BB News No. 70 dtd 15 Dec 1999

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 70 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by G.J. Berghold) December 15, 1999 (all rights reserved) "Fröhliche Weihnachten" ~~ NOTICE - THERE WILL BE NO REGULAR NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 31 - NOTICE ~~ IN ITS PLACE WE'LL BE SENDING COPIES OF OUR INVITATION AND WELCOME LETTERS WHICH CONTAIN INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT HOW TO USE THE BB IN YOUR RESEARCH. WE WILL ALSO BE SENDING SUGGESTIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR RESEARCH. PLEASE FILE THESE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. NEXT REGULAR NEWSLETTER WILL BE DATED JANUARY 15, 2000 THE BB EDITORIAL OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED FROM DECEMBER 16 UNTIL JANUARY 2 ~~ HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL ~~ 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: - Our Free OZ Inquiry Service, - Lehigh Valley and Burgenland Christmas Traditions, - Strodl Name in Village of Forchtenau, - More on the Alex Tscharr Trip, - More Comments Concerning Different Spellings of Family Names, - On the Way to the Millenium - The 30 Year War, - Village of Kukmirn and Gludovatz Family, - Panama Canal Visit, - Hungarian Villages of Varbalog, Fertorakos, and Harka. This is almost a Fritz Konigshofer section and he has our special thanks for his many articles in this and prior newsletters. OUR CHRISTMAS GIFT - PLACE A FREE FAMILY NOTICE IN A BURGENLAND WEEKLY NEWSPAPER! Burgenland Editor Albert Schuch sends the following: "If you want to find your relatives in Burgenland, consider placing a free inquiry in the "Oberwarter Zeitung" (OZ), a local weekly newspaper. Contact Albert Schuch for details." ED. Note: There is no cost and no obligation. All Albert needs is some data. He will then edit your query, translate it into German and place it in a forthcoming issue of OZ (Albert is a contributing columnist to OZ). Some of our members have already been contacted by relatives and have received genealogical help. I read a lot of qestions and answers in genealogical magazines and one suggestion always surfaces; genealogists searching Europe should always try to place queries in a European newspaper. Most newspapers will charge advertising rates for this service unless they have a genealogy column. Some won't even consider it. The Burgenland Bunch, through Albert, has arranged a free genealogical query column. Take advantage of what this can do for you. To date, about two dozen of our members have done so. On page 15 of OZ for the week of Novemder 24, I see under "Verwandtensuche" (searching for ancestors) a full column concerning the RESCH and GUTMANN ancestors of member Jeanne Smith. I wonder how many relatives will read it? LEHIGH VALLEY AND BURGENLAND CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS (by G. Berghold) As I get older, my holiday thoughts turn back to the 1930's when I was still a youngster, the world was new, and Christmas was a time of wonder. By then, my Burgenland immigrant grandparents were comfortable with Allentown, PA, and had a comforable lifestyle. My parents, the first US born generation, were Americans first-and-foremost and weren't too interested in the old country. They were busy establishing American traditions. As a result, I turned to my grandparents for "Heimat" Christmas stories and Burgenland traditions. My maternal grandmother Hedwig Sorger (nee Mühl, referred to as Mom), was whom I talked to most often. Her kitchen was my favorite place and she always enjoyed my company. I learned some cooking from her, using her combination wood and gas stove in an alcove off of the kitchen, a great place to raise strudel. I well-remember the way she always spent many days preparing for Christmas. Dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies and other baked goods were stored in tins and cloth covered bowls high up in the kitchen cabinets and in the dim recesses of the pantry. Mom's father died a few months before she and her twin sister were born. Then their house in Kleinmürbisch burned down and they moved to Güssing, on the southwest side below the castle. The whitewashed, straw thatched cottage no longer exists. It was in the vicinity of what is now the fish "teich" or fish farm. At about age 12, she and her sister both went into service. She worked as a maid for the family of a lawyer in Szt. Gotthard, Hungary. Her older brother Josef was apprenticed to a tailor, became a journeyman and emigrated to Allentown, PA. Four years later he sent for the rest of the family. Mom remembered that when she was little, the Christmas season started with a visit from her uncle, a game warden. He would come with a horse and wagon and bring a load of wood and some flour and sugar and sometimes a rabbit or other game. On Christmas morning her mother would give the three children an orange, some nuts and a few pieces of marzipan in a stocking. During the day they would go with other village children to a large building to look at a decorated tree, where they would be given a small gift. (I wonder if this was the Draskovitch Schloss or the Güssing Gemeindeamt? Obviously it was either a civil or prominent-family way of providing a Christmas treat for the poorer children.) Then, they would pass sleighs or carriages with well dressed people in furs on the way to the Maria Heimsuchung church. After Mom went into service, she said that Christmas became much more ornate. The home where she worked was decorated for Christmas and there were many luxuries and good things to see and eat. She was always made part of the family Christmas and given a gift. The mistress was nice to her and taught her many things, including how to cook. Within a year she was cooking as well as being a maid. With this family, she learned how to cook Croatian and Hungarian specialties as well as fancy dishes. (My mother always said she was treated very badly because the mistress would put her food on a plate and lock the rest away.) My grandmother would reply, that was the way things were done in those days and, besides, a cook never went hungry. She always spoke fondly of this family and sent them money and clothing after they lost their home following WW-I. Family Christmas traditions evolve from a mixture of the old and the new; in our family, a blend of Burgenland, Hungarian, Pennsylvania German and purely American (with a little from our good Italian neighbors). Today it's impossible to identify the exact origin of all of them. I wonder where some of our family traditions did originate? How many were adopted by parents and grandparents remembering the Christmases of their childhood. We seem to have so many traditions! When Mom got too old to prepare everything, and we felt we had prepared more than enough, she would say in German "but we must have so and so for Christmas!" Here are some of our traditions; are they familiar? > Foil wrapped candy on a tree - German or Hungarian? > Gold and silver painted walnuts hanging on a tree - Burgenland? > Glass blown figural ornaments on the tree (not just balls)? > Putz (miniature village under the tree) - Penna. German? Later an electric train might be added. > Spice cookies in the shape of trees and men - Burgenland baker treats? > Raised nut and poppy seed Strudel - Hungarian? > Nut Kipfels dusted with powdered sugar - Burgenland via Turks (crescent shape) > Marzipan fruits - German or Burgenland (becoming hard to find) > Sugar cookies in the shape of stars - Penna. German? > Christmas goose - Burgenland (now rarely encountered, replaced by turkey) > Multi-colored filled candies? > Assorted mints? > A large box of chocolate candy? > Oranges and tangerines piled up in a cut glass bowl - Burgenland? > Bowls of mixed nuts to be cracked and eaten with sweet wine after dinner? > Dates stuffed with nuts and dusted with sugar? > Fruitcake and stollen? > Special sparkling wine for Christmas breakfast - American? > Cranberry sauce and crisp celery - American > Electric candles in the windows - American? > Creche - Penna. German? > Outdoor lights and wreaths - American > Gifts for adults as well as children - American? > Ornate gift wrappings - American? > Christmas cards for every relative and friend - American? > Opening one present on Christmas eve - carry over from European custom where gifts are exchanged before Christmas? > Christmas day visits by neighbors and relatives? - a dying custom. These are just some of our traditions, the absence of any would now be questioned by most family members. Has the pendulum swung much too far from the spirit of a Burgenland Christmas? FORCHTENAU (DISTRICT OF MATTERSBURG) - STRODL NAME (correspondence between Albert Schuch and Ralph Nielson) Albert writes: I have now been able to look at my books about Mattersburg district. According to the article on Forchtenau, the Strodl name is already listed in the first records (dating from 1498/1500), in this document spelled Strötl. The Strodl name is included in