BB News No. 75 dtd 29 Feb 2000

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS No. 75 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly) February 29, 2000 (all rights reserved) "Genealogists live in the past lane." - Ralph Nielsen THE 75TH BB NEWS! 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't help with non-Burgenland family history. Comments and articles are appreciated. Please add your name to email, otherwise we must search large membership lists. Staff and web site addresses are listed at the end of each newsletter section "B". This first section of the 3 section newsletter contains Some BB Anniversary Historical Highlights, a series of family names; Jurasits Name in Viennese Residency Records, Dongisch Name and Spelling of Family Names; Family Name Venus, an Hungarian Name Change; Jakes, and a Croatian Name Change. SOME BB 75TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS Issue No. 1 dtd 11 Jan. 1997 * THE BB IS BORN - Introduction - (Distributed to 9 contacts.) I've just faced up to the fact that we really are a Burgenland genealogical group. I've decided that I might as well issue an occasional informal newsletter... I'd like to keep this simple and interesting and not get too sophisticated or involved... (Hah - little did I know what I was getting into!) BB NEWS No. 4 dtd Feb. 5, 1997 * HAP ANDERSON DEVELOPS BURGENLAND BUNCH HOMEPAGE! Kudos to Hap Anderson for the superb job he did putting together a Burgenland Bunch Homepage. If you haven't seen it, do so immediately! It's a treat! I can't offer enough superlatives. It will help us all by increasing our Burgenland research contacts. (and it did!) BB NEWS No. various 1997-98 * MEMBERS VOLUNTEER - EDITORS, CONTRIBUTING EDITORS, GRAPHICS DESIGN AND HOMEPAGE HELP (see Staff for Names of Present Volunteers - wish I had space to list all of the contributors) BB NEWS No. 26 dtd December 31, 1997 * ALBERT SCHUCH BECOMES BURGENLAND EDITOR & CONTRIBUTES "ALBERT'S VILLAGE LIST" AND THE "VILLAGE SERIES" (One of many superb contributions!) This edition of the newsletter contains articles on Tschanigraben (the Father Leser Series), BURGENLAND VILLAGE DATA FROM THE PATER GRATIAN ANTON LESER, O. F. M. (1873-1949) EXCERPTS (continued from letters nos. 21-25; by Albert Schuch) BB NEWS No. 26A dtd December 31, 1997 * BB GROWS & GROWS Glückliches Neujahr! I am both amazed and gratified at how our membership has grown during this first year of publication... If we have another ten-fold increase in membership some changes will have to be made, but we'll see what the future brings. * TRIP REPORTS BECOME FEATURED ITEMS (One of many!) A PERSONAL APPROACH TO BURGENLAND GENEALOGY (by Robert F. Unger) "I recently wrote to share my joy in actually finding living Unger blood relatives in Burgenland." BB NEWS No. 31 dtd March 15, 1998 * BB INTERVIEWED BY RADIO AUSTRIA This edition of the newsletter contains articles on the village of Deutsch Tschantschendorf (no. 20 of the Father Leser series), Recent BB Coverage on ORF (Austrian Radio-we started getting international coverage) BB NEWS No. 37A dtd June 15, 1998 * FRITZ KÖNIGSHOFER BECOMES AUSTRIAN EDITOR & CONTRIBUTES MANY ARTICLES FROM PAST & PRESENT (One of many!) BURGENLAND EMIGRATION AS GLIMPSED FROM "DER VOLKSFREUND" (excerpts, translations and article by Fritz Königshofer) BB NEWS SPECIAL EDITION No. 33A dtd April 15, 1998 * ANNA KRESH BECOMES INTERNET EDITOR & DEVELOPS URL LIST In our ongoing efforts to bring you Burgenland information, we are instituting a new service. The number of sites dealing with genealogy and the Burgenland are increasing rapidly. As a result the Burgenland Bunch has added a new Staff Position, that of Internet/URL Editor. Anna Kresh, who you know for her many newsletter articles, has agreed to fill this position. BB NEWS No. 55 dtd April 15, 1999 * ALBERT SCHUCH BEGINS OZ SERIES The queries # 1 to # 3 were printed in the OZ on 7 April, following a short introductory article entitled: "Was wurde eigentlich aus ..." Translation: What ever became of ...our relatives in America? BB NEWS No. 55B dtd April 15, 1999 * MIDWEST PICNIC BECOMES ANNUAL SOCIAL EVENT * WORLDGENWEB QUERY BOARD ESTABLISHED BY CHARLES WARDELL SECOND ANNUAL MIDWEST BURGENLAND PICNIC (from Susan M. Peters) Hi Everyone, Mark your calendars! Hap Anderson has made the reservations for the picnic at Wabun Park, adjacent to Minnehaha Park, in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Midwest chapter of the Burgenland Bunch. Same place as last year. WORLD GEN WEB POSTINGS - G. Berghold I am very pleased that our BB members are reading these queries and posting answers. A great way to share our data. All queries are archived and can found at WGW-Burgenland, part of WorldGenWeb-Austria hosted by Charles Wardell. BB NEWS No. 55A dtd April 15, 1999 * FRANK TEKLITS TRANSLATES "VOLK AN DER GRENZE" This second section of the 3 section newsletter is the first installment of The Teklits Translation of "Volk an der Grenze ..." (People on the Border), the history of the Croatians in Burgenland, written by Johann Dobrovich. BB NEWS No. 59 dtd June 15, 1999 * CHARLES WARDELL INSTRUMENTAL IN HAVING BB NEWSLETTERS DISTRIBUTED VIA ROOTS-L We are 2 1/2 years old. Like the terrible two of childhood, we are very active! Membership is over 320 and we now represent most villages in the Burgenland which sent immigrants to America....Due to the size of the group, I can no longer efficiently distribute newsletters via my AOL email facilities. Effective with issue number 61, newsletters will be distributed via a list service provided by Roots Web, the same organization that hosts our WGW posting board. BB NEWS No. 63B dtd August 31, 1999 * JOHN LAVENDOSKI COPIES SZT PETERFA CHURCH RECORDS-FIRST USE OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY TO COPY BURGENLAND RECORDS My Family Trip to Austria and Hungary And My Attempt to Digitally Photograph Various Church Records by John Lavendoski...(Ed. Note: a resounding success). BB NEWS No. 67 dtd October 31, 1999 * NEW SEARCHABLE ARCHIVES BECOME AVAILABLE FROM ROOTS-L BB NEWS No. 71 dtd December 31, 1999 * LARGE MEMBERSHIP MAKES IT NECESSARY TO FORMALIZE SIGN-UP PROCEDURES IN PLACE OF THE REGULAR NEWSLETTER WE ARE PUBLISHING A STATEMENT OF OUR OBJECTIVES AND OUR NEW MEMBER INVITATION AND WELCOME LETTERS. BB NEWS No. 75 dtd February 29, 2000 * 75TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE DISTRIBUTED TO 478 MEMBERS (end of article) JURASITS NAME IN VIENNA RESIDENCY RECORDS (Fritz Königshofer to John Lavendoski et al) (Ed. Note: Among the more difficult tasks in tracing ancestors is finding them again if they relocate. We like to imagine that families in earlier times remained in one place, but there was almost as much movement as today. Once moved, they're lost. As indicated below; however, many families from the Burgenland region migrated to the capital seeking work. While the Viennese church records are not easy to find, the residency records are available from the LDS. As people entered or left Vienna (and other Empire cities), residency cards were required and put on file. The LDS has filmed some and if you've lost an ancestor, it may be worthwhile to scan them. They can be found partially alphabetized in the LDS Index under Austria-Vienna-Domicile Records-numbers are in the 1325000 microfilm series.) Fritz writes: In the course of giving a hand to descendents