BB News No. 97 dtd 30 Jun 2001

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 97 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued monthly by G Berghold) June 30, 2001 (all rights reserved) *** THERE WILL BE NO NEWSLETTER FOR JULY 31, 2001 *** *** THE BB OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED JULY 2 TO JULY 20-PLEASE SEND NO EMAIL *** ARE YOU USING OUR WEBSITE SHORTCUT? http://go.to/burgenland A NEW SECTION HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE BB WEBSITE- "EISENSTADT DIOCESAN ARCHIVES" CONTAINS A MESSAGE FROM DR. HANS PETER ZELFEL, HEAD OF ARCHIVES. HELPFUL RESEARCH HINTS AND HOW THE CATHOLIC ARCHIVES, LIBRARY AND MUSEUM MAY BE USED-THIS IS AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION. TO RECIPIENTS. If you don't want to receive these newsletters, email with message "remove". ("Cancel" will cancel membership, homepage listings and mail.) Send address and listing changes to the same place. Add your full name to email. To join, see our homepage. We can't help with non-Burgenland family history. Comments and articles are appreciated. Our staff and web site addresses are listed at the end of newsletter section "C". Introductions, notes and articles without a by-line are written by the editor and reflect his views. This first section of the four section newsletter includes: * BB HONORED BY GOVERNMENT OF LAND BURGENLAND * Trip Itinerary - BB Editor To Visit Burgenland * First Immigrants * Burgenländers To Turkey * Village Historian - Mönchhof * Burgenland To Croatia To America * Burgenland Military Regiment? BB HONORED BY GOVERNMENT OF LAND BURGENLAND For those not aware of the good news, Burgenland Landeshauptmann (Governor) Niessl has notified me, that at a meeting of the Burgenland Provincial Government on June 12, 2001, I was awarded the "Ehrenzeichen des Landes Burgenland" (Honorary Award of the State of Burgenland); the presentation to take place July 8 at Moschendorf, Burgenland. Dr. Walter Dujmovits has also informed me that at the same meeting, the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft will award me an honorary membership in that organization. My wife and I will be traveling to Austria July 2-16 to receive these awards. Our itinerary is published below. Albert Schuch, Klaus Gerger and hopefully many other Austrian BB members will also be present. I am, of course, most appreciative and deeply honored by both of these awards, which are being granted in appreciation of our joint efforts in fostering the advancement of Burgenland family history and culture. Upon embarking on this venture almost five years ago, I had no thoughts of any such recognition. I want you all to realize that while these honors are being extended to me, in my name and in my capacity as founder and coordinator of the Burgenland Bunch, our staff of contributing editors also share in them as do all of you. Without your voluntary cooperation, interest and effort, our organization would not have been possible. My grateful thanks to all of you and I will be thinking of you as I receive these honors. With deep appreciation for your past efforts and with hopes that such will continue in the future, I congratulate you all. Gerry Gerald J. (Gerry) Berghold Co-ordinator Burgenland Bunch Editor Burgenland Bunch News TRIP ITINERARY - YOUR BB EDITOR AGAIN VISITS BURGENLAND My wife and I will be visiting Burgenland in July. We have a full schedule, but we'd be happy to meet with any BB members and friends who may be there at the same time. We would especially like any BB members who are available to attend the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft Picnic in Moschendorf on July 8. Below is our itinerary. ITINERARY (GERRY & MOLLY BERGHOLD) (To Austria July 2 and return July 16). Tuesday July 3. Arrive Vienna - Schwechat, 9:10 AM. Leave for Eisenstadt. **In Eisenstadt Area** Tuesday July 3: (Hotel Burgenland) Wednesday July 4: visit Catholic Archives & Other Thursday July 5: visit Landesmuseum & Other **In Güssing Area** Friday July 6: · AM - Leave Eisenstadt for Hotel-Pension Krutzler in Heiligenbrunn · AM - Visit Klein Petersdorf · PM - Güssing appointments Saturday July 7: full day of appointments Sunday July 8: · AM - Inzenhoff-St. Emerich's · PM - BG picnic (14:00). Moschendorf Monday July 9: **DAY TRIP TO HUNGARY** Tuesday July 10: · Visit Güssing Cloister, Cloister Library, Auswanderer museum. · Visit Heiligenkreuz Church. Wednesday & Thursday July 11 & 12: · Visit Peter Sattler & cousins in Rudersdorf and Güssing · Visit cousins in Poppendorf and Heiligenkreuz (July 11 or 12) · Visit Sorger home in Rosenberg - pictures (July 11 or 12) Friday July 13: · Visit Castle Lockenhaus · Visit Inzenhoff, Kleinmürbisch, Eltendorf, Poppendorf . Visit site of Battle of Szt. Gotthard (Mogersdorf) Saturday July 14: visit Styrian-Burgenland border villages Sunday July 15: return to Schwechat-airport hotel Monday July 16: leave on Flt. 513, Austrian Airlines 11:40 AM FIRST IMMIGRANTS My last request stirred up a few members. From Michael Kirchmeier: John Thuringer (1812-1881) & wife Theresa Bacher (1820-1903) came to America in 1880 from the village of St. Andrä. Came through New York and spent the first winter in Clayton County, Iowa; then entered the Dakota Territory through the Port of Entry of Yankton. Homesteaded in Douglas and Hutchinson Counties. With them came their grown children: Andreas, Theresa, George, John and Franz. They were among numerous Hungarian families that settled in that area. Other Surnames: Pollreisz, Wunder, Sommer, Loos, Klubestein, Rausher, Schmidt, Eberdorfer, et al. Source: Obituaries & Naturalization Papers. Joseph Paul Pollreisz & Family came to the U.S. in 1875 from St. Andrä and settled in Iowa near Macgregor. Then went to the Dakota Territory in 1880. They came on the ship: "Pomerania" out of the port of Hamburg, Germany. Source: "Germans to America" For the next time period 1880-1890 John Kirchmeier & wife Theresa Pollreiss came to the U.S. in 1893 from the village of Podersdorf (Patfalu). They left the port of Hamburg on the ship: "Grimm" which picked up passengers in Antwerp, Belgium before it sailed for Quebec & Montreal Canada. They came with their children: Anna, Joseph, Ludvig (Pollreiss), John and Balthasar. They entered the U.S. through the port of Detroit, Michigan, then traveled through by train to St. Paul, Minnesota, before going on to Webster, South Dakota. Source: Citizenship Papers & passenger List from the Canadian Archives. From Tom Steichen: My great grandparents and three children: - Joseph George Weiss, born Halbturn (Féltorony) - Theresia Halbauer, born Wallern (Valla) - Josephus (Joseph John) Weiss, born Wittmannshof - Maria (Mary M) Weiss, born Albértkäzmérpuszta (Hungary) - Franciscus (Frank F) Weiss, born Halbturn (Féltorony) Joseph came to Stearns Co, MN in 1888. Theresa and children followed in 1889. (My grandmother from this line, Barbara, was born in Stearns Co, MN in 1891.) Source: claims made on census records and known dates and places of birth for the children. From Dan Pittman: In response to your request for names of ancestors who came to America between 1880 and 1890, my