BB News No. 116 Index dtd 31 Mar 2003

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 116 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) March 31, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) RECIPIENTS PLEASE READ: You are receiving this email because you are a BB member or have asked to be added to our distribution list. If you wish to discontinue these newsletters, email with message "remove". ("Cancel" will cancel membership, homepage listings and mail.) Send address and listing changes to the same place. Sign your email with your full name and include BB in the subject line. Send no attachments or graphics unless well known to me. Please keep changes to a minimum. To join the BB, see our homepage. We can't help with non-Burgenland family history. Appropriate comments and articles are appreciated. Our staff and web site addresses are listed at the end of newsletter section "C". Introductions, notes and articles without a by-line are written by the editor and reflect his views. Please exchange data in a courteous and cooperative manner-not to do so defeats the purpose of our organization. MEET THE BB'S 1000TH MEMBER - JOHN VITOPIL - SEE NEWSLETTER 116B. This first section of our 4-section newsletter includes the following: 1. Another Burgenland Enclave - Meadowlands, MN (also see article 1, NL 116A) 2. Eisenburg/Eisenberg - County (Hungarian Vas) - Village In Hungary & Austria 3. Austrian American Cultural Society - Pittsburgh, PA 4. BB-BG Membership - Chicago 5. About Your Editor 6. Email To Members Returned As Undeliverable 1. ANOTHER BURGENLAND ENCLAVE - MEADOWLANDS, MN ED. Note: The final destination of many Burgenland immigrants is obscure. When we do find one, it often comprises a small group, still existing today. BB Member Robert Paulson tells us of one he recently discovered. He submits the following (edited): * I have located another "Bunch of Burgenlanders". In Meadowlands, a very small community that was formed in the "cut over" timberlands of NE Minnesota about 30 miles due north of Duluth, Minnesota. Many of these immigrants listed Eisenburg as their birthplace. (ED. Note: Eisenburg is Komitat Eisenburg or the German name for Vas Megye [county]. Eisenberg is also a village in the district of Oberwart. It's Hungarian name was Schauka [Csejke in Croatian]. It has been my experience that when immigrants mentioned Eisenburg-Eisenberg they meant the county of Vas not the small village). I have attached an article by Dan Hoisington, research historian who did the work to put the church in Meadowlands (St. Joseph's) on the national register (see extracts at end of article). He states (with appropriate references) that in 1909, a land agent recruited 25 newly immigrated families from Austria-Hungary for colonization and purchase of surplus railroad right of way around Meadowland. They later formed the parish of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, in Elmer Township, St. Louis County, Minnesota. Checking the church and 1920 Census records, we find immigrants who mention Eisenburg as their place of origin. They may have been joined by later immigrants. The community also consisted of other Czech (Bohemians) and German immigrants. * Bob later forwarded data concerning some of these immigrants: Duluth, St Louis Co., MN, Naturalization Record: Name - Place of Birth - Date of Birth GRUBER, Joseph - Torvattal, Hungary - 3 Aug. 1876 RINGBAUER, Joseph - Gunseck, Eisenburg, Hungary - 24 June 1858 SCHUCK, Peter - Getfeld, Hungary - 27 May 1880 ROTH, John - Szanad, Hungary - 2 Feb. 1880 HORVATH, John - Vas Megye, Hungary - 10 Oct. 1869 LANDAUER, Joseph - Sopron Megye - 7 Feb 1884 13th Federal Census 1910 for Meadowlands Township, St. Louis Co, MN, ED 216, page 4: Name - Age - Status - Place of Birth - Language - Citizen - Year. of Immigration. HORVATH John - 26 - head (of family) - Hungary - German - Na(turalized) - 1907 Francis - 20 - wife - " - " - - 1906 GROVER Joseph - 34 - head - " - " - AL(ien) - 1906 Susan - 31 - wife - " - " - - 1906 Elizabeth - 14 - dau. - " - " Erea - 12 - " - " - " Tony - 9 - son - " - " Frank - 7 - " - " - " REISINGER Sam - 41 - head - " - " - AL - 1905 Antonia - 38 - wife - " - " - - 1905 Mary - 16 - dau. - " - " John - 14 - son - " - " Tony - 12 - " - " - " Francis - 8 - " - " - " DENIE Frank - 48 - head - " - English - AL - 1904 John - 18 - son - " - " Joseph - 14 - " - " - " 14th Federal Census 1920; Meadowlands Township, St. Louis Co, MN, ED 71, page 6: Name age status Yr. Imm. Citzen. Yr. Nat. Birth. Language Occupation KAMPER Paul 43 head 1906 NA 1915 Eisenburg Gm. Bricklayer Josephine 37 wife 1910 NA 1915 " " Joseph 13 son " " Wilma 11 dau. " Mary 6 " Minnesota Frank 5 son " Aniz 2 dau. " * Reply - Reading the naturalization papers, I find Kamper came from Klein Petersdorf and Ringhofer came from Hannersdorf (Sanfalva) - a few kms. n.e. of Klein Petersdorf. Both of these villages are in Burgenland today, so there is no doubt in my mind that this Meadowland group came from the Burgenland area. References to Eisenburg did mean the Hungarian County of Vas. There is a town in Vas Megye today by the name of Vasvar (east of Kormend) - its German name was also Eisenburg. Bothered me a little until I saw those naturalization papers. Our Burgenland editor, Albert Schuch was born and raised in Klein Petersdorf. I've copied him. You'll notice one of the family names was Schuck - could it be Schuch? Albert's parents still live in Klein Petersdorf. * Albert Schuch later writes: Thanks for sharing this information. The part on the Kamper family confirms information I received several years ago, when the late Mr. Philipp Kamper, one of the village elders of Kleinpetersdorf, told me a lot about the local emigration to America. He was able to name emigrants for almost every family of the village, including several of his own family. He told me that Paul Kamper, one of his father's brothers, had emigrated to the USA together with his wife Josepha nee Schaffer. He said that they had owned a farm "in Elmer in Minnesota" and that they had had 9 children. Hannersdorf (Samfalva) is very close to Kleinpetersdorf. Before Kleinpetersdorf belonged to the r.c. parish of Grosspetersdorf (ca. 1858), it was part of the parish of Hannersdorf. 