BB News No. 80 dtd 15 May 2000

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 80 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold) May 15, 2000 (all rights reserved) " ...ein Märchen aus uralten Zeiten..." ("a tale of long ago" - from the song poem "Lorelei", H. Heine) 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 membership lists. Staff and web site addresses are listed at the end of newsletter section "B". Introductions and articles without a by-line are written by the editor. This first section of the 3-section newsletter contains articles: - Another Member Connects - Another Contact - Another Croatian Contact - News of Our Burgenland Editor - World War I Ethnic Cleansing (WW-I Call to Ban Teaching of German) - Croatian Names and Villages of Origin ANOTHER MEMBER CONNECTS (Klaus Gerger & Mary LaManta) When you join the Burgenland Bunch, it's a little like posting a note to those bulletin boards found in supermarket entrances and other public places. You never know who is going to read them. You hope it will be someone who can supply some family information or connect you with a long-lost relative. Upon joining, I add your data to newsletter copy and send it to the BB staff for an early preview. Hap Anderson posts it to the homepage in the membership list. This is then duplicated in the village list and the surname list by Bill Rudy and Tom Steichen. That puts your notes in four websites and many computers. If you follow our suggestions, you also place a query in the WGW Query Board and contact Albert Schuch for a free ad in the Oberwart Zeitung. You then have six notes open to the world at large and your chances of hearing from someone (at least one of our over 500 BB members) are very good. This all presupposes however that you've done your homework and that your original data is correct. I'm following some threads of correspondence that have gone on for weeks. Some have so much family information in them that I'm at a loss to put them in some sort of edited sequence. Member Klaus Gerger from Vienna and Güssing saw a note by Mary LaMantia and the following resulted: Hi Mary, my name is Klaus Gerger from Güssing, Austria. I found the following (your) entry in the BB Member list: << Mary LaMantia; Toms River, NJ. Franz FURST, Johanna FANDL . Gussing. Settled in New Jersey. >> In my family tree there is also a Fürst family, and in the family of a cousin of mine (I did some research for her) there is a Fandl family. If I can help you in any way please let me know. Mary replies: Hello Klaus, I'm so happy to hear from you. Maybe we have the same relatives somewhere in our families. My grandfather was Michael Fandl (1876-1954) whose brother Was Alois Fandl who married Rosina Kedl. My uncles were Robert, Franz, Alois and Josef; my one aunt was Christina Fandl Stranzl. Franz had 2 daughters, Angela married to Stefan Loder who I believe lived in Strem. Helene married a Koch (no address). I have relatives in Bethlehem, PA, children of Robert Fandl. We are all trying to find our Austrian relatives. My father has a brother Alois whose daughter is Angela married to Alois Fruhmann. It would be wonderful if I can get any information. Thank you for any help. Klaus responds: Hello Mary, good news. In your mail you mentioned a cousin of yours, Helene Koch nee Fandl with unknown address. The Koch family lives in Güssing. Today I phoned to Mrs. Koch and she was very pleased and she looks forward to hearing from you. The address is: Helene & Robert KOCH, Kasernenstrasse. 18 A-7540 Güssing I will copy this mail to their son Reinhard (a schoolmate of mine), when I have his e-mail address. Your father was Furst Franz. Was he born 1900 in Burgenland? Perhaps I can find out some information in the Güssing parish records. Regards Klaus Gerger ANOTHER CONTACT Fritz Königshofer to Barbara May: Gerry Berghold informed me of your joining the Burgenland Bunch. Welcome! I myself have a Czentz line, spelled Zenz in German. My Zenz line was from Rechnitz (Hungarian name Rohonc). On the other hand, I know that bearers of the name Zenz were concentrated in the area of Jennersdorf and the parts south of there which are now in Slovenia. By the way, the meaning of the name Zenz is an abbreviation of the first name Vinzenz (Vincent in English). ANOTHER CROATIAN CONTACT (Frank Teklits & Janet Cobb) Janet writes to Frank: I have been reading the Burgenland Bunch News since I first found it on the Internet two years ago. I have often seen your name mentioned as the Croatian Consultant and, therefore, I thought I'd take the chance and write in hopes you can help or direct me with this question. My ancestors' surname is HAIDOWATZ. I know that it is a Slavic surname, but it doesn't resemble other Croatian surnames I've seen, which typically end in -ics or -its. In the records, HAIDOWATZ was sometimes spelled HAJDOVACS or HAJDOVATS, so I'm wondering if the -acs (or -ats) ending is some kind of regional variant, and where in Croatia that variant comes from. Looking through the feudal and parish records of Northern Burgenland I've occasionally found other surnames with the -atz, -acs, and -ats endings. Some became widespread due to people having large families. My ancestors' surname was not one of those, however, and I'd dearly like to find out from where in Croatia (or elsewhere) it originates. Cakavisch-speaking Croats from Lika and the Littoral settled the area I'm researching (east of Vienna) between 1520-7, I've read. But I haven't been able to find my surname in LDS records or on Croatian web sites. My HAIDOWATZ ancestors first appeared in Moson County feudal lists in 1768, and, to date, that's all I've been able to learn. I have a letter in to the parish at Pama for more info. But I think even the original parish records won't date back far enough to give the Croatian origins (I've read that they date back to 1690). Not to wax on indefinitely, but to give you an idea how important this is to me, I've also: written to people with the surname in Vienna (no answers); posted a query in OZ; I'm watching for any clues as the Burgenland Bunch publishes translations of "People On The Border" and the "Northern Village Series" with its Urbarial surname lists. But can't help thinking, maybe the name won't be on any of those lists. Any suggestions you could make for pinpointing an origin would be greatly appreciated. Frank responds: Janet, Thanks for the note, and it seems that we have some items in common with many other members of the BB who are seeking some guidance into where their Croatian ancestors may have emanated from. Your question is indeed pertinent, however it is not an easy one to respond to. To begin with, most old church records have recorded individuals who we think are from Croatian ancestry with their surnames ending with ics, ich, among others. Many of these individuals, such as my Dad, changed their surnames to an "its" ending. To the best of my knowledge, surname endings do not have any relationship to their original birthplaces within Croatia (Hrvatska). For your knowledge, my dad was born in Szentpeterfa, Vas Megye, Hungary. As you are aware, there are 3 (STO, CA, & KAJ) Croatian dialects, and these fortunately do provide some relationship to the origin of your Croatian ancestry. I undertook the translation of a text that dealt with the Croatian Migration to get a better insight into my Croatian ancestry, & I'll share some of the significant findings from the translation as they pertain to your search. The text has an entire chapter devoted to the Croatian Dialects in Burgenland, & I'll extract some pertinent paragraphs from it which hopefully will provide some insight into your search. "The predominant part (80%) of the Burgenland Croats speak the Ca dialect, namely the Croats in