|
The
|
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 243 May 31, 2014, © 2014 by The Burgenland Bunch All rights reserved. Permission to copy excerpts granted if credit is provided. Editor: Thomas Steichen (email: tj.steichen@comcast.net) Archives at: BB Newsletter Index Our 18th Year. The Burgenland Bunch Newsletter is issued monthly online. It was founded by Gerald Berghold (who retired Summer 2008 and died in August 2008). |
Current Status Of The BB: * Members: 2250 * Surname Entries: 7434 * Query Board Entries: 5308 * Staff Members: 17 |
This newsletter concerns: 1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER 2) MEMBER RESEARCH - THINKING OUTSIDE YOUR BOX 3) TRANSLATION OF A NEUBERG HISTORY BOOK 4) THE CAROLINGIAN COLONIZATION OF LOWER BURGENLAND (by Wilhelm Schmidt) 5) THE LOST PLACES OF THE HEIDEBODEN IN BURGENLAND 6) HISTORICAL BB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES: - KAREN BARNARD SENDS US A LIST OF THE INHABITANTS [OF MARIASDORF] 7) ETHNIC EVENTS 8) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch) |
1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER (by Tom Steichen)  Concerning
this newsletter, after the bits and pieces here in my "Corner," we start off with a member
assistance article as Article 2—one that is a reminder that Thinking
Outside Your Box and taking the less-obvious route can sometimes be helpful in solving a
genealogical research problem.Article 3 introduces a new translated text: "The History of Neuberg im Burgenland." I found the book informative and its analysis interesting so I enthusiastically recommend you take the hour needed to read the translation. I more strongly recommend a reading if you have Croatian roots and, for you who have roots in Neuberg, this is a must-read! In Article 4, Wilhelm Schmidt takes a second approach to his argument about the ancestry of the Burgenländer (see NL #240, Feb 2014 for his first approach) by considering The Carolingian Colonization of Lower Burgenland. He argues that still extant village names and language dialects support the contention that German settlement in parts of Burgenland survived the Magyar onslaught. In an odd way, Article 5—about places that no longer exist in Burgenland, specifically the Lost Places of the Heideboden—complements Wilhelm's argument... but I'll let you consider why for yourself. The article was presented because there is some small chance you might find these place names in old records... if you do, you'll now have a little information about them. The remaining articles are our standard sections: Historical Newsletter Articles, and the Ethnic Events and Emigrant Obituaries sections. A lazy week circling the lake sure looks inviting! |
2) MEMBER RESEARCH - THINKING OUTSIDE YOUR BOX New member Jolene Woodard, of Osakis, MN, recently submitted her membership information form that simply said: Surname: DENK Village: Wallern (Valla) Settled: Todd or Stearns Co. One would hardly think that this limited information would take one back into the 1600s... but it did! The truth is, however, that I needed to do a little pulling to get sufficient information to do so. I wrote (in part) to Jolene:
This Father Graisy book is something I've mentioned before—and it is a wonderful resource for
those of us lucky enough to have Wallern as our emigrant home village—but it is not why I've
chosen to share this "member assistance" story. In fact, I write these type of stories when I
believe a research process has some universal truth or technique that we all can benefit from
(often, these are approaches we already know... but an occasional reminder to pursue them can
still be beneficial) ...I will get to that aspect after I set up the story.
This is a nice, concise collection of data: some hard facts coupled with some names that will
help corroborate that our research is on track. Of course, my first approach was to look in
Father Graisy's book for Vincent... but I could not find even one Vincent Denk among the many
Denk households listed in the book! In addition, among the 17 Wallern houses that were home to
one or more Denk generations, there was only one Elisabeth married to a Denk who was reported as
having gone to America. This was an Elisabeth Leurer from Pamhagen who married, in 1860, a
Stefan Denk (b 1833 in Wallern. They had a daughter Katherina in 1863 (who married a Sandor
Vagdalt in 1888), and all of them supposedly went to America. Elisabeth was the right age to be
mother to Vincent (she married in 1860 and Vincent was born in 1865)... but this certainly does
not prove a family connection. |
3) TRANSLATION OF A NEUBERG HISTORY BOOK  In
1989, Dr. Robert Hajszan published "Zur Geschichte von Neuberg im Burgenland / Ranija
Povijest Nove Gore" (Literas-Universitätsverlag, 1989, 60 pages). Translating from the
German or Croatian, the title is: "The History of Neuberg im Burgenland," where Nove
Gore is the Croatian name for Neuberg.A few years ago, BB member Pauline Greenlick obtained a copy of the book and mentioned it to the BB. We contacted Dr. Hajszan asking permission to publish an English translation on our website, and he kindly gave his permission. The BB took on the translation task and that translation has now been formatted, along with its supporting figures, as a web document.  The
author, Dr. Hajszan, is a Güttenbach native and has written numerous books about his home
region. He has been chairman of the Pannonisches Institut (PAIN) in Güttenbach for many
years (see http://www.paninstitut.com) and is a
frequent speaker and presenter on its behalf. The published goal of the Institut is to "unite
together the nations and nationalities in the Pannonian region" by documenting its shared
history and celebrating its cultural variety. To do so, it publishes the annual Pannonisches
