THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - NO. 4
ISSUED AS REQUIRED BY Gerald J. Berghold
Feb. 5, 1997
(all rights reserved)
MAPS
Using the village names as identified by methods outlined in the previous
newsletter, we can look for maps showing our communities. It has been my
experience that maps larger than the county or province level will not be
adequate for finding smaller communities, therefore a good county map is of
prime importance. A scale of 1:200,000, (1 cm = 2km) is perfect. Many of the
communities were (are) small places of little economic significance. A local
Burgenland (and Hungarian) oddity was the "puszta" or Hungarian manorial work
center. The aristocracy owned vast tracts of land (as late as 1930, Prince
Paul Esterhazy still owned 15% of the Burgenland). The workers could not
commute from the landlord's manors (he would not have wanted the peasant
workers living near his residences in any case) and work centers were
established. These "pusztas", also known as "hofs", "meier's" and "major's"
developed into villages from which the peasants commuted to the fields daily.
Only a field path would connect them to a church or larger village with
shops, taverns or other services. As a result, some communities are still
very rural and not on road maps. As a modern tourist, it is in these rural
retreats, however, that you'll still find "old Burgenland". Most roads are
now paved and modern highways are being built to bypass villages. The old
roads connecting these villages are now feeder or access roads to the new
highways.
AUSTRIAN BURGENLAND MAP
The Burgenland "county" map that has been most helpful for me is that
furnished free of charge by the "Austrian National Tourist Office, 500 Fifth
Ave., NY, NY 10110." It is produced by Servus in Österreich and is called
Strassenkarte, Burgenland. Its detail is such that it even shows the "bergen"
or satellite communities located in the hills near parent villages (i.e., see
Poppendorf Bergen or Königsdorf Bergen north of the parent villages) as well
as immediate Hungarian border villages. An even more detailed map of your
area may exist. These are called "Radfahren" or bicycle maps.
They follow the newly designated so-called "Guter Weg" (I don't know if this
translates as "a better way" or "wine estate way", heh, heh!), and those few
that I have for south Burgenland follow old pre-highway farm tracks. Detail
is remarkable. A request to the Tourist Office for "bicycle" touring maps for
your area may be fruitful.
If you mention that you are planning a trip, they will be very generous with
their material and will also send available tourist brochures and lists of
bed & breakfast establishments ("Zimmer Frei") covering your area if asked.
HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND MAP
For some time I had difficulty finding a good map of Hungarian border
villages. I used the Kmmerly+Frey 1:1 000 000 Yugoslavia-Hungary Road Map
(available at large bookstores), but detail was lacking. The following two
purchases from the Hungarian Friendship Society, "Regi Magyarorszag" (Doug
Holmes), 2811 Elvyra Way #236, Sacramento, CA
95821-5865 solved the problem (Buy both if you are researching Hungary):
"CARTOGRAPHIA 1:150 000" map of Vas Megye is the most detailed of Vas county
Hungary that I have seen, although topography is missing.
The "Cartographia Magyarorszag Autoatlasza" is a 1:360 000 road atlas of
Hungary (hardbound booklet) which covers all of Hungary. It appears to be the
largest scale that will provide village detail. Both of these maps are
printed in Hungary and available from Doug Holmes. Contact him via email as
to their availability.
COMPUTER AND INTERNET MAPS
There are five CD mapping systems (Windows 3.1 or 95) that are interesting,
but which, unfortunately, do not provide sufficient detail for Burgenland
genealogical purposes. They can be used to provide broad coverage in an
Historical Genealogy (be aware of copyright).
"Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia Version 2.01" has nice general purpose
maps of Austria and Hungary (and Europe in general). Not enough detail.
"Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia" is about the same, but also has a lot of
Austro/Hungarian written material. They also have an Atlas (requires Windows
95) which I have not used.
"DeLorme Mapping Global Explorer" has more detail than the previous, but
still not enough to locate other than larger cities. Only a few Burgenland
towns are shown (magnification 11X shows Güssing). This would be great tool
if it had sufficient detail.
