BB News No. 128 dtd 30 Apr 2004

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 128 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Our 9th Year-20 Pages/4 Email Sections Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) April 30, 2004 (c) 2004 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) *DID YOU MISS THE THIRD ARTICLE IN THE SERIES "FAMILY HISTORY OF BURGENLAND COMPOSERS" AUTHORED BY BB AUSTRIAN EDITOR FRITZ KÖNIGSHOFER IN SECTIONS A & B OF NEWSLETTER 127? IS A BURGENLAND COMPOSER PART OF YOUR FAMILY HISTORY? SEE NEWSLETTERS NO. 86, 89B, 93B & 127.* **IF YOU HAVE CROATIAN BURGENLAND LINKS, HAVE YOU READ "PEOPLE ON THE BORDER - A CROATIAN HISTORY" BY JOHANN DOBROVICH AS TRANSLATED BY BB CROATIAN EDITOR FRANK TEKLITS? SEE NEWSLETTERS 55A THROUGH 66A.** ***ALL BB NEWSLETTERS MAY BE READ OR DOWNLOADED FROM ARCHIVES AVAILABLE FROM THE BB HOMEPAGE-CLICK ON NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES. SUBSCRIBERS WISHING TO RECEIVE ALL EMAIL SHOULD TURN OFF AOL SPAM CONTROLS!*** ****IF YOU ARE CONFUSED ABOUT MEMBERSHIP DETAILS, PLEASE READ OUR "INVITATION LETTER" NEWLY ADDED TO OUR HOMEPAGE BY HAP ANDERSON - BECOME A BB MISSIONARY AND PRINT A COPY FOR ANY PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS THAT YOU MIGHT KNOW**** RECIPIENTS PLEASE READ: You are receiving this email because you are a BB member or have asked to be added to our distribution list. To discontinue these newsletters, email with message "remove". ("Cancel" will cancel membership, website listings and mail.) Send address and listing changes to the same place. Sign email with your full name and include BB in the subject line. Send no attachments or graphics unless well known to me. Please keep changes to a minimum. To join the BB, see our homepage. If you join, your email address will be available from our websites. We can't help with non-Burgenland family history. Appropriate comments and articles are appreciated. Staff and web site addresses are listed at the end of newsletter section "C". Notes and articles without a by-line are written by the editor and reflect his views. Members please exchange data in a courteous and cooperative manner-not to do so defeats the purpose of our organization. This first section of our 4-section newsletter concerns Ethnic Easter Traditions. ETHNIC EASTER TRADITIONS (forwarded by Bob Strauch) When Lehigh Valley editor Bob Strauch and editor Margaret Kaiser correspond, they copy me. Bob finds something interesting on the net and copies us with comment. Margaret asks a question and Bob replies. I end up with material for the newsletter. The following exchanges dealing with ethnic Easter traditions are an example: (Extracts are from: Emese Kerkay, "Hímestojás, The Art and History of Hungarian Decorated Eggs", Passaic, NJ, 1995 as found by Bob - see source for full text). The traditions I remember from my Allentown Burgenland neighborhood involved blessing food at the church, dying eggs, giving Easter baskets, cracking eggs on heads and baking Easter bread. Friday was always cleaning day (and remains so to this day). Good Friday was no exception. One can see how these traditions had their origin in the following. FOLK CUSTOMS AROUND THE EGG The combination of Christian and ancient religious rituals were incorporated into the practices and folk customs of Easter. In many cases they cannot be distinguished. One of our religious Easter customs is the blessing of food and decorated eggs. In an encyclopedia, published in 1773, it is written that on the eve of resurrection decorated eggs were blessed in the church by the basket. These were put in the form of a pyramid on a table decorated with flowers in the most beautiful room of the house. Whoever came to visit during Easter week had to eat from the pile. (Bartha 1983) It is evident that the Christian religion incorporated the cult of the egg into its ceremonies. The red egg took on a deep Christian meaning by becoming the symbol of resurrection. Old pagan elements are buried in the cleaning ceremonies before the holidays, as the tidying of the graves, washing oneself in running water on good Friday, cleaning springs and wells. Decorating eggs on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, giving decorated eggs as gifts, reciting in verse form the good wishes, eating special food, raising of an Easter tree, dousing with water and receiving eggs for it, sending of bride's plates... are also elements of Hungarian pagan rituals. (ED-carried over into Burgenland traditions.) RITUAL OF EGG DECORATING (from the same source as above.) As mentioned before, egg decorating was and is important to the Hungarians since ancient times, especially in springtime. In some Hungarian regions eggs, suitable for decoration, were collected weeks before Easter. Young girls went to other villages, singing songs and asking for eggs. "My hen, my hen, my speckled hen, How many eggs do you have? Cackle it to me now, Is it twelve or is it nine? Oh so little, how cautiously you give them." WATER PLUNGE MONDAY (Locsolás) Decorated eggs were primarily made for Dousing Day visitors. LOCSOLÁS or DOUSING is a folk custom still very much alive and practiced widely not only in Hungary but also in Hungarian communities here in the United States. This custom is mentioned already in medieval times as Water Plunge Monday. The folk customs and beliefs of the Easter holidays are all connected with the renewal of nature. In this circle of festivities water played the most important role, because of the belief in its purifying, healing and magical fertility power. Starting early in the morning, on Dousing Day, groups of boys and young men visit the homes of girls and women sprinkling them with water, rose water or cologne. In old times only clear water was used. Young men and boys doused the girls with buckets of water at the well. However in many regions the girls were dragged "against their will" to the pond, creek or stream at dawn and submerged or thrown into the water, while reciting little rhymes. It was expected that the girls would accept all of this good-naturedly and reward their tormentors with decorated eggs, bread or a glass of wine or brandy - or all three. In some places they would even dance before going to the next home. The two most important symbols of this ritual have to be emphasized: water and egg, representing life, purification and fertility. This is a love ritual in its purest form. The splashing of girls with water was supposed to make them good future wives, bearing many children. Giving the young man an egg also signified fertility and rebirth. