THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 190
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
August 31, 2009
(c) 2009 - The Burgenland Bunch - all rights reserved

Our 13th Year, Editor: Johannes Graf and Copy Editor Maureen Tighe-Brown

The Burgenland Bunch Newsletter, founded by Gerry Berghold (who
retired in Summer, 2008, and died in August, 2008), is issued monthly
as email and available online at http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org

Current Status Of The BB:
* Members: 1733 * Surname Entries: 5585 * Query Board Entries: 4194
* Newsletters Archived: 189 * Number of Staff Members: 14

EMAIL RECIPIENTS, PLEASE READ: You are receiving this email newsletter
because you are a BB member or have asked to be added to our
distribution list. To subscribe or unsubscribe, use the change form
available from our Home page at http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org. You
cannot send email to this newsletter. If you have problems receiving
the newsletter as email, it may be read, downloaded, printed or copied
from the BB Home page.There is also an archive of previous
newsletters.

This first section of our 3-section newsletter concerns:

1) THE BURGENLAND BUNCH IS NOW ON FACEBOOK (by Steve Geosits)
2) CONNECTICUT BURGENLAENDERS (by Frank Paukowits)
3) SPECIAL NOTICE FOR ALL BB MEMBERS LIVING IN THE ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI AREA (by Ron Markland)
4) BB PICNIC IN ST. PAUL, MN (by Charlie Deutsch)
5) AN ANNIVERSARY WORTH REMEMBERING AND CELEBRATING (by Emmerich Koller)
6) ST. MARGARETHEN IN AUGUST 1989 (by Margaret Kaiser)
7) A BURGENLAND VISIT (by Pamela Zogman)


1) THE BURGENLAND BUNCH IS NOW ON FACEBOOK (by Steve Geosits)

Facebook is a networking website that is free to all of its members,
and is owned and privately maintained by Facebook, Inc. It allows
users to join networks and interact with other members on the website.
Members can add friends, send messages, and update their personal
profiles to notify others about themselves. The application also
allows members to upload and share video, photos and links with other
members, and there are many common interest groups on Facebook that
members can join or create. Currently the Facebook application has
over 250 million users world-wide. For those who are interested, here
are more statistics from Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

At a recent meeting of the Burgenland Bunch Staff, it was agreed that
the time had come for the BB to reserve and establish a presence for
itself on the Facebook application. And so, on July 28th, our group
was launched and opened to all Facebook members. Currently, we have
about 25 members in the new group, and some have already posted
information and comments here. Hopefully, this number will grow as
more people become aware of our presence.

Anyone who wants to access this new Facebook group will first have to
register on the application at www.facebook.com . After sign-in, we
can then be found through a search of our group name, "The Burgenland
Bunch Genealogy Group," or we can be found directly through this
website link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=36029799990.

Please note that this new Facebook group does not replace official
communications with the BB staff through either direct email or
through the BB Queryboard accessible from our main BB website.
Instead, the Facebook group acts as a calling card by displaying our
main BB website name, and by encouraging members to visit.

It is not a requirement for any current BB subscribers or staff
members to join Facebook. Facebook may not be suitable for everyone.
However, if you already are a Facebook member, or if you become one in
the future, then please come join our Facebook BB group and invite
others to do so as well.


2) CONNECTICUT BURGENLAENDERS (by Frank Paukowits)

Come join some BB members on the weekend of September 18 -19 (Friday
and Saturday) to visit cemeteries in the New Britain area of
Connecticut. The goal of the visits will be to locate the graves of
deceased Burgenlaenders. Many Burgenlaenders from the Jennersdorf
Bezirk migrated to the New Britain area from the 1890's to the 1930's.
The information we obtain from our visits will be used to develop a
separate module on the BH&R website to honor the memory of deceased
Burgenlaenders who immigrated to Connecticut.

We will also be going to the Austrian Donau Club in New Britain on the
night of September 18. There is a Heurigan Night that evening with
entertainment, food and drinks. It should be a lot of fun. Anyone
interested in participating in the cemetery visits and/or attending
the Heurigan Night festivities should get in touch with Frank
Paukowits for all of the particulars.


3) SPECIAL NOTICE FOR ALL BB MEMBERS LIVING IN THE ST. LOUIS MISSOURI AREA. (by Ron Markland)

After reading newsletter 189, Hannes Graf and I had several emails
back and forth, he asked how was the Burgenland Bunch doing in the St.
Louis, Missouri area. My response was that I had nothing to report; if
it was alive and well, I had no knowledge of that. Well, Hannes
challenged me, and asked what could I do to get it off of life
support. As a result, we found that approximately 70 members were
located in the area where I live. An email was sent indicating that we
were attempting to get the members together. Of course, a problem with
email addresses is, that many are outdated and they came back
undeliverable. However, about 20 members did respond favorably, and
some are still trickling in.

First meeting of the Burgenland Bunch of Missouri

So let's plan for the 10th of September. 7:00PM. My wife and I live at
15908 Wetherburn Road, Chesterfield MO. 63017. We are just off
Clarkson Road between Clayton Road and Kehrs Mill Roads. Our street
Wetherburn is on the east side of Clarkson Rd, 3 miles south of
Chesterfield Mall. We are the second home from the end of the street
on the right hand side (south). Our mail box is the only one that is
white with flowers on it.

Be prepared to discuss what you would like to see our group do. If
everyone shows up, we will have a total of 12 people. We should plan
on defining a meeting location, day of the month and the months that
we will get together, and what our "mission" is.

Please let me know if you will be attending. I have been waiting for a
special occasion to open a very large bottle of "Burgermeister wine"
given to me by the Bürgermeister of Mödling, Austria. This is a
suitable special special occasion.

Ronald E. Markland P.E.
15908 Wetherburn Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017


4) BB PICNIC IN ST. PAUL, MN (By Charlie Deutsch)

Thanks to all the folks who attended our picnic on Sunday, August 9.
We gathered at the Germanic-American Institute in St. Paul, MN. The
weather was steamy, but the food and fellowship made for a rewarding
afternoon. We were given the opportunity to sample three different
late harvest Burgenland wines. Several people joined us for the first
time, and a few people were pleasantly surprised to find relatives and
near relatives. We had a short discussion on the Burgenland Honored
and Remembered list; several people are compiling their own lists
which we will assemble for submission. Dale Knebel volunteered to make
the South Dakota list, and Charlie Deutsch will work on the Calvary
Cemetery (St. Paul, MN) list. Charlie Deutsch has completed a
digitization project of the Saint Bernard's Church Baptism, Death,
Marriage, and School records covering the years 1890 through 1930.
Saint Bernard's was forced to close the grade school in 2009, ending
118 years of existence. The Church and High School will continue to
operate.
If you need record lookups, contact Charlie.

Saint Bernard's was the home parish of
thousands of Burgenland and Bohemian-German immigrants.

Next meeting

The next meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, October 11, 2009,
again at the Germanic-American Institute, 301 Summit Avenue in St.
Paul, 1 PM to 4:30 PM.

