BB News No. 154, 31 Aug 2006

Burgenland Bunch Logo Newsletter
Dedicated to Austrian-Hungarian Burgenland Family History

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 154
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(Our 11th Year - Issued monthly as email by G. J. Berghold
August 31, 2006
(c) 2006 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved

~VISIT THE NEW BG INTERNET SHOP AT http://www.burgenlaender.com/BG/en/BGmailOrder.html
YOU CAN ORDER A FREE (pay for shipping) ENGLISH LANGUAGE 50 YEARS BG FESTSCHRIFT OR ORDER A BG PIN. YOU CAN ALSO SECURE A BG MEMBERSHIP AT THE SAME PLACE.~

~BE SURE TO READ RUDI WOLF'S EDLITZ ARTICLE APPEARING IN BB NEWS 154A!~

Current Status Of The BB:
Members: 1325; Surname Entries: 4546; Query Board Entries: 3577; Newsletter Subscribers: 1059; Newsletters Archived: 154; Staff Members: 16

EMAIL RECIPIENTS PLEASE READ: You are receiving this email newsletter because you are a BB member or have asked to be added to our distribution list. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send email to G. J. Berghold with message "subscribe" or "remove". ("Cancel" will cancel membership, website listings and newsletter.) You cannot send email to this newsletter. If you have problems receiving the newsletter as email, it may be read, downloaded, printed or copied from the BB Homepage. There is also an archive of previous newsletters.

This first section of our 2-section newsletter concerns:

1. Village of Edlitz Featured
2. Austrian/Hungarian Confusion
3. BB Members Albert Schuch and Elizaberth Zarka Married
4. Passage Of A Burgenland Hostess - Tessie Unger Dies
5. Photo Marathon - BG 50th Anniversary
6. Szt. Peterfa Book
7. Village Scenes - A New Idea From Hannes Graf

1. VILLAGE OF EDLITZ FEATURED

When we first set up our Homepage some ten years ago, we decided to build three lists, membership, village and surname. I believe it was Hap Anderson who thought we could provide an easy way for members to gather data if we provided three ways to approach data. Since that time a number of members have added to village information. Albert Schuch started by providing Albert's List, I added thumbnail sketches, Albert followed with translations of earlier village histories, Bill Rudy linked village pages to thumbnail histories and then Klaus Gerger provided (still under way) links to maps and village householder lists. As new members arrived, I tried to give them their village data from what was then available. This became a burden and since then I've urged new members to use our lists and archives. A number of members have also specialized on their immigrant villages. Fritz Königshofer and I published a Poppendorf article, John Lavendoski and Frank Teklits did Szt. Peterfa and St. Kathrein, various people added to Güssing and district. Northern Burgenland villages and border villages have been featured many times. Now along comes member Rudy Wolf who decided to find all he could about one of the smallest villages of all - Edlitz.

In a message dated 7/31/06, rudy.wolf(a)roche.com writes: Greetings from New Jersey! I hope this message finds you in good health. I am writing to you in hopes that you can steer me in the right direction. I am still working on my project "Ortssippenbuch Edlitz" and would like to include all the immigrants that originated from Edlitz. So far I was able to find a total of 172 people. This is a lot for a village with an average population of about 150 during the 1901–1970 timeframe. So far my informational sources have been: Deutsch-Ungarischer Familienkalender, Ellis Island, some from Burgenländische Gemeinschaft and families back in Edlitz. Perhaps you can suggest other sources for me to approach. I am also looking for pre-1950 photographs from Edlitz. People in Edlitz seem to have only family snapshots. There are no shots of the village itself. It was too costly to take pictures of the town or surroundings. The only individuals that would take pictures of the scenery etc. were visitors from America. Would it be possible to place a short paragraph into the next newsletter? I would gladly email you the text.

Reply, I'll be happy to publish an "Edlitz" (Edlitz im Burgenland) article. In that way maybe we can gather some more information. Send me an article before August 25 or sooner for the August issue. You don't mention the Edlitz immigrants mentioned in our village web pages. Have you tracked them? Click on Villages, click on "E" and Edlitz and you'll find members researching that village. You can then find them on the membership pages and copy their immigrant names or surnames.

