BB News No. 63 dtd 31 Aug 1999

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 63 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold) August 31, 1999 (all rights reserved) "The person who has nothing to boast of but his ancestors is like a potato-the only good belonging to him is under ground"- Sir Thomas Overbury: Characters Note to recipients. If you don't want to receive Burgenland Bunch newsletters, use the Membership Forms to change your status. We can not help with non-Burgenland family history. Comments and articles are appreciated. This first section of the 3 section newsletter contains an Hungarian Border Trip Report From Joe Jarfas (with special data on Hungarian Border villages of Pornoapati and Nemeskeresztr) and much More on Hungarian Tax Records, AUTOMATIC REMOVAL NOW A FEATURE OF BB DISTRIBUTION Some recipients of internet largess subscribe to a free service, later decide they no longer wish to receive it and rather than take a little time to cancel, they block email from that address. Some change addresses or servers without notification. The implication is "You'll know I'm no longer interested when your email bounces." Internet anonymity is too often a cloak under which discourtesy hides. In the future, if three email transmissions bounce, Roots Web distribution procedures will automatically remove you from the Burgenland Bunch mailing list. HUNGARIAN BORDER TRIP REPORT (from Joe Jarfas) Joe writes: It should be time to send you the promised 'report' for my recent trip to Hungary ...and a few hours to Austria. When I received your second newsletter since I came back I realized I am lacking a bit on organizational skills that evidently you possess. But let me start by answering the question at the end of Burgenland Bunch News No. 60: Pornoapati Croat name? Pornova. Let me add also, to the detailed description, (from a book I received while in Hungary from a newly discovered relative: Dr Borovszky Samu: VAS VÁRMEGYE; part of the series on Hungarian counties published in MDCCCXCVIII - or 1898; reprinted in 1989 by Dovin Mvszeti Kft., Budapest;), the name of the village was Pornó; had 98 houses and 667 Roman Catholic and Lutheran German speaking people (in 1898). About the monastery this is what it says: the only (text carved in) stone left over is built into the wall of the house of the overseer to the manor of the Bavarian Archduke Lajos and the text follows: JOANESS. DRASKOVITH. DE. DRACOSTIAN. TAVERNI CORUM. REGALIUM. IN HUN GARIA. MAGISTER. SACRAE. CAES REGIAE. O. MATTIS. CONSILIARUS. ET. CUBICUARIUS. NEC. NON. CONFINIO RUM. TRANSDANUBIANORUM GENERALIS. ET. PRAESIDII. VYNA RIEN. SUPREMUS. CAPITANEUS FILIO. SUO. GEORGIO. ABBATI PORNENSI. HOC. OPUS. FIERI FECIT. ANN M. D. CXII (Ed. - would some Latin scholar like to translate this? Looks like Johann Draskovitch of Trakostyn, Croatia, of the family that married into the Güssing Batthyány Herrschaft, with his name followed by his titles, had this built in 1612.) The monastery was founded by Chepan, son of Stefan, Palatin of Hungary, in 1221. It was totally destroyed by the Turks. Present church was built in 1780. (The problem with this book is that it is in Hungarian ... and takes me a while to translate. But there was no Hungarian translation for the Latin text! And the punctuation implies that there might be letters missing? By the way the book also has (limited) genealogical information about the old noble families who where located in Vas megye at the time). My trip was mainly centered around meeting email and snail-mail pals and visiting with newly discovered relatives. I also promised a not yet proven relative, whom I call Jersey Járfás, because he lives in New Jersey and I discovered his family relations in Hungary, that I will gather his first cousins and their descendants and drink to his health - and luckily he promised to foot the bill (because Hungarians like to drink too!). That was the highlight of my trip because I gathered six first cousins (out of ten kids of his father's brother and 24 of their relations for a total of 30) and some of them were not notified 'til the morning of the event. In three and a half weeks I drove over 2000 miles and that included three visits to Austria; first, to retrieve my luggage at Schwechat that was lost for three days! Second, when I visited Kirchfidisch to gather data for my grandmother, who was born there in 1875 (actually Kohfidisch), and locate her parents, Josef Pomper and Cecilia Teuschler, whose data I could not get because the pastor, Herr Hubert Wieder, could provide me only an hour of his time (and of course the parish office was closed when I went there!). We even exchanged an email after I came back, but due to the content of my second email I am afraid the diocese, whose net he uses, 'nihil forward'-ed my email because I never received an answer. The third time I drove to Vienna to visit a good email pal of mine, who also did some digging for me into a remote cousin who happened to get married in the same district he lives now. He even went so far that after taking a copy of the marriage register he translated the old Gothic script for me to modern German and Hungarian as well, all neatly printed out from a spreadsheet program. Could not thank him enough for all his efforts - especially since he once translated an 1718 six page Latin document for me within a week. Nice to have friends like that. With visiting Szombathely, Györ (my brothers and sisters), Budapest, Páty, Tata, Pázmándfalu (Jersey Járfás relatives live there), Pécs, Ják (my Járfás line originates there) and Sárvár where a 1st cousin twice removed graduated from high school, did not have too much time left for sightseeing or even too much food or drink. The family obliged by preparing my favorite meals where ever I went, but one time I even had to grab a sandwich at a gas station because the drive was quite long and time too short. But the few times I enjoyed a restaurant meal (in Budapest on the sightseeing ship) the old standby for me was Wiener Schnitzel and Palacsinta, which is Hungarian for Palatschinke, Crâpes Suzette or pancake with sweet filling. Along the Austrian border, where the Austrian Schilling is very welcome (and their presence considerably raised the prices) I also observed a distinct improvement in service. Regarding your question "If you can (I assume you'll be near the border), try to find out where the civil records for 1897-1921 are kept for those villages NOT transferred to Austria in 1921. These were not copied by the LDS. For instance, where are the records for Pinkamindszent or Szt. Péterfa or Felsö-Rönök? If you find out for one village we can guess where the others are. For instance I think Szentpéterfa will be found in Körmend," I had dealings with the (county) Archives in Szombathely and they told me that most records for the county are located there but that also the (usually same old/new) local district seats will contain copies. The county seat archives' address is: Vas Megyei Levéltár 9700 Szombathely Hefele Menyhért u. 1 you can also use: 9701 Postafik 78 Tel.: 36-94-313-265 Fax: 36-94-341-597 They are in the process of relocating! Need larger quarters and a new building is going up within the same block. When they will actually move is anybody's guess. Forgot to ask them if anybody speaks English there. The only other thing I asked them if they respond to written inquiries. They said for extensive research they have to negotiate a fee - if they can afford the time - due to limited manpower. Since I came back, I had a chance to do some research at the National Archives in D.C. - mainly searched ship arrival information for Jersey