THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 43
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND GENEALOGY
(issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold)
September 15, 1998
(all rights reserved)
This first section of the 3 section newsletter features a note on our recent
Staff Increase, articles on the villages of Wrtherberg and Hackerberg, the
Centennial of the Assassination of Empress Elizabeth, Entry of US Events in
Hungarian Records, Gilly Cousin Found, Interesting Survey Response, Proposed
Book on Veszprem County, Hungary and the Missing Links Newsletter.
BB STAFF INCREASED TO MEET ENLARGED NEEDS!
For some time Hap Anderson, Albert Schuch, Anna Kresh and I have served as
the staff of the Burgenland Bunch. We have frequently been assisted by
members whose articles have shown that they have considerable expertise in
particular Burgenland areas. Some of them have now agreed to join the staff
as Contributing Editors. Their names and areas of specialization will be
carried on the masthead (found at the end of each newsletter) as shown below.
Feel free to communicate with any of them if you have special questions, but
please check our archives first to see if your question has already been
addressed. Our profound thanks for their cooperation and willingness to
serve. In addition, Hap Anderson informs us that he has securred a volunteer
who has agreed to help him update the Homepage. We thus hope to speed up
Homepage list entries which have fallen behind as a result of our influx of
new members.
BURGENLAND BUNCH STAFF
(see most recent newsletter for present staff addresses)
BURGENLAND VILLAGES (the Father Leser series, extracted and translated by
Albert Schuch-a good place to look for an early mention of your family name)
36) Wörtherberg
Situated in the hills at the border to Styria. Settled by Styrians from
Wörth. Also part of the (Styrian!) parish Wörth. A "Conscription der Wörther
Berg Söllner im Stintzer Hotter" (list of Wörtherberg Söllners in Stinatz
territory) from 1750 includes the following families: SCHALK (9), PUIKL (5),
SUMMER (3), KOPFER, RATH, REICHHART (3 each), TASCHNER, PAUER, WILFING, FRUTZ
(FRITZ), GRUEBER (2 each), MUISSER (MUESSE, MUSSY), SALMHOFER, HIRSCHBÖCK,
HIRSCHENBERGER, FUKER, PUBER (PIEBER), SCHERER, SCHLOSSER, GEITER, WOLFF,
KLÖR, WIETRICH, ZIRFUSZ, IVULSCH (?),WOHLFERTH, BLURR, RAJTSCHULIN,
FRAGENHOFER, KRANZ, WURM, LASCHOLL, FOSCHING (1 each). All in all 60 families
in 60 houses.
One fourth of Wörtherberg was property of Count SZECHENYI - no Urbar for this
part. An Urbar for 1789 includes: SCHALK (9), RAT (9), PUIKL (6), SUMMER (4),
FRAGENHOFER, FRITZ (3 each), REICHHART, WOLF, LASCHAL, PAUER (2 each),
KRUMPFUSZ, JANOSCH, KIPFER, SCHLAFER, ROSENBERGER, KRANZ, MARTH, WOHLFAHRT,
JADLEN, HESCH, MUESSER, BAUERNHOFER, GURTET, WIEDRICH, PIEBER, PLEYER,
TASCHNER, EHRENHOFER, WURM, GLOTZ, SPANN (1 each). A total of 65 families,
all Batthyány subjects. Number of inhabitants: 1858: 519; 1870: 606; 1923:
555; 22 casualties in WW I. Part of Wörth parish since 1818, earlier at times
also part of the parishes Neudau and Hartberg. Teachers: Georg ADLER (1789),
Josef SCHALK (1870), Johann HAMAN (1873-86), Karl MAAR (1886-88), Karl
BRUNNER (1888-1925), Oskar POTSCH (1925-30). (source: V+H Nr. 11/1958)
37) Hackerberg
South of Wörtherberg. The south-eastern part of the village settled by Croats
from Stinatz, hence called "Stinatzerberg" (surnames: KIRISITS, ZSVITKOVITS,
STIPSITS, etc.). The main part of Hackerberg was settled from Neudau and
Wörth (Styria), surnames are: GLATZ, PIEBER, MUJK, TASCHNER, SCHUSTER, etc.
Number of inhabitants: 315 in 1870, 547 in 1930 (71 houses). 18 casualties in
WW I. The Croatian part belongs to Stinatz parish, the German part to Neudau
parish. Croatian pupils went to Stinatz, German pupils to Neudau, until the
state built an elementary school in Hackerberg in 1875. Teachers: Karl
STEINHÖFER (1875-86), Maxentius EIGL (1886-1923), Philippine STRICKER
(1923-27), Ferdinand KELLNER (1924-30), second teacher Margarethe ZEHETNER
(1927-30). (source: V+H Nr. 11-12/1958)
CENTENNIAL OF ASSASSINATION OF EMPRESS ELISABETH (1837-1898)
Elisabeth, second daughter of Duke Max of Bavaria, wife of Emperor Franz
Joseph at age 16, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary was one of the
most beautiful, intelligent and self-willed women of her time. Her beauty
mesmerized all who came into contact with her. As Queen of Hungary, she
mastered the language and became a life-long favorite with the Hungarians.
Her mother was the Duchess Ludovika, sister to King Ludwig I of Bavaria.
Quoting from the book "Sissi" by Brigitte Hamann:
"The fairy-like beauty of the Empress of Austria was proclaimed all over the
world, her reputation nurtured by reports from foreign diplomats and the
effusive accounts of international journalists. Many of the curious visited
Vienna mainly in the hope of setting eyes on the fabulously beautiful
Empress."
Unfortunately her life was full of tragedy. A child bride, she was not ready
for the onerous court duties thrust upon her. Her mother-in-law and many
functionaries of the Viennese Court treated her as child and intrigued
against her; her husband, although madly in love with her, had affairs with
other women and neglected her for affairs of state. She became obsessed with
dieting and exercise. She was not allowed to raise her own children. One
child died in infancy and her son, the heir apparent (Crown Prinz Rudolf)
committed suicide at Mayerling after killing his mistress. She often absented
herself from the court and traveled widely residing at Madeira, Corfu,
Greece, the Adriatic coast of Croatia, and Switzerland. Enchanted with the
poetry of Heinrich Heine, she spent long hours writing poetry. She was a
superb horse woman, appearing at many equestrian affairs. Following the death
of her son, she became the "mourning mother" of Europe, wandering aimlessly
with a small retinue of courtiers and drifting into melancholy and
depression. She was stabbed by an insane assassin named Luccheni in Geneva
and died on 10 September 1898. Her memorial can be seen today in the
Volskgarten in Vienna.