the districts of Neusiedl, Eisenstadt, Mattersburg, & Oberpullendorf. The Ca dialect is also spoken in 7 communities within the Güssing District: Stinatz, Hackerberg, Stegersbach, Heugraben, Eisenhüttl, Reinersdorf & Großmürbisch." "The remaining Croats of the Oberwart & Güssing districts are included with those that speak the Sto dialect. ... Since the same dialects are still detected in the native country (Croatia) today, they point us to those areas from which ancestors of the Burgenland Croats emigrated." "Croats speaking the Kaj dialect lived, and still live today, between the Kulpa & Mur Rivers in Zagreb (Agram). The Ca dialect was spoken from the Kulpa (river) south until the small river of Zrmanja between the Mur river & the Adriatic Sea, and in all of Dalmatia. Slavonia is situated east of these areas where the Kaj dialect is spoken, and lies between the Drava, Sava, and Danube rivers. Croats speaking the Sto dialect lived, and still live here even today." A fellow BB members just forwarded the following article & map which is pertinent to your quest: www.rohrbach-bm.at/Historie/gesch_n8.html. Hopefully these chapter extractions are of benefit to you, but a word of caution is advised here. For all of my research, I still cannot, & doubt within my lifetime, that I'll ever be able to pinpoint the Croatian village, town, or city of my dad's ancestors. The text to which I refer, does indicate some of the areas of Croatia that settlers of some of the villages of Burgenland may have migrated from. I'd suggest that you access the BB newsletters, if you are a member, & read the text for further insight, & let's go from there. If you are not a member of the BB, I cannot forward the translated text as I have permission from the publisher to make it available to members of the Burgenland Bunch only. NEWS OF OUR BURGENLAND EDITOR Some of you have told me that you enjoy those village histories we publish best of all. You may have wondered why we haven't had any lately. They are one of the many articles supplied by Burgenland Editor Albert Schuch, from Vienna and Kleinpetersdorf. He also prepares those OZ family notices and places BB material in Austrian publications when he isn't answering questions or sending us some other material. Albert has also been working toward a doctorate degree at the University of Vienna. In 1996 when I first heard from Albert, he mentioned that he was working on his dissertation, but he still found time to send us so many articles that I convinced him to fill a BB staff slot as Burgenland editor of the newsletter. I'm happy to say that he has done an admirable job, our archives are full of his material, much of it original research. We have been doubly blessed by this association, for not only is Albert bilingual and a writer of great skill, his knowledge of Burgenland source material and translations of Austro-Hungarian history and archives have opened doors to English speaking Burgenland family history researchers which have hitherto been closed. Many of you may not know that our village histories in English translation (available from the village lists and our newsletter archives) are not available anywhere else. Likewise "Albert's Village Lists," which supply German and Hungarian village names, districts, parishes and civil record sources, have never before been available in English translation. The BB takes great pride in being the source of such material. Albert's university efforts were delayed when he was required to fulfill his Austrian military obligations in 1998-1999. I met with him in Vienna in February of 1999 as those obligations were coming to an end. He resumed work on his dissertation and he now hopes to be awarded his doctorate in June. It is a distinct pleasure to be associated with Albert Shuch and I will be most pleased to see his long arduous studies rewarded with the highest accolade academe can bestow. Albert recently sent the following: More news: Mr Lunzer, editor of "Volk und Heimat" (the journal that published the Father Lesier series in the 1950's), asked me to submit 2 pages about genealogy on the internet with special coverage of the Burgenland Bunch for the next issue. I gladly agreed and will write the article during the upcoming weekend. Mr Lunzer will also publish the article written by our member Regina Lowy Espenshade about her stay in Schlaining, which I translated into German, of course with the BB News mentioned as the original source. I will probably meet with Ms Espenshade on June 2 in Vienna. I think I already told you that I am going to meet Jill Johnson (who contributed our FAQ pages) on May 15, also here in Vienna. WORLD WAR I ETHNIC CLEANSING (portions of an article by Frank Whelan of the Morning Call, extracted from the Allentown Morning Call, March 3, 2000) Editor's Note: It always amazes me to see how stupidly some react to the actions of one ethnic group or another; tribalism at its worst. As if calling something by another name or denying language or history will somehow remedy crimes committed by one particular national or ethnic generation upon another. Today we see much of this in Europe, Africa, the mid-eastern nations and elsewhere, even here in the United States. I often think if we followed this philosophy to its ultimate conclusion there would be large gaps in our way of life -- e.g., let's not drink coffee in retaliation for Turkish evil deeds in the 1600 and 1700's (the Turks brought coffee to Vienna where it spread throughout Europe) and let's not make cookies or rolls in the shape of a crescent (the sign of Islam). No more "kipfels"! The following is a prime example of such a case. As early as the 1700's, German-speaking immigrants began settling in the Lehigh Valley and in the 1800's more followed. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, Austro/Hungarians (including Burgenländers) arrived. The German language was secondary but of great ethnic interest to the numerous descendants. Then came WW-I and the "atrocities" of Kaiser Bill. Time to forbid all things German! No more sauerkraut, wiesswurst, frankfurters or Dachshunds! No more German language! CALL TO BAN TEACHING GERMAN LANGUAGE SPLIT ALLENTOWN BOARD DURING WW-I - From the Allentown, PA, "Morning Call" On the evening of May 27, 1918, a thunderstorm pounded the Lehigh Valley with rain, wind and hail. Inside the Allentown School Board's meeting room, the mood was almost as stormy. The members had the most controversial subject on their agenda that they had ever faced, it combined a volatile mix of patriotism and the teaching of a foreign language. School Board Chairman J. Dallas Erdman was demanding that the members forbid the teaching of German in the public schools. If not, they would be siding with the nation's foes who were killing Americans at that moment in World War I. The Catasauqua School Board, Erdman pointed out, had already banned German. It was up to Allentown to follow. Board members William F.P. Good, Oliver A. Iobst and Charles A. Reber were in Erdman's corner. But members Wilson Arbogast, Harry G. Correll, William J. Dietrich, the Rev. Charles J. Rausch and Oliver T. Weaber could only be pushed so far. Make German an elective rather than the required high school course it had been since 1858, they argued. But don't do away with the teaching of the language of Luther, Goethe and the German ancestors of everyone in the room. The board's argument grew heated. When their loyalty was questioned, the dissidents protested. "I am an American," said Rausch after a cutting remark in German by Iobst. "Do you challenge my patriotism?" said Weaber, rising, "menacingly from his chair," the Call reported. The argument raged on, but the German supporters would not budge. Finally, the board agreed to the compromise of making