Newsletter
Dedicated to Austrian-Hungarian Burgenland Family History

Current Status Of The BB:
* Members: 1853 * Surname Entries: 6403 * Query Board Entries: 4429 * Number of Staff Members: 14

This newsletter concerns:
1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER (by Tom Steichen)
2) BH&R HITS MILESTONE (by Frank Paukowits)
3) SUBMISSION (by Wilhelm A. Schmidt)
4) DESTROYED JEWISH COMMUNITIES: KITTSEE
5) THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF GATTENDORF (1885 associated with Kittsee)
6) BB MIDWEST PICNIC (by Charlie Deutsch)
7) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch)
8) ORIGIN OF HUNGARIANS (MAGYAR) (by Gerald Berghold)
9) JULY Meeting OF BURGENLAND BUNCH OF MISSOURI (by Linda Pehr)

1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER (by Tom Steichen)

Staff Member Margaret Kaiser passed along a message posted recently on the AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN-L board <AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN-L@rootsweb.com> that provided some interesting web links. She said, "Tom, This posting has some possible links which might be useful for our BB links page. Normally, I would send these to Anna, but I am not sure whom to send them to now."

As you may recall, long-time Links Page Editor (and BB VP), Anna Kresh, retired in March and, since the position has not been filled yet, Margaret was unsure of what to do. This then seems to be an opportunity to remind you, the readership, that we are looking for a volunteer with a little bit of HTML experience (or the willingness and ability to learn a bit of HTML - we can teach you what you will need) to step forth and take on the Links page. The largest part of the job is the occasional (say quarterly) review of the links to confirm that they are still active. While you could do some searching on your own to find new links, the BB staff will assist you in that effort. So please, someone volunteer! Giving back a little to the BB is rewarding!

Here is the material Margaret found (at least some of it should be added to our links page):

"Horwath" is the Hungarian word for "Croatian" ...but not directly; it comes from the Croatian word Hvrat = Croat; so Hrvatska = Croatia.

If you are interested in Croatian history and so on, here some links, as Horvat / Horvath has origin there:
http://www.croatianhistory.net/
http://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/et01.html ......
http://www.croatian-genealogy.com/index.shtml

Some about "fashion":
http://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/cravate.html
http://www.cosy.sbg.ac.at/~zzspri/lifestories/Cravatte/Cravatte.html
http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=Royal-Cravate_Cavalerie

Possible "Burgenland-Kroaten" - Burgenland-Croats:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgenland_Croats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgenland_Croatian_language
http://www.hrvatskicentar.at/english/zeittafel.htm
http://www.hrvatskicentar.at/

If you have not known the Burgenland Bunch yet, maybe get in contact with persons searching the same name there:
http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/Surnames/surnames.html
http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/homepage.htm

Austrian phonebook results - very usual names here:
http://www.herold.at/telefonbuch/horvath/
http://www.herold.at/telefonbuch/horvat/

2) BH&R HITS MILESTONE (by Frank Paukowits)

Recently, the number of entries on the Burgenländers Honored and Remembered (BH&R) site reached 8,000. This module, which is on the Burgenland Bunch website, provides an extensive database on the names, years of birth and death, towns of origin, and cemeteries where deceased Burgenländers who immigrated to the United States are buried. Based on the number of people on the site, the database can now serve effectively as a useful tool for genealogists doing research on their Burgenland roots.

The site has a number of features which should make it more useful and user-friendly. For example, you can now do a search by name rather than combing through the extensive database. Secondly, the names are organized according to 13 different geographic areas, which should facilitate research efforts. Also, the pages have been simplified so you can zero in more easily from the standpoint of the alphabetical order of the decedents.

Additionally, the site contains full obituaries, when provided, for decedents starting from 2007 forward. The information contained in these obituaries could prove useful to researchers because of the extent of detail that is typically provided.