Yearbook, a multi-layered and multi-lingual publication.Separately, Dr. Hajszan has published numerous books about the greater Burgenland area, including about the major manorial estates of southern Burgenland and the history of Croatians therein, while also emphasizing his native village. To tell the story of his village, he researched and published "Güttenbach - Historischer Uberblick und Bevölkerungsentwicklung" (Güttenbach - Historical overview and population development. In: Marktgemeinde Güttenbach, 1987). As Neuberg is a neighboring village, the early history of both is partially shared, and it became a natural sequel to write about Neuberg. The Neuberg book was written in German, though a final section contains a translation of the German text into Croatian. The BB translation to English is from the German text also. Dr. Hajszan writes of his book: "the main aim of this study will be an attempt at a reconstruction of the origin of the Neuberger Croats with the help of onomastics (the study of the history and origin of proper names), the spoken dialect and the ethnographic material." He does this by obtaining the family names of the earliest tenant farmers in Neuberg, as recorded in the Urbars of 1576 and c. 1618, and then records the villages in Croatia where similar names existed, arguing that a concentration of these surnames in specific regions of Croatia should indicate that these are the region(s) of origin of the Neuberg colonists. He also examines the Croatian dialect of Neuberg, relating specific workaday words in the current spoken language to regions in Croatia. He also looks at the toponyms (geographical names of local fields and other entities) and relates those to regions where they are also used in Croatia. By combining the results of these approaches with the historical records documented in the Batthyány archives, he proposes the likely origins for the Neuberg Croats. I had asked Richard Potetz and Frank Paukowits to review the translation for clarity and to help eradicate spelling and other errors. Richard commented, "I read the translated version and think it is fascinating. The strength and methods of the author's analysis are just as interesting as the topic." Frank wrote, "On the matter of substance, I believe the research is comprehensive and worth sharing with our membership. In some respects it parallels some of the work that I have shared with the group, albeit much more extensive than what I have done in this area." I fully agree with Richard and Frank; and being able to point this out to you BB readers was my major reason for writing this article. I believe the book is of general relevance to all BBers and of special interest to Croatian-linked BBers. Before I wrap up this report, however, I wish to mention that Dr. Hajszan also speaks of the founding of Neuberg, beginning his sections on the early history by saying, "Only after V. Zimänyi analyzed [in 1962] the Urbare of the 16th Century Güssing Herrschaft, was it clear that the beginnings of Neuberg do not lie in the dark." Unfortunately, it is all too often true that we cannot establish when Burgenland villages were founded. Hajszan does so for Neuberg, however, by first speaking of the toponym "Rud," which is mentioned in 1333, locating where it was (he actually did this in his Güttenbach study), then noting that no Croatians were there then and that the place disappeared from records thereafter. "Rud" would have spanned the region wherein Neuberg currently lies. He then documents "Nowaghora" in 1576, which is the first mention of the village now known as Neuberg, and shows that it is filled with Croatian-based surnames. These names then become the basis for his surname-based origin analysis. I found the book informative and its analysis interesting. For these reasons, I enthusiastically recommend you take the hour needed to read the text and explore the figures, even if you have no Croatian connection. I more strongly recommend a reading if you have Croatian roots and, for you who have roots in Neuberg, this is a must-read! You can find the translation at The History of Neuberg im Burgenland (a link by this name has been added to the BB homepage). |
4) THE CAROLINGIAN COLONIZATION OF LOWER BURGENLAND (by Wilhelm Schmidt) An assumption underlying much of the genealogical research of the ethnic-German American Burgenländer is that their ancestors migrated to western Hungary from southwestern Germany sometime after the failed siege of Vienna in 1683—like the Donauschwaben. But the retreat of the Turks eastward left western Hungary largely unscathed and its population mostly intact. The question then is when and how was the region first populated by Germans. To the best of my understanding, it was during Carolingian times (800s), and the Germans were peasants transplanted by Bavarian noblemen who had been given dominion over the eastern frontier territory (Ostland). They relocated surplus tenants of their estates back home. Two objections to this scenario have been raised: One, that the colonization of the region during Carolingian times is undocumented. Two, that any colonization that did occur did not outlast the Hungarian conquest of the Pannonian Plain (900s). These objections can be countered by evidence I consider irrefutable, the first by the origin of the names of the villages in the region, the second by the continued use of the names, as well as the use of the language spoken by the immigrants, albeit in slightly altered form. The evidence countering the first objection is that the villages have German names. But they also have Hungarian names. In many instances, the name in one language is simply a literal translation of the name in the