of a Juracsics family who lived in the Vienna of the early 20th century, I studied the microfilm with the Vienna residency records of the time as available from LDS. So far, I managed to find the right film with the male registrations. In this section of film, there are quite a few Jurasits who had come to Vienna in search of work or to gain a foothold, and who hailed from Szentpéterfa. Let me first give you merely a summary of what I found. More detailed notes are available, in case you are interested. The Vienna registrations use German first names. I have added the Hungarian equivalents. In this e-mail, I will limit myself to the registration entries I found of the Jurasits from Prostrum (Szentpéterfa), their birth dates, and when they lived/visited Vienna. Spelling is as found in the records. All the ones I am listing were born in Szentpéterfa, and were roman-catholic. Andras Juraschic, b. 10 Nov. 1891, in Vienna in 1910 Anton (Antal) Juraschitz, b. 8 Jan. 1872, belonging to Unterwart, other spellings Juracsitz, Jurasits, Jurasitsch; in Vienna several times between 1907 and 1915; married; wife in the home town (which was likely Unterwart) Franz (Ferenc) Juraschitz, b. 24 Jan. 1895; belonging to Szombathely; in Vienna 1911 Franz Juraschitz, b. 15 March 1884; belonging to Szombathely; in Vienna 1902 and 1911 Franz Jurasics, b. 5 Nov. 1876; married; wife Rosalia Jurasics, born 13 May 1877; in Vienna 1909 Franz Juraschitz, b. 7 Nov. 1892; belonging to Szombathely; in Vienna 1910 Georg (György) Jurasic, b. about 1853; wife in Hungary; in Vienna 1903 Johann (Jänos) Jurasits, b. 1862; married; in Vienna 1904 (?) Johann Jurasits, b. 23 Jan. 1892 in Kroatisch Ernschdorf [Ehrensdorf?], Hungary; in Vienna 1909; departed Vienna on 3 Nov. 1909 for America [This is the only one I am including in this list who was not born in Szentpéterfa, though relatively nearby.] Josef (József) Jurasits, b. about 1888/89; in Vienna 1905 Josef Jurasics, b. about 1870/71; married; in Vienna 1903 Josef Juraschitz, b. 27 Aug. 1893; belonging to Szombathely; in Vienna 1911 Julius (Gyula) Jurasitz, b. 1884 (?); in Vienna 1902 Stefan (Istvän) Juraschitz, b. 22 June 1883; in Vienna 1904 and 1914; married between 1904 and 1914; wife Theresia; drafted into the military from 30 August 1914 Stefan Jurasitz, b. 16 March 1883; in Vienna 1910; single [This could be the same person as above, with only the minor discrepancy in birth date] Stefan Jurasits, b. 27 Sept. 1893 (?); in Vienna 1910 Stefan Jurasits, b. 14 Dec. 1889; in Vienna 1910 Stefan Jurasic, b. 10 Aug. 1879; married; wife in Hungary; in Vienna 1909 John, many of these Jurasits from Prostrum lived at the same or similar addresses in Vienna, mostly in the 12th district, called Meidling. As mentioned, I made additional notes, but have no idea whether these data are of any interest for you. If they are, let me know. By the way, the LDS film number is 1325358. Other men with the same or similar name who resided in Vienna in the early 20th century hailed from Gross Mune in Istria (likely Croatia today, near Trieste), spelling Juracic; Poljana in Croatia, spelling Juracic; Fiume in Italy (today's Rijeka in Croatia), spelling Jursich; Eisenstadt, later Burgenland, spelling Juraschitz and Juraschütz; Ôszombat in Nyitra county, Hungary (today's Slovakia), spelling Juracsic; Maszt, north of Pozsony (Bratislava, today's Slovakia), spelling Juracic; and Vienna itself. DONGISCH NAME AND SPELLING OF FAMILY NAMES (Gloria Martinson, Albert Schuch and G. Berghold) (Ed. Note: If you're into Burgenland genealogical research, you're probably going to find various spellings of the family name both here and abroad. German names do not seem to change as often as Croatian or Hungarian ones; however all three were given phonetic spellings by immigration officials. As if this isn't bad enough, you'll also find various spellings in Burgenland records as the following demonstrates.) Gloria J. (Rongish) Martinson writes: << Is it possible that through the years the name "Dongisch" was rewritten as Rongisch? I am researching ancestors in the Mosonszentjanos area and possibly the Andau area. Has Albert (Schuch) run across the name of Rongisch anywhere? I love the newsletters but trying to find info on my great-grandparents has been really tough. Also is there any way of finding out about a person if they were a stowaway on a boat that came to America? I think my great-grandfather might have done that about 1880. >> Berghold answers: The Burgenland phone book for Andau shows a Maria Rongitsch. The surrounding villages do not carry this name, but there is also a Frieda Rongitsch in Neusiedl am See. I don't have a Mosonszentjanos, Hungary phone listing but our URL List (see homepage) has the addresses of web sites which list European phone numbers. I'd check them for both names under various spellings. I'd then check the LDS church records of the village that has the most listings. While it may be possible, I don't know enough Slovakian or Serbo-Croatian to determine if Dongisch and Rongitsch are compatible, I doubt it although you may be reading from script where anything is possible. (names ending in "its", "itsch" and "isch" are usually Slavic meaning "son of" (in this case I'd guess Slovak if your people came from north west Hungary). I would think that a stowaway if discovered would be refused entry and returned. Never heard of the situation, but then he could have been accepted as part of some other family and slipped in if somehow the ship's staff were satisfied. In either case if he was allowed entry there'd be a landing card, like any other immigrant. To find the card you must know the ship name and date of arrival. Albert Schuch writes: My comment on Gerry's answer (<< names ending in "its", "itsch" and "isch" are usually Slavic meaning "son of" (in this case I'd guess Slovak if your people came from north west Hungary). >>: There is no difference between -itsch and -isch. Both are one of many variations of one and the same Slavic suffix (-ics, -its, -icz, -ic, etc.). I have not run across the name Rongisch anywhere else than in the BB member list. Several members researching this area. I may find more evidence of this name as I translate more village histories from Northern Burgenland. If so, I will let you know, but please note that I can only do this from time to time. As you may have noticed, the early Andau church records only mention Dongisch. So for Andau, this seems to be the older variation. It is quite likely that through the years the name "Dongisch" has been rewritten as Rongisch. May have been caused by careless writing. So I don't think this is a language problem, just a mistake - or maybe a deliberate change - in writing. I know of a similar case in my native village (Kleinpetersdorf in Southern Burgenland): The original name was Fabsits or Fabschits, and all of a sudden it became Waschits or Waschitz. In this case, the name Waschits / Waschitz / Vastis / Vasitz seems to have been more common in the area, so maybe the priest thought he was just "correcting" an early mistake in writing. VENUS-ANOTHER NAME CHANGE (G. Berghold) The surname "Venus" crept into the Berghold genealogy. As a child, I remember my grandmother speaking of a "Mrs. Venus" and I visualized a beautiful buxom woman without arms! I later wondered about its origin as it did not appear to be a Burgenland name. I then noticed