all later lists (1526, 1589, 1675, etc.). Members of the family have occasionally held the "Richter" (mayor) office: Hans Strodl (1622, 1623, 1625, 1626, 1630), Josef Strodl (1804-1808), Leopold Strodl (1811-1815), Josef Strodl (1843-1845), Anton Strodl (1853) Andreas Strodl (1854). I did not find any connection of the Strodl family to a certain profession. ALEX TSCHARR'S TRIP TO AUSTRIA We have received so many nice comments concerning the report of the Tscharr trip to the Burgenland that I feel I should share some more of the tips provided to Alex. The following were from Fritz Konigshofer, and I'm certain they helped make Alex's trip a success. Other members may also benefit from them. Fritz writes: October is still a reasonable time to visit, as there is a good chance for some sunny days, though you need to have a sweater, and should even take a coat or anorak with you. You might have a good chance in October to get fresh game for dinner, like pheasant, venison or even wild boar. Unless you are a vegetarian, don't miss it. Another special treat is the very fresh, still opaque wine, barely fermented, called "Sturm." Maybe the 1999 Sturm will already be available for you, in case you'll be there in late October. Please also try to drink an Uhudler, a Burgenland wine speciality, i.e., a wine from direct rootstock (ungrafted) vines. The most recent Burgenland Bunch newsletter mentioned it. However, please be modest when drinking Sturm or Uhudler as they can overwhelm a man in no time. (Ed. Note - I once drank "Sturm" for breakfast considering it to be no more potent than grape juice - I then took a mid-morning nap.) I had a fabulous rental car deal in Graz this summer, arranged via Europe-by-Car. Unbeatable in price. I rented a VW Golf class car, and indeed received a VW Golf, entirely adequate and very economic (gas is expensive in Europe). If you plan to drive to Hungary or Slovenia, you need to mention it when you order, or when you pick up the car, and it costs extra. The website of the company is http://www.europebycar.com Alex, on your question about hotels, I am no expert. Since my home town is Graz, I have never needed to stay overnight in the Burgenland. You need to touch base with BB members who have visited the area. Some wrote about their trips in recent newsletters. One of the stories was by Bob Unger, whose trip, I believe, included the Rudersdorf area. Gerry Berghold might have a better overview about who has recently traveled the area you will visit (i.e., between Oberwart and Olbendorf). Didn't I mention a web site with hotel listings to you in one of my earlier messages? Have you also checked for leads on the BB website links maintained by Anna Kresh? Anyway, I did a little www searching for you, and found http://www.burgenland-tourism.at/activity.asp?menu3=2 which has leads to hotels and inns. Another site which may be of interest for you is http://www.netwing.at/austria/bgld/ SOME MORE COMMENTS CONCERNING DIFFERENT SPELLINGS OF FAMILY NAMES (from Fritz Konigshofer) The Hungarian -s- stands for the pronounciation -sh- in English or -sch- in German. The sound we usually connect with -s- is spelled -sz- in Hungarian and often appears in dictionaries as a separate character. Therefore, Germans living in Hungary were faced with the problem that Hungarians would pronounce an -s- in the name like a "sh," thereby essentially changing the pronounciation. The most famous example is the composer Franz (Ferenc) Liszt. Down to Liszt's grandfather, the family name had been written as List or Lisst, but Hungarians would pronounce this as Lisht, therefore Liszt's grandfather (a very opinionated teacher, who ended up in real trouble with his overload, from which his then famous grandson was able to extricate him) decided to change the spelling to Liszt. Other examples are easy to find. For instance, in my own ancestry I have a family of teachers with the name Frsatz. Occasionally, their name was spelled Frszacz, for exactly the same reason. Another example is the name Simitz. Just two days ago, when browsing the records of Raba Szent Mihaly, I noted between 1800 and 1818 that the Simitzes there were spelled Szimits and Szimics. Therefore, the name Nikles and Niklesz are clearly one and the same, in German versus Hungarian spelling. There is a very similar case with a recent enquirer at the list server of Family Tree. His Banat region ancestors spelled themselves Mingesz, when the original name in Germany is spelled Minges. The different spellings are simply due to the German and Hungarian spellings of the same pronounciation. The German letter "sharp -s-" (written) plays no additional role in this equation. The spelling problem worked also the other direction. For instance, names spelled with -sch- in German, could become spelled with -s- in Hungarian, as the Hungarina spelling -s- already provided the -sh- pronounciation. Viktor Fischer, one of our BB members, has ancestors the Hungarians spelled Sabler when the original German name (and pronounciation) were Schabler, probably even Schaffler. As to the other question, I think Györi would clearly be a Hungarian name meaning "the one from Györ." This original designation of a family name might reach far back in history. When churches started to make records (from the mid 17th century), these names might have been several hundred years old. Therefore, I do not believe one can normally draw a recent geographical conclusion from such a name, although it is not impossible that a specific person's family name formed in more recent times. While geographical designations ("the one from ....") are not as common among German names as they were in Hungary, they still exist(ed) as well, but in German the ending designating "from" is "-er," like in Wiener (the one from Vienna), Grazer, Eisenstädter, or Raaber (the German equivalent of Györi) which became spelled as "Raba" in Hungary. It is true that the Swiss also use the -i ending for some family names, but I do not think it has any geographic connotation, and has no connection at all with the Hungarian forms. I have a Hungarian line with the name Béri or Béry (the -y being the noble ending, i.e., approximately meaning "the [nobleman] from Bér"). One of my first experiences with genealogy was when I looked up the Washington phone book and found scores of Beery and Beeri there. My hopes were raised immensely, especially since a half-brother of my great grandmother had introduced the spelling Bery (with double e). All these hopes of finding immediate connections were immediately dashed when some calls to local Beerys established that they all descended from Switzerland, from one ancestor who already fought in the civil war and had the original Swiss name Pierri (little Pierre, or little Peter). Gerry, in fact, mentioned another source for the final -i or -y, when he referred to the possibility of BB member Gilly's ancestors being possibly from Ireland, descending from an Irish soldier who may have fought in the imperial army that defeated the Turks in Szent Gotthard in 1664. This is, of course, a possibility. However, when some time ago I looked through the Bürgerbuch of Graz (listing people who had moved to Graz from somewhere else, but were awarded citizen status), one or two of the Gillys mentioned there were stated to hail from the canton Graubünden in Switzerland! The bottom line is that one needs to be very cautious in genealogy, before taking some datum as a fact. ON THE WAY TO THE MILLENNIUM (from Bob Unger) Bob writes: The 30 Years War is being recognized as a major event of the millennium. The following article appeared last week in our area newspaper: Tom Mallory 30-Jul-1999 Friday The war lasted 30 years, involved every major state in Western Europe and left what is now Germany an underpopulated wasteland. It began with two men being tossed out of a window. That act, known as the Defenestration of Prague, was a result of rage over persecution of Protestants by Bohemia's Catholic king, Ferdinand II, the Hapsburg heir to the Holy Roman Empire. On May 23, 1618, armed and angry Bohemian nobles hurled two of Ferdinand's Catholic advisers out a castle window. They survived; Catholics claimed they were rescued by angels while Protestants said they just landed in a dung heap. No matter, a large complicated war ensued that began as Catholic vs. Protestant, with huge armies of mostly non-German combatants rampaging across German soil. It evolved into a contest for dominance of Western Europe between Austria's Hapsburg dynasty and the Bourbons of France. The Thirty Years War ended in 1648 with a treaty that enshrined the modern concept of nation-states, while only reaffirming what had been established in a treaty 90 years before: Each prince had the right to choose a church for his subjects. The war left Germany fragmented, so ravaged and brutalized that the region's population declined by between 15 percent and 20 percent. Centuries later, that indignity would be a note in the siren song of German nationalists, which the Nazis sang all too well. By Tom Mallory (Ed. Note: the results of the 30 Years War caused many of our ancestors to migrate to the Burgenland regions.) VILLAGE OF KUKMIRN AND GLUDOVAC FAMILY Fritz Konigshofer to Norman Gludovatz Yesterday, when I did my own searches in the film with the records of the rom.