THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 156
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(Our 11th Year - Issued monthly as email by G. J. Berghold)
October 31, 2006
(c) 2006 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved
~VISIT THE BG INTERNET SHOP TO ORDER A FREE ENGLISH LANGUAGE 50 YEARS BG FESTSCHRIFT.~
~SEE THE BURGENLAND TOUR OFFER AT ARTICLE THREE-SECTION 1 OF NEWSLETTER NO. 155~
Current Status Of The BB: * Members-1352 * Surname Entries-4806 * Query Board
Entries-3623 * Newsletter Subscribers-990 * Newsletters Archived-156 * Number of Staff
Members-13
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This first section of our 2-section newsletter concerns:
1. Chicago BG Celebrates 50th Anniversary
2. More On Burgenland Illegitimacy
3. Sample Personal Twelve Day Burgenland Tour Guide
4. Some Thoughts Concerning Burgenland DNA
5. Recent Burgenland Family Obituary
6. A Quick Trip To Burgenland Village Of Origin - Moschendorf
1. CHICAGO BG CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY
(ED. Note: The Chicago BG group was formed almost as soon as the parent
Burgenland group was formed. Tom Glatz sent me the following article. I keep
thinking of that 50th BG anniversary bash in Moschendorf and the great job Tom did
for us. Dr. Walter Dujmovits was pleased as punch. He wanted to reach the
younger generation by printing the program in English as well as German. If you
haven't sent for your free copy (pay postage) see the introduction to this
newsletter. The program also pictures the plaque presented by the BB.)
Tom writes: "On Sunday, August 20th, 2006, the local Chicago Burgenländische
Gemeinschaft active members held their own 50th anniversary at the Epicurean
Hungarian Restaurant in Hillside, Illinois. The food was great and all had a
good time! BG President Karl Billisits presented long-time Chicago BG member
Hermine Volkovits a plaque. She was honored along with her deceased husband for
founding the Chicago branch of the organization in 1956. At that time the BG
official in Burgenland, Toni Lantos, approached the Volkovits, couple who
immigrated from Jabing, Austria, to help organize the Burgenländer in Chicago
charter air flights for visits back home."
2. MORE ON BURGENLAND ILLIGITIMACY
BB member Arlene Huss writes: Thanks again for your Newsletter. Each one
adds to my knowledge of the Burgenland, which was zilch when I joined your
group. Your item on illegitimacy was especially interesting because one of my
immigrants, born in 1866, was illegitimate. Knowing that programs such as the
"birth houses" of Emperor Joseph II can linger long after the founder is gone,
are you aware of how long his "birth houses" program lasted?
Reply: I'm sure it evolved into the hospital care and homes we find today.
Given the vast number of foster children found in southern Burgenland through
the early part of the last century, I'd say they lasted at least that long. I
have one or more foster children in my tree and you may have some as well as
often the foster children from these houses were adopted. However, I've been told
that many were ill-treated and died young. Life is precious and nature is
unforgiving, but I'll bet many of these so-called "orphans" or their possible
descendants, became the movers and shakers of today. It would be interesting if
we had the facts.
3. SAMPLE PERSONAL TWELVE-DAY BURGENLAND TOUR GUIDE
I'm often asked to suggest a tour guide for someone wishing to visit Burgenland
for the first time. We've put the following together which should be easy
to follow. (This also provides time for a visit to a family village of origin
in either the north or the south.)
Day 1 Depart USA
Depart your home city for Washington, D.C. Transfer to Dulles for the
transatlantic flight to Vienna (Consider Austrian Airlines direct flight to
Vienna-Schwechat).
Day 2 Vienna/Eisenstadt
Arrive Vienna. Pick up reserved rental car. Drive to Eisenstadt, the
"capital" of the Burgenland (25 mi southeast of Vienna). Settle into reserved
accommodations at attractive world class Hotel Burgenland (3 or 4 nights). Relax and
freshen up. Acquaint yourself with the nearby traffic-free pedestrian mall.
