THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 76
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold)
March 15, 2000
(all rights reserved)
"Heinzenland, Burgenland
Kehrst du wiederum zu uns zurück?"
(Are you returning to us?)- Professor Alfred Walheim, 24 Dec. 1918
Note to recipients. If you don't want to receive Burgenland Bunch
newsletters, use the Membership Forms to change your status. 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 data on the Village of Mischendorf, Burgenland Immigrant Canadian
Settlements (Paradise Hill), New Books by Felix Gundacker, Concept of
Southern Burgenland, Austrian Airlines Special Fares. A New Member Asks Some
Questions and I Found My Grandparents!
VILLAGE OF MISCHENDORF (in Bezirk Oberwart, close to the Pinka river, south
of Grosspetersdorf)
Source: Dr. Josef Loibersbeck: Von Badersdorf bis Oberdorf. In: Volk und
Heimat, #1-#4/1965. Summarized and translated by Albert Schuch Feb 2000.
First mentioned as "Myske" in a document from 1469. Like neighbouring
villages Kohfidisch and Kotezicken probably founded during the time of the
early Arpads (Hungarian kings) by Hungarian border guards. German settlers
probably arrived 1250-1350.
While the descendants of the border guards had noble status, the farmers and
other inhabitants belonged to the domain Rotenturm (Counts Erdödy).
Christoph, Johann, Lukas, Blasius and Valentin SULYOK, descendants of
Valentin SULYOK from Mischendorf, had their noble status confirmed in 1560,
because the earlier document was lost during the Turkish war of 1532.
Documents from 1592 describe Mischendorf as consisting of 13 1/2 inhabited
sessiones and ca. 11 1/2 deserted ones. There were two churches, one of them
in ruins, a cemetery and a mill.
An altar in the old church (replaced in 1831) had carried an inscription
about its donator: "Nobilis Heniaz hoc altare donavit in honorem Domini et
SS. Cosmas et Damiany Martyrorum 1631." The donator, a Vlahi (Croatian)
nobleman named Juan Heniac, is already mentioned in 1613 in the land records
of nearby Kohfidisch. Like the Vlahi leader Kunic who settled in Rumpersdorf,
he probably wanted to thank for the successful emigration from Croatia in
this way.
The Urbarium of 1669 mentions the following inhabitants: the nobles Johann
HENYÃSZ (HENIAC), Johann SULYOK, Michael and Wolf (Farkas) SULYOK; subjects
of Countess Elisabeth Erdödy (nee Batthyány, sister of Count Adam B.): Jergh
HUKESZ, Andreas and Georg KASONIC, Wolf PUFNUSZ, Michael HOLZMANN's widow,
Peter RESETARIC, Matthias HOLZMANN, Matthias SATAKARIC, Adam OSWALD, Hanns
GRAF and Georg SMILIC.
In 1671 Martin WITTMANN, butcher in Jabing and a native of Mischendorf, was
declared a free man by Countess Elisabeth Erdödy.
Urbarium of 1688: the domain officials VRATONIC and RADAKOVIC own larger
portions of land; farmer names: 4 KASENIC; 3 HOLZMANN, GRAF; 2 KNORR, TULCIC;
1 CORTKOVIC, DIDONIC, SAKATARIC, SLENIC, RESETARIC, Marko ZIMINIC, GOLUBIC,
BOZI, KOVÃCS, SCHWARZ, STERNICKY, DEUTSCH, EBERHARD. One Söllner (Georg
VUKIC). The mill on the Pinka river was mortgaged to the nobleman GAIGER.
The ecclesiastical inspection of 1697 already reports two churches: a small
and old one (St. Cosmas and Damian) outside the village and a new one (St.
Ladislaus) in the center of the village. Gregor BRATEY from Styria was
priest, he spoke German and Slovenian, was here since about 1685, and the
Croatians (who were clearly the majority of the population) were not happy
with him. Teacher was Johann STUBIC. (1743-46 a Ladislaus STUBIC, probably
his son, was "Ludirektor" (teacher).)
In 1713 Kaspar CRISAY was priest, the church was reported to be in a bad
shape ("desolata"). Georg LADONIC, curator of the parish, had been inactive
for five years, so the miller Sigismund HORVAT was made new curator. He
immediatly bought a book for the baptism records, and hence these records
start in 1715.
The baptism records mention another priest named Leonhard K. HUEBER around
1718, also the names of the noblemen KOFFER and SCHLÖGL, the free man MAGDIC,
and the farmers KNORR, SCHAFFER and JALOSIC. Priests in later years were:
Johann DECRIONIS (1721-36), Georg POPOVIC (1736-49), Hermann MASSNAK
(1749-53), Father Josef from Güssing Abbey (1753-54), Johann KORENIC from
Karlburg (1753-85), Father Wendelin from Güssing Abbey (1786-91), Father
Hippolyth from Güssing Abbey (1791) and Johann IVANCIC from Baumgarten
(1791-1807).
Documents dating from the years 1714-50 mention the following nobles / free
persons from Mischendorf: Michael KERPIC, Johann KOFFER; Kathaine MOLNÃR
(married to Nikolaus PRANGER, later on with Stefan FARKAS), her son Johann
PRANGER; Margarethe SAZBÓ (married Johann EBERHARDT); Peter EBERHARDT,
several persons named SULYOK, Johann KASZNAR (KASTNER), and a family named
ASBOLT (OSWALD).
Priests in the 19th century: Johann SCHRAMMEL from Unterbildein (1806-27),
Anton Paul WAHL from Güns (1827-30), Johann PLEYER from Mannersdorf, Alois
HENGGE from Kohfidisch (disappeared under mysterious circumstances in
Budapest in 1887, probably victim of a crime), Alexander SCHAFFER from
Oberwart (1887-88; was priest of Wolfau later, then emigrated to Chicago, in
1927 to Güns/Köszeg), Alois PAUER from Minihof in Sopron Megye (1889-1905).
Teachers/notaries: Johann SCHWARZ (1808), Franz PETZ (1827), Michael POLZER
(1833-35; from Kohfidisch), Josef SCHWARZ (1837), Anton PASSMANN (1845-70).
Nobles and freed men ("Libertini") in 1836: several SULYOK, PLANK; WEBER,
MAGDICS, PERESTICS, KASSANICS, GALLOVICS, GRAF, HORVAT, EBERHARDT, KASTNER
and BAUMGARTNER.
7 nobles in 1856 (6 SULYOK, 1 PLANK); 17 "half nobles": 4 GRAF; 2 EBERHARD,
HORVAT, PERESTICS; 1 KULOVICS, MAGDICS, BINDER, OSWALD, STEINER, CSACSINOVICS
and BILOVICS; 18 farmers with a 6/8th sessio: 3 GRAF, HALWACHS; 2 KAPONICS,
JALICS, WALTER; 1 WILLEWITSCH (BILOVICS), FÜLÖP (PHILIPP), WAGNER, HALPER,
OSWALD and RADAKOVICS; 2 farmers who are subjects of the parish: Elias HAAS
and Georg FRÜHWIRTH, each one with a 1/4th sessio; 39 Söllner: 6 GRAF; 4
KAPONICS; 3 RESETAR, FÜLÖP (PHILIPP); 1 HAAS, BAUMANN, EIER, WALTER, FINK,
SAGMEISTER, KAUS, JALICS, DRAGUTOVICS, HORVAT, JANSCHITZ, KRONER, HALWACHS
and FRÜHWIRT.
20th century teachers: Johann REITTER from Deutsch-Gerisdorf (1870-1904),
Ludwig MEZRITZKY (1904-45), Peter HALPER, his wife Helene nee LORENZ.