Here is the list of attendees:

Charlie & Vicki Deutsch, Dale Knebel, Ellie Nicklawske, Reynald
Dittrich, Arden & Sue Erickson, Judy Gardner, Dean Wagner, John & Mary
Jane Pitzl, Kit & Marilyn Natz, Tom, Jim & Tony Meyers, Rick & Jayne
Tischler, Al Tischler, Mary Kiecker, Judy Vermeulen, Carol
Lauren-Schmidt, Dave & Lois Kelley, Jeff Neuberger, Jill Johnson, Tom
Lackner, Lorraine Lauren, Jeanette MacDonald, Shirley Kresko, Chuck &
Joelle Knopf, Rosemary Ruffenach, Tom Behm

Additional notes by Jill Johnson

After group announcements, Jill Johnson, a Pamhagen TSCHIDA
descendant, asked if there were any other Pamhagen people in
attendance. Two women, Sue (Thompson) Erickson and her cousin, Judy
Gardner, responded, "yes." After reviewing each other's research
notes, they determined they were in fact all related to each other.
Their great-great grandfathers were brothers.


5) AN ANNIVERSARY WORTH REMEMBERING AND CELEBRATING (by Emmerich Koller)

Twenty years ago, on a nice sunny August day at the border between
Austria and Hungary, a gate was opened for a few hours during a
cross-border picnic on the road between St. Margarethen/Margitbánya in
Burgenland and Sopronköhida in Hungary. The picnic was held at
Sopronpuszta; the event itself entered world history as the
Pan-European Picnic of August 19, 1989. When visiting East German
tourists in Hungary got wind of this event, they hurried there with
their Trabis and Wartburgs, abandoned them at the roadside and fled
through that open gate to Austria. Although the border guards still
had orders to shoot, to their and their local commander's everlasting
credit, they ignored the order and the exodus of about 600 East
Germans ended without anyone getting hurt. Less than a month later, on
September 11, the border between Hungary and Austria was opened for
good. This bold act on the part of the Hungarian government at the
time initiated a process that eventually culminated in the complete
removal of the Iron Curtain from the Baltic to the Adriatic Seas, the
fall of the Berlin Wall, and the end of the Cold War.

In the two decades since then, there have been many positive political
and economic developments between Hungary, Austria and the rest of
Europe. And, although my focus on this 20th anniversary is on the good
things that have already happened and on what the future may hold, let
me begin with a brief recap of a terrible past so that we may never
forget.

I was an eyewitness to and victim of the misery that Hungary's
socialist government perpetrated on its citizens. Life was especially
hard for those who lived in villages that were too close to the
border. Pernau/Pornóapáti in the lower Pinka valley was one such
village where as a boy I watched the Iron Curtain go up in 1948. I
sensed the distress it caused among the adults and I experienced the
sudden separation from our friends, relatives and neighbors on the
other side in Gaas, Eberau, Kulm, Bildein, Edlitz, Winten, Höll,
Deutsch-Schützen and Eisenberg. The security inside and outside my
village was very tight, the isolation almost total. There was a time
in the early 1950's when I feared that even a longing look to the
West, past the mines and barbed wire, would be detected and punished
by the grim border guards. My apprehension was justified. One day in
1953, my father and mother were arrested, detained and interrogated
for merely exchanging greetings with my uncle, Father George
Schrammel, on the other side. The ultimatum that my father was given
by the secret police eventually led to his decision to escape during
the revolution in 1956. There were many who couldn't tolerate being
fenced in like cattle and so they tried to leave even before the
revolution. Some made it, some did not. One dark night in 1952, our
neighbor made an attempt to escape but he stepped on a mine that ended
not only his dream of freedom but also his life.

After 1989, previously unthinkable developments greatly improved the
lives of all people in former East Block countries, including Hungary.
But the most significant improvement for the villages in the lower
Pinka valley happened on December 21, 2007, when the border was
finally opened to unrestricted local traffic. Before that, if they
wished to visit each other, neighbors who lived only two kilometers
from their destination had to travel hours to cross at a few
designated crossings. In 2005, when I visited the site of the former
Cistercian monastery of Pernau, located right by the border, an
unguarded ramp and an old road, overgrown with tall weeds, stopped me
from driving over to Deutsch-Schützen less than a kilometer from
there. For a long while after that, a disturbing thought bothered me.
Now that neighbors had a chance to rebuild a unity that had existed
for centuries, they seemed unable or unwilling to do so.

A fundamentally different situation presented itself last year, during
my most recent visit to my home village. The roads to Bildein and
Deutsch-Schützen were now paved, open, and unguarded. When I drove to
Bildein to visit relatives and boyhood friends, no one stopped me; no
one cared that I was crossing from Hungary to Austria. The joy that I
felt was the perfect antithesis to the fear I felt 52 years before
that when my family and I took that same road to leave our ancestral
home forever.

In the last two years, the villages in the lower Pinka valley have
been busy establishing new connections to each other. In a recent
e-mail, my godson Gottfried Eberhardt, a prominent citizen of the
village of Bildein, wrote the following: "Much has changed since the
opening of the border. On the negative side I would list the increased
traffic through Bildein and two recent robberies. On the positive
side, I can list many more examples. A Hungarian artist opened a shop
in our village and he does very good work. Kirchtage, i.e., feasts of
the patron saints are celebrated together. Fire departments from both
sides have joint exercises. Young Hungarian soccer players now play
for the Eberau Soccer Club. On July 26, a cross-border party was
organized at which the Bürgermeister of Pernau displayed his Trabi and
the women cooked Hungarian specialties. Our very successful "Picture
On" rock festival on August 8 was also a cross-border affair. This
September, a new private school is opening in Eberau in which German,
English and Hungarian will be taught. Of the 72 students, half are
from prominent Hungarian families. Often we go on bike tours to a
Buschenschank or Gasthaus on the other side. The hunters of my village
often go to the firing range in Hungary. Today I was shooting at our
own firing range where by chance I met my relative from
Großdorf/Keresztes. And by the way, when the mushrooms grow in our
forest, one can find scores of Hungarians looking for mushrooms."

Gottfried's report may serve as an example of what is happening all
along the border. Similar connections in other neighboring villages
are recreating once again the social and economic fabric that used to
make the Pinka valley a harmonious community. I remember a time
shortly after the war when my uncle Lajos Takács from Deutsch-Schützen
crossed the border every day to be a shoemaker's apprentice to my
father; family ties were strengthened by asking Austrian relatives to
be godparents or confirmation sponsors; and like my grandfather
Schrammel, who married a girl from Deutsch-Schützen, the border didn't
stop young people looking for partners on the other side. Just about
every family in Pernau had relatives in neighboring Austrian villages.
As this natural interaction among neighbors is returning again, the
lower Pinka valley is becoming once again what it was meant to be: a
place where people can live in freedom and harmony, without the
interference of national politics and pernicious ideologies.