-cath. parish of Kukmirn (Kukmer), I saw a Gludovac entry and noted it for whatever interest it may have for you. Accordingly, this was the marriage of a Gludovac Alajos, "mester" (master) from Rehgraben, 23 years old, the son of Gludovac Armin (not sure, would be a very unusual first name) and Niklosi (not sure) Maria, with Terez Rober, 18 years, of Kukmirn. The witnesses were Gyorgy Rober and Ferenc Schlegl. Kukmirn is in the Southern Burgenland, near Güssing, and Rehgraben is very nearby. Kukmirn was mostly Lutheran, and the rom.-cath. parish was rather small in the size of the congregation. My interpretation of the "mester" is that this Alois (Louis) Gludovac was the schoolmaster of Rehgraben. The marriage of Alajos Gludovac and Terez Rober happened on February 16, 1871. A VISIT TO THE CANAL BUILT FROM CEMENT PRODUCED MOSTLY BY BURGENLAND IMMIGRANTS (by Anna Kresh) Just returned home from about 3 weeks of travel. A couple of days in Acapulco, followed by a 10-day Panama Canal cruise, two days home to do laundry, then a weekend in the Pocono's, followed by a 4-day trip to West Chester, Wilmington, and the Lehigh Valley. The Panama Canal cruise was a very moving experience for me, since I probably owe my very existence to the Canal. If my father hadn't emigrated to work in the Atlas Cement Mill to supply cement to build it, then he would not have met my mother on Newport Avenue in Northampton. HUNGARIAN BORDER VILLAGES (from Hizi Atlas courtesy of Fritz Konigshofer) descriptions which are now available online - see Homepage URL list Gyor-Moson-Sopron * Várbalog * [Ed.: northwest of Mosonszentpéterjanos, on the way to Halbturn] The village was first mentioned in documents as Váras-Balog. Pecheneg and Hungarian inhabitants of the village were killed by Tatar troops. The village was acquired by King Andras III in 1297. It became depopulated during the Turkish wars, and was later resettled by Germans. It became a farmstead owned by the Habsburg archdukes. Hungarian people were resettled in the village in the 1930s. There is a nice neo-Gothic church in Albertkazmerpuszta [German name: Albrecht-Kasimir-Hof; on the way to Halbturn] which belongs to the village. * Fertorakos * [northeast of Sopron] Limestone mining in this village already started in prehistoric times. The villag was first mentioned in documents in 1199. It was acquired by the Bishop of Györ in 1254. In the Middle-Ages, the village acquired the status of a market town with the right to stage fairs twice a year. Many public buildings in Vienna and Sopron were built from stone mined from the quarries near Fertorakos. About 90% of the inhabitants were expatriated in 1946. The present village has a population of 2,240. The ethnic Germans run a choir and a dancing ensemble. Interesting sights are as follows: Stone-quarry (theatrical performances and concerts are staged here every summer); Mithras sanctuary (fom Roman times); the Roman Catholic church; crystal exhibition; pillory; water mill; Bishop's castle; and the remains of the fortification walls of the Middle-Ages. Near Fertorakos lies the only camping and recreation site in Hungary, on the shores of the lake Fertö [Ed.:Neusiedlersee]. There is a temporary border station between Fertorakos and Mürbisch operated solely for pedestrians and bicycle riders. [German name of the village was Kroisbach] * Harka * [Ed.: south of Sopron; also known as Magyarfalva] The name of the village was first mentioned in documents in 1245. The first contingent of Germans settled here in 1432. The village became a market town with the right to stage fairs in 1674. Today, the population stands at 1,400, and the village has good public services. The area of the village includes the "Kogli" (or Harkai peak) which is a nature conservation area. [German name was Harkau.] (newsletter continues as no. 70A) THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 70A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by G.J. Berghold) December 15, 1999 This second section of the 3 section newsletter concerns: - Another View of Croatian Settlement in the Burgenland, translated from the German and excerpted here. It is brought to us by member Bruce Klemens, who did the translation. He cautions us that he does not have permission from the author or publisher to publish his translation on the net, and thus it should not be copied or used in total or used in any way without mentioning the source and the author. We are bringing you a few extracts in two parts. This is part one. Of importance to our research is the description of the destruction of Burgenland villages and the accompanying depopulation which led to subsequent migration and colonization by many of our ancestors. Many thanks to Bruce for his efforts. These extracts are worthy additions to the Teklits translation of "People Along The Border", serialized in prior newsletters. We hope that someday we will be able to bring you similar data concerning the migration of German speaking people during the periods mentioned. - Newsletter 70A concludes with a book review concerning Salzburg Refugees. Excerpts from Das Schicksal der Burgenländischen Kroaten (The Destiny of the Burgenland Croats) by Bela Schreiner (... indicates breaks in translation) "Das Schicksal der Burgenländischen Kroaten Durch 450 Jahre" by Bela Schreiner. (or in Croatian: Sudbina Gradišćanskih Hrvatov Kroz 450 Ljet); Eigentuemer, Verleger und Herausgeber: Kroatischer Kulturverein Dr. Karallstrasse 23, 7001 Eisenstadt, Postfach 26 - publishers date about 1983. German language edition may be purchased from: http://www.croatians.com/croat/croatbook.html Note: this site provides much ethnic Croatian information as well as commercial genealogical publications, coats of arms, etc. It is a not a Burgenland Croatian source as such but, if you have Croatian links, you will find many items of interest. I. THE HISTORY OF THE SETTLEMENT - Causes of the Migration The entire history of mankind shows many examples of how hard it is for small ethnic groups to remain autonomous and independent. Therefore, the numerically weak Croats had to suffer a similar eventful fate, even since they settled in the year 550 in Pannonia and Dalmatia. To free themselves from Avar and Frankish domination in the 8th through 11th century, a Croatian national state was established. Due to its coastal location, wars with other sea powers were inevitable, especially powerful Venice. The last king of a Croatian ruling dynasty, Peter, died from a wound that he suffered during the defense of Croatia against the Hungarian king Ladislaus. In 1102, there was an agreement between the Croats and Hungarians, and Ladislaus' successor, Kalman, was also selected as the king of the Croats. Up to 13th century, it was usual that the Hungarian kings were chosen by the Croatian aristocracy in Belgrade to be kings of Croatia as well. Another chosen position, a "Ban," (or viceroy) governed the country as a representative of the king and provided a certain independence. Thus Croatia was subordinate first to the Anjou dynasty, which reigned over Hungary from 1301 to 1382. In 1387, Sigismund from the house of Luxembourg was crowned King of Hungary and ruled until 1437. The Croatian nobles, however, selected the son of Karl II, Ladislaus of Naples, to be counter-king (1391-1409). Under him there were big changes and, in 1409, he sold all his rights and possessions in Dalmatia, for about 100,000 Ducats, to Venice. The Venetians exploited the internal weakness of Hungary. By 1480, they occupied almost all of Dalmatia and the Croatian coastline, much more than was agreed upon in the sales contract. The Croatian port cities of Sibenik, Split, and Trogir resisted, but were captured after long sieges, as were the nearby islands as well. The other islands were already in the hands of the Venetians. Thus the Hungarian-Croatian kingdom lost not only an important part of its economic base, but also the access to the sea and to the islands. After the Turks occupied the Balkan Peninsula, they conquered one country after another, relatively rapidly. After penetrating Macedonia, Thessally and Albania, the Bulgarian kingdom fell. At the battle on the Amselfeld (Kosovo polje) in 1389, the Turks smashed the Serbian realm and thereby became neighbors of the Croats. In 1463, they occupied Bosnia and, in 1482, also conquered Herzegovina. In 1493, the Croatian army blocked the Turkish army's path on the open Krbava field, as they returned from Carniola, but was utterly destroyed. According to historical reports, 13,000 Croatian knights fell, and almost the entire Croatian aristocracy perished. From this point in time through the 18th century, the Croats were in a constant fight with the Turks for mere survival within their own