Have dinner at the hotel or in any of the nearby restaurants. Hotel Burgenland
Day 3 Eisenstadt
After breakfast take a walking tour of Eisenstadt, featuring stops at Esterhazy
Palace and Landesmuseum. If schedule permits, attend a 50-minute concert at
Esterhazy Palace featuring local musicians. Visit Berg Kirche (church with
Haydn's tomb and medieval stations of the cross), followed by the Haydn Museum.
View the Burgenland parliament buildings. The balance of the day is for
shopping and a glass of wine or coffee at a Kondittorei. If tour is in September,
attend an evening Haydn concert at the International Haydn Festival held
annually in September at Schloss Esterhazy. Hotel Burgenland
Day 4 Rust/Seewinkel Region
Drive east to the Seewinkel (Neusiedler See). Stop first in the village of
St. Margarethen to view the Roman Quarry and museum. Due east of St. Margarethen
is the lakeside free city of Rust which offers a view of the Neusiedler See.
After lunch (very nice restaurant at eastern gate), board the ferry in Rust
and cross the Neusiedler See. The village of Illmitz is located one mile inland
and you may wish to walk the short distance to explore. Board the return ferry
two hours later for late afternoon arrival back in Rust. Dinner at a local
restaurant. Return to Eisenstadt for overnight. Hotel Burgenland
Day 5 Eisenstadt/Northern Burgenland exploration
Free day to drive to and explore villages or sites pertaining to your
personal heritage in the north of Burgenland. If your villages are in the south,
leave Eisenstadt after breakfast and drive to Güssing/Heiligenbrunn (this will
give you a free day in the south). Hotel Burgenland or Hotel Krutzler in
Heiligenbrunn
Day 6 Bernstein/Gerersdorf/Moschendorf/Heiligenbrunn
Morning drive to Heiligenbrunn (approx 80 mi) for a 4-night stay. En route,
visit Bernstein Castle, a jewel of the Burgenland. The castle, built in the
12th century, was of great strategic importance in the border skirmishes between
Austria and Hungary. It became a hotel in 1953 and its legacy is intertwined
with Laszlo Almasy, the real "English Patient." Its hilltop location gives it a
birds-eye view of the peaceful Tauchen Valley, just west of the village of
Bernstein. (Note you can stay here if you wish and shorten your Hotel Burgenland
or Hotel Krutzler stays). Visit Edelserpentine (Jade) Museum and mine if time
permits. Visit their gift shop for excellent authentic jade gifts. Continue
on to Heiligenbrunn to the Hotel Krutzler and register if you haven't already
done so. This is a thoroughly modern hotel that has retained its Burgenland
Gasthaus ambiance. Have your meals in this excellent hotel. By all means try
their Burgenland specialties. Castle Güssing rears against the sky to the
southwest and becomes a visible landmark as you near Heiligenbrunn (east of Güssing).
Later visit Moschendorf, just a few miles away, which is the site of the annual
Burgenlandishce Gemeinschaft (BG) picnic. A museum and wine tasting is
available if time permits. Hotel Krutzler
Day 7 Heiligenbrunn/Güssing
After included Hotel Krutzler buffet breakfast (cooked breakfasts available)
drive the few kms to Güssing and visit Güssing castle and Auswanderer Museum
(Burgenland Immigrant Museum). Lunch at Gasthaus Tomanek, in nearby
Steingraben. Then drive to the Freilichtmuseum (outdoor museum) in Gerersdorf (a short
distance), which features old buildings from the surrounding area that have
been moved to this location to serve as examples of Burgenland lifestyle in years
past. Looking at the barns, period houses with thatched roofs, wine cellars,
winepress house and workshops; you can easily envision how our Burgenland
ancestors once lived. Drive back to Güssing. The "BG", headquartered at Hauptplatz
7 in Gussing, was established in 1956 with the objective of building a global
community of Burgenländers and foster their attachment to the homeland. Visit
their office on the main street and introduce yourself - mention the BB and ask
about available books. Visit church of Szt. Nikolas (12th century), Güssing
cemetery and Franciscan Cloister. If time permits, visit site of battle of Szt.