6) ST. MARGARETHEN IN AUGUST 1989 (by Margaret Kaiser)

A Hungarian student in a BBC News School Report recalled the events of
20 years ago when on August 19, 1889 a special event was held jointly
in St. Margarethen, a Burgenland border village, and Sopronpuzta in
Hungary. The border was opened for a couple of hours for Austrians to
cross the border in order to attend the event. This special border
opening received publicity. As a result, Eastern Germans attended and
took this opportunity to cross into Austria abandoning their Trabant
and Wartburg cars along the Hungarian roadside.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/school_report/8205010.stm


7) A BURGENLAND VISIT (by Pamela Zogman)

Hello, my name is Pamela Zogman. I am a new member to the Burgenland
Bunch. My grandfather settled in Chicago in 1921 after immigrating
from Welgersdorf, Austria.

In March, I had the most wonderful trip to Burgenland. Before
departing the states, a good German friend of mine advised me that I
would not be able to go to the church in Welgersdorf for a birth
record; in small towns, they commonly share a priest. My friend
advised me to go to Großpetersdorf. Luckily for me I had asked her to
write a letter in German describing what I was looking for. When I
arrived in Großpetersdorf, the woman at the local church only spoke a
little English and the letter proved helpful. She sent me on to
another town (I can't recall the name). In this town[,] no one was at
the church. I stood around wondering what to do. Then a nice couple
came out from their home and offered help. They then called a woman
employed by the church by the name of Amy Wagner. Amy advised the
couple to send us over to her and she would take us to the records. We
then followed Amy to another town (I think it was Hannersdorf). She
opened a glorious cabinet filled with books holding records. What a
sight to see all these old fabulous books with people's histories
inside! We took a photo of my grandfather's record. Amy then went out
of her way to guide us to Welgersdorf. She wanted to make sure we
found it.

In Welgersdorf, I was standing in front of a house that, according to
my grandfather's birth record, was the home of his birth. It turns out
the house numbers have changed since 1904. If I hadn't been standing
in front of the wrong house at that moment in time I would not have
had the fortuitous meeting with a local gentleman by the name of
Jürgen. Jürgen took me under his wing and thought of how he could best
help me. He decided to take me to an elder in the community.
He advised me this 77 year old man, whose name was Herbert, was very
ill. He wasn't sure if Herbert would be able to help, but we could
try. I followed Jürgen to this man's home. As Jürgen was about to walk
up to Herbert I remembered that I had brought a picture with me. In
the picture was my grandfather with two women and I had no idea who
the women where. Jürgen brought the picture up to Herbert and he
exclaimed, "That is my mother." Herbert's biological mother died when
he was baby. His father remarried my great Aunt (one of the woman in
the picture) who raised him from the age of one. Jürgen had no way of
knowing this man would be related to me because he had a different
last name than my family. Herbert had company but asked us to come
back at 5 p.m. it was around noon.

Jürgen then took care of us for the whole day. He fed my family and
showed us around. When we went back to Herbert's home he produced a
photo album of my family. Now, remember I had no idea Herbert existed
(he is my deceased father's cousin by marriage). The first picture in
the album was of my grandfather and my aunt that lives in Chicago.
Herbert then showed us pictures of my whole family from Welgersdorf
that I never knew about: my grandfather's brothers and sisters. My
grandfather died when I was three and no one had ever asked him any
information on his heritage. Needless to say, we had a magical
experience. I left Herbert and Jürgen feeling transformed.
I was so grateful for all the help they gave in putting together my
heritage. It turned out that Herbert died a month after my visit. He
was the last relative in Welgersdorf from my immediate family tree. If
I had not gone at that exact time I would have never met Herbert and
been connected to my roots.

If anyone would like to taste a wonderful product that comes from
Burgenland, Jürgen makes delicious Mead: visit www.velmet.at . Mead is
wine made from honey. All of the honey is locally sourced.

Feel free to contact me with any questions. I
also had short visits to Vienna and Graz if you need any information.

Newsletter continues as number 190A.


THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 190A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
August 31, 2009
(c) 2009 - The Burgenland Bunch - all rights reserved

The second section of this 3-section newsletter includes:

1) LET'S GO WEST - A TRIP REPORT
2) THE CASTLE RUIN OF LANDSEE
3) RAILROAD QUESTION
4) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch)


1) LET'S GO WEST - A TRIP REPORT

I am sitting at my desk table hearing in the background the "New World
Symphony" from Antonin Dworak and remember what happened two months
ago. Yes, I was there: it was no dream, it was reality. When I close
my eyes, I remember every second, from the first step in New York to
the last one in Indianapolis.

At first, I want to thank everybody who make this trip possible.
My wife Elfie, who tells me in April: "For what would You wait? Do it!
Think about, how sad You was, when You don't do it at the time when
Gerry was alive!" My hosts and sponsors, who makes it possible, without
killing my financials totally:

Frank & Elsie Paukowits, Tom Steichen, Anna & Rudy Kresh, Martin & Amy
Schreyer, Joanne & Mike Hayden and Mike Schreyer.

Thank You; without You this would never have been.

24th of June 2009

From the moment when I have to check in, a different world begins. I
was never on a flight, so also I was never in the USA or outside of
Europe. All was new for me, and I had not slept the night before. At
11.05 the flight started from Vienna and ended at 14.00 (+6 hours) in
NY-JFK. When we gott out of the plane, we arrived to the customs area,
where nearly 1000 people were waiting. I was thinking , "Oh my god, it
will take 3 hours to go out of the airport; I hope Frank will wait for
me." It took really 2,5 hours to come out and meet Frank and Elsie
Paukowits who were waiting for "Santa Claus". I was very tired and so
we have no sightseeing this day. Also when I start in Vienna, there
has been about 19° C low humidity, but in Queens it had about 38° C
and a full humidity. So I had troubles to breathe and I immediately
got a cold from the differences between real and air-conditioned
temperature. I also was not able to sleep the first night for more
than 2-3 hours.

25th of June

The first sightseeing trip to lower Manhattan, after a curious
breakfast. Frank, Elsie and I go by LIRR and subway to the
southern-most point. When I came out to the streets, I was so
overwhelmed about the buildings and sooo many people around. Also I
was the only person in Manhattan who had a jacket on. This made
everybody know that I was a tourist. I know that I will make a similar
trip as my Lehner and Schreyer relatives made it 1904. They started in
Ellis Island and ended up in South Bend. But after looking to the
Ellis-Island and Liberty-Island over the water, I decide to don't want
to go there, because it was too much for me. We had to wait some hours
for getting tickets because it was the end of school and there were
many people. So I will see it when I come again and there is a reason
to come back. After a walk into the streets around Ground Zero, we
went to the East River, where we had a longer rest. My favorite points
are water (sea, lakes, river) and bridges, so it was a nice point
under the Brooklyn Bridge. At the evening, we drove back, to see
Manhattan at night; it was really amazing, with all the lights on the
streets and bridges.