Notaries: Karl LUDWIG, Rudofl SZENTGYÖRGYI, SAWLIK (until 1897), Georg
SAGMEISTER (1897-1925), Leopold FIEDLER (1925-30), Franz HALWACHS (1930-54),
Adalbert GYULAI.
Priests: Josef SANDHOFER from Purbach (1906-14), Karl ECKER from Güns
(1914-21), Franz KNOTZ from Pinkafeld (1921-30), Andreas STROBL (1930-35),
Friedrich EGGER (1935-36), Johann TEMMEL (1936-38), Otto HEISSENBERGER
(1938-1947), Rudolf JIRKU (1947-).
In 1945 the village was shelled and 5 or 6 inhabitants died.
Statistical data: 1832: 60 houses, 386 inhabitants; 1900: 124 houses, 693
inhabitants (12 Hungarians, 676 Germans, 5 Croats; by religion: 678
Catholics, 7 Lutherans, 8 Jews); 1934: 121 houses, 577 inhabitants; 1961: 137
houses, 562 inhabitants.
BURGENLAND IMMIGRANT CANADIAN SETTLEMENTS (from Dale M. Knebel)
Dale writes: I recently acquired a history book that details families in a
Canadian settlement that contains Austrians and Hungarians. When my
great-grandfather decided to move from Eden, SD to Oregon in the first decade
of the 1900s, one of his sons decided to take advantage of homesteading in
Saskatchewan. He and other Burgenlanders settled in Paradise Hill, halfway
up the western border of SK. The nearest large community is Lloydminster
which is partly in Saskatchewan and partly in Alberta.
The book was published in 1991 and covers the settlements of Bolney, White
Eagle, River Junction, Butte St. Pierre, Frenchman Butte, Albion, Northbend,
Perch Lake, Sylvan Hill, St. Albert, Paradise Hill, Big Hill, Tangleflags,
Meadow Dew, and Pyramid Hill.
I have gone through it and extracted the names of those who came from our
area of interest. That is the substance of the attachment to this e-mail. If
I didn't state a specific birthplace for the people, it is simply Austria.
Not included on the list are some Slovenians who stated that their area was
part of Austria (Carniola) at the time of their emigration.
The area is very culturally mixed. I recall English, Scots, Irish, German,
Austrian, Hungarian, Yugoslavian, Bohemian, Polish, and French settlers.
If any of the Bunch wants more information on these people and their
families, contact me.
There are two other settlements of Burgenlanders, primarily Seewinkel people,
in Saskatchewan. One is the Regina area, and the other is north of Regina
area, at Humboldt.
My great-grandfather Fink was one of 4 brothers who came with their widowed
mother. All homesteaded in South Dakota. Two decided to go on to Canada.
One of the two had already completed a homestead and sold it. The other had
completed a pre-emption and a homestead and sold them. So both had some
start-up money when they reached the Regina area to homestead again.
Paradise Hill Settlers:
Henry and Katherine (Homer) Berlinger, born Burgenland, Austria, married
Eden, SD
Herman Berlinger, born Burgenland, Austria
Joseph Bielecki, born Chwardershoff, Galicia, Austria
Anton Fink, Sr., Neustift, Austria
John Fink, Sr., Wallern, Austria
John Halbauer
Henry Halbauer
Frank Halbauer
Mathias Huber, born Wallern, Austria
Jack Huber
Balt Janisch
Alois and Christina (Kedl) Kedl, born Urbersdorf and Güssing, Austria
Frank and Louise (Rassier) Kirchmeier
Zoltan and Betty Kiss, born Rakamaz and Vencsello, Hungary
Frank and Karoline (Huber) Klein, Frank born Bukovina, Austria; Karoline born
Austria
Frank and Maria (Müllner) Kohlhauser, Frank born Lafnitz, Austria; Maria born
Kleinlungits, Austria
Frank Leer
Frank Ottenbreit, born Bukovina, Austria
Johann and Maria Salzl, born Wallern, Austria
Joseph Salzl
Joseph and Elizabeth (Neuberger) Schneider
Karolina Sauer Schweitzer, born Hleboka, Bukovina, Austria
Karl and Theresa (Hodel) Schweitzer, born Hleboka, Bukovina, Austria
John and Maria (Strantz) Weinhandl, born Vienna, Austria
Peter Wolfe, born Mosloch, Hungary
(end of article)
NEW BOOKS BY FELIX GUNDACKER
Felix Gundacker, residing in Vienna, is one of the few professional
genealogists who specialize in the areas which constituted the Empire. He has
also written articles for Heritage Quest magazine and has authored numerous
publications. Below is a recent message:
I just published a series of NEW BOOKS for genealogical research.
Dictionary of Moravian Parishes in the Czech Republic
Register of vital statistics in the Czech State Archives pertaining to
Moravia - in 2 parts
Register of Jewish vital statistics in Czech State Archives pertaining to
Moravia
Genealogical Dictionary
Genealogical Dictionary - English version
further publications:
Dictionary of Bohemian Parishes in the Czech Republic
Register of vital statistics in the Czech State Archives pertaining to
Bohemia - in 2 parts
Register of Jewish Vital Statistics in Czech State Archives pertaining to
Bohemia
Gazetteer of the former Galicia Bukowina
Comprehensive Index of Roman Catholic Marriages in Vienna 1542-1860 - in 3
parts
Comprehensive Index of Military Marriages in Vienna 1775-1860
On my site you will find a lot of detailed information and samples
With best regards, Felix Gundacker, professional genealogist for Austria,
Bohemia and Moravia
IHFF Genealogie Gesellschaft mbH
A-1190 WIEN, Pantzergasse 30/8
Tel = +43 1 369 97 29
Fax = +43 1 369 97 30
http://ihff.nwy.at/index.htm/ in english language
http://ihff.nwy.at/indexa.htm/ in deutscher Sprache
CONCEPT OF SOUTHERN BURGENLAND (G. Berghold-suggested by Klaus Gerger)
Our personal concept of a geographic entity is often dependent on a
contemporary map. This may be modified by a visit, after which our memory
moves map borders to somewhere consistent with our remembered line of sight.
What all this means is that, to most of us, southern Burgenland stops at the
present Hungarian and Styrian borders. This is not the southern Burgenland as
remembered by our pre 1921 ancestors. They of course knew nothing of the
place that would eventually be called Burgenland and they considered
themselves part of Vas Megye, Hungary. When they thought of their home they
considered it to encompass land and places as far east as Kormend or Vasvar
and as far west as Fürstenfeld. Northern and southern limits included the
regions of Szombathely and Szentgotthard.
When you adjust your vision of the area we now call Burgenland to the above
concept you get a completely different picture of the "Heimat", one that
includes the Hungarian vistas of present day Vas Megye, west of Kormend. To
the present predominantly German and Croatian population mix, you now add a
region which is mostly Hungarian with minor German and Croatian elements. It
appears that the 1918 dismemberment of the Empire on ethnic grounds worked
fairly well, at least in this region.
With the coming of Eurocom and the breakup of the Warsaw Pact, national
borders are becoming very penetrable and some "nations" are viewing their
immediate neighbors as ethnic partners with a common heritage. I see much
mention of the "other side" of the border in local Austrian publications. OZ
(the Oberwart Weekly News) frequently has articles mentioning what is
happening in neighboring Hungary and there are many joint festivities and
ethnic partnerships. Ethnicity in some places is becoming a merging of joint
heritage as opposed to a bone of contention. May it eventually become so
everywhere!