ancestors were Gregor HANIFL (b. October 29, 1840 d. June 6, 1919) and Anne Marie nee HANIFL (b. September 12, 1838 d. October 30, 1925) They were from the village of Rust. Gregor was a butcher by trade. He was the son of Mathais HANIFL and Rosalie DENHOFF. Maria was the daughter of Karl HANIFL. Gregor had one sister, Rosalia who married Joseph KROSS on January 17, 1864. Gregor and Maria HANIFL emmigrated to America May, 1881 with their four sons: Louis, Joseph, Alex, and Frank Xavier. They settled LaCrosse, Wisconsin and started a butcher shop. We have many wonderful family stories and photos of our family here in America. But we know very little about the HANIFL family before 1881. From Robert Hayes: My great grandfather Paul Perlinger was born in Sankt Johann, Moson megye (now Janossomorja, Hungary) in 1870. He emigrated to the United States in 1888 via Hamburg, and entered the U.S. at Baltimore, and eventually settled near Omaha, Nebraska. He became an American citizen in 1917, at the outbreak of WW 1, when he was 47. My mother relates that he and his sons were disturbed by the fact that the U.S. was at war with their homeland; they didn't understand why. He died in 1958, survived by nine children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. I do not believe he was anywhere near the first to leave Sankt Johann, a fairly sizable town. In fact, his paternal uncle, Johann Perlinger, emigrated from Sankt Johann to Minnesota before this, though I'm not sure exactly when. Johann kept returning to Sankt Johann to fetch wives back to the U.S., seeing as how he was widowed twice and married three times, all women from Sankt Johann. With regard to cultural identity as you discussed in the current BB newsletter, my mother says that the Perlingers always have said that they came from Austria-Hungary, which would seem to be literally and politically correct for the time period in which they left. They were neither Hungarians nor Austrians, but clearly they were Germanic and from the Burgenland. We have no idea where in Germany or Austria the Perlingers may have been prior to migrating into the Burgenland, the family name first shows up in the Sankt Johann parish records in the mid to late 1700's. We are very likely related to the many Perlingers in present-day Wallern. Those Perlingers are clearly Austrian today, though they are descended from a Johann Perlinger who originally went from Sankt Johann to Wallern in 1803. BURGENLÄNDERS TO TURKEY? Mary Eckert writes: My father was born in Neuberg and my mother in Mischendorf. My son, Stephen, recently visited Turkey for two weeks. He told me that he saw at least three young men who were dead-ringers for my son Joseph. I read in the BB Newsletter 96 your comments on our ancestors being carried off to the Ottoman Empire. So....? VILLAGE HISTORIAN Mönchhof - From Phyllis Cunningham Phyllis writes: I took note of your upcoming trip to Burgenland in the last Newsletter. I can give you the name and e-mail address of a Historian in Mönchhof. His name is John Sittinger and when I was in Mönchhof last October, he helped me translate my Grandfathers birth certificate, which is written in Hungarian. He wrote and published a book on the history of Mönchhof. I have a copy, although it is not written in English and I don't speak German. It also has lists of family names. He was very helpful in locating my ancestors' farmland and took us to the location, where I filmed and video taped. It was very exciting for me. If you would like to contact him, I have his home address and also an e-mail address he uses, (if it is still in use). Let me know if I can be of help. BURGENLAND TO CROATIA TO AMERICA - from Tony Schedl Tony Schedl writes: My grandfather Steffan Schedl was from Oberpullendorf or Oberloisdorf. Emmigrated to Ulanjik, Croatia about the turn of the century. I would like to know what relatives are still living in the original town in Burgenland he emigrated from. We left Ulanjik in November 19, 1944, I was two years old, but would like to make contact with any relatives in Burgenland. My grandfather came from a large family, of 7 or 8 siblings. Reply: Now this is an interesting query. Burgenland to Croatia to America as opposed to Croatia to Burgenland to America. Both of these villages are in the district of Oberpullendorf where there are still 4 Schedl families. There are about two dozen in Oberloisdorf. You can find the telephone listing by checking our URL list available from our homepage. I'm also copying our Burgenland editor Albert Schuch who will be getting in touch with you. He can arrange for a free listing in some Burgenland newspapers. Yours has all of the earmarks of an interesting immigrant story. We'd appreciate your considering a brief article for our newsletter after you get a chance to see how we operate and what we offer. Albert Schuch writes: It was with great interest that I read your email as forwarded by Gerry Berghold. Some time ago, I read a short article written by Egon Lendl (published in 1932) entitled "Burgenländer unter den deutschen Kolonisten Slavoniens". Therein he writes that in 1883 about 30 German speaking families from Steinberg, Oberloisdorf, Unterloisdorf and Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz (all these villages are in the Oberpullendorf district) moved to Uljanik in the district of Daruvar, then a predominantly Serbian village. When he wrote this article Uljanik had 850 inhabitants, 170 of whom spoke German. If you want to contact relatives in Burgenland, I will be glad to forward the information you have supplied (and anything you might wish to add) to the "Bezirksblatt Oberpullendorf". This newspaper is sent to every household in the district (including Oberloisdorf). The "Bezirksblatt" regularly prints inquiries from BB members who are looking for relatives in the area. This service is free of charge. The Lendl article also mentions a village named Bokani (in the vicinity of Podravcsa Slatina). In 1875 families from Oberdorf, Kitzladen, Pinkafeld, Oberschützen, Grafenschachen, Wolfau, Alhau, Sinnersdorf (all in the Oberwart district of Burgenland, south of Oberpullendorf district) settled there. In 1932 about 50 of the 100 families of Bokani spoke German. There are still many Schedl families living in the area. If you happen to have a scanned photo of your grandfather or his family, it would be good to include that too. Best regards, Albert Schuch BB-Burgenland Editor BURGENLAND MILITARY REGIMENT? From Harold Steurer Harold writes: I recently bought a military history book covering the 23 rd KuK Infantry Regiment, between 1914 - 1916. The book has names, ranks and also dates of deaths. There are hundreds of names and places mentioned. There are hundreds of photographs of individuals in uniform. It also has a section of bravery awards issued to these soldiers. Most pages have one side printed in German and the other in Hungarian. What can we do with this wealth of information? I've sent a page sample. Reply: During WW I, most Burgenlanders served in either KuK Infanterie-Regiment Nr 83 (Steinamanger-Szombathely) or Honved Huszar Regt. Nr 18 (Odenburg-Sopron). I don't know where the 23rd was based. Books like this are a treasure, but to utilize them for the group we must key entry a list or scan and capture. Quite a job. Before considering this, I'd like to know the headquarters of the 23rd. Perhaps the book can tell us? Harold then replies: >It looks like the Regiment "Das Haus Regiment von Zombor" was formed in 1672 and came from the Budapest area. I think Zombor is south of Budapest.