Having once seen the the 1864 portrait of her as the young Empress by Franz
Winterhalter, I've always wanted a copy for my library. Just recently I found
the new book "Sissi", by Brigitte Hamann, Taschen Books, 1997, Benedikt
Taschen Verlag, Gmbh. Purchased for $8.95 plus $3.00 postage from Edward R.
Hamilton, Bookseller, Falls Village, CT 06031-5000. The Winterhalter portrait
(also serves as cover picture) plus many others in color are included with a
biography. Also included are Elisabeth's bridal portrait at age 16, the
Winterhalter portraits "Empress Elisabeth with her hair down", and the
Horowits painting "Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary". The
art work is superb and the book is a fitting tribute to this fascinating
woman, "Die Kaiserin" of our emigrant ancestors. Gerry Berghold
RE-ENTRY OF US EVENTS IN HUNGARIAN RECORDS
(email between Maureen Tighe-Brown, Gerry Berghold, Fritz Königshofer)
Ed. note: a few years ago as I was reading LDS copies of civil records
1895-1921, I was astounded to see some 1907 US births recorded in Hungarian
civil records a few years after the events took place in America. This was
the first indication I had that my Berghold grandparents had returned to the
Burgenland for a brief period before emigrating again in 1912. I also spotted
other records showing various cities in the US as places of birth, marriage,
etc. You too may encounter some.
Maureen writes: I have a question for you re: the civil registers' birth,
marriage, and death records between 1895-1920: why did so many people who had
left Deutschkreutz later send back information to have family members
registered as being born, married, or died? Necessary to do so? Advantages?
My answer: There are two reasons for this. If you compare the date of the
record with that of the event you'll find there is usually a considerable
time lag. Also it's kind of peculiar to find entries for events in "Nord
America"!
(1) Many emigrants returned and when they did, they had their US vital
statistics re-entered in Hungarian records by the village clerk. My own
grandfather Berghold did this when he returned (he emigrated again
permanently a few years later) and his US marriage and the birth of two
chldren in the US were recorded. In this case I have copies of both the US
records and the Hungarian records.
(2) Other emigrants never intended to stay in the US. They planned to earn
enough money to acquire property back home and then return. As a result they
often reported marriages and births. If you refer to the earlier Hungarian
forms (they became simpler over the years), you'll notice they start with
legalese like "Appeared before me, the OFFICIAL of such and such a place one
NAME from SO and SO who reports that a child named NAME was born DATE in the
city of Allentown, Nord Amerika to FATHER from XXXX , house number YYY. After
the particulars for the father, the same data is given for the mother. It is
then signed by the reporter and the OFFICIAL. This means to me that he was in
receipt of a letter or other communication in which he was asked to have the
event recorded. I have a couple of these also. The only ones that perplex me
are the reports of US deaths. Doesn't seem to be much reason for this unless
it had something to do with the transfer of Hungarian property.
Advantages? I can think of a number of them, all having to do with property
as above or future status in Hungary. If you remember Fritz Königshofer's
remarks re "Zustandigkeit", you'll remember the need to establish "belonging
to" for possible future social benefits.
Another factor that comes to mind is that these emigrants were betwixt and
between with regard to citizenship. Living in the US but not yet being
naturalized, some may have felt intimidated and fearful of not following
Hungarian requirements. By the way, I've also seen records like this in
church entries.
Fritz writes: There is not much more that I could add on this. Gerry
described the possibilities (explanations) just about as I would have. In
reading the Hungarian civil records (starting October 1895), like you I have
come across these entries of vital events that happened in America. If we
could get our hands on the registration law that had introduced civil
recording in Hungary, then the impetus (obligations defined by the law) may
become clearer.
>From my interpretation, there appears to have been an obligation on the
Austrian half of the Hungarian Monarchy to report back to the original notary
district in Hungary any vital events related to visitors or residents whose
place of belonging was in Hungary. I am not sure, though, whether the
obligation was on the affected (Hungarian) subject or on the place (civil
administration or church... there was no civil registration in Austria until
well into the 1920s or even 30s) in Austria, where the event took place.
Probably the former, which would also explain why emigrants to the US tried
to have American vital events recorded in their home district. However, no
such reporting obligation existed for events taking place in the Hungarian
half of the Monarchy, even if registration was not in the village/district of
belonging. Therefore, any event happening in Hungary and relating to a person
belonging to a place in Hungary was recorded only in the notary district of
where the event happened. However, vital events happening to "Hungarians"
outside Hungary had to be reported back to the district/village which the
affected person belonged to. Hungarian civil records covering today's
Burgenland contain many entries reported from Austria, especially from Vienna
which attracted many people from Western Hungary, and also entries on events
in other parts of the Austrian half of the Monarchy and in North America.
>From 10/1895 till 1907, these foreign events were recorded (in the duplicates
we have access to via LDS) in a different, less structured format than
genuine local events and thus are easily recognizable on account of their
form alone. From 1908 onwards, the duplicates have only a single row
structure with various columns for each vital event, and have the same format
for local and foreign events. As Gerry wrote, foreign events are typically
reported late, i.e., would be outside the normal sequential date sequence.
GILLY COUSIN FOUND (from Joe Gilly)
(Ed.-note:Having found cousins myself via the BB, I'm always pleased when
others do likewise.) Joe writes: I recently had an interesting experience. My
grandfather had a brother Herman Gilly who settled in St. Louis, MO, operated
a restaurant and had two daughters. That is the only information I had. We
never had any contact with them. I had given up on ever learning anything
about them. A month or so ago I received a letter from Helen Gilly Grab, one
of the surviving daughters who now lives in Bradenton, FL. She was my
father's 1st cousin. Her son, Bill Grab, is a major in the Army stationed in
Texas. It seems that Bill is an enthusiastic genealogical researcher who
contacted my Neustift cousins in search of family history. My cousins
replied, giving him much good information and my address. I've been in touch
with both Helen and Bill (who would be my second cousin). Bill was interested
in our BB group, so I urged him to contact you. I believe you once mentioned a possible Mirth
connection. Helen's mother was Giselda Mirth. Her Grandfather was Andreas
Mirth.
