BB News No. 69 dtd 30 Nov 1999

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 69 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by G.J. Berghold) November 30, 1999 (all rights reserved) "Where are the tablets of your ancestors?" Note to recipients. If you don't want to receive Burgenland Bunch newsletters, email with message "remove". ("Cancel" will cancel membership, homepage listings and mail.) To join, see our homepage. We can not help with non-Burgenland family history. Comments and articles are appreciated. This first section of the 3 section newsletter has information concerning: - the Village of Nikitsch and the name Nikitscher, - Material from the 1884-85 Volksfreund, - Allentown, PA, Call Chronicle Archives, - More on the Allentown Ethnic Newspaper "Friedensbote", - Another Hungarian Village Name Source, and - First Trip to Burgenland, by Alex Tschaar. NIKITSCHER NAME, VILLAGE OF NIKITSCH AND BURGENLAND ORIGIN Often family names indicate place of origin. It doesn't take much imagination to connect Frankfurter with Frankfurt, Bremer to Bremen, Sorger to Sorg, etc. Likewise, some families gave their names to places which others assumed as their name. There can be a lot of migration following the assumption of a family name, and finding links to the place of origin indicated by the name may be difficult if not impossible. I recently had a question which illustrates this. Question: My name is Fred Nikithser and I am interested in tracing ancestral information for my family name, which also may be spelled Nikitscher. My folks came from the area of Southern Burgenland. These are the names of villages I can remember when hearing my parents talk with other immigrants: Punitz, Güssing, Tobaj, Tschantschendorf and Moschendorf. My dad came to the US as a teenager prior to 1920. I don't know when my mom arrived. My mom's maiden name was Marakovits, I have a map of Austria and it shows a city or village along the Hungarian border in middle Burgenland named Nikitsch. It's a long shot but perhaps there is a connection to my dad's and grandfather's origin. Dad settled in Northampton, PA. Answer: Hello Fred, thanks for the contact. Sometimes I get an interesting query that I haven't researched before. So it is with the village of Nikitsch in the Bezirk (district) of Oberpullendorf. First, let's explain your name. Nikithser is a phonetic spelling of Nikitscher, which is how it is spelled in Austria and the Lehigh Valley of PA (which includes your Northampton - many Burgenland immigrants). It probably means "someone from Nikitsch" and there are a fair number of families by that name in southern Burgenland, although none are found in Nikitsch today. There are seven Nikitscher families in Güssing, which is the Bezirk for the villages which you mention and which area sent many immigrants to the Northampton area. There is also one family in Tobaj. I knew of one family in Allentown, PA. One of their sons was known to me, and my grandmother (Sorger) said his family were from my grandfather's village of Rosenberg, today part of Güssing. From all of this, I'd deduce your Nikitscher ancestor came from Güssing or close by, so I'd check the Güssing church records first. Available from any LDS (Mormon) family history center. Güssing; (Hungarian name - Németjuvár); 0 33 22; 7540-Bezirk. Stadt (city). S, at the junction of routes 56 & 57. North of Szt. Gotthard, Hungary. Pop. 4300, houses 1995. All facilities. District & municipal offices. Castle Güssing (12th Century) museum. Lately named the City of the Emigrants. Raised to city (Stadt) status 1974. German colonists as early as AD 1150. Croatian colonists AD 1500's. In 1635, the inner city had 42 houses. Among the family names were 26 Hungarian, 7 German and 6 Croatian. The outer city (Langzahl and Rosenberg) had 88 houses. Family names included 48 Hungarian, 17 German and 5 Croatian. The outer city now includes the communities of Krottendorf, St. Nikolaus (Miklos), Glasing, Steingraben, Urbersdorf, Rosenberg, and Langzahl. Center of emigration to the US. Had as many as 8 shipping company travel agents to serve emigrants. First emigrant was Alois Sorger (my grandfather) to Allentown in 1901. LDS church records 1828-1896, 0700699-701; 0700420-8; surrounding area 0700429-430. Jewish, 0700702. District of Güssing includes Bocksdorf, Burgauberg-Neudauberg, Eberau, Gerersdorf-Sulz, Grossmürbisch, Güssing, Güttenbach, Hackerberg, Heiligenbrunn, Heugraben, Inzenhof, Kleinmürbisch, Kukmirn, Neuberg, Neustift, Olbendorf, Ollersdorf, Rohr, St. Michael, Stegersbach, Stinatz, Strem, Tobaj, Tschanigraben, Wörtherberg. NIKITSCH Now, what about the village of Nikitsch? It is in a region settled since the stone age. It lies along the Nikitschbach (stream) between the Kreutzerwald and the Nikitscherwald (wald means forest). It's name in 1153 was "Philes", Ukac in 1204, Ikech in 1311, Yketsch in 1437 and Ikitsch in 1522. You can see how the name developed. The Hungarian name is "Füles or Filez" and the Croatian name is Opcina Filez. The Croatians came here about 1524 as refugees from the Turkish invasions. Marakovits is a Croatian name, where "its" meaning descendant of. You might want to read the history of Croat settlement in Burgenland, which is in our archives. Burgenland is 83% German, 14% Croat and 3% Hungarian. Today, Nikitsch includes the administration of the nearby villages of Kroatisch Geresdorf and Kroatisch Minihof. In the 13th century, it belonged to the Counts of Güssing, later the master of Lockenhaus (castle), then the Kanizsy family. It was destroyed in 1536 by the Turks and, I'd guess, that is the period in which your ancestors may have fled south to the Güssing area for protection (Turks came through the area from Sopron, Hungary on their way to the first siege of Vienna). Rebuilt more than once due to depopulation through war and plague. There is a "Schloss (palace) Nikitsch," which stems from Kastell Galsohaza in the possession of the Zichy-Mesko family since 1903. Nothing to do with Nikitsch family. You have an interesting name but your ancestors will be found in Güssing, I'm sure. In the book "Stadterhebung Güssing-1973," I find that one Hans Nikitscher lived in Rosenberg in 1750. You can find out more about Rosenberg and Güssing by reviewing our newsletter archives. MORE MATERIAL FROM EARLY "VOLKSFREUND ISSUES" - 1884-85 (from Fritz Königshofer) Ed. Note: The "Volksfreund" (translates "Peoples Friend") was a German language newspaper widely circulated in the Burgenland region and thus available to our ancestors. Fritz continues to bring us interesting items culled from archives found in the Budapest Library. This article includes a listing of the land owning aristocracy, data concerning religion and Magyarization of village names. Fritz recently writes: "There was a lot of interesting material in the early Volksfreund issues which I was able to browse through during my recent visit to Budapest in October. The first issue of Der Volksfreund came out on November 17, 1883. The weekly declared itself as the new organ of the "Independence Party" (later also called the 1848 Party) and stated that it was the first newspaper which had ever been published in the German language in Steinamanger [Szombathely]. The first issue contained, what I deem a prophetic, lead article by the deputy Dionys Pazmandy in which, among other things, he wrote that "the occupation [by Austria] of Bosnia has punctured the dams which until now had held back the Slavic flood." As we all know, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy indeed did not last that much longer, and the actual events that triggered its undoing were destined to happen in Bosnia-Hercegovina. However, let me summarize some of the more mundane news I found in the early issues. 1. The issue of March 14, 1885, page 4, had a summary of the creeds present in the territory of the Roman Catholic diocese of Szombathely. Please be aware that the diocese Szombathely included county Vas and large parts of county Zala, both in pre-WW-I borders, which means including southern Burgenland, the corner of Vas, which now is part of Slovenia, and the part of Zala south of the river Mur, which now is part of Croatia. In this area of the pre-WW-I Roman Catholic diocese of Szombathely, the article stated that there were 181 parish and 177 filial churches, 48 Lutheran prayer houses (= churches/parishes), 14 Calvinist churches, and 16 synagogues. In terms of souls, there were 369,854 Catholics, 73,757 Lutherans, 13,684 Calvinists, 11,697 Jews, and 3 Unitarians. By the way, the Unitarians were a specifically Hungarian manifestation of a reformed church, with its origin and center, I believe, in Kolosvár (Klausenburg, Cluj) in Transylvania. In one of my recent walks in Pest, I suddenly and unexpectedly found myself passing the very large brick structure of the Unitarian church. It turns out that, in the time since WW-I and the incorporation of Transylvania into Romania, the seat of the Unitarian bishop and head of the church was moved to Pest, and the church I saw was the present mother church of all Unitarians. 