26th of June

I cannot sleep well again, maybe for 4 hours. This day we had
breakfast at "Dunkin' Donuts"; I always wondered about that, because I
understand it as "drunken donuts," so I was not sure about the
illumination scale after the breakfast. But there I meet some of the
friends of Frank and Elsie, nice mix of people. We went to the NY
Transportation Museum in Brooklyn; it was very interesting to me,
because I am a fan of all transport systems. In the afternoon we had a
trip to Long Beach and at the evening. I met their family, and
grandson Kenny. (see NL-182)

27th of June

The ride begins. From this moment I was a passenger and looked out of
the car windows for the next 2000 miles. We drove to Allenton, but I
think all other New Yorkers do it also. So we need a little longer as
we would. From the flat Big Apple over the Hudson seeing the rocks of
New Jersey and the beginning hilly countries to Lehigh Valley, the
area was more and more looking like the southern Burgenland. I think,
many people settled there because the landscape looks like the
"Heimat". On the way, I was very interested about how many cemeteries
Frank knew. At the meeting, it was nice to see some of the Staff
personally, I had met only Frank Paukowits 2008 and Tom Glatz 2006
before in Burgenland, and also Gerry & Molly Berghold in 2001. The
meeting story from Tom Steichen was at the last NL.

28th of June

Attending at the Stiftungsfest of the Coplay Sängerbund, I meet many
people, whose names I now forget; sorry. I had so many meetings, I
never remember who told me what. I made some pics of the Coplay
cemetery with many Burgenländer names on the gravestones. Also, I
attended the concert of the best Hianzn choir I ever heard in my life,
with the famous bandleader Bobby Strauch. At Emma's dessert-kitchen,
we had a good ending of the meeting days and I was taken to my next
hosts, Rudy and Anna Kresh.

29th of June

This day was the hardest, I think, for all of us three. We started to
look of all the remembering places, I saw their first apartment, where
the first child was born, some schools, colleges, where also Gerry
Berghold has been, and Frank Teklits, if I'm correct. Then we drove to
Amishland, looking for the horse-wagons and farm workers like
Burgenland 150 years ago. The next stop was at the Pennsylvanian
Railroad Museum at Strasburg, nearby Lancaster. There we look around
for some hours before starting to the next point. We cross the
Susquehanna to York and Gettysburg. After attending the show at the
Museum we drove around the historic area and I made a walk at the
"Little Round Top", to overview the scenery. This day ended at the
Kresh Lane in Butler after nearly 19 hours! We were really nearly
dead!

30th of June

From this day on, I was acclimatized; I could breathe better and I
slept well for the first time. Also, it was the not-air-conditioned
border of America. We drove around the landscape and to Pittsburgh,
where Anna shows me the Austrian Room at the Cathedral of Learning. We
took Anna's grandson with us and he liked to do everything with the
adults.

1st of July

From Burgenland-Bunch to family.

After driving me to East Liverpool, OH, this was the moment to say
goodbye. It was very hard to let them go away without any tears.
Grand-Cousin Martin Schreyer and wife Amy was now my host for this day
and Cousin Mike Schreyer also arrived at the evening. I was resting
the whole afternoon. At evening, we had a dinner at the Ohio River.

2nd of July

The next big trip, from East Liverpool to Zionsville, IN. We need the
whole day, with joking as we every time do. I ever was wondering about
the big birds flying over the Free-, Park- and Highways. Mike tell me
about the "roadkill" and the "health police". So we spent the evening
at the house of Joanne and Mike Hayden, where I stayed for some days.
We had enough to talk and eat and drink and at night a nice visitor:
Rocky Raccoon. I never saw so many wild animals near people, never saw
free humming-birds, cardinals and many other birds like vultures.

3rd of July

We meet at Indianapolis at the area, where Emily Hayden was living,
before she went to Harvard as teacher. It is beside the medical
centers and I think it was a canal or a creek before, but in between
it's nice to walk around. I did not know it, but in the days when I
was in NY, something happened what changed very much. Heidi, the 22
years old daughter of Gary Schreyer died by diabetes complications. So
that half of the family was very sad and didn't attend some planned
meetings. I understood the situation and at the afternoon we rode to
Logansport for a "say good bye" ceremony.

4th of July

At the last evening, I was very daring to accept a flight with cousin
Mike Hayden in his Mooney airplane. But this I will never forget, a
flight around the Indianapolis area and looking down, seeing all the
farmland and buildings. Mike is a real good pilot since 38 years. The
second highlight should be the 4th of July party, but it rains hard,
so the Indianapolis downtown fireworks was cancelled. Mike has an
apartment on the 19th floor with full sight of downtown. But I met
some new family members and children there.

5th of July

All together, we started in the morning for a trip to South Bend,
where the Lehner and Schreyer families had settled. They show me the
house where the grandparents are living, the train crossing where
Andrew Schreyer in 1927 found his end (NL-130), the houses where the
parents are living, schools, the Notre Dame University, the
cemeteries, the area where the Lehner-farm was located (today, it is
the Lehner-court of Granger with Lehner-street) and so on. A Freeway
crosses the farmland and most of the area is housing developments. At
last we had a gathering of all relatives at the home of John & Judy
Lehner beside the Notre Dame University area. Paul M. Lehner, III
invited also some BB-Members so we had a little "BB-Indiana-picnic".
At the evening we drove to the apartment of Joanne and Mike Hayden in
Culver at Lake Maxinkuckee to stay over night.

6th of July

At noon, Emmerich Koller came to Culver and we had a meeting together
with Mike. At afternoon, we drove back to Zionsville, but on the way
we looked to a lake, where Joanne and Mike had their childhood
vacations.

7th of July

We changed our program, because at 5th of July, Mike talks with Evelyn
Lehner about the farm and some rememberings. So we drove again to
South Bend to meet her, because she is 98 years old. We had a good day
at her home, beside the old farmhouse which still exists. She shows me
a picture of an unknown woman, but it was my grandmother! After the
meeting, we had a short trip to the Michigan lake for a little evening
walk.

8th of July

Flying home and landing at 9th in the morning, where Elfie awaits me
at the airport with a tall sunflower.

All together, I shot 1100 pics, met many people, including about 70
BB-members, and see very much news.
I got a big Jetlag, which needed about 4 weeks before I came back to
my reality. My days have felt like the night.

But it was good to do this trip and I try to do it again.

Conclusion:

Before the trip, all my hosts asked me about what I want to see or
meet and I told them: I want to see how you are living, where did you
grow up; family, friends and normally how things are.

And this was exactly what I got from all.
Thank You.


2) THE CASTLE RUIN OF LANDSEE

The Göttweig monastery's traditional records of the year 1158 mention
a "Gotscalcus de Landeshere." The first castle was erected probably
somewhat earlier to protect an important road. The Landsees were
ministers of the Earls of Pitten and presumably kinsman of the
Stubenberger family from Styria. The castle became possession of the
Hungarian Crown already in 1222. It was the western outpost of the
county of Lutzmannsburg and part of the line of castles which was to
protect the western border of Hungary. King Béla IV passed it to his
cupbearer Conrad who, however, changed fronts and became a follower of
the Bohemian king Przemysl Ottokar II. Therefore, in 1263, Landsee was
handed over to his Steward and Gespan (a medieval chieftain in the
west and south Slavic region) of Ödenburg, Laurentius Aba, whose
successors were followers of the earls of Güssing. And so Landsee was
one of the castles that were conquered by Duke Albrecht in course of
the feud of Güssing in 1289.