other, e.g., Deutschschützen and Nemetlövö (German archers). But in others, the name in one language is only a verbal equivalent of the name in the other, e. g. Kohfidisch and Gyepüfüzes. This German name is senseless, while the Hungarian name has a definite meaning (border defense scrub land). By implication, the village is originally Hungarian. My birth place serves as a counterexample. It was assigned the name Pornóapáti (abbey of Pornó) in 1895, when birth, death and marriage records were converted from ecclesiastic to civil. Until then, it was called Pornó in Hungarian and Pernau in German. Colloquially, it was Bernau, a contraction of Bärenau (bear meadow). Since the Hungarian name is obviously a mispronunciation of the German name, the village must predate the Hungarian land-taking. In other words, it has to be Carolingian in origin. To determine the extent of the Carolingian settlement, an analysis of the names of all the villages in the region would have to be undertaken. But an understanding of the circumstance of the settlement can take the place of a detailed analysis. The region in question is the lower part of present-day Burgenland, in Carolingian times the county of Steinamanger (present-day Szombathely). It was bounded in the west by the Lafnitz River, on the north by the Zöbern (Gyöngös) River and on the east and south by the Raab (Rába) River. From 837 to 857, the administrator of this area was Rihheri, a Bavarian noblemen whose family seat was located east of present-day Munich. Curiously, names of villages in the area near his family seat recur in the county of Steinamanger (among them Bernau, Schilding, Neudau, Oberdorf). More generally, many villages in the county are named in the manner typical of Bavaria, of which the endings “au” (meadow) and “dorf” (village) are indicative. The apparent explanation is that they were named by Bavarian immigrants. The evidence countering the second objection (that the Carolingian settlements did not survive the Magyar conquest) also has a linguistic basis. The fact of the matter is that the villages in the eastern foothills of the Alps retained their German names. Several factors account for this retention. One is that, by 900, the villagers were at least already third-generation inhabitants and were well entrenched. Another is that the Hungarians still led a nomadic life. They set down in the plain north and east of Steinamanger, which was suitable for raising herds of horses, while the hills and valleys west of it were not. The “settlements” in the plain (originally tents and wagons) have Hungarian names (Bulcsu, Harka). Since the inhabitants of the Bavarian villages were farmers, the presence of the Hungarians in the plain probably provided a market for their produce—a welcome situation for both ethnic groups. A final indication that the colonization survived the coming of the Hungarians is that Hianzisch is the lingua franca of the region. This dialect, with the exception of the “ui” diphthong, is Bavarian. Its local predominance over Hungarian—to the time of my childhood—would have been impossible had the Carolingian settlement ceased. Despite their cogency, these refutations do not conclusively prove my contention that the lower part of Burgenland was originally settled by Bavarian peasants and continued to be occupied by them... but they show that it was likely enough to be considered true.   Ed:
The "official" position of the Burgenland Government, at least as published by its
Landesmuseum in the 2011 book, "Historischer Atlas Burgenland" (Dr. Josef Tiefenbach,
Publisher and Editor), is that, after Charlemagne defeated the Avars, he incorporated into his
Carolingian Empire all of the territory below the Danube from Enns to Lake Balaton as part of
the Duchy of Bavaria [this
Wikipedia map gives a view of the extent of the Carolingian Empire, with Enns located just
south of the Danube River below the "s" in text "East March"].After reorganization of the conquered Avar territory, a wave of Bavarian-Franconian colonization began along the edge of the Eastern Alps, including today's Burgenland (the image to the right indicates archeological findings that support this belief [click for larger version]). Colonization continued until the Magyars defeated the Bavarians in 907 at the Battle of Pressburg. The book says the defeat "meant, however, by no means the complete decline of the Carolingian colonization work, and certainly not the extermination of the entire population," though the Bavarians lost control of all territory gained by Charlemagne to the east of Enns. The frontier would not move east again, this time to the Leitha and Lafnitz rivers (the 1000-year border), until after the Magyars were defeated in 955 at the Battle of Lechfeld. This defeat began the second German (Ottonian) colonization of the area, though today's Burgenland remained a part of Hungary until 1921. |