This change in Austrian - Hungarian relations recently came to my attention
in a most striking manner. I received a package from Vienna, sent by my
cousin and BB member Klaus Gerger. It contained a glossy pictorial 56 page
booklet entitled "Körmend und Güssing Umgebung" (surrounding area), published
in Hungary. Kormend is a fairly large Hungarian city just east of the
Heiligenkreuz, Austria border crossing. Güssing is the "Bezirk" or district
"stadt" in southern Burgenland, just nw of that crossing. Captions of the
booklet are written in both German and Hungarian. There is little in the way
of print but the obvious purpose of the booklet is to show how interrelated
the Austrian and Hungarian "Burgenland" really is with the many similar
picturesque things to see. It is like one of our own chamber of commerce
publications. The depth of coverage is striking and can well serve as a guide
to what a visitor might like to see or where to stay or have a meal on both
sides of the border. A few of the captions are detailed below:
Region of Körmend
Schloss (palace) Batthyány, Theatre, City Museum, Schuhmuseum, South door of
the Palace (Batthyány?), Old Rathaus, Heissig Haus, Railroad Station
(note:-Kormend is on the main line Graz to Budapest railroad-next station
west in Austria would be Jennersdorf), Marienstatue in the Hauptplatz,
Catholic Church, Statue of King Bela IV, Church in Körmend, Fussballplatz,
Bridge over the Raab River, St. Nepomuk Hansen Statue, Castle of Pal
Batthyány in Csakanydoroszlo.
Region of Güssing
Burg (Castle) Güssing, Batthyány Museum-Burg Güssing, Batthyány Family Crypt,
Cloister church Güssing, Palace Draskovich, Josef Reichl Museum, St. Jakob
Church, New Schloss Batthyány, "Kastell" Counts Batthyány, Rathaus,
Naturepark, Kastell in Sulz, St. Emmerichs Church in Inzenhoff, Weinmuseum
Moschendorf, Wasserschloss (moated castle) in Eberau.
Many thanks to Klaus Gerger for reminding us that the "Burgenland" of today
does not contain all of the "Burgenland" of our ancestors. We must also look
across the border. I wonder if there will be a Szentgotthard und Jennersdorf
Umgebung booklet?
AUSTRIAN AIRLINES SPECIAL FARES (courtesy Bob Unger)
If your're planning a Burgenland trip, now may be the time to get ready.
Austrian Airlines has announced new direct flights from Washington, DC
(Dulles) and NYC (Kennedy) to Vienna at reduced fares (available through
5/30/00). What better way to start your visit then with a coffee (mit Schlag)
and pastry service to the sound of a Strauss waltz. I've been impressed with
Austrian Airlines on the continent and I'm sure their overseas flights are
just as comfortable.
Bob Unger writes:
Exciting news from Austrian Airlines - see below: Gosh, a round trip to
Vienna from Washington DC for only $330!!!!!! How better can it get!! See
their WEB pages http://www.austrianair.com/main.html.
http://www.austrianair.com/dc-vienna-offer.html
Washington, DC to Vienna ...$330
Chicago to Vienna ...$330
Atlanta to Vienna ... $448
New York to Vienna ...$368
Another excellent incentive for traveling to Austria now is that the exchange
rate is currently 14.38 shilling/dollar. That is the best it has been for
years.
A NEW MEMBER ASKS SOME QUESTIONS (from Fritz Konigshofer)
<< Hello Fritz, Thank you for the information. I am not that experienced in
using the computer. Plainview is really not that far from where I live. If
I visit the LDS in Plainview what microfilms would I ask for. Better yet, if
I wanted to order the microfilm, how do I go about buying them?...>>
Fritz replies:
Anne, ...I don't think that LDS would send you copies of the microfilms. On
the other hand, I have never asked them this question. (Ed. Note: the LDS
will not sell or send microfilm to individuals-rental only for use at Family
History Centers). I always simply ordered the films for the 6 weeks or so of
loan period (which can be extended), and looked through the films at the LDS
Family History Center where they have film and fiche readers.
The microfilms of the rom.-cath. parish of St. Nikolaus im Burgenland are on
films 700734 (births and marriages 1828-95, deaths 1828-62) and 700735
(deaths 1862-95). The civil registrations for Güssing (1895-1920) are on
films 700420-28, and for Güssing-environs (1907-20) on films 700429-30. As I
mentioned before, we might be competing for the first of the St. Nikolaus
films as I am going to order it right now for another search. LDS has
several loan copies of each film, but it could happen that one of us (or
both) will have to wait a bit....
It is important for you to learn a few Hungarian terms. Güssing was
Németújvär, Grossmürbisch was Alsómedves, Kleinmürbisch was Felsõmedves, and
St. Nikolaus was Värszentmiklós. Albert's village list which you find via the
web site of the Burgenland Bunch, contains all the German names and Hungarian
and Croat equivalents, besides data on the composition of parishes etc.
When you check the microfiche catalogs at LDS, ask for the catalog of the
Salt Lake City Library. You then have two avenues. You can look for
Austria, Burgenland, and then the German names of the towns and villages, or
you can look for Hungary, Vas county, and the Hungarian names. The film
numbers you end up with will be the same.
You can also try the on-line index of the Salt Lake City Library. Go to
http://www.familysearch.org/Search/searchcatalog.asp and enter Nemetujvar
(without any accents) or Szentmiklos as the place name, and go from there.
The Hungarian terms keresztelek, hazasultag and halottag mean baptisms,
marriages, and deaths respectively.
In past newsletters of the Burgenland Bunch, you would find articles by Gerry
Berghold explaining how to search old parish and civil records and interpret
them. I cannot tell you the issue numbers as I don't know them from memory,
but you could read the table of contents and/or perform full text searches
for finding the proper articles. You really need to dedicate yourself to this
quest, or else you might easily be frustrated.
I FOUND MY GRANDPARENTS! (from Bob Geshel)
Hello everyone! Today I found the birthplace and parents of my Grandfather,
Robert Geschl. He was born on 12 July 1863. I found him in the Gaas parish
register. He had a Brother, Nicolous, born 7 december 1861.
He may have also had another Brother, Elias, I have to recheck the microfilm
and be sure! The reason I have to recheck the possible relationship of
Elias, is that I was so excited to find the information that I did, I didn't
do a good job of reading the entire record of following people...duh! (Ed.
Note-we all do this-I've gone back to the records inumerable times-we should
always write it down the first time, but in the pleasure of the find, no one
does.)
Robert and Nicolous's parents were Georg and Caroline Geschl. Robert Geschl
and Maria Magdits (my Grandmother) had a girl, Maria, born on 9 April 1893.
She did not accompany them to the US in 1903. Robert and Maria left two sons
behind, Robert and Frank, when they emigrated. The boys followed them in
1910. I have a feeling that either she died (which I haven't checked in that
section of the register), or she chose to stay behind. Maybe she was in love
and chose her man over going to America and being with her Brothers and
parents???
Next Saturday, I will again be at the Family History Center...the saga
continues! And for me, the excitement builds! To think how little I knew
just a year ago, and how much I know now, and I have just begun to search!
For those of you I haven't told, I've made reservations to travel to the
Burgenland in June of this year. I am flying to Munich, Germany and meeting
Dieter Göschl, from Freising. He and I are going to drive to Vienna, then on
to the Burgenland. At the latest, we will be in the Burgenland
on 6 June...
(Newsletter continues as no. 76A)
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 76A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold)
March 15, 2000
This second section of the 3 section newsletter contains a "A Personal
Account of My Last Visit to Burgenland", Some Missfiled Jewish Death Records,
The Holocaust Museum & Hungary, Heanzen-A Question Of Identity and More From
The Volksfreund.