2.EISENBURG/EISENBERG COUNTY (HUNGARIAN VAS) ALSO VILLAGE IN AUSTRIA & TOWN IN HUNGARY In a message dated 2/20/03, Bob Paulson, writes: Where exactly is Eisenburg? Reply - The Komitat Eisenburg (County Of Eisenburg) - later called Vas Megye (and previously called Komitat Castrifieri) was basically all of present-day Burgenland Province of Austria (eastern Austria beyond Vienna along the Hungarian border) less those parts (mostly northern and middle Burgenland) which came from the Hungarian counties (Megye) of Moson and Sopron. It also included those parts of Vas Megye (county) which is now the eastern region of Hungary along the Burgenland (Austrian) border. There is still a portion of Vas Megye in Hungary and it is called just that. Vas Megye (before 1921) included the districts (Jaras-Bezirk) of Szombathely, Koszeg, Sarvar, Kis Czell, Vasvar, Kormend, Muraszombathely, Szent Gotthard, Nemetujvar (German Güssing), Felso Eor. within these districts were various villages - today some are in Austrian Burgenland - some are still in Hungary. If you connect the present day towns and villages of Hungarian Kormend-St. Gotthard-Szombathely-Koszeg with the Austrian towns and villages of Fürstenfeld, Pinkafeld and Oberpullendorf, you'll have a pretty good idea of the extent of Komitat Eisenburg. Check the maps available from our homepage for both the area mentioned as well as the German-Hungarian names of the villages and towns mentioned. 3. AUSTRIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY, PITTSBURGH, PA (courtesy Anna Kresh) Anna Kresh recently forwarded a copy of this organization's Jan/Feb Information "Communique." One of the objectives of the Burgenland Bunch is to promote membership in our local ethnic organizations. Membership ($10-15 per year) in this group can be obtained from Membership Secretary Bernadette Miller, 12 Briar Meadows Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15216. Officers for 2003 are Robert Tate, President; Sister M. Traupman, Vice-president; Rita Lamm, secretary and George Mandl, treasurer. Their annual Viennese Ball (attended by Anna and husband Rudy) was held March 22 and received ample press coverage - in color no less. Among many other activities, they sponsor two scholarships for students to study in Austria. This edition of their newsletter also included extracts from our most recent BG article "Urbare Family History Source." We are pleased to see this cross fertilization of ethnic data. An article of interest was "Austria's Schools Rated Best" - it mentions that Austria and Finland score 6.4 on a scale of one (very poor) to seven (outstanding). 4. BB-BG MEMBERSHIP - CHICAGO Burgenland Bunch editor Tom Glatz (recently appointed Burgenländische Gemeinschaft membership chairman in Chicago) sends me the following: I received a call from BB member Tom Karones requesting to join. When I turned on my computer, BB member Barb Guttmann said she wanted to join. Last night I picked up a few more (members) at the dance. Walter Dujmovits (BG President) mentioned to you that he was worried about the decline in membership. I am starting to recieve positive results from the BG articles in the BB newsletter. There is one problem that has come up. Last week I rec'd hardly any mail. I believe several things I expected may have been lost by the post office. I am going there tomorrow. I am kind of concerned that some BB members may have sent me checks & I have not rec'd them. Did I send the notice of the Chicago BG event in July? If not I will send it. We are hoping the war with Iraq will not interfere with this like September 11th did with the last one. There will also be another Fuller Park Reunion in September. Emma Wenzel has been working very hard to find historical items of interest. She has been combing the libraries in the area. I might add that I have also discovered another genealogical/historical source concerning Chicago Burgenländer. The Chicago Eintracht newspaper was originally concerned with German speakers from Hungary and eastern Europe. This included Burgenland. The University of Cincinnati has several years on microfilm in their collection. I have not yet found how they can be accessed. Also I have decided to subscribe to the present Eintracht. Unfortunately it is more concerned with Germans from Germany. I am hoping by doing so I will have some leverage with them. They admitted to me that they also have stored microfilm copies but are very hesitant about letting anyone see them. I will do my best to see what I can do. 5. ABOUT YOUR EDITOR I'm a retired corporate accountant, grandson of four Burgenland immigrants. Born and raised in Allentown, PA (an important Burgenland enclave). I've made an exhaustive lifetime study of my family history and have linked my main family lines to the 17th century. Interested in all aspects of Burgenland history and culture, I've been writing Burgenland newsletter and magazine articles for many years, some of which have been published both here and in Austria. The BB was established in 1996 and the first BB Newsletter was released Jan. 1, 1997. At this juncture, I can say that the BB is the largest (perhaps the only) archive of Burgenland data in the English language. In order to accomplish this, I've had much help and cooperation from others (our list of editors can be found at 116C) as well as correspondence from over 1000 individuals. I've visited Burgenland and contiguous provinces in Austria many times in order to gather data and develop contacts. I've also visited neighboring and nearby countries (Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Greece, Italy, France, Turkey, etc.) and traveled the Danube from Germany to the Black Sea. I feel that my knowledge of the history and culture of the Burgenland area is now fairly comprehensive. I share this knowledge through the medium of our newsletter. I've accumulated a large ethnic library including publications in German (which I read slowly), Latin and Hungarian (both of which I can only scan with dictionary in hand.) I hope to eventually leave a repository of Burgenland family history to the descendants of Burgenland immigrants, in a form which they can readily access. I wish to overcome the two main deterrents to our family history research, the passage of time and the need to read a foreign language. It is also my dream to eventually establish a data base containing the names, villages of origin and places of settlement of all of the Burgenland immigrants to America, thus honoring them, preserving their history and providing a link to their places of origin. The first step in this direction was to place an immigrant registry (with help of Klaus Gerger) in the BG Immigrant Museum in Güssing. This registry contains our BB membership data as of June 2001. I also serve as host to our World Gen Web Burgenland Query Board (served by Roots Web) and write a column for the Burgenlandische Gemeinschaft News (published in Güssing, Burgenland). Your membership data, cooperation and occasional assistance is appreciated. Gerry Berghold Burgenland