5) THE LOST PLACES OF THE HEIDEBODEN IN BURGENLAND Like all regions, Burgenland has seen named places come and go. The Neusiedl / Heideboden area of northern Burgenland was particularly hard hit, losing villages and farm estates to the contractions and expansion of the Neusiedlersee, to epidemic disease, and also to the multiple raids by the Turks as they moved against Vienna over the 150 years of their presence in Hungary. Below is a list of names from this area that were mentioned in the 1566 Urbar of the Hungarian Altenburg district ...but no longer exist (however, a few places live on under a different name, as noted below). While it is unlikely that more than a few of these place names appear in available genealogical records, we still offer them on the off-chance that they might. • Altdort (Fischldorf) - southeast of Wallern • Altes Dorf (Fischerdörfl) - northeast of Nickelsdorf, small settlement of 30-40 houses and a church. • Altsaida - former farmstead settlement at Nickelsdorf, moved to the Kleylehof. • Bánlaka, Bánfalva, Vytézfelde, Vitézföld - today Apetlon. • Dobron, Dobrony - by Zurndorf. Either destroyed by border fighting in 15th Century or victims of cholera. • Finsterkreuz - in Andau area, no documentation found. • Friedrichshof - Manor Farm at Zurndorf, abandoned 1936. • Götsch, Kötsch, Kejes, Kees, Keych - east of Apetlon, 1262 first, 1362 last written records of abandoned settlement. • Haberndorf - between Andau, Halbturn, Zanegg and St. John, the area now is part of Albrechtsfeld; destroyed in Turkish assault of 1529. • Hannifthal, Hanftal, Hauftal, Hanifahal, Kendervölgye - between Neusiedl am See and Jois, flooded in 1230 by the Neusiedlersee. • Inse - on Heideboden, location unknown, lost since the Mongol invasion in 1241. • Kaal - located between Parndorf and Neusiedl am See, known from 1264, may have come from early on. • Kapitelhof (Neuhof) - former farmstead by Weiden, abandoned 1930. • Katzendorf, Machkad or St. Georgen am See - between Mönchhof, Podersdorf and Frauenkirchen, fell victim to the Turkish assault in 1529. Today's Podersdorf pasture lies on the boundary of the former Katzendorf. • Königsbrunn, Chunigesbrunnen - south of Pachfurth, founded 1025-1030, after 1075 no longer mentioned in documents. Cause of desertification unknown. • Königshof (Ödes Kloster) - south of Wilfleinsdorf, destroyed 1529. Rebuilt at the start of the 17th Century on the banks of Leitha, burned and destroyed in 1621 by Bethlen Gábor's insurgents, plundered and devastated in 1683 by the Turks, damaged in 1703 by the Kuruzzen difficulties. Manor Farm estate since 1912 in the Austrian Federal Treasury (Army Economics). • Krottenthal, Königstal, Sárvölgye - flooded by the lake in 1230, no contemporary reports. • Lampertfeld, Lampertföld - southeast of Wallern, within the confines of the former Götsch. Maybe Lampertfeld is the 300 yoke of arable land on which later came the village of Altdorf. Was this recovered swampland? • Lebern, Lebarn - by Edelstal. Church tower (Öder Turm or Heidenturm / desolate tower or pagan tower) still exists. A deserted village as early as 1527. • Lehndorf Leandorf Leánsuk, Lendorf, Lesonsuk, Lesansuk, Lesaonsuk, Togunfölde, Togunfelde - today Rohrerfeld between Andau, St. John and Wüst-Sommerein, destroyed 1529. A Lendorf is also listed as Oggau im See. • Martenhofen, Mortunháza, Martunháza, Morthonháza - between Illmitz and Apetlon, devastated 1529. • Micheldorf, Michldorf, Lobl, Loos, Loblo, Lobin, Lobloth - between Wallern and Pamhagen, destroyed 1529. • Mühldorf - between Mönchhof and Nickelsdorf, devastated 1529. • Pahlendorf, Furchendorf, Furchersdorf, Pellendorf, Pailendorf, Pelten, Pallendorf, Pechlen, Pethlen, Pelden, Belyd - between Gols, Podersdorf, Frauenkirchen and Mönchhof, destroyed 1529. • Pozendorf, Putzendorf - by Nickelsdorf going to Straß-Sommerein. Deserted. • St. Jakob, Jakabfalva, Urkun - in the southeast corner of Lake Neusiedl, flooded by the lake, deserted by 1425, mentioned for the last time in 1429. • Schwarzlacken, Fekete tó, Schwarzteich - northwest of Wallern, devastated by the lake. • See - Location unknown, probably southwest of Neusiedl am See, in the lake. Flooded by Lake Neusiedl in 1230 and lost. • Tard, Tord - west of Apetlon, no longer mentioned after 1400, lost by flooding. • Ungarisch-Rohr - east of Bruck an der Leitha, desolation unknown. • Vitézfelde, Vitézfölde (same as Bánlaka) - later Bánfalva, called Apetlon today. • Vogeldorf, Foguldorf, Fogundorf, Thenefalva, Thunafalva - between Mönchhof, Podersdorf, Gols and Frauenkirchen, destroyed 1529. • Zatschen, Chechunuelg, Zechun - between Nickelsdorf, Zurndorf, Gols and Mönchhof, devastated 1529. • Zitzmannsdorf, Ziterendorf, Chytwand, Zythwansdorff, Zitmannsdorf - between Neusiedl am See and Weiden, destroyed 1529. Deserted villages on the Heideboden in Hungary: • Willern - between Leiden and Metschern • Eggendorff - between Zanegg, Kaltenstein, Ungarisch-Altenburg and Wieselburg • Rottn Thuern - between der Leitha, Ragendorf and Pallersdorf • Collersdorff - between Ragendorf, Pallersdorf and Rottn Thuern • Hungervelt - between der Kleinen Donau, Ragendorf and Collersdorff • Schossenkhirchen - in the Leitha by Nickelsdorf • Puotzendorff - southwest of the road Nickelsdorf-Straßsommerein Source: Hungarian-Altenburg Urbar from 1566 |
6) HISTORICAL BB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES Editor: This is part of our series designed to recycle interesting articles from the BB Newsletters of 10 years ago. Again, however, I did not find a suitable short article in that edition so I went back to the early days of the BB, to Newsletter No. 31A (15 Mar 1998). Therein, I found an article concerning property ownership across time in Mariasdorf and other villages. I include only an excerpt below, as the full article was quite long and continued in Newsletter 32A. In addition, I complete the translation, as much of the property list was provided in German and only parts of it were translated by the original contributor. Having looked at many of the property lists provided in the BB's Houselists section, I recognize the underlying universality of the information presented by this Mariasdorf list, which targets the 1857-1874 era of owners and immediate successors (our Houselists are mainly from 1856-1858), goes back to 1770 where possible, then indicates "current" owners, where "current" represents circa 1988, the year the underlying book was published. Careful examination tells much about property inheritance practices, the mix of occupations in a Burgenland farm village, the typical ownership impact of the controlling nobility, and the changes in property use over the years. It is well worth studying, even if you have no direct interest in this village.  THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS No. 31A March 15, 1998 KAREN BARNARD SENDS US A LIST OF THE INHABITANTS ...of 5 villages in 1857 & 1770 and the inhabitants today, culled from a book she acquired. We offer her our thanks for her many hours at the keyboard. Because of the size of the file, it is being split into two parts, newsletters 31A and 32A (to be released March 31). To embellish her work, I've added a brief summary of Mariasdorf. MARIASDORF (Maria Falva); Kennzahl 0 33 53; Postleitzahl 7433, District (Bezirk) of Oberwart. S, 2 km to the W of Rt 50, N of Bad Tatzmannsdorf, 10 km north of Oberwart. Market community. Pop. 1315, houses 480 (1993). Includes the communities of Grodnau, Bergwerk, Neustift bei Schlaining, Tauchen. Municipal office, Post office & Volkschule, Police (Bad Tatzmannsdorf). Bürgermeister names from 1923: Ulreich, Karner, Hoffmann, Hotwagner, Hofmeister, Gassler, Prisching, Szendi, Versolmann, Kreimer. Clerks: Lindbauer, Zetter, Odorfer, Hutter, Berger. Mentioned as early as 1388. Part of the Landschaft of today's Oberwart since 14th Century. Herrschaft of Bernstein and Schlaining (Batthyány family). First emigrant 1895, name unknown. LDS RK church records, film 0700687, Lutheran, Ober-Schützen, films 0700662-664, civil records, films 0700371-373. Hungarian census of 1828, item no. 296, film 0623011. (Following is forwarded and translated by Karen Barnard) Most of this book is on Mariasdorf. There are also chapters on the villages of Grodnau, Tauchen, Bergwerk, and Neustift. It tells the name of the family (head of household) in 1857 and 1770 and who was living in those houses when the book was printed in 1988. The name of the book is: 600 Jahre Mariasdorf (Herausgegeben von der Gemeinde Mariasdorf anlässlich der 600-Jahr-Feier und der Markterhebung im Jahre 1988) [600 years Mariasdorf (Issued by the municipality of Mariasdorf on the occasion of the 600th anniversary celebration and the market survey in 1988)]. The first list is called: Der Mariasdorfer Grundbesitz 1857 bis 1874 und heute [The Mariasdorf Landed Property from 1857 to 1874 and Today]. MARIASDORF The Meierhof, designated a "Schloss" in the list, consisted of four buildings [numbers 1, 2, 43 and 54]. No. 1 [Meierhof]: with 111 Joch, 1248 [quadra-]Klafter of land [= 159 acres]. The Meierhof, with 86 Joch, 274 [quadra-]Klafter [= 123 acres], was sold about 1860 to the landowner and engineer Johann Deseö and his wife Klara nee Schubert. The remaining land was sold to the Irishman Edward Egan in Bernstein and passed down by his son to the Almásy family in 1892. Today: All [Meierhof] land in Mariasdorf has long since sold. On a part of the house property, the building of the Bäckerei [bakery] Siegfried Hutter, No. 60, was built. Only the house and garden are owned by the family Winds from Vienna. No. 2, with the tavern [part of Meierhof]: This Gasthaus became property of the municipality of Mariasdorf about 1859 and is now owned by the innkeeper Margaret Szendi.  No.
3: Johann Fürst and Elisabeth, née Unger, farmer; Co-owner was Samuel Fürst, k.k.
Cannoneer with the 5th Artillery Regiment. 1770: Mathias Stubenfoll was the owner.
Today: The building bears the house no. 77 and is owned by the municipality of Mariasdorf.No. 4: Mathias Ulreich and Anna née Ernst, farmers. 1770: Johann Hoffman the younger. Today: Family Ernst-Taucher. No. 5: Heirs after the 1840 death of Johann Schranz, whose children were: Barbara Ulreich born Schranz as well as Rosina, Elizabeth, Michael and Johann Schranz. Owner from 1878: Johann Ulreich, 1770: Johann Schranz. Today: Family Hans Ulreich No. 6: Co-owners were Johann Bock and Georg Eichberger. At about 1860, went to George Holzgethan and Anna née Hofmann, farmers. Succeeded by: Franz Fuith and Magdalena nee Ritter. 1770: Johann Bock, Sr. Today: Karl Fuith family No. 7: Josef Hodwagner and Maria nee Ochsenhofer, Farmer. Passed through to his son Joseph and wife Barbara Hodwagner. 1770: Johann Kern. Today: Maria Hotwagner family No. 8: Johann Hoffmann and Maria nee Ulreich, farmer. Successor in shares: Mathias, John, Samuel and Franz Hoffmann as well as Theresa Trümmel born Hoffmann. 1770: Johann Hoffman, Sr. Today: Alfred Hoffman family No. 9: Anna Hoffman nee Graf, widow, and the children: Johann, Josef, Maria, Theresia Hoffman. Successor: Johann Hoffmann and Theresia nee Krug. 1770: Christoph Hoffman. Today: Karl Hoffmann family No. 10: Theresia Karner nee Zumpf, widow, and the children Johann, Josef, Susanne, Theresia Karner. Successor: Josef Karner and Susanne nee Unger. 1770: Mathias "Korner" Sr. Today: Josef Karner family No. 11: Josef Karner and Susanne nee Ofenbeck, farmer. Succeeded by: John Karner and Rosina nee Fürst. 1770: Mathias Offenböck. Today: Josef Karner family No. 12: Anton Matis and Maria nee Ochsenhofer, shoemaker. Succeeded by: John Matis. 1770: Lisabeta Kennin. The building was demolished and a family house built elsewhere. Today: Maria Kuntschnig family No. 13: Josef Ofenbeck and Maria nee Kirnbauer, shoemaker. Succeeded by: Gottlieb Schranz and Rosina nee Ulrey. 1770: shepherd's house. Today: Reinhold Hotwager of Bergwerk No. 35 No. 14: Roman Catholic School, benefice. Today: School House now houses the nursery of the church. No. 15: Johann Pöltl (Peltl) and Anna nee Lautner, Söllner. Cited in the Land Register as "Concursmassa". Successor 1874: Michael Karner. 