A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF MY LAST VISIT TO BURGENLAND
(Stadtschlaining, Jabing, Oberwart) From: Regina Espenshade
Dear Mr. Berghold,
Thank you for your kind welcome to the Burgenland Bunch. I embarked on my
genealogical research in a serious way after my trip there last year. I had
been collecting information for years and my recent experience was the
catalyst to begin to assemble it in a systematic way. For most of my life I
believed that most of my relatives perished in the Holocaust. My research has
revealed that impression was not accurate--many survived and dispersed around
the globe. I am feeling great excitement as I make connections with former
friends and relatives of my family from Burgenland and learn more about what
happened to them.
In October 1999, my sister Hedy Löwy Aurecchia, my niece Lisa and I visited
the region of our family's origin in eastern Austria in the province of
Burgenland. Jews no longer live there although we learned that there
formerly was a substantial and integrated Jewish population. In the little
village called Stadtschlaining where my mother lived until she was 36 years
old, we witnessed something unusual happening. There is a special effort
underway to restore the memory of the former Jewish residents and the impact
they had on the community's life and culture. My sister who was born in
Vienna in January 1939 had never previously returned to
Austria. Eleven months after my sister's birth, my family emigrated to the
U.S. I was born several years later.
In the seventies, my mother Gizella Braun Löwy and I visited Stadtschlaining
twice. (She died in 1991) During those visits we saw the obliterated remnants
of the former community, the ruins of the synagogue and the destroyed Jewish
cemetery where my grandparents are buried. My parents were the last couple
to be married in that synagogue in 1937. The birthplace of my father Eduard
was in a nearby small village Jabing, Burgenland in 1898. His family's home
and shop still stand. We met the town historian there who identified it for
us and gave us a picture taken of it either in the last century or early in
this one. Recently he sent us the Jabing's Year 2000 millennial calendar with
that picture featured on the first cover page
Later my father's family moved to a larger town, the provincial capital
Oberwart. We visited the Jewish cemetery that has not been destroyed and the
graves of my grandfather Ignatz Löwy and some of my great uncles. After the
expulsion of the Jews, the Oberwart synagogue became a garage for fire
trucks. I learned that it is now restored as a music performance center. My
relatives who were unable to leave Oberwart, my grandmother Regina Bauer
Löwy, my aunt Frieda and my cousin Lilly died at Theresienstadt two months
before I was born in 1943.
This brief background relates to the significance in my life of what I
encountered in our recent visit to Austria. The principal landmark of
Stadtschlaining is a large castle dating back to the 13th century. My
mother's former home and business were outbuildings of the castle and stand
immediately adjacent to it. Upon our arrival in the village I noted that
something very special is going on there. The sign at the castle's entrance
announced that the castle is now the site of the European University Center
for Peace Studies.
This was a stunning development for me to witness. That students are coming
there from all over the world to study peace, conflict management and how to
be peacekeepers was something almost unbelievable for me. I would never have
imagined this in my wildest dreams. The formerly desecrated synagogue built
in 1715 has been restored. It retains its original identity as a Jewish
synagogue and is being used as a Peace Library in connection with the Center
for Peace Studies in the castle. The cemetery has been restored as well and
is marked with a beautiful granite gate identifying it as a Jewish burial
ground. Seeing this gave me an overwhelming sense of relief. I will never
forget the deep grief my mother experienced in 1973 and again in 1976 when
she saw that the graves of her parents had been desecrated. Although some of
the gravestones seem to be retrieved, my grandparents' markers are missing.
The waves of revelation continued. The woman who manages the museum at the
castle gave us a copy of a book published in 1988 by Gerhard Baumgartner that
tells about the history of the Jewish community in Stadtschlaining and
Burgenland that dates back before 15th century. The names of many of my
relatives and friends of my mother's are listed in the book. The book
concludes with the statement that little is known about what happened to the
community.
I am learning a lot about what happened to them, because I began researching
the fate of my family after I returned. After compiling the information using
the Family Tree Maker software I found more information via the Internet and
through contacting various relatives. So far I have found second cousins in
Chicago and I hope to find more. I have tracked down the survivors of the
Holocaust and their descendants. My hope is to examine the records in
Burgenland to see if I can trace my relatives to before the early 19th
century when my great grandfather lived there.
We toured the former synagogue, now a Peace Library. I realize that I possess
copies of a Hebrew/German Bible and several prayer books that belonged to my
grandfather who prayed at the synagogue. The books were printed more than
100 years ago. In her few belongings that my mother packed when she fled her
home village, she carried her father's prayer books to America.
By chance, we reserved accommodations from Vienna at the pension of an
individual who is the director of tourism (Werner Glösl). We explained why
we were visiting; and he brought out another book about the history of
Stadtschlaining. When he opened it, I was overcome with emotion to see my
mother pictured there with a group of her friends in 1933. She was apparently
in mourning for her father's death because she was wearing a black armband.
Subsequently, Mr. Glösl sent me other family memorabilia, including an
announcement of a sale at my grandfather
Ignatz Braun's store in 1930. The sale was to celebrate his 50th anniversary
of being in business there.
We talked to several people who remembered my mother and had attended her
wedding. At the home of the family Rusz who had helped my parents escape and
subsequently suffered because of their anti-Nazi activities, we saw more
pictures of happy times in my mother's youth. She was completely integrated
into the community so that when she was forced to leave it was a shock to her
and to her friends.
The reconnection with the past, the fact that my parents live on in memory of
the people there, their children and grandchildren was a powerful experience.
I am personally dedicated to working for peace and reconciliation in the
Middle East and have been concentrating on these issues for many years. This
connection of the Peace Center of Stadtschlaining with my passion for peace
was an overwhelming discovery. It feels like more than a coincidence.
I am planning to attend a training session there in June to participate in
their Peacekeeper Training program. I also want to find out more about how
and why the remembrance of Jews is happening here in this small Austrian
village that is now the site of an international study center. I have been
collecting additional materials about the history and background of these
developments through my recent communications with the Center's Director, Dr.
Gerald Mader. There is a web site that provides pictures and information
about the Peace Center. The address is
http://www.aspr.ac.at.
This is a summary of one of the most important experiences of my life. I know
that many in the Jewish community are unforgiving toward the Austrians for
their acts of anti- Semitism. Those include some of my own relatives. The
recent election of Haider and his anti-Semitic reputation soured things
further. Yet there is a current flowing in another direction that deserves
acknowledgement. I always remember my mother's response when she met her
girlhood friend in the village after 36 years. This woman was the widow of
the local Nazi party secretary who had turned her back on my mother during
those horrible times. My mother's first words to her when they encountered
one another on the street were, "I forgive you".
EDITOR'S ADDITION: Burg Schlaining (in Stadtschlaining-Hungarian name
Varoszalonak) was one of the most powerful castles in the province. It was
presented to the noble Andreas Baumkirchner by Emperor Frederick III in 1445.
It later passed to the Batthyány Herrschaft. Much destruction in WWII, but it
was saved by Dr. U. Illig who turned it into a museum, then an hotel and now
a conference center as stated in the article. I visited it in 1974 when Dr.
Illig was giving museum tours and again in 1993 after it had become a
conference center. Undergoing renovation at the present time, the museum art
work is being displayed at Castle Güssing. Well worth a visit.
The village of Stadtschlaining was unique in that it was a center for three
faiths. For the Catholics there is a fine Gothic Katholische Pfarrkirche
founded by Baumkirchner. The Evangelische (Lutheran) Pfarrkirche is the
oldest "tolerance" prayer house in the Burgenland, built in 1782, after the
issuance of Joseph II's "Edict of Tolerance". Early Jewish presence can be
traced to the 17th century when a synagogue was built. About 1848,
Stadtschlaining was one of the larger Jewish settlements with Jews accounting
for 40% of the population. Part of Bezirk Felso-Eor, Vas Megye pre 1921, in
1873 it had 435 Roman Catholics, 586 Lutherans, 312 Jews and 76 Reformed.