The enhancements that have recently been made to the site were largely the result of the efforts of Tom Steichen, the President of the Burgenland Bunch. Bob Strauch and Margaret Kaiser have been the biggest contributors in adding names and doing related research. Special kudos to all three of these people for their continuing efforts and contributions.

3) SUBMISSION (by Wilhelm A. Schmidt)

Ever since I compiled the list of persons deported in 1946 from Pernau (Pornoapati), I have tried to find the names of the persons that were also deported but fled overnight into Austria. I have found only five, not the twenty to thirty mentioned in earlier lists. They are Joseph Einfaldt, Stefan Pfliegler, his wife and a child, and the husband of Anna Mittl. Joseph Einfaldt went to Deutschschützen to be with his brother Johan. His parents and two brothers were deported. Where the Pfliegler family went is unknown. The husband of Anna Mittl went to Bildein, later returned to Pernau, was arrested and deported to East Germany.

Names erroneously placed on earlier lists are those of Frau Johan Szakal (1), Karl Pehr (6), Franz Krammer (5), Stefan Krammer (6), and Margit Schrammel (6). Johan Szakal is MIA. One of Margit Schrammel's sons married Kristine Meltsch, whose parents and two sisters were deported. Nothing is known about the other families. I kindly ask anyone with information about the situation to help in completing the list (see Pernau deportation list).

4) DESTROYED JEWISH COMMUNITIES: KITTSEE

Development

The Jewish community of Kittsee existed already in the 17th century. In 1648, the leather worker guild of the free town of Bratislava protested against three Jewish leather workers located in the Liszty Noble Manor (Lisztyscher Edelhof) in Kittsee, who competed with them in town. In 1676, the Esterházys took the fiefdom Kittsee from the former manorial lord, Johann Liszty. From 1716 on, the small town belonged to the Prince Esterházy group called the 'Seven Communities' ('Sieben Gemeinden' in German; 'Sheva Kehillot' in Hebrew).

In 1690, Paul Esterházy had published in Eisenstadt a 'Privilege' of the Jews, which referred to all of his estates, as well as Kittsee. In it is written, "that he allows the Jews all sorts of trade and also commerce like a butcher shop (not to run an inn), the commerce of a tailor, shoemaker, furrier, barber, goldsmith, the occupation as a doctor. They are also allowed to distil spirits, to take tolls, … They have to ask the authority for marriage licenses, to pay an ongoing charge for their protection, but they can settle their matters on their own under supervision of the manorial lord." (Gold)

In the year 1735, 155 adults and 111 children belonged to the Jewish community. In 1780, there lived 363 Jews in Kittsee. The numerical zenith was in 1821, when there were counted 789 Jews in Kittsee. In the following decades, especially after the abolition of the discriminatory conditions concerning residence and occupation, a distinctive migration occurred; in particular, the Jewish traders migrated to the business centers: Wieselburg, Preßburg, and Wien. So, in 1880, only 111 Jews lived in Kittsee and, by 1934, the number of Jews had decreased to 62.

Jewish Life

The final rabbi of Kittsee was Zwi Armin Perles. In addition to the religious infrastructure, like the synagogue and the cemetery, there was the charity and funeral association 'Chevra Kadisha' ('Holy Fraternity'), headed at that time by Gabriel Berger.

"'The Jew corpse comes!!' A crowd of boys shouts, as they were running on the village lane to the main square. Happy about the welcome alternation. The peasants were stepping forward from the inn, it is Sunday -, inside the inn the gipsy music was stopping, the peasant women of the small town were appearing in a large number.

Kittsee is a remarkable big, well preserved village. The main street is as broad as the Opernring (in Vienna) with no overview because of the dimension. The marvelous castle of the Earl Batthyány with the wonderful wrought-iron gate, a praised hospital, into which surgery-needy people up to Hainburg are brought, village church with a war memorial. I took the electrical tram, the Wien-Preßburg, as far as the small frontier town of Berg, then the bus, and was dropped off at the mayor office; from there I wanted to look for the old Jewish community without a guide.

