BB News No. 34 dtd 30 Apr 1998

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 34 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND GENEALOGY (issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold) April 30, 1998 (all rights reserved) This edition of the newsletter contains articles on: - Museum of Remembrances - an Invitation to Join - Kitchen Food - Wends & Slovenes - Naturalization Question - Northampton, PA Census - Schwabian Migration to the Styrian-Hungarian Border - Early Emigrants From Sopron Megye MUSEUM OF REMEMBRANCES - AN INVITATION TO JOIN; PHOTO - STORIES OF BURGENLAND (a project by members Eva Brunner-Szabo & Gert Tschoegl) Millions of photographs can be found at flea-markets, in garrets and shoe-boxes. A photographic universe of private histories and biographies. The pictures give evidence of a time which has passed by. It seems to be an act of a collective enterprise - a complete work and total ethnographic inquiry. With the enormous number of pictures, photographs lose their remembrances. The narratives to the pictures, passed from generation to generation, are sinking into oblivion. Innumerable pictures lose their captions - they dont tell us where, when and from whom they are. But nevertheless these old anonymous photographs trigger our memory about our own experiences or those of our parents and grandparents. They are remembrances of happy and sad events, funny and serious. The project Museum of Remembrances shows old photographs and collects the memories of their spectators. The spectators' remembrances are sources for historians to determine the anonymous photographs. Collecting these narratives in context with the pictures, the silent world of anonymous photographs gets back a history narrated by the collective. But this project can also be seen in the tradition of the "Spurensicherung" (e.g. Christian Boltanski). It means a concept of art, which deals with fragments and traces of the history. The purpose of the "Spurensicherung" (securing traces) is to reconstruct the memories of historical events. "Museum of Remembrances searches also for memories of families from Burgenland who emigrated to the USA, Canada, Australia or South America. These emigrants are an important part of our history. We invite special all people of Burgenland and their descendants who live abroad to participate in this project. How can you participate? In the March/April and May/June 1998 issues of the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft newsletter and at our homepage: http://www.user.xpoint.at/g.tschoegl/museum/index.htm we publish 24 photographs. What do you remember when you see these photographs? Tell us your story. Write us your memories in German or English in few words or in a short story. Together with the photographs we will show selected memories in 5 exhibitions in galleries in Burgenland and also in the Internet (starting in October of 1998). We are looking forward to all replies. All memories received will be published. The photographs can be seen at: http://www.user.xpoint.at/g.tschoegl/museum/index.htm (starting April 30, 1998) Mail your memories to: Museum of Remembrances, Postfach 280, A-7400 Oberwart, Austria (or use the form in our homepage). Closing date is 31-8-1998. Dont forget to write the referring numbers of the photos for which you send us your remembrances and remarks. As a thank for responding, we will enter your name in a drawing to win 10 books about Burgenland. For the drawing we need your name, address and age. If you dont want your name and address mentioned in the exhibition, please let us know. Museum of Remembrances, Postfach 280, A-7400 Oberwart, Austria this project is supported by: Bundeskuratorin für Kunst Lioba Reddeker (Federal Curator of Art) in cooperation with: Die Burgenland-Woche "BF" (Weekly Newspaper); further support: Burgenländische Volkshochschulen, Burgenländische Gemeinschaft, Amt der Burgenländischen Landesregierung - Abteilung Kultur und Wissenschaft. KITCHEN FOOD (your editor) Some time ago, pre-retirement, in the never- never-land of the corporate east coast, the wife and I belonged to a prestigious Austrian-American Society. Their functions were very sophisticated, to say the least, and I believe most members were of Viennese extraction and included a Baron or two. Like Burgenländers, however, they loved to eat, and their Jausen, picnics, dinner parties and their annual Viennese Ball were very memorable. I once asked another member if they ever made things like cabbage strudel, potato biscuits (pogatchel) or cabbage noodles (kraut nockerln). The reply was, "oh yes, but that's kitchen food!" I never did find out if, by that remark, they meant food to be eaten in the kitchen, never served to guests or something the Baron's servants made for themselves. When I remember my immigrant grandparents' ethnic meals, I always think of this so-called kitchen food. My favorite and often repeated remark at table when savoring something like cabbage strudel or a bowl of goulasch soup is "makes the belly feel good" (gives one a warm glow like a glass of schnapps). One favorite is Lentel soup. Anna Kresh sends me the following via the Erich Kumbusch kitchen: "Here is the recipe. I made a double batch because that matched the package of lentils we got, and we had it for several days. It's a strange color, but is truly wonderful. Reminds me of Rudy's black bean soup, which is outstanding but looks like you rinsed out your crankcase. ;-) I've 'translated' the recipe somewhat. