THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - NO. 3
ISSUED AS REQUIRED BY Gerald J. Berghold
Jan 27, 1997
(all rights reserved)
SOME GENERAL HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY AFFECTING VILLAGE NAMES
The first step in looking for the location of a Burgenland ancestor's village
is to consider the time frame of the particular ancestor's birth. Generally,
your "Auswanderung" (the 1880-1914 US emigration period) ancestor's village
will carry a Hungarian name. Later emigrants' villages will carry the German
name. Pre-1848 records, as far back as 1648, can carry German, Latin or
Croatian names. Post 1921 names will be in German (if in Austria) or in
Hungarian (if in Hungary). To trace a family through time, it is necessary to
know at least the Hungarian and German village names. It may also be
necessary to know their Latin or Croatian equivalents and common
abbreviations such as "N-juvar" for Nemetjuvar (Güssing).
(It really isn't proper to use the word "Burgenland" for any period prior to
1921, when the Province of Burgenland in Austria was born. It is very
tiresome, however, to constantly be defining this geographic term. I will
thus use the term "Burgenland" to define today's Austrian Province as well as
that pre-1921 portion of Hungary along its western border, which was ceded
to Austria.)
Most of the Burgenland was formerly in Hungary's Vas Megye, although some
villages may have been in any of the border counties (north to south),
Moson, Sopron, or Vas. While I can make do with a Hungarian map of Vas
Megye, some genealogists may also require one for Moson or Sopron. It is the
county maps which supply the detail necessary to find the smaller villages.
As we move back in time, we find that the names often change. Vas, pre-1830,
becomes Castrifieri and Nemetjuvar (Güssing) was alternately known as Kussen
(AD 1263), civitas Vywar (1427), Nemethwywar (1466), Gyzzing (1582), Gissing
(1619), Gyssing (1683), Nemet Uyvar Varos (1693) from which the Hungarian
Nemetjuvar stems and finally Güssing (1751 to present). If you search the
literature for the periods indicated, you should be aware that there may be
an older name of your village.
GERMAN-HUNGARIAN-CROATIAN EQUIVALENT VILLAGE NAMES
Keeping the foregoing in mind, it will generally be sufficient to know the
19th Century names of your village. The Austrian/Hungarian officials could be
just as confused as we are and at least two important studies were
undertaken. These resulted in two fine gazetteers, which are available on
film from the Family History Center of the LDS in Salt Lake City. They are:
"The Topographical Lexicon of the Communities of Hungary Compiled Officially
in 1773", published by the Delegation of the Peace of Hungary (LDS microfiche
6001476).
This is an alphabetic list of all places situated in the territory of each
parish by county. It is not necessary to know the parish. If your village is
not in one parish, look in the other three. Headings are in Latin. The
lexicon lists the Latin, Hungarian, and any German or Slavonic name of each
community as well as the predominant religion and language. Photocopies of
pages 79-98 will give you a complete list for Comitatus Castriferrei (Vas
Megye). It can also be used for information concerning border villages that
are part of Hungary today.
An example: Keresztur, in the parish of Laky, is known as Keresztur (later
changed to Raba Keresztur) in Hungarian and Heiligs Kreutz (Heiligenkreuz) in
German. Catholic and German.
"Gazetter of Hungary" by Janos Dvorzsak, pub. in Budapest in 1877. (LDS
microfiche 6000840. You need not order this fiche; it is part of each Family
History Center's permanent microfiche collection.)
This is a very important gazetter (written in German & Hungarian with an
English introduction), as it was published right prior to the "Auswanderung"
and thus uses names that would have been familiar to the immigrants; the
names which they would have used on documents. It is arranged by county
(Megye-Comitat), by district (Jaras-Bezirk), then alphabetically by Hungarian
community name. (If only the German name is known, refer to index for the
Hungarian name). It shows the Hungarian name, German-Croatian equivalent, if
any, number of residents by religion and where they attended church! Pages
743-773 will cover Vas Megye. It can also be used for information concerning
border villages which are part of Hungary today.