1770: Johann Trotmer, Söllner. Today: Hermione Karner family Söllner (see entry above) was a person with a house and garden but no (or little) farmland, who usually worked as a hired-hand, businessman or craftsman. This term was used in both 1857 and 1770 to indicate the property owner's status. Those craftsman specifically identified by occupation (like the shoemakers in houses 12 and 13 above) would also be in the Söllner class. Kleinhäusler is a related term and is also used in this list, but only in the 1857 entries; it may imply a (semi-)retired person/couple or widow/widower, again with house and garden but no farmland. Regardless, it is a subset of Söllner. At the top of non-noble medieval peasant village society were the farmers (Bauer). A certain amount of farmland (enough to support a family and the required tenths to the manor and church) was required before you were considered a Bauer. Some lesser nobles also were in this class. In addition, the term holte is used to describe some individuals in the 1770 entries. Initially, we thought this was an odd spelling of holde or hulde, German terms related to the status of Holden. Fritz Königshofer suggested that, since zsellér is the Hungarian form of Söllner, perhaps holte was a Hungarian form of holde. The problem with this proposal is that Holden were the poorest of the poor in feudal society, having neither house nor land, so it makes no sense that six people in this list would be designated holte=Holden, given they are in a list of property owners. (The term I've seen in village houselists for apparent Holden is Inwohner, which is Austrian dialect for lodger/renter.) However, hólte (note the accent) can translate to 'dead' in Hungarian, a status that works in the property owners list... but why would one obscure Hungarian word be used in 1988 in an otherwise German text, especially when the original 1770 list likely would have been written in Latin, not Hungarian? We are baffled! So, if you have a suggestion as to what the term holte meant in this list, please write and share your thought.] No. 16: Tobias Hulfeld and Anna nee Niker, shoemaker. Today: Paul
Klenner family |
7) ETHNIC EVENTS LEHIGH VALLEY, PA Sunday, June 8: Parish Festival at Queenship of Mary Catholic Church in Northampton (formerly Our Lady of Hungary). Music by the Josef Kroboth Orchestra. Info: www.queenshipofmary.weconnect.com. Friday-Saturday, June 13-14: Sommerfest at the Lancaster Liederkranz. Music by the Hank Haller Orchestra, the Philadelphia German Brass Band, and the Walt Groller Orchestra. Info: www.lancasterliederkranz.com. Saturday, June 14: Bavarian Biergarten at Emmaus Community Park. Sponsored by the Lehigh Sängerbund. Music by the Emil Schanta Band and the Lehigh Sängerbund Folk Singers. Info: www.lehighsaengerbund.org. Monday, June 16: German Heritage Night with the Iron Pigs at Coca Cola Park in Allentown. Info: www.ironpigsbaseball.com. Sunday, June 22: 97th Stiftungsfest at the Coplay Sängerbund. Choral Concert at 2 PM with the Coplay Sängerbund Chorus, the Hianz’nchor, the Reading Liederkranz Singers, and the Lancaster Liederkranz Hobbychor. Dance in the pavilion with the Emil Schanta Band. Info: www.coplaysaengerbund.com. Friday-Sunday, June 27-29: Parish Festival at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Allentown. Music by the Walt Groller Orchestra and the Emil Schanta Band. Polka mass on Sat. at 4:30 PM. Info: www.stfrancisallentown.org. Friday-Sunday, June 27-29: Wine Fest 2014 at the Reading Liederkranz. Info: www.readingliederkranz.com. Sunday, June 29: Parish Festival at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Limeport. Music by Alpine Express. Info: www.stjoescoopersburg.org. |
8) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch) Rudolf Richter  Rudolf
Richter, 87 of, New Paltz, New York, passed away on Sunday, March 16, 2014, at Vassar Brothers
Medical Center, Poughkeepsie, in the company of his family.Born in Tobaj, Austria, on January 9, 1927, he was the son of the late Franz and Maria (Malits) Richter. He married Emilie Baumann on February 10, 1953. They immigrated to the United States in 1955. Emilie passed away on May 1, 2010. He was a Superintendent in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY, prior to retiring to New Paltz. He was a member of St Joseph’s Church, New Paltz. He spent his retirement with his family, tending to his flower garden, and could often be seen around town in his 1974 blue Volkswagen Beetle. He is survived by his daughter and son in law, Trudy & Joseph Unger of New Paltz, NY; son and daughter in law, James and Denise Richter of Bethpage, NY; granddaughter, Jeanette Unger of New Paltz, NY; grandson, Steven Unger of Philadelphia, PA; grandson, Aidan Richter of Bethpage, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, March 21, 2014 at 11:00 am at St. Joseph's Church, 34 South Chestnut Street, New Paltz. Cremation will follow at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. Burial will be made in the family plot at Lloyd Cemetery at a later date. Friends may call Thursday, March 20, 2014, from 6 pm - 9 pm at Copeland Funeral Home, Inc., 162 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY. Donations may be made to Hospice Foundation, Inc., 374 Violet Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, The Foundation for Vassar Brothers Medical Center, 45 Reade Place, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, or St. Joseph's Church, 34 South Chestnut Street, New Paltz, NY 12561. Condolences may be made to the family at www.copelandfhnp.com. Gisela Bauer Gisela
Bauer (née Steiger), 87, of West Milford, New Jersey, entered her eternal home peacefully in her