Edlitz (Hungarian Abdalocz) now belongs to the municipality (Gemeinde) of Deutsch Schuetzen-Eisenberg along with Höll and St. Kathrein. It is in the district of Oberwart. Now a German-speaking village, it's what is called a linear village (houses front the main road) and is very small with a little over 100 inhabitants. It is first mentioned in a document of 1221 as Edelin. It belonged to the castle of Eberau and the owners were petty nobility. It was destroyed by the first Turkish Wars and resettled by Croats before 1587. Again in 1605 it was destroyed during the Bosckay rebellion. I have only two pictures from Edlitz in a book that I have-one is the firehouse (new) and the other is the "American" memorial cross. A church was built in 1963, the Filialkirche Holy Magdalene. Perhaps you already have all of this information.

In 1873 there were 159 Roman Catholics who went to church in Szt. Katalin (St. Kathrein) as well as 4 Lutherans (church in St. Michael) and 7 Israelites.

Our Lehigh Valley editor Bob Strauch has a collection of old Burgenland postcards; you might contact him to see if he has one of Edlitz. He also may be aware of immigrants from that village who settled in the Lehigh Valley. I'm copying him on this email. Likewise contact Frank Teklits who can probably help as well. Klaus Gerger also has the following on his webpage.

Edlitz 1857, district of Oberwart
House
Nr. Name
1 Czensicz      Georg
2 Lüiser        Georg
3 Czeri         Georg
4 Palkowits     Maria
5 Tellasits     Georg
6 Palkowits     Maria
7 Stubicz       Josef
8 Tellasits     Michael
9 Müllner       Stefan
10 Dokmanicz    Johann
11 Prex          Dorothea
12 Newagaraz     Georg
13 Steuer        Josef
14 Edlitz        Gemeinde
15 Müllner       Stefan
16 Erd?dy        Franz Graf
17 Lütterschmidt Michael
18 Millisits     Stefan
19 Newagaraz     Johann
20 Millisits     Lukas
23 Garger        Alois
24 Fuchs         Anton
22 Karoly        Maria
21 Szarkozi      Mathias

Bob Strauch writes: Here are a few more Edlitzer I've found:

Eberhardt, Nicholas; Eisenberg an der Pinka 1887-1938
Eberhardt, Katherine (Luisser); Edlitz   1895-1965

Eberhardt, Thomas; Eisenberg an der Pinka 1884-1943
Eberhardt, Elizabeth (Luisser); Edlitz 1889-1987

Bob states: Take advantage of Frank Paukovits' Cemetery web site & scan the existing data base for the results of the analysis being done by Bob Strauch & Margaret Kaiser determining where the individuals interred in various cemeteries are from. Stay current with the web site as additional cemetery inputs are in process of being added.

Frank Teklits writes: The only way that I may assist would be to provide you with a listing of surnames from the Szentpeterfa church records who were born in Edlitz from the early to late 1880's, but how that would help isn't obvious until it is determined that they are indeed immigrants. Let me know if that would be of any assistance.

Bob writes later: I went thru my collection and have no postcards of Edlitz. I also checked some old issues of the BG paper for vintage shots. No luck there. I still have other books to check - I'll let you know if I find any. Meanwhile, why don't you contact the BG? As a historian, Dr. Dujmovits has a plethora of old photos of Bgld. and he certainly has access to the collections of other historians, both local and statewide.

As for BH&R, here are additional names of Edlitzer, which may or may not have been put onto the main site as of yet:

Csencsits, Paul; St. Kathrein; 1904-1991
Csencsits, Mary (Fruhwirth); Edlitz 1908-1987

Einfalt, Frank; Edlitz 1885-
Einfalt, Mary (Hofmann); Pernau 1889-1971

Garger, John ; Edlitz 1893-1974
Garger, Josephine (Schimenek); Königsdorf 1903-1990

Pany, Ignatius; Tudersdorf 1887-1958
Pany, Elizabeth (Garger); Edlitz 1891-1959

I also have a connection to Edlitz. My great-great-grandfather, Philipp Müllner, son of Johann and Maria Müllner, was born there on May 15, 1826. His godparents were Georg and Helene Jelosits. Philipp later married Katharina Vasits of Kleinpetersdorf and settled in St. Kathrein, where my great-grandfather, Ignatz Müllner, was born in 1863.

(ED Note: The above is a perfect example of what can be found for any immigrant village of origin. If you are interested to this extent - give it a try. You may well expand your own family history in the process and I'll be glad to publish it. Now read Rudi Wolf's Edlitz article in newsletter 154A.)