< Ed. Note: Not so sure, Sombor is se of Mohacs, Zomboribokar is near Nyiregyhaza, east of the Danube bend. Anyone know where this regiment was based? NEWSLETTER CONTINUES AS NO. 97A THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 97A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued monthly by G Berghold) June 30, 2001 (all rights reserved) Check out ALL of the lists shown on our homepage This second section of the 4 section newsletter contains: * It's A Long Way To St. Peterfa * More Immigrant Addresses-South Bend, IN IT'S A LONG WAY TO SZENTPETERFA (from Earl Barret) Earl writes: There's no way you could have known it at the time, but one of the things you the set in motion when you created the BB was me. Although I didn't join your group until a few years after it was born, I'm still holding you partly responsible. One day I innocently inquired on the Web if anyone might have heard of my grandfather and I was steered to the BB. My life hasn't quite been the same since. BB member John Lavendoski not only found my grandfather's place of birth, Szentpeterfa, Vas, Aus-Hun (Prostrum in German), he provided me with 8 generations of ancestors who came from the same village. (I immediately started worrying about the size of the gene pool) I knew I had to go there someday soon. A natural caution prevented me from sharing this happy thought with my wife. There was a kicker in this flood of information, however. It seems my grandfather was not legitimate. At first I took this pretty hard. But then I realized there was nothing I could do about it. And there was nothing my grandfather could've done about it. And probably not my ggrandmother, either. I like to think she was spotted by some passing stranger from a far distant place and they were swept away by their passions. (It increases the gene pool.) Also in studying the LDS records I noticed that an entire column was devoted to illegitimacy so it must not have been such a rare occurrence. Now you don't just hop on a plane and find yourself in Szentpeterfa, Hungary. You have to want to go to Szentpeterfa. You have to desperately want to go to Szentpeterfa. I finally broke the news to my wife. "Oh, wonderful! I've always wanted to go to ST. PETERSBURG!!!" When I explained it was the other Szt. place and threw in Budapest and Prague, she really took it quite well. Not so our travel agent. She felt we'd be far better off going to Hawaii. I told her that as far as I knew none of my ancestors had ever been near a surfboard. Our trip got off to a non-flying start with a 5 hour delay at LAX. Lufthansa pilots were not sure they wanted to fly. I didn't mind the wait. When I get on a plane, I want it to be with a pilot who really wants to fly. We arrived in Budapest many, many hours later where I amused the natives with my own special brand of Hungarian. I'd been studying the language for some months and even my teacher was beginning to get discouraged. She did, however, write a very nice letter to Fr. Schneller warning him I was on my way. I was hoping to find some sort of record of my mother's birth which occurred years after the LDS records for Szentpeterfa stop. Budapest was in bloom. Every tree and flower was offering its best. So was the Hungarian State Opera where we saw a shattering production of "Madame Butterfly." Barbara started crying at about the second note and I held out until at least the fifth. But lurking behind all this pleasure was the knowledge that we would soon be on a train to Vienna and a Hertz car rental office. John Lavendoski had advised me that the best way to get to Szentpeterfa was to drive there from Vienna since the highways in Austria are much better than those in Hungary. I was apprehensive because I speak no German but John didn't think that was a problem. So I got an international license at the Auto Club where the only qualification was $18 and I got nervous again at the thought of a lot of people like me on the road. I had nothing but fond memories of Vienna where Barbara and I had stayed at the Imperial Hotel some 20 years ago. But the cab ride from the train station to Hertz revealed it's a far different place today. It's been ruined by the automobile as have so many other cities of the world. Logic would dictate that with more cars on the road every year we should be making them smaller. Instead were making them larger. We're making tanks to better express our road rage. We finally arrived at the Hertz office and it seemed a very good omen when I spotted the Imperial Hotel across a small street not more than half a block away. Tomas stood behind the counter wearing shoulder-length hair and a smirk. I had requested a Mercedes. No chance. We were getting an Opel and we'd better like it. (As it turns out we did. Although at one border crossing I couldn't unlock the trunk for inspection.) I told him we were headed for Oberwart and asked for a map. He produced one and quickly drew too many arrows on it. Then he pointed. All we needed was A23 over the canal. We loaded the car and were off. The first thing I realized was that it was impossible to go in the direction Tomas had pointed. No left turn was permitted there. At the next corner no right turn was permitted, and I discovered that was the pattern for all of Vienna. Every direction I wanted to turn was not permitted. I was only allowed to go the way I didn't want to go. Barbara had the map with all the arrows but couldn't find her glasses. And Barbara without her glasses is like touring with Ray Charles. She kept urging me to stop and ask directions. I resisted. What was the point? Unless we lucked onto someone who spoke English, what good would it do? Eventually she wore me down and I pulled over to a hotel doorman standing on the sidewalk. While Barbara was speaking to him, I was showing my map to the hotel's limo driver. Then I happened to glance up and saw the Hertz rental office. We were parked in front of the Imperial Hotel. After 35 minutes of hard driving I'd gone half a block The limo driver gave me a second map, drew some more arrows, and pointed. A23. Over the canal. I felt better. So did Barbara. The doorman thought she looked the same as 20 years ago. We were off again and within 15 minutes I was willing to concede that I might not know where I was. This time I pulled over to a policeman and Barbara looked so distraught that he said, "Follow me." We were given a police escort out of Vienna! The Burgenland is astonishingly beautiful. It's surely how the world was meant to be. For our ancestors ever to have left it, their need must have been very great. "From America?" Fr. Schneller asked as he approached us. We had arrived after the last mass at St. Peter and St. Paul's chuch in Szentpeterfa. I nodded. Clearly he had been expecting us. He indicated a handsome looking woman who introduced herself as Vernoica Teklits and said she'd be happy to act as interpreter. Fr. Schneller wanted us to follow him to the rectory. The large book containing birth records lay open on a table and Fr. Schneller pointed to an entry. A chill ran through me as I saw my mother's name and the date: "8 Aug. 1902" I either read or somebody told me not to expect too much of a first genealogical trip. That I'd be very lucky to find anything. As you can see, I'm one lucky guy. P.S. We were given a wonderful lunch by Veronica's sister, Agnes, and later taken to see the house where my mother was born. The Pinka river is at the foot of the property. MORE IMMIGRANT ADDRESES - SOUTH BEND, IN (from Phyllis Sauerzopf) (Ed. Note: This concludes the addresses which we started publishing in newsletter number 95. Our thanks to Bobby Strauch for loaning us the material and to Phyllis Sauerzopf for a monumental data entry job.) South Bend, Indiana (Listings with Germany and US origins removed) *ANDERT, Andreas und Elizabeth SCHWARZBAUER, aus Pamhagen. 