sleep early on Thursday morning, May 8th, 2014.Born in Northampton, PA, her family returned to Gaas, Austria when she was a little girl where she was raised. Gisela met her husband just prior to her return to the US in 1948. She returned to Gaas, Austria in 1952 and was married that summer upon his proposal. She lived in Glendale, Queens, NY, for 45 years prior to moving near her son and his family in West Milford in 2009. Gisela was a devout and compassionate friend who always had a word of encouragement and wisdom for others. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. One relative has characterized her as a National Treasure. She was predeceased in death by her loving husband of 42 years, Stefan. She is survived by her devoted son Roland and daughter-in-law Jackie, her loving grandchildren Eric, Mark and Aaryn, as well as many loving nephews and nieces in the US, Canada and Austria. The family will greet friends and celebrate her life at Richards Funeral Home, 1440 Union Valley Road, West Milford, NJ, on Monday, May 12th, from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. There will be a celebratory Catholic mass at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, May 13th, 2014, at the Sacred Heart RC Church, 83-17 78th Ave., Glendale, NY, for her family and friends. Christian Burial will be at the Maple Grove Cemetery, 83-15 Kew Gardens Rd, Jamaica, NY, following the Mass. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Journey Church, 184 Marshall Hill Road, West Milford, NJ 07480. Please earmark all donations for the Benevolence Fund. richardsfuneralhome.com Published in The Record/Herald News on May 11, 2014 Oswald Demmel Oswald
P. Demmel, age 78, of Hamilton, Ohio, passed away at Fort Hamilton Hospital on Monday, May 12,
2014.He was born in Balf (Wolfs), Hungary on January 20, 1936 to Tobias and Elizabeth (Bader) Demmel. He immigrated to Germany in 1946 where he met his wife Franzi Greisinger. They were married on October 14, 1958 in Stuttgart, Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1959. He retied from Mosler Safe Company after 41 years. He was a member of the Liberty Home Assn. serving as President and Treasurer and the Edelweiss Sports Club where served as an officer. Oswald was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church. He is survived by his loving wife Franzi, sons Ralph (Joni) and Rick (Kathy); grandchildren Tyler, Ross, John Paul and Emily; one great grandchild Vivian; and one sister Heidi (Karl) Giessler. He was preceded in death by his parents. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Liberty Home Assn. 2361 Hamilton Cleves Rd., Hamilton, on Thursday May 15, 2014 at 5 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation- Cincinnati Chapter, 8041 Hosbrook Rd. Suite 422, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 or online http://www.jdrf.org/cincinnati. Condolences can be made at www.browndawsonflick.com. Published in Journal-News on May 13, 2014 Aurelia Auriemma Aurelia
Auriemma, 91, of Fountain Hills, Arizona, died Saturday, May 10, 2014 in Scottsdale, Arizona.Aurelia was born April 2, 1923 in Güttenbach, Austria, the daughter of Karl and Agnes (Kappel) Cvitkovits. The family immigrated to the United States in 1926, settling in Chicago, Illinois. Aurelia grew up in Chicago and married John Auriemma in 1946. They raised their family in Chicago until retiring in Fountain Hills, Arizona in 1984. Her husband John preceded her in death in 1997. Aurelia is survived by two sons; John Auriemma of Fountain Hills, Arizona and Dr. Peter (Nanette) Auriemma of Scottsdale, Arizona; one daughter, Lauren (Randy) Roberts of Fountain Hills, Arizona; two sisters, Caroline Lalinsky and Monica Beck, both of Chicago, Illinois; one sister-in-law, Phyllis Greco, of Scottsdale, Arizona; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A visitation will be held Thursday, May 15 from 6pm to 8pm, with a Rosary service at 7:00pm, at Messinger Fountain Hills Mortuary. A funeral Mass will be held Friday, May 16th at 11am at the Church of the Ascension, 12615 N. Fountain Hills Blvd, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268. Interment will be at Paradise Memorial Gardens following the services. Published in The Arizona Republic on May 14, 2014 Anna Brock Kennedy (née Schuch) Anna
Brock Kennedy, 92, of Loves Park, Illinois, died peacefully in her favorite chair on Thursday,
May 15, 2014.Born in Jabing, Austria on June 25, 1921 to the late Michael and Fannie (Eberhardt) Schuch, she immigrated to the United States in 1934. She lived in New York City, where she met her husband. In 1939, Anna married Jerry Brock (deceased). They lived in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Indiana. They had a truck stop together for a time where Anna would share her culinary gift with many hungry drivers. They had four children, Jerry, Gary, Annie (Atkinson, deceased), and Marie (Mitzi). They finally settled in Rockford, Illinois in 1960. After her husband passed in 1965, she continued to raise and care for her children. She moved to Loves Park, Illinois, worked on a punch press for Rockford Acromatic for many years and surrendered her career in manufacturing to help care for her family. Anna was a culinary whiz, known for her famous cheesecake, potato salad, baked beans, crepes, and more than thirty-five different varieties of Christmas cookies she baked every year and gave as gifts to her family and loved ones. She was also renowned for crocheting and knitting blankets, sweaters, and scarves for everyone she could give them to. She retired from caring for her family and became a resident at Wilkommen Plaza in Rockford, Illinois for a couple of years where she put her knitting and crocheting skills to generous use by making baby blankets and caps for the newborns at local hospitals. In 2012, Anna moved to Park Towers in Loves Park, Illinois, where she resided for the rest of her days. Survived by her three children Jerry (Kris), Gary (Marlyce), and Mitzi (Darwin Peterson); grandchildren Ricky, Brent (Lisa), Julie (Jeff Vaughn), Brandon, Michelle (Atkinson), Dennis Atkinson, Jennifer (Clarke), Jerry Peterson, Jeanette (Aaron Johnson); a plethora of great-grandchildren; and grand-puppies Ziggy, Toby, Gunny, and Pepper. She is loved and will be missed by us all. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the family. A visitation for Anna will be Monday May 19, 2014 from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Sunset Funeral Home 8800 N. Alpine Road in Machesney Park. Graveside service will follow at 2:30 p.m. Monday at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.sunsetfhmemgardens.com Anna May (née Potetz) Anna
