THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 153A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(Our 11th Year - issued monthly as email by G. J. Berghold
July 31, 2006
(c) 2006 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved


This second section of our 3-section newsletter concerns:

1. Report From BG 50th Anniversary Celebration - Tom Glatz (cont.)
2. Recent Obituaries Concerning Burgenland Ethnic Families
3. National Geographic DNA Project


1. REPORT FROM BG 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
    - continued from Newsletter no. 153

On Thursday night, June 29th, President Walter Dujmovits asked the representatives from abroad to give a speech at the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft meeting in Mogersdorf. Fortunately I prepared one in English on the flight over from Chicago. I told everyone how honored I felt to be at the events as a representative of the Chicago Burgenländische Gemeinschaft and the Burgenland Bunch. I said that the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft had done so much over the years to keep the contact between the homeland and abroad and added that they did much to perpetuate the culture of Burgenland worldwide. Longtime BG and BB member Bob Strauch's very nice speech was first read at this event by Minnie Jarosch from Pennsylvania. Other speeches were given by BG vice president Joe Baumann from NY and others. Next we visited the gravesite of former BG president, Julius Gmoser. Flowers were laid on his grave and speeches by BG President Dr. Walter Dujmovits and others followed. Afterwards we were all invited to the home of former BG secretary Renate Dolmanits for a reception which included some tasty Austrian food!

The Lutheran church service, commemoration ceremony at the emigrants' memorial, and reception in Kukmirn on Friday, June 30th, were equally exciting. Manfred Koch, who is the superintendent of the Lutheran church in Burgenland, and Pastor Gerhard Gabel, presided over the service. A floral arrangement was laid on the emigrant memorial. Proclamations and speeches again followed. The mayor of Kukmirn, Frankie Fiedler, gave a very warm speech about how Burgenländer abroad helped the people in this village after the Second World War. He spoke of his own experiences. He was born in Kukmirn, and later lived in Montreal for many years. The members of the Lutheran chorus were dressed in Burgenland Trachten or costume and sang folk songs. A wine and appetizer reception followed.

Early on Saturday, July 1st, I took the Krutzler Hotel courtesy bus to Güssing to shop for souvenirs for my family. Among some interesting things I found were two hand-painted Burgenland folk art scenes on glass depicting village life. The artist is Ulrike Platzer. I was not successful in finding anything about the artist on the Internet.

The ceremony Saturday evening with the government officials at the culture center in Güssing was the most important day of the event. BG/BB members Klaus Gerger, and Hannes and wife Elfi Graf, made a surprise visit to introduce themselves to me at my hotel. Pictures of the BG officers in Austria and abroad were taken before the event. The singing of the Austrian National Anthem, "Land der Berge, Land am Strome" (Land of Mountains, Land of Streams) started the program. They then showed a segment of the emigrant film Was von der Heimat blieb ("What Remained of the Homeland"). This movie was filmed in America and Burgenland between 1990 and 1995. It is a brief oral and historical documentary of emigration from Burgenland along with interviews of immigrants in America and people back home in Austria. This was a very emotional way to begin the program. It is clear some of the people interviewed were homesick and had memories of a difficult life in Burgenland. It depicts just how poor and desperate the people were. I knew all of the people from Chicago in the film. Walter Dujmovits greeted everyone and introduced the dignitaries and speakers. Prayers were offered by representatives from the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches. A brass quintet played classical pieces in between the speeches. Proclamations were given by representatives of Burgenland organizations from the countries of America and Canada. This included Joe Baumann of New York and Helmut Jandrisits of Toronto. At this time I gave Gerry Berghold's greeting and presented the BB plaque and new BB Immigrant Surname list to Walter Dujmovits for use in the Auswanderer Museum. Klaus Gerger had updated and printed the new list in booklet form. I then proceeded to read the proclamation from Chicago's Mayor Daley. Speeches from many dignitaries were given: Güssing Mayor Peter Vadasz, Auslandsösterreicher Weltbundes (World Organization of Austrians Abroad) President Gustav Chlestil, Abgeordneter zum Nationalrat (delegate to the national council) Franz Glaser, Governor of Burgenland Hans Niessl, and Austrian President Dr. Heinz Fischer. Dr. Fischer shook hands with all speakers and dignitaries. Miss Burgenland from New York, Rachel O'Mara, gave her speech. She is the granddaughter of immigrant Rudi Drauch. Most of the speakers praised the work of the BG in keeping contact and heritage alive. I think the attendance was well in the area of 600 people. Many people approached me and told me how impressed they were with Gerry Berghold's Burgenland Bunch proclamation (see newsletter no. 152). I noticed by the dialect that some of these people were probably from southern villages. Gustav Chlestil and Governor Hans Niessl received honors from the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft for their support and service to the organization. Wine, beer, and appetizers followed. I noticed that Bohnensterz (a bean and flour mixture fried in lard - Burgenland nacho chips - much better than it sounds!) was also served!