territory. They retained only a third of their former territory, the lands to the Sava River, and Slavonia at the Hungarian border, as well as the areas around the capital Zagreb and at the rivers Una and Kupa, which bordered on Austrian Carniola and on southern Styria. By 1521, Belgrade was conquered by Sultan Selim. Then, with overwhelming superiority, the Turks invaded Hungary, smashed all Hungarian resistance in the battle of Mohács in 1526, and destroyed the Hungarian army. The young King Louis (Lajos) of Hungary and Croatia died in the battle. Thus the way was open to the Turks to Austria and to its main and capital city of Vienna. King Louis had not left an heir, and so the kingdom was left without a ruler. Under hereditary agreements, the Habsburg, Ferdinand I became king of the unconquered remainder of Hungary and was also selected by the Croatian aristocracy at the Congress of Cetin in 1527 as king of the areas of Croatia still free from the Turks. Those Croatian and Hungarian aristocrats, however, whose areas were situated in the area threatened by the Turks, did not want to be Habsburg subjects and selected John Zipolya, the Prince of Siebenbürgen (Transylvania), as a counter-king. The sad position of Croatia at this time was described by the Croatian noble, Bernadin Frankopan-Frangipani, when, in 1522 at the Congress of Nürnberg, he requested assistance from the emperor and the states of the Holy Roman Empire: "Study this and consider, enlightened Emperor and princes of the Holy Roman Empire, is there anywhere on earth a people who for such a long time were struck by so much misfortune and yet remained faithful to their faith? We have fought the Turks almost continuously for 80 years but we cannot resist their great power. They have thrashed the Greek empire, the Bulgarian czardom, the Bosnian kingdom, the Serbs and the Albanians. If we do not get any help, we can no longer remain in our villages. Either we submit to the insatiable dragon or we must move away and scatter all over the world" And so it came to pass: in the year 1529 Sultan Suleiman (1520-1556) arrived with an enormous army before the gates of Vienna and besieged the city during September and October. Royal troops under Count Nikolaus Salm and the citizens of the city put up a courageous and successful defense, even though an imperial army called upon by emperor Ferdinand for assistance remained inactive near Krems. During the Turkish advance, the actual siege, and later during the retreat from Vienna, the Turks destroyed all villages in their path as well as any around Vienna and kidnapped (enslaved) the inhabitants and also looted their possessions. The Turkish army withdrew to a distance of only three days march away from Vienna and organized themselves in the area of Lake Balaton, Hungary (Ed. - slightly east of the Burgenland - today a few hours from Heiligenkreuz), in order to strengthen and re-arm themselves for another assault on the city. In 1532, Sultan Suleiman set out again with a great army against Vienna in order to finally conquer the city. On its way it was halted at the small, weakly-fortified town of Güns (Koszeg), its castle defended by the Croatian Captain Nikola Juriic with a company of soldiers and 700 citizens and farmers. Güns offered embittered resistance to the Turks, and stopped them in their tracks until a Christian army had time to form before Vienna. When, after four weeks, imperial Cuirassiers (cavalry) emerged from Weiner Neustadt and struck back at the Turkish advance guard in a fight at the Leitha River, the Sultan, from fear of a large field battle, gave up the siege of Güns. Suleiman withdrew into the interior of Hungary and, during the course of the year, shifted large sections of his army back to Turkey. During the siege of Güns and also during the retreat of the Turkish army to Hungary, all the villages in its path, from one end to the other, were destroyed and burned, and their inhabitants - in Hungary, Lower Austria and Styria - kidnapped (enslaved). The Time of Resettlement As a result of the border wars of the 14th and 15th centuries, the Turkish invasions of 1529 and 1532, and the resulting severe economic problems, the affected parts of West Hungary, as well as the Austrian provinces of Lower Austria and Styria, suffered greatly. The villages were devastated and deserted. There was a shortage of farmers and tradesmen, who were necessary to restore the estates of the landlords, cultivate the land, and defend the country if necessary. Therefore, it is understandable that these aristocrats, whose estates were partly situated in the threatened areas of Croatia and partly in ruined West Hungary, were willing to risk everything to restore their properties. So the first Croatian families can already be found in the dominions of Eisenstadt by about 1515. In 1524, the Croatian aristocrat Michael Bucic received from Austrian Duke Ferdinand the right to live in Austria, "with many of his people." Also, the nobleman Franz Batthyány was given permission by Hungarian King Louis II to settle Croatian refugees on his estates in West Hungary. The presence of Croatian farmers in the vicinity of Ödenburg (Sopron) is documented in 1528. However, these new settlers either perished or were kidnapped during the Turkish sieges of Vienna in 1529 and Güns (Koszeg) in 1532. The second and largest wave of the resettlers started moving around the year 1533, when the Turkish army had retreated to the east. The courageous defender of Güns, Captain Nikola Juriic, had been ennobled and given expanses of land near Güns. On his invitation and, in addition, by promises of agents of the landlords, more than 100,000 Croats migrated according to instructions, in order to fill the devastated regions, estates and deserted villages again with new life. These settlers came mostly from the region near Otocac and also the valley of the Kupa River. The third wave of the resettlement continued in smaller groups in the years 1537-1543. The fourth wave lasted from 1556-1561 and the following fifth wave from 1565-1579. This last migration finally filled up all the deserted villages of middle and northern Burgenland, and spilled over the Leitha River into Lower Austria, over the Danube into the Marchfeld (area of very fertile soil near the March River on the border of Slovakia), and then past there into Slovakia and then Moravia. Since we have essentially limited the scope of this article to the fate of the West Hungary/Burgenland Croats, we will not further pursue the development of the Lower Austria, Slovakia and Moravia Croats. Therefore, we will just list only their populated villages here. On the north and south sides of the Danube - the villages stated here were partly or completely settled with Croats: Andlersdorf, Au am Leithagebirge (Cundrava), Berg, Breitensee, Breitenstetten, Ebergassing, Deutsch Altenburg, Engelshartstetten, Enzerdorf, Essling, Fischamend (Fiamienat), Götzendorf, Haringsee, Haslau (Hazlava), Hof (Cimof), Höflein, Kopfstetten (Gustetin), Groissenbrunn, Landegg, Lassee, Leopoldsdorf, Loimersdorf (Limitrof), Mannersdorf (Malitrof), Mansdorf, Maria Ellend (Jelent), Orth (ari Grad), Petronell (Petrlin), Pischelsdorf, Pframa, Pottendorf, Potzneusiedl (Lajtica), Rauchenwart, Regelsbrunn (Oterija), Scharndorf (Čundrof), Schlosshof, Schönabrunn, Sommerein, Wildungsmauer (Nevrlin), Wilfleinsdorf (Bilitrof), Wolfstal (Vucjak), Zwerndorf, Zwölfaxing. Along the Lower Austria/Slovakia boundary (see area II) Croats lived in the following places: Baumgarten, Mannersdorf, Jedenspeigen, Sierndorf, Drösling, Ringelsdorf, Hohenau, Rabensburg. Mentioned on the Slovakia side of the March are: Malacka, Dimburk and Hohtetna. Aside from these, two areas where Croatian settlers found refuge appear like oases. Area III, north of Wiener Neustadt, included the villages of Schnau, Günselsdorf and Teesdorf. The other area (IV), north of Stockerau, includes the villages of Streitdorf, Hatzenbach, Sterndorf, Roseldorf, Steinabrunn and Simonsdorf. In the area between Bratislava (Pressburg) and Trnava (Tyrnau), there lived Croats in more than 40 villages as well as in the small towns of Tyrnau, Modera and Bsing (Pezinok). However, their number was less than half of that of the West Hungarian Croats. Since their language, way of life and customs were close to that of the Slovaks, they soon became assimilated. The lesser Croatian aristocracy, city folk, farmers, workers and craftsmen left their old homeland in such large numbers that some areas of Croatia were left without inhabitants. The Croatian Congress in Topusko, 1535, selected two messengers, Ivan Tumpic and Michael Budiic, to bring their complaints about the resettlement to the attention of King Ferdinand of Austria. The most severe accusation was directed against the Austrian and Hungarian landlords, who had sent their messengers and agents to Croatia, in order to recruit farmers and to lure them north to their estates, where life was supposed to be better. The Congress requested that the King stop these landlords