2. AUSTRIAN/HUNGARIAN CONFUSION

In a message dated 7/31/06, Arlehus writes: "In your latest newsletter you indicated that after the Revolution of 1848, Hungary was granted autonomy except for military and foreign affairs. Two questions: In whose Army would these Germans in Hungary have served? Would this exception for Hungary be the reason that on his naturalization papers in 1895, my grandfather renounced allegiance to the "Emperor of Germany," not the Austro-Hungarian Empire?"

Reply: They served in one of the Hungarian Divisions of the Austro/Hungarian Army, which was composed of many elements (Austrian, Hungarian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Galician etc.) from the various racial groups under their control. Military and Foreign affairs were handled by the Austrian crown from military headquarters in Vienna.

I can only assume that his naturalization papers mentioning "Emperor of Germany" are incorrect. Germany had absolutely no involvement with the Austro/Hungarian Empire. For the period in question, naturalization papers should have read "Emperor of Austria/Hungary."

This is just another example of the confusion that existed (still exists) concerning origin of immigrants. The mere fact that they spoke German or had a German name led immigrant officials and naturalization clerks to confuse Germany and Austria. Most knew very little about eastern European history or geography. My grandparents' naturalization papers correctly read: "Emperor of Austria/Hungary."

3. BB MEMBERS ALBERT SCHUCH & ELIZABETH ZARKA MARRIED

The marriage ceremony of Dr. Albert Schuch (Kleinpetersdorf and Vienna) and Elizabeth Zarka (Eisenstadt and Vienna) took place August 19 in the Hof (court) of Burg Schlaining. A reception in the Burg Hotel followed the ceremony. Inge Schuch, sister of the groom was maid of honor. After a trip to Ireland, the couple will make their home in Vienna. As the BB Burgenland Editor for many years, Dr. Schuch was instrumental in advancing BB goals. We wish him and his bride the best of everything.

4. PASSAGE OF A BURGENLAND HOSTESS - TESSIE UNGER DIES
    - courtesy Bob Strauch

In Memorium-Theresia Unger (née Toth) 1926 - 2006
Theresia "Tessie" Unger, 80, of Northampton, PA died Aug. 7 in Fellowship Manor, Whitehall. She was married to the late Alois Unger. She had been the proprietor of the Edelweiss Haus, Northampton since 1972. Born in Deutsch Bieling, Burgenland, Austria, she was a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church, Coplay. A superb baker, she was an accomplished strudel maker and operated her tavern as if it were a Burgenland Gasthaus, with ethnic specialties available. While the Edelweiss Haus closed for a brief period during her illness, we understand it is now open and being operated by her son. The Edelweiss Haus is renowned for its ethnic ambiance and accordian music. Numerous groups were entertained there, including the Governor of Burgenland, Hans Niesel and his entourage.

5. PHOTO MARATHON - BG 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Hannes Graf writes: Hello all, the Marathon comes to an end. I sorted nearly 1000 photos from many people (many from Klaus Gerger), deleted some, duplicated others and uploaded more than 400. I changed them to a smaller 640x480 format and sorted them in pages of 20 or lesser pics. Some are doubled or tripled. Now you have a lot to do, to look at ALL of them!! The Entrypage is: http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/BG-50/. Enjoy it!

6. SZT.PETERFA BOOK

Margaret Kaiser found a Burgenland reference on E-bay and notified Frank Teklits, copy to me: "I just happened to read an article about ebay. For fun, I did a search on Burgenland. There is a book about Szentpetrafa (1221-1996) by Stefan Geosits, published in 1996 which could be interesting. Looks like it might be written in Croatian. Price $29.99. Have no idea if this is a fair price or not. Book is used."

Reply: I've not bought books on Ebay but I have bought them from Amazon.com. As to price, $30 is not much more than some village histories have cost, particularly if they are glossy paper hardbacks with lots of illustrations and in decent shape. The seven Peternell District books (in German with a section on each village in the district) sold for almost $40 each. I'd try to buy this book from the village Gemeindeamt. You might ask the BG office if copies are still available. Village histories in any language are worth acquiring. I don't have this one but I have all seven Peternell books and can thus provide a short history of all the villages. Of course you can also find a short description for many by doing a search of our village pages.

7. VILLAGE SCENES - A NEW IDEA FROM HANNES GRAF

Membership Editor Hannes Graf and wife Elfie, residents of Vienna, enjoyed the villages of southern Burgenland during some recent visits. Elfie also acquired a new camera. This gave Hannes an idea.