Now a dolorous coincidence made it unnecessary to set off. From up there, the Jews of Kittsee are coming, the whole Kehilla (community), increased by the Pressburger relatives of the aged dead person, who was being carried to the funeral, beneath a black cloth. Very remarkable, this Jewish funeral procession.

No 'Pompfuneberer' (undertakers), no priest regalia, no funeral carriage with black horses, no flowers, no cantors, no music. And not at all the measured, ceremonial cadence, the disciplined, organized cortege, including mourners walking in procession. Not even the rabbi walks separated at a privileged place, but very much within the knot of his community. This dense, unsettled crowd, not being jutted out by anything as by the unplanned black covered box, appears overcoming in its silent plainness. Symbol of the appropriateness of all terrestrial. What was dust, becomes to dust.

The brothers of the Chevra Kadischa are carrying the chest on their shoulders alternately, the young people of the Kehilla, the 'Melatsches' (the still unmarried members of the Chevra) are taking over from them later. Two Balbattim (homeowners) are holding oxidized silver containers in their hands, in unusual form and from rare manner. They didn't take those pieces of jewelry to the graveyard to decorate the bare, serious funeral cortege: They are the old Zdoke cans (donation cans) from Kittsee...."

Origin: Abeles Otto, Intermezzo in Kittsee, in: Wiener Morgenzeitung, February 20th, 1927, p. 4 et seq., from: Reiss Johannes (Hrsg.), Aus den Sieben Gemeinden. Ein Lesebuch über Juden im Burgenland, Eisenstadt, 1997, p. 109 et seq.

1938

In the middle of April, the Jews from Kittsee and the neighboring commune of Pama were got up by the SA one night, deprived of their property, and marooned in the River Danube on an isle of sand. They were found by border guards and residents of the Czechoslovak village of Theben (Devin) and temporarily accommodated. After some days of moving back and forth across the Czech, Hungarian, and German-Austrian border, Jewish relief organizations succeeded in arranging some accommodation facilities on a French towboat. It took some months to find countries of destinations for them. Numerous international newspapers reported on this incident.

Jewish families in Kittsee before 1938

Name, Profession, Address
Aladar Reisner, corner shop and innkeeper, Krachgasse 7/ Untere Hauptstr. 41
Heinrich Dux, poultry and pig fattening unit, Schattendörfl 33
Adolf Hecht, butcher, Untere Hauptstraße 11
Balassa, dentist, Hauptplatz 32
Sigmund Morgenstern, general dealer, Hauptplatz 24
Samuel Singer, butcher, Hauptplatz 22
Hugo Rot, corner shop, Obere Hauptstraße 16
Heinrich Grün, textiles/leather goods, Hauptplatz 48
Frau Grün, tailor
Cäcila Hofbauer, tailor, Hauptplatz 35
Moritz Zopf, merchant, Hauptplatz 21
Neufeld, draper's shop
Mordechai Friedmann, general dealer
Dr. Leopold Perls, rabbi, Synagogue, Herrengasse
Joseph Schapierer, shohet, Synagogue, Herrengasse
Gabor Berger, tailor, Synagogue, Herrengasse
Esti Berger, tailor, Synagogue, Herrengasse
Salomon Singer, Synagogue, Herrengasse
Frau Singer, tailor
Moritz Knapp, brandy pub, Synagogue, Herrengasse

Origin: School project of the secondary school Kittsee, Jews in Kittsee

Emigrated after 1945:

Mrs. Glaser, nee Hecht (deceased)

This Day, Visible Tracks:

Cemetery

In the cemetery stands, amongst others, the gravestone of R. Hayyim ben Asher Anshel. He died in 1784 in Kittsee, was teacher (melamed) in Kittsee, and earned his living by the writing and illustrating of religious books like Pesach Haggadot or books of blessings. His works can be found today in museums and private collections throughout the world, such as, for example, the 'Kittsee Haggada' from 1770.