German an elective. Part of the agreement was replacing the course's textbook, "Im Vaterland," which means "My Fatherland," with something that sounded less pro-Germany. The roots of this argument went back to the earliest days of the city and region's education system. Until the Civil War, German was the first language of the Lehigh Valley. Newspapers were written in it, God's word was preached in it and school children were taught in it. It was not unusual to find rural schools in the Lehigh Valley where Pennsylvania German was the only language spoken into the 20th century. This was not confined to public schools. Into the 1900s, Muhlenberg College's faculty and administration were deeply divided between those who felt all its courses should be taught in German and those who believed that only its theology courses -- the school was founded to train students for the Lutheran ministry -- should be taught in German. But after the Civil War, the region was becoming more and more bilingual. English was the language of business and the popular culture that surrounded the Lehigh Valley. It was clearly being heard more often, mixed with the Pennsylvania German dialect, in the region's cities and towns. Perhaps for that reason the city's educational leadership, particularly clergymen, wanted German as a required part of the public school curriculum. As the German Empire rose to a position of world power, many people in the Lehigh Valley were proud of it and their German roots. Teaching German in the schools was a part of the community's ethnic heritage that few questioned. But World War I and the anti-German hysteria that followed America's entry in April 1917 changed all that. Sauerkraut became liberty cabbage and anybody who spoke the "Hun's" language was as good as a traitor. The Allentown School Board's decision was made the same spring that the most popular movie in the city was a propaganda film, "The Kaiser -- The Beast of Berlin." Ads for the film in the Call showed a sinister Wilhelm II with blood dripping from his hands. The day after the board's decision, the Allentown chapter of the Past Presidents Association of the Patriotic Order, Sons of America, denounced the members and demanded German be dropped. Eventually, the board's compromise decision was overruled by a higher authority. In April 1919, six months after the war ended, Pennsylvania's Legislature banned the teaching of German in the state's public and normal schools. Although the law eventually lapsed and German came out of hiding, the debate of 1918 is a reminder of how volatile a mix language and politics can be. (end of extract) Editor's Note: In 1946, 1947 & 1948, I took German as an elective in Allentown High School. I wish Hungarian and Serbo-Croatian had also been available. CROATIAN NAMES AND VILLAGES OF ORIGIN When I visited Klaus Gerger in Vienna, he handed me a book entitled "Die Kroaten der Herrschaft Güssing" (The Croatians of the Güssing Domain) by Robert Hajszan. One of the many interesting things the author does is attempt to determine Croatian villages of origin by comparing surnames found in the Güssing area urbars with equivalent names found in Croatian urbars. The time span is anywhere between AD 1450 and 1600. I thought I could easily make some lists showing Burgenland villages, surnames and equivalent villages in Croatia, ergo a path to some pre-Burgenland origins. Unfortunately it didn't work out. I soon found that surname spellings varied greatly in the short time span involved. This variance was due to the differences between Slavic spelling as converted to Latin, German or Hungarian spelling. The same multi-lingual problem that exists today with English added! It will be necessary to try to convert the one to the other, alas another list. An example follows: The Village of St. Nicholas (Hungarian: Szt. Miklos; Croatian: Zenth Myklos) This was one of the first of the Croatian settlements in the Batthyány Güssing domain. It is believed to have been founded in 1528 by the advance guard of the settlers of Stinatz (Milan Kruhek in Wissenschaftliche Arbeiten aus dem Burgenland, volume 73, Eisenstadt 1986, pps. 45-47). This was four years after Franz Batthyány was granted the Herrschaft by Hungarian King Lajos (Louis) II. It is a small village, now part of Güssing and its former Croatian church is now merely a chapel for funerals and weddings. There is a cemetery. More information concerning this village and its inhabitants can be found in the BB newsletter archives. The first village inventory (urkunde) occurred in 1545. There were German and Hungarian names. The family surnames and some possible equivalents today follow: - Blasius - Horvath-Horvoth-Horwoth-Horvatits - Rogosar - Damsics-Damsits = Demsych from Oppidum, Stynychnyak district Croatia 1519 - Toth - Sostarics-Sostarits - Doek-Deak - Stansics-Stansits - Nag-Nagy (?) - Robek = Robak = Rebak from Oppidum, Stynychnyak district Croatia 1519 - Hiervala - Kis - Medeicz-Medes - Paulinkovics-Palinkovits = Paulykowycs = Pawlekowych from Oppidum, Stynychnyak district Croatia 1519 or = Paulinowych urbar from Dubovac 1579 - Gerdarics-Gerdarits - Belkovics-Belkovits = Belkowycs = Belowych from Kyrynchychy, Stynychnyak district Croatia 1519 or Yavorovacz - Prochsics-Prochsits - Toth - Kehen In the urbar of 1576 we have the addition of names Bwksyth, Horvat, Robek, Kis and Wgwala (Hiervala?). newsletter continues as no. 80A THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 80A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold) May 15, 2000 This second section of the 3 section newsletter continues: - Possible Burgenland Immigrant Ships (P to Z, The Larger Vessels Built Pre-1929) - Source For Hungarian Obituaries - Schloss Kapfenstein and the Burgenland "Deep South" - the Tale of the Esterhazy Irish Governess. POSSIBLE BURGENLAND IMMIGRANT SHIPS (P to Z, The Larger Vessels Built Pre-1929) These are ships built before 1930, which were in excess of 15M tons. Shown are the ships' names, where and when built, approximate tonnage (rounded to nearest thousand tons), service speed, number of passengers, shipping firm, normal port to port route and final disposition. During WW-I and WW-II, many of these ships were used as troop ships or laid up in ports of destination or origin. Many were seized as war reparations and given new names and new routes. PARIS, St. Nazaire, France 1921, 35M tons, 22 knots, 1930 passengers. French Line, Le Havre-New York service. Burned and capsized 1939. PITTSBURGH, Belfast, Ireland 1922, 16M tons, 15 knots, 2400 passengers. White Star Line, transatlantic service. Red Star Line 1925, renamed PENNLAND 1926. Sunk 1941. PRESIDENT GRANT, Belfast, Ireland 1907, 18M tons, 14.5 knots, 3830 passengers. Hamburg-America Line, Hamburg to New York service. Laid up 1914. United States Lines 1923-24, renamed REPUBLIC, New York-north Atlantic service. Hospital ship 1931-51, scrapped 1952. PRESIDENT LINCOLN, Belfast, Ireland 1907, 18M tons, 14.5 knots, 3828 passengers. Hamburg-America Line, Hamburg to New York service. Laid up 1914. Seized by US, troopship, sunk by U-boat 1918. PRINZ FRIEDRICH WILHELM, Geestemünde, Germany 1908, 17M tons, 17 knots, 2519 passengers. North German Lloyd, Bremerhaven to New York service. To British as war reparations 1919. Canadian Pacific Lines 1921. Renamed EMPRESS OF INDIA, Liverpool Quebec City. Scrapped 1930. REGINA, Belfast, Ireland, 1918, 16M tons, 15 knots, 2455 passengers. Dominion Line 1920, White Star Line 1925. Seat of Dutch government in exile WWII. Scrapped 1947. ROMA, Genoa, Italy, 1926, 33M tons, 22 knots, 1675 passengers. Navigazione Generale Italiana, Italy to New York. Italian Line 1932. Laid up 1939. Rebuilt as aircraft carrier AQUILA. Sunk 1945. ROTTERDAM, Belfast, Ireland, 1908, 