from recruiting farmers from Croatia. They also asked that an order be given that the emigrants should return immediately to their homeland, and that no one should be allowed to keep them from returning. In the bloody, more than 150-year fight against the Turks, from the second half of the 14th century up to the beginning of the 16th century, Croatia lived through a tragic paragraph of its history. Only a well-thought-out Austrian military system for the defense of its southeastern and southern borders (the concept of military boundaries areas), gradually stopped the raids of the Turks and the migration of the farmers came to a standstill. In the 16th century, these military boundary areas enlisted the major part of the threatened farmers and integrated them as soldier-farmers into the military system. The regiments educated from them were not only well equipped, but also well led and ranked among the best soldiers of Austria. They became well known as Krajner or Grenzer, as Uskoken, Hajduken, or Panduren, in all theaters, even after the Turkish danger had diminished. They fought under the Austrian flag in Empress Maria Theresia's wars, in the great battles against Napoleon, and finally in upper Italy under Radetszky. As a result of the Turkish wars, Croatia lost not only two thirds of its land, but also half of its inhabitants. The escape from the areas captured by the Turks and the emigration from the theater of war went as well to the west, to Istria and Italy, and to the north, to West Hungary, Lower Austria, Moravia, and Slovakia. Since, by far, the largest number of emigrants followed the road to the north, over Varadin, Steinamanger (Szombathley), Ödenburg (Sopron) and Pressburg (Bratislava), the majority settling in West Hungary, at the language border between Hungarians and Germans, (establishing a "seam"), we want to further pursue only this part of the Croats in their history. It is of particular interest from which areas of Croatia the resettlers came. Primarily it is the countryside of Slavonia, the region around Osijek, Poega, Virovitica and Krievci. Next, from the area of northern Bosnia, from the valleys of the Una, Sana, and Kupa Rivers. Then from the region of Glina, Kostajnica and Petrinja. And finally from the western areas of the Lika and Krbava Rivers, from the northern part Dalmatia and from the Croatian coastline, Hrvatsko Primorje. Although this movement has not yet been sufficiently investigated, we know about 200,000 people emigrated to 272 localities in the North. At the "Scientific Forum about the Burgenland Croats," which took place June 2-4, 1983 in Zagreb, the Croatian historian Dr. Valentic determined that of the 272 villages settled by Croats in the north, 177 were in western Hungary. Of those, 69 were in south Burgenland, 25 in central Burgenland and 24 in north Burgenland. There were a further 45 in the rest of Hungary and 47 in Moravia and in Slovakia. At present, the only villages remaining that still have inhabitants who understand Croatian are: 10 in south Burgenland, 12 in central Burgenland, 17 in north Burgenland, 7 in Hungary and two in Slovakia. Not only the aristocrats of Croatia, like the families Draskovic, Nadasdy, Kanizsay and their successor Zrinsky, but also the Hungarian noble families Erdody and Batthyány possessed expanded possessions both in Croatia and in west Hungary. And even after the capture of the fortress Sziget in 1556 and the conquest of Budapest by the Turks, this western section of Hungary remained the only free part of Hungary under the rule of the Habsburgs. The noble landlords settled their farmers only in this area, because these people could provide the greatest wealth and the safest capital for the landlords. An additional circumstance which had a large influence upon the migration was that the majority of the priests in Croatia were from the Franciscan Order. Even more so, the Croatian Franciscans were part the same ecclesiastical territory of that order as the Franciscans in Hungary and Slovakia. Thus good contact between Croatia and the monasteries and priests of the northern areas already existed before the Turkish wars. The Franciscans were therefore well known in the country, and so they could more easily persuade their parishioners to take a risky and difficult path. The migration, particularly the second, largest wave (1533) was organized and well prepared. Under the guidance of their pastor, the resettlers carried with them their church books, church ornaments, church banners, all of their transportable property including tools, cattle and wagons, even their handicrafts and folk art. Today, it is still handed down by word of mouth that the majority of the Croats east of Neusiedler See came from the area of northern Dalmatia and the Croats of the Wulka River plain (west of Neusiedler See) originated mostly from the coastal area. The Croats of central Burgenland, above all those from the vicinity of Sopron (Ödenburg), came from northern Bosnia. The family of the aristocrat Erldy settled its farmers from Slavonia on its possessions around Rotenturm and Rechnitz. And the noble family Batthyány brought its farmers from the environment of Kostajnica into the Pinkatal (Pinka River valley). Spoken by the farmers migrating from the theater of war around Kostajnica, the Stokavci dialect was predominent in this area of Burgenland even to the present day, while the remaining Burgenland Croats speak the Cakavci dialect. Around the old market towns Rechnitz and Schlaining, at the foot of the Günser mountain country, is a group of Croatian villages, whose inhabitants are called Vlahen (Walachs) by the neighboring Croats and also by the German Burgenlanders. The Vlahens settled here in the 16th century after migrating from the south and were a very homogeneous people. The Vlahen were different from the neighboring Germans and Croats, since they were free farmers and, in the official documents, are always referred to as Libertini (freemen). They were thus not indentured and could freely choose where to live. They could also not be obligated to cultivate anyone's land or serve anyone. Most of these Vlahen emigrated from northern Bosnia to west Hungary. One of their settlements is even today still called "Bosnjakov brig" and many family names in this area are Bosnjak (Bosnian). (End of Extracts) (To be continued as newsletter no. 71A.) SALZBURG COUNTER REFORMATION REFUGEES TO AMERICA AND HUNGARY In tracing the origin of our Burgenland families, we have clues that some were religious refugees as well as economic or political ones. I've been aware of the "Salzburgers" or Lutherans (Evangelical) who were forced to leave Salzburg when that area opted for Roman Catholicism. It was a particularly brutal "religious cleansing". The refugees went any place where they could find asylum. While I have no proof, it's very probable some ended up in southern Burgenland, since the Batthyány were very tolerant and we know that today there are about 35 thousand Lutherans in the predominantly Catholic Burgenland. My own Lutheran Berghold ancestors probably migrated there from Styria. The following book review concerns this Salzburg migration: SALZBURG EXPULSION LISTS WILL BE A BIG HELP - Reviewed by Horst Reschke [The author writes a regular column in HERITAGE QUEST magazine http://www.heritagequest.com/genealogy/magazine/ on Germanic subjects.] THE SALZBURGER EXPULSION LISTS, edited by Lewis Bunker Rohrbach, Picton Press, Rockport, Maine, October 1999. Grief and pain are not modern inventions. Refugees, expellees, victims of "ethnic cleansing," were not the exclusive domain of a Kosovo. History is replete with examples of man's inhumanity to man. For a case in point, we go back in time to an event that occurred about two and a half centuries ago, in Salzburg, Austria. In 1723, Roman Catholic Archbishop Leopold von Firmian felt committed to rooting out Protestantism in his territory. To accomplish this, he issued a proclamation promising to compel all Protestants in Salzburg either to become Catholics or to leave the territory. This turned some 30,000 Lutherans into refugees. Then, in order to sweep Salzburg clean of Protestant elements, the Archbishop issued his notorious 1731 expulsion order, mandating that all remaining Protestants, some 21,475 people, leave at once. But for the Protestant princes in Germany (Ed. Note: - perhaps Hungary also?), who took pity on the refugees and granted them a refuge, they would have been destitute. As it turned out in many, if not in all instances, the sturdy, hard-working, stalwart Salzburgers became an asset to the sovereign who allowed them to stay and settle in his state. The King of Prussia, for example, fared extremely well with the Salzburg refugees, whom he granted asylum and land in his eastern-most province of East Prussia. The various lists in German, which a genealogist had to look up in order possibly to find an ancestor, amounted to a giant headache, which probably doubled if he or she was not schooled in the German language. It should