On Sunday, July 2nd, the picnic was held at the wine museum in Moschendorf. Mass was said by Bishop Iby from Eisenstadt. We were treated to a nice music program. This included a folk music chorus and two bands. One musician from the group Wehwenka, told me and Frank Radostits that they had interest in playing in cities in America. Some native Burgenländer did some American square dancing! Many speeches were given which included Vice-Governor Franz Steindl and Moschendorf officials. Walter Dujmovits was presented with an interesting honor called the Europan 2006 and a South African flag from a Burgenland immigrant who settled there. Miss Burgenland Erika Franziska Tintle from New Jersey gave a speech. Breaded pork schnitzel and Langos - Hungarian snack - were among the different foods offered for sale. Pictures were taken of the BG officers and BB members. 

On Monday, July 3rd, we started out at 7 AM for a very full day of touring from Heligenbrunn on a bus going to northern Burgenland. I enjoyed the bus winding its way through various villages and towns to pick up people on the way. Jabing and Oberwart were home to many Burgenland immigrants in Chicago. We first arrived in Mörbisch, a village on the Neuseidler See. A famous Austrian actor by the name of Harald Serafin greeted us at the theater on the lake. We then watched part of a rehearsal of an operetta. Next we boarded a ferry to travel on the lake for a "Speck" or bacon party. We were treated to music by gypsy violins. We were given a very fiery Schnaps to drink! Later along with good wine we were served some interesting food such as Speck (bacon), Ochsenmaul Salat (beef salad), Blutwurst (blood sausage) and Grammelpogatscherln (crackling biscuits). After this lake lunch we drove to the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt. After a tour of some of the rooms, we were entertained by a chorus group composed of government workers in the palace theater. The acoustics in the theater were explained as being some of the best in the world for classical music. These workers do this on their own time and practice weekly. Back on the bus again! We headed to the Heurigen Ackerl for a wine tasting in Kleinhöflein. The Sautanz Musi musicians and the chorus leader from the Esterhazy Palace entertained us. Also performing was a stand up comedian/ventriloquist. Spannferkl (roast young pig), potato salad, etc. were served. A few speeches were given including one from the Chicago Miss Burgenland Kate Radostits. Kate is the granddaughter of BG/BB member Frank Radostits and grand niece of our former long time Chicago BG president John Radostits. Interesting to note is that the establishment named one wine in honor of the 3 Miss Burgenlands: Erika from New Jersey, Kate from Chicago, and Rachel from New York. It is called Wein der Auslandsburgenländer or the wine of Burgenländer abroad and has the seal of the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft. I purchased a few bottles! I might add that the three Miss Burgenlands are to be commended for doing a wonderful job in representing their organizations!

The fourth of July was supposed to be a free day for me. However BG/BB member Klaus Gerger had other plans! Late in the morning he came by the hotel to take me on a tour through many villages in the area, including Großmürbisch, Reinersdorf, Gerersdorf and Rosenberg. Chicago BG member Alois Fandl had explained that most of the people had left Reinersdorf, the village he once lived in. Klaus confirmed this and explained the village had been resettled by new people over the last several years. He showed me with great interest the old abandoned but for sale house and "Hof" of his and Gerry Berghold's Pöltl ancestors in Rosenberg. From here there were some great views of the castle in Güssing! In Gerersdorf, we visited the Freilichtmuseum (open-air museum). This is an area of the village that contains old thatched-roof farm homes, barns, and other buildings which were brought together to form a sort of preservation museum. Artist Gottfried Kumpf presently has his Burgenland folk theme artwork for sale in many of these buildings. Klaus purchased for me a Kumpf poster with a sort of caricature theme from a Burgenland Croatian village complete with Croatian dress and a gypsy playing a violin! My relatives later told me that this artist Kumpf in fact lives today in their village of Breitenbrunn. (ED. Note: On the occasion of their visit to Allentown, Burgenland Governor Hans Niesel and his party presented me with a watch designed by Kumpf - his character is a sort of Austrian "Peanuts" (Charlie Brown.)