Bunch Founder & Coordinator Editor Burgenland Bunch News 6. EMAIL TO MEMBERS RETURNED AS UNDELIVERABLE (Subject idea courtesy of RootsWeb Newsletter - edited for our use.) Let's say you find a possible internet contact for information about your ancestors. You then send email which bounces. If your message was returned because of a full mailbox, or other temporary reasons, you can always try again in a few days. However, if it bounces because the address is longer valid, then what do you do? First, it does no good to contact your editor or those maintaining the lists, because we only have what you've found. If members don't update their addresses with us (about 50 of our 1000 are obsolete), they are in limbo. Some do supply a new address eventually. When they do, we update our lists, so it is always worthwhile to check later. Most family history researchers also leave a trail, so you should look outside the BB. There may be a link to the person's homepage or to their family tree at one of the other family history websites. Check those carefully because there might be an e-mail address there that is different from the one we have. Do they have a guest book on their homepage? If so, leave them a note. Where else might this person have posted? Message Boards? Mailing Lists? What surnames? What localities? Search through the appropriate archives to see if you can find a more recent address for them. If they are working the same family lines you are, they are probably using the same resources. Where have you left a virtual trail? Post a response to any of their old messages in hopes they will see it. Ask others if they know of an address for this "lost" cousin. To find Message Boards and Mailing Lists click on the appropriate tab at the BB Homepage or near the top of any RootsWeb page, or at the RootsWeb Home Page: http://www.rootsweb.com/ Newsletter continues as no. 116A.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 116A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) March 31, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This second section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. Meadowlands, MN Burgenland Enclave - St. Joseph's Parish 2. Request From Markt Allau (Albert Schuch) 3. Book "Braut-Sprüche und Braut-Lieder" (Albert Schuch) 4. NYC Hungarian Genealogy Conference (Margaret Kaiser) 5. Burgenland Displaced Persons Camp (Kaiser & Bob Strauch) 6. Genealogy Workshop - Allentown, PA MEADOWLANDS, MN BURGENLAND ENCLAVE - ST. JOSEPH'S PARISH (courtesy Bob Paulson) (ED. Note: The following is an extract of a research report prepared by historian Dan Hoisington in order to place subject church on the National Register Of Historic Places. It was forwarded to me by BB member Robert Paulson, co-author (with LaVern J. Rippley) of the book "German-Bohemians" (previously reviewed in this newsletter). While the entire narrative of the report is of importance to family history, we have selected only those portions relating to Burgenland immigrants. Both Czech (Bohemia-Moravia) and other ethnic groups were also part of the St. Joseph-Meadowland Colony). We have rarely seen such interesting material concerning Burgenland immigrant settlement. We are indebted to both Dan Hoisington and Robert Paulson for bringing it to our attention.) Church of Saint Joseph (Catholic), Elmer Township, St. Louis County, MN Narrative Statement of Significance (by Dan Hoisington) The Church of Saint Joseph, located in Elmer Township, Minnesota, is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A, significance to the broad patterns of our history, in the area of Settlement. The church is a representation of the settlement of the "cut-over" area of Minnesota in the early 20th century. During the last decades of the nineteenth century, logging companies harvested most of the prime timber in northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. To sell its cutover land in northeast Minnesota, the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad (D&IR) created a Land Commission office and paid agents to attract settlers. In 1909, a Chicago land agent recruited some twenty-five families to purchase land near Meadowlands, Minnesota. These settlers, most newly emigrated from Austria-Hungary (including a number from Burgenland), moved to the area as members of a loosely organized "Saint Joseph's Colony." To encourage the settlement, the company donated land and cash for construction of a Catholic church and cemetery. The period of significance ranges from the construction of the church in 1913 through 1928, when the D&IR ended its intensive land sales operations in the Meadowlands area.... Economic Changes Between 1890 and 1910, mining companies opened the Mesabi Iron Range - a rich deposit of ore spread in an arc one hundred miles northwest of Duluth. Cities sprang up in the wilderness, including Hibbing, Virginia, Eveleth, and Coleraine. Several railroads opened lines to the mines, including the Duluth & Iron Range (1874, 1882) and the Duluth, Missabe, and Northern (1891). However, the land between Duluth and the Iron Range cities remained sparsely settled. Meadowlands Township, for example, listed no permanent residents in the 1900 Census, with only three residents in Elmer Township.... Typically, a prospective buyer obtained information on available land from the department office in Duluth and purchased the land directly from the company. For example, Ellis Speece recalled that, in 1908, he caught a train from the Twin Cities for Duluth and went directly to the land office. The land office agent took him to Meadowlands, and showed him several tracts of land. Speece completed the deal on the spot.... Saint Joseph Colony In 1909, D&IR Land Agent E. Xavier Erlinger recruited some twenty-five families in Chicago to settle just west of Meadowlands. Company literature referred to the settlers as "a colony of 35 German Catholics, known as the St. Joseph's Colony." The colony was not a formal legal entity and kept no financial records or minutes. The colony was a marketing device used by the D&IR, modeled after similar cutover land promotions. The establishment of a colony was one of the simplest means to sell the land. For example, one company organized the colony of "Cloverlands" near Merrill in Wisconsin's cutover lands, advertising for settlers in German-language newspapers in Milwaukee and Chicago. The Good Land Company attracted some forty-five immigrants to farms near Bayfield, Wisconsin, using Bohemian, Slovak, and Hungarian agents.... Although there is no formal list of the Saint Joseph colonists, D&IR records show that twenty-five residents of Cook