Járfás' ancestors - but had only two days for the task. Also discovered near Binghamton, where my one daughter lives with my two grandchildren, there is an FHC in Vestal. So I signed up there and started to order film to further my research. I go there once a week and spend 6-8 hours at a stretch, but it takes them at least two weeks to get the films there. So far, discovered a gap in coverage by them: my brother-in-law's father supposedly was born in Jánosháza. I searched all 3 rolls for his name, but could not find him anywhere. After I made a couple of calls and located a birth certificate, it turns out that he was born outside of that village and he is recorded in Nemeskeresztúr! But I can not locate that name at the Mormon web site anywhere. Since I am recording the film numbers from the web site to save time when I hand in my request at the FHC, I never learned to use their CD-based search in the office. Maybe I have to try to do that too one of these days. All considered, the trip was very fruitful. Accomplished about 75% of what I set out to do - but at a 50% cost overrun!!:-) The cost of the car was way out of my budget (everybody assumes your company is paying for it so they charge you an arm and a leg), but with all the places I intended to visit in a limited time, I considered it the only option. So next time I will have to select fewer places with more time at each. (end of report) (Ed. Comments: I answered Joe's question concerning Nemeskeresztúr."I know of at least two Nemeskeresztúr in the area you are working. One (don't think this is yours) is (was) in Sopron Megye. Page 535 copied from LDS microfiche 6000840 (1873 Hungarian Gazetteer-Orts Lexicon von Ungarn, Joh. Dvorzsak) shows under Comitat Sopron, Bezirk Sopron, Keresztúr (Nemet) (Deutsch Heiligenkreuz) RK (means had its own church) 2213 (inhabitants), Diocese Györ, 17 ag (Lutherans), Harka (went to church there), IZR (Jews-had a synagogue) 471, Calvinists 1. As you know there are a lot "German Holy Crosses" including "Heiligenkreuz" near Szentgotthard, but the above might be yours. Try Sopron Megye, Keresztúr. I don't have the Sopron index at home. Now there is another in Vas Megye which is an even better fit. Page 752 of the above microfiche gazetteer shows: Comitat Vas, Bezirk Kis-Czell, Keresztúr (Felsö, Nemes- es Balozsa), rk 698 (went to church in Karako, ag 35, Somlyo (kis Hegyes), ref 1-izr. 16-. I like this one even better because right above this listing, it shows "Jánosháza es Kortvelyes, RK 2620 Szombathely, ag 103 Somlyo (Kis-Hegyes), ref. 1 Nagy-Pirit, IZR 531. LDS for Karako (1789-1895)-nos. 0700998-999. I've found this 1873 gazetter to be a good source of where inhabitants went to church. The microfiche is part of each FHC permanent holdings. Arranged by Megye, then Bezirk then alpha. Use index in back to find page nos. of villages. Also a German-Hungarian name index." HUNGARIAN TAX RECORDS (Joe Jarfas, Frank Teklits, Bob Schatz, Drotos Laszlo, Anna Kresh) When we ran Bob Unger's article on Hungarian (Burgenland) tax records we stirred up some interest. First, Frank Teklits asked some questions which Joe Jarfas answered: Frank wrote: I recently received a notice from the FHC that one of the Hungarian Tax record microfilms I requested was available for review..... In view of what I was anticipating from the recent emails on Tax Records, the listing for my Dad's village was quite simple in comparison to the others. Nonetheless, there are a number of Hungarian category headings that I'd appreciate whatever assistance you can provide. I have used on-line dictionaries which did decipher some of the words, but the following remain: Bels bely = ? (Bels translates to inner/internal/inland; but bely was not recognized by the dictionary) Szántóföld osztál = ? Could this translate to field/plough-land class or category? Rét osztál = ? Could this translate to meadow class or category? Szabad Szall = ? (Szabad translates to vacant/free/unattached, but the word Száll was not recognized by the dictionary). The numbers under this category suggest this is a land category similar to what the Austrians refer to as sessio's. Annak Jövedelme = ? (Annak translates to it, but the above words were not accepted by the on-line dictionary.) In addition to the above, the following heading labels were translated by the on-line dictionary.) Személy = person, Juh = sheep, Tehen = cows Joe responds: Bels bely = 'bely' is "hely"; if this was in connection with land it usually means the inner, central portion of the land; might not have road access to it. For town, house, yard it defines the same central portion. Szántóföld osztál = ('osztál' nowadays spells 'osztály'); yes, you guessed right. I still don't know what kind of categorizations they used to distinguish one land from an other, but there were - evidently - four different 'quality' set up for them. (Ed,-Bob Schatz responds to this below). Rét osztál = same here as for 'szántóföld' above. Szabad Szálló = that's because the word spells 'szálló' (acute o at the end). In this case though szabad might (could) mean tax free - or that belonged to the whole community? (Not, of course, if it was listed under one particular person.) Annak Jövedelme = 'jövedelme' -- all it says whatever land/category it referred to: income there-from ... or from it. One more short explanation: 'Marha' sometimes means cows (not only tehn); it could also mean all the animals in one's possession. (And if you use it for a person you designate him/her a dumb a--!!:-)) Frank responds: "Marha somehow "rings a bell" with me, as when I got on my Dad's nerves, I seem to remember it as well a Croatian expression (Du souey vrag - phonetic spelling) for "you skinny devil". Hearing either of these terms as well as a few others, I knew it was time to either run, or reduce my profile. As Gerry may recall from some of my earlier emails, Croatian was our normal method of communicating when I was very young; Hungarian was spoken between my parents when it wasn't for us to hear what was being said. (It sure worked!!) Bob Schatz writes:

Thank you very much for the information in the last newsletter on the 1839 tax records. I was familiar with the 1828 tax records on LDS microfilm, but not these. I may be able to shed a little bit of light on two of the category aspects of these records. As you mentioned, the Property section has four categories. Villages were classed according to the yield of their land, and the columns where landholdings are recorded would show the class of the village. Property recorded under "1-ik" would indicate that the village was "class 1" and had very fertile soil; "4-ik" would indicate villages whose land did not have a high yield. (These class designations also relate to the size of a sessio in a particular village, since one sessio varied in size from county to county depending on the fertility of the soil.) In the final columns showing the amount of tax to be paid, the first column (A Házi) indicates the amount of tax to be paid to the county/megye (this was called the "house" or "domestic" tax); the second column (A Hadi) indicates the amount of tax to be paid to the national treasury (this was called the "war tax" because the funds were allocated to support the royal armed forces). Information on the tax system in Hungary can be found in English in Bela Kiralyi: Hungary in the late eighteenth century, and Henry Marczali: Hungary in the eighteenth century. Bob (Unger), you mention that your gggrandfather was one of four farmers who held more land than the others in the village. Records from the 18th century show that initially the size of landholdings varied from household to