INTERESTING SURVEY RESPONSE (from Fritz Königshofer)
I owe you a reply on the questionnaire. As you know I am one of the bbunch
members who found the bbunch via the home page after searching on the
Altavista engine. I still return to the home page, mostly to scan the member
list and perform village searches there (i.e., is there a bbunch member who
searches xxx village?) -- from the member list, as the village list is a bit
behind in updating. One purpose to search the member list is to get the
e-mail address of a member. Occasionally, I will also search the archive of
newsletters, then the links, etc.
The newsletter, and e-mail among the bbunch members, are among the most
information-loaded communications I know of. Very little waste. Compare it
to the hunroots list where 19 out of 20 e-mail are just useless. Therefore,
I am a fan of exactly the way you are managing the bbunch and its
communications. This is an extremely democratic group where everybody
gains.I know I'll miss the bbunch communications during my next European
vist. My colleagues tell me that I will have no access to our (old)
All-in-One mail system from the office where I'll be working. Considering
that I can count myself as a pioneer of the computer networking field, having
been an active member of the International Network Working Group (INWG) in
the exciting years of Internet creation, I know I now act like the proverbial
cobbler who has the worst shoes himself. My only excuse is (and you will
surely understand it) that I have worked with computers too long to get
overly excited about them.
VESZPREM COUNTY (HUNGARY) BOOK IN PROGRESS (from Ernest Chrisbacher)
(Ed. note: Ernest copied us on a note he sent to Veszprem searcher George
Tebolt which will be of interest to those of you who have Hungarian ancestors
from the area to the east of the Burgenland border. You may wish to contact
him.
Ernest writes: In a message to the Burgenland Bunch, you wrote: <<Researching
TIBOLD and EDL. Both grandparents Michael Tibold and Marie Edl were born in
Bakonyszucs, Hungary. They married about 1890 and settled in New York City
about 1898. George Tebolt, Spencertown, N.Y. >>
I checked my database of immigrants from Veszprem County, Hungary and found
that I have several Edls and two Tibolds, not from Bakonyszucs but from
nearby villages in Veszprem County. I do not have any information on your
grandparents but I would like to have more info about them for my database.
What church did they attend in NYC: Most Holy Redeemer or St. Joseph
Yorkville, or St. Stephens? How far have you gotten in your research on your
family? I have researched most information available on my German-Hungarian
ancestors back to the beginning of the 18th century.
I am presently involved in research for a book which I will publish titled:
"Ethnic German Immigrants from Veszprem County, Hungary". The book will have
sections about the German villages, their settlement history, architecture,
ethnic culture, agriculture, origins of the settlers, occupations,
socio-poitical problems and genealogy. I have compiled a database of more
than 3,500 immigrants from church marriage records in NJ, NYC, CT and PA
which I will also include. I am searching more churches and I expect the
database to reach 5,000. Any information that you can furnish to me about
your immigrant grandparents and family will be appreciated. I would also like
to have information about any other immigrants from Veszprem County, Hungary
that you know of. Naturally I am also interested in names and addresses of
descendants of theVeszpremer immigrants to whom I can offer my book for sale
when it appears in about 2 years.
ANOTHER GOOD GENEALOGY NEWSLETTER (from Anna Kresh)
I mentioned MISSING LINKS in a previous email. Below are excerpts from the
current issue that should be of interest to our members.
MISSING LINKS: A Weekly Newsletter for Genealogists; Vol. 3, No. 35, 28
August 1998; Circulation: 13,770+, Copyright (c) 1996-98 Julia M. Case and
Myra Vanderpool Gormley
WELDING LINKS: NEW BOOK LINKS
by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG
"They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins,"
by Loretto Dennis Szucs, 294 pp., 8 1/2x11", softcover, ISBN 0-916478-71-X,
$24.90 postpaid; available from Ancestry, P.O. Box 990, Orem, UT 84059;
1-800-262-3787 or on the Web at: http://www.ancestry.com
In the "Introduction," Szucs writes that "While working at the National
Archives, I witnessed the great excitement of researchers as they saw for the
first time the signature of an ancestor whose decision to become an American
had profoundly affected their own lives. More than once, I saw a researcher
looking in awe at a naturalization photograph of a parent or a grandparent
he or she had never seen before ... Words simply can't describe the
spiritual quality of a meeting made possible through a simple piece of
paper."
"How do I find citizenship papers?" is a frequent question of genealogists,
along with "How do I locate ship passenger lists?" There probably is more
misinformation on these two subjects than any other American genealogical
research problems -- no doubt due to the complexity of the process and the
naturalization laws as well as a misunderstanding most of us have about ship
passenger lists.
This new book is divided into seven chapters:
-- The Naturalization Process in the United States: Historical Background
-- How to Find Immigration and Naturalization Information
-- Naturalization Courts and Process
-- Published Naturalization Records and Indexes
-- Immigration and Naturalization Service
-- Naturalization Records in the National Archives
-- Finding Naturalization Information on the Internet
Immigration Chronology, Selected Addresses and an INS Form (which can be
photocopied and submitted to Immigration and Naturalization Services for a
search) can be found in three separate appendices. Chapter Six is an
excellent one providing details about the naturalization records found at the
National Archives and its regional archives, plus a breakdown, by state,
showing which courts and what dates exist in the regional archives. This is a
"must have" book for libraries, and it will be a valuable reference addition
to your personal genealogy library.
MISSING LINKS is available gratis to anyone who has an internet e-mail
address. If you have friends or family members who are interested in
genealogical research, please let them know about MISSING LINKS and that all
they need to do to receive it is send an e-mail message and include ONLY the world SUBSCRIBE
in the subject and in the body of the message.
BACK ISSUES OF MISSING LINKS may be downloaded from the MISSING LINKS
ARCHIVES at ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/mlnews.
We are grateful to ROOTSWEB GENEALOGICAL DATA COOPERATIVE
http://www.rootsweb.com for hosting MISSING LINKS.