24M tons, 17 knots, 3575 passengers. Holland-America Line, Channel ports-New York run. Laid up WWI. Broken up 1940. ST. LOUIS, Bremen, Germany 1929, 17M tons, 16 knots, 973 passengers. Hamburg-America Line, Hamburg to New York service. Bombed 1944, scrapped 1952. SAMARIA, Birkenhead, England, 1921, 20M tons, 16 knots, 2190 passengers. Cunard Line, Liverpool to New York-Boston-Eastern Canada service. Scrapped 1956. SATURNIA, Monfalcone, Italy, 1927, 24M tons, 19 knots, 2197 passengers. Cosulich Line, Italy to New York service. Laid up in Italy 1940-42. US hospital ship. Scrapped 1965. SCYTHIA, Barrow in Furness, England, 1921, 20M tons, 16 knots, 2206 passengers. Cunard Line, Liverpool to Canada service. Scrapped 1958. TITANIC, Belfast, Ireland, 1912, 46M tons, 21 knots, 2603 passengers. White Star Line, Southhampton to New York. Struck an iceberg and sank on maiden voyage, 1503 passengers lost. TRANSYLVANIA, Glasgow, Scotland, 1925, 17M tons, 16 knots, 1423 passengers. Anchor Line, Glasgow to New York. Torpedoed 1940. TUSCANIA, Glasgow, Scotland, 1922, 17M tons, 16.5 knots, 2435 passengers. Anchor Line, Glasgow to New York. Chartered to Cunard 1926-31. Sold to Greek Line 1939. Name changed. Scrapped 1961. TYRRHENIA, Glasgow, Scotland, 1922, 16M tons, 16 knots, 1785 passengers. Anchor Line, Glasgow to New York. Renamed LANCASTRIA 1924. Bombed and sunk 1940. VATERLAND, Hamburg, Germany, 1914, 54M tons, 23 knots, 3909 passengers. Hamburg-America Line, Hamburg to New York service. Largest liner in the world 1914-21. Interned New York 1914. Sized by US 1917, renamed LEVIATHAN troopship. Sailed 1922-23 as US Lines LEVIATHAN New York to Southampton service. Scrapped 1938. VEENDAM, Govan, Scotland, 1923, 15M tons, 15 knots, 1898 passengers. Holland-America Line, Rotterdam to New York service. Damaged 1940. Resumed service 1947-53. Scrapped 1953. VOLENDAM, Govan, Scotland, 1922, 15M tons, 15 knots, 1899 passengers. Holland-America Line, Rotterdam to New York service. War service 1940-45. Resumed service 1951. Scrapped 1952. VULCANIA, Monfalcone, Italy, 1927, 24M tons, 19 knots, 2196 passengers. Cosulich Line, Italy to New York service. Laid up in Italy 1940-42. US hospital ship. Scrapped 1974. SOURCE FOR HUNGARIAN OBITUARIES (Viktor Fischer & Fritz Königshofer) Viktor writes: Hello Gerry, how could I find any obituaries for my grandfather Frigyes GRÄTZL? He died 1937 in Köszeg (former Güns) from a WW-I chest injury, and had been born in Bozsok (Poschendorf) March 1893. He was awarded a military funeral - which my mother and her sisters still remember with great distress - he died with the rank of Captain and had been attached to the cadet school Hunyädi Mätyäs Reäl Iskola which I had thought was in Szombathely, but now I believe it was in or near Köszeg. I would want to look at both any Köszeg newspapers and any county-wide Vasmegye newspapers: what would those newspapers be, where might archives be and how could they be accessed? U.Viktor Fischer, Melbourne, Australia Fritz replies: Viktor, Gerry forwarded your following message to me. With the information you have as per your message, I still cannot understand why the Hungarian Military Archives cannot pull up a file on your grandfather. Could it be a question of paying them for the search? Viktor, I believe that at least the Günser Zeitung (in German) continued publication after 1918 and might still have existed until 1938. You recall, I was able to find an obit on your g-grandfather Johann Gratzl's death of 1924 in that newspaper. If you can give me the precise date of Fritz Gratzl's death, I'll try to check the Günser Zeitung of 1937 at my next visit to Budapest. Obviously there must have been newspapers in the Hungarian language that could be checked for an obit. Since I do not understand Hungarian, you might want to approach the Hungarian National Library with a related research request and ask what they would charge you for performing the search. The Hungarian National Library also has a collection of obits. I would be happy to check the 20th century section on whether they have an obit of Fritz (Frigyes) Gratzl's death. However, according to my relatively limited experience with the obit collection, these are only the obit notes produced by the families, i.e., those usually black bordered single sheets announcing the death and funeral. They normally do not have bio info, but often list all the close relatives. As mentioned, I could do this lookup whenever I get my next chance in the library in Budapest. In the recent visit, I never had the chance to check the obit collection (which has much more limited opening hours than the normal library). SCHLOSS KAPFENSTEIN & THE BURGENLAND "DEEP SOUTH" (Tom Grennes) Tom writes: Do you know anything about Schloss Kapfenstein as a place to stay while visiting Burgenland/Styria? My wife and I will be visiting in that area briefly next month, and it appeared that it might be an easy drive from there to Minihof-Liebau, the birthplace of my grandmother. My answer: Schloss Kapfenstein is an old restored castle at the end of a winding narrow mountain road in the middle of nowhere. Parking a short walk below the castle. Drawbridge and moat. About what you'd expect a smaller castle to be. Only a restaurant with good wine when I was there last (1993). Very picturesque and beautiful views of surrounding countryside. Know nothing about amenities today, but castle hotels are always fascinating and often expensive. I would guess it's a 30-45 minute drive nort east to Minihof (narrow winding roads). If you want to stay in Minihof, Gasthaus Hirtenfelder looks good. Another good bet for you is Bad Gleichenberg (slightly west); many fine hotels. Old world spa with concerts in the evening, beautiful park like setting. Many fine restaurants. I like Hotel Pension Allmer; Familie Pfeiler A8344 Bad Gleichenberg 19. Not expensive and very comfortable. Good pension meals. Buffet breakfast. Owner presented me with flowers and a bottle of bubbly on my birthday there. Adds 15 minutes to above time. Some nice accommodations in Jennersdorf (Hotel Raffel) also. Tom asks: My impression is that the Lutheran church and cemetery in Neuhaus serves people from Minihof-Liebau and Tauka, as well. Does it also serve people from one of your ancestral villages (Eltendorf)? My reply: Neuhaus does have the Lutheran church for Minihof-Liebau and Tauka, but not for Eltendorf. Eltendorf would be too far north and has its own "Martin Luther Kirche" (built 1770 on site of much older church) serving that area. Also Lutheran churches at Mühlgraben, Kukmirn, Stegersbach and elsewhere. Many Lutherans in southern Burgenland, refugees from when Styria went completely Catholic. Good gasthaus ("Kirchenwirt" - familie Mirth) across the street from church in Eltendorf. I'll look forward to receiving a trip report from you! Regards, Gerry Tom then writes: There seem to be very few members of BB whose ancestors come from the far south of Burgenland. My reply: The "far south" (Deep South) means the district of Jennersdorf, which pre-1921 was part of the district of St. Gotthard, Hungary. Not too many villages in Jennersdorf district and of course Burgenland shrinks east to west as you move south. Many of the villages are (were) small. The district of Güssing (next district north) had probably the largest number of emigrants, although Poppendorf-Heiligenkreuz in the district of Jennersdorf lost a larger number percentage wise. See Klaus Gerger's new village list (hyperlink from the homepage). Using this you can search for members researching villages near yours by going to the village list. Your wife might also be interested in reading some of our previous food and wine articles (check the Roots-L archive index available also by hyperlink from the