household; however, at some point in either the late 18th or early 19th century, it became customary for village lands to be divided equally among all the farming households - this was not a competitive society like ours, and village communities made sure that each farming household was equally provided for. Those households with more land actually required more property because their holdings (sessios) were on less fertile soil and therefore more land was needed to achieve the minimum yield to support a family. We are accustomed to think in terms of quantity of land, but our ancestors thought in terms of its quality: yield was more important than the amount of property held, and a farmer with a small holding of fertile soil was as prosperous as his counterpart who held more, but less fertile, land. Again, the books mentioned above can be consulted on the agricultural economy and practices of the time. Drotos, Laszlo also responds to Bob Unger's plea for help in which Bob says: I am writing this email in English because I do not understand Hungarian. Unfortunately the headings on this tax form are old Hungarian words that I can not find in on-line dictionaries. Laszlo writes:Have you tried this dictionary? http://www.sztaki.hu/services/engdict/index.jhtml I'll try to correct your spellings and translations as far as I can: I.Személy - Adó = Person tax család fejnek = to the family head Zsellér = cotter Lakos = resident or dweller (or tenant) Házainak = to his houses 1-s = 1st 2-ik = 2nd 3-ik = 3rd 4-ik = 4th Kap házbért = rent he gets for his houses Kap Malombért = rent he gets for his mill vagy jövedelmet = or income Osztálban=(I don't know, maybe: Osztálkban = share or dividend) Pengben = in peng (old Hungarian money) fl. & xr. =(maybe: fl. (florin, ft. (forint) and kr. (krajcr) which were the units of the peng, 100 krajcr = 1 peng forint) Rétjeinek = [number of] his meadows or pastures száma = number of Kaszás száma = number of reapers IV. Marha - Adó = Livestock - Tax Lovainak = [number of] his horses Ökreinek = [number of] his oxen Teheneinek = [number of] his cows Növendék Marhanak = [number of] his young cattle Csikóknak = [number of] his foals (young horses) Juhainak = [number of] his sheep Kecskójinek = [number of] his goats Sertéseinek = [number of] his pigs V. Ipar - Adó = Trade (or craft) - Tax Bir Kereskedéssel = has a shop or trading business Gyakorol = do some trading business, sell something Fizet haszonbert pengben = pays a lease in peng VI. Mellékes haszonvételek adja = tax of incidental leases or tenures Van mellkées haszonvétele = has an incidental lease or tenure? pengben = in peng Bormrséből = from selling wine Gubacsbul = from selling gall [nutgall] Maklbul =(I don't recognize this word, badly misspelled) Ezektl adzik = he pays taxes from the things listed above A Házi = into the [treasury]-house A Hadi = into the war-chest [for military purposes] Pénzházba = into the chest or treasure house Öszvsen = in sum (Anna Kresh and Bob Unger also exchanged correspondence on this subject which uncovered some more interesting data to be published in a future issue). End of first section. Newsletter continues as no. 63A

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 63A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold) Ausust 31, 1999 This second section of the 3 section newsletter is the ninth installment of The Teklits Translation of "Volk an der Grenze ..." (People on the Border), the history of the Croatians in Burgenland, written by Johann Dobrovich. We are bringing you most of this book in serial form. The second part of chapter 27 and the first part of chapter 28 are included in this issue. They cover Neighboring Hungary, Northern Burgenland and Western Lake Neusiedl. It also contains Member Changes. PEOPLE ON THE BORDER by Johann Dobrovich, translated by Frank Teklits (with assistance of Albert and Inge Schuch) printed via email by permission of the publishers Chapter 27 (continued) -Neighboring Hungary The western parts of the small Hungarian lowlands bordering on the District of Oberpullendorf were also badly damaged during siege of Güns. Except for the already mentioned villages of Pressing (Peresznye-Prisika), Siegersdorf (Horvatzsidany-Zidan), Bleigraben (Olmod-Plajgor), and Temeten (Tomord-Temerje), the Croats began settling in 1537 in 18 robbed and devastated villages. Andrew Perneszi from Schtzen (Sopronlovo) wrote about these Croats in 1574 to Emperor Maximilian II. "After the capture of Sziget by the Turks, I came with my family to Schtzen and built a Castle here. That is why more than 600 farmers fled before the Turks". The Croats who fled here came partly from the Una River area, partly from western Slavonia, and the precincts of Zagreb (Agram). Surnames indicate that a part of these refugees settled here in the neighboring villages of Nikitsch, Kroatisch Minihof, and Kleinwarasdorf. The Croatian village of Kohlnhof (Kophaza-Koljnof) that belonged to the city Domain of Ödenburg (Sopron) was completely deserted in 1531, and its territory initially leased to the Croats from Baumgarten for several years. Only 18 owners of whole, half, and quarter sessiones lived in Kohlnhof in 1552, and from a total of 12 farmers, there were 7 German and 5 Croats. According to J. Hazi, Croatian surnames already were a majority among the vineyard owners in Kohlnhof in 1559, and in 1715 there were 35 Croatian surnames, 2 Hungarian and 20 surnames. (Acsady 1715) The Croats discovered a strong Hungarian population segment in Klein-Andre (Hidegseg-Vedesin), as 22 of the 35 subjects in 1559 were of Croatian descent (from the Urbar of Sarvar). The Croats were the majority in a previous time period, before Hungarian families became predominant again. >From a spoken language point of view, both Klein-Andre and Amhagan (Homok) which had fewer Croatian surnames then Klein-Andre in the 16th and 17th centuries had to be defined as Croatian villages. The Croats of both villages spoke the Kaj dialect, which delineates the area of Zagreb (Agram) within Croatia. The Croat municipality of Undten (Und-Unda) was a subsidiary of the Croatian parish of Nikitsch according to Visitation from 1646. In 1720, Undten had 19 Croatian, 2 German and 16 Hungarian named families. Adolph Mohl alleges that in 1663 the inhabitants of Heiligenstein (Hegyko) were Hungarian and Croatian. The Croatian minority was insignificant however in relation to the Hungarian population. Mixed speaking localities, in which the Croats constituted a majority or a minority, were:Gross-Andre (Endred - Endrisce). In 1557, the aforementioned Croatian surnames from Gross-Andre in the Deutschkreutz Weinzehent register were in the majority. An altar cloth with a Croatian inscription was found according to the Protestant Church Visitation of 1631. The church provost said that their ancestors brought it with them from Velike in Croatia. Kleinzinkendorf (Kiscenk-Mala Cenka). According to a document of 1553, the Croat farmers Peter Kovacics, Nicholas Kralich, Michael Pastrich, and Michael Chermetich left their ruler, Ladislaw Szalay, and settled in the village of Kohlnhof that belonged to the City Domain of Ödenburg. They still found occasional Croatian surnames in Kleinzinkendorf in 1537 according to information from Hirlap Soproni from February 21, 1937. Perestagen (Peresteg). The village name of (Prosteg-Weit) refers to a Slavic origin according to Adolf Mohl. Families with Croatian names (Vasarich, Kirkovics, Lovranics, Ivancsisc, Praznik, Derdak, Pinezich, Zubrics, Sinko etc) still live in the community today, and all of these are old established farmer's families. As per the Urbar of Sarvar, the immigration