Gotthard at nearby Mogersdorf. Here, on August 1, 1664, a Christian army
under Count Montecuccoli gained victory over the Turks. 12,000 Turks were killed,
while the Christians suffered 2,000 casualties. Drive back to Heiligenbrunn
with the remainder of the day free to explore your new surroundings (wine
cellars) or take a swim in the refreshing hotel pools. Have dinner in the hotel - for
dessert have jelly pancakes or plum dumplings. Hotel Krutzler
Day 8 Gussing/Southern Burgenland Exploration
Free day to visit family villages in districts of Oberwart, Gussing or
Jennersdorf. Hotel Krutzler
Day 9 Koszeg, Hungary
Cross border (at Heiligenkreuz) into Hungary today and tour the medieval
Hungarian city of Koszeg and/or see something of the Austrian/Hungarian border
villages. Enjoy an authentic goulasch lunch at any restaurant with excellent
Hungarian wine. On the return trip to Austria, visit the cathedral church at Jak,
Hungary and the Church of Szt Emerich at Felso Ronok (a border crossing
footpath leads to the village of Inzenhof). Return to Heiligenbrunn. If you prefer,
skip this visit and continue your ancestral village visits (particularly if
you meet up with distant cousins.) Hotel Krutzler
Day 10 Vienna
Leave Heiligenbrunn early, drive to Vienna (lunch at Mattersburg (consider a
stop at Castle Forchtenstein) and register at a reserved Viennese hotel. (see
Internet sites for choices), located in the heart of the city. Vienna is
considered by many to be the heart of Europe. The seat of the Habsburg Empire for
five centuries, Vienna's architecture reflects the wealth of its heritage. The
city center is circled by the Ringstrasse, which follows the path of the old
city walls. Your tour must include St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Opera House,
Hofburg Palace (Habsburg winter palace), and the striking Belvedere. Your hotel
concierge can arrange an English Language bus tour. Likewise consider an
evening tour to drink new wine and eat apple strudel in Grinzing, maybe Sacher
Torte or lunch at Hotel Sacher (expensive but worth it.)
Day 11 Vienna
Free day in Vienna. Return to St. Stephen's, shop the Graben, look for
antiques (the Dorotheum), visit the Spanish Riding School or Kunsthistorisches
Museum, or go to the Prater. Many other museums. Buy Burgenland books. Note: get a
city guide before you leave and plan your days hour by hour - there's a lot to
see and do. You can also skip Vienna (what a shame) and use the time gained to
extend your village visits.)
Day 12 Return to USA
Drive to the Vienna airport, turn in your rental car and board your homebound
flight. Buy last minute gifts at the airport duty free shops - how about Mozart
Kügeln for everyone back home or some fine porcelain.
4. SOME THOUGHTS CONCERNING BURGENLAND DNA
Both Oxford University and the National Geographic Society promote DNA
searches. Kits are provided, DNA analyzed and results furnished. I've used the
Oxford analysis with good results. Other BB members have done likewise and some
have used the National Geographic program. My results were as expected (I have
heavy Teutonic background with some Croatian and Hungarian admixture), but
surprisingly the origin of my DNA was west of the Alps in the region that is today
France, signifying perhaps a Frankish beginning. Others have reported Croatian
and Magyar origins (see newsletter 155).
BB member Giles E Gerken writes: I'm writing in response to item in latest
newsletter by Bruce Klemens re. DNA testing & Geographic Group. We had DNA
test via Family Tree (sample submitted by maternal cousin Leland Regal) & also
forwarded it from there to the Geographic. (National Geo. & IBM.) Our Haplogroup
was E3B (genetic marker M-35)- over 80 matches on 12 marker, about 6 near
matches on 25 marker, nearest being families named Civitello from Italy, Plante
from France, Lancaster of England & Douglas of Scotland. Received good data,
including map showing probable migration from Africa and description of
genetic mutation. We could never find records beyond g-grandfather (born 1781). The
DNA tends to give credence to statements of Grandfather as to ancestry. Also
found unknown information on Grandmother by checking Census records of 1880
(they came to US in 1875 settling in a small village in Iowa. I found they were
neighbors to another family from Hungary that I assumed were their contacts.