Wednesday, the 5th of July, was the closing ceremony of the events in Güssing. This final day of the fest included a tour of the city and castle. It concluded with a meeting with the city officials. However, my relatives were coming to take me back to Breitenbrunn. On Thursday I would take a very early flight home. I wanted to spend another evening with them and did not want them to have the burden of picking me up late in the day in Güssing. Klaus arrived early in the morning at the hotel. I had asked him if there was a possibility of getting into the Auswanderer Museum. We dropped off my luggage at the BG office. I purchased Burgenländische Gemeinschaft Fiftieth Anniversary pins for all of the Chicago BG board of directors and officers. Klaus was able to get the key for the Auswanderer Museum. I was glad to see many articles from Chicago including the flags from the Chicago Erster Burgenlander Kranken Unterstützungs Vereien Zweig 1 and the Chicago Burgenland Maennerchor. These organizations no longer exist. The trunk belonging to the real first Burgenland immigrant to Chicago, Johann Wenzel was also there. A few small things donated by Chicago and other Burgenländer abroad were in a glass case. I noticed a flag from the German and Austrian War Veterans from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Pictures of Burgenland immigrants were frequent on the walls. I decided I wanted to purchase more pumpkin seed oil. Klaus took me to his favorite farmer in Tschantschendorf for this. He also explained that the commercial oil purchased in grocery stores can have up to 10% other oil without them having to list it as an ingredient! I very much appreciated the nice meal that his two daughters Victoria and Eva served! Auf Weidersehens are never easy, but it was off again to Breitenbrunn!

I want to mention the wonderful service and care the Hotel Krutzler gave to those of us who stayed there. This is a great place to stay when visiting southern Burgenland. BB/BG member Frank Radostits had problems with his flight from Washington DC to Europe. Frank's son Frank Jr. and family were also at the hotel since their daughter was our Chicago Miss Burgenland. The hotel let them use their computer to help find a way of getting him to Europe. The food served at the hotel was excellent. I had a few items that were cooked with pumpkin seed oil. Their inclusive breakfasts (Buffet) were also wonderful! Some of the rooms now have air conditioning. The swimming pools (indoor and outdoor) also brought exercise and relaxation during the few hours when I was not busy.

This was a very memorable time of events for the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft, the Burgenland Bunch, and all who were able to attend! Tom Glatz

(Note from Gerry Berghold. On behalf of the entire BB membership, I want to thank Tom for the excellent manner in which he represented our organization at this BG Anniversary celebration. His report makes me feel I was there as well. I also wish to thank Klaus Gerger and Hannes Graf and the BG for assisting Tom and the many courtesies and help extended by all.)


2. RECENT OBITUARIES CONCERNING BURGENLAND ETHNIC FAMILIES
    - from Bob Strauch

Sister Julianna Marie Kollar, 95, a Missionary Sister of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, died Wednesday, July 19, 2006 in Sacred Heart Villa, Reading. Born in Punitz, Burgenland, Austria, she was a daughter of the late John and Julia (Marx) Kollar.

Frances Bernini, 97, of Fountain Hill, formerly of Allentown, passed away Saturday, July 22, 2006, in Cedarbrook-Fountain Hill Annex. Her husband, the  late Albert J. Bernini, died in 1994. Born in Neumarkt im Tauchental, Austria, she was a daughter of the late Aloysius and Frances (Zartler) Galowitsch.


3. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DNA PROJECT

Charles Stuparits writes: I came across an article in the National Geographic Magazine about finding your roots by sending a sample of your DNA to them. The cost was $90, but wow, did I get information. It seems all our roots were from the cradle of civilization in Africa, but then it gets interesting. My DNA showed my family line traveled straight up, not into where Europe would be, but through the area presently Albania, and then East into an area where the Huns were. (Hungarian)? National Geographic sends you a kit for your DNA sample. It consists of 3 swabs on sticks, a plastic repository and instructions on how to obtain the DNA samples by swabbing the sides of your mouth and putting the sample in the container, and sending them the sample prepaid. It takes 60-90 days for the results, and it's well worth it.