He writes: "Last weekend, Elfie and I were again in the Güssing area. We want to spend time there, because we want to search for some tourist highlights and take photos for a "Burgenland impressions" page on the Internet, with comments in English. Should it be under the domain of the Burgenland-Bunch or should I do it elsewhere. I know, the BB is a genealogy page, not a tourist page, but it could be a help when people come to the Burgenland.

"For example the cemetery of Hagensdorf and Luising is not really interesting for people who have no family graves there, BUT it is a very nice place to see (or picnic - ed.). It is between two villages, without a wall (I think its the only one without a wall in Austria), on a little hill where a small castle once stood.

Newsletter continues as number 154A.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 154A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(Our 11th Year - issued monthly as email by G. J. Berghold
August 31, 2006
(c) 2006 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved

This second section of our 2-section newsletter concerns:

1. Transdanubia (Dunatul) - Mother Of The Burgenland
2. Freilichtmuseum Ensemble Gerersdorf
3. Village Of Edlitz - Rudi Wolf
4. Recent Obituary Concerning Burgenland Ethnic Family

1.TRANSDANUBIA (DUNATUL) - MOTHER OF THE BURGENLAND
(Previously published in BB News no. 88, dtd. Sept. 30, 2000)

The name "Burgenland" was born in 1921, so if you search an English language index for that name you find very little. If you use Austria or Hungary you get much more than what you want. Pannonia helps but often refers only to Roman times. Lately the use of that name for the Burgenland region is appearing in Austrian publications. One name that works is Transdanubia (translates to "over or across the Danube" - German Donau - Hungarian Duna) - this "across" presupposes you are standing in the middle of Hungary, just east of the Danube (where it flows south) and are looking west.

The Danube, one of the world's mightiest rivers stretches from the Black Forest of southern Germany to the Black Sea. It runs east through Regensburg and Passau, Germany, to Vienna, Austria and on to Bratislava, Slovakia, and then continues to Budapest, Hungary where it abruptly heads south to Mohacs, Hungary and again turns in an easterly direction to Belgrade, Serbia. It continues east, forming the border between Romania and Bulgaria, before emptying into the Black Sea. We were fortunate in being able to cover the entire distance (from Passau, Germany) by riverboat a few years ago. An eight-day odyssey of much historical interest. Later we traveled from Amsterdam to Vienna using the Rhine, Main, Rhine-Main Canal and Danube and thus have been able to cross Europe by riverboat. Unlike the highway, river travel provides scenes rarely seen elsewhere.

Travel writers will tell you that the "Beautiful Blue Danube" of the Strauss waltz is not blue but a muddy brown. We've found that on a warm, sunny afternoon, following a long wet lunch, with the riverbanks slowly passing by, the river is beautiful and as blue as the sky. Likewise on a soft summer night, following a well-wined dinner, with wife in hand and a waltz playing in the background, it can be a romantic, star studded, glistening deep blue-so much for reality! I'm sure that's how Strauss saw it and that's how we remember it.

On its banks you'll see fishermen's huts, stock and geese being watered, women washing clothes, crumbling castles, and river hamlets, not to mention urban bridges, promenades, shipping quays and one mighty dam, but bucolic scenes still predominate. Between urban areas you can still see bits of "old Europe" - and imagine the whole historic panorama.

This introduces the name Transdanubia, whose western region includes our Burgenland, ending at the border with Styria and Lower Austria. This area is unique in that it is hill country (Hügeland), neither alpine nor plain. It has a different geography. It also has an older history and has always been borderland and a racial melting pot. The mixture has spawned a unique culture, part German - part Magyar - part Slav. The portions of interest to us from north to south, start with the Leitha River region below Vienna and the Neusiedler See. As we drop south from the Neusiedler See we come to many other streams which wend their way to the Neusiedler or, eventually, after joining other rivers, empty into the Danube. Among them are the Leitha, Wulka, Rabnitz, Pinka, Lafnitz and Raba. They add their names to many of our Burgenland villages. We've just delineated a major part of what was the Roman Province of Pannonia and what we consider the best of Transdanubia, truly the mother of the Burgenland.

2. FREILICHTMUSEUM ENSEMBLE GERERSDORF

BB member Bob Unger, who with his wife has made a number of trips to Burgenland, once said to me "there are so many interesting sights in the Burgenland, but you have to search for them!" So it is with the Ensemble Gerersdorf, a collection of over 31 buildings typical of the period before 1921. Following a well wined lunch, cousin Klaus Gerger said to me and my wife during a recent trip "now I want to show you something" and drove us to Gerersdorf. We enjoyed it immensely. Buildings from all over southern Burgenland had been removed to this site, restored where necessary and re-erected as a small village.