therefore come as joyous news to all people of "Salzburger Protestants" genealogy, that a book has been published, nay, is hot off the press this month, which will be a better tool than all previous list compilations combined. In fact, that is what the book THE SALZBURGER EXPULSION LISTS is, a consolidation of all previously-constructed lists of Salzburg Protestants. The 685-page English-language tome is the more useful because, in addition, it contains a 30-page "Family and Individual Index." The core of the book consists of the essence of four previously compiled sources, namely the STAMMBUCH DER OSTPREUSSISCHEN SALZBURGER (register of East Prussian Salzburgers), compiled in 1934, in East Prussia, by Hermann Gollub; ALPHABETISCHES REGISTER DER PERSONENNAMEN IN DEN SALZBURGER EMIGRATIONSLISTEN (alphabetical register of names in the Salzburg emigration lists) compiled and published by Herbert Nolde, in 1972. A second edition followed in 1980. Then Mr. Nolde's son, Manfred, published the result of rearranging his father's effort and expanding it, giving it the title DIE SALZBURGER EMIGRANTEN: ALPHABETISCHES REGISTER AND QUELLENAUSZUG DER PERSONENNAMEN IN DEN SALZBURGER EMIGRATIONSLISTEN (The Salzburg Emigrants: alphabetical register and abstract of names in the Salzburg Emigration Lists). Also used as potent sources on the Salzburg Emigrants subject, as featured in this new book were: Detailed Reports on the Salzburger Emigrants Who Settled in America: 1733-1760, by J.M. Bolzius and I.C. Gronau (Picton Press, Rockport, Maine 1968-1995) and The Salzburger Saga: Religious Exiles and Other Germans Along the Savannah, by George Fenwick Jones, (Picton Press, Camden, Maine, 1983 and 1997). The publisher, Picton Press, should be congratulated for tackling this monumental project and producing it in a timely manner, as well as with an attractive cover. One clarifying aspect bears mentioning if you should not find your Salzburger surname spelled in exactly the way in which your family uses it. Hermann Gollub, in his extensive foreword to his lists compilation, points out that, prior to 1875, "there was no fixed official spelling of surnames." The exotic sound of the Salzburg dialect, which anyone who has ever heard it, can confirm, would have driven a Prussian list-maker or note-taker or in whatever official capacity he may have functioned, to distraction. Thus, variations will have occurred. Some are noted in the book, but it stands to reason that not all of them could be accommodated. Written and reviewed by Horst Reschke. Previously published by Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG, Missing Links: RootsWeb's Genealogy Journal, Vol. 4, No. 41, 6 October 1999. RootsWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com/ (This newsletter continues as no. 70B) THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 70B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by G.J. Berghold) December 15, 1999 This third section of the 3 section newsletter has information concerning: - the Need for Immigrant Stories, - LDS-Published Genealogy Holdings, - the Term "Windisch", - Term Cadastra=Urbar, - Latin Terms Again, - Christmas Time in the Pocono's, and - URL and Member Changes. HAVE YOU WRITTEN YOUR BURGENLAND IMMIGRANT'S STORY? (G. Berghold) The way to memorialize your Burgenland immigrant ancestors is by publishing their story or "Auswandererschicksal". A few well chosen paragraphs of the details surrounding their migration is all that's necessary. The who, what, when, where and why of their courageous act, perhaps a brief commentary of their success (or lack of same) in the new world and some words concerning the number and general location of their descendants. You don't have to have all of the data like trip agenda, exact date of arrival or the name of the ship, but the more you have the better the story. You need not be a professional writer, we'll be glad to edit your efforts and run it through our spelling and grammar checker. We might even have some information to add to what you send us. A sample story can be found in BB newsletter no. 39A. There are others in the archives. They are a regular feature in the German language Burgenländische Gemeinschaft News. With the advent of the Millennium, it will be over 100 years since many Burgenland emigrants migrated. It won't be long before many of their stories are lost forever, with only a few dates in old records remaining in obscure places. Those of us who are tracing the stories of even earlier immigrants know how hard it is to find data that could easily have been recorded by those who once had the facts. If only our ancestors had archived just a few more details! Do your ancestors, yourself and your descendants the honor and immortality of adding your family's immigrant story to the archives. Articles received will be edited and returned to you for approval. (In the interests of privacy, data concerning lives in being should be excluded.) They will then be published in subsequent issues of the BB newsletter (you'll be told when). If you like, they can also be made available for publication in the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft newsletter, which is distributed to Burgenland emigrants and their descendants throughout the world. Better yet, you can also share them with your grandchildren. In an epilogue to one of my genealogies, I write in Lehigh Valley Deutsch: "Wenn Sie die Familie Namen zu dein Enkel-Kindern geben, Denn wollen Sie und dein Vorfahren im Herz und Errinnerung leben." (If you pass on the family names to your grandchildren, then you and your ancestors will achieve immortality in their hearts and memories.) Let the year 2000 be the year your family's immigrant story was written and archived. While many stories concerning Güssing district emigrants have been written, there have been very few for those of the other six districts. Why not be one of the first. LDS-PUBLISHED GENEALOGY HOLDINGS (by G. Berghold) We are very fortunate in that the LDS has such a large collection of Burgenland church and civil records. One can spend months scanning them. As a result, we may miss some of the other material available. One group which should be searched are the copies of printed genealogies that they've collected or received from patrons. Experts will tell you to always check for a published genealogy. I've found this is rarely fruitful unless one has a famous ancestor whose life triggered a biography or genealogy. Within the last few decades; however, the genealogy bug has bitten so many people that more and more genealogies of undistinguished families are being privately published. The LDS is often given a copy and, thus, chances of finding a link are continuously improving. I published two genealogies a few years ago. One for my Burgenland ancestors and one for my wife's Palatinate (Penna. German) ancestors. I had reached a point in my research where I was well and truly stuck and thought it was a good time to publish what I had. I gave copies to local libraries, historical societies and the LDS (I included a Gedcom submission as well, so my data is also in the Ancestral File). Just recently I checked the internet LDS genealogy holdings. I looked to see if my data was in their index. I found both, aptly described with notations as to contents and even better, they've been microfilmed and thus are available in that media (books can rarely be ordered from the LDS). When I sent them my genealogies, I gave them full permission to copy, film and distribute. I received a nice thank you letter and it has taken about two years for them to add my material to their index files (I understand two to three years is average - the LDS has a tremendous amount of material to be microfilmed, indexed and filed - one contact who saw their load of material said, "imagine a large room full of wash baskets of film, computer disks and printed material, stacked to the ceiling.") In addition the LDS is still microfilming records everywhere (see Konigshofer article concerning Hungarian civil records 1896-forward which are coming online). To find a genealogy, search the LDS index using author or family name. You just may find a link. It will pay to check the index every so often to find new additions. I needn't dwell on the absolute need to send the LDS copies of any genealogies you may have published (as well as a Gedcom of your data). Future generations will bless you. WINDISCH - A REGIONAL TERM FOR THE SLAVIC PEOPLES CALLED "SLOVENE" John Lavendoski asks Albert Schuch to comment on the term "Windish" as it pertains to groups prevalent in the Burgenland, Hungary and in the new Republic of Slovenia (formerly part of Yugoslavia and, prior to 1918, the Austro/Hungarian province of Carniola). John writes: "So then, is the term 'Windish' some sort of (racial) slur or pejorative?" Albert answers: Yes and No. Basically it is an alternative word in German language (mainly used in dialect) for "Slovenian". According to the article I sent: Sunday, May 31, 1998: BETHLEHEM AND MURSKA