsch 1863-1940
Maria Wallitsch 1861-1947
Maria Wallitsch 6.9.1894-20.11.1972
Franz Wallitsch 8.1.1890-17.6.1975
Julia Wallitsch 1879-1947
Josef Wallitsch 1875-1951
SUMETENDORF CEMETERY
Alois Neubauer 1.4.1909-23.4.1945
Anna Neubauer 6.2.1910-4.12.1988
Stefan Pfeiffer 28.11.1907-20.1.1974
Johann Neubauer 1879-1936
Josefa Neubauer 1890-1973
Josefa Neubauer 1924-1980
(To be continued in a future issue.)
3. UPCOMING CULTURAL PERFORMANCES IN BURGENLAND (from Margaret Kaiser)
Travelers might be interested in the following website which lists upcoming
Burgenland cultural events.
http://homes.tiscover.com/project/burgenland.info/themen/index.html?_th=135750&_thrub=137811&_thber=137806&_reg=bgl&_lang=de
--Mörbisch's Lake Stage: Franz Lehar's "Der Graf von Luxemburg" ("The Count
from Luxemburg), July 12-27, 2006
--Schloss Kobersdorf: "Die Dreigroschenoper" ("The Three Penny Opera"), July
6-30, 2006
--Burg Schlaining: Chamber Music Festival, May 24-June 4, 2006
--Wiesen Festivals: Beatles Trash Night, May 12, 2006; Austria 3, July 6,
2006; -Legends of Rock, July 8, 2006; Jazzfest July 23, 2006; Urban Artforms,
August 3-5, 2006
--St. Margarethen: Passion Play July 1-20, 2006
--St. Margarethen: Opera Festival "The Magic Flute" for children, June 7-July
13, 2006; Tenor Neil Shicoff, August 7, 2006; Mozart Requiem, August 25,
2006.
--Halbturn: Exhibition: "The Treasure of New Culture and History of the New
European Union", April 28-October 9, 2006; Concerts at Schloss Halbturn
--Güssing: "A Summer Night's Dream," June 26, 2006
--Eisenstadt: International Haydn Days Concert: September 7-17, 2006; Other
classical programs April-September 2006
--Oberwart: "Csaterberg," a musical with music (Roma, Hungarian, Croatian and
German language) from the 1960s and 1970s
4. BURGENLANDISCHE GEMEINSCHAFT 50TH ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM (from Walter Dujmovits, Jr.)
June 29 - Meeting of the BG Executive Board
June 30 - Lutheran Service in Kukmirn
July 1 - Festivities in Güssing (Kulturzentrum)
July 2 - Catholic Service in Mosschendorf
July 2 - Picnic in Moschendorf
July 3 - A day in Eisenstadt, meeting with the governor
July 5 - A day in Güssing. Bürgermeister Invitation
5. ETHNIC RESTAURANTS COME & GO (courtesy Tom Glatz, Bob Strauch & Margaret Kaiser)
Like local clubs, ethnic restaurants are a link to the Heimat. When they
close, they leave a void that's hard to fill. We remember meals we had there with
family and friends, good times, good cheer, often ethnic music and our own
particular ethnic food. As ethnicity changes, so change the restaurants - the
German and Austro/Hungarian ones located in what were neighborhoods of that
ethnicity now are giving way to pizza and tacos. Winchester has some good Italian
restaurants but we must go to the Bavarian Inn in Shepardstown, WV, for a good
schnitzel or rouladen. On occasion a new restaurant of our ethnic persuasion
opens as shown below as others close.
* Margaret writes: Feeling peckish? Another of the very few German-Austrian
restaurants in NYC. This one is called Blaue Gans, and is in Tri-be-ca
(Manhattan).
DINING & WINE - March 8, 2006 reports "Edelweiss, With a Dash of Oompah. As
dashed-off as Blaue Gans (Blue Goose) may seem to be, it proves that a
restaurant needn't be tremendously significant to be significantly appealing."
* But Tom Glatz sends a local clipping: "Historic Berghoff to close.
Restaurant has been tradition for generations of Chicagoans. Chicago will lose another
commercial and cultural icon when the 107-year-old Berghoff Restaurant, a
Loop landmark, serves its last schnitzel on Feb. 28. ... The Berghoff has been
known as an old-style, family-run restaurant where the waiters wear black jackets
and white aprons. It's been a traditional stop for generations of Chicagoans
and visitors."
Tom writes: This is a great loss for us. I know my grandfather went there for
years. When my relatives came from Austria a few years back, they said that
the Wiener Schnitzel was as good as their mother's! (I am glad she won't be
reading this!) They were also known for their creamed spinach & of course beer.
During lent we often went on Fridays for halibut sandwiches made on their
wonderful freshly made rye bread. I have so many memories of this restaurant.
* Both Bob Strauch and the BG News report the closing of the Edelweiss House
in Northampton, PA. A piece of Burgenland in America, the Friday and Saturday
nights were replete with good drink, strudel and the music of button box
accordions. Resi Unger (nee Toth), the owner, cook and hostess, became seriously
ill and her son has decided to give up the business. A few years ago, we had
an enjoyable evening there in the company of Bob Strauch and friends
entertaining the Governor of Burgenland and his party.
* Bob Strauch also reports that the former Elizabeth's Hungarian restaurant
in Hellertown, PA is renamed Paprikas' and serves authentic Hungarian food
including cabbage noodles. Go to:
Re-christened Hungarian restaurant in Hellertown:
http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/dining/all-go_eat.5182951mar16,0,3728750.story
www.paprika-s.com
* (ED Note: I well remember Lüchow's, the premier German restaurant in NYC for
many years, closed a long time ago. I took my wife there when we were
courting and we returned for a honeymoon meal in the early fifties. Then there was
Fiedler's Café in Allentown, an ethnic neighborhood tavern for good food, not
many left. Friday night lobster tail and crab cakes with local beer, goulasch
always. So many good ethnic eating establishments, now only memories!)
6. BURGENLAND DEED CHANGES (from Edward Tanstsits)
Ed writes: I have one item to pursue in my genealogy work. I know where my
grandmother Theresa Potzmann was born in Rosenberg and my father was born in
Langzeil. I saw the properties and the present owners with present house numbers.
How would I go about finding the deed changes for these properties?
While I never used them, I'm led to understand that there is something in
each village (town) called the "Grundbuch" which records the house owners year by
year. I would imagine a query to the Güssing Gemeindeamt might give some
information. You might also contact Klaus Gerger, who has an apartment in Güssing
and often visits there. Of course the church records also supply house numbers
from about the mid 1880-s. I assume you already have them from 1858, the lists
available from the BB homepage. Klaus supplied these in his map site pages.
END OF NEWSLETTER
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Burgenland Bunch Newsletter (c) 1997 archived courtesy of RootsWeb.com, Inc.
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