Altschlaining (now part of Stadtschlaining along with Drumling, Goberling and
Neumarkt) had an additional 422 Catholics, 116 Lutherans and 7 Jews, all of
whom worshipped in Stadtschlaining. Catholic and Lutheran records are
available from the LDS as are Jewish records from 1841-1895 (LDS 0700744).
The presence of such a strong castle as well as an "Antimony Works" (closed
in 1990) in Stadtschlaining probably accounted for the large mixed
population.
Where they still exist or have been restored, Jewish cemeteries will often
portray much earlier burials than the Catholic or Protestant ones which lose
their headstones and grave markers in approximately 100 years, due to reuse
of the burial plots. While the Jewish headstones reflect much older burials,
their inscriptions are mostly (if not all) in Hebrew. Their destruction is a
serious loss to genealogists. Fortunately, in the Burgenland, many of the
19th century records have been microfilmed.
SOME MISSFILED JEWISH DEATH RECORDS (from Fritz Königshofer)
When I recently looked through the microfilm with the records of the
rom.-cath. parish of Güssing (Német Újvär) in pursuit of data on the family
of Josef Reichl for Albert Schuch, I unexpectedly found a section on this
film containing the Jewish death records of Güssing for 1842-44. It is only
two or three pages, but I wonder how these pages might have gotten intermixed
with the rom.-cath. records and whether these records might be missing from
the microfilm of the Jewish records.
Perhaps you can mention this fact for the BB readers. These errant
Jewish death records are on microfilm 0700700, and are inserted between the
rom.-cath. death records of 1843 and 1844.
(Ed. Note: See newsletters nos. 37, 40, 51A & 55B for more information
concerning records.)
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM FEATURES HUNGARY (G. Berghold)
The Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, DC) issues a bi-monthly newsletter
called "Update". The issue for Jan./Feb. 2000 features an article concerning
"The Holocaust In Hungary". It specifically mentions the "golden age" of
Hungarian Jews from the end of the 19th Century until WWI and its aftermath
through WWII. Budapest's Dohany Street Synagogue was the largest synagogue in
Europe. Services were even conducted in Hungarian. By 1930, Jews accounted
for 20% of Budapest's population. Burgenland descendants with Jewish
ancestors may find this article of interest. Information concerning
membership in the museum and its newsletter and publications may be found at
www.ushmm.org.
HEANZEN-A QUESTION OF IDENTITY (Hank Dilcher & G. Berghold)
(Ed. Note: member Hank Dilcher and a relative are planning a trip to the
Burgenland. As a result they are doing the homework that all prospective
travellers should do. It will pay big dividends and make their trip much more
enjoyable. However, a question of Burgenland identity arose.)
Hank writes: Received the attached from a German relative of mine in Nova
Scotia (who may join us in our October Burgenland trip). Does this make
sense?
The relative writes:
<< Just yesterday I learned something new, when I looked up "Burgenland" in
my medium-sized German encyclopedia. The German-speaking population there
(which makes up about 85% of the Burgenland population, the rest being
Hungarians, Slovaks and Slovenes) is considered to be ethnically and
culturally different from the "proper" Austrians. In fact, they are called
"Heinzen" (alternatively spelled Hienzen or Heanzen), and came to the area
in the 11th-13th centuries from Bavaria. This was confirmed by the large
German encyclopedia which I just checked in our university library, while the
English-language encyclopedias (Britannica, Americana) made
no mention of the name of this population in their articles on the
Burgenland. The German encyclopedia article on the "Heinzen" gave as a
reference (among some German-language scholarly articles) the book
"Borderland" by A.F. Burghardt (Madison, 1962). This book is in none of the
Nova Scotia university libraries, and anyway I wouldn't have the time now to
read it if I got it through interlibrary loan. But perhaps
you can find it somewhere locally; in May I'll look for it when I'm in Urbana
again (I'll have a few days there after a conference). >>
My reply to "does this make sense?"
Hank, Not quite-"Heinzen" or "Hianzen" as it is now known is a dynastic term
which originated from one Wolfer and his brother Hedrich, sons of Count
Volvern of Wiltonia or Honnsburg (Styria-not Bavaria although parts of Styria
at one time belonged to the Dukes of Bavaria) who came to the Güssing area in
1142 AD and built the first (wooden) castle of Güssing. They brought forty
German speaking "reiters" or armed followers with them (from Gesta
Hungarorum-first history of Hungary dtd. 1282 AD.) This was the first
documented "German" presence in Burgenland if you ignore Charlemagne's
Frankish campaigns against the Avars in the 8th Century or tribal wanderings
during the even earlier Roman period.
>From Wolfer and followers descended the mighty Counts of Güssing (their line
lasted for over 200 years until the Herrschaft was taken over by the
Hungarian crown). One of the most well known Counts of Güssing was "Schwarzen
Heinz" (Black Henry) who had the title 1254-74 and was almost an independant
monarch. He brought and invited many other German speaking colonists to the
region. For some reason the name Heinzen -followers of Heinz- stuck over the
centuries, even though other aristocratic families ruled the area for even
longer periods (Batthyány from 1524-1918 for instance, wouldn't Batthyania
have a nice ring to it?).
Most descendants of these original settler families probably perished through
war and plague during the Turkish period (1500's-1700's) and were replaced by
new colonists from Croatia, Slovenia, Styria, Lower Austria-Bavaria-etc.
after the late 1600's. In the north some even came from around Lake Constance
and from Slovakia).
Heinzen (Hianzen) however, is strictly a southern Burgenland term used for
centuries to denote Burgenland peasants. The northern region peasants
referred to themselves as "Heidebauern" (heath or meadow farmers).
A southern dialect language developed which is now known as Hianzisch (Dr.
Walter Dujmovits prefers to call it Burgenländisch). There are even some
poets writing in the dialect. Chief among them was Josef Reichl, (1860-1924),
born in Güssing. In a previous newsletter we printed his poem "Mei Hoamat"
(Meine Heimat-My Home-although "home" does not connote the strong ties
associated with the word "Heimat"). Like most of his poems, it was written in
Hianzisch. There is a Hianzen Society in Güssing in which member Heinz Koller
and wife are very active. I have a book of Hianzisch poems by Mathilde Pani
of Gerersdorf bei Güssing published in 1995. There are other poets. There is
also a Josef Reichl-Bundes (club).
What differs from the Viennese and the inhabitants of the other Austrian
Provinces is that Burgenland was Hungarian until 1921 and not part of
Austria. As such, some older Austrians (born before 1921) tend to look upon
Burgenlanders as Hungarians, even though the majority speak basic German
today. See many articles concerning this in the archives nos. 31, 45, 55.
Also see Heinz Koller's Güssing web site (address from our URL list in
homepage). This site also has a Heanzen dictionary being compiled by Inge
Schuch.
I have the book "Borderland" and have corresponded with Prof. Andrew
Burghardt, he's one of our members. His book is out of print, but you'll find
it supports my answer.
As stated in the last newsletter, Burgenland is a modern term. It first
appeared in the newspaper "Ostdeutsche Rundschau" dtd 24 Dec. 1918. It
appeared in a poem by Professor Alfred Walheim which began:
Heinzenland
Burgenland
Kehrst du wiederum zu uns zurück?
(Are you returning to us)
There was even some discussion at that time about calling the new province
Heinzenland, but the northerners objected to that name.