County, Illinois, bought company land in Meadowlands Township between 1909 and 1911. However, several purchased property several miles from the Saint Joseph's Colony, as designated on company maps, and were undoubtedly not part of this group. The first members of Saint Joseph's Church were generally recent immigrants (only four came before 1900) from Austria-Hungary, who spoke either German or Magyar. Combined with Moravians and Bohemians, these nationalities were among the most recent immigrants to the United States and bore the brunt of depressed urban conditions following the Panic of 1907. Most Saint Joseph's colonists came north as family units. D&IR literature suggests that they shared a common experience, stating: ...We located on our lands about thirty families, most of them having some previous farm experience. These people were brought directly from city occupations and placed on lands just west and adjoining Meadowlands in what is known as St. Joseph's Colony. The D&IR sold the land in forty acre sections at $15.00 an acre. It provided financing, with the plan calling for payment of interest alone for four years, then payment of the principal over eleven or twelve years. For example, Joseph Ringhofer purchased forty acres on 1 December 1909 for $600. After an initial down payment, he paid interest of $33.60 for the first four years, then paid interest and principal until completing the plan in 1923. Xavier Erlinger, referred as the President of the Colony by the D&IR, acquired a forty-acre lot adjacent to the church. Although he left the area by 1920, his son, Otto, remained on the farm through the 1920s. Church of Saint Joseph With a donation of $500 from the D&IR, the colonists built the Church of St. Joseph in 1913. The church initially was a mission of Saint Clement's Parish in Duluth. In 1917, after the parish incorporated, Bishop McGolrick transferred title to the Church of Saint Joseph, Elmer, for the sum of one dollar. At the time of construction, the settlers erected a small social hall and woodshed on the church property. The community used the hall and woodshed as a schoolhouse until St. Louis County School #147 opened in 1913. The church and hall became a center for the community - the only public buildings near the Elmer depot until construction of a town hall in 1927.... Early Years of Saint Joseph's Colony The first years were difficult. In the early spring of 1910, the settlers moved into tents at the side of the Elmer Railroad Station. On the morning of April 26th, they learned about the harsh weather when a heavy snow storm collapsed their tents. The weather scarcely met the rosy predictions of D&IR brochures. John Horvath recalled, "In 1910, July 4th , my neighbor, Mr. Hazel, came to see my garden because his was all frozen. My garden wasn't at that time but later on it froze destroying all the good crops." In that first year, snow fell in the middle of October. Most settlers ran small mixed-use farms, selling their products at the farmers' markets in Hibbing and Duluth. However, these markets were not easily accessible. On his first trip to the Hibbing market, Alois Ringhofer recalled that it took ten hours to haul his 135-bushel load of potatoes with a team and wagon. Many supplemented their income by picking wild berries.... Masayrk-Meadowlands Few additional settlers followed the Chicago colonists - certainly not the one hundred additional families predicted by Arnold - so the land commission turned to a new target. In 1917 it sent agent Frank Kozumplik into the Czech community in Chicago, promoting the colony of Masaryk-Meadowlands - named after the founder and first President of the Republic of Czechoslovakia, Tomas Masaryk. This colony encompassed the unsold western lots of the original Saint Joseph's Colony. Bibliography (partial) Balach, Robert "A History of the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railroad," M.A. thesis, University of Minnesota, 1968. Branson, Ada Frances Coons, editor. History of Meadowlands, 1900-1975. Printed privately, 1976. Castle, Henry A. Minnesota: Its Story and Biography. Chicago and New York: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1915. Chrislock, C. Winston. "The Czechs," in June Drenning Holmquist, editor, They Chose Minnesota: A Survey of the State's Ethnic Groups. Saint Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1981. Church of Saint Joseph, Elmer, file, Diocese of Duluth. Cossette, Raymond J. "The Catholic Church in the City of Duluth, 1869-1890." M.A. Thesis, SaintPaul Seminary, 1965. Danbom, David B. Born in the Country: A History of Rural America. Baltimore: Johns HopkinsUniversity Press, 1995. Davis, Mark. "Northern Choices: Rural Forest Country in the 1920s, Part I," Wisconsin Magazine ofHistory (1996): 3-31. Duluth and Iron Range Railway Company Records, Minnesota Historical Society. Duluth Missabe and Iron Range Railroad Company Records, Minnesota Historical Society. Elmer Pioneer Reunion. "Elmer Pioneer Reunion, August 11, 1940 at Elmer School." Virginia, MN:1940. Elmer Township Records. Iron Range Research Center, Chisholm, MN. "German Settlers Built Elmer Church," Duluth Register, Special section, April 1960. 2. REQUEST FROM MARKT ALLHAU (from Albert Schuch) Mr. Harald Fassman of Traun, Upper Austria, asks me to forward the following question: Is it possible to determine whether an emigrant returned to Burgenland / Austria? (Did these re-migrants have to register somewhere, at some governmental agency?) (ED. Not to my knowledge although someone estimated a 25% return rate.) Furthermore, could you please include the following in one of our next newsletter: Harald Fassmann of Traun, Upper Austria, is researching his family history in Markt Allhau, Burgenland. His great-grandfather Hermann Neubauer was born (25 Jan 1885) and died (5 March 1944) in Markt Allhau. Hermann's twin brother Johann and another brother named Josef, as well as Karolina Neubauer (born 1908, cousin of Mr. Fassmann's grandmother), emigrated to the US between 1910 and 1921. Via ellisisland.org, Mr. Fassmann found out that in 1921 Johann Neubauer resided at 4438 Princton Ave., Chicago, Ill. Mr. Fassmann thinks that most of the above-mentioned emigrants have returned to Austria but he does not know for sure. Mr. Fassmann would like to get in touch with fellow Allhau researchers. Since his English language capabilities are limited he asks to be contacted via BB-Burgenland Editor Albert Schuch. 