An example: In the District of Szent-Gotthard is the community of Kerezstur
(Raba) also known as Heiligenkreuz. There are 881 RK (Roman Catholics who
attend church in) Kerezstur (Szombathely Synod), 291 ag (Augustine
Confession-Lutherans who attend church in) Kortvelyes (Eltendorf), no rf
(Reformed) and 7 iz (Jews) (would attend synagogue in Güssing).
If the religion is shown in caps (i.e., RK or AG) it means there was a church
of that denomination in the village which was attended by the inhabitants. If
in lower case (i.e., rk or ag), no church was available and the inhabitants
attended in the village shown following "rk" or "ag" as above.
VILLAGE DATA
"Magyyarorszag Varmegyei es Varosai Vasvarmegye", authors Sziklay and
Borovszky, published in 1898, is a geographical history which includes a
brief description of Hungarian Vas Megye communities (LDS microfilm
1045430). It shows the number of houses, population, post office server,
churches and dates of erection, local aristocracy, types of inhabitants and
items of interest. Many illustrations, some maps. While written in Hungarian,
the descriptions of the smaller communities are not too difficult to
translate with a dictionary.
Example: Patafalva (Poppendorf) has 108 dwellings and 805 German inhabitants
(Ed. note - an average density of 8 per home!). Population includes both
Catholics and Augustine Confession Evangelicals (Lutherans). Post office
address is Kortvelyes (Eltendorf) and telegraph office is Szt. Gotthard.
There is a Catholic chapel built in 1842. Duke Batthyány is the local
landlord.
VILLAGE EQUIVALENT LIST
Using the above, you can prepare a list of your families' villages. Put it in
a notebook. You'll refer to it often. A sample of my Güssing area list
follows. It's a good idea to add location of churches attended.
GERMAN NAMES & HUNGARIAN EQUIVALENTS - SOUTH BURGENLAND
TOWN d HUNGARIAN NAME
("d" = direction from Güssing)
ALLERHEILIGE NE PINKA MINDSZENT
BOKSDORF NW BAKSAFALVA
BURGENLAND - VAS MEGYE
CZAHLING(ZAHLING) SW CZAHLING
DOBERSDORF SW DOBRAFALVA
EICHSELBAUM S BADAFALVA
ELTENDORF SW KORTVELYES
GENISDORF SE NEMESMEDVES
GERERSDORF bei GUSSING NW SZENT GROTH
GROSS MURBISCH SE NAGY MEDVES
GROSS PETERSDORF NE NEMET-ST MIHALY
GUSSING - NEMETJUVAR
HEILIGENKREUZ im LAFNITZ S RABA-KERESZTUR
INZENHOF S BOROSGODOR
JAKABSHOF S JAKABHAZA
JENNERSDORF SW GYANAFALVA
KLEIN-MURBISCH SE KIS-MEDVES
KOENIGSDORF SW KIRALYFALVA
KUKMIRN NW KUKMER
LANGZEIL SW LANGSAAL
LIMBACH W HARSPATAK
MISCHENDORF E PINKA-MISKA
MOGERSDORF SW NAGYFALU
MUHLGRABEN S MALOMGODOR
NEUSIEDL W UJLAK
NEUSTIFT bei GUSSING S UJTELEP
OLLERSDORF NW BARATFALU
POPPENDORF im LAFNITZ SW PATAFALVA
RAABFIDISCH S RABAFUZES
RAX SW RAKS
REHGRABEN NW PRASTYA
REINERSDORF SE ZSAMAND
ROSENBERG SW ROSAHEGY
RUDERSDORF W RADAFALVA
SANKT GOTTHARD S SZENT GOTTHARD
ST KATHREIN im BGLD NE SZENTKATALIN
ST MICHAEL im BGLD N SZENTMIHALY
ST NICHOLAS SE SZENT MIKLOS
STREM E STREM
SULZ bei GUSSING NW SOSKUT
SUMETENDORF E SZOMBATFA
TOBAJ N TOBA
END OF NEWSLETTER-EDITED & DISTRIBUTED BY GERALD J. BERGHOLD