1924 S. Kendall St *ANDERT, Josef, aus Pamhagen, und Theresia VACIL, aus Cleveland, Oh. 1707 S Catalpa Ave *BAAR, Joe, aus Frauenkirchen, und Theresia BAAR, aus Pamhagen. 735 N Wilber. *BANFI, Oscar, aus Oedenburg, und Ida BOKOR, aus Oedenburg. 2121 S Miami St *BIRSCHITZKY, Stefan, aus Frauenkirchen, und Elizabeth PROMINGER, aus Frauenkirchen. 2026 S Scott St *BOEHM, Adolf, aus Unterschützen, und Franziska MITTERMAYER, aus South Bend. 1825 Mohawk St. *BUZOLITS, Isidor, aus Kr. Minihof, und Rose SCHEIDL, aus Raiding. 1801 S. Kemble Ave. *BUZOLITS, Michael, aus Kr. Minihof, und Magdalena FUCHS, aus Lakenbach. 926 N. Eddy. *CZEMAR, Joseph, aus Kr. Pullendorf, und Rosalia KEYLOVICH, aus Gross Mutschen. 1314 S. Franklin St. *Deutsch Fortbildungs Verein von South Bend, Ind. 1541 S. Prairie Ave. Präsident, Josef ANDERT, Pamhagen; Sec., Johann WOLF, Worth, Oester. *DRAGAN, Ernest, aus Deutsch-Kreuz, und Agnes PRIKOSOVITS, aus Kr. Minihof. 2118 S. Kemble Ave. *ECKER, Witwe Johanna, aus Raiding, und Sohn Josef ECKER jr, aus South Bend. 1402 Kemble Ave. *ERDOS, Franz, aus Arad Barzava, Rom., und Agnes FORKAS, aus Kr. Minihof. 2121 S. Kemble Ave. *FIRTL, Franz, aus Kolnhof, Ungarn, und Marai BUZOLITS, aus Minnihof. 2208 S. Kemble Ave. *FREITAG, Alois, von Lungitz, Oest, und Elizabeth WEIS, aus Frauenkirchen. 1802 S. Nash St. *FREITAG, Franz sen., aus Hartberg, Steiermark und Maria SINGER, aus Hartberg. 1806 S. Oliver St. *FUCHS, Andreas, aus Dreiskirchen, und Leopoldine SCHEIDL, Raiding. 1802 Kemble Ave. *FUMITS, Witwer Josef, aus Stegersbach, und Tochter Hermine SCHAUB, aus South Bend. 1822 Prairie Ave. *GAUGL, Witwer Johann, aus Stegersbach, und Wilhelm GAUGL, aus New York City. 124 E. Eckman St. *GOEPFRUIT, John, aus Pannhagen. 1625 Sibley Ave. *GRAF, Frank, aus Ilmitz, und Ester PAP, aus Mihaly, Ko. Odenburg. R. 5, Box 206. *GRUEBER, Witwe Louise, aus Hartberg, Steiermark. 1801 Prairie Ave. *HAAS, Herman, aus Pollau, Steiermark, und Ethel WINKLER, aus South Bend. 1637 S. Pulaski St. *HAUDLER, Johann, aus Lungitz, Oest, und Josefine HAUDLER, aus Westfalen, Germany, 1310 W Duboil St. *HESCHL, Karl, aus Leitersdorf, Oest, und Maria WIGER, aus South Bend. 183 S. Douglas St. *HUTTER, Josef, aus Haratschon, und Anna KROTTNER, aus Heretschon. 2118 S. Olive St. *JESKE, Emil, und Elisabeth DEGROVITS, aus Pamhagen. 1805 S. Scott St. *JORDANICH, Eduard, und Magdalena VUKOVICH, aus Kro. Minnihof. 414 W. Indiana Ave. *KEGLOVICH, John, aus Geresdorf, und Katharina, aus Gross Mutschen. 630 W. Indiana Ave. *KEGLOVITS, Rosa, aus Rehgraben. 124 E. Eckman St. *KIRISITS, Johann, aus Stegersbach, und Theresia WUKOVITS, aus Stegersbach, 1422 W. Indiana Ave. *KIRISITS, Vinzent, aus Stegersbach, und Theresia SIDERITZ, aus Stegersbach, 1711 S. Oliver St. *KISINGER, Joseph, aus Ungarn, und Rose BUECKER, aus South Bend. 1525 Catalpa Ave. *KISS, Josef, aus Hedervar, Ungarn, und Paula GRUNDTNER, aus Magyar Kimle, Ungarn. 529 W. Indiana Ave. *KOVACH, Mary, aus Wien. 415 E. Kersey St. *KOTZENMACHER, Andreas, aus Pamhagen, und Barbara EBELING, aus Würtemberg, Germany. 602 W. Indiana Ave. *KORN, Julius, aus Deutschland, und Franziska WEINZETL, aus Pamhagen. 1630 S. Taylor St. *LEHMAN, Ludwig, aus Kalisch, Deutschland, und Katharine ZWICKL, aus Tadten. 1717 S. Scott St. *LEIER, Franz, aus Pamhagen, und Katharina SCHEIBLHOFER, aus Todlen. 522 W. Indiana Ave. *LENTSCH, Matthew, aus Frauenkirchen, und Mary HAFNER, aus Frauenkirchen. 750 W. Indiana Ave. *MATTASITS, Alois, aus Holling, Ungarn, und Maria BUSCH, aus Haratson, Oest. 2201 S. Kemble Ave. *MAZALL, John, aus Ungarn, und K. BEIDINGER, aus Burgenland. 1311 S. Lafayette. *MASCHLER, Witwe Theresia, aus Raiding. 2125 S. Oliver St. *MAYERHOFER, George sen., aus Harotschon, Oesterreich, und Minnie *MAYER, Hermine Fr., aus Wien, Oesterreich. 1307 E. Jefferson Blvd. *MIHOLICK, Mathias und Cecilia SLIPKOVITS, aus Gross Mutschen. 407 W. Indiana Avenue. *MITTERMAYER, Ignaz, aus Holling, Komitat Oedenburg, Ungarn, Gen. Insurance-Reisebureau. 129 S. Lafayette Blvd, South Bend 12. Vertreter der National Weeklies-Zeitungen in South Bend, Indiana. *MITTERMAYER, Emerick, aus Eisenstadt, und Margaret MARKRAY, aus Wien, Oesterreich. 1818 N. Orleans St. *MULLNER, Leopold, aus Pamhagen, und Elizabeth SCHEIBLHOFER, aus Tadten. 1635 S. Franklin St. *NAGY, Frau Anna, aus Sziplak. 1310. *NEUMETH, Peter, aus Pali, Kom. Oedenburg, und Aurelie GRUNDTNER, aus Ung. Kunlink, Kom. Wiesenburg, W. Washington St. *ODUSCH, Moritz, aus Oedenburg, Ungarn, und Son Franz ODUSCH, aus South Bend. 1617 S. Chapin St. *OSWALD, Franz, aus Stegersbach, und Martha OSWALD, aus South Bend. 1814 S Catalpa St. *PAAR, Alexander, aus Holling, Kom. Oedenburg, und Paulina MILLITIUS, aus Pamhagen. 610 W Indiana Ave. *PAIRITZ, Johann und Maria PAIRITZ, aus Kohlenhof, Kom. Oedenburg. 2210 S. Oliver St. *PALATIN, Frau Katharina, geb. KEGLOVICH, aus Geresdorf. 1211 S. Franklin St. *PALKOVITS, Mathias, aus Illmitz, und Leopoldine ANDERT, aus Pamhagen. 611 W. Calvert St. *PANTZER, George, aus Neckenmark, und Anna KIRISITS, aus Stegersbach. 1534 S. Swygart St. *PASMANN, Leopold, aus Raiding, und Katharine MAYERHOFER, Oesterreich. 2004 S. Taylor St. *PILLER, Anton, No. 2, und Katherine VARGA, aus Wolfs, Kom. Oedenburg, Ung. S. Oliver St. *PILLERS, Paul, aus Kohlenhof, Kom. Oedenburg, und Tochter Minnie PELLERS, aus South Bend. 2112 S Arnold St. *PILLER, Anton, No. 1, aus Kohlenhof, und Julia STEINHOFER, aus Pamhagen. 1923 S. Chapin St. *POLZ, Alexander, aus Dresden Sachsen, Deutschland, und Anna RUDY, aus Deutsch-Schützen. 628 N Cushing St. *PRIKOSOVITS, Franz, aus Minihof, und Maria ZABO, aus Nebersdorf. 606 W. Indiana Ave. *PRIKOSOVITS, Thomas, aus Minnihof, und Julia WEINZETL, aus South Bend. 606 W. Indiana Ave. *REINER, Emerich, aus Tadten, und Florence GRUMMANN, aus South Bend. 1904 S. Scott St. *SCHEU, Frank, aus Neckenmark,Oesterr. 1807 S. Scott St. *SCHEIBLHOFER, Martin, aus Tadten, und Christine Hofner, aus Frauenkirchen. 801 E. Miner St. *SCHEIBLHOFER, Witwe Christine, aus Tadten. 522 W. Indiana St. *SCHERDL, Josef, aus Raiding, und Maria MASCHLER, aus Raiding. 