2. The VF issue of June 6, 1885 listed the high aristocracy ( the "magnates") of Vas county that paid sufficient annual real estate taxes to qualify them for seats in the Upper House of the Hungarian Parliament. The list (and annual real estate taxes paid) went as follows: Count Tassilo Festetics, 55,100 Florins (fl) Count Franz Erdödy, 37,700 fl. Prince Edmund Batthyány-Strattmann, 25,300 fl. Count Géza Batthyány, 20,400 fl. Count Koloman Széchenyi, 15,200 fl. Count Géza Szapáry, 14,900 fl. Count Dionysius Festetich, 13,700 fl. Count Dionysius Erdödy, 13,700 fl. Count Georg Erdödy, 13,100 fl. Count Stefan Erdödy, 10,700 fl. Baron Johann Mikos, 10,300 fl. Count Paul Draskovich, 9,000 fl. Count Andreas Festetich, 5,900 fl. Count Sigmund Batthyány, 5,800 fl. Count Karl Batthyány, 5,000 fl. Baron Ludwig Ambrüzy, 3,800 fl. There was also a country-wide comparison in the same issue, which listed Prince Nikolaus Eszterházy in first place with an annual real estate tax payment of 334,629 Florins. The family Zichy (all branches combined) paid 300,000 fl., while the family Krolyi (all branches combined) was listed with 263,000 fl. Obviously, the same kind of combination was not applied in the article with the listing for Vas as given above. In order to provide proper perspective, one should add that there were other owners of large tracts of land in county Vas, besides the Hungarian magnates listed in terms of their qualification for the Upper House of Parliament. Firstly, there were possessions by high aristocracy from outside Hungary, such as the Kottulinsky possessions in and around Stegersbach, and the possessions along the Raab valley by either the Bavarian or Württembergian royal houses (I don't know which one of the two it was). Secondly, there were land holdings by the church, and thirdly, there were some lower nobility and commoners who were large landowners. From my limited knowledge, the Techet family from the area south of Grosspetersdorf, the Rad de Szentmartón family from the area around today's Murska Sobota, and the Zells from around Ják, come to mind, although these land holding were, I believe, only fractions compared to the ones of the high aristocracy. 3. The VF issue of November 28, 1885, page 4, reported about a new organization/decree about the way the Jewish communities had to run their matrikel recordings. The article is interesting as it provides a complete list of all Jewish matrikel districts (meaning: recording locations) in Vas county. Accordingly, these places were Steinamanger (Szombathely), Güns (Koszeg), Rechnitz, Sárvár, Kleinzell (Kis-Cell), Jánosháza, Vasvár, Körmend, Muraszombat (Murska Sobota), Szent Gotthárd, Güssing, and Schlaining. 4. Finally, the VF issue of December 5, 1885 reported on the approval by the (Hungarian) Ministry of the Interior of new Hungarian names for some villages which had previously escaped such names. In this particular round of Magyarization, the following villages received Hungarian names: In the Oberwart district, Sulzriegel became Sóskut; Hochard became Dombhát; Wiesfleck became Villámos; Schmiedreith became Határfö; and Weinberg became Borhegy. In the Güns district, Kogl became Kupfalva; Salmersdorf became Salamonfa; Steinbach became Köpatak; Lebenbrunn became Letér; and Puszta Rothleiten became Irts. There was also a plan to change the name of the village of Schönherrn to Szépur, but the inhabitants of that village had been unhappy with the proposed name and petitioned the government to find a different name. In this wave of Magyarization of names, the government had at least officially maintained the inclination to find, whenever this was possible, old Hungarian names for the same village or location. In this particular case, it appears that the petition failed, as the name of Schönherrn got indeed changed to Szépur in February 1886. By the way, there was at least one more such wave of changes in 1907, when the few still remaining German or Croat village names were Magyarized, among others the names of Kalch to Mészvölgy, Grics to Gercse, and Stinácz to Pásztorháza." ALLENTOWN, PA "CALL-CHRONICLE" ARCHIVES Those of us who have been engaged in genealogy for some time are well aware of the value of local newspapers. The problem has been that searching these archives is a long and tedious process. Now more and more newspapers are putting their archives online and they can be searched via software. One such newspaper is the Allentown, PA Call-Chronicle (Morning Call and Evening Chronicle). Their archives from 1984 forward are available at: http://www.mcall.com; click on Archives for searchable database of birth, marriage, death, and general articles since 1984. I recently spent a few interesting hours using their search engine. I searched for every Allentown area family name in my genealogy. I then searched for other words like "immigrants", "Burgenland", etc. I printed what I found and now I have a pile of paper to review. Even though my files are very complete, I have already been able to correct some data and fill in some blank dates. One word of caution - obituaries, often as not, rely on survivors for some family data. These survivors are not always knowledgeable or correct. As an example, I found the village of Poppendorf referred to as Boppendorf and other phonetic spellings. I also notice that the newspaper is considering charging a fee for downloading material. You may wish to scan the particulars. It would be wonderful if the pre-1984 archives were also on line; however, the post-1984 archives catch the obituaries of many of the turn of the century immigrants and their descendants. If you have family from the Lehigh Valley, it would be worth your time to investigate this source. EARLY ETHIC NEWSPAPER - ALLENTOWN, PA "FRIEDENSBOTE" (Anna Kresh, Albert Schuch) Albert writes: I was inquiring about the Allentown weekly "Friedensbote" some time ago. I just found some new information in several newspaper articles published over here in 1931: Accordingly, the "Friedensbote" was originally founded in 1812 (no typo!) as a newspaper of the Pennsylvania-Dutch. In the 1920ies it was published by Julius BODISCH and widely read among Burgenland emigrants, many of whom, as we all know, settled in the area. I read that in 1931 there were about 7 Burgenländer-societies in Allentown with about 2500 members all together (with 900 members, the "St. Franziskus Unterstützungsverein" was largest). These societies also published their news in the "Friedensbote". In 1931, when the paper had a circulation of 3000, it merged with or was taken over by the "Heimatbote", a German newspaper published in Chicago. The name BODISCH can be found in Burgenland, but I don't know if Julius was a Burgenländer. However, I have now read that his wife Else's mother was from Burgenland. Else died on May 10, 1931, aged 37. She was born in Berlin, Germany, came to Pinkafeld, Burgenland, at the age of six, where she attended the cloister school. A few years later she followed her mother to Philadelphia; from there she moved to Allentown, where in 1914 she was married to Julius. They had 8 children, of whom 7 were still alive in 1931. As already mentioned in an earlier email on this subject, Julius died a few months later (in October or November). According to his obit, he had published the "Friedensbote" for 9 years. ANOTHER HUNGARIAN VILLAGE NAME SOURCE (from Klaus Gerger & Joe Jarfas) (Ed. Note: Albert's List, available from the the BB Homepage, provides all of the Hungarian names for current Austrian Villages. LDS Index Files will also provide names of villages by county in Hungary for which they have records. None of these sources will provide all of the Hungarian village names. Now another source has been found.) Klaus Gerger writes: A Hungarian colleague found a book with ALL hungarian names of cities and villages from Hungary and all former Hungarian areas (including Burgenland). German name, current name, and ancient names of the villages, number of inhabitants, date of founding, included villages (Ortsteile) and all used spellings are mentioned. There are some data of castles, various indices and there are also maps of the "Komitate" included. The title is: MAGYAR HELYSÉGNÉV-AZONOSÍTÓ SZÓTÁR, by Lelkes György TALMA Könyvkiadó Baja, 1998 1000 pages and it costs abt. 250.