homepage). There is a relatively unknown Styrian wine known as Zipfer (a type of Róse with traces of spiciness like Gewürztraminer). Be sure to ask about it when in Styria. Made only south of Graz. One point--if time allows--by all means visit Güssing. Be sure your wife checks out the large supermarket east of the city. I think she'll be surprised at the quantity and quality of food and wine. There is also a Vinothek (wine tastings) and wine museum at Moschendorf, which is worth a visit. Check opening hours in Güssing at Burgenland Gemeinschaft headquarters. Following which, Tom replies: Gerry, Thanks for the useful information. I intended to refer to Mühlgraben when I asked it they shared a church with Neuhaus. I just had an exchange with Audrey Kappel, whose family also came from Minihof-Liebau. She has not visited either but plans to go in August. We now have reservations at Schoss Kapfenstein. My wife and I like food and wine (she is a food writer and food stylist) and the fact that they make wine at the Schloss adds to the appeal. We will be happy to give a report when we return. There seem to be very few members of BB whose ancestors come from the far south of Burgenland. I think I will write to the woman who wrote recently about her family over the Slovenian border and you both mentioned the "three corners" where Austria, Slovenia, and Hungary meet. TALE OF THE ESTERHAZY IRISH GOVERNESS I get some interesting queries and some are a little removed from Burgenland family history. Here is one I think you'll enjoy. Tony Lynam writes: My Grandaunt, Elizabeth Lynam, of Mullingar Co, Westmeath, Ireland, was reputed to have been a governess to the children in the Palace of Esterhazy circa 1900. I would be very grateful if you could provide me with any information pertaining to this lady. There may be some reference to her in the palace archives or in the school or parish records 1895-1905 approx. I have her diary and a photograph of her together with some local children, which may have been taken in Esterhazy. With kind regards, My reply: I doubt if such a search would be fruitful. There are any number of Esterhazy palaces, castles, palatial hunting lodges, palaces in Vienna (Wallnerstrasse) and Budapest, etc. All were constantly staffed. Esterhazys were among the wealthiest of the Austro/Hungarian aristocracy (average annual income 18th Century - 600M Florins). Only the Liechtenstein princes had a larger income (900M Florins). The third-most wealthy were the Batthyány (southern Burgenland) with 450M Florins. The two largest Esterhazy residences were at Esterhaza (the largest, outside the village of Fertöd just south of the Neusiedler See and slightly northwest of Kapuvar, Hungary) and at Eisenstadt, Burgenland, Austria, both open to the public (the family still maintains apartments at the Schloss in Eisenstadt). Some Esterhazy family archives are at Castle Forchtenstein, Burgenland, and Schloss Esterhazy in Eisenstadt, Burgenland. Those at Forchtenstein are not available to the public. Hungarian Esterhazy records (impounded by the Hungarian government following WW-II) are in the Esterhazy Princely Archive in the National Archives Budapest. Available to researchers but written in German, Latin and Hungarian, doubtful if staff names were archived - Esterhazys had many thousands of servants - but it's hard to say what can be found. Mostly written in script, translation is for experts. Does your diary mention any particular places among those I've mentioned? Does it mention family children by name? Teachers and schooling were also supplied for children of high-ranking servants. The household management was highly structured with much absentee management. Two books in English re: the Esterhazy family (princes of the Empire from about 1650 - they had the Herrschaft of most of northern Burgenland and vast portions of western Hungary) - which can provide background are "Haydn - His Life & Times", Landon, Jones, Indiana Univ. Press, 1988 and "The Landed Estates of the Esterhazy Princes", Gates-Coon, Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1994 (includes 26 page select bibliography). Suggest you also try normal genealogy channels for data concerning your ancestor if you haven't already done so. Your possibility of finding anything would be much better. Lots of Irish records. Try the LDS Family History Center holdings for the county you've mentioned. An interesting connection. If the diary contains vignettes of the time, it would be a valuable source for scholars of the period. G. Berghold, Editor BB Newsletter Tony replies with: Many thanks for your informative E- mail of 21 April 2000. I am sending you the photograph of Elizabeth Lynam with Austrian children supposedly taken in Vienna circa 1900. This photograph was given to my father in 1960 by Elizabeth Lynam together with the following information: 1. The lady in the center facing to the right is Elizabeth Lynam. 2. She was governess to Princess Hoyos, one of the children standing at the back of the photograph. 3. She told my father, Patrick Lynam, that the Princess was a niece of Prince Rudolf of Mayerling fame. 4. The Christian name Lory was mentioned in her diary. 5. The photograph appears to be of a formal nature - symmetrical spacing of the girls, the floral arrangements, and both girls holding the same basket of flowers - all of which would suggest that the subjects in the photograph were of high rank; there may possibly be a copy of this photograph in some family archive in Austria. 6. The photographers name, Franz Grainer, together with Royal coats of arms clearly appears at the bottom of the photograph. 7. The names Luschitz and Kulm are mentioned in Elizabeth's diary. She speaks of the "Countess traveling to Kulm". 8. The river Eger is also mentioned. 9. Elizabeth returned to Ireland circa 1905. One of the children possibly Lory, maintained correspondence with her for many years after her return to Ireland 10. The reference to Esterhazy in my previous E-mail may possibly relate to a visit to Eisenstadt during her time in Austria. In conclusion any further information about the photograph would be of great interest to my father and myself, as I am sure likewise it would be to the relatives of the seven Austrian children photographed with Elizabeth. I am going to Innsbruck on holidays in July and it would add an extra dimension to our holiday to visit a place directly associated with Elizabeth's sojourn in Austria some one hundred years ago. It would appear from reading the diary that the name HOYOS is a surname, as there are many references to Lory's mother as Countess Hoyos and there is a direct reference to "Count Fleury Hoyos coming on a visit to Luschitz". I believe that the link to Prince Rudolf is likely to be a Hoyos - Hapsburg link rather than an Esterhazy - Hapsburg link. The girl Lory, as far as I can ascertain from the diary, may be Princess Lory Hoyos. Her date of birth is definitely 20-08-1894 as there is a direct reference to her eighth birthday. There is also reference to Caroline, who may have been a sister to Lory. There are references to the Countess Hoyos traveling to Kulm, Vienna, Prague, Rome and Karlsbad. The Countess Ledibur, the Countess Neusdorff and the Schonborn family were regular visitors to the house (Luschitz) where Elizabeth was governess to the children. The diary states that the Countess, her daughter Lory and Elizabeth Lynam attended the opera Carmen in the "New Theatre" on 8th March 1901. Elizabeth, the Countess and Lory dined in the Black Horse Hotel in Prague on 25th May 1902. The town Kaaden - possibly Thaaden - on the river Eger, the place-names Cholielitz and Tschachwitz and the Richler children, friends of Lory are mentioned many times in the diary. In 1960, Elizabeth Lynam