2125 S. Oliver St. *SCHEU, Johann sen., aus Neckenmark, und Maria WINKLER, aus South Bend. 1621 S. Pulaski St. *SCHEU, Johann sr., aus Neckemmark, und Rosa BUSCH, aus Haratson, Oest. 1807 S. Scott St. *SIDERITZ, Adolf, aus Stegersbach, und Maria GERGACZ, aus South Bend. *SIDERITS, Eduard, aus Stegersbach, und Agnes SIDERITS, aus Ungarn. 314 S. Meade St. *SIDERITZ, Robert, aus Stegersbach, und Theresia LUKOVICH, aus South Bend. 1017 W. Duboil Ave. *STEINHOFER, Johann, aus Pamhagen, und Anna GRABNER, aus Holling, Kom. Oedenburg. R.R. 4, Box 422. *STEINHOFER, Franz, aus Pamhagen, und Maria KOPPY, aus Pamhagen. 1633 Florence Ave. *STRANZ, A., aus Pamhagen, und Kathrine THURINGER, aus Pamhagen. 1017 Thomas St. *STRANZ, Stefan, aus Pamhagen, und Rosalia DEGOVITS, aus Pamhagen. 1712 S. Scott St. (T to Z continued in Newsletter 97C) NEWSLETTER CONTINUES AS NO. 97B THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 97B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued monthly by G Berghold) June 30, 2001 (all rights reserved) This third section of the 4 section newsletter contains: * Easter Trip To Burgenland (Susan Peters) EASTER TRIP TO BURGENLAND (From Susan M Peters) I went to Burgenland for Easter to visit cousins I met last year on my first trip to Burgenland. My closest relation is a fourth cousin. Our mutual ancestor, Ladislaus Grassinger (Grosinger), left Burgenland in 1858. This trip, although lacking the excitement of a first trip was equally rewarding. One cousin will be visiting me this summer. Thursday/Friday, April 12 & 13 - The trip started in a panic, as the United flight and time on my ticket from Minneapolis to Chicago O'Hare were wrong. I had checked the information the week before. I left my house at 11:30 for what was now a 12:00 flight. No need to worry though, the 12:00 flight was delayed until 2:00. I had 4 seats to myself on Austrian Airlines direct to Vienna. After 3 glasses of complimentary wine, I was able to relax! In Vienna, I cleared customs and didn't see my cousins waiting for me. The flight was early. After about ten minutes, Anneliese, her husband, Joseph, and daughter, Sonja ran up and greeted me. We took the scenic route to Burgenland, but after the long flight, I was ready to sit on something that wasn't moving. We got to their house in Pilgersdorf for lunch. They then took me to my own little apartment in Lockenhaus about 5 minutes away. The apartment building is owned by friends of Annelise, Wilma and Leo. Walking into the apartment, there was a bathroom on the right and a full kitchen straight ahead. Adjoining that were two twin beds and a large closet. There was TV with satellite so I could watch CNN International and CNBC. (I do not know German.) Cost for 6 nights was $230. I managed to stay awake until about 7:00PM. Saturday, April 14 - Sonja picked me up in the morning and we went to her house. Other cousins and friends also came to visit. My birthday was a few days away and everyone brought presents and flowers. I received a copy of the Burgenland Panorama book, which I recommend. The photos are great and it really shows what Burgenland looks like. My main village of research (Lebenbrunn) is featured on the back cover. As this was Easter Saturday, we went to church in the evening. We later went to a friend's house for red wine and poppy seed strudel. We then attended the Osterfeuer (Easter Fire). The Osterfeuer signifies the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The young men of the village spend days putting it all together. They make a large, impressive fire. It was huge! They provided schnapps and hot mulled wine It was an extremely cold day, high temperature of only 32 degrees. The coldest Easter since 1953. It was a great experience to be out with all the villagers, experiencing a Burgenland tradition. On the drive back to the apartment at about midnight, we saw the many Osterfeuers of the surrounding villages on the hillsides. Sunday- April 15 (Easter) - We slept in and my relatives picked me up at 11:30 for a birthday lunch at Gasthof Kappel in Weissenbach. Sonja has her birthday just 4 days from mine and we celebrated together. There were 15 of us and it was great fun. I had wienerschnitzel, which is a Burgenland Sunday dinner requirement. The men demand it! This wienerschnitzel was the best I ever had. Moist and tender on the inside and golden and crispy on the outside. After a lunch that lasted about 3 hours, we went back to my cousin's for more, wine and coffee and birthday cake. Anneliese had made an absolutely beautiful Sacher Torte. It could have come straight from the Hotel Sacher in Vienna. There was another cake that cousin Franz (Annelise's father and my closest cousin) had purchased at the bakery of his wife's relatives in Deutschkruetz. This cake was decorated in marzipan and was so perfect, it barely looked real. It was a festive day. After everyone else had gone home Annelise, Sonja and I decided a walk was absolutely necessary. Too much sitting and eating and drinking! A day to remember. My newly discovered relatives are now really family. Monday, 4/16 - Easter Monday in Austria is a national holiday. Many places are closed. Sonja came at 11:00 and we went to Anneliese's house for lunch. When I got there, Anneliese took a break from her cooking to give me another birthday present. She gave me a glass beer stein with pewter cover that belonged to Franz Grosinger, born in 1856 and grandson of Ladislaus. Franz would be her gr-gr-grandfather; a 2g grand uncle to me. It is engraved with his initials. I was so surprised! I was a complete stranger less than one year ago. Anneliese says she knew I would treasure it, so she gave it to me. It was a very moving moment. Almost symbolic of bringing our family back together. Then Franz (namesake to the original beer stein owner) and Erna joined us. Anneliese cooked a typical Burgenland wedding dinner. Boiled beef roast, root vegetables (carrots, turnips), fried potatoes with onions, and a porridge-like dish, the name of which I don't remember. It is made by cutting bread into small pieces, then frying it in a little oil, thus making croutons, then pouring over some of the liquid from the beef, grating in some horseradish, and adding salt and pepper. It was nice to experience authentic Burgenland food. That afternoon, we went to Piringsdorf, a village a few minutes away that has been noted for basket making for centuries. They also do ceramics. We picked up Wilma and drove down to Bad Tatzmannsdorf to visit the Freilichtmuseum, the Southern Burgenland Open Air Museum. It has original old buildings from various villages in Burgenland, many are over 200 years old and provide a good idea of how our ancestors lived. There are houses, barns and various other out buildings. You can get through it in about an hour. Well worth the visit. After that, more coffee and pastries. Tuesday, April 17 - We had reserved this morning to go to the church for research. We went to Anneliese's house to wait to hear from the church secretary. She finally called at 11:30. My main assignment was to get copies of two pages of death records inadvertently missed when we were there last year. This was done