- ATS Whenever you or a BB member have questions about a village name, I will try to answer it from this book. Joe Jarfas writes: Subj: Place name listing. Hi Gerry, I got in touch with the guy who sells the book: Lelkes György - AGYAR HELYSÉGNÉV-AZONOSÍTÓ SZÓTÁR. He replied he will take a personal check or international money order. The price with shipping is $39.00 His address: H-6500 Baja, Parti u. 12. Hungary (Just make sure you include your address where you want the book sent.) HUNGARIAN RESEARCH GUIDE (via Lee Simitz Buzby) There is an excellent research paperback book (8" X 11") called "HANDY GUIDE TO HUNGARIAN GENEALOGICAL RECORDS" by Jared H. Suess, published by Everton Publishers, Inc., PO Box 368, Logan, UT, 84321-0368, Tel: 800-443-6325, URL: http://www.everton.com. Cost is $6.50 ("no" S&H) and also helps with translating Hungarian & Latin (official language of the Roman Catholic Church) you will encounter in researching Hungarian genealogy records. It has a tiny history of Hungary, several pages on the language of Hungary with the alphabet and grammar rules, & examples from parish registers. From the catalog, personal names and translations for male & female, AND many pages of Hungarian words translated into English, a couple of pages of (VERY VALUABLE) Latin words translated into English and a couple pages of German words translated! It also has the German, Russian, Serbian and Croatian alphabets! Both have been VERY valuable to me. My copy is 10+ years old, but I know that they still sell them. One may also order it from Genealogy Unlimited, PO Box 537, Orem UT. 84059-0537, Tel: 800-666-4363. The price is the same, except there is a $4.50 S&H charge. FIRST TRIP TO THE BURGENLAND (from Alex Tschaar) (Ed. Note - That first trip to Burgenland can be daunting. Alex had many questions about where to stay and what to expect. His German is very limited and we could tell he was quite concerned and apprehensive. He was fortunate in having a connection to distant relatives. It appears they gave him a royal welcome. Of special interest to me is his flight, Vienna to Graz which I've never done.) Alex writes: We departed Atlanta, GA, on an Austrian Air, Airbus 340 for a very pleasant flight to Austria. We arrived after 11 hours of flight time, in Wein, transferred to Tyrollean Air for a 45-minute flight to Graz. A cousin, name of Armin was waiting at the airport, to transport us to our hotel. We stayed at the Hotel SIMON in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, a very lovely place, with all the goodies. we were left to freshen up and to rest. After a four-hour rest, another of my relatives picked us up for a small gathering at my cousin Willibald's home, in Oberwart, a short distance from where we were staying. I had never met any of these relatives before, and when I met my cousin Willibald, I was dumbfounded, he looked so much like my father, it was unbelievable. After all the hugging and kissing was over, Willibald had drinks made for everyone, made from orange juice, etc. etc. etc., I have no idea what all was in that drink, it could have floored an elephant. However, my wife enjoyed it and had another, as did everyone but me. Being on medication I have to be careful. We were notified that an itinerary had been made up for us and that everyday one or more family members would be with us to tour and to take us where the family was from [Olbendorf and Gussing area]. The Csar family treated us with so much love, that we lost all the apprehension we had when we arrived in Austria. We were made to feel at home and part of the family. It was such a good feeling to be accepted this way. The next morning we went down to breakfast. It took me by surprise, as I was not used to eating this way. However, breakfast consisted of 8-10 different breads and rolls, with about the same amount of different cold cuts, cereals w/milk, orange juice, marmalades and jams, several different cheeses and fruits and of course the most important item, Great Coffee. I feasted on Kaiser rolls and coffee and real butter. Of course, I did sample several of the cold cuts, and yes, they were very good. After breakfast, Willibald, Jr. came to the hotel and picked us up for the first part of our introduction to Austria and its people. After a lifetime of waiting to see what my father told me about the "Old Country" where he came from, I was about to see it with my own eyes. Excitement built within me like a child on its first trip to Disney World. We drove a short distance, about 30 min. to the first stop. We were at a RC Church which was 600 years old, the church was unbelievable, it was in such great shape and still serving Mass. After many pictures and video shots we moved on. I will not be able to quote most of the villages names we visited. We then went to a village with a castle and a Jade/Serpentine Mine (Ed. - Bernstein). The mine had been in use for about 200+ years, we toured the mine and my wife, Doris, bought a large Jade ring. The Austrian Jade (Ed.- edelserpentine) is much darker green than the Oriental type. We also visited the Castle not to far from the Jade Mine. On the same day, after leaving the castle for lunch, I think we wound up in Pinkafield. We had an exquisite lunch. Started with pumpkin soup, roast pork, etc., etc. After lunch, Willi took us to his school. Willi is a Director of the School in Pinkafield. We toured his school and enjoyed seeing many of the projects the students were working on. On another day we were met by another cousin, name Berthold, he is a teacher of the Culinary Arts, his students come from all parts of the world. I got some great recipes from Berthold, such as Pumpkin Soup, Garlic Soup and a few others. Berthold's brother Willi Jr and his wife Christine gave us an Austrian Cook Book, some of the recipes in this book date back to before 1500. Berthold took us to Güssing and the Castle Güssing. That is a sight to behold! As I understood, the castle is built in the funnel of an extinct volcano. That was a very exciting trip. From there we went to the vineyards and the wine cellars. We tasted several wines, ate the pork cooked on the farm, and listened to stories of the area told by the farmers and several other people. A very enjoyable time. The following day we went to Olbendorf with Willibald Sr. and his beautiful wife Hedy. We were met there by two other cars, one with other relatives from Stegersbach and the other car with close friends that just wanted to meet the Amerikaner relatives. We were taken to the farm where my father was born and raised; the feeling that came over me was very eerie. We then went to the graveyard in Olbendorf. That was rough on me, for I have arthritis very bad. The graveyard is on the face of the hill on which the church sits on top. We did search for the Clan Csar; we found many as far back as the early 1700s. We only had time and energy to check 40-50% of the graves. Hubert, a distant relative checked to see if the Priest was available for some answers to questions, needless to say, he wasn't. The next day we were picked up by a handsome young man by the name of Patrick Csar, the youngest male of the Csar family. Patrick, Willi Sr., Hedy and Doris and I then left for Stegersbach. We visited distant relatives there, of which Ooma is 96 years young, her mind was sharp as a tack. We visited so many other castles, churches, and other sights too numerous to mention, including the Hungarian border. However, meeting the one relative we hadn't met yet was done in a most unusual way. My wife and I had some time to kill one afternoon, so we went to the Billa [a supermarket] to buy a few items. When we went to check out at the registers one of the cashiers waved to us to come to her register, she then started talking to us in German, I said "I do not understand" in German. She got a startled look on her face and stated that she knew who we were, she was Deanna, Berthold's wife. I guess there are not that many Americans in the area. The next day we met the last of the Csar's that we had not met, her name was Alexandra, a beautiful young lady of [as she states] almost 14. We had met them all. I cannot express the feelings my wife and I have for our new-found family and the people of Austria. They are so friendly, so helpful, so wonderful, just so Austrian. My wife calls Austria "The Fairytale Land." What else can you say? As Arnold Schwartzanegger would say, "I'll be back", and so will we. (newsletter continues as no. 69A)