Tracing that family back thru Rajka, Hungary, where they worked for the Counts
Zichy of Rajka and Vienna, I was able to verify all the family rumors,
including name of person regularly sending them funds in the US. Clincher was an
online photo of person that everyone in family thought was my late Uncle Tony
(Anthony L Regal). Resemblance was unmistakable. Perhaps B. Klemens & others
would be interested in the method we used.
BB Reply: DNA is interesting but we must remember that it is an indication of
very old origins - it takes many generations for the DNA to change (mutate). My
g-grandmother was Hungarian (Magyar) and a g-g-grandmother was Croatian.
Neither as yet has shown in my mainstream DNA (Germanic-west of the alps) as yet
and may never do so. Nonetheless, we know we are not Asian! There is a lot of
interest in DNA among the BB members. I'll try to publish what I receive.
5. RECENT BURGENLAND FAMILY OBITUARY (courtesy Bob Strauch)
Pauline Groller, 97, of Coplay, PA died Oct. 7 in Liberty Nursing and
Rehabilitation Center, Allentown. She was married to the late Joseph Groller.
Born in Stegersbach, Austria, she was the daughter of the late Frank and
Mary (Pendl) Switkovitz.
6. A QUICK TRIP TO BURGENLAND VILLAGE OF ORIGIN - MOSCHENDORF
Message from Eric Kasper: I will be spending 3 days in Vienna, Austria
starting October 27th, as part of a vacation tour. I would love to visit
the place my ancestors came from, but I don't have any contacts there except
for the name and address of a Frederich Gaspar, Moschendorf. Surprisingly, the
house is not far from the Gaspar houses in the 1858 BB lists. Are there any
directories where I can find my relatives? Do people typically have phones and
email in the village of Moschendorf?
Reply: Moschendorf is about 2 1/2 hours south of Vienna. Rent a car or get a
chauffer driven auto. Easy trip. Three Gaspar families live there at nrs. 65,
23 and Ratzberg NB, they have phones. You also want to visit Güssing - the
castle and Auswanderer (Emigrant) museum. Have lunch at Hotel Krutzler in
Heiligenbrunn nearby. Moschendorf is a wine museum village. Most everyone has a
phone - few have computers. Few speak English.
Newsletter continues as number 156A
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 156A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(Our 11th Year - Issued monthly as email by G. J. Berghold)
October 31, 2006
(c) 2006 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved)
~A SZENTPETERFA, VAS, HUNGARY ISSUE~
This second section of our 2-section newsletter concerns:
1. New Genealogical Website For Szentpeterfa, Vas, Hungary
2. House (Clan) Names Of Szentpeterfa - Book In Progress
3. What To Do With Those Original & Subsequent Burgenland Records
4. BB Staff Changes
5. Views Of The Burgenland - Burgenland Impressions: Hagensdorf & Luising Cemetery
6. Taste Of The Burgenland: Commercial Nut & Poppy Seed Strudel
1. NEW GENEALOGICAL WEBSITE FOR SZENTPETERFA, VAS, HUNGARY
(by John Lavendoski and Steve Geosits)
A new website called the Szentpéterfa Genealogical Pages has recently been
launched by Burgenland Bunch members John Lavendoski and Steve Geosits, and can
be found by pointing your web browser to www.szentpeterfa.com.
We hope that the website will be of interest to those whose Burgenland
research and genealogy is rooted in or crosses over into the Hungarian border
village of Szentpéterfa. Some genealogical information relating to the surrounding
Austrian villages of Eberau, Edlitz, Harmisch, Kroatisch Ehrensdorf, Kulm, St.