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lentil Soup (from the Vienese kitchen of BB members Erich and Margit Kumbusch) 250 grams lentils (1/2 lb.), 1 bacon rind, 80 grams smoked bacon (1/8 lb.), 1 bouillon cube, dissolved in 1.25 liters water (5 1/4 cup), salt, caraway, marjoram (to taste), 1 garlic clove, minced, 2 Tbsp oil, 2 Tbsp flour, 1 glass (250 ccm) dry white wine. 1. Soak lentils in water overnight. 2. Boil in 1.25 liters water the lentils, bacon rind, 1/3 of the caraway, and bouillon cube until the lentils are very soft. Set broth aside. 3. Cut the smoked bacon in small cubes and saute with the minced garlic in oil in a hot pan. Add the flour, caraway and marjoram and saute til bright brown (einbrenn). 4. Add to broth and cook gently 10 minutes. Salt to taste. 5. Add wine to taste - and the original Croatian Burgenländer soup is finished ! Guten Appetit! (ED. I'd be happy to feature any other recipes for "kitchen food"!). I'm also planning a "Great Goulasch Cook-off" one of these days, so dust off your recipes. Anything goes but you must use paprika. WENDS, "WINDISH" & SLOVENES (sugested by Tom Glatz) In an earlier newsletter we had a question concerning another south Burgenland-western Hungarian minority group called Wends. I believe I identified them as a a tribe of the Slovenes. Member Tom Glatz sends me an article written by one Stephen Antalich, writing in the publication "slovenija" (we don't have the issue number or date, but it was post-1992), which may further clarify the issue. Paraphrasing and condensing Mr. Antalich's three page article: "In ...Illinois they are called "Slovene" ...and in other towns in America they are called "Slovene". But in Bethlehem, PA they ...(are called) Windish. Why do these people who are truly Slovene persist in calling themselves Windish? ...when and why did the Hungarian government first call the Slavs in the area of Vas and Zala Megye, who spoke a dialect similar to the Austrian Slavs, the present-day Slovenes, by the name "Wend? The Hungarian word prior to that time was 'Tot', a term in use dating back to 1100 A.D., as in the name 'Rabatotfalu' (the village of the Slavs by the Raba River) ... The German equivalent (of Tot) was 'Wend'. The same village of Rabatotfalu was called 'Windischdorf' (village of the Wends) by German-speaking people, while today road signs in the area offer the name 'Slovenska Ves' along with Rabatotfalu. ...according to Hungarian archives, the first actual appearance of the word 'Wend' in reference to the Slavic people of this region in any printed form was in 1627. Most slavic peoples within Hungarian borders at that time were disignated as 'Tot' ...the origin of 'Wend', as best I understand, is that during the Counter Reformation, the only place where Evangelicals (Lutherans) were allowed ...was in the the area of Vas and Zala Megye ...to differentiate these 'Tot' from other 'Tots' (Slavs) ...(the German word 'Wend' was added to 'Tot' giving 'Vendustot'. Historians today speak of the peoples living in this area prior to the arrival of the Magyars as 'Wends'. The problem I have with this is how can a word first used in 1627 be used to describe people living in the region over 600 years earlier? The term 'Wend' then appears to have been dormant for approximately 200 years ...in the year 1828, Count Sigmond Szogyenyi (writes) ...a lengthy dissertation on the habits and customs of (a minority) called the 'Vendustot' of the Vas Magye region." (end of paraphrase) (Ed. Note: At this point, the article goes on to discuss early Slovene Nationalist movement and Magyarization of same, during which the word "Slav"-Slovene was changed to Wend and then to Magyar. Followimg WW-I, a Hungarian treatise submitted to the Triple Entente implied that Wends, the new term for those Slovenes in Hungary, were not (no longer) Slavs and their region should remain in Hungary as opposed to becoming part of the new Yugoslavia. Magyarization extended even to American immigrant communities with some parish names being changed from Slovene to "Windish" during the period immediately following WW-I and including some parishes formed after WW-I. However; following the Treaty of Trianon, this Magyarization activity seemed to abate and, by 1991, a document of the Hungarian government speaks of 13,000 Slovenes as being an ethnic minority in Hungary, but is silent re Wends. Those Wends who emigrated, however (particularly to Bethlehem, PA), never having heard of their ethnicity as Slovenes, still considered themselves Wends and the Prekmurje/Slovene dialect they spoke was further called Windisch. So, it would appear from this that the Wends or Windisch are truly Slovenes and that the words should only be used to further identify those Slovenes who remained Evangelical Lutherans at the time of the Reformation or emigrated from Hungary during the time Slovene Nationalism was suppressed (1850-1918?) or the small group of Slovene-speaking Hungarians still living along today's Slovenian border with Hungary. As Stephen Antalich states "it is my opinion that the terms 'Wend', 'Vendus', and 'Vendustot' have always appeared as a political expedient rather than as an historical reality." Mr. Antalich also states that it is erroneous to connect Prekmurje Slovenes to the Wends or Northern Slavs in the Saxony area of Germany. He states these people are Lusatian Sorbs with a different language. NATURALIZATION RECORDS - MINNESOTA Member Barbara Raabe has a problem with naturalization records. She writes: I ordered the Minnesota Naturalization Records for Minnesota with correct county and year and was disappointed to find that they did not contain my ancestor in them. In fact, they contained very few listings. The tape I ordered was #1737820 Minn. No records St. Paul (Ramsey Co.) 1875-1906. Has anyone else been successful in finding their