of the Croats took place in the 17th century and 7 Slavic surnames are encountered in 1608 within this community. According to (Acsady 1715), 47 families with Hungarian and 18 with Croatian surnames came to Perestagen. A Croatian immigration was already evident in Sopronszecsen in the 16th Century. According to Jeno Hazi, the Croats constituted a strong minority among the vineyard owners where it shows 9 families with Hungarian names and 10 with Slavic surnames in 1720.Acsady also asserts the same for the years of 1715 and 1720 where several Croatian Flurnamen are still preserved (Duzina, Kamenjak, etc). Unfortunately Acsady's results are only at our disposal for Petohaza, which lists 12 Croatian, 6 Hungarian, and 2 German names. One can conclude from it that the Croats forced the Hungarian population into the minority here also. A strong Croat minority was formed in the neighboring community of Schltern (Suttor).The Urbar of Szeplak of 1594 mentions 54 surnames, 9 with Croatian names, 8 Horvath's and 10 Toth's. The surnames of Horvath and Toth constituted half of the Croat inhabitants of the village Fertoszentmiklos. St. Nicholas also received a Croatian influx from the lower Ikava River in the 16th century. The Croatian family names listed here among the vineyard owners already represented a significant minority there in 1557 according to Jeno Hazi. The surnames of Horvath and Toth constituted approximately 1/4th of all families in the census made between 1560 and 1584. The villages of Csapod and Himod, situated some distance from the above-mentioned communities, received a slight immigration of Croats in the 16th Century. Several Croatian surnames from the village Csapod are listed in the Deutschkreutz Zehentregister (1/10th part tax on crops and bred cattle) in 1557. The Urbar of 1584 from Szeplak included the names of Horvath and Toth who constituted 1/4th of all families. In 1715, Acsady counted 17 Hungarian and 2 Croatian surnames in Himod, where Adolph Mohl mentions an alley that still carries the Croatian name of Jedina today. Mohl also tells us of a narrow alley called "Jedan" in Bosarkany that even today still has families with Croat names, e.g. the family Kursics.Schtzen (Lovo-Livir): Jeno Hazi found some Croatian surnames for 1557 in Schtzen, that by 1559 including the names of Toth and Horvath that already constituted a slight one-third of all surnames. The Protestant pastor of the community was Matthew Muschits. In 1631 the Croats demanded that they be preached to in their native language. The Church congregation owned a printed Croatian Graduale (a song) in this year. John Gubaschitz, a Croat, was the minister of the community during the time of the Counter-Reformation. We find in this place even today many Croat surnames such as Babic, Jagodic, Juranic, Milkovic, Music, Nadaric, Palovic, Radic, Sedenie, Stefanic, etc.Croatian refugees, such as the families Gracol, Horvath, Podar, etc, lived in Gissing (Kovesd-Kevesd) before the Turks. Gissing also possessed a Croatian Graduale in 1631. Adolph Mohl reports that according to the Visitation of 1631 those from Heiss (Kaptalanvis-Visija) were former Hungarians and Croatians. In 1715, there were 26 families with Hungarian surnames, and 5 with Croat names, but in 1720, 20 Hungarian, 2 Germans, 4 Slovaks, and 4 Croatian surnames were counted.According to the oldest sources one finds occasional Croat family names in Lindgraben, Schwabenhof, Drassmarkt, Steinberg, Oberloisdorf, Lockenhaus, Liebing, Rattersdorf, Roggendorf, Strebersdorf, Lutzmannsburg, Raiding, Ritzing, Neckenmarkt, Girm, and Deutschkreutz, Grosszinkendorf, Holling, Pinnye, Losing, Ebergoc, Szeplak, Agyagos, Vitnyed, Hovej, Tschapring (Csepreg), Wichs (Buk), Horpacs, Ujker, Ivan, Csomote, Beled, and Güns (Koszeg). Chapter XXVIII- The Northern Burgenland and the Western Lake Neusiedl This region is comprised of two Districts, the larger and easterly situated District of Eisenstadt and the westerly located District of Mattersburg. The ancestors of the Croats living here found acceptance in the five Domains existing at that time, namely in the Domains of Eisenstadt, Forchenstein (owned by an Earl), Hornstein, Landsee, and in the Domain of the city of denburg. The Urbars for this area before the 16th and 17th centuries include the Urbars of the Domain of Eisenstadt for the years 1515, 1527, 1569, 1588, and 1675. Urbars of the Grafschaft (a Domain ruled by a Count) of Forchenstein of 1569 and 1675, Urbars of Hornstein from 1561 and 1563, and the Urbar of the Domain of Landsee for the years of 1627 and 1640 complete the list. The history of the City of Ödenburg gives us ample narratives about the village of Klingenbach. As in the other regions of Burgenland, the Croatian villages of these two districts also lie in the plains. The fact that relatively many Croats found acceptance in the plains of the Wulka can be attributed to the following causes. Emperor Friedrich in association with the Hungarian king Matthew Corvinus drove out the wild and plundering Army of the elder Giskra from this area in 1463. The castles of Hornstein, Oslip, Trausdorf, and Wulkaprodersdorf were probably destroyed during that time.Turkish Cavalry ranged throughout the land during the siege of Wien (Vienna) in 1529, burning villages, and killing men capable of arms, while dragging women and children into hard slavery. Adolph Mohl says that the Domain of Hornstein had also suffered considerably during the first siege of Vienna. Many perished because of the sword, others were dragged into captivity, and villages rose in flames. The beautiful church of Steinbrunn built in the Gothic style was destroyed at this time. In 1532, a large Turkish Army moved against Wien (Vienna) again. While the brave Nicholas Jurischitz defended Güns with his 27 Hussars and 700 farmers who had fled into the fortress against the main power of the Turks, the Turkish vanguard wrought mayhem in the area between the Neusiedl See and the Rosalia Mountains. In the beginning of September, the Turkish Emperor came with his entire military strength and remained in Eisenstadt for a few days. General Herberstein reports as follows of the Turkish move. "Then the Turks left Güns (Koszeg) going on to Eisenstadt, Wiener Neustadt and Hartberg, and a Turkish record says " on the following day they encamped before Selesno (Ed. Comment- Zelezno-Eisenstadt). This was a large city with a substantial castle, solid walls and high bulwarks, whose inhabitants knocked on the gates of grace and surrendered, thus sparing the Church in Eisenstadt." (Excerpts from the history of the City of St. Martin's parish church, Dissertation of Rudolf Sobotka, Eisenstadt 1955, pages 29 and 30.) The inhabitants at the edge of the Leitha Mountains and Lake Neusiedl sought refuge in the dense forests and in the reeds of the lake. A part of the population could surely have rescued themselves by fleeing to Forchenstein, denburg or Wiener Neustadt. Thus a whole series of villages whose inhabitants did not take flight in a timely manner were exterminated. These villages in which Croatian inhabitants reside today include Sigless, Zillingtal, Steinbrunn, Antau, Baumgarten, Drassburg, Klingenbach, Zagersdorf, Wulkaprodersdorf, Trausdorf, Oslip, and Hornstein, among others. The Domain of Eisenstadt >From 1491 until 1647, this imperial domain belonged administratively to Austria, but in ecclesiastic aspects it was a part of the Diocese of Gyor (Raab). It was transferred from 1508 to 1571 to the following Pfandherrn (one who loaned money and received a domain as a mortgage): Dr. Veit Von Frst from 1508 to January 3, 1515, Christoph Von Zinzendorf from 1517 to 