Kathrein, and Winten will also be found at this site.
The primary website purpose is to centrally locate genealogical source
material from a variety of historical and personal references, and to share the
fruits of our labors with those who are doing their own independent research. We
hope that more photos, family histories and research data will be contributed
by others, making the website a lasting tribute to all of our ancestors.
We are continually adding content to the site and plan to add more, including
the following:
1) Traditional genealogical information derived from birth, marriage and
death records.
2) Family tress and charts for village ancestors and descendants.
3) Photos related to the village and people of Szentpéterfa, from the dawn
of photography up to WWII, with an emphasis on those villagers who
immigrated to America.
4) User submitted anecdotes and personal historical accounts about their ancestors.
5) Information obtained from the Ellis Island records concerning
Szentpéterfa emigrants.
6) Burial and cemetery information for Szentpéterfa emigrants and their descendants.
7) Szentpéterfa house (clan) names used locally to identify villagers and
their families.
8) Information derived from Szentpéterfa and United States census data.
9) Links and data from DNA studies which are underway concerning the genetic
history of Szentpéterfa villagers.
The initial core of information at the site is a combination of personal
research and photos collected over the past ten years by John Lavendoski and Steve
Geosits, including information about our own (primarily Croatian) ancestors,
associated families, and other collateral families within the village.
Typical surnames of interest include such families as (but are not limited
to): Anhalt, Barilovits, Borhi, Filipovits, Geosits, Gerencser, Grabarits,
Hajszan, Haklits, Harangozo, Henits, Horvath, Janny, Jurasits, Kantz, Kurtz,
Milisits, Nemeth, Paukovits, Resetar, Saisits, Sakovits, Schaffer, Skrapits,
Stangl, Stubits, Szoldatits, Takacs, Teklits, Temmel, Timar, Varga, Veszelovits,
Wagner, and Zimits.
The website will rely heavily on user submitted information, and visitors
will be encouraged to contribute their own family history to what is envisioned
as a perpetual "work in progress" detailing the genealogical history of the
villagers of Szentpéterfa.
The website is password protected to preserve the privacy of all individuals.
Those seeking access to the site will need to submit a request to the
moderators for permission to enter. As an added privacy measure, access to
information concerning any living individuals will be blocked, even if a password is
assigned. Should a living person give their permission, however, such
information will be available, but only to those users who are members of their
immediate family.
Enjoy the new site. Comments and suggestions are always encouraged and will
help us improve the site.
2. HOUSE (CLAN) NAMES IN THE VILLAGE OF SZENTPETERFA, VAS, HUNGARY
- BOOK IN PROGRESS (by Steve Geosits)
Before the advent of any type of house numbering system in Szentpéterfa,
villagers would commonly use house names to identify houses and the families that
were associated with them. This was not unique to Szentpetefa, and was quite
common throughout Hungary, Austria, and most of Europe.
House names have always intrigued me, and I always remembered how my family
used these colorful house names whenever they referred to other people in the
village. My father's name, Janos Geosits, sounds like quite a unique name in
America. But in Szentpéterfa there may have been several people in the village
with that exact same name. House names became a convenient way of identifying
villagers and their families. So, my father was often referred to as Janos
Hanzijov because he was from the Hanzijovi house and this was different from
say Janos Sincsev from the Sincsevi house in another part of the village.
With the passing of time I became quite curious as to the derivation and
meaning of these names. Fortunately, I have relatives who were able to list these
house names for me on hand-drawn maps of the village. This information,
combined with my own genealogical research, enabled me to shed light on many of
these names. At times I have even been able to identify the probable house
progenitors from whom these house names were derived.