ancestor in these records and if so how? Thank you. NORTHAMPTON, PA CENSUS & FAMILY RESIDENCES (from Anna Kresh) Following is some email between Edward Ifkovits of South Carolina and me. Ed is a cousin of BB member Ed Ifkovits (Ifkyel) of Connecticut and a former classmate of mine in the 1949 class at Northampton H.S. The three of us have been corresponding a lot recently on our common family ties. I thought you might like to read Ed's recollection of his g-parents' stories. The homes we were discussing were dual homes and very crowded. I took external photos during my last visit home and the houses are in excellent condition. They look like 3-bedroom homes, but I am not sure. The main families represented were many spelling variations of: KEGLOVITS, IFKOVITS, TANCZOS, MALITS, WEBER, MARAKOVITS, CSENCSITS, MILKOVITS, DRAGOVITS, JANDRISOVITS, KLUCSERITS, and more. Some statistics: 1910: 1394 Newport Ave. - 12 residents 1392 Newport Ave. - 11 residents 1390 Newport Ave. - 18 residents 1336 DeLong's Court - 16 residents 1920: 1394 Newport Ave. - 9 residents 1392 Newport Ave. - 19 residents 1350 Vienna St. - 13 residents > From: EDWARD IFKOVITS Anna, you may forward all or part. This is information I remember hearing from my Grandparents as a child. I received the 1910 and 1920 census records yesterday. They were quite fascinating. The 1910 census represented 3 households and the 1920 census 4 -- a lot of people in each household. I'm still confused by the 2 Joseph Ifkovits, age 20 and 22. in 1910. I never heard of 2 Joseph's of that age. I suspect these households were part of the row homes behind Our Lady of Hungary Church on Newport Avenue. My father was born in one of them. As I remember, my grandmother spoke of having boarders in the house. They actually shared beds. Some would get off work and get into the beds that others vacated to go to work. My grandfather worked for 10 cents an hour at the Atlas Cement Mill, 12 hours a day 7 days a week. To get a day off, he worked 24 hours on Sunday every other week, allowing a Sunday off in the alternate week. I was also fascinated with the phonetic spellings of the Austrian/German language. Only those who know the Austrian dialect can appreciate it. I can't remember if I gave you the name of Frank Teklits (BB charter member) regarding his genealogy efforts. Frank is a close friend of mine. We grew up together in Northampton. He now lives outside of Philadelphia. His mother immigated from Moschendorf and his father from across the border in Hungary. EARLY MIGRATION TO STYRIAN-BURGENLAND (HUNGARIAN) BORDER From article by Fritz POSCH: "Schwabenzge in die Steiermark", in: "Zeitschrift des historischen Vereins für Steiermark", 1953, p. 98-112 (from Albert Schuch) In 1706 Count Franz Karl KOTTULINSKY married Baroness Maria Antonia ROTTAL and thus acquired the Styrian domains Neudau (just west of Stegersbach, Burgenland) and Unter Mayerhofen, both situated at the Hungarian border. Most villages of these two domains were looted and torched by the "Kuruzzen" in 1704, 1707 and 1708. The loss of population was not that heavy, for most people were able to hide in the woods. Since this was the time of the first large-scale German colonization of Hungary (usually areas to the east and south-east of Burgenland), Count Kottulinsky made - probably by chance - contact with a group of emigrants mostly "Schwaben" (Swabians) from the Bodensee-area in early Sep 1712. He met them in Vienna on their way to Hungary. (They were traveling on the Danube.) It can be assumed that they had already signed contracts with a domain owner in Hungary. Nonetheless Count K. managed to persuade 12 families (63 persons) to settle in his Styrian domains instead. On foot they marched from Vienna (11th Sep) to Neudau (16th Sep 1712). They all came from the Bodensee-area, and they carried documents and passports showing that they were heading for Hungary. These documents were made out between 13 Jul and 12 Aug. Martin SCHERER from St. Peter in the Schwarzwald described his journey: He had marched 20 miles to the city of ULM, where they had boarded the ships that carried them 180 miles down the river Danube, for which they were charged 5 Gulden and 4 Kreuzer per person. Most of these people soon left Naudau for Hungary, but some did stay, including the Martin SCHERER mentioned above. He traveled to his home village on the Bodensee in Dec 1712 and successfully persuaded others to come to Neudau too. By the end of April 1713 a group of emigrants left for Neudau, which they reached on 22 May. In June 1713 Martin Scherer left for this homeland for the second time. He left the Schwarzwald with new emigrants. They traveled via PASSAU (9 Aug), GMUNDEN (14 Aug), BAD ISCHL (15 Aug), AUSSEE (16 Aug), ROTTENMANN (20 Aug), LEOBEN (22 Aug), WEIZBERG (26 Aug). On Aug 29 the 10 families (59 persons) arrived in NEUDAU. The emigrants are described as decent and honest people who left their homes because of high taxes and inflation (caused by war), also because of overpopulation. In 1713 at least 24 families arrived in Neudau. But they did not find the "promised land" and so by the spring of 1714 some of them had already left again. Finally, only 12 families stayed. The settlers remained in touch with their homeland (visits, letters). In 1717 a group of the "Schwaben" left, all the remaining did so overnight in 1723. It is supposed that they went to Hungary, were they were expecting better conditions. A settlement of some of these "Schwaben" in southern Burgenland must be considered possible for geographical reasons (though I think it is more likely they went further to the (south) east). I add all the family names mentioned. Details (age, origin) can be provided from the article: Nagel, Gerer, Helbok, Schoblach, Grabher, Sandholzer, Rusch, Lorinser, Erner, Krotz, Brechter, Fallenthor, Messmer, Mercklin, Reichart, Stiering, Schwarz, Scherer, Heutz, Leibinger, Paumann, Lutzenberger, Fuchs; Dilger (Dillinger), Hug, Pfaff, Hübding, Andres, Holtzmann, Scherzinger, Saumb, Teusch, Rohrer, Werthmüller, Lükhert, Kuenle, Waldvogel, Löffler, Dolt, Pfändler, Schwerer; Drescher, Riether, Fehrnbach, Relly (Rely, Reily), Schuller, Werthmüller, Scherzinger, Andres. EMIGRANTS FROM SOPRON MEGYE (from Albert Schuch) I have been planning to send this translated extract for some time. It shows that material on emigrants can be found in the Sopron Archives. Emigration period 1851-55: Some time ago, Hans PAUL, retired teacher and well known Burgenland historian, has found material on early emigrants in the Györ-Sopron Archives (Györ-Sopronmegyei levéltár) in Sopron: On 9 Aug 1850 Franz PAYER of Balf (Wolfs, near Sopron), Hungary, 26 y old son of the Lutheran pastor, wrote to the k.k. Bezirkskommissariat in Sopron (Ödenburg) for permission to emigrate to America, where his brother already owned a farm with 160 acres land. The k.k. (kaiserlich-königliches) Bezirkskommissariat gave the permission, because: - Franz P. has already served in the army - his home village Wolfs has no objections - his father has no objections, on the contrary, will provide financial support - he has two younger brothers, so in case the army would need soldiers in the future, one of them could replace him. Based on this information the k.k. Distriktsregierung (district government) in Sopron gave permission to emigrate and provided Franz P. with an emigration passport. From 1851 onwards (until ????), those who wish to emigrate have to appear in person at the k.k. Regierungskommissariat in Sopron, where they have to prove their ability to cover the emigration costs by themselves. (ship passage cost Bremen - New York in 1855: 65 silver florins per person, children younger than 10 years pay 57 silver florins, babies younger than one year pay nothing). Before they receive the emigration passport, they have to renounce the Austrian citizenship as well as the right to return to Austria. In spring 1855 Johann MARILITSCH, 43 year old bricklayer from Großhöflein, asks for and gets permission to emigrate to America. He is married and has 8 children (aged 5-17 years, partly from earlier marriages of the couple, so some have the surname ROSENITSCH). In March 1852 Franz WALTER, watchmaker from Eisenstadt asks for permission to emigrate with his wife, 1 year old foster-child Samuel FRIEBE and 11 year old adopted child Elisabeth KOPF. His parents and his brothers and sisters have emigrated in 1851. In September 1852 Magdalena KISS from Eisenstadt asks for permission to emigrate to New York. She wants to marry a cabinet maker from Vienna who has settled there. Emigrants from Purbach: in 1854: Josef TURKOVITS (1854); in 1855: Franz SCHWARZ; Michael HACKSTOCK, 56 years, his wife Elisabeth, 46 years, son Franz, 20, daughter Maria, 10; Paul SCHÜLLER, 33 years, his wife Maria, 30, and their daughter Theresia, 3 years; Paul HUBER, 39 years, his wife (36 y), and 7 children aged 1 - 17 years; Stefan SANDHOFER, 44, his wife Johanna, 41, children Paul (19), Franz (4) and Maria (1). Emigrants from Breitenbrunn in 1855: Josef RESCH, 57 years, his wife Elisabeth, 40 years, their 10 children (3 - 21 years), and one grandchild; Anton HÄNDLER, 26 years, his wife Theresia, 30, and their 3 children (2-6 years); Gregor JANISCH, his wife Kunigunde and their 5 children (5-20 years). Further emigrants in 1855: Matthias STROMER, weaver from Schwendgraben; Josef BAUER from Eisenstadt, 34 years, with wife Veronika; Josef HAIDER from Walbersdorf (his 53 years old brother is already living in America, where he owns 2 houses, 160 Joch farming land and 80 Joch forests; his brother has no heirs), 40 years old; Andreas PILLER, bricklayer from Großhöflein, 14 year old son Franz and 10 year old daughter Theresia; Paul REINER from Purbach, his wife and two children (his brother already in America); (source: Hans PAUL: Frühe Amerikawanderer unserer Heimat. In: Burgenländische Forschungen. Sonderheft VI. (Festschrift für Karl SEMMELWEIS). Eisenstadt 1981, p.133-151) END OF NEWSLETTER-EDITED & DISTRIBUTED BY GERALD J. BERGHOLD

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 34A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND GENEALOGY (issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold) April 30, 1998 (all rights reserved) This special edition of the newsletter contains: - the first half of Part 4 of the Unger Trip Report - email greetings from Maureen Tighe-Brown who is researching in Austria/Hungary - the sequel to Bob Unger's Visitors from Eltendorf. AUSTRIA - A TRIP REPORT TO THE HOME OF MY UNGER ANCESTORS Part #4 - In Salzburg, Austria with Elderhostel Program (By Robert F. Unger) Recap: Part #1, Burgenland Bunch (BB) News No. 16, contained general information about the Elderhostel program. Part #2 in BB News No 17A, focused on European history and Elderhostel events in Vienna. Part #3, BB News No. 20A, continued those subjects. Now part #4 tells of the trip from Vienna to Salzburg and Elderhostel activities in Salzburg. Sunday, May 18, 1997: This morning was an Elderhostel program transition day during which we left Vienna for a week in Salzburg. We boarded the bus early for our 350 km (210 mile) trip to Salzburg, with scheduled stops at the Mauthausen Concentration Camp, lunch at the city of Steyr, St. Gilgen - in the beautiful Austrian Lake District, then our next week's lodging - the Kasererhof Hotel in