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE COLLECTED EGGS? The children sometimes collected more than 100 eggs. The more beautiful ones they treasured for a long time. The rest were eaten or they played Easter games with them: they knocked the end of the eggs together and whose egg broke was obligated to give his to the winner. But there were always cheaters. Some boys smuggled wooden eggs into their hands or used the eggs of guinea fowls, because their shell was harder. According to Dr. Xantus (1958) the custom of egg knocking is mentioned already in a medieval document from 1390 as dies concussiones ovorum. The custom was called ticcselés in Bereg, türkölés in Erdély (Transylvania) and kokányozás in Somogy. RITUAL OF EGG CHANGING The Hungarians have a saying: there are as many customs as there are houses (ahány ház, annyi szokás). The same is true about folk customs practiced in the different regions/villages. Mostly every village had its own egg decorating artist: íróasszony, meaning writing woman, an older woman who had lots of experience in egg painting. From her the hímestojás could be obtained by those, who were not very skilled. It would have been a great shame for the girls not to be able to present eggs to the young men. Beside this important and widespread folk custom there are many more connected to the egg. It was customary, that the family ate one blessed egg together, to ensure that if they get lost, they could find their way home to those with whom they ate the Easter egg. This symbolizes that the large family is undividable and belongs together. Egg gifts from godparent to godchild were made in front of the church on Easter Sunday, suggesting its derivation from the love feast of the early Christians. Almost throughout the country grandparents, parents and godparents gave decorated eggs to the children. Water Plunge Monday was unknown in Sárköz (West Hungary - Danube region). They practiced the old custom of exchanging decorated eggs. Those who took part at a baptism were considered members of the families; and they called each other Koma, which could be translated as brother, buddy, kin. There is no exact translation. The children of these so-called kinsmen exchanged eggs with one another on the afternoon of Easter Sunday, as a token for a loving kinship. A similar custom, still practiced all over the country, is the sending of bride's plates. The Sunday after Easter (also called White Sunday) was the day that little girls and boys sent one another bride's plates, which contain cake, wine and decorated eggs. A group, - usually eight children, - accompanies the plate. If the recipient excepts the gift, he or she would take out some of the decorated eggs, put his/her own on the plate and send it back. With this ceremony they became sisters or brothers and their friendship would last until their death. From this day on they call each other Koma. Older girls and occasionally men might also send each other bride's plates. MORE CUSTOMS CONNECTED TO THE EGG At Easter young men put dawn trees or green branches (hajnalfa, zöld ág) in front of the girls' houses, in their yard or fastened to their doors to ward off evil. Sometimes they were decorated with eggs and ribbons. The decorated egg, with its mysterious signs, had magical powers according to folk belief. The hand, a star or a cross were drawn on it, and were symbols of repelling ills, warding off evil and protection. It was believed that the egg was effective against lightning and fire and that it had healing powers. It would cure jaundice and hexes. Those who put a decorated egg in their water for washing would stay healthy and beautiful all year long. Sick animals were cured with the shell of decorated eggs. They even walled in eggs in a new building to ward off the influences of bad magic. Traditions Among Burgenland Immigrants Margaret Kaiser writes to Bob: Thanks for this enlightening article. Amazing! I wouldn't have thought that one could keep a boiled egg for a week or more and still eat it (on the Saturday after Easter). Some of these eggs were kept for years. I'm not clear on whether these were boiled eggs or eggs that were cleaned out and decorated. Did you fabricate the last paragraph? (concerning ritual of running naked around a house and throwing an egg to have fire change direction!) Bob responds: No! It was an actual tradition. I read about it in a book about the Eastern Slovak method of dyeing eggs. Mom knew how to color eggs using natural materials, like onion peels.) I also once tried cooking them in red cabbage to get a blue coloring. Besides the wax method -as in pysanky-, I've also done the scratch method where a design is scratched on after the egg has been dyed a single color. In Burgenland, they use both these methods. There's also a neat method where leaves and sprigs of herbs are affixed to egg before it is dyed, leaving an imprint. I did this method for several years. I used sprigs of dill and boiled the eggs with onion skins. I know this method is definitely done in Switzerland and in Salzburg. I'm sure in other regions as well. I first read about it in a Family Circle magazine, where they were called Swiss Easter eggs. Eggs cooked in onion skins are still pretty popular in this area. Before Easter, produce stands at our farmers' markets sell bagged onion skins especially for this purpose. I remember my grandmother ( from Punitz) telling me of another method they had for decorating Easter eggs. They would dye an egg a single color, then place it out in the yard or field in an anthill. The ants would then "scratch" a design onto the egg. I've never heard of or read about this method anywhere else. When I made the Ukrainian wax method eggs, I always blew them out afterwards. I remember hearing stories of people leaving them intact only to have them later explode in their china closets. Others left them intact without a problem. When I used the scratch and batik methods, I boiled them. I remember giving one to a friend maybe 10 years ago, and she still has it. The white evaporated and the yolk got hard like a rubber ball, but it never rotted. Have you ever seen the boiled and peeled eggs that some folk make which are boiled, cracked and packed in a jar with beet juice (and vinegar, I guess)? My mother used to make them. We called them "Dracula eggs". (ED: Hard boiled eggs-shells removed are pickled in vinegar and beet juice and eaten for lunch or picnic snacks-my wife still makes them.) Used to be customary in US for bars to have boiled eggs on counter - to have with beer, I suppose. (ED-Oh yes-a regular feature at Fiedler's Cafe in Allentown-both plain hard boiled and pickled-served with a salt and pepper shaker on a paper plate. One day a customer dipped his hand in the pickled egg jar and took one-Ed Fiedler saw him and said-you just bought the whole jar-the customer laughed and offered eggs to everyone!) When I was in Switzerland just before Easter 1992, in the Emmental near Bern, I went into a village Gasthaus for lunch and there were complimentary eggs cooked in onion skins on each table with a shaker of Knorr seasoning. Cracking Eggs Over Heads From: Marylou Tousignant Of The Washington Post: In Mexico and some states including Texas and California, Latino families have a cracking-good way of celebrating: They fill eggshells with confetti and crack them on each other's heads. Cascarones, as these dyed-and-stuffed eggs are called, have been a tradition at our house for years. They are fun to make - everyone in the family can help - but even more fun to break over the head of an unsuspecting sibling or friend. Best of all, cascarones (pronounced cass-kuh-ROW-nays) are something that everyone, from toddlers to grandparents, can enjoy, though you do have to be careful not to smack tiny (or, for that matter, aging) noggins too hard. The origin of cascarones (which means eggshells in Spanish) is a little muddled. Some credit explorer Marco Polo with bringing them back to Italy from China in the early 14th century. The Chinese filled their eggs with perfume and scented powder. From Italy the egg idea traveled to Austria, France and Spain. Carlota, the wife of Emperor Maximilian, introduced cascarones to Mexico in the 1860s. From there they headed north into what we know as California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. (ED-while my brother and I cracked hardboiled eggs on each other's head-I don't know where the idea came from-my grandparents didn't do this.) Newsletter continues as no. 128A.