it in Albert Schuch's recent village data for Tadten. "Georg VENUS (FÉNYES) is teacher" and "Church records start in 1712. Surnames mentioned there 1712-1760: Hungarian names like: SZALAY, SEREGÉLY, LENDVAY, FEJES, MOLNÁR, POLGÁR, EÖZSI, HATOS, HORVÁT, HARASZTI, GRÁTZÓ, NÉMET, SZIJJÁRTÓ, FARKAS, KOPPI (KAPI), ÉRPÉS, GARAI, SZABÓ, MADARÁSZ, EPERJES, KÜMÉHES (KÖMIVES), CSUNYI, WENES (FÉNYES)". The change from Fenyes to Wenes to Venus is obvious. This means that what is now an English- American name "Venus" came from the German "Wenes" which in turn was the Hungarian "Fenyes". If you have a Hungarian or Croatian name, by all means look for other spellings. If you now have a German one, consider whether it came from the Croatian or Hungarian. Study the names shown in the village data lists and question whether any are older versions of present names. JAKES, A CROATIAN NAME CHANGE (?) (G. Berghold) Frank Jakes writes: << By serendipity (an internet search for Rábafüzes using the hotbot search engine), I discovered The Burgenland Bunch website and its tremendous treasure trove of resources. I would like to join "the Bunch" in search of information regarding JAKES from Rábafüzes and NIKESHER from Alsószölnök. >> Our Answer: Hello Frank Jakes, not often does my mail contain so many things that cause me to say so much. In addition, your area of research is within my own area of southern Burgenland, as my main roots are in Güssing and Poppendorf (Heiligenkreuz). Both are within walking distance or a short ride to Rábafüzes, Hungary and Eltendorf (Zahling). Alsószölnök (Unter Zemming) is still in the district of St. Gotthárd in Hungary just across the border from Neumarkt a. d. Raab (east of Jennersdorf). I know very little about it. There is also a Felsö-Szölnök (Ober Zemming) just south of Alsószölnök. Each has its own RC church. Both are in Vas Megye (county). The LDS has microfilm (1816-1896) as LDS 0700907. Felsö-Szölnök starts in 1750. (Margaret Kaiser in contacting Jakes, later points out that Alsórönök may be the village in question as it so much closer to Rábafüzes. Many Hungarian villages have similar names). Rába Fuses (Raabfidisch) is the first Hungarian village you come to after crossing the border at Heiligenkreuz. It too is in Vas Megye. RC's went to church in Heiligenkreuz (Raba-Keresztur), now in Austria and also to Felso-Rönök (Ober-Radling), still in Hungary. Lutherans went to church in Eltendorf (Kortvelyes), now in Austria-a few km west of Poppendorf. Today it is in the district of Jennersdorf... The Jakes name is not familiar to me and I doubt if it is German although your ancestors probably spoke German as well as Croatian. I think you'll find that NIKESHER is generally spelled Nikischer. You'll find a number of them in the area, some in Neustift and Heiligenkreuz. Jakes also writes: << Since discovering your website, I learned from Newsletter No. 52 that a JAKES family was listed in the 1693-Urbarium as residing in the vineyard hills of Zahling. Since Zahling is "spitting" distance from Rábafüzes, I am betting that this JAKES is an ancestor. >> Perhaps, since my history of Zahling (now administered by Eltendorf) shows Jakes families, originally at house numbers 80 and 110, but now there are none left in Zahling or Eltendorf. I think the Urbarium merely supports that the family was in the area that early. I notice a name "Jokisch" also-I wonder? I'd look to Rábafüzes first for links. Jakes may be a Croatian name (Jakits?-I'm guessing), with roots from Croatian refugees in 1524 who accompanied Franz Batthyány when he was given the Herrschaft of Güssing. (14% of Burgenland inhabitants today have Croatian roots.) Just a guess on my part but I notice a "Jaksyth" from Jezero (Yugoslavia-Croatia) in 1576, another (Jyaksych) from Stynychnyak, Croatia to Güssing in 1519, a Jak Ych from Rechycza in 1519, a Jagych from Oppidum in 1519, a Jagyttych to Grossmürbisch in 1576 that = Jagetic from an Urbarium in Brubno in 1453. So you can see the possibilities of name evolvement. Data is from "Die Kroaten der Herrschaft Güssing" by Robert Hajszan. Please don't try to jump back to 1519-the only way to link to there is one generation at a time from where you are today! But it's interesting. Most Burgenlanders of today came from somewhere else post 1500 or later. (Newsletter continues as no. 75A) THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS No. 75A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly) February 29, 2000 This second section of the 3 section newsletter contains an article concerning "A Voyage from Europe to the United States; The 1901 Journey of the Artinger Family to America." This is another in the series of "Auswandererschicksal" or immigrant stories from members of the Burgenland Bunch. We would like to publish similar stories concerning each immigrant family being researched by Burgenland Bunch members. In addition there is an article concerning travel time, Burgenland to New York , an article, Burgenland-Its Formation and Name and an Imre Family Contact from Burgenland. AUSWANDERERSCHICKSAL An Article from the Ardinger Archives by Dennis B. Ardinger Overview When the S. S. Kensington sailed into New York harbor on April 18, 1901, Alois Artinger was only one of the thousand passengers who crowded on deck to see the Statue of Liberty. They were all glad that the twelve day passage across the Atlantic was over and each of them felt some apprehension for the future. This was a new country with strange customs and a different language. How would they survive here? As the ship slowly sailed into port and maneuvered to the Red Star Line's dock, a hundred questions filled his mind. His twelve year old son, Franz, stood next to him at the rail along with a few neighbors who had made the voyage with them. What the future had ahead for them was a complete unknown. His wife and sons were still in Austria, he had no job, and he had only twelve dollars in his pocket. * * * * * Alois Artinger and Maria Zwikl were my great grandparents. (The names are often found as Louis Artinger and Mary Czwikl or Zwickle) For the past twenty-two years, I have been slowly gathering pieces of the story of how their family came to America. It is a simple story not unlike that of millions of other immigrants yet it stands as a fine example of courage that can be admired by their descendants and others for many years to come. Alois Artinger was born in the small village of Sandorhegy, Jaras (Bezirk) Nemetujvar (Güssing), Vas Megye, Hungary, in 1856. (population 202 in 1873). Inhabitants were Roman Catholic and attended church in Felsörönök. Today, Sándorhegy is called Tschanigraben and is in Bezirk Güssing, Burgenland, Austria. Alois was the son of Johann and Theresa Artinger of Sandorhegy. The population of Sandorhegy was always very small and even today it is only seventy-eight people. The border between Austria and Hungary now passes near the town and the village is within the borders of Austria. But, in 1856, the area was all part of the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire. The village belonged to Hungary in 1856 and was part of that country until after World War I. In 1921, the name of Sandorhegy was changed to Tschanigraben. It is at the extreme eastern part of Western Europe. Mary Zwikl was born October 19, 1865 in the nearby town of Heiligenkreuz im Lafnitztal in Vas Megye, Hungary. The town