in short order. When you are in Burgenland and want to look at church records, it is in your best interest to contact the church before you go or as soon as you get there to schedule appointments. Many of the churches are open only limited hours and you have to follow their schedule. Few exceptions are made, at least not in our parish. After lunch, Franz and Erna joined and we took a ride to Deutschkruetz, Erna's from there. We went to her family cemetery. Took a ride around town and saw the old castle that was bought by an artist, now in residence. He is slowly renovating it. Easter was a good time to visit as there were few leaves on the trees; you could see things much better. We drove "downtown" and went to her cousin's coffee and pastry shop. This is the place where they had bought our birthday cake. A stranger introduced himself, talked to us the whole time we were there, and ended up paying our bill. He said he thought it was very nice of me to travel all the way from America to come to that coffee shop! We walked around the town window shopping. The Juvina mineral water spring is in town. People can come and fill bottles with the unprocessed water right out of the spring. I tasted it and it had a very strong taste. On the way home we stopped in Raiding, viewed Franz Liszt's birthplace, and then drove through Oberpullendorf. Wednesday, April 18 - Sonja and Anneliese came early to take me to Castle Schlainning, which is now a Peace University. Two floors in the castle are devoted to anti-war exhibits. Not at all what I expected. The third floor had some good exhibits about life in Burgenland. Pictures and items used in the homes and farms. We spent a lot of time there. There were no castle related items. After walking around town, we drove back to Pilgersdorf for lunch at Wilma's. Her house is impressive and she is a fabulous cook. The room in which we had lunch was large and had a huge tile heating stove. Her husband, Leo, carved the wood ceiling and they have some very old furniture and oil paintings of ancestors. A great example of how things are still passed from generation to generation in Burgenland and how family treasures are protected. For lunch we started with a delicious sauerkraut soup. Then we had ham and vegetable strudel followed by apricot knodl, which was sweet, but not dessert; a big dumpling with a pitted apricot inside. For dessert we had apple strudel. We took a long walk around Lebenbrunn. Later we went to a Heuriger in Oberpullendorf to eat again. We had wine and shared 3 plates of food: meats and breads, etc. I really over-ate that day! Thursday, April 19 - We left Burgenland for Vienna. Arrived at Sonja's apartment where I stayed until Monday. We took the subway to Karlsplatz and went to St. Stephansdom. Wilma and Anneliese decided they wouldn't climb the stairs in the tower of St. Stephansdom with Sonja and I, so they went window shopping. There is a tower attached to the church that you can go up and view Vienna. There are 343 stairs. Not for the weak of heart! The view was mostly a bunch of rooftops. I don't know if I would recommend it. We met Anneliese and Wilma at a Turkish restaurant for lunch. There are now a lot of Turks in Vienna. Sonja and I went back to St. Stephansdom and toured the catacombs. During the black plague they dug a big hole in the square outside of St. Stephansdom and threw the bodies into it. After many years the hole filled up and they sent workers down to "organize" the bones. There are rooms where the larger bones are stacked like firewood. The skulls are stacked together. The catacombs include the entrails of the royals. The royals were buried in three different churches. Their hearts are at the church where they married, the Augustinerkirche; their entrails at St. Stephansdom; and their bodies at the Kapuzinerkirche. We then walked around and saw Roman ruins, the Hofburg, the Volksgarten and Beethoven's house. As it was getting dark we decided to go to a café for a glass of wine and relax. We went to Cafe Hawelka, which is one of the older and more famous of Vienna's cafes. It is run by a very old couple who have owned it for many decades. The old woman was there that night and we estimated she had to be at least 90 years old. We stayed at the cafe until about 11:00 and then took the subway home. Friday, April 20 - Subway to the Hofburg Palace. Viewed the impressive Imperial Jewels. Had lunch at the greenhouse of the Hofburg Palace which is now a restaurant called the Palm House. Great food and atmosphere. Austrians really enjoy their meals and take their time. There is no rushing and it takes a little effort to get used to it and slow down from my normal eating pace. This lunch lasted about two hours. I found this was the case with almost every meal I had, whether in a restaurant or someone's home. If it was just a small meal, much time would be spent drinking coffee. We took a street car to the University of Vienna. We went inside the Votivkirche. By Austrian standards this is quite a new church, having been built in the mid-1800's. We walked to the Dorotheum, a prestigious auction house. You can view the the items that are to be sold at the next auction. We spent at least an hour there pouring over the jewelry and antique toys... mostly the jewelry! They also have a retail store with many interesting antique items. We then walked to the Schottenkirche, originally built in 1177, but rebuilt and renovated many times. Saturday, April 21 - Took the subway and the train to the Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof), very cold, windy and drizzly. Worth braving the weather to view the beautiful gravesites of the Strausses, Schubert, Beethoven, and the Mozart memorial (he isn't buried there). There are many impressive graves of other prominent Austrians. I took pictures of some because of their beauty, even though I didn't know the significance of the people buried there. Went back to the First District to the Kapuzinerkirche to view the tombs of the royals, including Maria Theresa and Franz Joseph. They are in the Imperial Vault in the basement and the tombs are incredibly ornate and rococo. We saw the Anker Clock, but were too late to see the figures come out at noon. There are beautiful monuments all over Vienna. Many are not shown in the guidebooks. We went shopping at the Steffel Department Store, which is very trendy and popular. Also, did a lot of window shopping on Kanterstrasse. At 6:00 we took the subway to BB member Klaus Gerger's apartment where we had dinner. Albert Schuch and his friend, Elizabeth, were also there. Klaus's wife, Heidi, and his two darling daughters, Eva and Victoria, served fondue with many different meats and sauces, a couple of salads, and that good Austrian bread. I had met them all previously and it was a very fun evening, so nice to see them all again. Sunday, April 22 - My last day in Austria. We went to the Belvedere Palace Art Museum. It has paintings and artifacts from the Middle Ages up into the 20th century. The grounds and palaces themselves are very ornate. There are actually two palaces, Upper and Lower Belvedere. Building started in 1700 and both were completed by 