1527, Ernst Von Frst from 1527 to 1533, Moritz Von Frst from 1533 to March 30, 1553, and Hans Von Weisspriach from 1553 to 1571. Emperor Maximilian II returned the mortgage sum of 77, 361 florins and 11 denari for the Domains of Eisenstadt and Forchtenstein to the heirs of Hans Von Weisspriach in 1572. Communities belonging to the Domain of Eisenstadt gave the following number of florins to Emperor Maximilian: Eisenstadt-4000, Kleinhoflein-2200, St. Georgen-200, Purbach-2500, Schtzen am Gebirge-1000, Zagersdorf-400, Trausdorf-300, Donnerskirchen-600, Apetlon-500, and Illmitz-350 florins. Emperor Maximilian had issued separate warranty letters for all these municipalities in which he guaranteed that he never again sell or mortgage the same again. The Eisenstadt domain was governed henceforth by a Hauptmann (Captain) and a Burggrafen (Count of the castle, who were subordinte to a Rentmeister (Treasurer of the Domain). Burghauptleute (Supreme castle administrators) of this Domain were, Hannibal Von Zinzendorf from 1571 to the 8th of August 1571, Seyfreid Von Kollonitsch from 1572 to 1599, John Bernard Lobl from Greinburg from 1599 to 1609, and Leonard Hellfried from Meggau from 1609 to 1622. Palatine Nicholas Esterhazy received the total of 400,000 florins as a mortgage for the Domain of Eisenstadt and the Earldom of Forchenstein in 1622. The Castles of Forchenstein and Eisenstadt have been in the hands of this once powerful family ever since this time.That Croats were settled in the Domain of Eisenstadt before 1529 or 1532 prove the following facts: 1. A Casper Tursich (Turschitsch) appears as the first Croat in Trausdorf as per the 1515 Urbar of 1515 of Eisenstadt, and a Croat named George Walich (Balitsch), in Purbach. They are the first authentically proven Croats in today's Burgenland. 2. The Croatian historiographer Mate Ujevic writes on page 7 in his treatise "Gradiscanski Hrvati" Zagreb 1934: "From 1552 until 1526, the inhabitants of the Croatian coastal area moved from the precincts of Zengg (Senj) and from the mountain valleys of Lika, Gacka, Krbava into the county of Ödenburg." 3. On September 7, 1526, Queen Maria, the widow of Ludwig II, ordered the citizens of Ödenburg to stop the migration of the Croatian refugees through the city, and give them shelter in the town or suburbs, so that the country (Hungary) would not decline in population and power. (Bratislava on September 7, 1526.) 4. 22 German families lived in Oslip in 1527, in addition to 13 Croatian families and a "Pfaff krabat" (Croatian priest). Two houses and a Meierhof (a large farm) stood vacant. Trausdorf has 33 German families in addition to 3 with Croatian surnames. The Oslip priest, who had lived in a "1/4th" house (a house on a quarter sessio), was the first Croatian clergyman in the former District of Eisenstadt. 5. Half of the mill in Schtzen am Gebirge was bought by the Croat, Ivan Post, and George Krabat bought the other half. As was already mentioned in Chapter XIX, "Migration of the Croatians into today's Burgenland and into Neighboring Lands", large masses of Croats left from the imperiled regions within their homeland after 1532. Considering the fact that in 1532 Croats were already settled in Petronell, Scharndorf, Schnau, Günselsdorf, Teesdorf, and Trunau near Baden in 1533, it is safe to assume that many Croatians settled into the current Northern Burgenland communities that were destroyed by the Turks. It should be said that in 1569 within Oslip (Uzlop) there were 54 Croats and 2 German households, while in 1675, it had already grown to 110 households of which 94 had Croatian surnames, 14 with German names, along with a Hungarian, and an Italian surname. According to the Urbar of Eisenstadt, there were no Croats living in Zagersdorf (Cogrstof) in 1527. Of the 48 families in 1569, 32 had Croatian surnames and 16 had German surnames. In 1589, of the 40 families who lived in this village, 31 had Croat surnames, and 9 had German names, while in 1675, 37 Croatian surnames, and 10 with German surnames are found.Trausdorf (Trajstof). The Urbar of 1569 (the Eisenstadt half) provides the following data: 28 households with a 1/2 sessio, 9 with a 1/4 sessio, 1 with and 1/8 sessio's, 1 with 1/8 and 1/16 sessio's, 2 farms, and 4 mills. Altogether there were 45 households with 35 Croatian and 10 German surnames. Marr Latitsch, the minister in Trausdorf, owned a farm according to the Urbar of 1589. The Urbar of 1675 indicates that there were 9-2/4 houses, 47 houses, 6 Hofstttler (persons with a house but no land) and 11 Kleinhusler (owners of small houses). There were a total of 68 households of which 58 had Croatian surnames, and 10 had German surnames.Antau (Otava), Eisenstadt half. The Urbar from the year 1569 shows the following data, 9 full sessio's (certain fixed portions of farmland belonging to the village), 15 half sessio's, 2 - full sessio's, plus other fractions, 1 Hofstatt (farm), and 15 families with German surnames and with 13 Croatian surnames. In 1675 it shows 4 whole sessio's 22 half sessio's, one large farm, 9 small farms, and one shepherd's house. In the year 1675 there are 4 whole sessio's, 22 half sessio's, one large Hofstttler, 9 small Hofstttler, and one shepherd's house. 38 of the 49 households had Croatian surnames and 11 had German surnames. Wulkaprodersdorf (Vulkaprodrstof) belonged to the Domain of Eisenstadt and was in the eastern half. There were still no Croats living in Wulkaprodersdorf in 1527, that included 25 German families. The Urbar of the Domain of Eisenstadt of 1569 for this part of the village indicated that it had 24 half sessio's, 5 quarter sessio's, 1 - 3/4 sessio, and 4 Hofsttten (a house with no fraction of a sessio). 20 of the 34 households had German surnames while 14 had Croatian names. 68 families lived in this part of the village in 1675, as there were 57 Croatian and 11 German surnames. The rising number of Croatian surnames in this village suggests a new Croatian immigration in the 17th century. Schtzen am Gebirge (Cesno). In 1569, there were 5 Croat families living in this community, growing to 7 in 1580 and 16 in 1589. The Visitation (ecclesiastical inspection) of 1651 says that the parish priest is German and Croatian. According to Adolph Mohl, Schtzen am Gebirge had Croatian ministers in the years 1641, 1668, and 1684. 31 of the 105 families in 1675 were Croatian.The years from 1533 to 1553 meant a period of significant rebuilding for the Eisenstadt Domain. During this time the Pfandinhaber (mortgage owner) Moritz Von Frst obtained only a small benefit from this Domain, whereas the subjects had difficult times under the reign of Hans Von Weisspriach from 1553 to 1571. The farmers could recover financially only after the retraction of the Domain's stringent requirements via the imperial chambers, where the Robot and payments in kind were calculated more humanely on the royal properties. MEMBER CHANGES CANCEL Lee Keippel, Reno, NV; KAIPEL (KEIPPEL); Riedlingsdorf (leaving the net) Stephen Timar, Bronx, NY. TIMAR, VESZELOVITS. Szentpeterfa, Hungary. To the U.S. in the 1930's, settled in New York City. (mail returned) CHANGE Jolan E. Fagerberg - address changed NEW Sue Carver; Minneapolis MN. LANG, DEUSCHITZ (Teusich), WALLASICH, YANKOVICH, KRIST, Pama. MILLERSCHITZ, Kitsee. To St. Louis, MO. Sarah Domster, Buffalo, NY. DOMSCHITZ, Mosonszentpeter (Mosonmagyarovar), Hungary. Jacob settled in Dayton, Ohio, then Lockport, NY. Angela Dodds, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Canada KROPF, BUTTER, KORBLER, LUKITSCH, BAK, KREN, Henndorf, a little village church close to Henndorf called Marie Bild , near