was called Rába Keresztur in Hungary and it is also now part of Bezirk Jennersdorf, Land Burgenland , Austria. She was the daughter of Franz Zwikl and Theresa Hauser. Both Alois and Mary were Roman Catholic and they married in Heiligenkreuz on January 25, 1883. Alois was 27 years old and Mary was 17. They raised a large family of boys which included: Franz, born August 3, 1888; Alois, born February 20, 1890; Herman, born in 1892; Rudolph born June 29, 1895; Joseph, born November 22, 1897; twins - Johannes and Coleman, (both died soon afterwards) born February 23, 1901 and Albert, born August 23, 1902. Albert, my grandfather, was the only son born in America. The Decision to Leave Hungary In 1901, Alois, then 45 years old, and Mary, then 36 years old, made the decision to permanently emigrate to America and cross the Atlantic Ocean along with others from their town of Heiligenkreuz in Vas Megye, Hungary. This was a major decision and it was a turning point in the history of the family. It would forever change their lives and, once made, things would never be the same again. They would not be alone in making this change. This was a big decision but it was also being made by many neighbors and relatives. Some had crossed the ocean before them and there were relatives in the United States encouraging them to come to Pennsylvania. Among these were Mary's younger brother, Franz Zwikl, who had gone ahead to McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh) in 1900 and Alois's uncle, John Artinger, who was living in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Even though the language and customs were different, they were assured that there was enough of a family support system in place that it would give them a chance for a much better life. Jobs were plentiful and finding regular work would not be a problem. All of the members of the family of Alois and Mary Artinger did not come to the United States at the same time in 1901. The crossing was made slowly, a few people at a time, and was not completed until 1913. What is unclear at this time is whether Alois came to the United States in 1898 with his eight year old son, Alois, as recorded in the 1910 federal census schedules for McKees Rocks. This record conflicts with one of the questions asked by immigration officials which was whether the person had ever been to the United States before. When asked this question in 1901, the immigration records show that Alois said that he had not been. If he did come in 1898, then when did he return to Austria to get the rest of the family? They do not appear in the 1900 census in McKees Rocks. I think the 1910 census may be incorrect. Whoever gave that information to the census taker may have simply been mistaken about the year. Alois Artinger sailed in steerage class from Antwerp, Belgium on April 6, 1901 aboard the steamer, S. S. Kensington. The ship stopped at Southampton, England to take on additional passengers, and then continued the slow crossing of the Atlantic Ocean at 14 knots (16 mph). He arrived at Ellis Island on April 18, 1901. A study of the ship's passenger list shows that he came with only his 12 year old son, Franz, and a few neighbors from the old country. One of these was Julie Nikitscher, aged 17, who was coming to Pittsburgh to meet her sister, Teresia. Julie later married John Artinger. The passenger manifest shows that Alois's destination was Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia. He was going there to meet up with his uncle, John Artinger. Alois was not a rich man and the records show that he had only $12.00 with him. Alois's wife, Mary Zwikl Artinger, made the crossing on the same vessel but on a later trip in 1901. She departed Antwerp on August 31st, stopped briefly at Southampton, England, and arrived at Ellis Island on September 11th of that year. She came with her husband's cousin, Juliana Kiglar, and met up with her husband in Egypt, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania where there were also some relatives. Egypt is a small town on the outskirts of Allentown. From there, probably traveling by train, Alois and Mary moved west to McKees Rocks where the family finally settled. McKees Rocks is in Allegheny County near Pittsburgh and is located on the Ohio River. One may wonder why Alois and Mary did not travel together on the long journey. I suspect that the reason was because Mary had given birth to twin boys on February 23, 1901. Both twins, named Johannes and Coleman, died shortly afterwards (the exact date has not yet been determined). It is possible that either Mary was ill after the boys were born and needed more time to recover or that the twins lived for awhile but were too ill to make the long trip to America. Whatever the case, it was decided that in April, Alois and Franz would make the crossing together and that Mary would catch up as quickly as she could afterwards. The overall trip from Heiligenkreuz im Lafnitzal to Allentown, Pennsylvania must have taken at least five to six weeks. Travel to Vienna and then on to the port of Antwerp would have taken a minimum of one week. Then there was a required "pre-sailing" period for preparations. This period could take up to eighteen days depending on the port. The ocean crossing took twelve days and then there was the "processing" at Ellis Island. Once completed, the trip to Allentown could take several days. All together, the traveling experience made for the adventure of a lifetime. It took not only endurance, but great patience. Arrival at Ellis Island When the S. S. Kensington docked in New York City in 1901 after its twelve day ocean voyage, the steerage class passengers were transported by ferries to Ellis Island for inspection by United States Immigration Officers. Immigrants boarded the ferries either at the Red Star Line's company docks or were escorted directly from the ship for processing. On the island, Immigration Officers inspected the passengers and made decisions on who could stay in the United States or, in some cases, who had to be returned. Immigration laws prohibited the admission of those with dangerous contagious diseases, or those who suffered any disability, whether physical or mental, that might inhibit their ability to make a living. Public Health Service doctors were stationed on Ellis Island to screen the passengers. If the doctors determined that an arriving immigrant suffered such a disease or disability, and it was not curable, they could be forced to return to the country from which they came. Immigrant aid organizations tried to relieve the boredom and fears of new arrivals and they often accompanied them during their processing. Representatives of social service agencies with offices on Ellis Island often helped women and children traveling alone. Under the law, unaccompanied women and children could not be admitted except into a husband or relative's custody. Sometimes ethnic organizations accepted responsibility for such immigrants and saw that they were safely reunited with their family or friends. When Mary Zwikl Artinger arrived on September 11, 1901 she was traveling with her husband's cousin, Juliana Kiglar and others from her hometown. I do not know for certain if her husband, Alois, was there to meet her in New York City or whether he waited for her arrival in Egypt, Pennsylvania. Final Settlement in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania Alois Artinger had no problem finding work as a laborer in McKees Rocks and here he lived out his days on Bouquet Street surrounded by many neighbors from "the old country". He died there in 1910 and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery. Mary lived to the ripe old age of 95 and died in 1961. She is buried with him. I cherish the few memories I have of sitting on her front porch talking to her when I was 13. She always retained a thick accent and is remembered to this day as being an excellent cook. How I wish now that I had talked with her and written down the stories of the other members of the family in Austria-Hungary, her emigration, and her life. Retracing her steps now would be so much richer in detail. TRAVEL TIME, BURGENLAND TO NEW YORK (G. Berghold) Denis Ardinger asks the following question: << I do have a question that may be of value to others that I have not seen specifically addressed and that concerns the travel time between Burgenland and New York City. I found in the newsletter that the travel time could have been as short as 10 days. However, I thought it was much longer based on information on the Ellis Island website where it says that the European ports required emigrants to be at the embarkation port many days, and sometimes weeks, in advance of departure. >> Answer: Hello Dennis, First let me thank you for forwarding your family history. I read it with much pleasure. Linking the descendants of our immigrant ancestors is the first requirement for research in the Burgenland. I was also pleased to see that you prepared a family history as well as a genealogy. Most of the data you will find in the BB newsletter archives is more appropriate for a family history, since it would be impossible for us to research all of the family genealogies. I hope that the genealogical data can be found and shared via the membership... Since you obviously have this material on disk, I strongly urge you to edit your Family History for our newsletter. Requirements would be text only (send it as .txt file), less than 25K bytes (about 7 pages....We'd publish your edited story as a complete section B of the newsletter. Following that I'd suggest joining the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft ($15/yr) and sending it to them as an "Auswandererschicksal". This way you preserve the story for posterity. To get back to your question which is a good one to be shared in the newsletter. One of the things you'll find in our archives are some itineraries. You'll notice that they all differ depending on time frame and route (before and after the establishment of steam ships and rail transport among other variables). Some ships in the 1890-1920 period, could make the voyage in as little as 7 days, others required as much as 14. Size of the ships grew enormously during this period (2M tons in 1870 to over 50M tons by 1914). Weather and schedules were of course a factor. It was not unusual for immigrants to spend a few weeks waiting for a departure or in quarantine during epidemics. Travel to port of embarkation was also subject to many variables. There were also itineraries involving transfers (indirect migration) to another ship in England or France although lines operating out of Hamburg and Bremen and Antwerp were mostly direct (between 1870-1910, 1.3 out of 1.8 million eastern European migrants used the first two ports). During the period in question you'll also find that "travel agents" were established throughout the Burgenland (there were 5, I believe, in Güssing alone). These would sell a "ticket" for travel to port of embarkation, ultimate port of destination and on to US destination, very similar to what agents do today. Migrants making those kind of arrangements were sped to their destinations, any governmental or health interference aside. I've even seen early 1900's cases where these "tickets" were purchased in the US by relatives and forwarded through agents in Europe. My own maternal grandmother (1905 arrival in NY), her sister and mother received their rail and ship "tickets" this way from her brother in Allentown. In 1871, the White Star "Oceanic" crossed from the UK in 8 to 10 days. In 1890, HAPAG's "Augusta Victoria" made 7 days Southampton to NY, down from 10-12, for older ships. From this point on, a week became the norm for the larger more modern vessels (which were being built to accommodate the lucrative immigrant trade). So assuming a peasant, "ticketed" in Güssing could make the proper connections, he could easily reach Hamburg in 2 days (rail and river transport), spend one day clearing port and reach NY 7 -10 days later. Total trip, 10-13 days. With scheduling or health problems or bureaucratic interference, yes this could easily expand to a month or more. You should also be aware that up to 25% of migrants returned (most being seasonal "arbeiter" or workers). Short travel time and cheap fares is what made this possible. You might also read newsletters nos. 7, 13 and 36 if you haven't already done so. The book "Crossings", The Great Transatlantic Migrations, 1870-1914; by Walter Nugent, Indiana Univ. Press, 1995 is well recommended. The source of much of what I've stated. I'm planning an article on immigrant ships of the 1890-1920 period in excess of 15M tons. I'll show the average crossing times where available. BURGENLAND, ITS FORMATION & NAME (G. Berghold) In a message dated 2/13/00, a correspondent writes: << Just to complete your very interesting and well performed Burgenland page: Burgenland was formed not out of some parts of three but of four Hungarian counties. The fourth is Poszony (Pressburg, Bratislava) to which some villages in Northern Burgenland belonged. >> Reply: I appreciate your kind words and your interest, but I believe you'll find that only the Megyet of Vas, Moson and Sopron contributed villages to the Burgenland. The northern most villages today in the vicinity of Bratislava (old Pozsony Megye) are Kittsee, Edelstal, Pama and Deutsch Jahrndorf. These are the only Burgenland villages which could possibly have fallen under the jurisdiction of Pressburg (Bratislava-Hungarian Pozsony Megye). I use a map with a scale of 1:200,000 (1cm=2km) and all villages are shown. Villages in Slovakia immediately over the border are Petrzalka (Engerau) and Rusovce. Berg, Wolfsthal and Hainburg are in the province of Lower (Nieder) Austria. They may have been in Pozsony Megye, Hungary. Joh. Dvorzsak in "Orts-Lexicon Von Ungarn", pub. 1877 shows the following (subsequently seconded by Josef Loibersbeck: "Am Waasen". In: Volk und Heimat, 1966 and Karl Semmelweis in "Die Bezirkseinteilung des Burgenlandes nach dem Anschluss an Oesterreich im Jahre 1921, in Burgenländische Forschungen Sonderband VII, Eisenstadt 1984, ppg.378-385): Kittsee-(Hungarian name Köpcseny)-from Moson Megye (county), Bezirk (district)-Rajka (Ragendorf) Edelstal-(Hung. Nemesvolgy- from Moson Megye, Bezirk Rajka Pama-(Hung. Kortvelyes)-from Moson Megye, Bezirk Rajka Deutsch Jahrndorf-(Hung. Nemet and Horvat Jarfalu)-from Moson Megye, Bezirk Rajka If you know of any villages in the Burgenland which you are certain came from Pozsony Megye, please let us know. The above sources don't mention any. The political sub divisions of Hungary pre 1918 were Megye-Comitat (county or province); Jaras-Bezirk (district). Today in the Burgenland, they use the Austrian German titles which are