Memorial tablet for Joseph Joachim

Also in the Jewish quarter of Kittsee was born on June 28, 1831 the famous fiddler and composer, Joseph Joachim, the seventh of eight children. The family moved to Budapest in 1833. Beginning in 1868, Joseph Joachim was the director of the new founded Royal Academic College for Music in Berlin. There he brought an orchestra and the legendary Joachim Quartette into being. He passed away on August 15th, 1907 in Berlin.

Synagogue

The synagogue presumably was built in the 17th century. It was situated in 15, Herrengasse.

Picture: Austrian Jewish museum in Eisenstadt

The physical state of the synagogue was already in 1938 very bad. After 1945, it was, amongst other uses, refugee housing for displaced Germans from Slovakia. In autumn, 1950, the building was demolished. Today in that place a commercial building stands.

Picture: Alfred Lang (1993)

Cemetery

The cemetery has an area of 11.633 m² and is located adjacent to the Kittsee castle. It exists since the 18th century. The cemetery of the former Jewish community of Kittsee is the only one listed in Austria. In the main, the gravestones consist of marble from Mühlendorf, or sandstone.

Pictures: Alfred Lang and Marion Degwerth (1993)

5) THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF GATTENDORF (1885 associated with Kittsee)

Development

There is a high probability that the Jewish community of Gattendorf was established during the period of the Kuruc uprisings (1704-1709) or shortly after (but no later than 1712). The majority of the new Jewish residents came probably from Preßburg (Bratislava). The first traces of Jews in Gattendorf are from 1720. In 1764, 18 Jewish families lived in the former Schloßberg manorial farm (Schloßberg Meierhof) (In addition to the castle and the manorial farm of the Esterházy family, there was also the castle and the manorial farm of the Schloßberg family), which had to pay protection money to the Esterházy manor.
Gattendorf was solely the municipality of the Counts of Esterházy, but other manorial families also acquired some parts of the village.

According to the statistical data of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, 171 Jews lived in Gattendorf in 1836. Soon afterwards, the Jewish share of the population started to decline continuously. Because of the extensive emigration, sometimes it must have been very difficult to get the ten men required for the service. Only 62 Jews lived in Gattendorf in 1880 and, by 1934, the number of Jewish residents had dropped to 19 persons.

In 1885, the Jewish community of Gattendorf joined the larger Jewish community of Kittsee.

Jewish Life

The Jewish residents lived on rural retail trade and the trade with agricultural products and commodities. Jewish craftsmen were also residents of Kittsee, for example, carpenters, distillers, locksmiths, shoemakers, tailors, and furriers. They occupied small flatlets, which consisted in most cases only of one room, in the so-called Schloßberg Jew Courtyard (Schloßbergschen Judenhof). The flat of the kosher butcher and the meat market (Fleischbank, an old word for meat market) were also situated in the former Schloßberg manorial farm (Schloßberg Meierhof).

In addition to the synagogue and the burial ground, in the years 1860-1862, a school and, in 1882, a bathhouse (mikva) for ritual immersion, were built in Gattendorf.
In 1927, the synagogue was already in a desolate condition:

“The wooden fence, which disunites the front yard from the road, is multiply broken and, the brickwork strongly crumbled. Inside, there is an otherwise friendly and dignified room, in which centre is a beautiful almemar ('bima' in Hebrew, the elevated area from where the Torah is read aloud), but above, a ceiling arches instead of a dome. The ceiling has been carpentered provisionally out of rough boards and has to replace the former ceiling, which is at risk to fall down, within a year. . . .”

Source: Moses Leopold, Jüdische Gemeinden, in: Die Wahrheit. Unabhängige Zeitschrift für jüdische Interessen, XLI-II. Jg., Nr. 9, Wien, 25. Februar 1927, S. 4.