Salzburg. During this trip I took many beautiful and interesting 35 mm and video pictures. On the bus, we were introduced to our English speaking Elderhostel coordinator for our journey to Salzburg, as well as our coordinator for our week in Salzburg - Johanna Czihak, who was born and raised in Salzburg and now attends the University of Graz. Mauthausen is located about 15 km east of Linz. Following are facts I learned during our tour, including details paraphrased from an English edition of a booklet I purchased, entitled "Public Memorial and Museum Mauthausen". In August 1938, German SS officers selected the Mauthausen quarries, the "Wiener Graben" quarry, as the site for their central concentration camp in Austria. Officers at Mauthausen also served as administrators for 49 other permanent camps scattered all over Austria, as well as some temporary camps. It was referred to by the SS guards as the "mother" camp. Between August 8, 1938 and May 5, 1945 (when liberated by the U.S. Army), 195,000 people of both sexes had been imprisoned there. Initially local labor was used for the construction for the Mauthausen concentration camp, then prisoners were transferred from Dachau to continue the work. The majority of the initial camp inmates in 1938 were criminals. Later political prisoners from border regions, and Germany, were brought to the camp, including 300 gypsies. Starting 1944 Soviet officers, recaptured escapees from POW camps, were also held in isolation at Mauthausen. The camp's register shows that American soldiers were shot and killed there September 6 and 7, 1944. The Concentration Camp is located on a hill top with a quarry at its base. Our bus stopped first near the quarry. This was a most sobering experience - the site where 2,000 prisoners were forced to work 11 hours a day, chiseling large rocks for camp construction. They were then forced to carry the large rocks, which weighed up to 100 pounds, up a 186 steps to where the camp buildings were located. Our guide told us that many prisoners died on those steps, mainly from fatigue, i.e. a prisoner would fall while carrying a large rock, his fall would cause a domino effect, causing other prisoners behind him on the steps to fall and be crushed by the rocks. The booklet shows a picture of 5 prisoners per step, and every step is filled with prisoners carrying stones. At the top we toured the large facilities, and were shown a motion picture of the history of the camp with English sound. Records document that on May 3, 1945, two days before the camp was liberated, 64,800 men and 1,734 women had been registered as inmates of the Mauthausen, in addition to some 15,000 non-registered. Russian prisoners, for undefined reasons, were not registered. The Russians received the worst treatment at the camp - 5 prisoners were made to sleep in each small bed, and on one cold winter night in February 1945, 200 Soviet prisoners, including General Karbyshev, were forced to stand outside while cold water was poured over them, none survived. The visitor is reminded that Mauthausen is now a "Public Memorial and Museum", with the hopeand theme that "May the living learn from the fate of the dead". We stopped for lunch at the town of Steyr, located about midway between Vienna and Salzburg. It was served in a beautiful old restaurant in the center of the town. Arrangements had been made to have the restaurant closed to others, thereby enabling our group of 39 persons to be served expeditiously. After lunch, we had the opportunity to take a walking tour of the area. One noteworthy sight was a church built in 1478. The final stop on our journey was the Kasererhof Hotel. A family owned and operated hotel, built in 1649, within walking distance of the center of Salzburg. Some accommodations were suites consisting of bedroom, large sitting room, and private bathroom with modern fixtures. The rooms were furnished with beautiful pieces that an antique dealer would kill for, a clothes cabinet made from solid 3/4" chestnut, a desk made of solid cherry, etc. Ah! what a beautiful setting to spend our second week. After settling into our room, we were served a full course dinner in the hotel's picturesque dining room - the climax of a most interesting day. Before ending this day, I would like to comment about unique features found in some European buses. (1) The front wheels are positioned farther back than in the USA - this allows for better maneuverability, especially while turning tight corners. (2) The buses have two separate braking systems. One is the common braking system associated with brake drums on each wheel. The other is a mechanical connection between the wheels and a special braking electric generator. On US buses the driver has one braking option, to step on the brake peddle - causing heat generation at each wheel and eventual wear and tear of the brakes. On European buses the driver has another option, a lever that controls a resistor connected to a special generator which is powered by connection to the bus wheels. The bus driver can adjust the load on the generator and achieve the desired braking. This does not cause heating of the wheels and brake wear. Monday, May 19, 1997: Our scheduled activities for the week followed the same pattern we had experienced in Vienna, lectures in the morning, tours in the afternoon, and special activities in the evening. Our first lecture was "Music History of Salzburg", by Hugo Stanko. He explained how music got its beginning in the churches in the 8th century when they began using monophonic liturgical plainsong, the origin of Gregorian chanting. This was also the period when Christianity started to spread in the area as documented