Land-Province, Bezirk (district or county) and Gemeinde (community of villages). All of the remaining approximately 400 towns and villages as we move north to south came from the three Megye mentioned, most being from Vas (Vasvar). Burgenland received its name from the "burg" ending of the names of the counties (Megye) from which it was proposed by the Treaty of St. Germain (1919) that they were expected to be derived. The four "Burgen" are Pressburg (Bratislava), Wieselburg (Moson), Ödenburg (Sopron) and Eisenburg (Vasvar) as you mention. The subsequent Treaty of Trianon (1921) and the Plebiscite changed all that and the original proposed Burgenland border shifted west, leaving some villages and towns in Hungary; most important being the Ödenburg salient. (see page 173, "Geschichte Des Burgenlandes-Lehrbuch für die Oberstufe"-available from the Landesarchiv-Eisenstadt). The original proposal could well have included villages from Pozsony Megye in the north as well as Ödenburg in order to include the railroad. Today all that is remembered is that these refer to castles in these places and that "Burgen" or castles is part of the name. Not to belabor the issue, you'll find that Prof. Andrew Burghardt, in his English language historical geography of the Burgenland, "Borderland", Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1962; states on page 208, "Until the time of its transfer to Austria, Burgenland had consisted of the western portions of three Hungarian megye (being the counties of Vas, Moson, and Sopron-my addition). Each of these comitats had been focused on its own central town..." Both the manner in which the Burgenland acquired its name as well as the regions from which it derived are often misconstrued, as a result of changes which took place between 1919 and 1921. I believe you'll find our data correct. Much local trauma evolved from the treaties which dismembered the Empire and Hungary. Compared to the large portions of land lost to other countries, the Burgenland region was minor and meant little to Austria or Hungary. A name for the new province was the least of the problems. None the less, the plebiscite contributed to the omission of the "Burgen" which today are not part of Burgenland. It might have been better if they had selected the name "Heinzenland" however, there are more than enough castles left in the Burgenland proper to justify keeping the name. See our newsletter no.13A. Regards, Gerry Berghold P. S. You may wish to join us or scan more of our material. See attached "Invitation". AN AUSTRIAN CONTACT (from William Imre) Bill writes: Hello Gerald...thanks for all the help. We received the following email: My name is Karin REHBERGER. My grandfather was Alexander IMRE, born in 1901. He was the brother of your father. My mother, Helga SCHRANZ gave me your E-mail. She is your cousin, born in 1942. She is living in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, and so do I with my little daughter JENNY. I don't know exactly how I can help you. I would be glad to hear more of you in the next time. My mother has an old book, where I found the names of your parents and grandparents. Your grandfather was Alexander IMRE, born 1.7.1863 in Oberwart; Your grandmother was Maria IMRE, her name before the marriage was KIRNBAUER, born 4.5.1875 in Willersdorf. They married 21.1.1894 in Oberschützen. I hope I could help you a little and I am very happy to hear from you. I didn't know that I have some relationship living in the USA. My grandparents told me often about their brothers and sisters who went to USA a long time ago. But no one said exactly where they are living. I am really happy to hear from you!!!!!! Sorry for not writing earlier, and sorry for my English. It isn't the best. It's a long time over that I learned this language. Write back if you need more information and I will try to get it. (Newsletter continues as no.75B) THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 75B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly) February 29, 2000 This third section of the 3 section newsletter contains articles about Burgenland Immigrant Cities, A New History of Hungary, Bürgermeister Names and URL and Member Changes. BURGENLAND IMMIGRANT CITIES (by G. Berghold, suggested by Dale Knebel; with thanks to Dr. Walter Dujmovits and the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft) As a second generation descendant of Burgenland immigrants I don't have to research immigrant cities in America since I was born and raised where my family settled. I've become aware however, that some members may know very little about where their ancestors settled. Dr. Walter Dujmovits, President and Editor of the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft initiated a column in his newsletter called "Einwandererstädte" or immigrant cities. The column has been running since March/April of 1996. The fact that it is still running is indicative of the many places where Burgenland emigrants have settled. I've selected the cities in the Americas since most of our members will be interested in them as opposed to cities in Europe or elsewhere. You'll notice that South America and Canada are also included. These places became destinations when the US Congress passed laws in the 1920's limiting immigration by the establishment of the quota system (the Dillingham Quota Bill of 1921, the Johnson Act of 1924 and others). In 1923, Burgenland emigration to the US reached a yearly high point of 6,683 then dropped to 523 in 1924 (data from Dr. Dujmovits, BG newsletter Sept/Oct 1998). Since they were barred or had to wait to enter the US, many emigrants settled in South America and Canada. Prior to the "Auswanderung" to the US, some Burgenländers had gone to South America (and other places in Europe and North America) to work for part of the year (no work at home)-they would then return home when seasonal work was over. South America was thus not all that strange. Ship passage was only about $14-20 and enough money could be saved to support a family for another year. Dujmovits tells of this seasonal "arbeit" in his book "Die Amerika Wanderung". It even continued during the emigration period, with returns approximating 25-30 %. Since there was this previous South American experience, it followed that with restrictions to US immigration, emigrants turned toward South America (mostly Brazil and Argentina) and other places. Burgenland Immigrant Cities (Enclaves) Alphabetized (generally, the more detail, the larger the number of immigrants who settled there unless I just happen to know more about a particular place!). Allentown, PA. County seat of Lehigh County, aka Lehigh Valley, and one of the most well known Burgenland emigrant destinations. Many south Burgenland immigrants from the Güssing area as well as from the villages of Eltendorf, Königsdorf, Poppendorf, Heiligenkreuz and Zahling settled here and in the surrounding towns. Largest number came between 1900 and 1914; followed by others in the 1920's and 1950's. Allentown was established by Pennsylvania German emigrants who migrated here in the 1700's. Many ethnic churches, cemeteries and clubs. The city of your editor's Berghold, Sorger, Mühl, Langash grandparents and their "Verwandtschaft" of over 40 Burgenland families (Burkhart, Fiedler, Gerger, Hadle, Halleman, Holzer, Krautsack, Mirth, Muhr, Pöltl, Taseovitz, Tretter, Wallitsch, Weinhoffer, Zettle, Zwickl) all