But following the peace of Hainburg the command over the castle was
restored to the king of Hungary. Then the Athinais of the family of
the Aba were in possession of Landsee but at the end of the 14th
century it passed to the Earls of Mattersdorf-Forchtenstein. Wilhelm
of Forchtenstein, the last of his family, pawned his properties to the
Habsburger Albrecht VI, who bought Landsee in 1447 and passed it on to
his brother, Emperor Friedrich III. In 1459, the dominion fell into
the hands of the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus. In 1482 he endowed
with the dominion Ulrich von Grafeneck, who, however, is recorded as
owner already for the year 1475. It was him who ordered the late
Gothic styled upgrading of the stronghold. In 1506 Ulrich von
Weisspriach, who also was Lord of Kobersdorf, became fief-holder in
Landsee. His possessions were located around Ödenburg (Sopron) which
constantly led to conflicts. In the following "Landsee-feud," his
widow hired several groups of mercenaries, including the bandit leader
Franz Magutsch, to harass the city. Finally the bandits were caught
and Gertrud von Weisspriach died in jail in 1523.

In 1548 her son Hans handed Landsee to his brother-in-law, the
imperial councillor and Gespan Erasmus Teufel. But Teufel was caught
and executed in Istanbul by the Turkish and the archbishop of Gran
(Esztergom), Nikolaus Oláh, bought the dominion of Landsee. In 1561 he
handed it over to his nephew Nikolaus Császár, whose son-in-law
started the extension of the castle to a mighty fortress shortly
before 1600. When his daughter Ursula married Nikolaus Esterházy in
1612, Landsee became the possession of the family, still owning it
today.

The castle was further extended according to the advanced war
engineering of the time. During the wars against the Turkish, it was
used as a sanctuary for the people and as an arsenal for the
Esterházy's troops but it had never been seriously besieged. In 1707,
some of the buildings had been severely damaged by a blaze and a
gunpowder explosion. After the Turkish have been driven out of Central
Europe through the victories of Prince Eugen, Landsee lost its military
significance. The arms and other military equipment were brought to
Forchtenstein. In 1772 and 1790 there was another blaze and the
administration of the dominion was moved to Lackenbach; the complex
was abandoned. The surrounding population used its walls as a welcome
stone quarry for building their houses. In 1950 renovation was started by a local
beautification society. The final restoration of the stronghold was
accomplished in the course of an EU project in 1998. Over the past
years, theatrics had been organized in the castle's bailey.

Landsee is one of the biggest castle ruins in Europe. It lies on a
dominant location above the Stooberbach valley. The actual stronghold
is surrounded by four circular fortification walls. The outer wall is
1700 meters long and fortified by ten small bastions. For the
protection of the first gate, which states the date of 1668, serves a
two-story bastion containing a guardroom. Crossing a bridge lying on
piles you reach the second gate above which there is a broad
machicoulis. Originally, a drawbridge used to be in front of it. The
gate structure reaches far into the moat, so that it was possible to
take the second defensive wall (a high earth wall bearing a palisade)
under fire from there. This wall was erected around 1600 to protect
the third wall from direct artillery fire. Its gate is protected by a
tower and guardroom as well. The following approximately 20
meters-broad moat is spanned by another wooden bridge. In front of the
next gate was a counterpoise bridge. It was decorated by the coat of
arms of the Weisspriach family.

Now you get into the extensive outer bailey. Its left side is bordered
by a mighty frontal wall, while on the right lie the ruins of several
farm buildings and barracks. Their external walls are provided with
embrasures, so that they can be used for defense as well. At the end
of the bailey a stair tower leads to a higher seated inner bailey,
where the accommodations and kitchens were. A beautiful Renaissance
gate finally leads to the actual living quarters. Here, around a
triangular bailey, were representative rooms equipped by Pietro
Antonio Conti in the 17th century. Through a Gothic tower heightened
in the baroque period you get into the medieval part of the castle
which mainly dates from the late 15th century. From a small bailey and
via wooden corridors and stairways you could once get into the several
rooms. Still today they show relics of Gothic door and window
carpeting, fireplaces and arches. The Romanic donjon forms the core of
the stronghold and was built on the highest point of the quartzite
rock. Later its mainly attacked side in the West was fortified and
reached its today's wall thickness of more than 10 meters. The tower
is crowned by a characteristic wall arch, the relic of a former cupola.

Visitation from the beginning of April to the end of October, daily
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., or until nightfall.

Guided tours on appointment, for information and registration contact:

Elisabeth Schütz
Hauptstraße 88
A-7341 Landsee
Phone: +43 2618 / 7306
Mobile: + 43 664 / 798 13 16
Homepage in German: http://www.landseeaktiv.at/burgruine/ruine/ruine.htm


3) RAILROAD QUESTION

Jack Fritz asks:

Hannes: Since you are a railroad man, I have a question for you.

I have been having email discussions with fellow BB member Mary Kamper
Sheridan in Chicago as to how our ancestors got from Neumarkt imT to
the ports of Hamburg, Bremen, & Antwerp. Mary is my distant double
cousin through two sets of ggg..grandparents in Neumarkt. Our
grandparents emigrated to Chicago in 1902, 1903 & 1905.

My great great grandmother Agnes Zartler wrote a letter in 1907 to my
grandmother which mentions my grandmother's cousin coming from NiT to
visit them in Kanak, Hungary, near the present-day border with Serbia
and Romania. The letter does not specifically say that he traveled by
train but he was blind and needed to be escorted by soldiers, so my
thought is that he did go by train. My 1897 map of that part of
Hungary shows a rail line going right next to Kanak, so I am thinking
that he boarded a train somewhere near NiT and got all the way to
Kanak by rail.

So, the question is, could our grandparents have gotten to the three
ports from NiT by rail? What is your best guess?

Reply:

Good question, because in 1902, not all of the current railroads near
Burgenland existed. But normally, as I know from other members, they
ALL went by train to Northern Germany.

From NiT next station was Grosspetersdorf / Nagyszentmihaly, about 3-4
miles. Then to Szombathely, the greater station, to Györ and Vienna,
at last from Vienna to Hamburg or other ports.

The ride from NiT to Konak also from Szombathely to Belgrad and the
line nearby to Konak.


4) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch)

Alfred Steiner
(Nov. 12, 1924 - Aug. 25, 2009)

Alfred Steiner, 84, of Whitehall, died Tuesday, August 25, 2009 in St.
Lukes Hospital, Fountain Hill.

Born in Neusiedl bei Güssing, Burgenland, Austria, he was a son of the
late Franz and Magdalena Steiner.

Alfred was the husband of the late Rosa (Trinkl) Steiner.

Alfred worked for many years as a tailor in management positions for
various clothing companies around the Lehigh Valley before his
retirement.