by the fact that an Archbishop of Salzburg was appointed in 798. At first the chants were passed on via memory, then the monks used a notation system - a series of dots over words which varied from monastery to monastery without standardization. Ultimately they were standardized and developed into the musical notation system used today. The Salzburg monastery of St. Peter was founded in the 8th century. In the 10th-11th century, polyphony development raised music to a new higher level. As a consequence, migrant musicians traveled and spread melodies all over Europe. Those traveling musicians also spread news of the period, via song. By the 13th century one could find instrument makers in Salzburg. In the 14th century, Hermann, the monk of Salzburg, was the first known individual composer, writing German secular and sacred songs, solos and polyphonic music. The training of choirboys started in the 15th century. It was in the 16th century that Salzburg became known for the building of organs. During this same period, a new musical notation system was being developed, starting with 4 parallel horizontal lines. Ultimately operas were being conducted in Salzburg, and in the 18th century we find Mozart and Hayden composing and playing there. From its outset, the evolution of the development of music provided a way for the church to gain new followers because people were greatly influenced through music. It is said that more people came to church for the music than for the preaching. It is also said that Luther's following grew quickly because of the extensive use of music - while the Catholic Church stayed with old traditions and did not adopt much use of music. The Salzburg Festival began in 1920. This musical event has survived and is still celebrated each year. (Today a ticket for the Salzburg Festival costs between $70-$400.) The Salzburg Festival also gave Jewish musicians an opportunity to actively participate. They were not allowed to perform in Germany. Our second lecture of the morning was entitled "Salzburg History". This lecture used a hand-out entitled "Chronological History of Salzburg". Below are a few chronological events: 4000 B.C.: From the stone age, through the Bronze and Iron Age etc. the chief settlements in the Salzburg area were located on 3 hills in the area. 500 B.C.: Settlements in the area known today as Salzburg, were then called Juvavum or Petena 41-54 A.D.: Area became a Roman Province - with roads leading from Salzburg to Italy. Salt mines played a significant roll in area growth. 755: Name of Salzburg first found in a document 1130: St. Peter's Church was built 1623: University established - run by the Benedictines 1734: Protestants forced to leave the diocese (more than 20,000 within one year) 1805: Treaty of Pressburg: Salzburg became part of Austria 1809: Salzburg came under French administration 1818: "Silent Night, Holy Night" sung for the first time in Parish Church at Oberndorf 1859: Opening of the railroad between Salzburg and Vienna 1938-45: Austria under German domination 1965: Autobahn between Salzburg and Vienna completed Salzburg translates "Fortress of salt". In ancient times Salzburg had strong ties with Italy, because it provided them with salt. Later the Italians found ways to get salt cheaper from sea water. After lunch our Elderhostel coordinator led us on an orientation walk around the vicinity of the hotel. Since she grew up in that area, she was able to provide us with much detail. Later, we boarded a bus for a trip to the near-by Lake district, near the city of St. Gilgen. This area is located about 30 km east of Salzburg where two of the lakes, St. Wolfgangsee and Mondsee, are located. We also had the opportunity to tour the city. That Monday, May 19th was a national holiday in Austria - Ascension Day. As a result we had the opportunity to see Austrians on holiday. Most fortunately this included a large wedding procession walking through the streets with all the participants in traditional Austrian dress. It was interesting to observe that the Austrians take pollution control very seriously - all the power boats are battery powered, and some of the boats are very large. Their lakes are most beautiful. Using battery power leaves their lakes very, very clear, with no evidence of any pollution. During this visit, there was always an atmosphere of celebration, party time, and fun. It was a joy to see the locals during a period of relaxation. Tuesday, May 20, 1997: After breakfast we had a lecture entitled "Mozart", by Hugo Stanko. Mozart, born 27 January 1756, married and had 6 children - 2 sons and 4 daughters. Neither of his sons had children. He died on 5 December 1793, only 35. At birth he was given the impressive name of Johannes Chrysostomos Wolfgangus Theopphilus Mozart. [Ed. note-naming conventions at this time were quite sophisticated and inluded Latinization of names] Even today, the name Johannes is widely used in Austria. His interest in music started at the age of 3. His domineering Father, realizing that he had a very musically gifted son, arranged for young Mozart to travel extensively throughout Europe, giving concerts and thus making a lot of money for his family. At the age of 6, Mozart gave a concert for Empress Maria Theresia. Often Mozart was paid in gifts - at one time Mozart had 40 clocks. During these travels young Mozart gained a wonderful education. Included in this education was his association with Bach. They became very good friends, and thereafter it was said that the quality of Mozart's music improved as a result of this relationship. It is told that once, when his Father had arranged for him to compose a concert for a large sum