What are "proper Austrians"? There is no such thing. Austria has never had a
"national" geographic identity in the way most other European nations do,
although you can argue that those born within the borders of today's Austria
after 1918 (or better yet 1945 or1955) are Austrians. It's been a
conglomeration of races from the beginning in the same way that the US has.
Is there such a thing as a "proper" American? However, there is such a thing
as a "proper Englishman"- or a "proper Frenchman". Refer to any geographical
history. Freeman & Bury in "Historical Geography of Europe", Ares Publishers
reprint of the 1903 edition, spend many pages explaining why "Austria" can
not be considered a nation geographically in the same manner that England or
France can. I imagine the best you can say is that a "proper" anything is
something that has adhered to an original definition. I'd not want to try to
write the definition of an Austrian, other than to say the term refers
(today), to a person born (or naturalized) in Austria.
What your correspondent and the encyclopedia was trying to say (and doing a
bad job of it) is that "urban" Austrians (Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, Linz etc.)
differ from rural southern Burgenländers in the same way that Americans in
NYC or Boston differ from Virginians or Texans or Pennsylvaia Dutch, etc.
etc. A very important distinction. The major problem with most genealogists
who refer to German sources is that they lump all German speaking sources
together. That's like trying to find American or Canadian family history in
purely English (UK) publications. It's for this reason that we have a
Burgenland Bunch involved in micro-genealogy and I hope I've not belabored my
point. Regards, Gerry
MORE FROM THE VOLKSFREUND (by Fritz Königshofer)
When I completed my perusal of the issues of Der Volksfreund, there
were a few stories that extend on themes which were published in BB
newsletter 69.
VF of September 4, 1886, pp. 3-4 lists the highest-taxed individuals
of Vas county. Number one was Count Franz Erdödy who paid 27,207 florins and
76 Kreuzer in total taxes. Prince Edmund Batthyäny was on the second
position with 26,370 fl. and 54 kr. The third place was held by (rom.-cath.)
Bishop Kornelius Hidassy with 11,785 fl. and 4 kr., while Alexander Nagy of
Alsó Paty was fourth with 10,176 fl. and 36 kr.
VF of October 30, 1886, p. 7. The Ministry of Interior approved
three Magyarizations of village names. Rettenbach became Mentse, Redlschlag
Vörösvägäs, and Puszta Schmelz became Huta. [I believe all these new
Hungarian names got further modified later on, when village names were made
individually unique over the whole Kingdom of Hungary.]
VF of November 27, 1886, reported that the authorities did not
approve the Magyarization proposal of Szobär for the village of Stuben,
because, it is stated, the proposed name did not sound sufficiently Hungarian
and would also be too similar to the name of Szabar (Zuberbach). The people
of Stuben were advised to find another name.
A year later, in the VF of November 19, 1887 it is reported that the
people of Stuben decided to select the name Edehäza for their village. They
claimed they chose the name in honor of the Vizegespan (vice governor) of Vas
county, Eduard von Reiszig. [This looks to me like a case of sweet revenge
by the villagers for the forced Magyarization of their village name, as the
Vizegespan's family name looks quite Germanic.]
VF of January 8, 1887, p. 6, contained a statistic about newspapers
published at the time in county Vas. Accordingly, Szombathely had four
Hungarian and one German newspapers (the latter being Der Volksfreund); Güns
(Köszeg) one Hungarian and two German; Körmend one Hungarian; Muraszombat
one bilingual Hungarian/Wendisch (the latter meaning Slovenian); and
Oberwart one German (the Oberwarter Sonntagzeitung). In addition, an
agricultural newspaper was published in Szombathely, and newspapers about
school matters were published in Szombathely and in Oberschützen.
(Newsletter continues as no. 76B)
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 76B
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold)
March 15, 2000
This third section of the 3 section newsletter contains articles about
Burgenland Immigrant Cities, Using Albert's Village List, Der Volksfreund on
WW I, Homepage Statistics and Member Changes.
BURGENLAND IMMIGRANT CITIES CONTINUED (by G. Berghold, suggested by Dale
Knebel - with thanks to Dr. Walter Dujmovits and the Burgenlandische
Gemeinschaft. Note: first immigrants reflect current provable settlement.
This is subject to change as more data surfaces. Member Bruce Klemens has
provided an interesting description of Passaic, NJ as it pertains to
immigrants. We'd appreciate other members doing likewise.)
Manhattan (NY)
First Burgenländers came before the end of the 19th century. They settled
between 29th and 30th Streets and 9th & 11th Avenues. Many later moved to the
Bronx and Long Island. 86th Street was once the mid-point of the "working"
district for German speaking immigrants including Burgenländers. Many called
this area the "German Broadway". Today only a very few live in Manhattan.
Milwaukee, Wisc.
Already an enclave of German immigrants in the 19th century. The first
Burgenländers worked in the breweries, coming from the Lafnitztal (valley of
the Lafnitz River), from Loipersdorf, Burgauberg and Heiligenkreuz. The first
was Johann Spirk from Burgauberg in 1894. Many immigrants arrived between the
wars and many clubs were formed.
Montreal, Canada
Province of Quebec. After Toronto the most well known Burgenländ immigrant
city in Canada. Most came during the 1950's-60's.
Nazareth, PA
The first Austrians came to Pennsylvania about 1741. Most of the immigrants
to this region in these times were from southern Germany (Palatinate), the so
called Pennsylvania Dutch. The first known Burgenländer was George Reinisch
from Moschendorf, 1893, followed by Florian Csekits, Sulz, 1898. Club "Holy
Family" founded 1915. Many cement workers. See many previous BB articles.
New Britain, Conn.
Many immigrants from Jennersdorf. First, John Knaus, 1898. Most lived in the
region of Arch, Glen, Webster and Locust Streets. Some spillover to New
London.
New Orleans, LA
Very early immigrant, Christian Schermann, Deutsch Gerisdorf, 1858. Others
came in the middle of the 1800's and established themselves as farmers in the
mid-west as part of the western pioneer migration.
Northampton, PA
See many BB newsletter articles concerning this major enclave. Very many
Croatians.
New York City, NY
See Manhattan. Major port of entry for Burgenland immigrants. Processed first
at Castle garden then Ellis Island, many continued their journey by train to
the many enclaves covered here. Those for the Lehigh Valley would have taken
the ferry to northern NJ and boarded trains there for Bethlehem and
Allentown, PA.
Passaic, NJ
(member Bruce Klemens forwarded this description)
Gerry, if I may comment on your list of Burgenland immigrant cities. You
mentioned Clifton, NJ and then as part of that also mentioned Passaic and
Paterson (only one "t", not Patterson as shown.) Actually, Passaic is really
the main area of the immigration here. The immigrants came here for work at
the Passaic textile mills and other factories on the Eastside of Passaic near
the Dundee Canal: The Botany Worsted Woolen Mills, The Forstmann Woolen
Mills, Passaic Cotton Mills, The Gera Mills, The McLean Cotton Mills,
Brighton Mills, The Waterhouse Mill, The Acherson & Harden Manufacturing Co.,
The Okonite Company, The Pantasote Company, U.S. Rubber Company, Manhattan
Rubber Company, Paterson Parchment Paper Company, J.L. Prescott Company, Reid
and Barry Co., Passaic Print Works, The Dundee Power and Water Company, The
Falstrom Company, Pitkin & Holdsworth Company, Jacques Wolff & Company.
Passaic was a hotbed of immigration, obviously not just from Burgenland but
also from all over Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe. After the
immigrants got on their feet and made a few bucks, some moved to adjacent
towns, such as Clifton or Garfield where living conditions may have been
better.