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 69A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by G.J. Berghold) November 30, 1999 This second section of the 3-section newsletter concerns: - the Visit of Dr. Walter Dujmovits to Allentown, - the Fate of Ethnic Clubs, - extracts from the archives of the Allentown Call-Chronicle, - a Genealogy Traceable to 660 BC, and - extracts from a recent Rootsweb Newsletter. DR. WALTER DUJMOVITS VISITS PA & NY (by Bob Strauch via Frieda Eberhardt and Frank Teklits) (Ed. Note: Dr. Dujmovits is president of the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft in Güssing and author of many publications concerning Burgenland emigration. He is a retired southern Burgenland educator and educational administrator and was instrumental in founding the Auswanderer [Emigrant] Museum in Güssing. He lives in Stegersbach.) Walter Dujmovits Visits PA and NY November 7-22 (Nov. 11-18 in Lehigh Valley) Purpose: to see relatives, friends, and Burgenland Group (BG) contacts. Coplay Saengerbund - Fri. 11/12 7:30 PM 30 people attended, basically the same as for Father Leopold's visit - "Father Leopold Fan Club". The BB was represented by Dennis and Frieda Eberhardt and the BG was represented by Bob Strauch. Our wonderful bakers again graciously provided pastries, including Nuss'Strudl, Vanillakipferln, Windbeutln (creme puffs, "wind bags"), Hungarian moon cakes. No powdered sugar emergencies! Bob read a letter from Dr. Dujmovits which arrived that day, thanking all for helping with Father Leopold's visit, and then introduced him to the group. Dr. Dujmovits spoke of how immigration affected his own family as most of his family is here in the U.S. The Burgenlandische Gemeinschaft is designating the year 2000 as "Pennsylvania-Jahr" with events showcasing Burgenlanders in PA. Dr. Dujmovits praised Bob for his work and dedication to the Burgenlanders' culture in the USA. He stated Bob understands the connection between Herkunft (background) and Zukunft (future). He honored Bob with a personalized copy of the new BG calendar "Roots of Home 2000" and a collection of folk music CD's. Bob and the "Hianznchor" then sang for Dr. Dujmovits, singing very old songs, mostly in dialect. Also a Croatian medley as Dr. Dujmovits has Croatian roots on his father's side. Walter is an avid singer and joined in and was in seventh heaven, and was very impressed. When he learned that their song book has several hundred songs and saw titles of songs that have been completely forgotten in Burgenland, he said it's a monument and would like a copy for the Emigration Museum in Gussing. On the next day, Bob presented him with 25 songs for the museum with the following inscription: "25 songs from the collection of the singing group "Hianznchor" from the Lehigh Valley in PA, which was founded in 1992. With pride we send them back to the land of their origin where they should be given a place in the Emigration Museum in Gussing as a symbol of our love for Burgenland, the homeland our ancestors." The Coplay Saengerbund club president Hank Nafus came and made a point of meeting and welcoming Dr. Dujmovits and making sure everything was satisfactory. Edelweiss Haus, Northampton, PA - 9:30 P.M. - Weekly button accordion Stammtisch. Led by Joe Weber and Emil Schanta including 10 musicians, button accordions, piano accordions and a baritone horn. Joe kept switching accordions "so they wouldn't overheat". There was an incredibly jovial mood, epitome of Gemuetlichkeit with non-stop singing. During their break, Bob and the Hianznchor sang songs in Austrian dialects and Croatian. People seemed to be looking forward to their singing and remarked that they hadn't heard some of the songs for decades. Joe Weber & Band will spend 5 days in Austria in February 2000, playing at a big folk music concert in Vienna and also in Burgenland (arranged by BG) as part of "Pennsylvania-Jahr". Edelweiss Haus owner Resi Unger said she loves having visitors from Burgenland with these special celebrations and hearing the old songs again. She prepared tons of apple, cabbage, and cottage cheese strudel. Walter remarked, "one has to come here to learn how to be a Burgenlander; we back home no longer know what that means". But he notices a turnaround in the younger people having more respect and interest in the older folk music, songs, and traditions. He hopes for the same here with the young U.S. Burgenlanders. St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church - Allentown (formerly Ridge Avenue, now 10th Street) Sunday 11/14 Dr. Dujmovits was taken to the weekly German service by Gunther and Hedi Decker of Emmaus (longtime BG reps in Lehigh Valley), who hosted Walter over the weekend in their home. Burgenlanders form the majority of this parish. From the pulpit, Pastor John Kuschel introduced Dr. Dujmovits to the congregation, welcomed him, and spoke of the church's ties to Burgenland. In 1995, Dr. Dujmovits and the Burgenland government delegation had visited the old church on Ridge Avenue and met Pastor Kuschel. After the service, Dr. Dujmovits and Pastor Kuschel had a lengthy chat. FATE OF ETHNIC CLUBS (G. Berghold) One of my earliest memories is accompanying my family on a Sunday afternoon walk to the Liederkranz Austro/Hungarian Social Club on Second Street in Allentown, PA. We went there to pay our weekly sick & death benefit dues, have some refreshment, exchange ethnic newspapers and meet with relatives, neighbors and friends. I could always look forward to a pretzel and a glass of birch beer. The men would always be dressed in their best Sunday three piece suits with watch chains over their stomachs; a "Krankengasse" button in their lapels, the air would be redolent with smoke from cigars and pipes and the pleasant smells of beer and "schnapps" would prevail. The wives, also in their Sunday best would make a fuss over the children and take them to the club kitchen if there was anything being prepared. Often there was live music and someone would great my grandfather with "wie bisht Herr Sorger (or Louie)" or my uncle or mother with "ach, ist das gross boui der Gerald?" My grandmother's cousin Charles Poeltl was secretary and he would always give us a special greeting, receive our dues and stamp our books. The Liederkranz was a family club, only one of many such clubs founded by immigrants. They created a piece of the "Heimat" and met there to socialize, form musical groups, sick & death benefit societies, get the latest news, etc. For many years they prospered, then as the older generations passed on, interest faded and they fell on hard times, many closing their doors. Some, particularly in the smaller Lehigh Valley communities changed with the times, providing programs of interest to the newer generations and some, such as the Hungarian Veterans' Club in Allentown and the various Sängerbunds and Männerchors in the steel and cement regions of Pennsylvania and the metropolitan ethnic centers are still going strong. It is in these clubs that one can still find ethnic customs and information, not to mention ethnic food. They were given an injection of new blood with the Burgenland immigration of the 1950's, but that was almost 50 years ago, and I wonder if the lack of new immigrants will keep them going. On one of my trips to Burgenland, we were leaving the Martin Luther Kirche in Eltendorf after a Sunday service when the pastor suggested we go to the Gasthaus Kirchenwirt across the street and wait for her. When we entered the Gasthaus, it seemed the whole village was there and "dj vu", how it took me back to my childhood. Same sights, same sounds, same smells, the Eltendorf "Liederkranz". I've had the same feeling in other Gasthausen, especially on holidays or after special events. The village gasthaus is still the village social club and this is what the immigrants were trying to duplicate. In some American cities, there were (are) taverns which are almost the same but there aren't many left. While searching the archives of the Allentown Call-Chronicle newspaper recently, I was saddened to discover an article concerning the demise of what was once a fine Burgenland Club. (Ed. Note - The articles from which the following were extracted are The Morning Call Newspaper Company. These are only partial extracts. Deleted portions are shown as. The complete unnedited articles may be read from the Call-Chronicle Webpage at http://www.mcall.com) 76-YEAR-OLD GERMAN SOCIAL CLUB IS FACING SHERIFF'S SALE by BOB WITTMAN, The Morning Call Date: SUNDAY, February 14, 1988 Property in Allentown's 1st Ward owned by a 76-year-old German social club that has fallen on hard times is scheduled to be auctioned off Feb. 26 at a sheriff's sale in the Lehigh County Courthouse. The Allgemeiner Club at 320-326 N. 2nd St. closed more than a year ago after Neffs National Bank foreclosed on the property because it had defaulted on two mortgages. The club has operated continuously at the site - first, in a double frame dwelling that had been converted to a clubhouse around 1926. Later, as membership expanded, the old social hall was razed, and the building that continues to occupy the spot was erected in its place. It was finished in time for the club's 25th anniversary in 1937. When it opened, the Allgemeiner's facilities included an auditorium with a stage, smaller rooms for meetings and receptions, a lounge, a suite of offices, a rathskeller, a grill that the local newspapers described as "among the finest in the city" and "four streamlined bowling alleys of the latest design." However, as membership sagged in subsequent years and the cost of maintaining the building grew, loans against the property became more than the organization could handle. Unlike the older Allentown Turner Liederkranz in the next block, which had begun as a gymnastics organization, and the Lehigh Sängerbund at 227 N. 5th