Return migration after 1945: None

Traces which are still visible today:

Synagogue

The synagogue stood in the courtyard of the Schloßberg manorial farm (Schloßberg Meierhof) and was constructed from stone bricks and covered with shingles. It was renovated in 1806. A ritual bathhouse was attached to the synagogue. In the second half of the 19th century, a new synagogue was constructed on the same place.
Until 1996, the derelict synagogue, which survived the Nazi era in a desolate status, reminded one of the pre-World War II Jewish life. The building was privately owned and was used as a barn. Later it became dilapidated.

Burial ground

The burial ground, with an area of 2,733 m², lies outside of Gattendorf. Since the middle of the 19th century, it also served as a burial site for the population of the surrounding villages of Nickelsdorf und Neudörfl.

All Pictures: Alfred Lang (1993)

6) BB MIDWEST PICNIC (by Charlie Deutsch)

The Midwest Burgenland Bunch will host its annual picnic for members and friends on August 8, 2010, at the Germanic-American Institute, 301 Summit Avenue in St. Paul MN.

We will begin at 12 noon and continue until 5 PM. Bring your picnic lunch and beverage and if you wish, bring a treat to share. Beer and wine are permitted on the picnic site.

There will be a short business meeting at 2 PM.

This year we would like to take photos of individuals and family groups in order to create a membership album on our website. Don't forget to bring your completed survey (See the website).

In the unlikely event of rain, there is plenty of room in the Haus for our activities.
Check our webpage http://sites.google.com/site/bbmidwest/ for updates.

7) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch)

Theresa J. Marakovits

Theresa J. Marakovits of Nazareth and resident of Sacred Heart Assisted Living, Northampton, passed away on May 31, 2010. She was 86.

Born in Passaic, NJ on March 19, 1924, she was the second of three children born to the late John and Maria (Klucsarits) Schuch.

At about the age of three, Theresa and her mother moved to Punitz, Burgenland, Austria, her parents' birthplace. She married Frank Marakovits in 1947 together they worked the family farm. In 1957, Theresa immigrated with her husband and son, Edward, to the United States. Her husband Frank passed away on August 21, 2006. In April of that year they had celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary.

She was a member and supporter of Holy Family Catholic Church in Nazareth.

Survivors: Theresa is survived by her son, Edward Marakovits of Belfast; and daughter, Diane Sharp, wife of Steven Sharp, of West Grove, PA; her grandchildren are Dana Marakovits of Moore Twp., Scott Marakovits and wife Tanya of Williams Twp., Steven Sharp Jr. and Paul Sharp of West Grove; Theresa had three great-grandchildren, twins Mason and Kenzie Marakovits and Damian Gill; she is also survived by brother-in-law, Ignaz Marakovits and wife Martha; and nephew and nieces both here and in Austria; also cousins, Mary Schaller and Joseph Klucsarics. Beside her husband, she was also preceded in death by a son, Walter Marakovits, brother, Eduard Schuch, and sister, Johanna (Schuch) Karlovits.

John Woppel

John Woppel, age 96, of Chicago, passed away on June 6, 2010.

He was the loving husband of the late Maria (née Hasler); beloved father of John, Manfred (Priscilla) and Erich (Sue); devoted grandfather of 15 and great-grandfather of 20.

He was born in Woppendorf, Burgenland, Austria and was a life-long member of the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft.

HISTORICAL BB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Editor: This is part of our occasional series designed to recycle interesting articles from the BB Newsletters of 10 years ago.

Of interest this month (or more precisely, this month 10 years ago), is an article written by Gerry Berghold about the origins of the Magyars in response to a comment by Kathleen Kelly. It has particular interest to me (Tom Steichen) because my wife is of Finnish extract; and the Finns are considered nearer to the Hungarians in culture, language and genetics than any other group in Europe.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS No. 85
July 31, 2000

8) ORIGIN OF HUNGARIANS (MAGYAR) - by Gerald Berghold

You can't be interested in family history without wondering what the earliest origin of your family, tribe or race might be. The centuries give way to millenniums and the millenniums to eons and even longer. If you follow this to its conclusion, you begin to wonder about the origin of the species. Much work is underway to find the missing "links" in the homo sapiens story. A recent question from Kathleen Kelly piqued my interest and caused me to provide my thoughts.