This description of the 1926 woolen mill strike describes more than just the
strike:
"On January 25, 1926, six thousand workers struck the Botany Mill in Passaic.
The strike soon spread to other mills in the neighboring towns of Garfield,
Clifton, and Lodi. The strikers' demands included abolition of a wage cut and
an increase in wages, overtime pay, a 44-hour workweek, decent working
conditions, and recognition of their union. By March, over 15,000 workers
were out. The strikers defied attempts by the Passaic City Council to prevent
them from picketing, resulting in constant battles with the police and
subsequent arrests. All commentators agreed that women played a key role in
the strike, whether as pickets or through relief and child-care efforts.
Sixteen-year old Martha Stone Asher, who was responsible for chairing daily
strike meetings at the Garfield headquarters, recalled attempting to
communicate with women who spoke many different languages including Polish,
Hungarian, German, Russian, and Italian. In late 1926 and early 1927, most of
the mills came to terms with the strikers, who had won the right to organize
in Passaic."
Passaic had a church for every nationality: Polish, Russian, Ukrainian,
Slovak, Hungarian, you name it. There was also a large Jewish community. The
spiritual center for the Burgenlaenders was Holy Trinity Roman Catholic
Church, founded 1900. (I attended it as a child). It had German speaking
Priests and Masses in German. Not only Burgenlaenders attended Holy Trinity,
but other German-speaking people as well. A large number were not from
Germany proper, but from German speaking parts of Austria-Hungary, such as
Danube Swabians (Germans who had migrated to Hungary in the 18th century to
farm land left devastated by the Turks, much like the Croatians who migrated
to Burgenland). I have a book that the Church published about its history.
One photo in the book is of the Burgenlaender-American Benefit Society, taken
in 1932. One of these days, I'm going to compare the names of the
parishioners in the early 20th century to the names of the Burgenland Bunch.
I think there would be a LOT of match-ups. BRUCE KLEMENS
USE "ALBERT'S VILLAGE LIST" (G. Berghold)
Many Hungarian village names are similar since they frequently are formed
with endings denoting natural features like "falva" (village or hamlet) or
"hegy" (hill or on the mountain), etc. As you search village church records
you find other villages mentioned. Be assured that most of these villages are
nearby. To determine this, refer to Albert's Village List for the Bezirk
(district) in question and scan the Hungarian names of the villages listed.
If you find a spelling similar to what is written in the church records
(often abbreviated) you'll know it is the nearby village not one clear across
the Burgenland. A good example is "Kortvelyes" in northern Burgenland and
"Okortvelyes" in southern.
As stated before, one of the first things to do after identifying your family
village is to get a good map (scale 1:200,000), find your village and list
every other village within a few kms. Then find and record their Hungarian
(Croatian names), USE ALBERT'S VILLAGE LIST (see our Homepage) to do this.
Having recorded the names, label this as your xxxxx family village reference
list and keep it handy when you use the LDS records. As you find family from
some other village, you'll then be able to place them properly and ALSO
REVIEW OTHER CHURCH RECORDS IF THE NEW VILLAGES WERE SERVED BY SOME OTHER
CHURCH. If both your maternal and paternal lines are from the Burgenland you
may end up with 23 or more villages like I did. Later you'll have an excuse
to visit all of them!
Following exchange between Albert and Bob Loerzel illustrates the wisdom of
having a list:
Bob writes: << [...] the LDS records for Mischendorf include many people from
"Dobrafalva." Since Dobersdorf (Ed. -in Bezirk Jennersdorf in southern
Burgenland while Mischendorf is in Bezirk Oberwart in middle Burgenland) is
not in the immediate vicinty of Mischendorf, I wouldn't expect much of a
connection between the towns. Is it possible there was another town (other
than Dobersdorf) that was known as Dobrafalva? Or maybe for some reason, many
people from Dobrafalva moved to Mischendorf. Do you know anything about this?
>>
Albert answers: The Dobrafalva from the Mischendorf church records is Neuhaus
(in der Wart), which was given the official Hungarian name Öridobra towards
the end of the 19th century. ("Öri" is Hungarian for "in der Wart" and it was
added to the name Dobrafalva and the suffix "-falva" dropped to distinguish
it from Dobersdorf (near Rudersdorf).
Neuhaus in der Wart is situated northwest of Mischendorf, with the villages
Rohrbach (an der Teich), Gross-Bachselten and Klein-Bachselten in between.
Note that Neuhaus in der Wart was also called "Kroatdorf" or "Krobotdorf"
alternatively.
DER VOLKSFREUND ON WWI (extracted and translated by Fritz Königshofer)
(Fritz continues to scan and translate appropriate early 20th century
articles from the Burgenland area Hungarian newspaper "Der Volksfreund" [The
Peoples' Friend] archived in Budapest. His great-grandfather was a local
Volksfreund reporter as well as the school teacher in Poppendorf.)
After the outbreak of World War I in 1914, most of the reports from
the various theaters of war as printed by Der Volksfreund were, as one would
expect, favorable and reassuring. However, the sad side of the war slowly
crept into readers' consciences. One particularly disconcerting aspect were
no doubt the news about sons of the region who had been captured by the
allies and become POWs. The production of the newspaper itself also became
increasingly impacted by the effects of the war.
The VF of August 8, 1914, p. 4, reports that the editor of the VF,
Carl Zimmermann, had been called to arms. The newspaper would now
temporarily be edited by the retired teacher (schoolmaster of the Jewish
school) of Rechnitz, Joachim Heitler. The newspaper also suffered an
immediate reduction in its paid advertisements.
The issue of September 9, 1914 stated that returning emigrants would
receive an amnesty (from having eluded the draft by emigrating). However,
the VF speculated about the effect this amnesty would, or rather would not,
have.
The issue of October 3, 1914 reported on measures in Szombathely and
Rechnitz of increasing the number of hospital beds to care for the injured
brought back from the war.
A week later, the paper reported that the weekly "Szentgotthárd,"
which had been published for 19 years, had to close down due to lack of
reader support.
The VF of October 17, 1914 printed the first of several letters sent
from imprisonment in Minsk (Belarus) by Josef Luibersbeck, son of the teacher
Teofil Luibersbeck of Markt-Neuhodis.
The same issue (p. 4) reported on the attempt to appoint the attorney
Dr. János Glatz to a position of a honorary attorney in Muraszombat or in
Oberwart with the task of representing public prosecutors who had been
drafted into the military. Apparently, the draft was depleting the legal
courts to an extent that impaired their functioning.
In the issue of November 7, 1914, the VF carried an editorial about
the bad situation of the newspapers. It stated that more had to be written
(i.e., all the war news), while paid advertisement was down.
To pay for the war, the government offered war bonds to the public.
The VF of November 21, 1914 carried an article about the sales drive for war
bonds in Rechnitz. It also mentioned that Felix Techet of Oberbildein [a
relative of BB member Viktor Fischer] topped the list by signing up war bonds
for 50,000 crowns.
The issue of the following week described a visit at the injured
soldiers in Rechnitz who were housed in rooms of the castle and the Jewish
school.
According to the issue of January 2, 1915, Volksfreund editor Carl
Zimmermann was promoted to Senior Lieutenant (Oberleutnant) at the
directorate of the corps of engineers in Komárom [today's Komárno in the
Slovak Republik]. The same issue expresses the thanks of all Hungarians for
500 cases with Christmas gifts that had been received from America.
The VF of January 16, 1915 reprints on pages 2 and 3 a letter sent by
Alois Polster from POW camp [sorry, I did not note where this was] to his
father-in-law Johann Luttenberger, the deputy judge of Markt-Neuhodis.