Jennersdorf. JAINDL, KAHR, FEITL, HUEBER, GIEFERL, LUGITSCH, HODL, FERSTL, (Furstenfeld, Loipersdorf, Magland, Hatzendorf , in Styria), Heiligenkreuz. Parents emigrated to Saskatchewan in the 30's Edward Dukarm, Ingram, Tx. BERGMANN & BRIX from Bohemia to Wallern 1860s to St Paul, MN.1919-20, Ramsey county. Carol Hansen; Downers Grove, IL. MAYERHOFER, Neustift a. d. Lafnitz, Grafenschachen; HATZL, Grafenschachen, Unterwaldbauern; LUIF, Unterwaldbauern. Settled in Chicago, IL and East St. Louis, IL between 1907-1922. Charles Klucsarits; Italy (USAF). KLUSARITS, (KLUCHARICH), Güssing. To Coplay/Hokendauqua, PA. Mary (Strobl) Morey; North Liberty, IN. STROBL TRIMMELL, FISHER/FISCHER Neckenmark - GROSS/GROSZ, SCHNEIDER, PERSCHY, KLUBENSTEIN BAUER, ZWICKL, MAX; Frauenkirchen - MORE/MOREY, LUTERAN, TOTH, SZUCH, KERTESZ, PALLAY, DLOSZEGI, KOBLOS, Austria/Hungary. Marietta Neumann; Silver Lake, MN. SHERMAN (Schermann), FASCHING, KAPPEL, BATES (Poetz), Deutsch-Gerisdorf. Settled in the Winsted, MN. Chris Reicher; Chicago, IL. REICHER, WESSELLY(VEZELY), Kleinpetersdorf, KOELLER, LENCS, GARGER, REINISCH, Moschendorf, Güssing. Settled in Chicago c. 1924. Richard Schmalzer; Verona, WI, SCHMALZER, KLEPITCH, Hannersdorf. Settled in Chicago. Judy Smith; Concord, CA. TABELLI (DABELLI), GUMHALTER, Litzelsdorf, Bezirk Oberwart. Gottfried Tabelli and Frances Gumhalter married April 16, 1913, Buffalo, NY. (End of second section, newsletter continued as no. 63B).

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 63B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold) August 31, 1999 This third section of the 3 section newsletter contains: - the first of 3 installments of John Lavendoski's recent trip to Austria. - URL Changes. My Family Trip to Austria and Hungary, and My Attempt to Digitally Photograph Various Church Records - by John Lavendoski As some readers may already know, I have just completed a two week visit to Austria and Hungary. This trip was an attempt to combine a family vacation to the old country (for myself, my mother, sisters, aunt, and various cousins - 9 persons in all), with some serious genealogical research on both sides of the border. My visit included: 1) Several days in Southern Burgenland (including attendance at the BG picnic in Moschendorf), 2) A bus tour of the Austrian provinces, 3) A three day trip to Budapest and some other places of interest in Hungary, 4) A return trip to Burgenland and a visit to Eisenstadt for record archival using a digital camera. The family vacation portion of the trip was planned to coincide with the annual Burgenland Picnic in Moschendorf. It also included a self driven sightseeing tour, and a mini family reunion with some close cousins left behind when my own grandparents left Austria-Hungary. In part 1 of this article, I will cover some of the highlights of the Southern Burgenland portion of the trip, and also give some anecdotes and travel tips so that other persons who may make such a journey in the future can benefit from my familys successes as well as our foibles. In part 2 of this article, I will describe our experiences on the bus tour of Austria and our side trip to Hungary. In part 3 of this article, I will write about my attempt to digitally photograph church records in Eisenstadt, the provincial capital of Burgenland; and also in Szentpeterfa, the little village from which my grandfather emigrated, and one of the few Southern Burgenland villages which remained part of Hungary after the 1921 plebiscite. Part 1 - A Burgenland Vacation for the Family For many years, I had dreamed of taking my mother back to the places where her own parents had lived so many years ago, before their emigration to America as part of the great Auswanderer Movement at the turn of this century. I had been fortunate to visit Burgenland several times in the past in connection with various business trips to Europe, but my family had only visited through my photographs and stories. Mrs. Tessie Teklits of Northampton, PA, who serves as the Pennsylvania representative for the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft (hereafter called the BG), has been organizing trips to Burgenland for over 25 years. Her trips typically combine a bit of organized touring with substantial free time; thereby allowing one to make a more personal exploration of Burgenland than with a conventional bus tour. This year, as she has done in the past, Tessie planned the trip to coincide with the BGs annual Burgenland Picnic held at the Vinothek in Moschendorf. It seemed to me to be an ideal opportunity for my long awaited family trip Nine members of my family, ranging in age from 18 to 81, made the trip with Tessie. In addition, about 10-12 other regulars from Tessies previous trips also traveled with us. The group left from JFK on a Thursday evening and landed in Vienna on Friday morning. We flew nonstop on Austrian airlines which, by the way, has a partners arrangement with Delta, including credit for sky miles. Austrian airlines service is, as one might expect, highly efficient and I highly recommend their service to Vienna. We flew aboard a brand new aircraft with all the latest gadgets and gizmos, including a personal video and audio center in every seat, and even outside cameras so that passengers can watch either the pilots view from the cockpit, or a view looking straight down from a camera mounted underneath the jet. I thought this was great, but, I must admit, it was a little harrowing to watch on take-offs and landings !! >From the Vienna airport, we boarded a bus which had been arranged by the BG, for the approximately 2 hour drive to Southern Burgenland. The first part of our tour allowed individuals to make our own hotel and meal accommodations, so the group, of approximately 20 or so persons, actually had numerous initial destinations within Burgenland. The bus ride was about $25 extra, but the driver was willing to deliver passengers directly to their hotels, or even to their individual family homes. From the large windows of the bus, a nice view was had of numerous small villages which might have otherwise been overlooked by many of us on the tour. For my familys initial hotel accommodations, I had chosen the venerable Gasthaus Gibiser in Heiligenkreuz, about 12 miles SW of Gussing and very close to the Hungarian border. I had stayed at Frau Gibisers inn before and have previously given her establishment excellent reviews in this newsletter. The inn is renowned both for its Austro-Hungarian cuisine and its picturesque accommodations, which even include a number of thatch roofed guest cottages at the rear of her compound. It has been praised by many travel publications (Fodors, Birnbaums, etc.) and has been, for over 25 years, a superb hotel and restaurant choice for the Southern Burgenland visitor. (Note: Please be aware that there is another restaurant called Gibisers in the next town (Poppendorf) to the West. Be sure to pick the right one; the one in Heiligenkreuz.) On this latest visit, I am happy to say that the food was as outstanding as ever. Even if one is not an overnight guest, a dinner at Frau Gibisers is really a must-do when in Southern Burgenland. The innovative and always fresh meals which come from her kitchen provide the perfect end to a hard day of touring. Frau Gibisers establishment is now so popular that I would definitely recommend reservations well in advance, especially on Summer weekends, when knowledgeable locals from as far away as Vienna come to get away from it all. Unfortunately, the rising popularity of the inn has apparently necessitated some small management changes which can best be described as a work in progress. While Frau Gibiser is still