St., which had started out as a choral society, the Allgemeiner Arbeiter Verein was primarily a drinking club. Its name translates, literally, as "General Workingman's Society." For many years, the high point of its season each year was the mid-winter männer ball, or men's ball. There were also frauen balls (women's balls) during the warm months, annual Mother's Day programs and folk festivals called bauern balls (farmer's balls). One of the most distinguished guests to visit the club was Dr. Franz Harmony, an Austrian delegate to the United Nations. During his visit in 1959, he showed slides of Burgenland, the Austrian province from which the families of many of the Allgemeiner's members had hailed. But interest in German drinking clubs like the Allgemeiner are on the wane. The Sängerbund, the oldest of the city's ethnic clubs, is barely holding its own. The Liederkranz has been beset by internal squabbles and financial troubles, and it may also face a sheriff's sale later this spring unless cash can be found in time. "These clubs are a thing of the past," says Joseph S. Heidenwolf Sr., the Allgemeiner's financial secretary. "The younger generation is not interested in club activities." Says Heidenwolf, "Membership disinterest - that's basically it." End of extract. Soon thereafter I found the following, which considerably improved my spirits. Previous issues have mentioned this club, whose activities have been reported by Robert Strauch: This extracted article is also The Morning Call Newspaper Company. CLUB FOR OLD SOLDIERS BECAME A HUB FOR NEW AMERICANS AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN VETERANS SOCIETY A FIXTURE SINCE 1907 by FRANK WHELAN, The Morning Call Date: SUNDAY, June 25, 1989 "We swear a solemn oath to God Almighty, of loyalty and obedience to His Majesty, our exalted Prince and Master, Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary . . . at all times, in all places and on all occasions to fight manfully and bravely, and in this way to live and die in honor. So help us God! Amen!" - Part of the oath taken by soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Army 1867-1916. Joseph Medl was only a child the day the hard-riding cavalry of the Austro-Hungarian army, known as uhlans, came pounding into his little village of Heiligenkreuz (Holy Cross) in the Burgenland region of Austria. But this long-time resident of Allentown, past president of the Austrian-Hungarian Veterans Society, remembers them vividly. Gazing in wide-eyed wonder out the window of his home, a two room cottage, Medl watched as the bugler blew a crisp reveille to summon these formidable, mustachioed cavalrymen to another day. On Sunday he saw them - Slovaks, Croatians, Hungarians, Austrians and many other groups that made up the multinational empire of the Hapsburgs - praying with fervor in a babble of tongues as they knelt on the floor of the village Catholic Church. World War I was at its height on the Eastern front when Medl was growing up. Known officially as the Imperial and Royal (KuK), since under the country's dual monarchy system Francis Joseph was emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, the army was one of the few institutions holding the ramshackle empire together against the forces of Czarist Russia. Although Americans of 1917-18 saw these uhlans as enemies, allies of Kaiser Wilhelm II and his dreaded Huns, for little Joseph Medl, the Austro-Hungarian soldiers were heroes. Even when the fatherless boy and his mother came to America and Allentown in 1922, he did not forget. It was not always easy for a newcomer. Fellow students at the Sheridan School taunted Medl's foreign ways with chants of "greenhorn, popcorn, five cents a bag." In an era when most schoolboys wore knickers, he stood out in his long pants. But Medl had the stuff that uhlans were made of. He could take it. It is was with understandable pride, then, that on Aug. 31, 1935 he was allowed to join Allentown's Austrian-Hungarian Veterans Society. "You had to have two active veterans bring you in if you were not a veteran. Julius Sommer and John Pammer, both army veterans, brought me in." Fifty-four years later, Medl is the third oldest surviving member of the society. A lot has changed in Allentown since 1935. The large communities of Germans, Austrians, Irish, Italians and other European groups are no longer at the heart of the city's old neighborhoods. Their sons and daughters live out in the suburbs. And the early-20th-century flood-tide of immigrants that filled the old row houses stopped long ago. Their social clubs, places where a man could drink, play cards, dance, sing the old songs and get news of "home" have mostly fallen silent. But travel down to the 800 block of N. 4th Street in Allentown and you'll notice a simple, three story building with the words "Austrian Hungarian Veterans Society" over the door. In front is a flagpole where, depending on the week, the Austrian or Hungarian flag will be flying under that of the United States. The history of the society began in 1905 when a 30-year-old Austro-Hungarian army veteran named Joseph Schulter came to Allentown. Once here, he quickly found work as a contractor foreman for the Phoenix Utility Company. His job took Schulter as far away as Schenectady, New York. But he thought of Allentown and its strong German-Austrian community as his home. In 1907, Schulter decided that veterans of the Austro-Hungarian Army like himself really had no place they could call their own. So when he and some like-minded old soldiers got together to meet at the Harigari Hall, they decided to create the Austrian-Hungarian Veterans Society. By the time Joseph Medl joined the club in 1935, the 160-member-strong club was well established. A year later, the Austrian Hungarian Veterans Society opened a new clubhouse at 852 N. 4th St. On Nov. 25, 1936, The Morning Call was there to cover it. "Completely renovated during the past two months . . . the three-story structure now presents an inviting appearance. . . . of especial interest in the decorations of the home are four wall murals done in colors by Frank Stelzer, a member of the club who has had a great deal of experience in the line of art decorating. The four paintings represent scenes in Germany, Switzerland and England." When, as often happened, one of the older members would die, the club members marched to the funeral with a band. Those who attended were chosen by draw. "Of course sometimes you were working and could not get off, so then you had to find a replacement," says Medl. Once the group was ready to march, folks would be lining the streets to watch them pass. "In the early days, we'd be dressed up with big doughboy hats, the kind the state troopers wear. Later we got these smaller blue ones." Honoring the fallen veteran was a solemn commemoration that many of the ethnic German clubs of Allentown shared with their American counterparts on Armistice Day, Nov. 11. Although the Germans and Austrians had been America's foes in World War I, there seemed to be little bitterness directed at them 20 years after the war. In 1937, the Austrian Hungarian Veterans Society joined in a meeting to honor the dead at the Lehigh Sängerbund. After the memorial service, the members stood at attention for singing of the haunting German song, "Ich Hat Einen Kamareden" (I Had A Comrade). Among the speakers was a past commander of a local American veterans group. Of course, the Austrian-Hungarian veterans club was more than funerals. There were plenty of Friday-night card games, drinking and dancing. Parties would shake the place to the rafters. Medl's wife Christina recalls those happy times. "We would dance like anything. I used to think the ceiling was going to come down," she says with a laugh. It was the upheaval that followed World War II and refugees' fleeing the Soviet repression of Hungary in 1956 that brought many of the current ethnic members of the Austrian Hungarian Veterans Society to Allentown. As the old membership passed from the scene, the club opened its rolls to non-Austrians and non-Hungarians. Today for example, says Kantz, there are many Italian members of the club as well. Club president William Kantz says there are about 100 current full members and 500 social members. "There are several retirees' groups that meet here, the Burgenland Sunshine Club, neighborhood retirees from Bonney Forge and there is a Weight Watchers group," says Kantz. But the focal point of the old ethnic nature of the club is the dances. On Sunday afternoons, fall to spring, the old walls rock to the sounds of the Happy Austrians and the Shasta Family. The club has an Austrian cook who takes care of the schnitzel and strudel. "She also makes steak sandwiches with an Austrian flair," says Kantz with a chuckle. Kantz is the first one to admit that the Austrian Hungarian Veterans Society is not immune to the changes that have come to the city's other ethnic European