THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - NO. 2
ISSUED AS REQUIRED BY Gerald J. Berghold
Jan. 18, 1997
(all rights reserved)


BURGENLAND CENSUS RECORDS

Let's assume you've exhausted the Latter Day Saint (LDS) Church Record and
Civil Record microfilm from your Burgenland ancestors' villages. You've also
used these records to trace allied families and scanned the records of
villages shown as their residence or birth place. You've identified all the
churches attended by your families, know the German and Hungarian or Croatian
names of your villages and where the district offices were (are) located,
past and present. You're wondering where you can find records which predate
the LDS files and perhaps are looking for that most elusive place from which
your ancestors first migrated to the Burgenland. What can you do while you're
waiting for some clues which will get you a few more generations toward Adam
& Eve? One thing you can do is look at the LDS Census microfilm covering
Burgenland ancestors and immigrants.

Before discussing the census records, however, I'd like to emphasize that if
you haven't reviewed the LDS 1896-1921 Civil Records for your village
(district), by all means do so. Unlike the sparse data listed in the church
baptism, marriage and death records, the civil records are loaded with data.
They always show parents, witnesses, addresses, professions and places of
residence and birth, etc. The death records in particular (showing parents)
can give you another generation. It is a shame that we don't have these
informative records for a longer time frame. They are written in Hungarian,
but if you have trouble, order "Following the Paper Trail," authors Shea &
Hoffman, pub. 1991 by Language & Lineage Press, 60 Old Northville Rd., New
Milford, CT 06776. This booklet is full of helpful things including 10 pages
of Hungarian translation material, plus German, Latin, Russian, Italian,
Polish, and other languages and their alphabets. It has examples of Civil
Documents which are translated. Unfortunately, civil record microfilm is only
available for those villages transferred to Austria in 1921. The Hungarian
villages are not available from the LDS. To find the microfilm for your
present-day Austrian family, order the microfilm number for the place where
the district office for your family village is located, i.e., Güssing for Szt.
Miklos or Heiligenkreuz for Poppendorf, etc. If you are not sure of the
district in which your village was located, try the nearest large town. See
the LDS catalog for more information.

THE CENSUS RECORDS

Census records are a snapshot in time, not only proving existence of a family
at a particular period, but also showing place of residence, assets, age
verification and often other items of genealogical value. There are two main
groups of census records which will expand your Burgenland ancestor history.
The "1828 Hungarian Land Census" and the "US 1910 & 1920 Census for the
United States" (arranged by county in which your particular immigrants
settled). Unlike some previous US census years, the 1910 & 1920 census are
loaded with immigrant family genealogical material.

The Hungarian Census of 1828 includes 8 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 puztas (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"
(pre-1830?).

Only the landowner is listed (name is hand written) along with his (her)
holdings in land, livestock, vineyards, major crops or other assets, etc.
along with the number of people living with him by type; sons, daughters,
servants, etc. The data is spread over a two-page form with headings in Latin
and entries under each heading.

Martha M. Connor, 7754 Pacemont Ct., Las Vegas, NV 89117 is the expert
concerning this census. She has so far transcribed 5 counties (Bacs Bodrog,
Baranya, Torontal, Tolna, Temes).

While Vas county is not yet transcribed, she has had the Latin census headings
translated by a professional service bureau and will make it available for a
small fee or you may wish to try translating your own (not hard). The
transcribed counties' census records are available (1994) for $25 per county
plus postage.

I photocopied relevant parts of the LDS Hungarian census for each of my
villages and thus now know the size of my ancestor's holdings and from what
they derived their income.

I can also better resurrect the families as they were in 1828 by correlating
with church records. I also have a feel of the size of families pre-1825
(those who were born pre-1825 when the church records start). Servants (if
any), etc. give me some indication of their prosperity. Also important is the
fact that I now have a list of property owners in each village and can often
spot allied families, godparents, etc. There is also an 1857-1869 Austrian
Census. Vas County is film no. 0720176. It is mostly a summarization of
village population showing number of families, houses and church members.

Since many of our Burgenlanders emigrated to the US 1880-1914, the 1910 and
1920 US census are just great for providing information concerning their
early days in the United States. Both years provide the usual census data
plus language spoken, date of immigration and place born. You can use Soundex
to find records if your people settled in a large metropolitan area like New
York. I've only looked at the state of Pennsylvania, Lehigh County (film nos.
1375377 & 1821588-90) and Northampton County (film nos. 1375394 & 1821607,
1821608), which are easy as these are small areas and most immigrants
congregated in particular neighborhoods and wards. Besides, if you were born
and raised in the Lehigh Valley, you'll enjoy snooping these records and
finding neighbors and school chums. Allentown Burgenland immigrants are found
in the 1st, 6th, 10th, & 11th Wards and in Whitehall (Fullerton) and South
Allentown. Northampton County immigrants are found all over but heavy in
Stiles, Coplay, Whitehall, & Northampton and near any of the cement mill
areas. Bethlehem (located in both Lehigh and Northampton) is also heavy in
immigrants (the Bethlehem Steel area). I have found instances where the
correct Burgenland village name is given in the census as place of birth, but
I've also seen such things as Germany, Austria/Hungary, Hungary, Ruthenia
etc. We are at the mercy of the whim and skill of the census taker! Do not
neglect the long lists of boarders in boarding houses. Many of our immigrants
spent their first years in ethnic boarding houses. Once you find year of
immigration from the census, you can normally find the immigration card
filled out on Ellis Island (or Castle Gardens) unless the immigrant traveled
1st or 2nd class when there may not be a card.

This card will supply the name of the ship, date landed, others in the party,
place of departure, money carried, US sponsor, destination in US, etc. Given
an immigration year, use Soundex to order film covering arrivals for that
year, in order to find the arrival card.

This census research will fill in the time while you wait to expand your
genealogy and will provide additional data to flesh out that genealogy.


END OF NEWSLETTER - EDITED & DISTRIBUTED BY GERALD J. BERGHOLD