3. BOOK "BRAUT-SPRÜCHE UND BRAUT-LIEDER" (McGurk and Albert Schuch) Ms. McGurk writes to Albert: I received an answer to a question that I sent to Gerry Berghold last September. It was about a book that my grandfather, Michael Opitz, (who was from Apetlon), had in his possession. Mr. Berghold said he had forwarded the query to you to see if you could tell me something about it. It is a book called "Braut-Spruche" (with two dots over the u). As I told Mr. Berghold, I had a friend who is from Germany look at it, but she found it difficult to read. She thought it was written in the old script. She thought it might be songs and poems of advice for people getting married. One of the front pages said "Braut lieder in Ungern". Albert replies: Are you perhaps referring to Remigius Sztachovics' "Braut-Sprüche und Braut-Lieder auf dem Heideboden in Ungarn"? This book has been printed in Vienna in 1867. The author, a priest (1812-1884) of the Pannonhalma Abbey, was one of the most industrious collectors of folks songs, plays and poems of the Heideboden area (which includes Apetlon). Your friend from Germany is right: These are indeed traditional folk songs and poems of advice for people getting married. They were performed at the marriages and were handed down from generation to generation by the way of oral tradition. During the 19th century, researchers developed an interest in this kind of literature and started to write it down. One of them was Remigius Sztachovics. Hope this information is of help. If you have detailed questions please feel free to ask. Best regards, Albert Schuch - Vienna, Austria BB-Burgenland Editor 4. NYC HUNGARIAN GENEALOGY CONFERENCE (courtesy Margaret Kaiser) GENEALOGIA: AHEA 2003 Conference Program *** NEW Website: http://magyar.org/ahea/ **** *** NEW HunOR/HAL Website: http://hungaria.org/hal/**** American Hungarian Educators' Association 2003 Conference Program April 24-27, 2003 Columbia University, International Affairs Building W. 118th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, New York City Hosted by East Central European Center, Columbia University, Hungarian Cultural Center, and Consulate General of the Republic of Hungary 5. BURGENLAND DISPLACED PERSONS CAMP (Kaiser & Strauch) Margaret writes: Cyndi's List has just added this site of possible interest to some BB'ers, in particular those who have Hungarian relatives who were expelled in 1946. This site is likely to expand. Browsing this site one finds photos, personal accounts and other information about the camps. I believe Bob Strauch mentioned that there was a camp in Burgenland (perhaps not for DPs). He also mentioned the name of the camp in Germany where many of the DPs were sent. Unfortunately, I can't recall these locations. URL: http://www.dpcamps.org TITLE: displaced persons camps Europe DESCRIPTION: The most comprehensive dp camp list and research on the web. Personal histories, addresses, photos e-mail inquiries and links. Nondenominational, all nationalities. Bob responds: The camp in Bgld. was in Lackenbach near Oberpullendorf and was for gypsies. I don't think that our people from the border region in Hungary were put into camps after the expulsion to Germany in 1946. At least I never heard it mentioned. I always assumed that, after arrival, they were divided among villages around Landsberg am Lech (Bavaria) and Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart. Farmers and townspeople were "obligated" to provide housing for the refugees. 6. GENEALOGY WORKSHOP - ALLENTOWN, PA The Lehigh County Historical Society will hold its 14th annual genealogy workshop May 3 at the Lehigh County Government Center, 7th & Hamilton Streets - cost $35 including lunch. Call 610-435-1074 for details. (ED. Note - the library of this organization has much data re Burgenland immigrants - particularly typed copies of Allentown immigrant church records and city directories.) Newsletter continues as no. 116B.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 116B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) Mar. 31, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) *** 1000TH MEMBER JOINS BURGENLAND BUNCH! *** This third section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. 1000th Member Joins Burgenland Bunch! 2. Reading Hungarian Records 1. 1000TH MEMBER Just a few years ago, a small handful of internet surfers were searching for information about their Burgenland immigrant families. Contact was made and the Burgenland Bunch was born, evolving into the present organization. Our membership went world-wide and we attracted volunteers who maintain the websites, respond to questions and prepare the newsletter. Just a few days ago, our membership reached the 1000 mark. This article brings you the details of that contact. We hope you will join us in welcoming John Vitopil, our 1000th member. *In a message dated 3/16/03 12:45:04 PM Eastern Standard Time, John Vitopil writes: John Vitopil; happyaggie@msn.com; Leier, Johanna, born 1886, baptized 1886 in Pamhagen (my paternal grandmother); parents Frantcz Leier, Katherina Schillinger. Immigrated to Galveston, Texas in 1887. Settled in Bryan (Brazos county) Texas. Married Anton Vytopil in 1906. I just found a copy (of a) baptismal record (for) Johanna Leier that listed Pamhagen as the city. This is the first information I have been able to find about any of my ancestors from Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia. Please add me to your mailing list. I have looked at some of your newsletters and find them very helpful about how to get started and where to find information in Austria. Thank you, John Vitopil, Hilltop Lakes, Texas * We respond: John, welcome to the Burgenland Bunch. I'm very pleased to receive your request, as you are the 1000th descendant of Burgenland immigrants to join our group. It is most interesting that your ancestor was among the early group from the northern Burgenland Neusiedler See area, which entered the US from Galveston. The majority of our Burgenland immigrants entered from New York. You may be aware that there are still many Leier families in Pamhagen. We also have many members who have ancestors from this area (see Tschida families) who settled in the mid-west. We will list your membership data in the following way: John Vitopil, happyaggie@msn.com; Hilltop Lakes, Texas. LEIER, SCHILLINGER; Pamhagen. Entered US through Galveston 1887, Texas. Settled in Bryan (Brazos county) Texas. 1000th Burgenland Bunch member! For my information, is the Vytopil name Czech, German or Hungarian? Do you know if your paternal grandfather was born in the Austrian Empire?