P. May, 95, of New Britain, Connecticut, died Sunday, May 18, 2014 at the John Dempsey Hospital
in Farmington.Born in Neumarkt an der Raab, Burgenland, Austria, the daughter of the late Alois and Maria (Zotter) Potetz, she came to this country in 1936 and lived most of her life in New Britain. She had been the housekeeper at St. Maurice Rectory in New Britain for over 30 years; was a member of St. Peter Church, the Ladies Guild of St. Peter Church, the St. Agnes Guild and the New Britain Council of Catholic Women. Mrs. May is survived by two sons Rev. Ronald P. May of Southington, Robert and his wife Kathy May of Florida; a sister Margaret Kropfl of Austria ; a granddaughter Susanne Vanderheydon; and several nieces, nephews and friends. She was predeceased by a grandson, Steven R. May, two brothers Louis Potetz and Frank Potetz and a sister Mary Wischenbart. Funeral services will be held Thursday 10:00AM from the Farrell Funeral Home 110 Franklin Sq. New Britain with a mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM at St. Peter Church 98 Franklin Sq. New Britain. Burial will follow in Rose Hill Memorial Park, Rocky Hill. Visitation will be Wednesday from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the McLean Home and Hospice 75 Great Pond Road Simsbury, CT 06070 or to St. Peter Church. The May family would like to especially thank the kindness of the staff at John Dempsey Hospital and the McLean Hospice Care. To light a candle or send a condolence, please visit www.FarrellFuneralHome.com. Published in The Hartford Courant on May 20, 2014 Theresa Gaal (née Dex) Theresa
Gaal, 97, formerly of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, passed away Sunday, May 18, 2014, in Saratoga
Springs, New York.Her husband of 55 years, Eugene Gaal, died in 1993. Born in Felsorönök (Oberradling), Hungary, she was the daughter of the late Franz and Theresia (Gilly) Dex. She was employed at Sure Fit before retiring as a floor lady. Survivors: Daughter, Ann Gamble, and her husband John of Saratoga Springs, NY; brother, Rudolph Dex, and his wife Julie of Bethlehem; grandsons, John and James; great-grandsons, Tyler and Harry; niece, Terry Gentile, and her husband Fabio. Services: 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, in the Pearson Funeral Home, 1901 Linden Street, Bethlehem, followed by interment in Bethlehem Memorial Park. Published in Morning Call on May 24, 2014 Margaret Valenzi (née Sambold) Margaret
Valenzi, age 79, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 27,
2014, at Heritage Valley Sewickley.She was born in Dobersdorf, Austria on July 22, 1934, to the late Rudolph and Mary (Venus) Sambold. On October 1, 2010, she was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph V. Valenzi. Beloved mother of Ralph J. Valenzi of Scottsdale, AZ and Stephen M. Valenzi and wife, Katherine of Boca Raton, FL; cherished grandmother of Vince, Anthony, Stephen, Rachel and Michael; loving sister of Helen Mauhs and husband, Karl of Hamden, CT, Rudolph Sambold of San Mateo, CA, Frank Sambold of Glenshaw, PA and the late Walter Sambold; sister-in-law, Joan Sambold of Moon Township. Margaret was a Sewickley High School Graduate, member of St. Margaret Mary Church, retired as secretary for Green Engineering (Sewickley) and in her later years, was considered a family member by many families of Sewickley Heights. She requested no visitation. A Memorial Mass will be held later. Burial was private in Resurrection Cemetery. Arrangements by COPELAND'S. Donations may be made to St. Margaret Mary Church, 1 Parish Place, Moon Township, PA 15108. Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb Published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 28, 2014 |
END OF NEWSLETTER |
NOTICE (Terms and Conditions): The Burgenland Bunch (BB) was formed and exists to assist Burgenland descendants in their research into their heritage and, toward that end, reserves the right to use any communication you have with us (email, letter, phone conversation, etc.) as part of our information exchange and educational research efforts. • If you do not want your communication to be used for this purpose, indicate that it is "confidential" and we will abide by that request. • Correspondents who communicate with the BB without requesting confidentiality retain their copyright but give a non-exclusive license to the BB allowing us to forward to BB members, publish in our monthly newsletter or on our website, and/or subsequently and permanently archive all or parts of such communications. The Burgenland Bunch homepage (website) can be found at: http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org Burgenland Bunch Newsletter, copyright © 2014 by The Burgenland Bunch All rights reserved. Permission to copy excerpts granted if credit is provided. |
News
Update
on book "The Burgenländer Emigration to America": As I will do for a while, here is this
month's update on purchases of the English issue of the 3rd edition of Dr. Walter Dujmovits'
book “Die Amerika-Wanderung Der Burgenländer.” 