stated that one of the girls, "the third standing," is Princess Hoyos, a niece of Prince Rudolf of Mayerling fame and that the place is Vienna, Austria. My father recorded these details, in her presence, on a sheet of paper which is still attached to the top of the photograph. If the photograph is of Princess Hoyos, a relative of the Hapsburgs, I would imagine that there must be some reference to a link between the two families. Is there any reference to the Hoyos family in Vienna or any reference to houses that they may have owned in Luschitz or Kulm? The spelling of the place names and some of the family names mentioned may be incorrect as most of the diary is in script form and difficult to interpret. With sincere thanks for your continued interest. To which I reply: Well the plot thickens. The photo downloaded and it appears it was taken at Bad Reichenal, which has been a spa in Bavaria since the 19th century. Looks to me like a family vacation or summer residence or clan gathering. The photographer is designated a "court photographer" so he either went there to take their picture or had an office in Bad Reichenal. The Hoyos family were German-Austrians (not Hungarians) very loyal to the throne. Alexander Count Hoyos (1876-1937) was cabinet chief 1912 to 1917 in the Ballhausplatz (believe this was the war chancellery at the time - not sure) and was one of the cabinet who helped precipitate WW-I. Following the assassination at Sarajevo, he carried a letter from Emperor Franz Josef to Kaiser Wilhelm asking him if Germany would support Austria if Austria attacked Serbia. WW-I followed. So, nothing here which would support the Esterhazy connection and I'm afraid that I can't help you much more, as my forte is the Burgenland and its family connections, not the myriad connections of the Viennese court, although I do know a little Austrian history. I don't know what else to tell you short of suggesting that you look for some biographies of the families mentioned. As you've already stated, the diary is full of a lot of visits which do nothing but confuse the issue of where E. Lynam lived and worked - maybe all of those places mentioned. You have a nice piece of history and I'd keep it all together. Perhaps some day someone may wish to use it as source material. Regards, G. Berghold (end of article-newsletter continues as no. 80B) THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 80B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued biweekly by Gerald Berghold) May 15, 2000 This third section of the 3-section newsletter concerns: - Finding Elusive Birth Places - Further On The Term Windisch - Immigrants on the SS Kroonland Who Settled in McKees Rocks, PA - Bob Hayes' Preliminary Trip Report - Ethnic Cleansing - Addition to Klaus Gerger's Maps - A Member Sends His Thanks - URL & Member Changes and our Staff List. FINDING ELUSIVE BIRTH PLACES (Mary Light, Fritz Konigshofer, Albert Schuch) Ed. Note: As we scan records, we find references to other Burgenland places of birth; some are obvious, others are not. Some are abbreviated or reversed (like Puszta XXX as opposed to XXX-puszta or XXX-major or XXX-minor or Kis- or Also- XXX or XXX (Kis-also) and then we can have a real problem. I find that my best approach is to compare what I find with a list of local villages that I maintain for the area in question. If I find no match I then go to a gazetteer and check the county (Megye) and district (Jaras) list. Using a foreign gazetteer, some of which have been mentioned in previous issues, is not always easy. We must become familiar with how it has been prepared. Is there an index? How are the villages listed? Do common endings come first or last? Is it organized by district within county or in some other way? Secondly we must understand the Hungarian and/or German headings. My favorite gazetteer for Burgenland research is "Dvorzsak, Orts Lexicon von Ungarn 1877," LDS microfiche number 6000840. If I still can't find a match, I turn to my Hungarian atlases. Even then, the village may be so small as to elude me. I must then seek an even more detailed source. The following is a perfect example (Mary Light can not locate Kethelytäboripuszta, which translates Mannersdorf Tabori Farm (Major). Fritz responds to a question from Mary Light: Dear Mary, It is very good news that you are on the right track with the records of the St. Nikolaus parish near Güssing. After September 1895, the LDS film holdings switch to civil records. For Punitz, the civil recording was done in Güssing or Güssing environs. Perhaps you know how long the Freigrubers lived in Punitz before emigrating. By the way, some vital events, i.e., births, marriages and deaths, happening to local people in the USA still made their way into the local civil records. There probably was a legal requirement to do so, but it could also have had the purpose to establish heritage rights. As to the location of Kethelytäboripuszta, my strong guess is that this was the place near Repcekethely (Mannersdorf) and Alsó Läszló (Unterloisdorf). I had written to you about the "Tabor flour mill" (see Taboripuszta mentioned by Albert Schuch later) near Unterloisdorf which shows on my very detailed map. You will need to order the film with the r-c records of Mannersdorf, and check the timeframe of 1850-60 for the birth of Peter Freigruber, or his brothers/sisters. The other option would be the records of Neumarkt im Tauchental (Felsőkéthely), in case the place was Darnópuszta. Please find below another avenue opened by Suzanne Jimenez, even more northerly in the Burgenland than is Mannersdorf. However, I am pretty confident you will immediately be successful with the records of Mannersdorf. If Johann Freigruber was a brother of Peter (after all they lived at the same house in Punitz), then the question arises how he could have been born in Grosspetersdorf (Nagy-Szentmihäly, also named Német-Szent-Mihäly). Perhaps the parents moved from Grosspetersdorf to Alsó Läszló in the 1850s, or the origin of Johann was recorded incorrectly in his marriage record. As to the descent of Julianna nee Kugler (or Kuller), Német Csencs had its own r-c parish of which LDS has the film. One of the editors of the Burgenland Bunch, Anna Kresh (whom I am copying on this mail), has extensively searched the records of Német Csencs (Deutsch Tschantschendorf) and might have some advice for you. Julianna Kugler/Kuller should also have been born in the 1850s. Albert Schuch also finds the village in one of his sources: Fritz, ... I found in my library a detailed map of Mannersdorf in middle Burgenland. To the east of Unterloisdorf (Alsóläszló), this map shows a place called Tabormühle (Tabor flour mill). Perhaps this was the Taboripuszta mentioned as the place of origin of Peter Freigruber. In this case, the Kethely would have been Répcekéthely which has the German name Mannersdorf. Mannersdorf was also the seat of the r-c parish. I guess that Mannersdorf is the place you are looking for. Some time ago I acquired an old book entitled "Alphabetisches Ortsverzeichnis für Burgenland mit den zuständigen Auszahlungs-Postämtern und deren Postamts- Nummern, sowie einem alphabetischen Verzeichnis der Auszahlungs-Postämter", issued by the "Allgemeine Invalidenversicherungsanstalt". This book looks like it has been printed in the 1950's or 1960's and provides the most detailed list of village names for Burgenland that I happen to know. It lists a "Taborpuszta" in the EH-category (EH meaning "Einzelgehöft", i.e. a farm outside a village) with Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz as the "Auszahlungspostamt" (postal office). The "Tabormühle" has the same postal office, by the way. As you suggest, the Freigruber family may have moved from Grosspetersdorf to Mannersdorf. FURTHER