of money, the Father questioned the son as to when he would start that effort, Mozart replied, "It is already done, I just have to write it down". Mozart was a genius who could prepare complete concerts in his head and of course composed many great works of music. During Mozart's life time, music and musicians were experiencing a significant period of transition. Earlier there were traveling musicians who spread news and stories using music, and received donations for their efforts. During this period musicians evolved from being employees of royalty to becoming individuals, forming independent orchestras and giving concerts in halls built so common people could be included as attendees. Even today, concert halls in Austria have low cost admission, essentially standing room, providing everyone the opportunity to attend. The second lecture was entitled "Mozart - the Magic Flute". Mozart was commissioned to write the Magic Flute for the common people - a folk opera that would make money through public performances, and subsequently it became one of his most famous works. After lunch, we joined our special guide for the day, Sylvia Preu, for a walking tour of the city. Most of Salzburg's historical places are located near the monastery - therefore one can easily walk from place to place, and auto/truck traffic is restricted. A significant point of interest was an old restaurant, Stiftskeller St. Peter, built in 803. No, that isn't a typo, it really was built in the year 803 - and the restaurant is still in operation today. Some of us signed up for an optional event that evening - a Mozart dinner concert at Stiftskeller St. Peter. There is an old bakery near the monastery using water power as it has for centuries - bakery samples were provided. Sylvia called our attention to an arched tunnel in the area, constructed and engineered with an angle to maximize ventilation and the use of sunlight for illumination. One of the churches in the area has five organs, very unique. At one point during our tour, Sylvia asked what was significant about the year 1492. We all, as Americans, said it was the date that Columbus discovered America. Wrong! In 1492 the Stiegl brewery in Salzburg was founded, and it is the largest private brewery in Austria. Time did not permit a visit to the brewery museum. I'll be sure to do that on my next trip to Salzburg. I could go on for pages, detailing the wonderful sights of Salzburg, one of the most enjoyable cities that I have ever visited. That evening our Elderhostel coordinator, Johanna, joined us for our Mozart dinner concert at the 1,194 year old (1997 - 803 = 1,194) Stiftskeller St. Peter restaurant. What an experience! Dining in grandeur, served by individuals and entertained by musicians, all dressed in the Mozartian period. The dining room has a capacity of only 96 people with 8 at per table. On each table was a three foot high vase containing fresh cut flowers. Our table ordered wine which was dispensed from an ancient fixture which held the bottle of wine upside down, connected to a glass tubing fixture with a clamping mechanism with at its end. An individual glass was then filled by placing it under the fixture and pressing the glass upward against the clamp. We had a full course dinner with music played between courses. I was most fascinated by the presentation of the ice cream dessert which was decorated with musical symbols (a clef, etc.) made of chocolate. It was an evening to remember. (to be continued in Newsletter 35A). MEMBER CURRENTLY VISITING BUDAPEST & EISENSTADT (from Maureen) Greetings from Budapest. Last Friday I was able to meet with George Eotvos of Family Tree Inc. He was so interesting to talk with, and gave me some tips on sources, and also 2 pp. of additional demographic material on microfilm which I will view at the National Archives. A few minutes ago, I heard from Fritz Königshofer. We made plans to meet at the National Library tomorrow evening, and perhaps go for coffee and talk afterward. Really, Gerry, he did us all such a favor by reorganizing the newspaper titles, and adding microfilm and paper call numbers; he has saved me hours of time. I am eager to meet him and learn more about his research interests. And next Sunday, 5/3, I take the train to Eisenstadt where I will stay in a hotel recommended by other BBunch members, Gerhard and Martina Lang. Gerhard has facilitated my e-mail/fax contacts with the provincial and diocesan archivists there, which sound quite promising. I'm looking forward to meeting these kind Langs. I will also spend 2-3 days in Vienna, and have the chance to finally meet my colleague, BBuncher Albert Schuch. I will be staying there with the family of Burgenland ethnomusicologists mentioned in our newsletters, Rudi and Franzi Pietsch. Finally, I have e-mailed Gert Tschoegl and will make plans to meet when I am in Vienna. So to me it is pretty amazing how the BBunch have facilitated and enriched my work and my dissertation-in-progress, and it's almost more amazing to be able to meet these people in the flesh! Since I have no hereditary links to the region, it is amazing to me that there are others besides me who are so interested in the region, and that we have actually 'found' each other. And it goes without saying, doesn't it, that you can take a huge bow for engineering the efforts to make the whole BBunch project a reality!! There is no way I can thank you adequately... but I can try by thanking you pretty frequently. Many thanks, Maureen. VISITORS FROM ELTENDORF RETURN HOME (from Bob Unger) We took Matthias (Mirth) and (friend) Christian to the San Diego airport yesterday for the 15 hour flight back to Vienna, via Atlanta. Matthias