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 128A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) April 30, 2004 (c) 2004 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) *** NEW BURGENLAND BUNCH INTERNET LINKS - ADDITIONS, REVISIONS 04/24/2004 HAVE BEEN ADDED TO OUR WEBSITE (from Internet/URL Editor Anna Tanczos Kresh)*** This second section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. Königsdorf - A Village Genealogy 2. More Ethnic Events In Chicago - Tom Glatz 3. Burgenländische Gemeinschaft Chicago Election Results KÖNIGSDORF - A VILLAGE GENEALOGY The ancient village of Königsdorf (K-dorf) is found in the southernmost Burgenland district of Jennersdorf. The Hungarian name pre-1921 was Kiralyfalva, at which time it was part of the district of Szt. Gotthard, Vas Megye, Hungary. It was the site of a Roman border station and Roman artifacts and graves have been found. Like most Burgenland villages, its history before the 17th century is obscure. If not actually possessed by them, it was part of the 11-13th century holdings of the Counts of Güssing. Records from 1327 state it then reverted to the Hungarian crown and derives its name from when King Stephen was its patron. In 1428, King Sigismund granted the Güssing holdings to Peter Cseh de Leva and K-dorf was included; from this point on, its destiny was controlled by the Herrschaft of Güssing, the domain of the Batthyány family from 1524 to 1918. In 1605, during the Bocskay Rebellion, the village was destroyed. In 1704, a raid by Styrian forces again burned the village. This was followed in 1711-12 by plague which depopulated the area. The village was rebuilt, most likely by colonists from eastern Styria, Upper Austria and/or southern Bavaria. It is within the Lutheran synod of southern Austria and still retains a Lutheran minority. In 1873 there were 803 Roman Catholics (parish of Kiralyfalva), 568 Lutherans (parish of Eltendorf-Kortvelyes) and 3 Jews. Today, as a result of the Auswanderung, the population is about 800. The Catholic church (Heilige Stephan) was renovated in 1994-95. Its cemetery was a gift from Count Batthyány in 1759. Another cemetery directly across the road may have civil or Protestant overtones. A Lutheran school and prayer house attests to the continuation of the Protestant minority, who attend the Martin Luther Kirche in Eltendorf. Situated in the valley of the Lafnitz River and at the mouth of the Limbach brook, which flows from the north and empties into the Lafnitz, it was obviously a good place to settle, being at the junction of two waterways and their fertile valleys and near two major towns (Fürstenfeld and Szt. Gotthard). A secondary road heads north from K-dorf and crosses the main east-west highway, paralleling the Limbach. Southward the same road connects to Jennersdorf. Just a short distance beyond the highway to the north, the road branches, the western arm going on to the village of Limbach, the eastern to the village of Kukmirn. At this junction, on the edge of the Königsdorfer Wald (forest) is found an appendage of K-dorf called Königsdorfer Bergen - really a part of K-dorf, but some distance from the village. K-dorf is easy to locate. Following Hungarian Route 8 west from Körmend, Hungary (Rt 8 is just a little north of Szt. Gotthard), we come to the Austrian Burgenland border village of Heiligenkreuz (a border-crossing station). Route 8 then becomes Austrian Route 65 (the E66) - now a major artery connecting Austria with Hungary. Continuing west from Heiligenkreuz for 2 kilometers, we come to Poppendorf and, in another 4 kilometers, we reach Eltendorf. If we start from the Styrian border at Fürstenfeld and head east on the same highway for 4 kilometers, we reach the Burgenland border at Rudersdorf, then after another 4 kms Dobersdorf, and again Eltendorf 3 kms later. Königsdorf lays one km south of Eltendorf on Route 57. The entire crossing of southern Burgenland in this region, from Styria to Hungary, is less then 20 kms and takes about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on traffic. The E66 has been modernized and is being considered for a major autobahn in order to cope with the heavy traffic coming from Graz and heading east into Hungary (connection at Körmend for Budapest and points east, north and south). This part of Burgenland, roughly a rectangle, Güssing to Jennersdorf (north to south) and Rudersdorf to the Hungarian border villages (west to east) more than any other, contributed the greatest percentage of its population to the 1890-1924 Auswanderung to America. It is a very important immigrant region in our study of Burgenland family history. I traveled and studied this region extensively beginning in the 1980s, since this is where my family history had its origin. I exhausted many of the sources of data, which included the parish church records (both RC and Lutheran), the 1825 Hungarian census, civil records, the pre-1828 records, both at the church offices and the Eisenstadt Diocesan archives, and the US 1910-1920 census. I also studied the available German and Latin translations of extant Urbars and Canonical Visitations. Visits to distant family members rounded out my search and I thought I had exhausted the available material. Whenever I come to this conclusion, it seems that another door opens. I believe the ghosts of our immigrants must be guiding our search! Last month Klaus Gerger, who serves as BB Burgenland co-editor and happens to be my cousin, visited us. Among the many things shared by him was a paperback local (private?) publication called "Unser Wurzeln - Stammbäume Häuser Heiraten der Königsdorfer" (Our Roots - A Genealogy of the Houses and Marriages of the People of K-dorf), published 2002. Written by Sepp Kametler, a local history teacher with deep roots in K-Dorf, this booklet lists the owners of K-Dorf houses from 1720 to 1900 and the marriages from 1900-1960. A work of some erudition and research, it is indicative of what can be produced by studying and organizing extant records. Sepp Kametler provides the old and new house numbers, house names (Vulgo), the names of the brides and grooms occupying the houses, their ages, religions, occupations, social standing, birthdates and places, marriage dates, parents and a short description of the history of the houses. There is also mention of family migration to America. In his forward, Kametler explains how he arrived at the data. He also mentions that some of the family names date from 1635-1641 (as found in Urbars). These are: DEUTSCH, DOPPLER, EBNER, EDELMANN, EDLER, FANDL, FISCHL, FRISCH, GOLDSCHMIDT, GRAF, GRÖLLER, GSELLMANN, GUTMANN, HAFFNER (HAFNER), HANZL (HAINZL), HOLLER, JAKES, KAMETLER (KAMEDLER), KESSLER (KETTLER?), KOANDL (KAINDL), KOHL, KOHLBAUER, KORNTHEUER, KRANKL, KREUZER, KÖNIG, KURZ, LACKNER, LANDMANN, LANG, LEITGEB, LUKAS, MOZERT, NEUBAUER, PERL (PERDL), PFEIFFER, RODLER, SCHAFLER (SCHABLER), SCHERMANN, SEIDNNITZ, STEINER, TAPLER, TSCHANDL, UNGER, WAGNER, WEBER, WILFING, WIRT. While many of these names, stemming from the 30 Years War (and possibly being names of refugees from that period), are still to be found in K-dorf, others are no longer found and new ones appear 1693-1719. These new family