Survivors: Daughter, Heidelinde Predix of Chesapeake, Va.; son,
Manfred and his wife, Vicki Steiner, of Walnutport; sisters, Elli
Flakus and Wilma Pratter, both of Graz, Austria; grandchildren, Rachel
and Raymond Predix, Melissa Marerro and Nicholas, Kate and Cory
Steiner; great-grandchildren, Tristen and Kingsten Marerro. He was
preceded in death by four brothers.

Newsletter continues as number 190B.


THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 190B
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
August 31, 2009
(c) 2009 - The Burgenland Bunch - all rights reserved

The third section of this 3-section newsletter includes:

1) HOME ON THE FARM IN DANIELSVILLE (from Anna Tanczos Kresh)
2) HUNGARIAN CENSUS OF 1828: (by Bob Unger)


1) HOME ON THE FARM IN DANIELSVILLE (from Anna Tanczos Kresh)

During our attendance at the Stiftungsfest in June, a copy of a
Morning Call newspaper article about the dismantling and moving of a
home (see below) was given to me by Frank Tantsits of Northampton. It
prompted this submission about the immigrations of my uncle Louis and
father Ignatz Tanczos.

Louis Tanzos (1879-) and Ignatz Tanczos (1890-1968), father of BB
Internet/URL Editor Anna Tanczos Kresh were sons of ~ John Tanczos
(1844-1899) of Kroatisch Tschantschendorf (Horvatcsencs), Burgenland,
parents of John Tanczos were Josef Tanczos and Juliana Keglovics´ ~
and Anna Pani (1848-?) of Nr. 62 Tobaibergen, Burgenland, parents of
Anna Pani were Sebastian Pani and Juliana Keglovics. Two
great-grandmothers with the same name? This is not an error. The first
Juliana was the dau. of Imre and Katalin Keglovics of Rehgraben. The
second was the dau. of Matyas and Katalin Keglovics, also of
Rehgraben.

Louis Tanzos emigrated to Northampton, PA in 1904 and married Mary
Keglovits (1885-1971) in about 1909. Mary Keglovits was the dau. of
Alois Keglovits of K.T. Louis and Mary bought a farm in Danielsville
(Delps), PA, where they raised children - Mary (m. Alois Puskaritz),
Louis, and Frank.

Louis' younger brother Ignatz Tanczos (my father) emigrated to
Northampton, PA in 1906 and married Mary Schuch (1893-1964) of
Kroatisch Ehrensdorf in 1912. Mary Schuch was the dau. of Ignatz
Schuch of Punitz. As their family grew Ignatz also bought a farm in
Danielsville, about one mile from the farm of his brother Louis. The
latter move was in 1921, the same year their German West Hungary
homeland became Burgenland. It is where I was born. Almost all of our
neighbors were Pennsylvania Dutch with very few immigrants in the
area.

Other Tanczos siblings were the eldest son John (1871-1950 - m. Anna
Miksits 1879-1946 of Hasendorf); Joseph (1876-?); Francis (1875-?);
Theresa (1876-?, m. Francis Jandrisevits 1868-? of K.T.); Agnes
(1882-?); Magdalena (1884-1884); Mary (1886-1954, m. Frank Malits
1880-1958 of Hasendorf - emigrated to Northampton, PA); Gustav
(1889-1889); Eleanor (1893-); two stepsisters Maria Jandrisevits
(1866-) and Anna Jandrisevits Tanczos (1868-, m. Joseph Klucsarits
1868-) who were the daughters born during Anna Pani's first marriage
to Paul Jandrisevits c. 1834-1869 of K.T.

WHY THE SURNAME CHANGE? Louis' surname was changed from Tanczos to
Tanzos (dropping the "c") somewhere around the time Louis moved from
Northampton, PA to the farm in Danielsville, PA, more commonly known
locally as Delps. One explanation given for the name change was to
facilitate receipt of their US Mail. Both his (L. Tanczos) and his
brother's (I. Tanczos) mailing addresses were R.D.#1, Danielsville, PA
and my father said that mail was constantly being misdelivered to the
wrong brother, creating several days' delay, so Louis dropped the "c".

CENSUS ERRORS: The 1910 U.S. Census in Northampton was taken by an
enumerator named Llewellyn Greenawalt (Welsh in origin), apparently
one of the local Pennsylvania Dutch residents who was not at all
familiar with Austro-Hungarian names, thus the census forms contained
a great number of misspellings. This was exacerbated by the fact that
the woman of the house, probably speaking Croatian, pronounced the
names of the occupants "her way". Uncle Louis and Aunt Mary
(Keglovits) Tanczos (spelled Dansuch on the census) were residing at
1394 Newport Ave. in Northampton, boarders of John Helevitz
(Keglevits?). At the same time my father Ignatz Tanczos (spelled Stansitch
on the census) was living at 1336 Delong's Court, a boarder of Paul
Dragovitch. These spelling errors made genealogical research a bit
daunting and necessitated a line-by-line search. Soundex was of no
help and in all my years of visiting Northampton and attending
Northampton High School, I never even heard of DeLong's Court. It is
interesting that my father's language was listed as Croatian in 1910
and German in 1920, probably due to the Hianzn dialect of the numerous
Burgenlaenders in Northampton.

On Sundays in the summer, our farm in Danielsville was the site of
many wonderful gatherings of Burgenlaenders, who visited us in large
numbers from the "city". I'm not sure if it was for my mother's great
cooking and baking or my father's wine from the ever-present barrel in
the spring located in the cellar of our farmhouse. The old home no
longer exists, giving way to the beautiful stone country home my
brother built in its place on Delps Road, long after our parents'
passing. The former dirt road was paved the week Before Rudy and I
were married, the barriers being removed the morning of the wedding,
and it now has a name of its own. After the passing of my brother
Edward Tanczos, his home was purchased by a New York City attorney,
whose commute was greatly improved by the building of the Interstate
highway. But although the old homestead is gone, Edward's son Dan
retained a good portion of the farm on which he also built a beautiful
stone country home, the site of the reunion of the Tanczos clan when
in 2006 we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the emigration of
Ignatz and Mary Schuch Tanczos. It was fitting that the celebration
took place in the field where Ignatz (and we, his children) labored
growing the corn and potatoes that provided for the family. We are
eternally grateful for the opportunities that my father, and his
brother before him, provided us with their courageous emigration from
their homeland.

The home of Uncle Louis and Aunt Mary also no longer remains in Delps,
but its departure is quite another story . . .

TANZOS HOME MOVES TO TEXAS:
(the following article was published in The Morning Call, Allentown,
PA Sunday, June 28, 2009)

1760s home will be resettled in San Antonio

The wooden cabin will be taken apart in Danielsville, put back
together in Texas.

DANIELSVILLE -- After nearly 250 years in Danielsville, a 1760s
vintage settler's house, among the earliest in northeastern
Pennsylvania, is getting ready for a nearly 2,000-mile trip to be
reassembled on a bow hunting ranch outside of San Antonio.