called this morning, as promised, and told us that they had arrived home safely. They had both arrived in San Diego very pale and departed well-tanned. These very energetic young men saw much in their 3 weeks here in the USA, touring mainly California, with one side trip to Las Vegas. During their first and third week with us, we showed them the sights of the San Diego area, which included one day across the border to Tijuana, Mexico - the second week they were off on their own travels. Before going to Mexico, we told the boys that, Tijuana, being a border town, is filled with merchants anxious to sell you something. After we got there they told us that the Mexican merchants were just like the merchants of Hungary - and they had much practice in dealing with the likes of them. One day we drove them to the nearby mountains which rise to over 7,000 ft. During that trip we encountered all types of weather, sunshine, rain, then some snow. Fortunately we had excellent weather during most of their visit, so each day was filled with fun and excitement. In preparation for their one week driving trip, we visited a number of car rental agencies. This was necessary because Matthias will be 20 this year and Christian 24, and the major car rental agencies are reluctant to rent to anyone under the age of 25. But we found that everything is negotiable - i.e. one on one, face to face negotiations with the agent. As a result they rented a new 1998 Chrysler convertable from Budget. I talked up the fact that Christian was a police officer from Vienna, so they rented them the car at a good discount. (There was not that much difference in price between sedans versus convertible.) So the convertable helped much in their effort to get good sun tans - and I don't think it hurt in attracting girls. For their one week driving trip, they planned to leave San Diego and go to: Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, San Francisco, and then finally Los Angeles. They had to miss the Grand Canyon, because in that area the weather turned bad and forced them to use an alternate plan. In any event they saw everything worth seeing in San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles and everything in between. This included practically all the major parks in the area, such as Disney Land, Sea World, motion picture studios, the walk of fame in Hollywood, etc. During all their travels they took about 300 pictures, and carefully placed them in albums to show their folks when they returned home. I estimate that they possibly put between 1,500 to 2,000 miles on their new rental car and we added 1300 to our new Dodge Caravan. Ah, Eltendorf will never be the same after those two tell of all their ventures. They were also very excited about the variety of places to shop. They told us that most of the items they were looking for were much cheaper here in the USA. While here each bought a carry-on suitcase for transporting all their purchases. You heard of women shopping until they drop - well these two energetic young men managed to stay upright and succeeded in getting everything they wanted. I asked Matthias about the Eltendorf Martin Luther Kirche church anniverary that you (editor) asked about. Neither could recall any recent anniversaries. The last church anniversary was the 200th year of the church's existence. I got a copy of that 200-year booklet last year and I recall you said that you also had one. Matthias brought with him some old letters that his Grandmother Wilma and his mother, Heidi had received in the 1970's. For some unknown reason the correspondence stopped and they asked if I could possibly find the family they had been writing to here in the USA, i.e. Rockville, MD. Using a "find a person web site" <www.switchboard.com>, I entered the name and last known address in Rockville, MD and to my surprise up came the telephone number and new zip code identification. We subsequently called and talked to the woman, Lydia, who had written the letters to Matthias' Grandmother and mother. During the conversation we learned that Lydia is now 97 years old, but her voice sounded like that of a much, much younger person. So, with a little effort on my part I managed to re-unite/re-establish this correspondence. It appears that the old corespondence involved Lydia writing letters to Eltendorf in English, and some unknown person in Eltendorf translating them for Wilma and Heidi. Then Wilma and Heidi would reply by writing in German, requiring Lydia to have a friend translate the letters to English. Hopefully, now that Matthias has a pretty good command of English, he can help with the correspondence. In addition, I learned from Matthias that they have a computer at the Gasthaus and that they plan to upgrade it soon. So, I told Matthias that I would help him get a software translator to help them with English/German translations. Matthias also told me that he is now learning Italian. It appears that the Gasthaus is getting more Italian speaking guests, and Matthias has been given the language job. In all probability, Matthias may be the heir apparent to the proprietorship of the inn. We have gotten to know Matthias well from our visit to Austria and his recent visit with us. We find him to be a personable young man with a very good "people" oriented attitude which should serve him very well as an inn keeper. (Editor's note: Mathias' father Rudi Mirth is no slouch as a "Wirt" either but he doesn't have his son's command of English. If ever near Eltendorf and in need of good food, drink or accomodation - try the Gasthaus "Kirchenwirt" - across the street from the church.) END OF NEWSLETTER-EDITED & DISTRIBUTED BY GERALD J. BERGHOLD