-where? The occasion of our 1000th member is an important milestone in the life of our group. I will be writing an article, reporting same, in our next newsletter. Likewise, my good friend, our partner in Austria, Dr. Walter Dujmovits, president of the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft and editor of their newsletter (offices Güssing, Austria) would also like to write an article reporting same. He would like a picture of you and your grandmother, if possible. You may send them to me, as well as any additional information. I will forward them to Dr. Dujmovits and ask that he send you a copy of the newsletter. The Gemeinschaft is an organization with Burgenland ties all over the world. Their newsletter is sent by surface mail and they hold an annual picnic in Moschendorf, Burgenland. You may see their website by clicking on the appropriate hyperlink on the Burgenland Bunch website. We are two organizations with a common purpose, although the Burgenland Bunch is primarily a family history group. A Gemeinschaft article may well result in information and contacts from possible relations in Austria. I have copied our BB staff, as they will all have a great interest in your membership and will join me in welcoming you to our group. I particularly draw your attention to our corresponding editor Dale Knebel, who is our northern Burgenland editor with ties to Apetlon, a few kms. northwest of Pamhagen. Under separate email, I am sending you a copy of our normal Welcome Letter, which provides information concerning our available family history lists and archives. As our 1000th member, I am offering you our full help and expertise in Burgenland family history matters. Feel free to contact me, our Burgenland editor (Albert Schuch), or any of our staff at any time. Hoping our relationship will be a fruitful one, I wish you well in your family searches and hope to hear from you soon. Regards, Gerry Berghold * Reply from John Vitopil I am told that my Vytopil's came from Germany, but the US Census sometimes lists their place of birth as Germany and sometimes Austria. My mother's family supposedly came from Czechoslovakia. Paternal info: Antone Vytopil, born in Texas, 11 July 1884 Anton Vytopil, born in Moravia, Austria, 6 June 1845 Marie Elzner, born in Moravia, Austria, 22 March 1847 Maternal info: John (Jan) Ondrasek, born in Czechoslovakia, 18 Nov 1860 Tracy (Tresa) Surovik, born in Bohemia, Moravia, 24 Feb 1867 John Bravenec, Born in Moravia, Austria, 26 Feb 1877 Mary Zalobny, born in Texas, 27 Aug 1882 William Zalobny, born in Moravia, Austria, 1844 Francis (Frantiska) Lostak, born in Moravia, Austria, 17 Sept 1851 * Reply: I have forwarded your email and attached pictures to our BB-BG Liason, Klaus Gerger, as well as to the BG editor, Dr. Walter Dujmovits. You may already know much of what I am going to relate. Bohemia-Moravia was part of the Dual Monarchy (Austro-Hungarian Empire formed in 1867 - the Ausgleich - following the Hungarian revolution of 1848). As early as 1526, Bohemia-Moravia became part of the Habsburg (Austrian) crown lands, those areas to which the Habsburgs laid claim due to succession. Those parts just north of present-day Hungary were administered by Hungary following the Ausgleich, the balance by Austia. The Hungarians under the Dual Monarchy were independent except for military and international relations. This all came to an end in 1918 when the monarchy was dissolved and the empire fragmented into today's national states. Bohemia-Moravia became part of the newly created Czechoslovakia. While under the Hapsburgs, this region saw much Germanic colonization. There was also much movement between the various parts of the empire. It has been said that Vienna before 1918 was a "tower of Babel." While the BB doesn't extend its research beyond the borders of today's Burgenland Province of Austria, we do recognize the possibilities of such movement. It is quite common for ship's manifests, naturalization papers and census to confuse Germany vs Austria as place of origin. We even find Hungary and Croatia used. In fact, if an immigrant spoke German, he might have his place of origin shown as any of the Germanic states. This of course is due to the lack of knowledge of the writers who frequently used language as their clue to origin. Since many immigrants spoke multiple languages and had little geographic education, we have the confusion. You'll find articles on this subject in our newsletter archives. I think you can discount Germany as place of Vitopil origin and use Austria-Bohemia-Moravia in its stead. Of course given the records you have, there is no doubt concerning your Leier grandmother being from Burgenland. I feel from the spelling of the name that your Vitopil ancestors are probably Czech (in the Slavic tribal sense as opposed to the modern political one). They probably spoke Czech as well as German. Again, I am surprised at Texas (port of Galveston) as being the entry point for your Vitopil grandfather. Most Bohemian-Moravians settled in the midwest. A book titled "German-Bohemians" has been authored by L. J. Rippley and R. J. Paulson, ISBN 0-9622931-4-8, St. Olaf College Press. It details immigration to the New Ulm area of Minnesota. It has been reviewed in our newsletter. I recommend it highly as a definitive source of information concerning the region in question. I am copying co-author Bob Paulson, who is one of our members. I am sure he will be interested in this further information of a Texas Bohemian enclave (mentioned as one of several on page 29 of his book). The Vitopil name is not mentioned in the book, which lists many Germanic Moravian immigrant families and their villages of origin. The following is from our BB Village list. It contains the earliest known family names from Pamhagen. You'll notice that neither Leier nor Schhillinger are mentioned. This would mean that your people apparently arrived in the late 17th or early 18th century, given the large number of Leier families still resident there. Like most immigrant families from Burgenland region to the US, your grandmother's ancestors were also migrants to the Burgenland area at an earlier period. This was due to the depopulation of the border regions during the Turkish wars and subsequent colonization. We can deduce from this, that your families arrived sometime following 1683. This extract (courtesy Albert Schuch) may well indicate your people came from either Styria or the Swiss-German Bodensee (Lake Constance) area. Pamhagen Called "Pomog" in 1268, "Pammaggen" in 1653 (in the Lutheran church records). The Urbarium of 1589 counts 65 houses (including the vicary) in "Pommagen". Surnames of 1589: 8 MUTH; 3 PFANN, SCHNEIDL, LANG, KIEREIN; 2 KRIEGLER (KRÜNGLER), KLEINDL, PAUER, GABRIEL, GRAF, KRAMER, OBRECHT, KAINZ, WALLOSCH (BALOS), RABA (RABOLT); 1 