Kathleen writes: Subj: Hungarian-Mongolian Connection

I thought I would forward to you some information I have been collecting which might be of interest to some of the Burgenland Bunch who have Hungarian ancestry.

About ten years ago, one of my sisters who is in the medical field ran some blood tests on family members and discovered we have a genetic marker that is usually found only in Asians and African Americans. And, I would say that approximately 20-25% of my Tschida family descendants have somewhat Asian-shaped eyes. This intrigued me and a few years ago I mentioned it to a Hungarian scholar who told me that it is unusual for a person of Hungarian descent not to have either Northern Chinese, Siberian or Mongolian blood. Later that same year another sister of mine, who has said eyes, was teaching English as a Second Language to Asians and they asked her what part of Asia she came from. She told them that it was possible that she did have some Asian blood because of the tests run. All the Asians in the class agreed she was Mongolian.

Last evening I attended a reception and I happened to meet the Ambassador for Mongolia to the UN and we spoke of Mongolia, and somehow I mentioned the above story to him. He said that in the last few years there has been a lot of interest on the part of the Hungarians to trace their roots and extensive research has been done. The Ambassador went on to say that it had been researched and authenticated that the Hungarians descended from the Mongols, as did the Native American Indians. The Hungarians are currently in Mongolia making a film relating to this subject of their ancestry. He did not know what the name of the film was because it is still in production.

I told the above to a friend of my mother, whose husband's father came from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and she was amazed because she said her husband and her daughter both had the above-mentioned eyes, and she always wondered where they came from. So in case there are others who may be interested, I am sending this on to you. I might also mention that I have always had an unexplainable interest in visiting Mongolia, and last month I even signed up for a Smithsonian Associates Conference on Mongolia that will be held in Washington, D.C., in September. Now perhaps I can explain some of that interest.

Editor's Reply (in which I [Gerry] try to summarize my understanding of a lot of recent interesting theories of the origin of the species):

I'm not an anthropologist by any means, but I have read some of the latest findings concerning the origin of our species as well as the origin of the Magyars. To equate the Caucasian, Negroid and Mongol (Asiatic might be a better term) sub-species of homo sapiens, we must first develop their origins. There is, of course, a gap of many hundreds of thousands of years between first homo sapiens and Magyars. It makes for an interesting article, which I'll try to develop.

If someone were to say that the Hungarians (Magyars) stem from the Mongolian species, I'm afraid I would have to ask (tongue in cheek), "where, when and how?" To many countries, origin has great significance. For instance, the Romanians claim they are descendants of Thracians from before the Roman period (pre 100 AD) in order to establish an earlier claim to Transylvania than the Hungarians, who came hundreds of years later (900 AD). They feel this allows them to justify ethnic cleansing. Governments always tend to support the theories that are favorable to their nationalistic aspirations. Origins, however, are still far from being finite, as the following shows.

The current, most widely accepted theory of the origin of our "homo sapiens" species seems to follow a double "out of Africa" scenario (recently covered in a PBS Television documentary). The first may have resulted in a movement into Europe of "homo erectus," probably the origin of what we know as Neanderthal man. Whether there were subsequent evolvements from them is obscure. Little is known of their period or disappearance. Climactic changes suggest they could have migrated as well and, in the large time frame in which they existed, they in turn could have evolved other sub-species and have been absorbed by them or later by homo-sapiens. Likewise there appears to also have been initial movement out of Africa to the east and south in Asia as well. Again, whether by "homo erectus," Neanderthal, or some other subspecies has not yet been determined.