NEWSLETTER CONTINUED AS No. 43A
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 43A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND GENEALOGY
(issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold)
September 15, 1998
(all rights reserved)
This second section of the 3 section newsletter features an article authored
by your editor and recently published in the September/October 1998 edition
of Heritage Quest magazine. A bibliography is included.
Article "THE BURGENLAND BUNCH" was submitted to Heritage Quest Magazine under
a "first rights basis" by Gerald J. Berghold. Three
previous Burgenland articles have been printed in Heritage Quest Magazine. He
is founder and co-ordinator of the Burgenland Bunch and editor of the
Burgenland Bunch newsletter. He has traveled extensively in areas researched.
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH - STUDYING A GENEALOGICAL MICROCOSM
(An email approach to genealogical research.)
The world of genealogy is vast even though our general concept of the world
is shrinking under the impact of things like television, international travel
and internet communication. A study of a genealogical microcosm by just one
person however, can still be lonely and unrewarding work. This is evidenced
by the formation of many groups studying smaller specific geographic areas.
There are still areas that have barely been scratched and some like the
Germanic and Slavic regions have many gaps waiting to be filled. The Austrian
Province of Burgenland ("Castle Country", part of Hungary pre 1921) is one
such place. Austria, rarely mentioned by itself genealogically, is most
often combined with Germany under a title like "Greater Germanic". This area
stretches all the way from the North Sea (some would argue it starts at the
Mississippi River!) east to Poland and Russia and south east to Romania and
the Ukraine. (see regions mentioned in "Address Book for Germanic Genealogy",
Ernest Thode, Gen. Pub. Co. 1994). To all too many, Austria's former partner
Hungary is a confusing language mystery, located somewhere east of the old
"iron curtain". The former lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are an enigma
most genealogists prefer to leave to others. It is little wonder that a tiny
(1600 sq. miles, pop. 300M) province like the Burgenland receives limited
genealogical attention. As recently as August of 1997, the McDonald
Hamburger Empire had placemats printed for their Austrian franchises. These
featured a map of Austria. Unfortunately the map detailed the 1938-45 Nazi
Gau's (7), not the provinces (9) incorporated following WWII. Burgenland was
not even shown! (source, "Die Kurier" via Reuters). This is equivalent to
ignoring New Jersey on a map of the United States! With relics from Neolithic
times, much evidence of Roman occupation, and written records as early as
the 11th Century, the Burgenland has been settled for at least two millennia.
It had a prolific history of migration and conquest even before it was
overrun by the Magyars in the10th century. It was colonized by German
speaking immigrants in the 9th and 11th centuries and again by Germanic (from
Lower Austria, Styria and Croatia) and Croatian colonists in the16th to 18th
centuries.Civil records ("Urbar") from the 1500's onwards still exist and
Church records ("Visitation" and "Matrikel" from the 1600's or 1700's onwards
are available. There is much local literature, albeit written in German and
difficult to find. With such material available, why is it that the area has
been mostly bypassed by genealogists? There are at least half a million
American descendants of the forty thousand Burgenländers who emigrated to the
United States in the period 1890-1910, and there were both earlier (1870-80)
and later migrations (1920's & 1950's), so a base of researchers can not be
lacking. One answer surely lies in those deterrents to all research; foreign
language and involved political history. Bridging the gap to foreign records
is a major problem for American genealogists, particularly for those third
and fourth generation descendants of immigrants, who no longer know the
language. (Fifth and higher generation descendants often are still struggling
to find that first US immigrant foreign link!). Unlike our European
counter-parts who study English, few Americans know or study German, much
less Hungarian or Latin. How then do we read that German or Hungarian record?
How can we interpret that superb Latter-daySaint (LDS) microfilm from Salt
Lake City? (The LDS microfilmed huge quantities of Burgenland records {copies
of originals, 1828 forward} in Budapest in the 1960's). How to find a name
that has been Americanized from a German or Hungarian name containing a
diacritical mark? In addition to language problems, the Burgenland region
politically , while predominantly German speaking, has swung back and forth
between Austrian and Hungarian sovereignty many times. During WWII, as
previously mentioned, it was even part of the greater "Third Reich". The
name "Burgenland" has only been used since 1921, when it was last ceded to
Austria by Hungary. Prior to that it was known as "Vas Megye" along with
parts of "Moson" and "Sopron" Megye. There were even earlier names. We have
villages with German names that were once known by Hungarian names and vice
versa. Locations of civil records have moved from one village to another as
the politial winds shifted district (Bezirk)and community (Gemeinde) offices.
Villagers, depending on religion, attended churches in neigboring villages
and church records followed suit.
Fortunately these problems have been addressed and there are solutions.
Specialized ethnic guides and histories are being published, language
translation software for computers is becoming more precise and internet
communication with foreign contacts is a reality. What is still necessary;
however, is the ability to find, combine and communicate with other
researchers of similar specialized interests. There aren't that many
genealogists with the persistence, knowledge, stamina or time to continuously
reinvent ethnic wheels of genealogical research. Too many give up, satisfied
with their American pedigree, when a little push would link them to their
foreign ancestors. Those who have done any ethnic pioneering can become
mentors and share their results. Such sharing involves more than contributing
occasional articles in prestigious publications with limited distribution.
This is the premise on which our specialized group was formed. We call
ourselves the "Burgenland Bunch" (BB) and we are dedicated to researching
that genealogical microcosm called "Burgenland".
After spending early retirement digging around my Burgenland taproot, I
began to share my experiences with kindred souls in various places in cyber
land. Replying to bulletin board queries or placing postings in genealogical
niches, I developed a list of specific Burgenland genealogists while
expanding my own knowledge. Finding them among the Germanic and Eastern
European bulletin boards involved some effort but I soon found that I was
forwarding copies of email to a lot of interested people. An ad hoc group
resulted, along with an email newsletter to hold us together. Group entry
requirements are simply name, email address, Burgenland family name and
Burgenland village if known. (We also accept members who are searching in
Hungarian, Lower Austrian or Styrian villages near the Burgenland borders).