"Precision Mapping 2.0" from Just softworks. Inc. 15419 127th St., Lemont, IL
60439 has exactly the detail needed, but only covers the United States. Great
for printing maps of where your ancestors settled or built the old homestead
in the US. Parsons' "American History Explorer" is also good for printing
maps of broad coverage.
INTERNET
I've looked at a lot of internet maps and have yet to find any that do the
job with sufficient detail. This area changes daily and I could be missing a
good bet. I'll list one that I know of (courtesy of BB member Frank Teklits):
> The map of Hungary can be found by going to the Helms Genealogy Toolbox at
http://genealogy.tbox.com/genealogy.html. You'll see a large tree begin to
be painted, and then click on Area Specific; click on Europe / then Hungary,
and select map of Hungary. < Has anyone found a site that has maps with lots
of detail?
Hap Anderson (BB member) has many links to internet map sources at his
homepage (see note re homepage at end of newsletter).
OTHER MAP SOURCES
The LDS has a library of older maps which copy fairly well from the originals
at the library in Salt Lake City. They reproduce with variable clarity. No
detail of the smaller villages. The same is true for maps included in LDS
microfilmed gazetteers.
Baedeker's Handbook for Travelers "AUSTRIA" (pre 1921 editions, I have the
1900 edition) includes Hungary and is a superb locator, but villages without
special interest or railroad (stage) stations or inns are ignored. It is
still a good idea to pick up old Baedekers if you can find them in used book
stores. I often look here first (the index) when trying to find a new
village.Many local area and city maps are also included.
Jonathan Sheppard Books, Box 2020, Plaza Station, Albany, NY 12220 has copies
of older maps for Austria/Hungary, Germany and other parts of Europe as well
as North American maps before 1800. Write for their catalog, 55 cents in
stamps. They will ship maps folded or rolled. They advertise in Heritage
Quest Magazine, PO Box 329, Bountiful, Utah 84011, (my favorite genealogy
magazine-$28/year-6 copies).
ONE REASON WHY DETAILED MAPS ARE IMPORTANT
I often receive comments from researchers that, after a dead end, they found
family in a village some distance down the road. I found that men in my
family traveled to distant villages to find new wives, particularly when
there was a spouse death. My great-grandfather Sorger had 3 wives (2 died in
childbirth). He lived in Rosenberg (Güssing). His wives came from Langzeil
(Langzahl)-his father's village, Pinka Mindszent -- the home of his neighbor's
wife, and Neustift -- the home of an uncle. I'm sure our ancestors knew about
inbreeding; after all most were familiar with animal husbandry. They knew the
need for new bloodlines, but they also wanted a spouse from some family to
which they had some ties or previous connections. They didn't want a pig in a
poke. I can just hear some relative saying to a bereaved husband "Your
children need a new mother. I know a widow from a good family in X-Dorf,
she's a distant cousin of your sister's husband, why don't you pay her a
visit?" Use your detailed map to identify villages within a day's wagon ride
(20 miles?) and check those records for more family. You may get lucky.
BURGENLAND BUNCH HOMEPAGE IS BORN!
Kudos to Hap Anderson for the superb job he did putting together a Burgenland
Bunch Homepage. If you haven't seen it, do so immediately! It's a treat! I
can't offer enough superlatives. It will help us all by increasing our
Burgenland research contacts. By now, everyone should have received Hap's
note. In case you missed it, I've repeated it below.
> I am pleased to announce that the "Burgenland Bunch" now has a homepage. I
have come up with a new (proposed) homepage for the Burgenland Bunch and
Gerry Berghold has given it his blessing. It lists all the members and has a
map of Burgenland showing were each member is researching. It's interesting
to see the "spread" of the Burgenland Bunch.
Take a look, see what you think? Any or all suggestions will be appreciated.
I don't want to make anybody mad!! So if you DO NOT want to be listed on
the "Burgenland Bunch web site", let me know and I will remove your name. I
can fix-up this version with any corrections or additions (check your
surnames and village names for spelling and your e-mail address). Then we can
ask FEEFHS and HAFS to add a link to our new Burgenland Bunch page for all
Burgenland researchers to find. In time, we can add more features (your
suggestions).
END OF NEWSLETTER-EDITED & DISTRIBUTED BY GERALD J. BERGHOLD