In the second "out of Africa" migration, many hundreds of millenniums later, "homo sapiens" probably evolved as we know them today (later giving rise to the European or Caucasian species. This then evolves even further into Mediterranean, Alpine, Slavic, Germanic, etc. -- the so-called Indo-Aryan and their many tribal groups). Whether similar Negroid and Mongol (Asiatic) groups evolved then or in the first "out of Africa" scenario is still a question.

So, did the first or second migration out of Africa gave rise to the Mongolian (Asiatic, Chinese, Sino, Micro-Melanesian, etc.). Likewise, the species that were the pre-tribal origin of the Magyars or other "steppe" tribes?

We do know that the Magyars are of Finno-Ugric extraction. As such, they differ in language and culture from all other Europeans. The late 500 AD period is as far back as can be determined with some degree of assurance, although the proto-Finns are reputed to have broken off and migrated to the Baltic regions about 2000 BC. From that point, the remainder (the proto-Magyar) are held to have migrated south into richer pasture land, becoming nomadic pastoralists. Whether movement was caused by climactic changes or displacement by other tribes has not been established.

One homeland of the Finno-Ugric has been traced to the southern Urals, but not further east to the Mongolian plains. Any connection to Mongolian origins must, therefore, predate that time. Certainly the Mongol physical resemblance is there. The "epithantic fold over the eyelids," for instance, is most notable. Also the "Hunnish" culture and association, so evident in the earlier European periods, seems to indicate a connection (Hungarian stems from the word for Hun-Ungur). Europeans considered early Magyars to be Huns. However, you can counter with "what happened to facial and body hair and skin coloration?" Hair is mostly lacking in the Mongoloid (as well as the American Indian) but present in some degree in the Magyar. Skin coloration also differs.

It is interesting that even though my ancestors are German, except for one Magyar g-grandmother and one perhaps Slavic (?) g-grandfather, their descendants have a minor epithantic fold. Hirsute and color characteristics are like most Caucasians. Of course the Huns, Mongols and other Asiatic invaders of Europe left their genes wherever they went, as did the Greeks and Romans before them.

The above Magyar theory is based mostly on the study of languages. Another group called the "orientalists" claim that the cradle of the Magyars was not the southern Urals but, instead, the Turanium Plain in central Asia (formerly Soviet Turkestan). This region stretches eastward from the Caspian Sea to Lake Balchas. Ancient records call the area Scythia. A living tradition fed by folklore holds that the Magyars were either part of, or closely acquainted with, this group who built a vast Scythian empire about 500 BC.

There are some who hold that the Magyars were even exposed to the Sumerian culture which inhabited the region as early as 3000 BC. From this area arose empires built by the Huns, Avars, Khazars and various other Turkic groups. The Magyar had relations with all of them at one time or another. The Avars subsequently established a Khanate in Pannonia (including Burgenland) in the period 500-800 AD. They were destroyed by the Franks under Charlemagne in the late 700's, giving rise to the first Germanic presence in Burgenland.

So, we have lots of possibilities including intermarriage and addition of alien genes affecting physical characteristics. There was much movement and counter movement of the species prior to recorded history and the Magyars could well be an off-shoot or later development of one of them or from what little we know of the Mongolian or Chinese groups. Something like the following (there are extremely large unknown gaps of time between the first nine segments):

▪ out of Africa I or II?
▪ evolvement of the Mongolian (Asiatic) species?
▪ migration west of a sub-species?
▪ evolvement of Finno-Ugric from one of the above
▪ evolvement of Magyar I
▪ migration south and west
▪ association with Scythians and Sarmatians?
▪ association of Magyar I with steppe races (Huns, Mongols, Pechenegs, Alans, Onogurs, Turkic-Bulgars, etc.)?
▪ evolvement of Magyar II (the tribes of Arpad)
▪ forays into western Europe, 800 AD
▪ defeat at Lechfeld, 955 AD
▪ withdrawal into Pannonia (the Hungarian Plain)
▪ forays into the southern Slavic lands (Serbia, Croatia)
▪ establishment of the Hungary and Hungarians we know today

It has long been held that our own American Indians have a Mongolian origin and arrived via a Bering Sea land bridge. Here too, other theories have appeared. Maybe Magyar origins are related to those of the American tribes.