from southern Burgenland. Many Burgenland immigrant descendants attended Allentown High School or Allentown Central Catholic High School (Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). Immigrant Junior High Schools were Harrison Morton and Central Jr. High. Many also received degrees from Allentown's Muhlenberg and Cedar Crest (colleges later universities). Atlanta, GA. Had 1600 Austrians in the 1960's. Baltimore, MD. Emigrants from Ollersdorf named Bischof and Rothen. After WWII, several from Unterschützen. Bath, PA. Home to many Burgenland descendants whose ancestors were cement workers. Site of Austrian-Burgenland Festival in the 1970's. Many Burgenland names. Social club and immigrant church. Many Croatians. Bethlehem, PA. Site of Bethlehem Steel Works. Many Burgenländers lived on the "south side " (South Bethlehem at one time was an independent city) and worked at the steel and breweries. Large Croatian (Windisch) element. Ethnic churches and social clubs. Originally founded by Moravians mid 1700's. Still a strong Moravian influence. Fountain Hill and Hellertown are nearby boroughs. Many descendants of area Burgenländers received degrees from Lehigh University and Moravian College. Bronx, NY. First Burgenländers lived in Manhattan around 86th Street. Between the wars, many moved to the Bronx. Castle Harbor in Havermeyer Street is well known meeting place. BG club holds annual picnics. Miss Burgenland pageant sends winner to Burgenland annually in July to attend BG picnic. Bucks County, PA. Many emigrants to Pennsylvania had farms in this region (Limeport, Center Valley, Coopersburg, Quakertown-towns and villages south of Allentown). Many descendants of German-Palatinate emigrants settled in this region in the 1700's. Buenos Aires. When US tightened immigration in the 1920's, many Burgenländers emigrated to South America. This was the choice destination in Argentina. Buffalo, NY. Large Burgenland group from Stinatz began a neighborhood between Broadway and Emslie Street. Attended St. Anna Church. Many families named Grandits, Kirisits, Horvatits, Resetarits, Orsolits, Sifkovits, Stoisits, Wukovits. Chicago, IL. More Burgenländer emigrants here than in any other place. As many as 30 thousand. First three came in 1889, names Geshrey, Fürst and Hansaleum. John Wenzel was also one of the first. He organized transport of 5 families from Bernstein in 1900. In the years before WWI, emigrants came from Oberwart, Grodnau, Redschlag, Oberschützen and Bernstein. Later from the Croat communities of Güttenbach and Neuberg. Croats from the district of Oberpullendorf came to neighboring South Bend. Many ethnic churches, clubs, organizations (including sick & death benefit societies and publications. German newspaper "Eintracht"-was the organ of Austrian Burgenländer and German Hungarians in North America. A village called "Chicago" was established in 1912 near Kittsee by a returning emigrant Josef Zambach-today it's named "Chikago". Cincinnati, OH. Between 1850-1890, many emigrants from around Oberschützen and Bezirk Oberpullendorf. Clifton, NJ. Together with Passaic and Patterson, received emigrants from St. Michael, Punitz and Gaas. Ethnic clubs. Coplay, PA. A Lehigh County "Burgenland" village (north of Allentown) now almost exclusively Burgenlanders. In no other place have Burgenland culture and traditions been so religiously maintained. Even the Hianzisch dialect can still be heard. Most came in the early 1900's from the villages around Güssing. Coplay was founded by Pa-German emigrants who were eventually replaced by a colony of Burgenländers started by Josef Urschik from Rauchwart in 1884. They worked in the cement and flour mills and cigar factories. Today one fourth of the population have a Burgenland back ground. Family names Stranzl, Gröller, Wechsler, Nikles, Spanitz, Yandrisevits, Reickl, Mittl, Malits are common. Early emigrants, Josef Köppel-Inzenhoff, Prem-Neustift, Johann Bodisch-Rehgraben, Muik-Steingraben. West Coplay (Stiles) is also almost all Burgenländische and is site of the Coplay Mannerchor ethnic club. Dallas, TX. Had 4500 Austrians in the 1950's. Detroit, Mich. From 1904 to 1914, emigrants from the District of Güssing and the Zicken Valley (Zickental)-Heugraben, Eisenhüttl, Rehgraben; also Olbendorf and Jabing went to work in the auto industry. 28% were from Eisenhüttl. Many returned home between the wars. Last BG contact was in the 1960's. Duluth, Minn. In the 1880's, emigrants from the middle Burgenland and the region of Oberwart migrated there. John Wenzel from Chicago brought many to Duluth. One of the first was Michael Honigschnabel in 1883 from Buchschachen. Easton, PA. Along the Delaware River east of Bath. Same remarks as Bath. Extreme eastern part of the cement belt. Many descendants received degrees from Lafayette University. Edmonton, Canada. Center of Burgenland emigration 1923-32. In the 20's they came from the region of Deutsch Gerisdorf in middle Burgenland. The first were the brothers Martin and Alois Kaufmann from Langeck and Adolf Raber, Kukmirn. In 1930 another 59 followed, all from Stegersbach (including Schabhüttl, Siderits, Roth, Rauch, Marinits). From Neuberg, (Radostits, Novoszel), from Güttenbach, (Kovatitisch, Kulovits, Hajszan), from Grafenschachen (Schweitzer, Simon, Schützenhofer). Several families returned between the wars. In the 1950's a new wave of emigrants came, including some from Kukmirn (Fiedler). Over 50 families and descendants make up Edmonton's "Club Austria". Egypt, PA. Just north east of Allentown. Another Lehigh Valley town, home of Burgenland cement and textile workers. Hamilton, Canada. Emigrants from Kukmirn and Stinatz. Hamilton, Ohio. 30 families from Deutschkreutz. Hollywood, CA. A few Burgenländers worked in the film industry. Fred Astair (Frederick Austerlitz) from Eisenstadt, Johann Riessner from Pamhagen, Ludwig Stössel from Lockenhaus, Maria Perschty from Eisenstadt. Kansas City, MO. Earliest emigrants settled in the mid-west. One of the first was Karl Schleicher, b 1829, migrated to KC 1865. Followed in the same year by the Höfer family from Bubendorf. (to be continued) A NEW HISTORY OF HUNGARY (reviewed by G. Berghold) With the trouble in the Balkans, the breakup of the USSR and the removal of the "iron curtain"; there has been considerable new interest in eastern Europe. I have already written about "A History of East Central Europe" in ten volumes (editors Peter F. Sugar and Donald W. Treadgold, University of Washington Press 1990, 1994). Just recently I received "A History of Hungary", Sugar, Hanak and Frank, Indiana University Press. It is available for $12.95 plus postage from The Scholar's Bookshelf, 110 Melrich Rd., Cranbury, NJ, 08512. Web site: www.scholarsbookshelf.com/history/ This is a very readable paperback history covering "Hungary Before the Hungarian Conquest-AD 896" to "Contemporary Hungary-1990" in 432 pages. The constant invasion and counter invasion and political changes can become tedious; however that is the history. There are maps but they are not detailed enough to be of value to genealogists. They do establish where Hungarian borders were over the centuries. There are excellent notes with bibliography and an index that contains no mention of Burgenland as such (the usual case in national histories). You will find references to the Batthyány, Esterházy and other noble families. Unlike