names are: ASTL, AUGUSTIN, BAUER, BEUTL (PAIDL), BOANDL (POANDL), BRUNNER, DAMERL(ER), DAMHESL (THAMHESL), DECKER, DEX, DRUISNER, ERNST, FRENZ, FUCHS, GIBISER, GRABNER, GRASMUCK, GROSSMANN, HEILIGMANN (HALLEMANN), HARTL, HARTNER, HAUPTMANN, HEBENSTREIT, HIRTZER, HOFMANN, HOHENTANNER, HOHL, HÜTTER, KALLICH (KOLLE), KENDL, KERN (KREN?), KLOCK (GLOCK), KÖFER, KORNHÄUSL, KROBATH, LORENZ, MATTES, MAYFURTH, MILLNER (MÜLLNER), MIRTH, MOIK, MONSCHEIN, MOOSBICHLER, MUHR, NIKLES, PELZMANN, PUCHL, ROHRER, RÖSSLER, SALBER, SCHLEDERER, SCHMIDT, SCHREINER, SCHUSTER, SCHWARZ, SEIDL, SOMMER, SOMMERAUER, SPIRK (SPÖRK), SPRINGER, STELZER, TRINKL, WALDECKER, ZACH, ZODL, ZOTTER. Allentown (PA) is often mentioned as a place of birth (for returning immigrants or for marriages reported to the Hungarian or Austrian authorities?) and the fact that many of these names can still be found in the Allentown area is no coincidence. At least 19 are well known to me as relatives or neighbors from Allentown. Many are also found in nearby villages (Poppendorf, Eltendorf, Kukmirn, Heiligenkreuz, Grieselstein, Neuseidl, Limbach, Rudersdorf, Dobersdorf, Zahling etc.), attesting to the movement of family names via marriage. House owners can suddenly change. The author explains this as occurring due to families dying out as a result of heavy infant mortality in the 18th century. He also attributes it to marriage outside of the family, some sales after 1848 (prior to that time, aristocracy retained title) and inheritance by relatives and even neighbors. Some house were abandoned entirely and later taken over by colonists. During the Kommassierung (the breaking up of the aristocratic holdings following 1848), many houses changed hands. Even prior to that time, the aristocratic owners of the property did not really care who inhabited the property as long as rent was received and robot labor performed. Orphans were often raised by neighbors, relatives or friends until they came of age and could assume status as a householder. While not complete, following are families who are mentioned as emigrating to America, having descendants who emigrated, or who had returned from such emigration. It is not necessarily the people named who emigrated - it could be them, part of their family or descendants. Marriage Date; groom; bride; house number; Vulgo name; notes are shown. 1893; Josef Pfeiffer; wife Cacilia Perl; house no. 7 (old 6); Vulgo Schreiner; Thauss descendants to America 1891; Josef Unger; Maria Fischl; house 22 (21); Vulgo Kroboth; Unger to England & America 1883; Josef Kern; Theresia Schmidt; house 24(23); Vulgo Piker; Kern eldest son emigrated 1866; Thomas Fabian; Theresia Kern; house 27; Vulgo Wagner; descendants to Allentown 1898; Franz Fischl; Cacilia Dex; house 29 (25); Vulgo Schreiner; Fischl to Allentown, descendant was mayor 1899; Karl Fischl; Caroline Mayer; house 30 (26); Vulgo Jakes; Decker (returned immigrant?) 1872; Franz Kametler; Anna Kulovits; house 38; Vulgo Kammerler; Sattler (house purchased by Karl Frenz (Frenzn, Charlie) a returning immigrant 1888; Johann Damhösl; Theresia Dieber; house 186; Vulgo Dieber; Franz Damhösl emigrated but returned with family 1897; Julius Pernitz; Cacilia Weinhofer; house 40 (29); Vulso Angers; family Pernitz, Fischl to Milwaukee After 1881; house number 49 (37) was purchased by Josef Trinkl; Vulgo Trinkl; Polster children emigrated to America 1869; Franz Trinkl; Cacilia Kallich; house 52 (40); ; descendants emigrated to America 1869; Franz Perl; Juliana Weber; house 57 (45); Vulgo Steindl; Perl family died out, house bought by Franz & Anna Bauer who came from America 1900(?); Josef Miszpichler; Anna Mayer; house 65 (53); Vulgo Sommer; to America, house bought by Danyo 1897; Josef Dex; Juliana Plessl; house 70 (58); Vulgo Sperk; Dex descendants to America between WW-I & II. House bought by Franz Jaindl returning from America, (there are Dex families in Allentown) 1892; Josef Trinkl; Juliana Matthes; house 85 (65); Vulgo Fischl(?); to America, Trinkl families in Allentown. 1897; Franz Perl; Amalia Prem; house 89 (70); Vulgo Perdl?; to America but died. House bought by Andreas & Rosa Ehritz who emigrated and returned 1895; Josef Wirth; Theresia Decker; house 111 (93); Vulgo Reichen; Holler oldest daughter to America. 1870; Mathias Korntheuer; Juliana Venus; then widow married Trinkl, Johan ; house 115 (97); Vulgo Alten; Richter family descendants to America. Bought by Family Spahits who in turn emigrated. 1884; Ludwig Tapler; Amalia Spirk; house 128 (110); Vulgo Tapler; to America (Allentown) 1872; Josef Weber; Amalia Deutsch; house 132; Vulgo Weber; to America, house abandoned? 1877; Mathia Holler; Theresia Buchfeller; house 144 (161); Vulgo Wagner; Holler to America 1894; Mathias Frenz; Cacilia Decker; house 150 (155); Vulgo Frenzn; Motzl to America If you have links to this village, I'll be happy to provide you with any additional data that I can find. Please furnish immigrant names, birth dates, marriage dates, house numbers etc. if known. The more data you can supply, the easier my search. Many of these family surnames are repeated and this additional data will be required to identify your links. I'll reply as I'm able in the order received. 2. MORE ETHNIC EVENTS IN CHICAGO (from Tom Glatz) Tom writes: I haven't rec'd my latest Eintracht (local ethnic paper listing events). The Siebenbürger Sachsens have a dance at the Donau Schwaben Hall in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 17th. I don't know any of the details unfortunately. The warm weather will bring a lot of events. Hopefully the clubs will put them in the Eintracht earlier. I need to get on the mailing lists of more of the clubs. The Siebenbürger Sachsens are going to have a large event in July with music groups coming from Austria and Germany. Unfortunately the 2 day event will be held at the Donau Schwaben Hall in Des Plaines which does not hold many people. I also heard that in order to get tickets one must send to the headquarters in Cincinnati for them. They will be around $30.00 which will include the meal. I will have more on this later. The Steirer Damenchor will hold their 77th Frühjahrs-konzert und Tanz, on Sunday, May 2nd, at 12:00 PM, at Victoria Banquets, 7600 W. Irving Park Rd., Norridge, IL There will also be a zither ensemble and tenor George V. Humphrey will sing. Music will be played by the Paloma group. In previous years the Chicago BG supported the Steirer Damenchor. Emma Wenzel's mother as well as many other Burgenland immigrants were members of the Steirer Damenchor. The last member of the famous baker Urbauer family, Fred Urbauer passed away this week. My mother said to me that now all of those good recipes are gone forever! To this day I still have never tasted Mohn or Nuss Strudel as good as the Strudel from the Urbauer Bakery. They did not skimp & the filling was mostly ground nuts or poppy seed. They found a way to make it using very few bread crumbs. Then they put a soft icing on the top of the strudel. I can just taste it now as we speak. Last week I had some strudel at the Siebenbürger Sachsen Stiftungsfest & it did not taste anything like the Urbauer Strudel. It had a strange aftertaste like they added some artificial flavoring (like Vanilla) to it. 3. BURGENLÄNDISCHE GEMEINSCHAFT (BG) CHICAGO ELECTION RESULTS Our BB Chicago Editor Tom Glatz has long been active in BG activities as well. At a recent election, he was named Vice President, Secretary and Membership Chairman of the Chicago chapter. We congratulate Tom and hope that Burgenland Bunch members in the Chicago area will support him by becoming active members of the BG as well. Tom told me that he is the first non- immigrant to hold the position of vice president and first 2nd generation American to be elected secretary. The other newly elected officers are: President: Karl Billisits, Treasurer: Steve Karlovits We congratulate them as well and offer our support to whatever extent possible. We are two organizations with common goals. Newsletter continues as 128B.