They also send you an email where a specialist talks to you with a movie regarding your particular DNA. They contacted me later with a request for information on my parents in hope expanding the information further, which I of course complied. I thought other BB members should try this, and it would probably explain a lot about all our roots.

Newsletter continues as number 153B.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 153B
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(Our 11th Year - issued monthly as email by G. J. Berghold
July 31, 2006
(c) 2006 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved


This third section of our 3-section newsletter concerns:

1. A BG - Moschendorf Report From Membership Editor Hannes Graf
2. AÖWB Meeting Set For Sept. 2006
3. Events & Issues Leading To Burgenland Emigration
4. Have You Been Bitten By The Genealogy Bug?


1. A MOSCHENDORF REPORT
    - from Membership Editor Hannes Graf

Hello All - This is an overview about a weekend in Güssing and Moschendorf. It was very very very nice!!! (ED. Note-Hannes and wife Elfie live in Vienna.)

Saturday Elfie and I rented a car, driving the small roads south from little village to little village (von Dorf zu Dorf), some of the southern Burgenland villages we saw for the first time. After arriving in Güssing and checking in at the Hotel, we searched for Klaus Gerger - Burgenland Editor (he is the real heart of BG) and he took us to meet Tom Glatz at Krutzler Hotel. So at the very first we have our first meeting with Tom, he is one nice guy. Klaus invited us to come to the official reception, I was not sure about being welcome there, but it was bigger than I thought. At 19.00 in Kulturzentrum Güssing, when all the people were inside, the president of Austria, Heinz Fischer, arrived and was the guest of honor (Ehrengast).

People from every BG community gave welcome speeches and greetings. One of them talked about people who had the longest journey to Güssing, AND they were Burgenland Bunch members: Rosa Vrbatovic from Australia and Hermann Allerstorfer from Hawaii. I knew these names from the member list and spoke to them. After many speeches Tom Glatz spoke. He speaks very well offering greetings and honor to Dr. Walter. Dujmovits (BG president), presented him the BB plaque and the BB "Member list" (prepared by Klaus Gerger for the Güssing Immigrant Museum). In his speech Dr. Dujmovits spoke about the Burgenland Bunch.

After the politicians have spoken, at last the president spoke some words.

We had enough time to search and find all of the BB members and speak a few words, also Tom introduced me to some people, BB-member Frank Radostits and some other BG people, I forget the names, because there were at least a thousand people there.

Also the Austrian TV and Journalists from Newspapers were there, many people with cameras from different magazines or whatever. Klaus and Elfie also photographed some people, (Elfie took 150 pictures).

I checked the internet after coming home and found  some newspaper articles, I give the Links:

KURIER: http://www.kurier.at/nachrichten/burgenland/16411.php

ORF: http://burgenland.orf.at/stories/119103/

After the official meeting, Tom tells us that the President of Austria shook hands with him (so he will never wash it (:-))). For Elfie and me it was not so surprising because we knew Heinz Fischer before he was president and when he left the meeting, he greeted us with an uncomplicated "Hello"; next day the Vice-Governor asks Elfie "What are you doing here, I haven't seen you in 20 years......" I think we were the last people to leave, and so to bed and sleep immediately. (We were really dead.)

Sunday we wanted to go to the Auswanderer-Museum, but every time we did, it was closed, so we reserved it for a later non-stressed weekend in Güssing. Then Klaus will be our guide. Speaking with Dujmovits was not possible, because he was so busy. We went to the castle (Burg Güssing) looked around and drove around the small villages again. On this ride we found some nice places. In the middle of one village a stork stalked slowly up the street without stress, we drove behind him... after 200 meters another animal on the road again, a rabbit, then a golden pheasant and so on... also we found the cemeteries of Luising and Hagendorf. This is really a nice place. The only cemetery without a wall, exactly at the border between the two villages, on a little hill where a smaller castle once stood and the family grave of the Count Mensdorff Pouilly.

After this we went to the BG Picnic and arrived at 14.30 in Moschendorf. There we spent some time, but it was too much for me, too loud. So at last we took pictures of all Burgenland Bunch members, but they made a wrong announcement, so other Burgenland-represented people are also in the photo. Any way....