clubs. "We don't get a lot of young people. It's mostly the older folks that come. The neighborhood has to be at the center and this neighborhood, like everything else in this city, is changing," he says. (End of extract.) GENEALOGY TRACEABLE TO 660 B.C.! (extracted from AOL International Newsletter) (ED.Note - any Burgenländers in Japan? Marry into this family and your descendants can link to dates before the Christian era. I'd like to see the ancestral tablets of this family or are they mostly oral? Emperor Akihito marks his first decade on Japan's imperial throne, an anniversary celebrated throughout Japan The emperor is 125th in the longest-running royal line in the world, begun in 660 B.C) ITEMS FROM ROOTSWEB REVIEW RootsWeb's Genealogy News, Vol. 2, No. 46, 17 November 1999, Circulation: 371,959+ (c) 1999 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ RootsWeb.com, Inc., P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 DONATIONS HELP ROOTSWEB HELP YOU AND ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. For details about support levels, benefits, and payment options (check or credit card), visit http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html. Mailing address: RootsWeb.com, Inc., P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798. (Please write your e-mail address on all correspondence and checks.) (Ed. Note-Rootsweb is a non-profit organization of immeasureable service to the genealogical community. I support them annualy with a donation. You may wish to do so also. At no cost to us they distribute our newsletter and archive our files. Their free services do require some paid staff, much hardware and software on their part whose cost is covered mostly by donations. One way to keep the genealogical internet cost free-like Public Televvision.) ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CEO, by Robert R. Tillman o 6.2 MILLION NAMES ON ROOTSWEB WORLDCONNECT PROJECT. As of today, RootsWeb users have uploaded more than 6.2 million names of their ancestors to the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project. Search the names already uploaded and/or upload your own GEDCOM at http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/. Search the WorldConnect Project often, as new GEDCOMs are being uploaded at the rate of one million names per week. o HELP ROOTSWEB PUBLICIZE THE WORLDCONNECT PROJECT. The more GEDCOMs that are uploaded to the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project, the more useful it becomes for all of us. RootsWeb has just published its first press release, which covers the WorldConnect Project and is located at http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/press/worldconnect.html. Our goal is to make the WorldConnect Project the largest and best GEDCOM-hosting project on the Web. RootsWeb has no money for advertising. We depend upon RootsWeb users to pass the word. PLEASE HELP. (Newsletter continues as no. 69B)

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 69B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by G. J. Berghold) November 30, 1999 This third section of the 3-section newsletter has - information concerning the Gibiser Gasthaus, - Ethnic Excerpts from the 1906 Allentown Call-Chronicle, - Ethnic Music from Al Meixner, - LDS Civil Record Microfilm, and - URL and Member Changes. GIBISER GASTHAUS IN HEIGENKREUZ UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT (from Albert Schuch) Just a short note to let you know that the Gasthaus Gibiser has now officially been taken over by Gerlinde, Edith Gibiser's niece. They made a big celebration out of it with guests including the governors of both Burgenland and Styria. (Ed. Note:-we have often mentioned this gasthaus in southern Burgenland. It is a world class establishment and we hope it continues to operate in the fine tradition established by Edith Gibiser. Many members have the "Gibiser" family name in their genealogy.) A NEW AUSTRIAN CENSUS? (via Lea Simitz Buzby & Rootsweb) (Ed. Note-Can any of our members comment on this source?) Forwarded Message: Subj: [AUSTRIA-L] Austrian Resources From: Steve Grandgenett Hi everyone. I have been monitoring all the messages and now have two of my own. I am inquirying if anyone has had an opportunity to use the Cadastra of Maria Theresa 1766 and how it can be accessed. The Cadastra was a comprehensive census commissioned c.1766 in all of the Habsburg's holdings. I've used the resource with my research in Belgium and Luxembourg. Can anyone share with me their experience with the source? ALLENTOWN MORNING CALL - SOME ETHNIC EXCERPTS FROM 1906 (from Anna Kresh) (Ed. Note: Anna and I both have had some reservations about printing some of these articles. They are not complimentary and we hope we don't offend any descendants who may read them. Immigration has always been traumatic -- for the immigrant as well as for those on the receiving end. We hope most of us have come a long way in how we treat and feel about new immigrants. I would suggest that to get a feel for how immigrants feel, visit a country where you don't know the language or street procedures, dress poorly and try to order a cheap meal, use local transportation, visit a police station, etc!) Anna writes: Here is the first group of excerpts from the Allentown Morning Call for 1906. I have capitalized some of the surnames and have added some comments in brackets. I find this research very disturbing. This is the year my father emigrated and the bigotry is so overt I'm not sure if I should continue this effort. Note: My comments are in brackets [] Allentown Morning Call [-deaths from diptheria almost daily - also occasional suicides - problems with the building of the Panama Canal] Tues., Jan. 2, 1906 OBITUARY - Mrs. Maria NOVAK Mrs. Maria NOVAK died at her home in Fullerton after a short illness, aged 61 years. She is survived by several children and grandchildren. The funeral will take place today at 8 a.m., from her late home. Services in St. Mary's Catholic Church, followed by interment in the German Catholic Cemetery, Catasauqua. [I am told that prior to the building of Our Lady of Hungary Church on Newport Avenue in Northampton all Austro-Hungarian immigrants attended church at St. Mary's Church in Catasauqua.] Tues., Jan. 2, 1906 RUNAWAY AT BAPTISM Catasauqua Hun's Vehicle Lands up in a Meadow. Two horses hitched to a cab containing a Hungarian christening party from Northampton got beyond control of the driver, Benjamin MILLER of that place, on Third street, Catasauqua, at noon yesterday. The horses ran down Third street at a furious pace to Bridge street turning the sharp corner here to run out Bridge street, the cab was tilted, throwing the driver into the street. He sustained a broken nasal bone. The cab righted itself and the horses continued to the end of the street where the vehicle continued on its course down the hill and ran into the meadow of the Catasauqua creek where the terrified occupants were rescued. The party received a thorough scaring and walked the remainder of the distance to St. Mary's Church where the christening was performed. The horses were caught on Howertown avenue. Tues., Jan. 2, 1906 Criminal Court Opens . . . George UNGER pleaded guilty to taking an overcoat, shoes and vest from the stable of ex-Chief Cohn and was sent to the Huntingdon Reformatory. . . Common Pleas (Court): . . . In re-estate of Edwin DREISBACH, a lunatic, the committee was directed to pay $2 to Clara DREISBACH, the wife, for her support. . . Wed., Jan. 3, 1906 FOUND DEAD IN BARN. Body of Unknown Foreigner Found with Evidence of Suicide. Early yesterday the dead body of a foreigner was found hanging in the barn on the premises recently vacated by William Depue, about one and one-half miles from Nazareth, on the road to Tatamy. The man was well dressed. Fri., Jan 5, 1906 Marriage Licenses: Joseph PUSKIZITZ and Rosalia TRAUPTMAN of Northampton; Stefon YANNY and Joanna KURTZ of Newport [Newport Ave. in Northampton?]; Joseph FARKAS and Maria PERZARESIK of Cementon; Philip LUKACS and Maria PALYO of Northampton. Sat., Jan. 6, 1906 TWO OFFICIALS FOUND GUILTY Squire Gruver and Constable Lobach, of Cementon BOTH HAVE RESIGNED But Claim to be Innocent of the Charge of Extorting Money From Foreigners -- New Trial to be Asked For. Much Surprise on Verdict. The jury in the case of Justice of the Peace Orville E. Gruver and Constable Edward Lobach, of Whitehall township, accused last week of extorting money from foreigners in the cement region, brought in a verdict of guilty yesterday morning. The conviction came as a painful surprise to the accused officials and their friends, who expected at the worst a verdict of not guilty but pay the costs. Captain Schaadt and Mr. Groman put up a desperate defense. The presentation of the Commonwealth's side was ably performed by District Attorney Horace W. Schrantz unassisted. The trial was on an indictment for compounding