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 128B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) April 30, 2004 (c) 2004 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This third section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. An Easter Story Translated From The Hianzisch 2. Taste Of The Burgenland - Fried Cabbage And Noodles (Kraut-Nockerl) 3. A Sterz Response 4. Klaus Gerger (BB Burgenland Associate Editor) Visits Allentown - Ed Tantsits 5. New History Of Esterhazy Family 1. AN EASTER STORY TRANSLATED FROM THE HIANZISCH (courtesy Bob Strauch) Osterg'schichterl/Easter Story-Hianzisch/English from Ban Fostnsingan (by Herta Schreiner from Zemendorf/Burgenland) During Lent, around 2 in the morning, the night watchman would sing "The Passion of Christ" while patrolling the village streets. People knew that one could get quite a dry throat from all that singing, so many would hand him a shot of Schnaps or something out the window as he passed. One night, Aunt Tessie got a glass of wine ready on her nightstand, and as the night watchman finished with "Praised be Jesus Christ", she handed it to him out the window. In the dark, because she didn't want to bother lighting the petroleum lamp. Well, the night watchman had really worked up quite a thirst, and the first sip tasted awfully good. But then he noticed something in the glass. "What's in here?", he thought to himself. He reached in with his fingers and fished out, my God, Aunt Tessie's false teeth! She must have mistaken her denture glass for her wine glass when going to bed. After that, the night watchman wouldn't accept any more glasses in the dark, and none at all from Aunt Tessie. She felt offended. "What can you do", she said, "if people are gonna be so picky?" 2. TASTE OF THE BURGENLAND - FRIED CABBAGE & NOODLES = KRAUT NOCKERL (Suggested by letters from The Allentown (PA) Morning Call Recipe Exchange, forwarded by Bob Strauch.) This dish is well known due to its ease of preparation as well as it being a favorite of Burgenland descendants. It has many variations-for my taste the simpler the better-all it really needs are good fresh cabbage-toothsome noodles and lots of black pepper. I also like the noodles to be fried until the bottom layer gets a little crisp. I do not like to use wide egg noodles for this dish-too "eggy." I prefer something with more "bite" like Mueller's medium seashells or twists. Of course homemade are best. I mailed Bob and Margaret Kaiser the following: In response to your email concerning cabbage noodles-how can something so homely as Kraut-nockerl (I love them) create so much interest. Truly the stomach retains more ethnic memories than the brain. You've given me another "Taste Of The Burgenland" article-thank you. The many cabbage noodle variations mentioned are most interesting. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the type of cabbage adds much-seems young fresh cabbage (perhaps mountain grown) is sweeter-some old cabbage can be bitter. Yes bacon fat can add something (taste-as well as cholesterol) in fact my friend Forrest Fiedler (son of Ed Fiedler-deceased- who had Fiedler's Cafe at 2nd & Gordon in Allentown-now a parking lot) has his wife add bacon grammels (bits). Forrest's grandfather John Fiedler was from Neustift bei Güssing. Bob had written: Catharine Ache of Bethlehem sent in a recipe for cabbage and noodles to the Morning Call. "In response to your reader's request for a cabbage and noodle recipe, I hope this one from Walp's Family Restaurant Cookbook is one she will want to try. Although I have never made this recipe personally, I enjoyed this dish whenever Walp's had it on the menu. I have also included Walp's recipe for Spaetzle, just in case your readers would like to make their own noodles," Catherine says. A recipe for Kraut Noodles also comes from Edith Dergosits of Whitehall. GERMAN FRIED CABBAGE AND NOODLES Drain cooked wide egg noodles (or German-Spaetzle, see recipe). Saute lightly in bacon fat. Add chopped raw cabbage leaves (twice the amount of raw cabbage leaves as cooked noodles) chopped in approximately 1-inch squares. Season with substantial amount of salt and ground black pepper. Continue sauteing until mixture begins to brown. Turn heat low, add a little more bacon fat and simmer until cabbage is tender (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Turn off heat and after 10 minutes remove cabbage and noodles from burner. Serve hot. SPAETZLE (German noodles) 2 1/2 cups flour, sifted 1/2 tsp. salt Pinch of baking powder 2 eggs, well beaten 1/4 cup milk (more or less) Combine flour, salt and baking powder in mixing bowl. Mix well. Make a well in the center, add eggs and 1/4 cup milk. Beat until stiff dough forms, adding a little more milk if needed until the right consistency (thick, firm, coming away easily from the side of the bowl). Knead on a floured board until smooth. Let rest for 30 minutes. Dampen a pastry board with water and then flour the board. Place dough on it. Flour a rolling pin lightly, and roll the dough out to a 1/8-inch thickness or thinner. Bring salted water (2 quarts) to boiling. With a sharp knife, cut off tiny slivers of dough, transfer to a plate as it is cut, and push dough directly into the boiling water. Do not crowd the kettle. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the dough is tender. Stir often. Remove from heat, rinse with warm water in a colander, and drain well. Add melted butter, salt to taste, and a small amount of dry bread crumbs. Serve hot. Yields 4 cups. Catharine Ache, Bethlehem KRAUT NOODLES 1 large onion, diced in medium pieces 1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil 2 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1/2 package of broad noodles, cooked 1/2 cup broth or water 1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped Salt and pepper to taste In a large saute pan, saute the diced onion and bacon in the oil until the onion is limp and bacon soft, about 5 minutes. In another pot, cook the noodles in salted water until al dente. Drain the noodles and set aside. When ready, add these noodles to the onion-bacon mixture and add 1/2 cup broth, salt and pepper. Cover the pan, lower the heat and let steam until the cabbage is as tender as you like. Serve as is with applesauce or with kielbasa or both. A little butter can be added to the noodles. Edith Dergosits, Whitehall Copyright (c) 2004, The Morning Call * Margaret Kaiser writes: Thanks Bob for these most interesting recipes. There are several interesting thoughts here. 1. The 2nd cabbage and noodles recipe suggests serving them with kielbasa or applesauce. We always ate them alone (as I remember). I would never have thought to combine them with kielbasa (Polish influence?) or applesauce. I wish I remembered more about these things, but sadly I don't. Many think they're better reheated. 