TITSCH, WEIDENHOFER, JÄCKL, DÜRNFELDER, PLÖDL, FÜRST, AUGUSTIN, ANDOCK, PLANK, FLEISCHHACKER, AUSSENSCHMIED, PLATTEIS, GREUSS, ANDRE, HÖDL, WETTL, KOWITSCH (KOVACZ), ORGOTSCHI (ORGOCSI), FÜRASS (FÜRESZ), MÄCKHUSCH (MAKKOS), ANNOTSCH (ANYOS), ERDESCH (ERDÖS), RUDITSCH. From 1596 legal documents are known concerning the inheritance of a Margarethe BINDER, Thomas FRIES, Thomas ANOTSCH and Simon FLEISCHHACKER. In the middle of the 16th century Pamhagen annexed the former village Micheldorf, which had been destroyed in 1529 by the Turks. The Pamhagen inhabitants subsequently became Lutherans. Lutheran church records for 1653-1660 have been used to (try to) prove Lutheran immigration from Styria and the Bodensee area in 1606-1620. PATSCH, PHILIPP, MUHR, GRAISY, GUTSCHI and DENK have been said to be Styrian names, WUNDERLE (WUNDERLICH, WUNDERLE) has been said to be a Bodensee area name. The Urbarium for 1675 gives the following surnames: 6 ANDERT; 4 RAUHORT, MUT, LENTSCH; 3 KOHLNDORFER, WUNDERELE (WUNDERLE, WUNDERLICH), KOTZENMACHER, OBRECHT; 2 WEISS, SCHNEIDER, FLACKER, KRAMMER, SCHUSTER, SCHERER (SCHIER), IRMITZ, FRONAUER, LANG, BAUMGARTNER, PERICH, HOLZBAUER; 1 HALBBAUER, WENIGER, DÜNNAGL, NERMANZ (NEMAC ?), DACHS, GRAF, ROTH, KLENGER, GUTENDINGER, BIERBAUER, FROMM, GRÜNBERGER, PFANN, PREINER, GELBMANN, RAHMKÄS, KÜHRAIN, PLANK, REINHARDT, BUSCH, ECKER (EGGER), TURKER, MANNER, HEISS, MAURER, RIEPL, WORTA (BERTA ?), WIEGER, KOPPA (KAPI), KAINZ, WEINER, SCHEDL, RIECHEL, GROSS, DENK, GREISY, MÜNZENEDER, SPRENZL, FLEISCHHACKER, KLINGER, SCHAFFER, TATEN, MUHR; additional Söllner surnames: FUCHS, WAGNER, WEIDINGER, PFAIDL, SAGENMEISTER, KEGL, KAMITZ, HOFER. Catholic church records started in 1681 by a priest named Gregor STANITZ, stopped in 1683, restarted in 1686. Seems that the Turks burned down village and church during the 2nd siege of Vienna (1683). 1734 Wallern became an independent parish, having belonged to Pamhagen until then. Teachers: Paul STUPPACHER (1726-1728); Josef HALLER (1800-1808; married to a STUPPACHER); the "praeceptores" (assisting teachers) Johann NEUKAM (1807) and Franz WESSELY (1819); Michael GRAIL (1810-1825); Georg OPITZ (1825; praeceptor); Johann NABINGER (1830-59); Franz KIRCHKNOPF (1860-1902); assisting teachers Franz SCHÖNTAG and Stefan MATTASCHITZ; Johann KRAJASCHITZ (KEMENY) (1902-1921) Source: Dr. Josef Loibersbeck's series "Um den Eisenberg", published in "Volk und Heimat" 17-19/1966, 1/1967; summarized and translated by Albert Schuch 10 Nov 1999 Earliest written mention of Pamhagen was 1268 under the name Pomag, later "villa Pomagh" and in 1346 first known as Pamhagen. In the late 14th century it was part of the Besitz (fief) of Forchtenstein (the castle of Forchtenstein is still owned by the Esterhazy family). In 1445, Pamhagen was owned by Duke Albrecht, later Kaiser Freidrich III. In 1544, it was part of the Nadasdy family fief in possession of Kapuvar and Lockenhaus. After 1675, it was part of the Esterhazy's vast holdings. (Note - for all practical purposes, after 1524 Burgenland was owned by two families, still extant today, The Esterhazys in the north (Besitz Forchtenstein) - the Batthyánys (Besitz Güssing) in the south. Pamhagen was destroyed and plundered (1683) during the Turkish wars. In 1754, Nicholas Esterhazy had a new church built - Katholisches Pfarrkirche zur Kreuzerhöhung. Restoration 1954-55. On the Haupstrasse is a 10 meter high bell tower commemorating the Turkish invasion in 1683. Population is now 1800 with 720 homes. There is a village office (Standesamt), police station, post office, Volksschule and high school. * Reply: Until my father found the paper about his mother's baptism, I only had country names. This is the first locality name I have found regarding where they are from in Europe. When I found your web site, it was a goldmine. I am still trying to look through all the information your group has assembled. I appreciate any and all information at the moment, as I am still trying to find as many pieces to the puzzle as I can, then maybe I can put the puzzle together in a meaningful way. I know that the country and locality names have been changed a lot and any history about countries and cities I can find will help. Thanks again, John Vitopil * Dr. Walter Dujmovits, president of the BG had written: Congratulations! We all are looking forward to the 1000th member in the BB. Please let me know when it happens and give me the name of the person and data about him. Maybe you have a picture of him. We need this for our next paper. Liebe Grüße. 3. READING HUNGARIAN RECORDS In a message dated 3/24/03 11:13:35 PM EST, Frank Nowasell, writes: I am about to be faced with my first try at reading Hungarian civil records and know not one word of Hungarian. Fritz Konigshofer mentioned that you once did an article on reading Hungarian records and he thought it might be worth inquiring as to the date of the issue so I could browse through it for helpful tips. If you could give me that info, I would be most appreciative. Reply: See newsletters 18A, 43 and 47B. We also have two newsletters that contain a two year index, no. 49A and no. 100, which has what I consider the best of the BB news. You will find those Hungarian civil records have a lot of information. Difficult to read but once you translate a few, the rest are all the same. Good luck and, if you have any particular problem, let us know. When using your new Hungarian dictionary, remember that the diacritical marks over a letter make it a different letter, so you must remember to look at both when looking up a word. In effect they have more letters than we do in our alphabet. Newsletter continues as no. 116C.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 116C DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) March 31, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This fourth section of our 4-section newsletter includes the following: 1. First Immigrants - Andau 2. Taste Of The Burgenland - Splitter (Strudel & Fastnachts) 3. Dr. Franz Batthyány Beatified 4. Latest(?) Immigrant From Schachendorf 5. Burgenland In Former Days (Part 8, cont. from 111)- Gerhard Lang - delayed 6. Hupfer From Oberwart? 