ON THE TERM WINDISCH (Tom Grennes and Fritz Konigshofer) Tom writes: Hello Fritz, I read your discussion of Windisch and I am curious about the significance of the term. You say it is an old German word for Slav. Is it a generic term for Slav or did it refer specifically to Slovenes or Slovenes plus Slovaks? Did it also include Croatians? My personal interest is related to Minihof-Liebau and the nearby area that includes Windisch-Minihof. This is the birthplace of my grandmother, and I will be visiting the area briefly in the next month. I seem to remember reading in one of the Newsletters that there was an ethnic Croatian population of perhaps 15% around Minihof-Liebau. Was this part of the Windisch group, or was it separate? Does the name Windisch-Minihof have historical significance as perhaps a village that was once dominated by Slavs? Does it still have a larger Slavic population than the neighboring villages? My earlier introduction to the term Wends is related to descriptions of the Vikings attacking the Wends in what is now Northeastern Germany. I think I read that this group of Wends was annihilated. It also seemed from the context that the Wends were different from Poles. Any insights would be helpful. (Editor's Note: The tribe of Wends that was located in northern Germany bears absolutely no relationship to the term Windisch given to Hungarian Slavs as Fritz later indicates.) Fritz replies: The people in Styria and Carinthia use the term "windisch" only for Slovenians. It is not used to describe Croatians or Serbians. Far in the north, the Prussians used the same term "Wenden" (or wendisch) to describe the Sorbs, a slavic population immediately to the east, between the Germans and Poles. The Sorbs have pretty much disappeared as a recognizable ethnic group. This coincidence leads me to believe that the word itself is an old one, used by Germanic populations to describe Slavs. By the way, the Germans used the term "Welsche" (or walsch) to describe Latin language speaking foreigners (Hungarian vlah or olah), such as Italians or Romanians. The term Windisch-Minihof should, in my view, denote a village with a previously predominantly ethnic Slovenian population. Minihof means the place of an abbey or of an abbey farm (the farm of the monks), and there were several such places in today's Burgenland, including a Minihof-Liebau (next to Windisch-Minihof), a Deutsch-Minihof not too far away, and a Kroatisch Minihof in middle Burgenland. However, I don't think that Windisch-Minihof had a particularly Slovenian population in the last or this century. The family names there are pretty much German but, as I said, the original meaning of the village's name most likely referred to a Slovenian population. The so-called "windische country" (of county Vas) started very near to Windisch-Minihof to the south of it. IMMIGRANT ON THE SS KROONLAND WHO SETTLED IN MCKEES ROCKS, PA (from Bernadette Sulzer Agreen) Bernie writes to Den Ardinger: I've taken several walks through St. Mary's cemetery in McKees Rocks and have been compiling a list of 'familiar' BB names. I'll put it together soon and forward it to Gerry for the BB. On my last walk I came across the grave of John Artinger... all it said was Father, 1882 - 1948. Interestingly, I came across the grave of Franz Windisch... b. 29 March 1876 and d. May 15, 1907. I knew there were Windisch members east of Pittsburgh, but here is one buried in McKees Rocks. One of these days I'll have to explore my Windisch roots. Hopefully by then we'll have figured out how our Artinger lines tie together. Did you ever go to the Federal Court Building in Pittsburgh and look up all the Artinger/Ardingers who applied for naturalization papers? Those papers would tell you whether or not they were from Sandorhegy or Unterradling. From those papers, you can get the ship name & date and then see from the ship list who those Artingers came to stay within the Pittsburgh area. Not related directly to Artinger, but to our genealogy in general, I had an interesting find looking at the May 5, 1903, ship manifest of the Kroonland. I had ordered the film from the LDS library because I knew this was the ship Stephen Mulzet came on (from his naturalization papers). I wanted to see who he was coming to stay with in McKees Rocks. I was just looking for a clue. However, not only did I find Stephen Mulzet, but also I found my Michael Mulzet and his future wife, Cecilia Sulzer. Not just them, but a total of 21 people of only 154 passengers on the ship came from either Unterradling, Inzenhof, Eberau or thereabouts. Wow!! (Editor's note: KROONLAND (sister ship FINLAND), Philadelphia, PA, 1902, 13M tons, 15 knots, 1570 passengers. Red Star Line. New York to Antwerp. Scrapped 1927.) Here's some basic info...let me know if you want more detail on anybody and I'll give you what I wrote down. 1. Theresa Wellinger (Güssing) age 17, to McKees Rocks to join uncle Anton Hutter 2. John Marth (Güssing) age 35, to McKees Rocks to join b-in-law, John Schleder 3. Angela Golitz (Güssing) age 18, to McKees Rocks to join b-in-law, Anton Hugger 4. Teresa Kovacs (Unterradling) age 38, to McKees Rocks to join b-in-law, Paul Krobot 5. Barbara Nikischer (Unterradling) age 19, to Pittsburgh to join brother Wm Poppe 6. Cecilia Sulzer (Unterradling) age 19, to Pittsburgh to join b-in-law, Wm Poppe 7. Michael Stangl (Unterradling) age 18, to McKees Rocks to join uncle Josef Koller 8. Joseph Bodler (Unterradling) age 18, to South Bethlehem to join uncle Josef Gilly (sp?) 9. Stefan Mulzet (Inzenhof) age 17, to McKees Rocks to join uncle Joseph Drauch 10. Joseph Domodor (Unterradling) age 24, to Pittsburgh to join sister Maria Domodor 11. Michael Mulzet (Unterradling) age 24, to Pittsburgh to join sister Teresa Mulzet 12. Stefan Keppel (Güssing) age 27, to Allentown to join cousin Stefan Tonner (sp?) 13. Maria Petrovitch (Unterradling) age 24, to Pittsburgh to join brother Joseph Petrovitz 14. Marie Wagner (Vasszentmihaly) age 32, to Passaic, NJ to join husband Frank Wagner 15. Joseph Urban (Kulm?) age 16, to McKees Rocks to join father Charles Urban 16. Anna Urban age 15 (same as above) 17. Hermine Graf (Eberau) age 18, to McKees Rocks to join b-in-law Josef Horvath 18. Maria Luisa (Eberau) age 17, to McKees Rocks to join cousin Charles Luiser 19. Josepha Luisa (Eberau) age 18, to McKees Rocks to join b-in-law Joseph Horvath 20. Ferdinand Graf (Eberau) age 24, to McKees Rocks to join b-in-law Franz Schaffer 21. Karl Horvath (Dozuraek?) age 22, to McKees Rocks to join b-in-law Franz Schaffer PRELIMINARY TRIP REPORT ENCOUNTERS ETHNIC "CLEANSING" (from Robert Hayes) Bob writes: Hi Gerry - I just returned from 6 days in the Burgenland. I stayed mostly in Podersdorf because of its location near the villages of interest to me.... I will write a full report for you if you like (Ed. - forthcoming). I traveled over almost the entire Burgenland during my visit, getting as far south as Gussing. I went across the border into Hungary and visited the town of Janossomorja, the former St. Johann and St. Peter Roman Catholic parishes that were the home of my maternal grandfather's family (Perlinger) for 200 years. Sadly, all were killed or expelled as a result of the "ethnic cleansing" that took place in these small towns in 1946. The monument at the basilica in Frauenkirchen says 4500 German speaking people were lost (literally "fallen ones") at this time, including many of my relatives, even after giving up their sons in defense of the country. We've found one Perlinger (who was a small girl at the time) who survived and is now in the U.S. Until she was contacted by my uncle Francis Perlinger, she had thought all of the Perlingers were dead. I've not seen this aspect of Burgenland history mentioned in the BB newsletter