Recent archaeological finds on the west coasts of both North and South America have triggered some interesting counter theories. Our "Indians" could well have evolved from a southern "out of Africa" species or Neanderthal sub-species. The ocean currents sweep eastward and similarities between Asiatic and Central and South American cultures are too obvious to be discounted. Likewise there could have been many migrations, both pre and post Bering land bridge. There is still too large a time gap between "out of Africa" and tribal (racial) formation to form conclusive proof of these kinds of origins. Even our western Indian tribes spoke of the "old ones" (Anasazi?) here long before them.

Of course, in any family history, for the most of us, the time before 1500 AD is a never-never land of theory, conjecture and myth. Still, it poses tantalizing questions and probabilities. Perhaps recent and future developments in genetics will provide the answers -- just imagine a family history encompassing such a time frame! A most interesting subject but still fraught with changes and possibilities. I hope I haven't taken any out of context and I'm sure there are others unknown to me.

I might suggest some further reading which I've enjoyed:

▪ In Search of the Indo-Europeans. J. P. Mallory, Thames & Hudson, 1996. (origins of Indo-Europeans based on language)

▪ The Spirit of Hungary. Stephen Sisa, Rakoczi Foundation, 1990. (very biased but much fact; traces movement of the Magyar tribes)

▪ A History of Hungary. Peter F Sugar, ed., Indiana University Press, 1994. (a brief synopsis of Magyar origins, migration and then much national formation)

▪ Gesta Hungarorum & The Deeds of the Hungarians. Simon of Keza, CEU Press, 1999. (what was known orally in the 14th century, but much has been proven false)

▪ The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. B. Fagan, ed., Oxford Univ. Press, 1996. (has archeological support for theories)

There are also works concerning language, archaeological and anthropological studies which support some of the theories. Marija Gimbutas (professor emerita of European archaeology, UCLA) has done some outstanding work in this area (Civilization of the Goddess, Harper-Collins, 1991 and others). She and others lean toward a theory of an early European period of maternal (pre-patriarchal) harmony and peace which was shattered by migrations of pastoral warrior races from the east. The first introduction of Asiatic genes to the west? In studying pre-recorded history, you encounter some fascinating theories. As one genealogist said to another in front of the grave of Adam and Eve, "Well, I guess, that's it!" 

9) JULY MEETING OF BURGENLAND BUNCH OF MISSOURI (by Linda Pehr)

The quarterly meeting of the Burgenland Bunch of Missouri was held at the headquarters branch of the St. Louis County Library on Thursday, July 15. We were pleased to have two new members attend the gathering.

There was a discussion of photographic images that could be used to represent ancestors on the “Burgenlanders Honored and Remembered-Missouri” webpage. Photos of the St. Louis Gateway Arch, particular Catholic churches, the Old Courthouse, several major employers of immigrants as well as other landmarks were suggested by attendees.

The major focus of the meeting was a tour of the genealogy resources available at the Library. Scott Holl, assistant manager of special collections was our guide. We were shown those resources that are readily available to the public, as well as those items that are in the area known as “closed stacks.” There is a staff available to assist with research if that is desired.

The library has one of the few collections of Holocaust Memorial Books, called yizkors. The purpose of the yizkor book was primarily liturgical. Its lists—names, places and dates—allowed congregants to remember in prayer their relatives, and their neighbors' relatives, put to death for being Jews.

Following the tour the group held a brief discussion period and decided to hold the next meeting on Thursday, October 14, once again at the headquarters branch. At that time the focus will be on learning how to use the data that is available at the library. Several in attendance expressed interest in learning more about how to use internet and microfilm resources.

We hope to see you in October.

Linda Pehr

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