1724. There are many paintings by Gustav Klimt, maybe the best known of Austrian artists, including his masterpiece "The Kiss." Photos or reproductions do not even come close to copying its beauty. We went to the Sacher Hotel and had lunch at the Anna Sacher Restaurant. This place was fabulous. The decor was opulent with marble and crystal and satin. The food was excellent, continental, rather than typically Austrian. The price was also fabulous (for two of us it was $145, which included a full five course meal, plus one glass of wine and tip). It was worth the money- a special day and a real indulgence! I highly recommend the experience if you want to treat yourself to a Viennese extravaganza. Monday, April 23 - It is very easy to take public transportation to the airport, but seeing that I was going by myself, I chose to take a cab just for peace of mind. My luggage was now even heavier. Everything went well until we got to Chicago. Again, bad weather had disrupted all the schedules. I spent a long 5 1/2 hours at O'Hare. My first flight was canceled. The next flight 2 1/2 hours later was late. Then there was a mechanical problem, so we sat at the gate for 45 minutes. When we finally arrived in Minneapolis, we didn't have a gate, because we were unscheduled, so we sat on the tarmac for 20 minutes. When I finally arrived home, it had been 23 hours since I had left Sonja's apartment in Vienna. Except for the two awful flights between Minneapolis and Chicago, the Burgenland/Vienna experience was absolutely wonderful. I can't recommend a trip to the homeland strongly enough. By all means go if you can possibly arrange it. I look forward to my next trip to Chicago, only if I can continue on to Austria. NEWSLETTER CONTINUES AS NO. 97C THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 97C DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (issued monthly by G. Berghold) June 30, 2001 (all rights reserved) CHECK THE BB INTERNET LINKS (URL) MASTER FILE CHANGES VIA HOMEPAGE HYPERLINKS UPDATED BY INTERNET EDITOR ANNA KRESH HOMEPAGE EDITOR HAP ANDERSON IS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO HELP UPDATE THE HOMEPAGE MEMBERSHIP LIST (now at 732 members)- IF YOU'D LIKE TO HELP-PLEASE CONTACT HIM ***REMEMBER - THERE WILL BE NO NEWSLETTER JULY 31*** This fourth section of the 4 section newsletter contains: * South Bend, IN Addresses Continued (T-Z) * New Member's Experience * Learning German - Textbook Recommendation * Ellis Island Record Questions * US Census Quesstion * Web Site Report * Staff Listing SOUTH BEND, IN ADDRESSES CONT. (T-Z) *TEICHMANN, Stephan, aus Ebenfurth, Oest, und Elizabeth HAFNER aus Frauenkirchen. 2201 W. Indiana Ave. *TOPPELL, Witwe Zezilia, geb. THEINER, aus Holling, Ungarn. 1325 W. Indiana Ave. *WARTHA, Lorenz, aus Pamhagen. 1721 S. Scott St. Deutschland; R. R. 5 Box 92. *WEINZETL, Karl, aus Pamhagen, und Katharine AUDERT, aus Pamhagen. 1427 W. Indiana Ave. *WENSITS, Josef, aus Illmitz, und Maria NEMETH, aus Geresdorf. 311 W. Ewning Ave. *WENSITS, Johann, aus Illmitz, und Katharine REINER, aus Tadten. *WEXLER, Agnes, geb. SEMLER, aus Güssing. 526 S. Frances St. *WEXLER, Stefan, aus Neustift. 406 E. Irvington St. *WIEGER, Josef sen., aus Frauenkirchen, und Magdalena KOLLINGER, aus Neckenmark. 1635 Prairie Ave. *WILFING, Witwe Elizabeth, geb. KOPPL, aus Odenburg, Ungarn. S. Scott *WINKLER, Anton, aus Lungitz, Steiermark, Oest, and Adelheid SIMON, aus Kom. Oedenburg. 1011 S Lafayette St. *WOLF, Johann, aus Worth, Steiermark, Oest. 1711 S. Scott St. *WUKOVICH, Michael, aus Nikisch, Oest, und Victoria SLAVISD, aus Minnihof. 1820 S. Kendall St. *ZEBERL, Andreas, aus Deutsch Kreuz, und Theresia DRAGANITS, aus Deutsch Kreuz. 1822 S. Taylor St. NEW MEMBER'S EXPERIENCE Dear BB Members, Recently I took the advice of our mentors and decided to submit a letter to the Jennersdorf newspaper that is circulated through out the Burgenland. I read in a recent news letter that little more than a dozen of us have used this resource. I was scared and apprehensive. Maybe it was the language barrier. Albert Schuch was more then kind enough to edit, translate and submit the letter for me. I wrote an article containing the names of my great-grandparents, their parents, where and when they were born, what they did, their village and house numbers, when they emigrated to the US and a little about myself. I then sent this to Albert. His e-mail address is on the home page of the BB website. A few weeks later the response was more than I could have hoped for. I have received letters from six people, two are relatives! Some of the letters are in German, but I have found most of our cousins can speak English, and I have found ways to translate. I have used the German translators on the internet, but I must tell you they are not very good. I bought a German hand book and it was only $3.00. Once again I asked for Albert's help. So there are several ways to get around this barrier. So far I have not received a lot of data on my family, but I am making friends and meeting distant cousins. And isn't that what the BB is all about? To bring our heritage back to life. I have living relatives in the Burgenland that I was never aware of. I can't tell you how wonderful a feeling this is. Not only is my family growing by leaps and bounds but clear across the planet! I highly recommend placing a notice in the local Austrian papers! It is a very easy thing to do and the results are just wonderful! Nothing to lose and much to gain. I would like just a moment to say thank you to Gerry Berghold , who started all this, to Albert Schuch for his kindness, encouragement and willingness to help, and last, but not least to Fritz Koingshofer for his patience and time. And thank you to all the BB members for submitting their family genealogy so all this is possible. Albert, I hope by writing this that you do not get overwhelmed with submissions! [ smile]. Michelle Ernst BB Member LEARNING GERMAN - TEXTBOOK RECOMMENDATION (From Ingeborg Schuch) ED. Note: In a recent article, I again emphasized that when dealing with foreign family history, language is always a problem. It was a problem for our immigrant ancestors who were required to know both German and Hungarian as well as English after emigration. Some also had to know Croatian. So it is with us also, if you wish to strike out on your own and dig into family research, you must learn a little of these foreign languages. This does not mean that you must become fluent. A nodding acquaintance with a foreign language dictionary and some knowledge of diacritical marks, pronounciation and the more common family history vocabulary will pay big dividends. Since German is the language of Austria and encountered most often, I'd suggest you start with German. Even a brief exposure to an introductory course will help. Inge Schuch (sister of Burgenland editor Albert Schuch) resides in Vienna and works as a professional interpreter. She translates articles for the Burgenlandische Gemeinschaft newsletter and has graciously provided the BB editors with language assistance on more than one occasion. (Please do not contact her for translation assistance-she couldn't possibly respond