a felony, found against both Squire Gruver and Constable Lobach. They were also indicted for conspiracy and extortion, but the trial was only on the first charge. All the charges arose out of the one transaction. The district attorney told the defense he intended to have trials in one, two, three order, until he got a conviction, then dropping what ? (remained) over. Having secured a conviction on the first charge, he will ask to have the other two quashed. The charges were brought by Thos. KUDER and Joseph DURA, who alleged they were forced to pay $74 to get out of jail, having been committed on charge of stealing a gun belonging to P.S. Wendling. [Later articles indicate the gun was paid for.] The defense had a pretty good case until Mary BRETZ, the young women who acted as interpreter in Squire Gruver's court, testified she had heard the Squire demand the money of the men under threat of being recommitted to jail and that they they laid $50 on the Squire's table, from which however, she said Wendling, the prosecutor, picked it up. There were many sensational incidents to the trial and an immense crowd gathered. Squire Gruver testified he did not ? (touch) it, and said he would not have anything to do with it. Wendling testified that he demanded the $50 for settlement of his time and expenses, that he counted the money, but he "did not think" that he took it. Squire Gruver's docket shows the entry "procecutor withdraws the charge and costs paid." The costs in the two cases were actually paid by DURA and KUDER to Constable Lobach. Both Attorneys Schaadt and Groman for the defense and District Attorney Schantz for the prosecution, delivered impassioned addresses to the jury, and each was interrupted frequently by the other. While in the heat of their addresses Attorney Groman objected to certain parts of the district attorney's address and the latter objected strenuously, when Captain Schaadt attempted to introduce in his address the alleged fact that KUDER an KURA [sic] had brought the prosecution at the instance of Joseph Sofransky whose store effects were sold out at Cementon by Constable Lobach. Captain Schaadt dwelled strongly upon the good work accomplished by Squire Gruver and Constable Lobach in preserving order among the foreign element in that section. "For three years," he stated, "crime ran rampant in that section. Three murders were committed in a year, but by the vigorous and fearless action of these officers the foreign element now respects the law. They were the means of bringing crime to a minimum." Judge Trexler's charge was short, clear and fair. Jury went out at 5:30 and agreed in 2 1/2 hours. They then sealed the verdict of guilty, which they delivered yesterday morning. The defendant's attorneys have asked for a new trial, and the court has ordered them to file reasons within five days. [which they did] The maximum penalty for the crime of which the defendants are convicted, compounding a felony, is $1000 fine and three years' imprisonment. Squire Gruver is a prominent storekeeper at Cementon and has been conducting a successful business. His term as Justice of the Peace expires next May. Lobach was elected constable last spring for his second term by unanimous vote of his township. He resigned the office yesterday afternoon in a communication to the Court. Squire Gruver last evening forwarded his resignation to Governor Pennypacker. Tues., Jan. 9, 1906 UNCONSCIOUS ALL NIGHT IN STREET MARY CHEES IN HOSPITAL WITH CONCUSSION OF BRAIN. STEPPED FROM A CAR Foreigner Makes Mistakes Common to Class and Without Giving Signal Leaves Moving Car -- Injuries May Prove Fatal. With the foreigner's usual disregard for danger, Mary SHEES, a Hungarian woman, who has been in this country only two months, stepped from a trolley car at Northampton on Sunday night, fell heavily to the street, and was rendered unconscious. Here she lay until early yesterday morning when she was found by some of her own countrymen who recognized her and took her to the home of her brother, from which place she had left this city [Allentown] on Sunday night. Last evening, after having been temporarily treated by a local physician, she was brought to this city and then to the Allentown Hospital, where it was found that she had suffered a contusion of the skull and concussion of the brain. While her condition is not regarded as serious, the shock and complications may still make the accident a fatal one. The woman left this city on Sunday evening, on a car bound for Siegfried, with the stated intention of visiting her brother and sister, who reside at Northampton. When near the place she stepped to the rear platform of the car in order to better see where to leave. The conductor stepped inside of the car, and when Mary arrived at the place where she wanted to get off the car, without any sign to the crew, she deliberately stepped from the platform falling heavily to the street, sustaining injuries which rendered her unconscious. How the woman happened to lie unnoticed in the street for so long a time is hard to understand, but her condition when found would seem to indicate that she had been exposed for that time. She is employed as a domestic at No. 143 Linden street [Allentown]. Tues., Jan. 9, 1906 FEAR TYPHOID EPIDEMIC Foreigners at Martin's Creek May be Taken to Easton. Typhoid fever has broken out among foreigners along Martin's Creek, and Dr. I. C. Zulick has ordered the patients brought to Easton. Dr. Zulick said: "I was called to attend these men Friday and finding every symptom of typhoid, directed that the men having the most pronounced symptoms should be brought to Easton. There are other cases under supervision, but we are not sure that they are typhoid. "Every precaution has been taken and the people who are using the water from the small streams running through the place have been told to stop it. The condition among the foreigners in the shacks they live in is horrible and there is no telling how far the germs have gone in that community, nor how soon the water in the Delaware may be contaminated." Wed., Jan. 10, 1906 Paid for His Fun Joseph SMITH, of South Allentown, who was arrested on Tuesday morning for raising cain in South Allentown, was given a hearing before Alderman Schiffert yesterday and settled the case by paying the damages, settling the costs and promising to get out of this vicinity. [exiled from his own hometown?] SMITH is a German and has been in this country but eight months. The national beverage of the fatherland seems to disagree with him however, and he has been in the habit of getting drunk and smashing things for the past two months. Wed., Jan. 10. 1906 Hand Caught in Saw Warren ESSER, aged fourteen years, employed in the cigar box factory of A.E. Balliet, had his right hand caught in a saw at that place yesterday and lacerated. He was taken to the Allentown Hospital. [child labor?] Wed., Jan. 10, 1906 Marriage Licenses: Charles KEISTOIKA and Julia BILLEY of Slatington; Robt. GERHART of Shelly's and Katie ACKERMAN of Quakertown Route 2; Sylvester GEIGER of Catasauqua and Catherine KISTLER of 644 Front St [Allentown?]; Peter SZLIVO and Katarina VALICZIK of Northampton; Laki JOSSEF and Maria BOGNAR of Northampton; Blazey GALL and Anna NEDOSZPJA of Northampton; Mateos LAUFIK and Maria BOLCZAR of Cementon. Wed., Jan. 10, 1906 Chat About Your Friends Mrs. Charles DREISBACH, of No. 728 Chew street [Allentown], presented her husband with a bouncing baby girl yesterday afternoon. The new arrival is the first in the family and weighs twelve pounds. Thurs., Jan. 11, 1906 Much Malaria in Panama . . . Attorney for officials files appeal - gun apparently paid for... Fri., Jan. 12, 1906 Marriage Licenses . . . Frantz STRANTZLE of Coplay and Theresia BAMBEK of 344 North 3rd St. [Allentown] Wed., Jan. 17, 1906 Killed on Railroad Tracks Maxin SHERPER Sat Down to Rest and was Struck. Spine Was Dislocated. Was Returning from Celebration of Countryman's Birthday When He Became Tired and Sat Down on the Tracks to Rest - Died in Hospital. Returning from a celebration at the home of one of his countrymen, Maxin SHERPER sat down in the middle of the railroad tracks leading from the main line of the Central Railroad to the Atlas Cement Works at Northampton on Monday night and fell into a sleep which proved fatal. SHERPER had been attending a birthday celebration at the home of some Austrians near Northampton, and at about one o'clock started for his home. Evidently tiring, he sat down on the tracks to rest and fell asleep. He never woke up. A shifing engine drawing several cars backed down the track, the bumpers of the last car striking SHERPER from behind and doubling him up in such a manner as to dislocate his spine in a half dozen places. The accident was noticed at once by the crew, who saw that he received medical attendance at once, and had him sent to the Allentown Hospital as soon as possible. Here the unfortunate man lingered