2. I don't remember seeing my Mom make kraut noodles. I wouldn't be surprised if browned bread crumbs were also involved, but I could be thinking of something else with noodles. Are any of these two recipes close to what you do? Bob responds: Browned bread crumbs are used with Wutzinudln (finger-shaped dumplings made from potato dough) and plum dumplings. Maybe even over cooked regular noodles ( can also be topped with poppyseeds, cottage cheese.) (ED. And even ground walnuts and sugar as a dessert.) As for the cabbage & noodle recipes, I don't know anybody that uses bacon fat, although I have heard of that before. The old-timers traditionally used lard (some people still do). Some people add chopped onions. Some add sugar. Some add vinegar. Some make it with Sauerkraut instead of fresh cabbage. The kind of pasta used determines the name of the dish: Krautnudln - w/regular egg noodles. Krautfleckerln - w/square noodles ("patches"). Krautnockerln - w/small dumplings. The dumplings can also be made from a potato dough. The Eastern Slovaks and Carpatho-Rusyns make a variation using grated raw potatoes. 3. Margaret: When I was taking German class, Grüner Donnerstag was mentioned. I hadn't heard this expression before. I think we ate meatless, but I don't remember eating green, or hearing anything about eating green on Holy Thursday. We may have eaten something called Peltchen (don't know the spelling). These were made with cabbage or maybe potatoes. Bob: Years ago I read that the "Grün" in "Gründonnerstag" actually comes from the Old German word "greinen", which means "to mourn". Think of "Maundy Thursday". Somehow "grein" became "grün" and it became a tradition to eat a green vegetable on that day. 4. Margaret: I never knew about spaetzle until my grandmother, who lived in Tamm, visited us for a year (ca. 1964?). She went with my mother to Old Yorkville. Among the things they came home with was a spaetzle maker. You squeeze the dough through the maker into a boiling liquid. Even with the spaetzle maker we didn't have spaetzle very often as my Dad didn't care for them. Many menus in the Stuttgart area seemed to serve spaetzle, as I understand them to be a Black Forest specialty, so I wonder if they are often found in the Burgenland. Bob: Yes, they're made in Burgenland, but they're called "Nockerln" (from Italian "gnocchi"), although I have seen them referred to as "Spotzn" (sparrows). Have you gotten yourself a new Easter hat for the Easter Parade? Margaret: I prefer something to munch on. 3 A STERZ RESPONSE (from Bonnie Schantzenbach) Subj: Sterz - I was so excited. I grew up on Sterz which was a favorite breakfast food for my family. My grandmother made it especially when the family members would "come home to visit". I have always tried to find info on it. I actually thought our family was the only one who ate it. My father liked the whole wheat type which was like bread but my favorite was the potato which was baked in the oven. I loved when the ends would get hard and crunchy. We used bacon fat instead of lard. Haven't made it in a long time. You got my taste buds jumpin'. Must make soon! Thanks for all of your helpful information. I really look forward to it every month. Bob Strauch copied remarks: I never heard of a potato Sterz that is baked in the oven, only the varieties made on top of the stove. Is it made with mashed potatoes, or grated potatoes like Potato Kugel? BTW, I notice on the BB membership list that your grandfather was a Lackner from Kukmirn. We had a friend here in Allentown named Bob Wolf, whose mother was a Lackner from Kukmirn. His father was a Wolf from Deutsch Kaltenbrunn. Bob died in 1994 and was married to Julie Eichner, who came here from Rudersdorf after WWII. They lived on N. 23rd St. Any relation to you? Glad you enjoyed the food talk. There'll be more, I'm sure. 4. KLAUS GERGER (BB BURGENLAND ASSOCIATE EDITOR) VISITS ALLENTOWN (from Ed Tantsits) Ed writes: Klaus Gerger, after finishing work in Washington, DC came for a visit to the Lehigh Valley. I had given him an open invitation since we first met in Güssing when we visited my relatives there. He arrived and stayed at my home near Fogelsville, PA on Friday 3/26 and left on Monday 3/29 at noon. He had difficulty getting an earlier return flight and had to stay a bit longer than he anticipated. My wife Priscilla, brother Frank and myself really enjoyed having him visit. We did a lot of exchanging of family data and searching census info on the computer. Also talk a lot the Lehigh Valley and Burgenland. But also we moved around the valley quite a bit. Friday - went to Wert's Cafe for Supper. After that, drove down Hamilton St turned north on 4th St, past Sacred Heart Hospital and Church, Central Catholic High School, Young Men's Club, (Gordon and Jordan St area) then drove thru Coplay where my brother and I were born and lived, then went to the Edelweiss in Northampton to enjoy the button box jam session for a bit, then went home. Saturday after breakfast we toured a bit of western Lehigh county, where the old Fogelsville Cement plant and company homes used to be. A lot of Austrians lived and worked there also. Went to the St Peter's cemetery in Coplay as well as St John's in Stiles. Went to the museum of the first cement plant in Coplay, PA. and walked around the old kilns. When my brother and I were young we climbed and ran all around the area. This brought about many memories. Visited the old homestead in Coplay in the daylight. Showed him where the Saengerbund in Coplay was and the Liederkrans in Northampton. While so close to Tessie Teklits, we stopped for a short visit. After that we drove by all the cement mills, showed Klaus the Sister City monument. (Stegersbach/Northampton). We were unable to show Klaus the cement museum there because the curator had other plans and no arrangements could be made. From there we went to Bethlehem, PA showing Klaus the remains of a once thriving steel plant, Lehigh University, and the view from top of the mountain campus. Drove thru Bethlehem Broad street, Hanover Ave to Gorden/Jordan st area, western Hamilton St, Cedar Beach area. Went to Mass at St Joseph the Worker in Orefield(my church) and then supper at Tony's family restaurant in Coplay. Sunday we took a small tour of the covered bridges in the two counties, visited more cement mills. Saw an old jet plane being set up at the VFW in Cementon, PA and visited the old farmstead on our mother's side of the family in Kreidersville, then enjoyed the music at the Coplay Saengerbund. This was a more relaxing day. Monday 3/29 Visited the Appalachian Trail at rte 309 on the top of the hill. Then Klaus had to pack, have lunch and leave for the BWI airport around noon to take his flight back home. Allentown has become stagnant. I mentioned to Klaus how at Christmas time Hess's, Leh's, Zollinger's and all other stores all decorated at Christmas with all the people shopping. I have a lot of photo slides of the city and of Christmas City in Egypt. I had mentioned to Klaus also that he was now in the Holy Land. Here also, we have Bethlehem, Nazareth, Egypt Emmaus and Jordan River (creek). He indicated that he was honored to be here in this biblical area. We really enjoyed his visit. Klaus and his family are welcome to visit any time. 5. NEW HISTORY OF ESTERHAZY FAMILY (compliments of John Rajkovacz) John sent me a review concerning the book "Celestial Harmonies" by Peter Esterhazy, translated by Judith Sollosy. Ecco Publishers, 864 pages at $29.95. The reviewer comments that the book encompasses all of Hungary's history viewed against the background of Esterhazy family history. The translator states "to fully understand (this book) is the work of a lifetime." As reported in a previous newsletter there are other histories of this noble family; however, they are in Hungarian or German. This would be the first English language history to my knowledge. To fully understand our own Burgenland family histories, we must be familiar with those of the two main aristocratic families who shaped their destiny, Esterhazy in the north and the Batthyány in the south. Neither have had an English language family history to date. I'll be buying a copy for my library. Newsletter continues as no. 128C.