In the next few days we will try to save (load) the photos from the camera (Elfie bought it 1 day before we left) to the computer, and then I will begin to make a photo page for the homepage. liebe Grüße, hannes


2. AÖWB MEETING SET FOR SEPT. 2006

The next meeting of the Auslandsösterreicher-Weltbund (Austrian Expatriots' World Organization) will be held September 7-10, 2006 in Klagenfurt (Carinthia). Former Austrians, now living abroad, will meet for four days of mutual interest and fellowship. Dr. Walter Dujmovits (BG president) is a staff member of this organization which publishes the magazine ROTWEISSROT.


3. EVENTS & ISSUES LEADING TO BURGENLAND EMIGRATION

Correspondent writes: My name is Karen Mulitsch-Dickens. I came across your newsletter while researching for a college paper. I am of Burgenland resident descent and became very interested in information contained in your newsletters. My great-grandparents Ignatius Mulitsch and Amelia Unger Mulitsch, immigrated to America about 1903-1904 and I would very much like you to share information on the events and issues in Austria concerning why so many immigrated to America in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Reply: The period from 1880 to 1924 was part of the scene of what has been called the "second migration" or the "new migration" to the Americas. Millions came, mostly from southern and eastern Europe. In general this is adequately covered in many books available from most libraries; however, very little is specific to the Burgenland.  It is for this reason that I formed the Burgenland Bunch some 11 years ago.

Reasons for leaving the Burgenland (much of 3 counties of Hungary until 1921, when they were transferred to Austria by the Treaty of Trianon and became Austria's ninth province) were little different from those in other geographic areas. If you understand the "push-pull" factors of migration, they apply to all groups during the subject period.

The push factors involved mostly economic and political issues. There were long periods of drought around the turn of the century and the Burgenland is and was an agricultural economic unit. Swine Flu then decimated the pork industry. Phyloxera (the grape vine louse or Reblaus from America) devastated the wine industry. Both were prime cash crops as was wheat and flour. Their loss to the Burgenland economy was devastating. While the large aristocratic estates were broken up after 1848 and tenants could buy farms from the aristocracy with governmental help, they were expensive for cash poor peasants and very small (average holding was less than 17 acres). Primogeniture reigned and only the first-born inherited. Other children had to go elsewhere. Many opted to work as seasonal harvest workers, traveling here there and everywhere to harvest crops. This included seasonal visits to the Americas as well when steamship fares dropped in price. Many Burgenlanders thus knew of the opportunity to earn in America. They shared their experiences with others. There was little Burgenland industry, the large aristocratic holdings no longer provided much day work and only in the larger cities was work available, requiring expensive weekly travel from village to city and poor lodging. Unemployment and low wages were prevalent. America beckoned - go there, earn and save money and return to buy land and improve status. (Once America was experienced, only about 25% returned.)

On the political side, military service was required and was detested. While most Burgenlanders (84%) were of German origin and mostly supported the Habsburgs, many of Hungarian origin desired autonomy for Hungary (part of the Austro/Hungarian Empire after the revolution of 1848). Hungary was granted autonomy except for matters involving the military and foreign affairs. The Hungarian government then required that Hungarian be the official language of government and commerce - called Magyarization. This did not sit well with much of the German and Croatian population who preferred their own language and customs. There was also little governmental concern about emigration (Austrian or US) until numbers of immigrants reached very high levels) - resulting in the 1921-22 US immigration quota laws and stiffer Austrian exit requirements. By 1924-25, it was all over and Burgenland emigration did not peak again until the early 1950s  - following the devastation of WWII when quota restrictions were eased and political immigration allowed. Post 1925 and post WWII emigration saw many going to Canada and the South America.