until nine o'clock yesterday morning, when he died. The remains were taken to the morgue of Undertaker Miller at Siegfried [Northampton], where Coroner Butz will review the remains today. SHERPER was 26 years of age, and is surived by a widow in Austria. (to be continued, I think) ETHNIC MUSIC FROM AL MEIXNER (G. Berghold) (Ed. Note-while it is our policy to eschew commercials, we will continue to bring you notice of commercial items of a Burgenland or genealogical nature that we feel have exceptional value or add to our purpose. Our endorsement can not be bought.) I believe that ethnic music carries links to the past. Like myths, music carries the sounds and emotions of its origin. Grains of the past penetrate the melodies, no matter how rearranged. You can't listen to a Gypsy violin without picturing a campsite on the Puszta. Likewise, the old songs and the button box accordian bring pictures of Burgenland Heimat and immigrant festivities and gatherings. One of our artists who carry on this tradition is member Al Meixner from Pennsylvania. He and his family have been bringing the sounds of the Heimat to immigrants and their descendants for many years. Their music has saturated the ethnic clubs of eastern Pensylvania and elsewhere. If you like music from the lands of the Austro/Hungarian Empire, you'll enjoy the Meixner recordings. It's music you won't find in your average CD store. Have you ever heard the "Burgenlander Polka", the "Hundert Jahre Laendler", the "Why So Fast Galop" or the Slovenian "Na Mostu" (On the Bridge)? Al writes: Dear Friends and Customers It's with great excitement that I announce our 1999 #4 catalog. First off, our new webmaster has used larger type so the catalog is easier to read, and also the margins are narrowed so it will print better. Another milestone--you can now use your credit card to pay for your purchase from Al Meixner music either by phone, fax, or by mailing in the order form with your credit card information. If you would like to give the gift of music to someone this holiday season, but don't know exactly what they would like or what they have already---you can now purchase a gift certificate in any amount over $10.00 The Recipient can then choose their own music selections. In addition to our regular Euro-Class releases, we have quite a few "new items" which include resounding German oompah, stylish Polish polkas, world class yodelling, the symphonic sound of Andre Rieu and fantastic button box albums. You're sure to find something to your liking in the new 1999 #4 Al Meixner Mail Order Music Catalog. Please check it out along with the rest of our website at www.almeixner.com Please tell your friends about our website and fee free to forward this email to friends on your email address book. It is appreciated. Finally, I would like to personally wish all of you a Happy, Musical and Safe Holiday Season and Happy New Year! Al Meixner LDS CIVIL RECORD MICROFILM EXPANDED (by Fritz Konigshofer) Through my attempts in assisting new enquirers at the various GenWeb boards, I have become aware that entirely new civil records are currently becoming available as microfilms from LDS. These are films with numbers over 2,000,000, therefore very recent acquisitions. In particular, I have seen that the civil records of Zala county covering 1895 till 1906 have not only been microfilmed but are now in the index for Zala, while in the case of Baranya county, the existence of the films (covering 1895 till 1907) has been entered, though yet without film numbers. Burgenland researchers obviously have been blessed all along, since due to the loss of the country to Austria, the Hungarian authorities had allowed the filming of the civil records duplicates even up to 1920. However, in my opinion the new development is extremely significant for all bb members who search parishes which remained in Hungary after WW I, as September 1895 has been the limit of the LDS data for these so far. I have checked Vas and Sopron county, but there are still no civil records for these listed in the LDS index. I recommend that from now on we watch closely as the recent developments with the other counties I mentioned are really exciting. If anyone of you knows more about what's in the coming from LDS, please let us know. BURGENLAND BUNCH INTERNET LINKS - ADDITIONS, REVISIONS 11/30/99 (from Internet/URL Editor Anna Tanczos Kresh) GENEALOGY RESEARCH LINKS (OTHER) o Genealogy.com http://www.genealogy.com/ - database search, software, CDs, free home pages, how-to articles, newsletters, links, etc. SEARCH ENGINES o AltaVista Germany http://www.altavista.de/ o AltaVista International http://doc.altavista.com/international.shtml URL CHANGES (revised links/descriptions) o Helms Genealogy Toolbox http://www.genealogytoolbox.com/ - Genealogy Site Finder; over 42,000 links (new address) o Calendar Converter http://genealogy.org/~scottlee/ - Gregorian, Julian, Jewish, French republican calendar date conversions from 4713 B.C. to date (new address) o Oddens Bookmarks http://oddens.geog.uu.nl/index.html - Utrecht Univ.; Fascinating World of Maps and Mapping; more than 6800 links (new address) URLS DROPPED - LINKS BROKEN/CHANGED - INFORM URL EDITOR IF YOU KNOW ALTERNATE URL o About Hungary http://www.mezo.com/Hungary/hungary.html - Good short synopsis of Hungary's history o Hungarian Lutheran Church http://lutheran.alarmix.net/index.html - Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary o Liners of the Golden Age 1897-1969 http://www.powerscourt.com/liners/index.htm - data on ships, shipping lines, etc. (site is currently off-line; it may return at a future date) o Public Voice Österreichische Suchmaschinen - http://www.public.co.at/public/ MEMBER CHANGES IN MEMORIUM It's with sadness that I report the death of my distant cousin and charter member Joe Gilly of Calabasas, CA. He was born January 10, 1929 in Bethlehem, PA and died Nov. 19, 1999 after a long battle with cancer. Joe was one of my first internet genealogical contacts and it was he who first suggested that our numerous email leters could be formed into a newsletter. I never met Joe in person but we shared many ancestors, exchanged much email and at one time Joe calculated we were cousins by marriage three ways. His research efforts began to lag as his illness took more and more of his time, but he was always interested in new Burgenland developments. To my knowledge he never found the elusive Burgenland-Irish genealogical link he always sought, but he never stopped looking. I'll miss him. Gerry Berghold NEW Ken Adler; Chesterfield MO. Researching BOGOVICH in KITTSEE (KOPSCENY). Settled in St. Louis MO. Joan Goldfarb; Jacksonville, TX. KARNER, SULZER, Deutschminihof, settled in Chicago, IL Jack and Margaret (Simon) Helms; Sun City West, AZ. SIMON, PORTSCHY, NEUBAUER, Unterschtzen. FELDBACKER,Austria Settled, Chicago, IL Lawrence, MI. Sandra Hoard, Lapeer, MI. TALLIAN or TALLION, Dürnbach (Hungarian Inced), Spitzzicken. Name also appears in Hungarian villages near the border. Settled in Monessen, PA Ronald A. Madle; Mifflinburg, PA. MEDL, Poppendorf. Settled in Allentown (Limeport), PA. Joseph E. Medl, Allentown, PA MEDL, Poppendorf. Settled in Allentown,PA Tom Pfeiler, Crystal Lake, IL, PFEILER, PUTZ, Mkt Allhau, Wolfau. Settled in Chicago, IL Willard Struck; Humboldt, SK Canada, PITZEL, Apetlon. KAINTZ, LEHNER. Settled in Stearns County, MN. Joseph Tanzosh; Northampton PA. TANCZOS, SAGMEISTER, TOSHNOVIAN and POANDL, Sulz, Rehgraben, Eberau and Deutsch Ehrensdorf. Settled in Northampton PA Roxanne Thiessen; Vernon, BC Canada. GROIS/KROISS, UNGER - Wallern, Austria-Hungary. To South Dakota in 1885 then to Saskatchewan, Canada abt 1903. Richard Urbauer; Kingston, WA. URBAUER, Buchschachen. ZAPFEL, Loipersdorf. Settled in Sutton, NE.(district of Oberwart) Margot Zappe, Vienna, Austria. 5 brothers of my g-grandmother Anna WEBER (b. 1890) emigrated from Grodnau (Southern Burgenland, Oberwart district) to Chigaco ca. 1905. Looking for their descendants in the US. Address Change Robert Geshel; Phoenix, AZ; GESCHL, MAGDITS, Güssing (Urbersdorf). Settled in the Northampton County area of PA early 1900s. John Rauen; Poway, Ca. WEBER, FLEISCHACKER, Salmannsdorf. To USA in 1867 through Baltimore, settled in St Paul, Winsted, and White Bear Lake, MN. 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 village lists (Bill Rudy) Judaic Burgenland (Maureen Tighe-Brown) Western Hungary-Bakony Region (Ernest Chrisbacher) Western US BB Members-Research (Bob Unger) WorldGenWeb-Austria, RootsWeb Liason-Burgenland (Charles Wardell, Austria) BB ARCHIVES (can be reached from Home Page hyperlinks to RootsWeb) BURGENLAND HOME PAGE http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org Burgenland Bunch Newsletter distributed courtesy of (c) 1999 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 Newsletter and List Rights Reserved. Permission to Copy Granted; Provide Credit. END OF NEWSLETTER