The issue of February 13, 1915 contains (on pp. 2-3) the next letter
from POW imprisonment in Russia to his parents by Joska [Josef] Loibersbeck
[sic], son of the Lutheran teacher and postmaster of Markt-Neuhodis, Teophil
Loibersbeck. In the letter, Josef mentions the following fellow prisoners,
all alive: Professor Aurel Stettner; August Paulowitsch; Ludwig von
Gyöghegyi; Lieutenant Professor Johann Friedrich; and Professor Spanner of
Ödenburg.
The issue of March 20, 1915, p. 3, reprints yet another letter by
Joska Loibersbeck to his parents from Russian imprisonment. The issue of the
following week, p. 3, prints the letter by a Dr. F. J. Krug, Lieutenant of
the Reserves, sent to a mother about the death in war of her son.
As per the same issue, Rechnitz is now officially recognized as the
location of a military hospital. (Later on, the issue of October 30, 1915
reports on the excellent management of this hospital.)
A further letter by Jóska Loibersbeck is printed in the April 3, 1915
issue, page 3. In this letter, he relays the news that Gustav Schranz is
alive.
The VF of April 24, 1915, p. 3, carries a letter from POW
imprisonment sent by Dr. Jenö Marton, attorney from Köszeg, to his father
Anton Marton, retired senior teacher (Oberlehrer) of Rechnitz.
The VF of May 8, 1915, p. 8, reports of a telegram that had traveled
7 days from Samarkand. The telegram reported about the imprisonment (in
Uzbekistan) of Lajos Hollndonner of Rechnitz, son of Georg Hollndonner,
keeper/owner of the inn "zur Rose," and of Feri Holzer, son of the butcher
Sándor Holzer.
The issue of May 15, 1915 calls upon the public to sign up for the
second emission of Hungarian war bonds.
Further POWs get reported on June 12, 1915. Accordingly, János
Békássy, 20, of Zsennye, son of the Obergespan (governor of Vas) István
Békássy, is imprisoned in England. Adolf Hermann, 34, of Oberwart, is
interned in India; and Alajos Szalay, farmer, is interned in Stratford. [I
feel these reports alone give a flavor that it was a "World" War that was
being prosecuted.]
The VF of October 2, 1915 prints a joint letter from imprisonment in
Russia by several soldiers from the area of Güssing. The list of
letterwriters includes Ludwig Krammer of Rauchwart 49 [This Ludwig Krammer
was the father of my father's best friend, Ludwig Krammer jr.. Another son
later became mayor of Güssing. Sorry, I did not note down the other POW
names mentioned in the article.]
The same issue reported that the Hungarian Society of "South Norwalk"
had donated 5,160 crowns for the benefit of the Hungarian Red Cross.
In the issue of October 16, 1915, the VF reports of losing all the
newspaper's typesetters to the military draft. The volume of the newspaper
thus had to be reduced further.
The issue of April 15, 1916 reports on a collection of donations by
the Hungarians of Chicago. A total of 2,300 crowns got collected and was
given to the Invalid Fund of Vas county. The drive was organized by Mihály
and Rudolf Kuk.
In June 1916, it became economically impossible for the Volksfreund
to continue publication. The last issue of the paper appeared on June 24,
1916. On the title page, the hope was expressed that publication would
resume in the future. ***
HOMEPAGE STATISTICS (Hap Anderson)
(Ed. Note: If you think no one sees your family data, take a look at the
following)
Burgenland Bunch Web page statistics (Mar 2000).
30679 hits since counter was installed (Mar 1997)
Where Your Visitors Come From
Country Number of Hits
USA Commercial 10984, Network/ISP 10535, Austria 1797, Canada 591,USA
Educational 514, Australia 401, United States 382, USA Military 372,
Non-Profit Organizations 220, Germany 198, USA Goverment 114, Netherlands
84, United Kingdom 81, Hungary 60, New Zealand 53
Switzerland 51, Brazil 49, Sweden 44, France 29, Old style Arpanet 26,
Italy 21, Belgium 21, Argentina 20, Israel 17, Japan 14, Finland 12, Denmark
11, Slovak Republic 11, Norway 10, Croatia 10, South Africa 10, Antigua and
Barbuda 6, Slovenia 6, Czech Republic 6, Iceland 5, Portugal 5,United Arab
Emirates 5, Spain 5, Poland 4 Luxembourg 4, Romania 4, Russian Federation
3, India 3, Uruguay 3, Sierra Leone 3, Mexico 2, Greece 2, Malta 2, Turkey
2, Hong Kong 1, Thailand 1, Namibia 1,Yugoslavia 1, Ukraine 1.
MEMBER CHANGES
NEW
Annette Barritt; Vancouver, WA--researching KOPPI, BAUER
Apetlon, Pamhagen, Austria; spent short time in Minnesota (1890-92),
eventually settled in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. LOIDHAMER in
Schwanenstadt (Upper Austria), Linzerstrab (?), settled in Thurston and
Pierce Counties, Washington in 1880's.
Helmut Flacker; Bad Krozingen, Germany. Burgenland family
surnames being researched: FLACKER, HALBAUER, Pamhagen and Illmitz / County
of Moson emigrants settled in: Lovasbereny / County of Feher and Palanka /
County of Bacs-Bodrog, Hungary.
Marianne Hauptman; CA. HAUPTMANN Kaiserdorf, distict
Oberpullendorf or Grafendorf (Styria?) and settled in Kossuth and Hancock
County, Iowa. Also looking for Hauptmann family members who settled in Texas.
Denise Johnson; Burnsville MN; SCHERMANN; Salmannsdorf.
Settled in Minnesota.
Mary Kiecker; Coon Rapids, MN. STEFAN/STEFFAN,
HIRT/HEIRT Lockenhaus settled in Winsted, MN but remarried and used the name
SCHEIBER either from Lockenhaus originally or Deutsch Gerisdorf.
Richard Ferdinand Kirchknopf; Toronto ON. KIRCHKNOPF,
Agfalva, Hungary. Setttled Toronto,ON.
Barbara Mayer; Denver, CO. ZENZ, WANTISCHECK; Jennersdorf
and URSCHLER, GRASMUGG; Fürstenfeld. Settled in Chicago, perhaps San
Francisco.
Diana Sukitsch-Patel; San Diego, CA. Original spelling
of name as found in Slovenia is: SZUKICS. Names in the Burgenland: SZUKICS,
SUKITSCH, SUKITCH, SUKIC, Szentgothard, Ronok, Felzoszolnok Hungary;
St.Martin ad Raab, Jennersdorf, Neumarkt ad Raab, Austria; Martinjie,
Slovenia.
Michael Sukitch; Pittsburgh, PA. SZUKICS, Jennersdorf.
SZUKICS, St. Martin an der Raab. SZUKICS, Szentgotthard.
SUKITSCH,Jennersdorf. SUKITSCH, St. Martin ab der Raab. SUKIC, unknown.
Settled in Pittsburgh, PA
VerDean Whitescorn; Modesto, CA. WEITZKORN possibly
Tarnopol (?), Galicia then Krensdorf (Hungarian Tormafalu)in the district of
Mattersburg, then England. Husband's grandfather settled in England abt 1880
- 1885. Do not know if given name was also changed as last name was MAURICE
WILLIAM WEITZKORN (now Whitescorn).
Connie Wright; Minneapolis, MN. MANN from
Illmitz, first settled in ND, then in Washington; and SCHWARZBAUER from
Apetlon, who settled in ND, St. Paul, and Washington.
CHANGE
Robert Loerzel (address)
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)
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