On the pull side, modern steamships made the journey easy and cheap (average $14-25 in steerage) Hamburg-Bremen-Antwerp to New York. A ship carrying thousands of immigrants was a lucrative money source and the steamship companies (Hapag, German-American Lloyd, etc.) built more and larger vessels and opened booking offices in many villages. By 1910, most trans-Atlantic liners exceeded 15000 tons in size, capable of carrying upwards of 2000 passengers. The rise of railroads in both Europe and America made it easy to get to ports of embarkation and places of ultimate destination. Often steamship tickets included railroad fares. Cement, steel, breweries and railroad industry in the US provided work - cheap labor was in great demand and immigrants would work for low pay. Lehigh Valley cement companies labor was mostly all immigrant labor from the Burgenland and their cement built the Panama Canal. Prior German immigrants (the so-called Pennsylvania-Dutch - immigrants from the Palatinate and other earlier German immigrants) provided Germanic enclaves (Lehigh Valley of PA, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, etc.) where immigrants could feel at home with people who spoke their language and continued their customs and culture (Again - over 80% of Burgenland immigrants spoke German - the balance Croatian (14%) - the rest Hungarian. As emigration grew, much money was sent back to the Burgenland to pay for passage of relatives and friends. Many men emigrated first and then sent for wives and children. Letters home spoke of the many opportunities available. Immigration "fever" took over in many villages - some villages lost half of their population; in some southern Burgenland districts, some villages lost all of their young men. Even today, most villages have populations much smaller than they were in 1883. During the period mentioned, over 40,000 came from the Burgenland (Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups -Ternstrom, Harvard Univ Press) - it's guessed that perhaps as many as 25% returned and invested their US savings locally (author Puskas).

Most documentation of this migration has been published in German or Hungarian. You may wish to read translated English articles in BB Newsletters 32, 46, 47A, 48 and 51. There is one book in English, which is out of print. Try to find a library copy of "Burgenland. A Historical and Geographical Study of Burgenland" by Dr. A. F. Burghardt, Univ. of Wisconsin Press, Madison: 1962. 

I might mention that it's possible that your g-grandparents came from southern Burgenland - the districts of Güssing or Jennersdorf. That "Mulitsch" name was probably spelled "Malitsch" or "Malits." Perhaps you know otherwise. There are many Malits families in Güssing. The name is of Croatian origin dating from 1524 when Croatian refugees were brought to the Burgenland by Franz Batthyany, Ban of Croatia and Lord of Güssing - as they fled Turkish invasion. Unger (of German-Hungarian origin) in that region is as prevalent as Smith in the US. Good luck and let me know how you make out with your paper.


4. HAVE YOU BEEN BITTEN BY THE BURGENLAND GENEALOGY BUG?

One of our active correspondents who is doing yeoman research work concerning Burgenland immigrants writes: I really have gotten so much joy out of the process, let alone the results. It's a shame that more people don't let themselves be "bitten by the bug". They truly are missing out.

Reply: Hello Frank - don't let lack of participation discourage you. We've (the BB) been in business almost 11 years and have only 1250 members - very few active, but we gain more than we lose. About 75 to 100 per year. However those who have been active (like yourself and BB Staff ) have accomplished wonders.

Sometimes it helps to look at probability. Given 40K-50K Burgenland immigrants 1880-1925 (a pretty solid figure) and maybe a few thousand besides - say 60K at most, 25% of which may have returned, we may be looking at a base of perhaps 45K immigrants. In 3 generations they produced maybe (45K x 3 x 3 x3 ) 1,215K adult descendants. With a death rate of 60% (20% per generation) we're left with maybe 500K. Now if 25% (high?) of those have computers and use the internet, we reduce to 125K. Say only another 25% are interested in family history, and we end up with a base of 30K possible members. I imagine the sloth and timidity factors will cut that in half, so the bottom line is perhaps 15K. The BB, BG and your group have a combined membership of about 3-4K or about 25% of possible members. We are all improving that daily so we're not doing all that bad. These numbers and percentages are pretty nebulous except for the number of immigrants and our membership count. The descendant projection may be high (or low) and the computer and family history interest are anyone's guess, but I doubt if our membership potential is as high as 15K.

We have a lot going for us. Word of mouth gets our message across and we have some governmental interest (in Austria). The language barrier gets lowered all the time (the BG News now has a number of English articles - our two sites have very little German). We also make it easier and easier for people to get answers. I think we can expect slow and steady growth.

END OF NEWSLETTER

The Burgenland Bunch homepage (website) can be found at:
http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/

We can also be reached from: http://go.to/burgenland-bunch (this address also provides access to Burgenländische Gemeinschaft web site)

Use our website to access our membership, village and surname lists, archives, internet links, maps, instructions, ethnic song book, frequently asked questions and other information.

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Burgenland Bunch Newsletter (c) 1997
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