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 128C DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) April 30, 2004 (c) 2004 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) ** THE BURGENLÄNDISCHE GEMEINSCHAFT INFORMS US ITS TIME TO PAY DUES AGAIN-IN AUSTRIA 13 EUROS-ELSEWHERE $15. A SMALL PRICE TO KEEP OUR GREAT SISTER ORGANIZATION ALIVE & WELL. PAY YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE OR SEND YOUR CHECK DIRECTLY TO THE BG IN GÜSSING (address at end of newsletter.)** *TOM GLATZ - NEW CHICAGO BG V/P & MEMBERSHIP CHAIR ASKS AREA BB MEMBERS TO RENEW BG DUES OR JOIN THE CHICAGO BG IF THEY AREN'T ALREADY MEMBERS. ** This fourth section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. BB Mentioned In "Rot Weiss Rot" Journal 2. Jurmeister Name Derivation 3. Comment Concerning Non-receipt Of Newsletter #126 4. More On Schmarn 5. NY Brotherhood Of The Burgenländer To Hold Annual Dance 6. Items From Chicago Enclave- Tom Glatz 7. Email From An Eisenstadt Schanta - Bob Strauch 1. BB MENTIONED IN "ROT WEISS ROT" JOURNAL (from Fritz Königshofer) (ED. Note: "Rot Weiss Rot" (Red White Red-the Austrian National Colors) is the monthly journal of Austrians living and/or working in foreign lands.) Fritz writes (copy to Burgenland Editor Albert Schuch): I just received the new issue of RotWeissRot, "das Magazin für Auslandsösterreicher." In the section called "Das 10. Bundesland" I was surprised to find an entry under Winchester. I'll send you a copy. The entry is about the Burgenland Bunch and yourself, and mentions the reaching of the 1000th member of the BB. Another article is on the fires in Southern California, written by a Franz Dorninger, who lost his house in the fires. I immediately thought of BB member Bob Unger who fortunately was spared. Yet another interesting article is about the town of Ferdinand in Indiana. According to the article, this little place was named after emperor Ferdinand, the uncle and predecessor of emperor Franz Joseph. The town was founded by Joseph Kundek (1810-75), an Austrian (Croat) priest who had received the support from the Leopoldinen-Stiftung (foundation) to purchase the land. The story reminds one of Alexander Berghold, a story we still must tell! 2. JURMEISTER NAME DERIVATION? Steve Geosits writes: I have been trying without success to determine the meaning of the surname "Jurmeister". Family legend has it that the name is derived from an Austro-Hungarian military title, but I cannot find any documentation to substantiate this. Reply: After searching my "namenbucher" and drawing a blank, I must revert to the simple approach and break the name down into its Germanic components. Never a reliable method, as name derivations have many twists and turns both linguistic and substantive. My own name "Berghold" means "mountain plot" - but in archaic Styrian (the name is found in Styria where my oldest family origin has been traced) it means vineyard worker (Bergholde) - see what I mean? "Meister of course means "master" - chief, leader, or one who has attained an upper rung of one's trade or profession. "Jura" refers to jurisprudence or the study of law so I would assume the name refers to a person involved with the law on a high level. This is not the word for lawyer (Anwalt) so it refers more to the teaching or study of law as opposed to the practice. I don't see any military connection but then the military always has an "inspectorate" branch and it could come from that. "Jura" comes from the Latin, so its Germanic equivalent could take many forms, like an early name for assessor (jurator). When the original German did not have an equivalent, foreign words were often substituted. "Jur" also means oath in Latin. Just on a hunch I checked my two volume Hungarian dictionary and found "Juratus" - law student in Hungary in the early 19th century. If a Juratus was a student it's not much of a linguistic jump - particularly in an area where they frequently mixed German-Hungarian and Latin - to "Jurmeister" - a graduate with a masters degree in law - interesting-hmmm? Der Jurmeister - Stephan has a nice ring! There is also a Jura mountain chain, but "a master of the mountains" doesn't seem viable. I have a feeling we're dealing with an archaic term at best - probably a very old one. Little help I'm afraid. Perhaps some of our members will comment. 3. COMMENT CONCERNING NON-RECEIPT OF NEWSLETTER #126 Mary Kamper Sheridan writes: I am sorry to hear that you had so much difficulty with the #126 issue of the BB Newsletter. I have added to my address book Burgenland-Newsletter-L@rootsweb.com in the hope that this will preclude any such problem as you had. I have been alerted to the AOL spam folder by your comments in the #127 newsletter. I have double checked the settings to be sure that even if the newsletter should be tagged as spam by AOL, it will be sent to that folder which I will check to make sure I don't lose any of the BB Newsletters. I did obtain the #126 Newsletter from the BB archives. I don't want to miss an issue. If by some chance I don't receive the newsletter, I will simply wait until the newsletter is posted to the archives and retrieve it from there. My hope in telling you this is to alleviate some of the aggravation and frustration you must have gone through. (Haven't we all had similar problems with one company or another? I know I can only speak for myself, but I truly enjoy the BB Newsletter and read each one carefully; your work and the work of all the editors is much appreciated in my house. 4. MORE ON SCHMARN Ginger Opitz McGurk writes: I have really enjoyed the newsletter and look forward to it each month. The debate over recipes tickles me. When you mentioned Schmarn, it reminded me of a recipe I received from my Great Aunt Johanna (nee Klein) for "Schmorn". Would the difference in spelling have to do with pronunciation? (ED. - yes a phonetic twist - same dish) Her recipe was from her mother, Magdalena Platzer Klein: Schmorn 4-5 eggs, 3/4 c. milk, 1 T. sugar, pinch of salt, flour as needed, and a little lard Beat the eggs, milk and sugar together very well. Add the pinch of salt and enough flour to make a heavy-like dough. (or like a pancake dough) Beat again. Using a fry pan, add enough lard as for scrambled eggs. When lard if hot, put batter into pan and keep turning and cutting up with a knife or spoon until dough is done. Serve with sugar ---or whatever is desired. The idea seems to be about the same. I haven't tried them, but intend to do so. I also have Magdalena's recipe for "Hungarian" Strudel. (It sounds like a lot of work!) Notice she referred to it as Hungarian, not Austrian. Even though German, or actually the dialect was her language, she thought of herself as Hungarian evidently. Just wanted to share another version of the recipe with you. Keep up the good work----don't even thing of leaving, please. 