A crew, led by Rich Williams of Williams Woodworking of Danielsville,
has been tagging and disassembling the modified log structure that had
been unoccupied since 1971. The roof had leaked and the supporting
wood rotted to an unsafe condition.

"We found a buyer," Williams said. "He owns Quatro B Ranch near San
Antonio, Texas. After we finish taking this down in a couple days, my
right hand man, Charlie Applegate, and I will build two timber frame
additions off the side a porch, a bedroom with a bathroom, and an
interior center staircase, and then load it on a truck and take it to
the ranch.

The settler's house was sold to Williams by Jerome and Helen Tanzos
Bartholomew. Helen was the granddaughter of Louis and Mary Tanzos. The
last residents of the house were Mary and her son, Louis (Helen's
uncle).

The original settler's house was a story and a half. "They raised the
roof, added a second story, and porch." said Williams, "probably in
the 1890s." The house was later wired for electricity but indoor
plumbing was never installed. Water was provided by a pump outside the
house and an outhouse was used until the house was abandoned in 1971.

What Williams didn't know when he started the project was that he is
strangely linked to the house. He is engaged to Laurel Haldeman, who
was surprised to discover recently that relatives of hers had lived in
the house before the Tanzos, in the late 1800s. (AP)
---------------------------------------
The above was excerpted from an Associated Press (AP) article
previously published in the Daily Times, Delaware County, PA on
Sunday, June 21, 2009:
1760s northeastern Pa. home readying for move to Texas -

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2009/06/21/life/doc4a3df893dd58b689228866.txt
and in the Philadelphia (PA) Examiner on the same date
http://www.examiner.com/a-2079379~1760s_northeastern_Pa__readying_for_move_to_Texas.html
---------------------------------------
Here is an old picture (c. 1940) of the Louis Tanzos homestead - the
house that moved.

http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/Newsletter/Newsletter190.htm

The persons in the photo are Joseph Richter Sr., Mary Keglovits Tanzos
(wife of Louis), Walter Hulsen, Mary Richter Hulsen, Joseph Hulsen,
Walter "Sonny" Hulsen.

A gathering of Burgenlaenders at the Ignatz Tanczos farm on a Sunday
afternoon (c. 1937).

http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/Newsletter/Newsletter190.htm

Shown here are Louis Tanzos, Ignatz Tanczos, John Tanzos Sr., Eddie Miksits.

This was a time when you wore your Sunday Best when visiting - notice
the white shirts and ties.

http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/Newsletter/Newsletter190.htm

My father, Ignatz Tanczos, is holding a five-year-old me (in hat).

Ah, those were the times!



HISTORICAL BB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Editor (Tom Steichen): This is part of our monthly series designed to
recycle interesting articles from the BB Newsletters of 10 years ago.
This time we recycle an August 1999 Newsletter article contributed by
BB member Bob Unger that explains important information about the 1828
Hungarian census. Enjoy!

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS No.62B AUGUST 15, 1999

2) HUNGARIAN CENSUS OF 1828: (by Bob Unger)

The Hungarian census of 1828 is an excellent snapshot in time, which
proves not only the existence of a family at a particular period, but
also gives information about assets and other items of genealogical
value. Information about this census has been reported previously in
Burgenland Bunch newsletters #2 and #54. However, recent developments
warrant an update. The Hungarian Census of 1828 includes eight rolls
of LDS microfilm (nos. 0623007-0623014; see the LDS catalog under
Hungary, Vas County, Census) for Vas Megye (county) and covers 615
towns, villages or pusztas (manorial work stations). The place names
are listed in an alphabetic sequence by Hungarian name (occasionally a
German or Croatian name) with each assigned a number. You must know
the Hungarian name (pre 1921) of your village. Use the index to locate
each village's number and fast forward the film to that number. The
header page shows the following with the village name and number hand
written: "UNGARISCHES STAATSARCHIVE, ARCHIVUM PALATINALE,
LANDSKONSKRIPTION 1828, HUNGARIA, COMITATUS CASTRIFERRIE." Vas Megye
(county) derived from the Latin "comitatus (county) Castriferrei".

While doing research for this article I once again was awe struck by
how fortunate we are that Gerry Berghold had the inspiration to form
the Burgenland Bunch (BB), and to have so many dedicated volunteers
who contribute to its growing success. So I think it appropriate to
report first on how the BB helped with this effort. First it made me
aware that the Hungarian census of 1828 existed and that it contained
information that would reveal significant details about the lives and
time of my Unger ancestors. Next, by saving each BB newsletter on my
computer hard drive, I had an easy search of all that had been
reported by the BB on that specific topic. The search revealed
sufficient details so that I was able to go directly to sources naming
persons who had previously researched that census, namely Mrs. Martha
Conner, residing at 7754 Pacemont Ct., Las Vegas, NV 89147-5122.

I subsequently corresponded with Mrs. Conner, gaining more insight
into this very dedicated person who freely shares the results of her
genealogical efforts with others. She is also a very humble person. BB
newsletters #2, and 54 stated that she was the expert concerning the
Hungarian census of 1828. To this accolade she wrote:

"Please set this thought straight -- I am not an expert on the 1828
Hungarian Land Census. I am a plodding housewife -- no expert or
genius. The books were needed -- no one had time to do it -- it
challenged me-- the spelling of the names are not perfect but as I
read them -- anyone can do this. A HOBBY that stimulates the brain
cells to making them work instead of being lazy!!! It is also fun to
help others."

Mrs. Conner has so far translated 13 counties: 1. Bacchus Bodrog; 2.
Baranya; 3. Torontl; 4 Tolna; 5. Temes; 6. Fejr; 7. Szatmar; 8.
Komrom; 9. Gyor; 10. Moson; 11. Szerm; 12. Krass, and 14. Arad. While
Vas County is not yet translated, she has had the Latin census
headings translated by a professional service bureau. The translated
counties' census records are available (1999) for $25 per county plus
$3.00 for handling and postage for census books numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, 7,
11. Books number 3 and 5 are $35.00 + $3.00 for handling and postage;
books number 8, 9 and 10 are available for a total cost of $25.00, and
book numbers 12 & 14 are available for $30.00 + $3.00 for handling and
postage. In addition, Mrs. Connor offers a book of cities, book # 13,
containing all the cities named in the 1828 Hungarian Land Census
microfilms of the LDS Library - 52 counties, available for the total
cost of $15.00. (In a recent letter from Mrs. Conner, she commented
that she really worked hard on book #13, and now considers it one of
her best books.) Book # 15, Csanad, Csongrad, & Bekes (made into one
book) will be ready late in 1999. Each of the books contains only the
extraction of names from this census record and no other information.
It is important to add that the books do not relate the old Hungarian
village names to their subsequent and currently used names.

I asked Mrs. Connor about her plans for doing a book on the Vas County
1828 Hungarian Land Census. She responded by saying that she has
already started her next book, which will be on Maramaros and Ugocsa
counties. Hopefully, because of the Burgenland Bunch's interest in Vas
County, she will put it high on her priority list. She stated that her
ultimate goal is to donate her books to the LDS Library in Salt Lake
and thereby have them on microfilm
so that everyone can read them anywhere.