There are no fees or special requirements. As self appointed editor and
coordinator I do what you'd expect these jobs to entail. Our newsletters have
covered Burgenland related subjects such as:
"Genealogy Sites, Borderland History, Burgenland Flag & Arms, Heritage Quest
Magazine Articles, German, Hungarian, Latin Dictionaries, Hungarian-American
Friendship Society, Austro-Hungarian Census, Village Descriptions,
Availability of Maps, Our Homepage, Germanic, Hungarian, Latin Months &
Dates, Use of the Umlaut, the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft, Immigrant
Itineraries, Early Migration to the Burgenland, Members' Queries, Austrian
Zip & Area Codes, Thirty Years War, Military Organizations, German-Hungarian
Village Name Locator, Trip Reports, Burgenland Music, Burgenland Castles &
Genealogy, Heraldry, Immigrant Articles from the 1920's Oberwart Sunday News,
Burgenland Depopulation, Nazareth, PA Cement Mills & Immigrant Workers,
Burgenland Food at Turn of the Century, Hungarian Marriage Records, German
Language Software Translators, Riedlingsdorf History, Elder Hostel Trip to
Austria, Urbars & Canonical Visitations, US- German Newspapers, Occupations,
Village Migrations, etc." We try for biweekly editions with ocasional special
editions (large enough to take up a whole newsletter). We prefer to use email
to avoid downloading files. Material is limited to about 12 pages for each
edition. Since January 1997, 20 newsletters and 5 special editions have been
issued. (as of August 1997)
The newsletter was a winner, but one of our group thought an internet
Burgenland Homepage would get us even more coverage and of course, he was
right. He even assumed responsibility and we feel he maintains one of the
better homepages on the net. Another of our members offered his talented
services as a professional graphics designer and polished the homepage
graphics. Our homepage has a general map of the Burgenland, showing areas
being researched, a member list, a list of villages, family names being
sought, links to other sites and links to our newsletter archives and to our
members. It also has general "how to" information about joining the group,
etc. It is updated frequently and averages 350 contacts a month.
We were very excited when the Homepage attracted our first Austrian
correspondents. To our immense relief they had a command of English although
as a matter of courtesy, some German is used. If you've ever keyed a purely
German document from your English keyboard, you'll appreciate the effort
required to do the reverse in addition to a translation! (where is that
umlauted capital "O"?). In our bunch, it's best to learn a little
genealogical German. One of our members is a candidate for a doctoral degree
at the University of Vienna. He has proved to be a most prolific and learned
correspondent and is a fountain of ethnic information. We thus share in
previously unknown Austrian research areas and publications.We are linking
our group with foreign Homepages like the Oberwart News (OZ) and the Austrian
government. Recently the offices of the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft (Dr.
Walter Dujmovits, president and editor), oldest and largest world wide
Burgenland association, headquartered in Güssing, Burgenland, Austria went
on line.
Our future thus hinges on finding interested members, issuing informative
newsletters, sharing data and maintaining a high quality internet homepage.We
hope that eventually, anyone interested in the Burgenland will be able to
reach us via internet search engines.
Another problem that arises when a special group forms is that genealogists
seeking family in other areas are excluded. Our search area is limited by
definition. At times we must reply, "sorry, but your area appears to be the
Banat of Hungary (or wherever)." We also have a problem reaching those who
have Burgenland immigrant ancestors and don't realize it. These can sometimes
be found by scanning the genealogy bulletin boards. Recently one said "My
grandparents came from Gas Vadersdorf, Austria in 1900. Their names were so
and so. Does anyone know the name of this village today and where it can be
found?". It appeared that "phonetic German" had struck again and that the
village could be Gross Petersdorf, a good solid mid-Burgenland village not
far from Oberwart. Since the questioner's uncommon family names appeared in
the Burgenland phone listing for that village, we had fairly good proof we
were correct and a reply was forwarded. We acquired another member.
There are those who don't do their homework and don't avail themselves of
readily available reference sources before asking questions. I feel we're
occasionally the target for jokers, school children looking for fun or an
easy composition or those computer genealogists who contact everyone hoping
for a hit. This is a pitfall of going on line. There are all too many
bulletin boards that carry questions like "Where is Burgenland?"; answer
easily found in any geographic reference.
I'd like to be able to report that the formation of the "Bunch" has expanded
my family genealogy by several generations. It hasn't, but I'm sure I
exhausted the easy records some time ago. I think the Turks used earlier
ones to heat coffee! I'm still stuck in the late 1600's, looking for a
migration link from Lower Austria, Styria or Bavaria. My genealogy did grow a
little fatter around the middle when some unknown distant cousins (2nd & 3rd)
joined the group. I've also been able to correct errors in allied lines. I
have gained a much greater appreciation of Burgenland geography, history and
culture. I have several more volumes in my Burgenland library, some ethnic
music recorded on site, copies of several new historic documents (1572, 1697,
1757, 1787) containing family names, new "cousins", several friends of
friends and historic family neighbors, numerous migration and travel stories,
super great Austrian contacts and a list of fine correspondents who share all
sorts of ethnic data. I also enjoy helping others. None of us are immune to
strokes of appreciation. Who knows when email may contain another elusive
clue. Morning email has become a genealogic adventure.
While our archives lists family names and villages being researched, we do
not have a data base of individuals. If you're looking for "Specific Name"
from "Such" village, we can put you in touch with someone in our group who is
also researching that name and village. You must still do the work of finding
your ancestor. In addition we can tell you what we have concerning your
village, its history, demographics, possible migrations, etc. as well as all
normal types of genealogical aids like maps and local terms. Likewise, if
you have special knowledge, we expect you to share it.
Before listing our members and how we may be reached, I'll define the
Burgenland in order to exclude possible futile queries for villages not in
our area of study.
"Burgenland, province, eastern Austria, lying south of the Danube River
(Capitol Eisenstadt). It is bounded on the north by Lower Austria Province,
on the east by Hungary, on the south by the republic of Slovenia, and on the
west by Styria and Lower Austria provinces." (courtesy of Microsoft
Encarta-reg. trademark for their computer encyclopedia)
If you fail the above test; however, and if you feel your village is in Vas,
Moson or Sopron Megye (counties) in Hungary or near Frstenfeld or Graz,
Styria, Austria or within shouting distance of the Neusiedler See, or near
Mosonszentjános, Szombathely, Szt. Gotthard or Kormend, Hungary, etc., etc.
we want to hear from you. There was a lot of village migration and the
borders are very convoluted. Our Homepage and archive File Transfer Protocol addresses
are at the end of this article.