or web pages. It's apparent that many Perlingers died as members of the German (Austrian? Hungarian?) armed forces during World War 2. (Ed. Note: Austrians were absorbed into the German Wehrmacht following the 1938 Anschluss; Hungarians fought with the German forces but formed their own national divisions and forces. Much loss on the eastern front as they were poorly equipped compared to the German and Russian forces.) There's a monument which was erected in 1993 in front of Saint Peter's (by Austrians it would seem) showing 5 Perlingers perished among many others. I found another Perlinger listed on the monument in Frauenkirchen. There are descriptive signs in Hungarian, German, and English for the two churches in Janossomorja. The Hungarians have cleared the property immediately to the east of the St. Johann church and are apparently putting in a plaza of some sort. I had previously located a relative in Wallern im Burgenland named Martin Perlinger via the Internet, but I failed to hook up with him for several reasons. We believe we are related, as all of the Perlingers in Wallern are descendants of a certain Johann Perlinger who came there from St. Johann's in 1803. I am very appreciative of the BB, it has been a great help. Bob Hayes (Ed. Note: Following WW-II, ethnic Germans were "cleansed" from all eastern European countries. They joined the many refugees from that war. Areas denuded of Germans were Romania, particularly Transylvania [including the Siebenburgen "Saxons" who had lived there from the 13th century], Poland, including those settled there by Catharine the Great as well as those settled by the Nazi government, Czechoslovakia [including Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia and the Sudetenland and the areas colonized under Maria Theresia and Josef II], Yugoslavia, Hungary, and of course all of western Russia [the Ukraine, Moldavia, Ruthenia, Galicia etc.], where many had been "settled" during WW-II or earlier. Most were relocated to Germany proper or Austria, others joined the post-WW-II wave of worldwide immigration, which lasted well into the 1950s. There was no post-war cleansing in Austria, in fact Austria has remained a clearing house for WW-II and other political refugees almost to the present day. In addition to Germans, ethnic Hungarians were also "cleansed" from Romania and Yugoslavia. These were Hungarians from post WW-I Hungary as well as those who moved to land acquired and lost by Hungary pre-WW-I and when it joined the axis in WW-II. If your family history takes you into these regions, it's very possible that descendants are no longer living where you may have found their ancestors [except Burgenland of Austria], as Bob Hayes found just over the border in Hungary. Today, the same sort of thing is being observed in other countries. As stated, many of the German families "cleansed" had been citizens of those regions for hundreds of years. Their crime was that, having retained their German language, customs and heritage, ipso facto they also supported the Third Reich either consciously or unconciously and thus fell victim to the desire for vengeance and the anti-German sentiments of the times. The political winds generated by early migration, two world wars and countless minor wars resulted in much merging of ethnic groups. This is now being reversed as many countries attempt to "cleanse" national ethnicity using a "who came first" mentality. Fortunately the United States, as well as Austria (particularly the Burgenland), recognize the benefits accruing from a mixed ethnic population and the utter absurdity of "cleansing." Those of us with ancestors from today's Burgenland (with the singular exception of WW-II Jewish and Gypsy [Rom] Holocaust victims) are fortunate in that we do not have the genealogical problems inherent in refugee movement. ADDITIONS TO KLAUS GERGER'S MAPS One of our first newsletters addressed the availability of maps of the Burgenland with a scale small enough to show all of the villages. A map no larger than 1:200,000 is required. We were able to provide various sources for such maps (see our URL list), including the fine map available from the Austrian Tourist Office in NY for $3.00 postage and handling. Recently however, Klaus Gerger has embarked on providing maps as a web site. These are framed by district and include lists of the villages and their various ethnic names. The site is available from the homepage (click on Gerger's Maps). While Klaus is still working on some of the districts, he has recently added a Slovenian and Styrian border section because of the interest recently shown for this area. If you haven't bothered to acquire a map, you may wish to download one from this site. He writes: Hallo from Vienna, in the last "newsletters" the Windisch area was often a topic. So I tried to show the area (or at least parts of it) on an extra map. I went only as far to the south as my basic maps did. I also added a "new, istory and planned" page. A MEMBER SENDS HIS THANKS (from Firmus J Opitz) I would just like to take just a few minutes to thank you and all of the Volunteers who put the BB on the net. The people who put this together are so dedicated to the Burgenland, of which I feel such a great part of. I have received so very much information about my Ancesters and the Villages they came from.... I would like to name a few helpers; if I leave someone out, please forgive me. At age 66 I have a right to forget (I think). Starting with the Herr Hauptman Gerry, Anna and her farm stories, Hap Anderson, Dale Knebel, whose Gross Eltern lived about a mile from where I grew up on the farm near Eden, South Dakota, Janice Schneider, who's parents lived by us also. It should be noted that anyone who survived the SD winters had to be tough; the only trees out there were telephone poles!! Of course, the Herr Schuch, who has helped me more then I can express, His replies are sehr schnell, in fact before I can press the send button he has sent the reply. Tom Steichen who recently filled in a space in The Gangl-Pitzel Ancestors. Of course, Konrad Unger, who has a wonderful Website with pixs of Wallern, Tadten etc. and Herr Unger, der Lehrer. To all the others who responded to my inquiries and to all of the above Vielen Danke. Burgenland always. MEMBER CHANGES NEW Kurt F. J. Heinrich; Rockville MD. HEINRICH, MARTIN, MARTON, DEUTSCH. Grosspetersdorf, Bgld. Schlaining, Oberwart. Rose Kaufman; Washington, MI. SEIFERT(SZEIFERT) - LUNZER - Tadten, Burgenland, Austria. GRIEMANN - possibly Burgenland area, - settled in St. Paul, MN. Gustavo Ernesto Kollmann; Buenos Aires (Argentina). My grandfather's name was Ernst KOLLMANN. Born in Antau and moved to Bad Sauerbrunn (both in district Mattersburg) until 1930, when he came to Buenos Aires (Argentina). Ernst was the son of Maurice KOLLMANN and Emma HÖNISBERG. Ed & Pat Mondschein; Nazareth, PA. MONDSCHEIN (Alois), ECKER. Grossmürbisch. Karyn Rammer, Amherst MA, RAMMER (ROMER), Frauenkirchen, to Philadelphia, PA. Alois Regner; Winthrop, MN. REGNER, FRUWIRTH, MOSER, St, Andrä. To US 1907. John Weinzettle; Fort Myers, FL.; WEINZETL, Pamhagen. Settled in Pittsburgh. CHANGE Patricia Harmon Roxanne Thiessen); Vernon, BC Canada. GROIS/KROISS, UNGER - Wallern, Sankt Andra (Mosonszentandras), Austria-Hungary. To South Dakota in 1885 then to Saskatchewan, Canada abt 1903. (added data) 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) Home Page surname lists (Tom Steichen) 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 HOME PAGE http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org Burgenland Bunch Newsletter distributed courtesy of (c) 1999 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 Newsletter and List Rights Reserved. Permission to Copy Granted; Provide Credit.