SOBOTA TO CELEBRATE TWO YEARS AS SISTER CITIES, by Sonia Csencsits, The Morning Call] Slovenians of Bethlehem call themselves Windish. In the Morning Call Archives, I also found evidence of a "St. John's Windish Lutheran Church" and a "Windish Lutheran Sick and Benefit Society" in Bethlehem. Surely they would not use the name if they felt it was pejorative. I think we have a similar situation here as with the standard German "Kroaten" and the dialect "Krowod(n)": The dialect word is probably often used in a pejorative way, so it is getting a negative connotation. I grew up with only dialect spoken in the family and "Krowod" to me was just another normal word. In high school, some of my schoolmates were Croatians. They told me they didn't like to be called "Krowod" because, for them, it had this negative, pejorative connotation. So I stopped using the dialect word, although I had used it without the slightest intention to insult anybody. Similar situation with the Gypsies: they have been called "Zigeuner" for centuries, and today they insist to be called "Roma", because "Zigeuner" has been used in pejorative ways so often. Another example is the name Hianzen [spelled "Heantsn"] for our local German "tribe" of Southern and Central Burgenland. There is an ongoing dispute as to whether it is a mockery name given to us by the neighboring Styrians or (Lower) Austrians or not. Again it depends on how people feel about it. The last years have seen something like a renaissance of a pride in the Hianzish dialect and heritage, a Hianzish Society has been founded etc. When the Burgenland was about to be founded in 1919, Austrian politicians first came up with the name "Heinzenland" ("Heinzen" being the standard German word for the dialect word "Hianzen"). The German population of the Neusiedler See area, today's northern Burgenland, refused to accept such a name. They insisted that they were not to be called Hianzish. Again, there is no easy yes or no answer to your question. With Windish and Slovenian, one also has to keep in mind that the words are very different. The Slovenians, as a small nation (now also an independent country after centuries of foreign rule), probably have an interest that all members of their nation can be easily identified as such. Extracts of the article from the Morning Call archives follows: Sunday, May 31, 1998 BETHLEHEM (PA) AND MURSKA SOBOTA TO CELEBRATE TWO YEARS AS SISTER CITIES by Sonia Csencsits, The Morning Call The bond between Bethlehem to its Slovenian Sister City Murska Sobota will be strengthened next month with the second anniversary celebration of the Sister City partnership. A highlight of the celebration will be the visit of Dimitrij Rupel, the Ambassador of Slovenia to the United States and the United Mexican States, who will be guest speaker for next Sunday's anniversary dinner. Said Rupel, a college professor, former mayor and Slovenia official who has served as ambassador for six months, "I am an old student of America. And, I am an admirer of this country. I am glad to be here." Of his visit to Bethlehem, he said, "I would love to meet every Slovenian, of whatever generation. I will be delighted to be of assistance for any projects or plans for the people of Bethlehem. I am full of joy when I say this. "I have always cherished the Sister City program. As Mayor of Ljubljana I encouraged the people to get in touch with our Sister Cities. Regarding this relationship between Bethlehem and Slovenia; I find this connection important in terms of ongoing relations between Slovenia and the United States. It is good for our people to have found each other. "There were problems connected with certain falsities of the historical population of the United States who were called Windish, which was an Austrian/German misnomer. "Now that we've settled our problems we are undergoing a tremendous boost and I am very happy that I can help. I shall do whatever I can do. We shall be engaged in any events." Stephen Antalics, of Wayne, has delved extensively into the Windish question. In an article he wrote for a Slovenian publication, Antalics said that Windish is a word derived from the German word "Vend" used to distinguish between groups of Slavs in the early 1600s. The word Windish, which is used to identify Slovenes, is used only in the City of Bethlehem. Others who emigrated to America and moved into Slovene communities let go of the word Wend, and learned about their true Slovenian ethnic origins, Antalics said. The Bethlehem Slovenian/Windish community draws members from the congregations of St. Joseph's Slovenian Roman Catholic Church and St. John's Evangelical Windish Lutheran Church, and from the communities surrounding Bethlehem. Murska Sobota, a town of 20,000, became the third Sister City for Bethlehem in June 1996 and joined Tondabayashi, Japan, and Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. Slovenia, once part of Yugoslavia, declared its independence in June 1991 and adopted its constitution in December 1991. Nestled between Austria, Hungary, Italy and Croatia, the ethnic population of about 2 million includes 91 percent Slovene, 3 percent Croat, 2 percent Serb, 1 percent Muslim and 3 percent other nationalities. The country is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. Manufacturing and mining offer the largest number of employment opportunities. (end of extract) Ed. Note: BB Newsletter 34 covered the development of the term "Windisch" (as explained above) in some detail. TERM CADASTRA EQUALS URBAR (Bob Schatz answers question in BB News No. 69B) Bob writes: I'm sure that you've gotten input on this already, but I wanted to respond to the request for info on the "1766 Cadastra" mentioned in the last newsletter. "Cadastra" is another designation for Urbar or Urbarium (the other German term is "Kadaster"). The 1766-67 Urbaria are available for research on LDS microfilm. The only number I have is for Vas County, villages from L-O: 1529798; I'm sure that numbers above and below that one extend the series. The 1766-67 urbarial survey was the result of the urbarial reforms issued by Maria Theresia after "The Farmers' Unrest" of 1765-66. As you know, urbaria only record the heads of each household in a village and the amount of land they held as tenants of their manor or domain, along with the obligations owed as "rent." As such, they're not censuses as we know them in that they do not record whole families. LATIN TERMS AGAIN (G. Berghold) Those old Hungarian Latin terms keep causing our members trouble. We have written a half dozen articles or more on the subject, but here we go again. A recent inquirer writes: << Could use some help with a Latin word. A number of my Hungarian ancestors are listed as "inquilinus" or "tenant farmers." Suddenly, I have come across one who is listed as "subinquilinus." YIKES!! Does that mean he was "less than a farmer" or "worked under a peasant farmer" or was a "retired peasant farmer." Or even something else. I would appreciate any help with this. >> ANSWER: In the pre-1848 period, when only the aristocracy could "own" land, many degrees of tenant relationship were developed. Many were carried over into the post-1848 period. As the original (more or less equal) village "sessio" plots of land came under new ownership or inheritance transfers and became larger, the possibility of tenants leasing part of their holdings to sub-tenants arose. Thus subinquilinus is, in effect, the tenant of a tenant. Consider a "Söllner" (only owned a house), whose livelihood would have been to raise or work grapes in a rented vineyard, which was in turn "rented" from the aristocracy by someone else as part of a larger "inheritable" holding. There were also cases of "retired" or older tenants whose children were incapable or not interested in working the holding, thus a sub-tenant would be found. Pre- or post-1848, a tenant did not want to give up his inheritable "right" to pass on a desirable tenancy. A relationship unknown in American land ownership, although some share croppers did hire help and even provided a dwelling of sorts. Some of the Scottish crofter arrangements are similar. You may also be interested in the following partial extract from one of our newsletters: MORE ON TERMINOLOGY (from Fritz Königshofer) Subject - Terminology on farmers etc., From "Glossarium mediae et infimae Latinitatis Regni Hungariae," Teubner, Leipzig, 1901, we now have clarity on the meaning of octavalista. It is, as Albert (Schuch) has suggested, the term for a full farmer who owns (or tills) at least one eighth of a sessio. In the words of the glossarium: 'octavalista: colonus; dominus octavae partis unius sessionis; in Hungarian: nyolczadtelkes.' The word is related to "quartalista," the tiller of the fourth part of a sessio. Half of a sessio was called "media sessio," while a full sessio was "integra sessio." However, I found no term describing the owner or tiller of these larger sizes. The word "colonus" is defined as "qui domino operales vectigales praestat, operarius colonus;" My Latin deserts me on this text and perhaps one of you could enlighten the meaning. The Hungarian translation, however, is given as jobbgy-gazda; jobbgy; and paraszt. Famu(o)lus is translated to "szolg", which I believe is the Hungarian word for servant or employee. Agricola is (surprisingly) not defined in this book. However, it is defined in the new, not yet finished, Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae. Accordingly, "agricola" is a person "qui agrum colit" (who tills the field); agricultor; arator. The Hungarian translation is stated as "földmüves; szntvet." To my surprise, in the older (Teubner) dictionary, "neocolonus" states "v.