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH MEMBER LIST (as of August 1997, followed - unfortunately
it wasn't possible to update with the current membership)
GENERAL BURGENLAND BIBLIOGRAPHY
Titles to Hungarian publications(H) which are printed in Hungarian have been
translated to English. (G) means German language publication. Many are still
available although writing publishers may be necessary. One of our Austrian
contacts uses Austrian Libraries like the National Library in Vienna
(Heldenplatz) or the Landesarchiv/ Landesbibliotek in Eisenstadt, Burgenland.
Here can be found excellent village source material by using the "Allgemiene
Landesbibliographie des Burgenlandes, part VII, Topo-Bibliographie" which in
turn references editions of "Volk und Heimat" or "Burgenländisches
Heimatblaetter". Probably best left to a professional or someone experienced
with Austrian library research, I have not had personal experience with those
sources. Our newsletter does publish material gathered from them by our
Austrian member. Frequently some villages issue local histories which are
fantastic finds. The newsletter has uncovered a few. If you write or visit
your immigrant's village, always inquire if such is available.
AMTLICHES TELEFONBUCH BURGENLAND,(G) official residential phone book,
available from Austrian Post Offices.
BORDERLAND, A HISTORICAL & GEOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF BURGENLAND, A. F. Burghardt,
Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1963, (out of print, available in some libraries)
BURGENLAND, GESCHICHTE, KULTUR UND WIRTSCHAFT IN BIOGRAPHIEN, (BURGENLAND
HISTORY, CULTURE AND INDUSTRY IN BIOGRAPHY). Edition Roetzer, 1993, Rötzer
Druck, Eisenstadt. (G) Lists all villages, their Bürgermeisters,
brief biography, village statistics, pictures. Was your ancestor a politician
in the post 1919 period?
DAS BUCH VOM BURGENLAND, (THE BOOK OF THE BURGENLAND) Fritsch & Zachs,
Belvedere Verlag, Wien, Austria 1983(G). A lovely picture book with
interesting text.
DER BEZIRK GÜSSING IM WANDEL DER ZEIT, (THE DISTRICT OF GÜSSING THROUGH THE
AGES), Kirsner & Peternell, Kapellenweg 14, 8502 Lannach, Austria 1995. Price
396 Schillings (about $40 pp). Also "DER BEZIRK JENNERSDORF" and "DER BEZIRK
OBERWART". (G) These cover each village in the respective districts, 27
Gemeinde (communities) in the Güssing area for instance along with affiliated
Gemeinde villages. Some history, pictures, etc. MARVELOUS, but in German.
These books will eventually cover all of the Burgenland. A wonderful adjunct
to your genealogy if you know your immigrant's village.
DIE AMERIKA-WANDERUNG DER BURGENLÄNDER, (THE AMERICAN MIGRATION OF THE
BURGENLANDERS) Dr. Walter Dujmovits, Desch Drexler, Pinkafeld, Austria
1992(G). The definitive study of Burgenland migration by the leading
authority on the Burgenland emigration ("Auswanderung") to the United States
and elsewhere. Available from the Burgenländisches Gemeinschaft, Hauptplatz
7, A7540 Güssing, Burgenland, Austria.
GESCHICHTE DES BURGENLANDES, Lehrbuch für die Oberstufe, (HISTORY OF THE
BURGENLAND, Text book for the Upper School), Floiger, Gruber & Huber, Druck
Ed. Hölzel, Gmbh, Vienna, 1996 (G). Very comprehensive history, very well
presented and up to date.
HARVARD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN ETHNIC GROUPS, Ternstrom, Harvard Univ.
Press. The Austrian & Hungarian sections. Tells the why of the "Auswanderung".
LDS Film number 1045430 is a microfilm of "Magyarorszag Varmegyei es
Vasvarmgye", an 1898 Geography and History of Vas County in Hungarian. It
lists all the Burgenland villages, population, churches, when built, local
aristocracy, etc. Has maps.
NACH AMERIKA, (TO AMERICA) Burgenländische Landesausstellung Burg Güssing,
Roetzer Druck, Eisenstadt, Austria 1992(G). The migration to the US. Issued
for the 1992 Güssing Castle "Auswanderung" exhibit. Comprehensive text and
illustrations.
ORTS LEXICON VON UNGARN (VAS MEGYE), (THE PLACE LEXICON OF HUNGARY-VAS
COUNTY) J. Dvorzsak, Budapest, Hungary 1877(H). Available on microfiche at
LDS Family History Centers. German-Hungarian village name cross-reference.
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ROMAN PANNONIA, Lengyel & Radan, Univ. Press of Kentucky,
1980. Early History of region which included what is now Burgenland.
THE BOOK OF AUSTRIA, E. Marboe, Austrian Printing Office, Vienna, 1948, and
AUSTRIA, A PHAIDON CULTURAL GUIDE, Prentice Hall, 1985, both have Burgenland
sections.
THE SPIRIT OF HUNGARY. Stephen Sisa, 1983, Rakoczi Foundation. Available from
them at P. O. Box 110025, Cleveland, Ohio 44111. General Hungarian History in
English, presents a Hungarian view of history, but full of information.
Magyar tribal migration to present.
TOPOGRAPHICAL LEXICON OF THE COMMUNITIES OF HUNGARY COMPILED IN 1773,
Delegation of the Peace of Hungary, Budapest, 1920(H). Also on LDS FHC
microfiche.
There are various general histories of the Habsburgs and their Empire (Kann's
"History of the Habsburg Empire 1526-1918" is very good as is Sugar's
"Southeastern Europe under Ottoman Rule, 1354-1804") but the Burgenland and
Vas Megye are hardly ever mentioned. References to Western Hungary are
pertinent. Good political background. "German Minorities and the Third
Reich", Komjathy & Stockwell and "The Habsburg Monarchy as a Customs Union",
Komlos also have some information.
END OF ARTICLE
-NEWSLETTER CONTINUED AS No. 43B
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 43B
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND GENEALOGY
(issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold)
September 15, 1998
(all rights reserved)
This third section of the 3 section newsletter features an article on Ethnic
Mix, Letter From New Member Frank Trinkle, Data From SS Applications and
Letter From New Member Bob Trask.