I am currently in the process of writing a book called "House (Clan) Names in
the Village of Szentpéterfa, Vas, Hungary". The text will provide a list and
description of over 250 house locations, the house names that were applied to
them, and the genealogies of families associated with them. In addition, it
will contain house number and census correlations, cross-reference maps and
more, all spanning a period of over 300 years. In order to support this effort, I
have spent hundreds of hours at my local Later Day Saints Family History
Center, and have transcribed all of the birth and marriage records from microfilm
between the years 1793 and 1895, as well as land and property census data from
the 19th century. I hope to have this house name book completed within the
next couple of years.
In the meantime, for those who cannot wait, I would like to extend my offer
to provide information on house names to anyone who can trace their ancestry to
Szentpéterfa, Vas, Hungary. Also, if anyone has information concerning house
names that they believe would be of interest, or even photos of old houses
that they can share, please contact me.
3. WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE ORIGINAL (AND SUBSEQUENT) BURGENLAND RECORDS?
(suggested by email from Fritz Königshofer)
----- Original Message -----
From: H. Koehler; To: Fritz Königshofer;
Subject: BB Surnames Pages, Burgenland Bunch, Koller, Köhler, Benedek
H. Koehler writes: I need some advice. My mother recently died and my
siblings and I must decide how best to divide the family papers that pertain to my
father's ancestors that she held in trust for us. We can't agree how this should
be done - one would simply like a few pieces (ornamental ones) as a family
history keepsake, another wants a fair divide, and I would like to see a fair and
historically-practical divide. The papers can roughly be grouped as follows:
Birth records tracing our family name to the 1700's.
Civic/church records from Komit Casstrifeiri (Vas Megye)
Misc. papers concerning land holdings, legal matters, personal correspondence
Trade certificates. These papers may be of historical interest to the people
of Oberwart and possibly Szombathely as well. I am currently scanning the
entire lot of them for personal archival purposes. They appear to have been the
collections of several of my father's ancestor's that were given to him 20 years
ago. Many of them are written in Hungarian, still others in German and a few
in Latin or Croatian.
Fritz responds: Wouldn't it be best to divide the originals equally, but
make good copies so that all heirs who want the complete set, will have a
complete set? You are apparently scanning the holdings anyway.
ED. Note: Ignoring the desire of descendants for original "frameable" or
"display" copies, Fritz offers the best advice, as originals have a way of
disappearing or succumbing to the vagaries of age. Written on acid paper, most
require archival treatment, often ignored. When we consider the work we've done
to trace family for many generations, it is well that we address how to preserve
the results of our work as well as the documents from which we took data. This
work far exceeds the value of the original documents. In my case I tried to
cover all bases. I copied all documents (including LDS microfilm) with appended
translations and included them in published family histories that received wide
family and archival distribution. I sent Gedcom files to the LDS as well as to
interested relatives. In some cases I distributed Ahentafel (Ancestor Table)
lists. I placed family histories in the public libraries of both my own and
family cities of residence and in appropriate historical societies. I also
started the Burgenland Bunch, wherein much of my own family history is preserved.
Family information was also published in Heritage Quest and Burgenländische
Gemeinschaft publications. I still have some original documents (sans archive
treatment) but at this juncture, while I hope some descendant will preserve the
originals, I doubt if the data itself will ever be lost. Finally, do not ignore
the archival value of sending data to the many Internet family history sites.
In the Burgenland sense, we have the BB, the BG, Burgenländers Honored and
Remembered and sites for individual villages (see Szentpeterfa articles one and
two of this newsletter) and surname sites as found in the BB URL Lists.
4. BB STAFF CHANGES
After many years of faithful service Hap Anderson, Dale Knebel and Bill Rudy
no longer serve on the staff of the Burgenland Bunch. They have our thanks
for past efforts and our best wishes for the future. Hap Anderson's position as
Home Page Editor will be filled by Hannes Graf and Tom Steichen. Tom Steichen
will now maintain Bill Rudy's Village List. Dale Knebel's position as Lake
Corner Editor will not be filled at this time. Tom Steichen has also agreed to
serve as the BB's Asst. Newsletter Distribution List Administrator. In this
capacity he will substitute for your editor when necessary. See the Home Page
Invitation Letter for the new staff list.