on premises most of the time, it appeared to several members of our group that she has come to rely more on her professional management staff to cover the details for international guest visits. While our stay was, overall, very pleasant, we did experience instances of lost reservations, room changes, and some general staff confusion both at our arrival and during some of our dinners. These incidents themselves were nothing major mind you, but they were certainly the type of issues where it is always nicer to deal directly with an owner rather than staff. One other surprising discovery I made during this visit, was the fact that the inn apparently has only one printed copy of their outstanding menu in English. Furthermore, this singular English copy is an abbreviated version of the full German language menu and is missing several of the best dishes. Watch out for this if you visit, and make sure to request a copy of the complete menu for this wonderful restaurant even if it means relying on the waiters translation. In summary, I would certainly continue to describe the inn as highly recommended for dinner and also for an overnight visit (especially those thatch roofed cottages in back), but, by way of constructive criticism, I guess I miss those old homey touches and attention to all the little details that the place always seemed to have when Frau Gibiser was running everything personally. To avoid any reservation problems in the future, rather than trying to book a room independently, I now plan on using the services of the very able Frau Dolmanits at the BGs office in Gussing. Frau Dolmanits was instrumental in flawlessly arranging two separate car rentals for my group from Wieners Opel Dealership in nearby Eltendorf. She was also very helpful in clearing up some of the confusion regarding the hotel accommodations at Gibisers. Regarding those car rentals, the owner of the Opel dealership, Herr Josef Wiener, did a terrific job of providing service for our group. He even delivered the cars directly to Frau Gibisers and picked them up there at the end of our rental period. At one point, I had accidentally left the lights on in my car and drained the battery; Herr Wiener came to Frau Gibisers and gave us a jump start free of charge. Our car rentals were a very good experience and this service should be considered by any guests who, like our group, choose not to begin a car journey from Vienna, but rather need a car only while in Southern Burgenland. A piece of advice for those not accustomed to European fuel prices: be prepared for sticker shock at the gas pump. By my calculations, unleaded gasoline was about $4.00 a gallon and diesel was about $3.50. Fortunately, distances are small, and European autos always seem to get better mileage than their US counterparts. My family and I spent the first two days simply driving around the rolling Burgenland countryside, taking in such sights as: the castle at Gussing, the little villages and vineyards along the so-called Prostrum Hill, the tiny yellow churches present in nearly every village, and the numerous storks nests perched atop chimneys throughout the area. The sight of the red-tile roofed farmhouses of Southern Burgenland, combined with the gentle curves and hills of farmers fields, is a sure antidote to the stresses of modern living. A trip through the many small villages around Gussing is like a step back in time, to a simpler, and more peaceful era. If any readers make the trip to Southern Burgenland, please allow yourself a day or two to just wander from village to village, perhaps stopping at one or two of the small, family-run wineries along the way to sample some of the local hospitality. Southern Burgenland is most definitely in the middle of farm country, and I definitely feel that the unhurried pleasures of such wandering, allows one to best experience the rhythm of that farm life. The twin highlights of our 3rd day in Burgenland, were a trip to Szentpeterfa, Hungary for Sunday morning Mass, followed by our attendance at the Burgenland Picnic in the afternoon. Szentpeterfa, which is also known by the German name Prostrum, and the Croatian name Petrovo Selo, is a small village situated directly on the border. It was completely isolated from its neighboring Austrian hamlets after the communist occupation of Hungary even though it is, literally, surrounded on 3 sides by the Austrian border. Its very presence on a little finger of land jutting out from the main body of Hungary has always struck me as a glaring anomaly of mapmaking. No less striking for me, is the trip across the Hungarian border itself, which continues to be a sobering experience for me even after many crossings. To cross, one must pass through two separate checkpoints, one in Austrian control, the other in Hungarian hands. Passports and auto papers must be shown at both stops. The Austrian border police have the practiced and efficient air of a true service organization; a service organization whose mission is clearly to help tourists make an easy transition from one country to the next. The Hungarian border guards, however, seem to be a last remnant of the late communist regime. Armed soldiers and many wary looks are always the order of the day. I always get the feeling that they suspect everyone of being up to no good and view it as their sacred duty to ferret out the evil intentions which all tourists must have toward Hungary. Long delays are possible for some cars, but we Americans seem to move through a bit more freely than some other countrys nationals. One major word of warning, every rental car is NOT necessarily allowed to cross the border. Special provisions must be made with the rental car company in advance, and a higher insurance fee typically applies. At another crossing during this same trip, my mom and I waited for an hour while Hungarian soldiers eyed our car, our passports, and our vehicle papers. The problem was simply that I had the wrong stamp on my rental car voucher. They sent us back to Austria even before we got through the Hungarian border checkpoint, and we had to go back to the car dealer for the right stamp. Of course, the Hungarian police also made us wait in line all over again once we got back to the Hungarian border, rather than letting us go right through. About 3 hours was lost to this simple mistake, so be prepared. Morning Mass in Szentpeterfa was incredible. The sound of the entire congregation singing the high Mass in flawless musical tone would have, by itself, made the trip worthwhile. By prior arrangement, before and during the service, I was able to play the churchs new pipe organ (bought recently, in part, with donations from as far away as America). The village priest graciously made an announcement before Mass regarding our groups presence as the descendants of one of the towns sons, and even announced the that fact that I would play several songs during the service. It was a very warm welcome. Afterwards, my family and I were able to walk through the cemetery grounds in search of our forebearers graves. Graves are usually re-used in Hungary (and in many parts of Burgenland) after about 25-30 years. A single family generally owns the plot, and can bury numerous family members in the same small space over the course of time, one on top of the other. In this way, the bones of sons, fathers, grandfathers, etc. are co-mingled through the centuries. After much searching, I was able to find the graves of my great-grandfather, and great- great- grandfather under the same white marble obelisk. My great-grandmothers grave was also found a few feet away, and I was surprised to see that on the bottom of her gravestone