LETTER CONCERNING ETHNIC MIX IN NEWSLETTERS
Member Judith Ery Colby writes: I'd like to take this opportunity to
congratulate you for putting out such an excellent newsletter! Having edited
our local Porsche Club monthly newsletter for nearly ten years, I can
appreciate all the work and effort that you put into it, and I'm truly
impressed! Since I've been receiving my copies it seems to me that you don't
have very much information for Hungarian Burgenlanders -- perhaps it's just
the last few issues that seem to deal with German and Croatian families. I
know that there are very few Hungarians left in Burgenland. When I visited
the area in 1985, I was really surprised to find that in Unterwart they still
have signs in Magyar on the stores, streets, etc. The elementary school was
also conducted in the Magyar language, but this seemed to be the only
conclave of Hungarians.
Editor's answer: Thanks for the kind words and the question. The proportion
of ethnic material published in each newsletter depends generally on the
material I receive. The Croatian researchers have been doing a lot of work
lately. When I don't receive much, I fill in with articles I write about
general topics or, since my ancestors were from the south, about southern
Burgenland. It's not a matter of there not being many Hungarians left in the
Burgenland. There never were all that many Hungarians (Magyars) in today's
Burgenland region. The proportion has since 1526 probably hovered around what
it is today, 85% Germanic, 13% Croatian and 2% Hungarian. There has also been
a small % of Gypsies and Jews (almost immeasureable since WWII-most of the
Gypsies left live in Hungary and cross the border to provide music). It's
interesting that those active in religion (have decreased in the last few
decades) follow the same proportion, Catholics at 84%, Lutherans 14%,
Calvinists, Jews and miscellaneous the remainder.
While the Magyars overran the area in the 10th Century, they were eventually
driven east of Styria and Lower Austria creating todays Hungary (plus those
regions lost following WW-I). Since the border was depopulated, colonists
(Germanic) moved in. The Magyars did provide guard-post establishments in the
"Wart" where your people settled and a few other towns along the border. A 20
mile strip, the "Gyupe" between Austria and Hungary was declared a no-mans
land (eventually settled by Germanic and Croatian colonists). The Burgenland
region later was split between the Croatian Batthyány nobility (south) and
the Hungarian Esterházy nobility (north) with minor nobility mostly in the
middle around the Wart. There are probably more German speakers in Hungary
than Hungarian speakers in Austria. Much Germanic settlement in the Bakony
regions as well as in Transylvanian regions (12th century Saxon
colonization), the Baranya, Batscha (Backa-Kernei), Bukovina, Banat and other
Hungarian border regions (many came during the reigns of Maria Theresa and
Josef II).
We have about a dozen members researching Hungarian border villages and
families. The rest are researching villages in Burgenland proper. All members
are interested in things Hungarian because of the long Hungarian political
administration. The Hungarians never were successful in attempts at
Magyarization of the ethnic mix. Next to independence from the Hapsburgs,
treatment of ethnic minorities in Hungary was their second largest problem.
In fact it was probably a secondary contributing factor toward emigration.
Most Burgenland immigrants to the US prior to 1921 spoke some Hungarian as
well as German or Croatian. It's the mix of the various Germanic tribal
(Styrian, Bavarian, Schwabian, etc.) cultures with those of Magyar, and
Slavic Croatian, seasoned with Gypsy, Judaic and even Turkic Moslem cultures
that give us the unique group we call "Burgenländers" today. A melting pot
culture now contributing to the American one! Gerry Berghold
LETTER FROM NEW MEMBER (from Frank Trinkle)
Wow! When the Group swings into action, things really move! Thanks for all
the information and guidance. I'm impressed with the high degree of
professionalism of this group. I'm just a beginner at genealogy (albeit a bit
more "mature" in age). But I'll try to participate with meaningful input to
the group production...
Gerry, we have a lot in comon. But first, a brief biography to put things in
perspective. I was born in 1923 in Portland Point (PA), a cement mill town
near what is now Cortland. We moved to Nazareth when I was about 3. I went to
Holy Family School in Phoenix for grades 1-3, when we moved to Bath. My
father worked in the Penn-Dixie cement mill near the Eastern side of town,
known as the "East End" or "East Bath" among other names, which corresponded
to the character of Phoenix in Nazareth. It was populated almost entirely by
Burgenlanders who worked in the adjacent cement mill.
We lived on "Wabash Avenue" (also known as Wabash Alley), which was the street
behind Sacred Heart Church. This was somewhat closer to town center than East
Bath, and we were more exposed to "hamlocks" (mostly Pennsylvania Dutch -ED.
note:- when the first telephone exchange was given the word "Hemlock-HE", it
created a lot of local ethnic humor) and their culture. But the Church was a
German parish, with both German and English services. Oddly enough, our
priest, Father Edward Burkhardt, came from a very well-to-do family from
Philadelphia. But he spoke fluent German and was a major factor in bringing
his immigrant parish into the 20th centrury while encouraging us to retain
our cultural identity. A great man.
I went through 8th grade at Sacred Heart, then public school 9th grade in
Bath. We had no high school in Bath, so the 9th grader Catholics had to
choose between Nazareth and Northampton for high school. Most of the
Burgenlanders went to Nazareth, the rest, including me, to Northampton.