[vide??] zingarus" while zingarus describes a gypsy... I can't believe this translation. By the way, from another Hungarian-Latin dictionary, I got the translation of zsellér as "inquilinus." I have frequently encountered inquilinus in my search, but have so far always translated it as somebody who lives (in rent) in somebody else's house. However, I would agree that the translation to Söllner (zsellér?) would make much more sense since, as I wrote before, I have not been able so far to make out a Latin word for the many Söllners who no doubt were recorded in the matrikels, but I have often come across inquilinus or sub-inquilinus. A BURGENLAND CHRISTMASTIME IN THE POCONO'S (also by Anna Kresh) What a weekend!! For the first time Rudy and I attended the Walt Groller Christmastime Weekend in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. It was truly an unforgettable experience. The food and camaraderie were great, and the music was fantastic. There was something to do or hear the entire weekend from 2:00 p.m. Friday afternoon until 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Three bands -- the Walt Groller and Joe Weber Orchestras from the Lehigh Valley, and Marv Herzog from Frankenmuth, Michigan -- played Christmas music and all the old familiar German and Burgenländer tanzlieder. There was virtually non-stop dancing and singing, except when we were eating those wonderful meals prepared by the Pocono Manor kitchen, while youth choir members sang carols and strolling musicians played our requests. There was a delightful Christmas Concert by Norman and Rhonda Stull and Family -- reminiscent of the von Trapp Family Singers. I believe Norman is the saxophonist/flutist for the Walt Groller Orchestra. He and his wife operate a music school. There were Walt Groller's European travel videos; an old-fashioned carol sing; polka, waltz and line dance lessons in the Ballroom; and Groller music for Sunday Mass. Walt is sponsoring three trips this coming year - a 2-week trip in July that includes the Oberammergau Passion Play (waiting list only); a tour of the Canadian Rockies; and the annual winter cruise at the end of January--this year to Ft. Lauderdale, the Florida Keys, Cozomel, Cancun, the Grand Cayman Islands, etc. Some people have attended all 17 Christmastime weekends, originally held at the Buck Hill Inn, then moved in 1990 to Mount Pocono. There were 380 attendees and many seem to use this time for family reunions in the old world atmosphere of which our parents spoke so often. Nineteen members of the Ifkovits clan were there from the states of CT, SC, NJ, NY, PA -- I'm sure I missed someone. Two other attendees are planning to join our BB group. Burgenland Bunch members Ed Ifkovits (CT) and Bill and Helen Stubits (PA) were there, along with Ed Ifkovits (a Northampton High School classmate of mine) and his wife Gerri from SC. Our three families are still trying to sort through a maze of Kroatisch Tschantschendorf records to find our common links. As my husband Rudy says, "you're all related" -- actually, I can't tell you what he really says. I had so been looking forward to meeting Lori Ifkovits after all of our BB email, but sadly, she was still recovering from a recent illness and was unable to attend. I finally got to meet the CT Ed Ifkovits (Ifkyel) and Bill and Helen Stubits, but Bill became ill before Friday evening's cocktail party and spent at least the weekend in the local hospital with a suspected heart attack that I believe was finally diagnosed as a case of angina. We hope and pray that everyone has since recovered. Some of the most enjoyable activities of the weekend happened after-hours, when out came the delicious pastries, the Jagermeister, and those wonderful button boxes. BB member Ed Ifkovits (CT) and his cousin John Szerensits are superb accordionists who, accompanied Richard Bienick on the Boom-Bas (in various hilarious costumes), captivated us with all the old tunes. Imagine the sight of at least 100 revelers marching, singing and dancing through the halls to the sounds of "Muss Ich Denn" at 2:00 a.m. rousing everyone foolish enough to try sleeping. That's gemütlichkeit!! BURGENLAND BUNCH INTERNET LINKS - ADDITIONS, REVISIONS 12/15/99 (from Internet/URL Editor Anna Tanczos Kresh) BURGENLAND BUNCH MEMBERS' HOME PAGES o Nielsen, Ralph http://homepages.tesco.net/~ralphnielsen - The East Riding of Yorkshire, England; Strodl Family Tree o Lavendoski, John http://208.55.13.178/family_tree001.htm - Texas; Jurasits/Yurasits Family Tree CROATIAN INTERNET LINKS o Croatian Villages http://www.nn.hr/Glasilo/97/0209a.htm - List of Croatian villages by county (Lea Buzby) GENEALOGY RESEARCH LINKS (OTHER) o Genealogy.com http://www.genealogy.com/ - database search, software, CDs, free home pages, how-to articles, newsletters, links, etc. o WW-II Military Research http://www.uwm.edu/~jpipes/contacts.html - Addresses for Information and Research; - list of contacts for information on WW-II German soldiers; MIAs and KIAs; - see also SS Divisions http://www.uwm.edu/~jpipes/ssdivs.html (Lea Buzby) HUNGARIAN INTERNET LINKS o About Hungary http://www.mezo.com/Hungary/hungary.html - Good short synopsis of Hungary's history (reinstated - site online again) o Hungarian Lutheran Church http://www.lutheran.hu/ - Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary (new address) MAP SITES ON THE INTERNET o Croatian Maps http://www.applicom.com/maps/ - Maps of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Lea Buzby) SEARCH ENGINES o Public Voice Österreichische Suchmaschinen http://www.public.co.at/public/ - (reinstated - site online again) MISCELLANEOUS - Bob Unger sent an interesting site. (It will not be added to our links page, but you may find it interesting.) o Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.net - (work in progress) library of online books in the public domain (currently 2,250 entries and growing daily - 30 to 40 books added per week); - try searching on "German" language only (with no other entries); - many books by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. MEMBER CHANGES NEW Marlene Tschida Bryan; Kaiserslautern, Germany, researching TSCHIDA, KRACHER from Apetlon settled in Morrison County, MN, approximately 1880. Michael Dorner; Minneapolis, MN. DORNER, GUTTMANN, Burg (Hannersdorf). Settled in Chicago Gary Fink, Chula Vista, CA. FINK, FARIKAS (FARKAS?), SCHWANN, UNGER,MULLNER, CSIDA (TSCHIDA?), MICHLITS. Wallern. Ty Keller; Rowlett, TX. TRAUTMAN, TRAUPMAN, TRAUPMANN. Güssing (Glasing), settled in Bethlehem, PA. Rachael M. Lane; Pinson, AL. RECKER, STIMPFL, EBERHARDT, KROBOTH. Güssing. Settled in or around New York, NY Joe Liebezeit; Arcata, CA . LIEBEZEIT, HOFFMANN, MALITS, TASCHNER, Reinersdorf, Settled: Pittsburg, PA (early 1920's) Frank Paukowits; New York, NY. PAUKOWITS (Winten-Eberau) settled in the NYC area in the 1920's; KARLOVITS ( Winten): JAUTZ, BODISCH (Glasing); MAGDITS. Horvath (Punitz) settled in the New Jersey area in the 1920's. Ronald Suchodolski; Chicago,Il. KAIPEL (KEIPPEL); Riedlingsdorf. Norlene Tchida; Tempe,AZ. TSCHIDA, TSIDA, WEGLEITNER, GRUBER, KOLLER, VOLKERDORFER, IHOLBAUER, MAN, Illmitz. Settled in Marshall County, SD. Edmund Traupmann; Wayne, NJ. TRAUPMANN, (grandfather), PAUKOVITS (grandmother). Glassing bei Gussing John Michael Tschida; White Bear Lake, MN. TSCHIDA, Apetlon. Settled in St. Paul, Minn Joyce Vogrin; Huntington Beach, CA. STROHRIGL from Harka, (Magyarfalva), Sopron Megye, Hungary. Settled in Chicago. REINSTATE (Cancelled in error) Jolan E. Fagerberg; Fort Collins, CO. OSWALD (or Oszwald) and HORVATH. Vasvárósvár:, now Rotentrum an der Pinka. They did not emigrate, I did from Hungary in 1956. CORRECTION Helga Yautz, Bayonne, NJ. WAGNER, Punitz; SVETITS, Steinfurt. (Address Change) John C. Seitz, Southern Shores, NC. SEITZ, ALBERT, BIEBER/BEIBER, Güssing. All settled in Easton, PA. area. (address change) UPDATED DATA Michelle Belusar, Santa Clara, CA. ZONCSICH & SCHATOVICH; Frank Zoncsich and Sidonia Schatovich were born in Unterpullendorf-Alsopulya (Central Burgenland) and emigrated to South Bend, IN around 1903. Additional family names from Unterpullendorf include PRIKOSZOVITS, TESCH, MEISLER, KOCSIS, DOMNANITS, and BILLISICH. 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 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) 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.