The area was once a small farm operated by one Maria Muik. In 1972, the property was purchased by the Kisser family from Vienna with the idea of transferring timber buildings of cultural interest to this site and thus saving them from final ruin. They were fascinated by the beauty of Southern Burgenland's rural timber architecture, with its thatched rooflines. In 1973, a farmhouse from Tschanigraben was the first addition followed by a Kellerstöckl (a wine storehouse). The ensemble opened to the public in 1976 with six buildings completed.

A Society of Friends was eventually formed and, in 1996, took over the operation of the museum. Annual society membership fees are 20 Euros and help maintain and enlarge the museum.

Email address is freilichtmuseum-gerersdorf(a)aon.at
Website address is www.freilichtsmuseum-gerersdorf.at
The museum is open to the public daily from March to November. There is an entrance fee and refreshments and a gift shop are available.

The museum just seven kilometers west of Güssing is a must for those visiting the Burgenland. You will see the buildings of old Burgenland, exactly as they appeared to your immigrant ancestors.

A partial list of buildings follows: Schankstadel, Pigeonry, Farmhouse, Bee-House, Village Store, Winepress House, Pigsty, Outhouse, Winepress House, Cross Shaped Barn, Storehouse, Fruit Dryer, Wine Cellar, Well, Oblong Barn, Hay Barn, Bell Tower and Smithy. Ethnic art exhibits are also featured.

The museum was included in the recent festivities celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Burgenlandische Gemeinschaft. Visitors were taken to Gereresdorf and our own Tom Glatz enjoyed it immensely. He supplied me with the current English language brochures from which this article was written.

3. VILLAGE OF EDLITZ
    - from Rudi Wolf

Below is a story of Edlitz and explanation of what my goals are. Thank you and best Regards Rudi Wolfe.

Edlitz im Burgenland was first mentioned in a document (Schenkungs Urkunde) in Hetfehelly in 1221 as Edelin. A period of about 300 years passed with very little information available other than the fact that the village was decimated numerous times by migrating tribes from the east. Hobdelcsi was the name given by the Croatian settlers in late 1500. Abdalocz was the official Hungarian name used until the First World War. Since the annexation to Austria in 1921, it has been called Edlitz im Burgenland. Edelin was a fortification made of wood, settled by Germanic archers and ruled by lesser nobility under the Counts of Jak. Jak is now located east of Edlitz in Hungary. At the time this territory was part of Bistrum Salzburg. As time elapsed, this settlement was destroyed numerous times and the population either killed or enslaved. This time period was best known as the first Turkish Wars. Croats resettled Edlitz before 1587 by the Counts of Eberau. It was destroyed again in 1605 during the Bosckay Rebellion. Following these events, Edlitz became a strictly Croatian village belonging to the Croatian Parish of Prostrum. Up until the late 1700 the parish of Sankt Kathrein was established, which incorporated Kroatisch Ehrensdorf, Harmisch and Edlitz.

During the latter part of the 19th Century and due to the geographical location of Edlitz, a sizable number of marriages took place within the Germanic-speaking villages of the lower Pinka Valley (Pinkaboden). By 1950 there was only one indigenous Croatian-speaking person living in town. There were a few non-native, Croatian-speaking individuals in the village which came about through marriage. So it appears that love brought about these changes.

For the most part, Edlitz belonged to the Castle of Eberau within the County of Vas, District of Szombathely (Steinamanger). For a number of years prior to WW-I, Edlitz was part of District Güssing. At present it is part of the municipality (Grossgemeinde) Deutsch Schützen-Eisenberg, District of Oberwart. Now a German-speaking village, it's what is called a linear village (houses front the main road) and is considered a very small town with a little over 100 inhabitants.

Dear BB Members: As an introduction, I am Rudolf Wolf (Rudi), was born in Edlitz im Burgenland. I immigrated to the U.S. in 1969. The object of this effort is to compile an "Ortssippenbuch" and preserve the heritage of my birthplace. At the same time I would like to encourage an interest in others searching for their ancestors or perhaps continuing where I left off.