I graduated in 1941 from Northampton High. I started at Muhlenberg College in
Sepember 1941, but quit after Pearl Harbor to work in cement mill due to my
father's illness and the likelihood of going into service very soon. But for
about a year, I lived a hectic life - cement mill 8-10 hours a day (or
night), and two or three nights a week playing in a small German (Austrian)
band. I had played violin, baritone and trumpet in high school. When I
graduated, I started playing violin in a band with talented violinist Joseph
Kroboth (sp?) from (West?) Coplay. I later played trumpet, too. Most of our
gigs were in Coplay, Northampton, Nazareth and Allentown. Some of the places
were: Coplay Sängerbund, Hari-Gari Hall, Austrian-Hungarian Club, and others
I have forgotten. But our most regular job was at - you guessed it - Trinkles
at 4th and Washington Streets in Allentown. This was still depression era,
and we didn't make much: $1.00 each per night, $1.00 extra for gas, a free
dinner, and all the beer we could drink (which we did). We didn't get rich,
but we had fun and helped to make other people happy with our music, which
made it all worthwhile'
But all good things had to end, and by November I was off to the Navy. After
the war, I continued my "German" band career, but that story is for another
time. Didn't mean to bore you, but I hope stories like mine may inspire others
to write of their experiences, especially as they relate to immigrant - "native"
relations in the past century. This will help us and our progeny to
understand more clearly who we really are. I'll confine my next missive to
what I know of my genealogy, so we can get on with the mission of finding the
missing pieces. Again, thanks for all the materials, which has already
provided some important clues to pursue. Frank Trinkle
OBTAINING DATA FROM SOCIAL SECURITY APPLICATIONS (from Anna Kresh)
(Ed. The Social Security Death Index is a very useful genealogical tool. Once
you find an ancestor, more data may be available by ordering a copy of the SS
application. This can now be done on the internet.) Anna Kresh sends the
following: At the Family Tree Maker web site you can search the Social
Security Death Index (SSDI), and if you locate an ancestor, you can
automatically generate a letter of request for that person's Social Security
Number application (Form SS-5) for a fee of $7.00. Visit
http://www.familytreemaker.com; choose the Search SSDI option; locate the SS
record you want; click "Write It", and the request letter is generated.
Print the letter, fill in your name, address, etc., include your check and
mail.
LETTER FROM NEW MEMBER BOB TRASK
(Ed. note. I often receive very interesting replies from my initial contact
with new members. I wish I could publish all of them. Since space doesn't
permit, I occasionally select one that I feel will be of help to other new
members. This one especially looks as if our new member is on the threshhold
of some great discoveries.)
Bob writes: This message is actually from your new member Bob Tratz (our
e-mail only goes out with my wife's name at home). I thought I would pass
this message along to thank you for your Burgenland Bunch information and
to illustrate how helpful your putting me in touch with Steve von Hitritz
and Bruce Klemens has been. Their interest in the village of Oslip has
helped and will help in future searches. Hopefully, I can assist you with
a tidbit or two in the future. Your site has been very informational and I
have already read several past issues of your biweekly since encountering your
web page just this past Friday, Aug. 28. Keep up the good work. Although my
German is getting rusty, I hope I may say without error "Gluckliches Tag!"
Bob Tratz
Bob then copies me on email to members Klemens and von Hitritz: "I appreciate
your information about the Zemljak family in Oslip. It is most interesting,
particulary the information about Anna Zemljak and the Oslip history by Anna
Odorfer and translated by Bruce. All I can say is that until I view the LDS
microfilm of RC church records in Oslip (thanks for the roll number), I
cannot be 100% sure that it is the origin of my Great-Great Grandfather
George Zemlock and Great-Great Grandmother Barbara Zemlock who came to
Wisconsin in 1856 or 1857. (some census records which I believe to be
unreliable put it as early as 1853). Barbara was the daughter of a Mathias
and Elizabeth Kern (cf. 1866 Winnebago County, Wisc. church marriage record
of their daughter Mary to a Joseph Sommer, also of Hungary). George (born
about 1819) and Barbara (born about 1817) came to this country not only with
their daughter Mary (believed to be the eldest sibling) but also with Andrew
(my Great-Grandfather) born in 1845-1847 and his brothers Stephen (born 1850)
and Charles (born 1852) all from Hungary. My Grandfather told me in 1965
that the family came from Oslo, Hungary. But I searched maps and gazeteers
off and on for years without finding anything to corroborate that. Then in
1984 I obtained a copy of an 1884 birth certificate in which Great-Great
Uncle Stephen related that they came from Oslop, Hungary. I didn't get
around to doing a decent search of maps and gazeteers for Oslop until just
recently. Naturally, I didn't find anything in the boundaries of old
Hungary, because I confined my searches for Oslop and similar spellings to
present day Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Galicia, and Western Romania. Tried
Internet searches for "Oslop" to no avail. I didn't notice the small sliver
of land next to Austria that was converted to Austria apparently in 1921
(Burgenland). Not until I quickly scanned a book by Dagmar Senekovic titled
"Handy Guide to Austrian Genealogical Records" on Monday a little over a week
ago, did I notice that the village of Oslip, Austria even existed (complete
with parish church records!). According to the book, baptismal, marriage,
and death records are available for the Oslip parish all the way back to the
year 1700 (but only through direct contact with the Roman Catholic Church).
Apparently the duplicate records (on microfilm) are only available for 1828
on? When I went on to the Internet for the Austrian telephone directory a
week ago and tried the name Zemljak as well as Zemlock, I came up with one
match for Zemljak in Oslip. I also noticed one other Zemljak in another
Burgenland community (along with two others elsewhere in Austria--but no
Zemlocks). Obviously the name was changed upon arrival here. Anyway, that
search result convinced me that I had finally found the Zemlock origin
(probably). I saw the Burgenland Bunch website shortly thereafter. I don't
know a whole lot more. My Grandfather only rembembered one story about life
in the old country--He recalled his Uncle Stephen telling of seeing his older
brother (Andrew, my G-Grandfather) carrying a cross in a church procession in
the home village in Hungary. My Grandfather said his Grandfather George was
the village leader in his home place, but I never put much stock in that
story--I figured there was less reason to emigrate then (unless, I guess, you
ran afoul of the wrong person higher up). My G-G-Grandfather George was a
farmer in Winnebago County, but had only 80 acres, so he was not terribly
successful, at least in economic terms. George was still alive in 1900 at
the age of 81, but I have been unable to find a record of him after the 1900
Census. I do know that "Oslip" looks most probable.There are lots of Zemljaks
in Slovenia; I had always wondered if there might be a connection since I
noticed many years ago that a "Zemljak" immigrated to Buffalo, New York from
Laibach (Ljubljana), Slovenia in 1902. I wonder if the Zemljaks came up
from Slovenia? It was interesting to read the Burgenland Bunch history about
the Croatian connection to Burgenland. Perhaps the Zemljaks or Zemlyaks were
originally Croatian rather than Slovenian? Anyway, I ramble on. I really
appreciate all of your leads. Best Wishes."
END OF NEWSLETTER-EDITED & DISTRIBUTED BY GERALD J. BERGHOLD