previous histories written by Hungarians with a nationalistic or communistic influence, this history confines itself to the facts. I feel the coverage of events affecting the western border regions is very well done. To understand the history of our ancestors we must also understand the historical events affecting their lives. This book provides that broad coverage. BÜRGERMEISTER NAMES (G. Berghold et al) It's a fact of life that politicians exert much influence. When we find ancestors who served in some political capacity, we can reasonably expect to find some data concerning them that otherwise wouldn't be available. Likewise we'll find contemporary bureaucrats and citizens more prone to helping us (the "old boy" net work as it were). For those reasons alone it pays to question whether any of our ancestors held office. The "Bürgermeister" (read mayor *) or "Richter" (read judge) or "Amtmänner" (read civil clerk) along with the village priest or pastor and "lehrer" (read teacher) were (are) the leaders of the village. They are invariably regarded with much respect and remembered. *these definitions are only approximate; the Austro-Hungarian-English (US) titles differ widely Fritz Königshofer answers a question from the WGW Query Board which illustrates such a search. He writes: Hello Elizabeth, Have you checked out the site of the Burgenland Bunch? The BB newsletter no. 47 published some historic material on Sulz. You'll find the newsletter easily in the BB archive. While the article does not mention the mayors (or village judges, as they were called in earlier times), it mentions the name Gerbach in the oldest list of inhabitants, a name that may be the forerunner of your Gerbavsits. Incidentally, the Aloisia Koller mentioned as a secondary teacher in Sulz from 1911 to 17 was a sister of my grandmother. The BB published some other stories about Sulz and environs (no. 41). You probably know this, but Sulz is the source of a famous natural mineral water which today is bottled and sold all over Austria as "Güssinger." (Ed. Note: Available in-flight on Austrian Airlines). As a child, I was still able to drink it from its natural spring which had not yet been commercialized. I am sure that with some effort you would be able to establish when your great-grandfather served as mayor. There might be an almanac or chronicle, or some jubilee booklet. You might want to write your question to the current mayor of Sulz. (Bürgermeister, Gemeindeamt Nr. 47. Gerersdorf bei Güssing, A7542, Burgenland, Austria, Europe.) G. Berghold writes: The Bürgermeisters of Sulz (now Gerersdorf-Sulz) that I have from "Burgenland Geschichte, Kultur and Wirtschaft in Biographien"-Edition Roetzer are: Chsekits, Johann 1947-53; Dujmovits, Martin 1953-58; Berzkovits, Adolf 1958-1970 Gerersdorf-Sulz Miksits, Friedrich 1971-73; Pammer, Alois 1973-75; Berzkovits, Adolf 1975-1989; Pammer, Wilhelm 1989-1993? Before that I have Gerersdorf only; Pammer, Martin 1921-27; Jost, Johann 1927-1945; Luipersbeck, Michael 1945-47; Jost, Alois 1947-50; Neubauer, Johann 1950-58; Bruckner, Johann 1958-70 If any other members feel that their ancestors held office, please write giving name and village. I may have details as above including birth dates and professions, but only from the period 1918 forward. (end of article) BURGENLAND BUNCH INTERNET LINKS - ADDITIONS, REVISIONS 2/29/00 (from Internet/URL Editor Anna Tanczos Kresh) CROATIAN INTERNET LINKS o Burgenland Croatians http://www.HrvatskiCentar.at - (English site is planned) Kroatische Minderheit in Österreich; Informationen über Geschichte, Herkunft, Sprache, Siedlungsgebiet und aktuelle Situation der Burgenlandkroaten. (Franjo Schruiff) (can someone provide a better description of this site?) GENEALOGY RESEARCH LINKS (U.S) o Topozone http://www.topozone.com - USGS online topographical maps for the contiguous US; may include location of churches and cemeteries at the 1:25,000 scale; enter name of town desired and choose the correct one from the menu provided (Bob Unger) For an interesting insight into what our emigrant ancestor's experience might have been like, visit these sites: o Castle Garden http://members.tripod.com/~Silvie/CastleGarden.html o Immigrant Story http://www.maxpages.com/ourlostfamily/Stories GENEALOGY RESEARCH LINKS (OTHER) o World Flag Database http://www.flags.net/ - choose any country for good images and details of its current flag(s); includes Burgenland provinces o Influenza 1918 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/ - information and videotape available on The American Experience program by the Public Broadcasting (PBS) o VitalChek http://www.vitalchek.com/states.asp - info on where to obtain vital records for all 50 US states, US Territories, Canada, Mexico, UK, American Citizens Born Abroad, etc. o Gensite http://www.genealogy.org/ - continually-updated report of the 1400 most-frequently visited genealogical sites on the web; usually contains links of use to BB researchers (Bob Unger) MAP SITES ON THE INTERNET o Administrative Atlas of Hungary 1914 http://www.talmamedia.com - (for purchase - no endorsement implied) (Kósa Päl) PASSENGER SHIP INTERNET LINKS o Passenger Lists on the Internet http://members.aol.com/rprost/passenger.html - links to sites containing passenger list data; also immigration-related links URLS DROPPED - LINKS BROKEN/CHANGED - INFORM URL EDITOR IF YOU KNOW ALTERNATE URL o Arpad http://www.arpad.com - deals with cultural, historical, etc. issues; Arpad was the leader of the Magyar tribes who brought them from the steppes of Russia into the region known as Hungary today; the Europeans thought the Magyars were every bit as bad as the Huns, hence the name "Hungary". (content has changed - no longer useful for Burgenland research) NEW MEMBERS Stephanie Cooley; Ontario, CA. LUISER, Oberbildein (Bildein-Ober-and Unter-)), Bezirk Güssing; NOVOGRATZ, Pornoapati (Pernau), Vas Megye, Hungary. Family members emigrated to St. Louis, MO. John Cooper; Stoney Creek, Ont. ZAPFEL, Reidlingsdorf. Settled in Burlington, Ontario. Regina Lowy Espenshade; Washington, DC. LOWY; Oberwart, Stadtschlaining, Jabing. EBENSPANGER; Stadtschlaining, Karlovac, Croatia, BRAUN, Stadtschlaining. SCHEY, Grospetersdorf, Budapest, Hungary, ERNST, Varazdin, Croatia. HEINRICH, Stadtschlaining, Grosspetersdorf. Laura Funk, Nutley, NJ, FELLINGER, KEGLOVICH, Gerersdorf, South Bend, IN. Robert G. Hayes; Inglewood, CA. SCHIMONITZ, PERLINGER, RONGISCH, HUZS (HUSS); in St. Johann and St. Peter, Janossmorja, Hungary. Frank Kappel; Summerland, BC, Canada, KAPPEL, GRIECHISH, Sopron (Oedenbug), Hungary. Settled in Niagara-on-the-lake, Ont. Canada. Linda Martin; Princeton, IN. LIEBENTRITT, PAUKOVITZ , Güssing settled in Princeton, IN. Ronald Pummer, San Mateo, CA. PUMMER, Fürstenfeld. Settled in Allentown, PA. early 1900's; SCHREINER, Eltendorf, Settled in Allentown, PA early 1900's Susan Stahley; Hyannis MA. SCHRAMEL, ADAMS, from Möschendorf, Güssing. Settled in Pennsylvania, I believe in Northampton County. Edward Ullinger; Seminole FL . Mother Johanna SCHATZ), Strem. Her sister's Mary, Sabina, Theresa and brother John immigrated to the New York area. Eric Wendlandt; Walnut Creek, CA. TASCHEK, HOLLENDONNER, PISSLER, BRUNNER, Rechnitz. Settled in Chicago and Darlington, Wisconsin areas. End of Newsletter. BURGENLAND BUNCH STAFF Coordinator & 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.