Thanks to the BB, found via the Burgenländische Gemeindschaft, a whole new world opened up to me. Initially I searched for the lineage of my four grandparents. I found it relatively easy and encouraging. Reading the BB newsletters is a great source of information, All the BB writers input is greatly appreciated. I also learned of Frank Teklits' digitizing records of Prostrum going back to 1681, which was extremely enlightening knowing how difficult the entries from the 18th century are to read. Through Frank Teklits' efforts and guidance, I was able in part to compile three hundred years of birth, marriage and death records of Edlitz for which I am immeasurably grateful. Since the records only included eleven original Croatian surnames, two German and two gypsy families, the task of compiling a genealogical record of most families became less complicated. Only four families remain for which concrete records were not available. Currently I await civil records for 1895-1910 and hope to be successful in completing these family records as well.

So far I have digitized a total number of 1700 birth, marriage and death records, a large percentage of which have been compiled into individual family groups. The ultimate reward would be to find a record of the names of the original Croatian settlers!

There are a number of family names that appear intermittently for periods of two to three generations during the three hundred years of data. These were the families that worked and lived on the land holdings belonging to the Counts Erdody of Eberau. Around 1860 these peasant dwellings were sold, most likely as a result of the peasant revolt of 1848. During this time, some of these families became permanent residents of Edlitz, while others disappeared. The main house and most of the arable land was purchased by a wealthy family from Silesia and turned into a grand inn that served as a rest stop for horse-drawn wagons transporting goods mainly from the forest-rich region northwest of Edlitz to the city of Szombathely.

I have also found records dating back to 1786 of the disbursement of the gypsies throughout Vas County, as well as Census records for the following years: 1804, 1805, 1820, 1829 and 1830. These records listed the number of houses, family surnames, marital status, and ages of the village's population. The years of 1835, 1838, 1841, 1842 and 1847 included the above as well as numbers of livestock, quantity and quality of farmland.

Towards the end of the last millennium, Edlitz was a sleepy village where most inhabitants had to seek work outside the region and commute daily or weekly. This marked the end of the traditional subsistence farming - a lifestyle that rarely led people beyond town limits. During my childhood in the fifties, an array of every kind of livestock, draft and farm animals was present, where as today there are no animals other than pets present in Edlitz. All arable land is leased to farmers from neighboring towns.

An interesting observation concerning Edlitz is the trans-Atlantic migration of which I am a part. So far I have found a total of 78 migrants: nine settled in Canada, two in Argentina, one in Venezuela and 66 in the U.S., of which ten were born and raised in my ancestral home. The time span of this migration was from 1894-1972. My sources of information were: Ellis Island, Deutsch-Ungarischer Familienkalender, Burgenländische Gemeindschaft and family members. At this time I would like to ask the B-B community for any information they may have about Edlitz.

I am still investigating new sources and would welcome any suggestions to alternate avenues I have not yet explored. I am open to any new possibilities. At times the smallest input helps close the biggest gaps. I am also trying to locate photos of Edlitz taken circa 1950 or better yet earlier. There is little available from this post-war period. Images of the town would be most helpful. Photos taken during this era were costly and therefore few are to be found. U.S. visitors took photos more liberally. Perhaps someone would still be in possession of photos taken during this time and would be willing to share the wealth.

Since Edlitz did not have a church, the focal point became the bell tower in the center of town. It was later dismantled and the bells relocated to the new church built in 1963. Any pictures of the original tower would be greatly appreciated as well as any other tips to further my search.

Thanks are extended to Klaus Gerger for the 1857 house list, which is an additional cross-reference of family names. I actively participated in digitizing a good portion of Bezirk Oberwart for him. Frank Teklits has been of great assistance throughout my research, especially with digitizing the Szentpeterfa records which include the parish of St.-Kathrein.

Most of all "Thanks" Gerry! Without the help of the Burgenland Bunch and computer technology, what I've already achieved would not have been possible.   Last but not least a big thank you to my wife for her efforts and contributions with this project.

4. RECENT OBITUARY CONCERNING BURGENLAND ETHNIC FAMILY
    -courtesy Bob Strauch

Frank Marakovits, 82, of Nazareth, died Aug. 21, 2006, in Nazareth, PA. He was the husband of Theresa (Schuch) Marakovits. He was born Dec. 2, 1923, in Punitz, Burgenland, Austria, a son of the late Ignatz and Anna (Kertelics) Marakovits.

END OF NEWSLETTER

The Burgenland Bunch homepage (website) can be found at:
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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.

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