5. VIEWS OF THE BURGENLAND - BURGENLAND IMPRESSIONS: HAGENSDORF & LUISING CEMETERY
(by Hannes Graf)
(ED. Note: this is the second article in a planned series. Look for future
ones under the titles shown above. Our English translations do not do justice to
the artistic German prose as written by Hannes and we apologize for anything
taken out of context.)
Getrennte ewige Ruhe (Eternally Separated By Peace) "Im Tod sind alle gleich"
(In death is everyone the same): This old bit of wisdom applies to the
Southern Burgenland municipalities of Hagensdorf and Luising, since they share a
cemetery based on where the deceased formerly lived. Hagensdorfers to the left,
Luisingers to the right. The municipal borders of Hagensdorf and Luising meet
exactly in the center of the cemetery. On the left, the Hagensdorfers are
buried, on the right, the Luisingers. It is a cemetery that might have been created
by Solomon. The hill on which the cemetery is located does not favor either
municipality. Neither village can be seen from the cemetery hill. Hagensdorf is
one and a half kilometers away, as is Luising.
Alles mal zwei (Everything Duplicated): Everything is identical but fairly
apportioned in the divided cemetery. There is always two of everything: a tree
for the Hagensdorfers and one for the Luisingers; a water tap for Luising, one
for Hagensdorf; likewise with cemetery plots and watering cans. The only
exception to duplication is the cemetery cross, but there were two crosses in
former times, until the bishop from Steinamanger decreed that there should be only
one: ONE cemetery, ONE cross!
Vom Sterben und Leben am Hügel (From Death To Life On The Hill): The cemetery
hill was raised artificially and has a history closely connected closely with
life and death in the region.
Vom Grab zur Burg (From The Grave To The Castle): Archaeologist Karl Kaus
believes that the cemetery hill was originally a site of prehistoric graves on
which a castle with chapel and moat was built during the Middle Ages.
...und von der Burg zum Grab (And From The Castle To The Grave): The castle
and chapel eventually became a parish church located next to the cemetery but
it was abandoned later, as the distance to the villages required too much of a
journey. The cemetery, however, remained.
Unusual Detail: While children's graves are usually hidden or found near the
cemetery wall in other cemeteries, in Hagensdorf-Luising they lay at the most
prominent place, beside the cemetery cross.
Zauberzeichen gegen böse Geister (Charms Ward Off Bad Spirits): In addition,
the grave markers have charm characters intended to protect the dead against
evil spirits and witches.
This is truly a remarkable and interesting Burgenland cemetery.
6. TASTE OF THE BURGENLAND: COMMERCIAL NUT & POPPYSEED STRUDEL
Previous newsletters provide recipes for these delicious Burgenland specialties,
but baking them is labor intensive. Ethnic bakeries in some of the US
Burgenland enclaves can provide them if you live nearby, but few other places
bake them. I recently found a holiday mail order source in The Vermont Country
Store, Weston, Vermont. They are baked fresh and shipped with 2 to 3 week
delivery if you want some for the holidays. Go to www.vermont country store.com
and search for item no. 47107, nut rolls. Also see no. 47592, Apple Walnut Potica
(a phyllo dough nut roll). This mail order house has my unqualified recommendation.
END OF NEWSLETTER
The Burgenland Bunch homepage (website) can be found at:
http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/
We can also be reached from: http://go.to/burgenland-bunch (this address
also provides access to Burgenländische Gemeinschaft web site)
Use our website to access our membership, village and surname lists,
archives, internet links, maps, instructions, ethnic song book, frequently asked
questions and other information.
Burgenland Bunch Newsletter (c) 1997 archived courtesy of RootsWeb.com, Inc.
P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798. Newsletter published monthly by
G. J. Berghold, Winchester, VA. Newsletter and List Rights Reserved.
Permission to Copy Granted; You Must Provide Credit and Mention Source.