Mrs. Connor and her husband create these books as a retirement hobby,
wishing to help as many people as possible. She jokingly adds: "So
glad to be doing this instead of spending time at the casinos or
watching TV. We are 73 years old and think that this keeps us out of
mischief plus being productive." Thus, it is not considered a big
business. They make 15 copies at a time to replenish their stock and
the cost essentially reflects charges for photocopying. She said that
she makes the books from beginning to end with help from her husband,
Bob, on the computer. The members of the Burgenland Bunch, wish to
thank Mrs. Connor for her great contribution in helping others with
their individual genealogical research. It is truly through such
efforts that we can now better understand and appreciate our
ancestors.

CENSUS HEADINGS
Used with Mrs. Connor's permission, the following are translated Latin
to English column headings for the 1828 Hungarian Land Census.

No. 1 Names of providers of information
No. 2 Providers of information of either sex that are married or
unmarried but deemed to be married through the decree of 18?0 up to
the age of 60 years, inclusive.
No. 3 These include: Professionals, Citizens, Farmers, Tenants,
Subtenants, Brothers, Sons, Daughters, Slaves, Servants, Workers,
Merchants, Magistrates
No. 4 Houses in which the census is taken
No. 5 Urban lands, Urban fields, Market price of fields
No. 6 Grain production; Which contributors farm the land and hold it
under civil law; Profit attained by the contributors, assuming one
harvest. How many harvests after one planting? What is the normal
price of one planting?
No. 7 Meadows; Meadows, held under civil law. Harvest; Profit attained
by the contributors, assuming a single planting
No. 8 Vines; Amount of harvest; Profit attained. Assuming one grape
harvest; Pickers required; Average number of urns per picker; Average
current price obtained per picker
No. 9 Apple and plum orchards; Harvest; Attained profit, assuming one
single extended harvest
No. 10 Large domestic animals: Oxen; Heifer and milk cows; Sterile
cows; Steers and cows, over 3 years old; Steers and cows, over 2 years
old; Draft and riding horses, over 3 years old; Draft and riding
horses, over 2 years old
No. 11 Small domestic animals; Sheep one year old and above; Swine one
year old and above; Goats one year old and above
No. 12 Forest; Which occupy arable land; Weight of annual nut yield
and amount of lumber
No. 13 Signature
No. 14 Notes

Translator's Note: We cannot guarantee the accuracy of this
translation for the following reasons: 1. This copy was typed in Latin
from the original, and there are several typographical errors and
misspellings. 2.We do not know the origin of the Latin document. The
Latin language differed from country to country; in Italy, Latin was
different from that used in Germany and other places. However, we have
translated the document to the best of our ability and hope you are
satisfied. (end of census headings)

With the help of Mrs. Connor's 1828 Hungarian Census heading
translations I was able to uncover the following information about
Rudersdorf, the village of my Unger ancestors, , which is now part of
the Bezirk/District of Jennersdorf, Burgenland, Austria - formerly Vas
County, Hungary. I share this information as a means of showing the
type of information that can be uncovered about your ancestor's
village with a little effort on your part, and thereby gain better
insight into their conditions during that period of time.

The following is a 1828 snapshot of Rudersdorf, Austria. It documents
that the village had 336 individuals recorded as married or unmarried
but deemed to be married through a decree, and that there were 7
separate Unger families residing in Rudersdorf in 1828;

Household # # Married Occupation Land Meadows Oxen Cows Horses (Not house #)
Persons area (?)

#29 Janos Unger 3 Farmer 12 3 2 1 0
#52 Janos Unger 4 Farmer 12 3 2 1 0
#53 Milhaly Unger 3 Farmer 12 3 0 0 2
#62 Adam Unger 3 Farmer 12 3 0 1 2
#80 Milhaly Unger 2 Tenant 0 0 0 0 0
#83 Janos Unger 4 Tenant 0 0 0 0 0
#109 Janos H. Unger 1 Tenant 0 0 0 0 0
(ED. Note: given the proclivity of naming sons after the father, I'd
suggest (guess) #80, 83 & 109 were sons of #53, 29 & 52, working as
married tenants on someone else's property until such time as they
inherited)

Unfortunately the census does not list the ages of the individuals,
nor their house numbers. Thus, since there were four different Jnos
Unger families listed, there is no way of knowing how any of them fit
into our Unger family tree. But, we know for certain that there were 7
separate Unger families in Rudersdorf in 1828.

A summary of other information about 1828 Rudersdorf follows:
Number of married individuals 336
Number of houses 114
Number of farmers 74
Number of tenants 40
Number of subtenants 3
Number of brothers 5
Number of sons 43
Number of daughters 24
Number of slaves (?) 16
Number of servants 18
Number of workers 3
Number of merchants 0
Number of magistrates 1
Number of oxen 104
Number of milk cows 89
Number of sterile cows 26
Number of steers and cows over 2 yr 19
Number of horses over 3 years 50
Number of pigs 85

From the above it appears that Rudersdorf, one of 613 villages or
cities in Vas county in 1828, had a very orderly structure. It
indicated that everyone apparently shared the same living standards,
because each family unit had essentially the same assets. As is the
case with most genealogical research results, the answer to one
question often prompts other questions. Thus I offer the following
questions for BB members to ponder.

1. What person or government agency created the structure for the
villages of Vas County?
2. With very few exceptions, it appears that each family unit was
allocated the same amount of land. How was this administered? Was it a
first come and claim process, as was the case during the free land
rush here in the USA, or were specific areas first mapped and then
allocated to specific family units?
3. Who were the administrators of the village? How were they selected?

Anna Kresh noted that the article in BB newsletter #60 entitled 1839
Hungarian Tax Records did make any reference to house numbers and
asked why.

Neither the 1828 Hungarian Land Census or the 1839 Hungarian tax
record for VAS County makes any reference to house numbers. Based on
my research thus far, it appears that the use of house numbers first
appeared in 1844 records. I subsequently learned that the house
numbers were originally assigned in sequence as each new house was
built. Years later the houses were re-numbered, using a numbering
sequence according to the house location on a specific street, much
like that currently done in the USA. During recent visits to
Rudersdorf I found that many old houses display both the old and the
new house numbers.

It is interesting that in the left hand edge of the 1839 Hungarian tax
records, each entry was numbered in sequence, starting with 1 and, in
the case of Rudersdorf, continued through entry 152. I compared those
entry numbers with those found on the 1828 Hungarian Census records
and found the same reference numbers being used. There were 7 Ungers
listed in the 1828 census and 9 listed in the 1839 tax records.
However, most of the numbers matched, i.e. entry # 29 was for Janos
Unger in the 1828 Census, and entry # 29 was also for Janos Unger in
the 1839 tax record. Thus it appears that each family was assigned a
specific reference number. Possibly they used that referencing system,
then later starting using house numbers in 1844, where I first found
them in church records.

END OF NEWSLETTER

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