was a small inscription with my grandfathers name and the word American. My grandfather is most definitely buried in Northampton, PA, not in Hungary, so this was a small mystery. My great-grandmother had died in 1925 after her son (my grandfather) had already been in America for 13 years. The potential solution to this mystery ?? The local townspeople felt that he must have sent the money back to erect this monument, hence the inscription and the reference to America. The return trip to Austria for the Burgenland Picnic was uneventful, but long. Even though Moschendorf is only about 1 km. from Szentpeterfa as the crow flies, one must drive to a distant border crossing about 45 minutes away (in the wrong direction no less), then back track along the Austrian side. This is particularly frustrating as there IS a perfectly suitable border crossing right in Szentpeterfa itself; so the trip to Moschendorf should take about 10 seconds rather than 1 hours. This border crossing, however, is known as a farmers crossing. It is so named because, in the old days, it was intended solely for Austrian and Hungarian farmers going back and forth to market. Nowadays, the most common travelers are the young, increasingly affluent Hungarians who work in Austria but choose to commute across the border each morning and evening to and from their homes. On both sides of the border, the small farms, which were for centuries a key source of employment for much of the populace, are being squeezed out, with increasing rapidity, by large corporate farms from far-flung areas of the EU. Factory and shop jobs are now the norm for most of those persons under 30 in most villages. The Burgenland Picnic was a stellar affair. Held annually at the Vinothek in Moschendorf, this was truly one of the highlights of the entire 2 week visit. Several hundred persons attended the day long picnic, which was filled with food, wine, and song. The latter was provided by a twenty piece orchestra which cranked out dancing and drinking music while the corks popped, the kegs were tapped, and the smell of bratwurst filled the air. The picnic is organized by the main BG office in nearby Gussing, and is attended by local villagers from both sides of the border. This year, a special bus ferried persons from Hungary back and forth across the nearby farmers crossing. In attendance along with us and these locals, were other descendants of the Auswanderers of many years ago. The US contingent included representatives from Chicago, Allentown-Northampton, and New York. Other international visitors included persons from Canada, and even Australia and South America. As one dignitary put it, Burgenland welcomes us all back with open hearts and open arms. Local radio and TV reporters were present, and a live feed was used to broadcast some interviews and music from the event. The New York winner of the Miss Burgenland Contest and her family were also present, as were government dignitaries, and the BG staff. Everyone concerned did a great job, and many a laugh was shared during our all too brief day together. As evening fell, so did a few tears at the thought of having to wait at least another year for this wonderful get together. If you have the chance to go, dont miss this happy event. The Vinothek is supposedly a wine history museum, complete with thatch roof cottages and displays on making wine like it was done in the old days. I dont know how it ranks as a museum, but, as a venue for such a gathering, it is, most definitely, one of the most congenial picnic grounds I have ever visited. The large wooden tables, and the ample cover from the sun which is provided by mature trees and graceful awnings, combined with the thousands of bottles of good wine stored and sold at the Vinothek, add up to a great recipe for fun and frolic. For me, an extra special treat was my discovery of something called Uhudler. This is a totally organic wine, pinkish to amber-red in color, which is grown, pressed, and bottled using the old methods of past centuries, completely without modern chemicals or preservatives. It is literally a taste of the past. Numerous families produce their own version of the beverage, and each familial variety has a slightly different taste and character . I enjoyed the Uhudler so thoroughly, that I brought back 3 bottles for myself and about 3 or 4 more as gifts. The prices were very reasonable, and the bottles generous in size. Other nice wine finds, were several nice varieties of Blaufrnkisch. I have sung the praises of this spicy red wine before in this newsletter, and I must do so again. Similar to a good California zinfandel, Burgenland Blaufrnkisch is ideal with spicy foods and also VERY refreshing when combined with mineral water and a few cubes of ice in a spritzer. In the evening, but long before the official 9:00 oclock sunset, we returned to Frau Gibisers for coffee and a light dessert before bed. It was the perfect end to the perfect day, as Frau Gibiser never disappoints when it comes to dessert !! Try the Carmel-Vanilla Ice Cream with Fresh Fruit on your next visit. Or how about some delicious apple strudel with cream ?? Fattening ?? True...but hey...youre on vacation !! NEXT INSTALLMENT - Our bus tour of Austria & The Trip to Budapest. BURGENLAND BUNCH INTERNET LINKS - ADDITIONS, REVISIONS 8/30/99 (from Internet/URL Editor Anna Kresh) AUSTRIAN, AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN INTERNET LINKS o Via Imperialis Members http://www.viaimperialis.at/ - links to beautiful photos and data on Burgenland and Austrian castles, palaces and monasteries (Giles Gerken) NOTE: Eight archives and special collections units at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities will provide extremely limited services to users--including temporary closings--due to relocation between September and December 1999. You may experience difficulty accessing the following site during that time: CAS-UMN http://www.socsci.umn.edu/cas/ - Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota BURGENLAND INTERNET LINKS o Pamhagen Museum http://www.museumonline.at/1998/schools/burgenla/BL_PAM/seite01.html - Pamhagen on-line museum showing pictures of artifacts found in the cellar of the school (Jill Johnson) LANGUAGE AIDS - TRANSLATORS, DICTIONARIES, etc. o German Genealogical Dictionaries http://home.navisoft.com/scrolls/dictinry.htm - extensive dictionaries of old German professions, medical terms, and common causes of death (Maureen Tighe-Brown) o Slovak-English Dictionary http://members.tripod.com/~elszat/slovak/ - small (more than 1,300 words) downloadable dictionary (Maureen Tighe-Brown) End Of Newsletter BURGENLAND BUNCH STAFF Co-ordinator & Editor Newsletter (Gerald J. Berghold; Winchester, VA) Burgenland Editor (Albert Schuch; Vienna & Kleinpetersdorf, Austria) Home Page Editor (Hap Anderson,) Internet/URL Editor (Anna Tanczos Kresh; Butler, PA) Contributing Editors: Austro/Hungarian Research (Fritz Königshofer) Burgenland Lake Corner Research (Dale Knebel) Chicago Burgenland Enclave (Tom Glatz) Croatian Burgenland (Frank Teklits) Home Page (Bill Rudy) Judaic Burgenland (Maureen Tighe-Brown) Western Hungary-Bakony Region (Ernest Chrisbacher) Western US BB Members-Research (Bob Unger) BB ARCHIVES>(can be reached from Home Page hyperlinks) BURGENLAND HOME PAGE> http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org WORLDGEN WEB BURGENLAND QUERY BOARD http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/Austria/Burgenland All Rights Reserved. Permission to Copy Granted, but Give Credit. Burgenland Bunch Newsletter distributed courtesy of (c) 1999 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798