5. NY BROTHERHOOD OF THE BURGENLÄNDER TO HOLD ANNUAL DANCE (from Margaret Kaiser) Margaret sends the following: The (Bruederschaft der Burgenlaender) Brotherhood of the Burgenlaender, S & D Benevolent Society of New York, founded 1937, invites all members, friends and their families to celebrate with us at our Annual Anniversary Dance AND Miss Bruederschaft der Burgenlaender Contest on Sunday, May 23, 2004, at Castle Harbour Casino, 1118 Havenmeyer Avenue, Bronx, New York (718) 822-9459. The Castle Harbour family style dinner includes soup, sauerbraten, roast pork, chicken schnitzel, beer, wine, soda, coffee and cake. There will be a raffle stand and a children's ice cream parade. A special attraction will be schuhplattler dancing by the Schlierachtaler Stamm. Music will be provided by the Joseph Weber Band. Tickets are $40 per person. Children under 6 are free and children 6 to 12 are $10. Dinner starts at 2 pm and doors open at 1:30 PM. RSVP by May 16, 2004. For information and reservations call (718) 445-4388 or (718) 366-3259. Checks should be payable to The Brotherhood of the Burgenlaender. Mail checks to Rose Zach, 123-18 18th Avenue, College Point, NY 11356. Alois Zach, President, adds this message, "I thank you for your support in the past and I hope to see you all in May to celebrate this special event together and meet the New Miss Bruederschaft der Burgenlaender and Calendar Girl for 2005!" 6. ITEMS FROM CHICAGO ENCLAVE (from Tom Glatz) The unveiling of the new Chicago Spurensuche website will be on May 8th. The committee involved in making this happen is giving a private reception. I will be there & they have invited Karl Billisits, the new Chicago BG president, to attend. Karl is very excited to be a part of this. I am hoping this will be the catalyst to make him go online as well. The Chicago BG has a lot of work cut out for ourselves if we want to get back into the mainstream of the German/Austrian club scene. I am sure you will hear from the Spurensuche committee about setting up links with our BB. The site should have links to every club which has a website. I would like you to mention BG dues again. There are 3 BB members that have not paid BG dues. I will send reminders to all of the people on my list. The Czechoslovak-American Musicians Club will hold a spring concert and dance on Sunday afternoon, May 23, 2004, at the Sokol Berwyn-Slavsky, 6445 W. 27th Place, Berwyn, IL 60402. Tickets are $8.00 in advance or $10.00 at the door. Advance ticket sales: Hans Schaden, 4730 N. Kedvale Ave., Chicago, IL 60630, 773-736-0594. Mr. Schaden is of Burgenland ancestry. The original founders of the organization were mostly Czech and Slovak. But over the years others have joined. This group is a very professional group. The Chicago Burgenländische Gemeinschaft often supported them and they in turn supported us by coming to our events and dances. Next Saturday is the Chicago DANK (Deutsch Amerikan National Kongress) Süd Mai Tanz. It will be held at the German American Heritage Center, 25249 S. Center Rd. Frankfort, Illinois. Doors open at 6 PM. Entry fee is $8.00. Children under 16 free. The group D'Lustigen Holzhacker Buam Schuhplattler Verein will be the entertainment. Also the group Paloma will provide the dancing entertainment. The food is always good with Kasseler Rippchen or Bratwurst. Partly because there are so many members in the BG that are members of the DANK, the Chicago BG usually supports the DANK Süd or south. The DANK west will hold a Maydance Saturday, May 8th, at the Ramada Inn, 303 S. Frontage Rd., Burr Ridge, IL. Tickets are $10.00 in advance, $12.00 at the door. Call Annalies 708-562-7038. The DANK Nord and DANK Schule invites everyone to the Maitanz, on Saturday, May 15th, 2004. The doors open at 6PM. The DANK Haus is at 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL. Telephone: 773-727-5748. This one is a real bargain for the entrance fee of $5.00!!!! Parking can be a real problem in this area because this is the center of German activity in Chicago. The Brauhaus restaurant is on the next street. Music will be provided again by the Paloma! The food is excellent at this event. Lastly, the Schubert-Lyra Choir of Chicago invites all to a dance the above address in the DANK Haus, on May 8th. Admission is $15.00. John Koscak may be reached for tickets at 847-299-8979. 7. EMAIL FROM EISENSTADT SCHANTAS (from Bob Strauch) This email (translated by Bob Strauch) was recently received: Dear Mr. Berghold! By chance I happened upon your newsletter on the Internet and noticed the following item: "ETHNIC NEWS FROM ALLENTOWN (from Bob Strauch) The 22nd Annual Austrian Flag Raising will take place Sunday, October 22, 2000 at the Austrian-Hungarian Veterans Society, 852 N. 4th Street, Allentown, PA. 12:30 PM Ceremony 1-2 PM Reception-goulash & pastry 2-6 PM Dance w/Schanta Band The public is invited. Sponsored by the A/H Vet. Soc. and the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft." *As we are a music group from Burgenland ("Die Schanta Buam"/"The Schanta Boys") and also bear the rather rare name of Schanta, we would like to send the "Schanta Band" in Pennsylvania greetings from Burgenland. More information about our group can be found at www.schanta-buam.at Sincerely, Norbert SCHANTA, Treasury Dept. Bank Burgenland, Eisenstadt Bob then writes: I've conveyed the greetings from the Eisenstadt Schantas to the Lehigh Valley Schantas and provided the Eisenstädters with some background info on "our" Schantas. Norbert Schanta has even kindly offered to send us a copy of their CD. "Our" Lehigh Valley Schantas originally come from the villages of Jakabháza/Jakobshof and Rábafüzes/Raabfidisch, which lie just across the southern Burgenland border in Hungary near Szentgotthárd. After emigrating to the US and settling in Coplay in 1957, they continued their family music tradition under several names: "The Burgenländer Band", "Die Schanta Buam", "Die Familie Schanta", "The Schanta Band", and presently as "The Emil Schanta Band" since under the direction of son Emil Schanta Jr. Maybe we can get both groups together sometime for a jam session. END OF NEWSLETTER BURGENLAND BUNCH STAFF (USA residents unless designated otherwise) Coordinator & Editor Newsletter, (Gerald Berghold) Burgenland Editor, (Albert Schuch; Austria) Home Page Editor, (Hap Anderson) Internet/URL Editor, (Anna Tanczos Kresh) 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) Home Page membership list, (Hannes Graf, Austria) Judaic Burgenland, (Maureen Tighe-Brown) Lehigh Valley Burgenland Enclave, (Robert Strauch) Szt. Gotthard & Jennersdorf Districts, (Margaret Kaiser) Western US BB Members-Research, (Bob Unger) WorldGenWeb-Austria, RootsWeb Liason-Burgenland, (Charles Wardell, Austria) BB ARCHIVES (can be reached via Home Page hyperlinks) BURGENLAND HOME PAGE (WEB SITE) http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org http://go.to/burgenland-bunch (also provides access to Burgenländische Gemeinschaft web site.) The BB is in contact with the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft, Hauptplatz 7, A-7540 Güssing, Burgenland, Austria. Burgenl.gem@bnet.at 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.