to all of our many members and we must reserve her assistance for BB publications.) Inge sends the following: Earlier, we corresponded about the hardships of learning German. Today I may have some interesting news for BB members wishing to learn German. Jacqueline Vansant, an American friend of mine who teaches German at Michigan University, just told me that she would recommend "Fokus Deutsch," which Amazon.com advertises as follows: "Fokus Deutsch offers a powerful new resource for teaching beginning and intermediate German. This dynamic new three-level program carefully integrates videos, texts, audio and other supplements to bring German language, history and culture into focus for students. Fokus Deutsch was created through a collaboration of the Annenberg/CPB project, WGBH/Boston, and the McGraw-Hill Companies - the trio who also created Destinos, Nuevos Destinos, and Connect with English - along with Inter Nationes and the Goethe-Institut. The result is an original and engaging program that immerses students in the reality of German life, history, and culture. The comprehensive package for Fokus Deutsch also includes such multimedia supplements as a CD-ROM resource for instructors and a text specific website! In short, Fokus Deutsch is a comprehensive, well-organized program that integrates video, audio print and technology as effectively as it integrates language, drama, culture, and history." Fokus Deutsch (authors include Daniela Dosch Fritz, Stephen L. Newton, Lida Daves-Schneider, Karl Schneider) is, in fact, currently being broadcast as a telecourse by PBS (as a three-term college-level introductory German language course) See http://www.pbs.org/als/guide/courselistings/courses/fokusdeutsch/ For your information, I have copied below Amazon.com extracts from the table of contents of the three books, to give you some idea of how the course is structured. Focus Deutsch: Beginning German I EINFUHRUNG-Introduction Deutsch und Englisch: Schwestersprachen (sister languages) Das Alphabet und die Aussprache Kurz notiert: vowel sounds Willkommen im Deutschkurs! Im Klassenzimmer (in classroom) Die Kardinalzahlen-numbers Sprachspiegel: numbers as compound words Die Wochentage - days of the week Uhrzeit-telling time Kurz notiert: using um to tell when something takes place Eine deutsche Familie - We become acquainted with the Koslowski family Kurz notiert: possession Personal pronouns and verbs heien and sein: Naming, identifying, and describing Nouns: genders, and plurals: classifying and categorizing nouns Kurz notiert: gender Sind Sie wortschlau? personal pronouns and articles Sprachspiegel: plurals Die Farben- Sprachspiegel: colors (and more...) ELLIS ISLAND QUESTIONS A reader writes: I married a Riedlberger from Halbturn, Austria. In researching the new Ellis Island data for that name, I find a "Tsiez Riedlberger" from Feltovony, ar 1905, age 20. Can you tell me the American equivalent of Tsiez, or suggest a method to find out? German I can get through with a little help, but Hungarian "Ach du Lieber!" George Tebolt writes: We just got back from a wonderful trip to Hungary and visited with lots of relatives. Most of our young relatives are speaking good English now so that makes sightseeing more enjoyable. My middle daughter came with us for the first time and I was able to show her our hometown Szucs in the Bakony Hills. The main reason in writing you was the Ellis Island Web Page. I have noticed quite a few spelling mistakes. Both family names and villages are spelt wrong. Do you know if any of our members have run across the same problem? Is there any way to correct the problems? And again: I joined Ellis Island and made annotations on some of the errors. When I checked my great uncle Anton Edl, he was not listed. How can this be I thought, when my grandfather Mihaly Tibold and Anton Edl came on the same ship together? When I checked the ship's manifest I found out they had spelled his last name Egl. I got a picture of my grandmother's brother George Edl from his son on my recent trip to Hungary. However nobody could tell when he came here or when he returned. The picture was taken by a company located at 50 Ave A, NYC. Since my father was born at 181 Ave A, they must have all lived near by? Also with the help from Ellis Island I found out that George Edl and family came here on 12, 1, 1901. I'm wondering If any of our members had any relatives living in that area or know what the neighborhood was like back then? George Tebolt Reply: One of the many problems with the original Ellis Island records is that they are a bear to read. Imagine some Irish immigration official trying to write some of these eastern European names - they did some awesome work! The people involved with data entry do the best they can under the circumstances but unless you are of the same ethnic persuasion one can interpret improperly. "Tsiez " is not an Hungarian name - it probably should be "Terez" short for Theresia. Likewise Feltovony should be Feltorony, Hungarian for Halbturn. I'm afraid the Ellis Island records are going to interject some strange names in American genealogies. See our articles in previous newletters. You'll notice the Ellis Island web site provides for editing - they'd like readers to help correct the erroneous data. (Note: this situation also applies to the origins mentioned in the 1910 & 1920 US Census.) US CENSUS QUESTION A new member writes: I believe or have a "hunch" that my family emigrated to the United States from your area of Austria. In the OHIO 1920 US Census, my Grandfather, David Oscar Haas identifies his Mother Tongue as Magyar (Megye?) which sounds very similiar to the one word mentioned in the article about this area of Austria. My (Jewish) grandfather, David Oscar Haas grew up in the United States but was born in Austria... Reply: Magyar means "Hungarian" - Megye is Hungarian for "county." The Burgenland was formed from parts of the Hungarian Counties of Vas Megye, Sopron Megye and Moson Megye. Haas means "rabbitt" or "hare" in German. It is also spelled Hase. This is a common name in the region but like Smith in the US, it pops up in many places. Most Jewish people did not take surnames until rather late using their own naming conventions. There was a fair sized Jewish element in the Burgenland regions pre WW-II. You may wish to read the articles re Jewish inhabitants in our archives. They tended to cluster around certain areas (Eisenstadt had a fair sized ghetto). You might want to contact our Hebraic editor. See the staff list. WEB SITE REPORT (from Hap Anderson) Hits on the BB Web Site Total hits since 1997- 55657 Week 24 of 2001 - 408; Week 23 of 2001 - 247; Week 22 of 2001 - 182; Week 21 of 2001 - 473 , Week 20 of 2001 - 500 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 Co-Editor> Klaus Gerger, Austria 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 via Home Page hyperlinks) WEBSITE SHORTCUT: http://go.to/burgenland Burgenland Bunch Newsletter distributed courtesy of (c) 1999 RootsWeb.com, Inc. P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 Newsletter and List Rights Reserved. Permission to Copy Granted; Provide Credit and Mention Source.