7. More From Chicago 1. FIRST IMMIGRANTS - ANDAU (from Lynette Wahrman Wolf) I am a little slow in reading the February newsletter. I noticed the information about compiling a record of the first immigrants from the Burgenland towns and villages. I had sent this information a couple years ago but did not receive any confirmation; therefore, I am sending it again. You might check to see if you already have this. I enjoy your newsletters and appreciate all the work you do for Burgenland genealogy. You have helped me immensely in tracing my ancestry in the Burgenland. My great-grandfather Nicholas WAHRMANN and his wife Anna Tongisch (Dongisch), along with their four small children (my grandfather was eight years old at the time), left their home in Andau and sailed on the ship Westphalia and arrived in New York City on 31 March 1880. They then traveled by train and covered wagon and homesteaded in Rawlins County, Kansas. They had embarked at Hamburg and Havre. On 17 April 1880 in Kansas, he filed his certificate of Declaration of Intention to become a citizen, declaring that he was a native of Hungary and renounced allegiance to Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria. Nicolas and Anna had lived at #180 in MosonTarcsa (Andau). *Catholic Church records from Andau on LDS microfilm *Ship Passenger Records *Naturalization Record--1st papers--filed in Decatur County, Kansas According to the ship passenger records for the ship Westphalia, other names I recognize as coming from Andau and settling in Rawlins County, Kansas are Lorenz Tongisch and his wife Anna Lang and 3 children who lived at #90 in Andau; Johannes Sattler and his wife Susanna Tongisch and 5 children who lived at #24 in Andau; Anton Weishapl, his wife Theresa, and 4 children; Martin Schwarz, his wife and 2 children; and Andreas Tongisch and wife and 2 children. Anna Tongisch Wahrmann, Lorenz Tongisch, Susanna Tongisch Sattler, and Andreas Tongisch were the children of Andreas Tongisch (Dongisch) and Maria Müllner of Andau. My other great grandfather Johann ECKER, with his oldest two children, sailed to America on the P. Caland from Rotterdam, Netherlands to New York City, arriving on 12 April 1883. They had resided at house #212 in Mosonszentjanos (Jànossomorja). They settled in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska until the early 1890's when they homesteaded in Rawlins County, Kansas. Johann renounced allegiance to the Emperor of Austria. Sometime in 1884-1885 his wife Maria Rongisch Ecker and their four remaining children (one of them was my grandmother) came to Nebraska. Maria was the daughter of Paul Rongisch, also of St. Janos, who also came to America. I don't know definitely when Paul came, but he was in Rawlins County, Kansas in 1892. He applied for a homestead in 1886. Lynette (Wahrman) Wolf, Grinnell, KS 2. TASTE OF THE BURGENLAND SPLITTER (STRUDEL & FASTNACTS) * Strudel Seminar from Österreich Reise-News 06/2003. ED. Note: How about a week in Minihof-Liebau in southern Burgenland learning how to make strudel among other baked items. The following says that if you can't bake these goodies, come to a seminar hosted by the family mentioned and learn how. Cost about $180 (two people) for the seminar. You can then eat the results! Try your knowledge of German to translate other details. Köstliche Strudeln, frisches Gebäck - da kann kaum jemand widerstehen. Sie auch nicht? Na, dann sollten Sie rasch den Kochkurs bei Familie Holzmann in Minihof-Liebau besuchen! Dort erlernen Sie die hohe Kunst des Strudelbackens. Und noch mehr... Kommen Sie für eine Woche ins Sonnengartl! Eine Woche im Südburgenland entspannen und dabei auch noch etwas lernen - klingt verlockend! Vor allem, wenn man bedenkt, dass sich das Lernen auf das Backen von Strudeln, Pizza, Brot und Gebäck bezieht... Und nicht zuletzt wartet auch Schmankerlwirt Sampl mit einem viergängigen Menü auf Sie. Das Angebot im Detail: - 1 Woche (7 Übernachtungen) im Ferienhaus für Selbstversorger - für zwei Personen - 1 x Brot und Gebäckbacken in der Backstube für zwei Personen - 1 x Pizzabacken im Holzofen - für zwei Personen - 1 x Kochkurs zum Thema Strudel - pikant und süss - für 2 Personen - 1 x ein viergängiges Menü bei Schmankerlwirt Sampl für zwei Personen Kochseminar Familie Holzmann, Minihof-Liebau 7 Nächte für Selbstversorger ab EUR 180,- * Fastnachts Story & Availability - Allentown Morning Call Articles forwarded by Bob Strauch. http://www.mcall.com/features/all-fastnachtbuymar03,0,4195620.story Lehigh Valley Fastnacht Day: March 4, 2003 Title A Holiday Worth The Weight 'Fast Night' cakes evolved as a festive pre-Lenten indulgence http://www.mcall.com/features/all-fastnachttriviamar03,0,3394356.story The lore of Fastnacht Day is rooted in folk customs and beliefs http://www.mcall.com/features/all-bfgmar03,0,3055827.story From The Morning Call Get 'em fresh here - March 3, 2003 (c) Morning Call Lehigh Carbon Community College culinary arts students are making and selling fastnachts to benefit their Hospitality Management Club. Orders are already taken, but a few extras may be available 8 a.m. to noon today at Cedar Eatery, Dorney Park Road, South Whitehall Township. Call first: 610-820-3019. St. John's Lutheran Church, 826 Mahoning Drive West, Mahoning Township. Deadline for orders has passed, but a few extras may be available Tuesday 8 to 10 a.m. Call first: 570-386-4334. Nazareth Moravian Church, Center Square, Nazareth; 4-7 p.m. today and 7-10 a.m. Tuesday. Pre-orders were taken, but extras may be available. Call first: 610-759-3163. Schoeneck Moravian Church, 316 N. Broad St. Extension, Nazareth; extras for sale after 1 p.m. today; call first or stop by the church: 610-759-0376. Goodwill Fire Company, 7723 Hamilton Blvd., Trexlertown, is selling fastnachts today. Pre-orders were taken, but a few extras may be available. Call first: 610-395-9759. BAKERIES Bakers Dozen, 644 Gravel Pike (Route 29), East Greenville; 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday; traditional potato doughnuts in plain, sugared, cinnamon, powdered and glazed; senior citizens get a $1 discount per dozen Tuesday; 215-679-2132. Village Bake Shoppe, 751 Union Blvd., Allentown; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday; plain, powdered or sugared; 610-435-1511. Schubert's Bakery, 49 N. Broad St., Nazareth; 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday; 610-759-2932. Egypt Star Bakery, 608 N. Front St., Allentown, 610-434-8516; 45 N. Front St., Coplay, 610-262-5115; 2225 MacArthur Rd., Whitehall, 610-434-3762; hours vary. Emmaus Bakery, 415 Chestnut St., Emmaus; 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday; 610-965-2170. Mary Ann Donut Kitchen, 1601 Liberty St., Allentown; 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday; 610-439-9985. Little Apple Market, 630 N. Seventh St., Allentown; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday; 610-776-0300. Dietrich's Meats and County Store, Route 78, Krumsville; noon-6 p.m. today and Tuesday; 610-756-6344. Copyright (c) 2003, The Morning Call Let the Fastnacht frolics begin http://www.mcall.com/features/all-fastnachtmar04,0,1178603.story From The Morning Call Many families in the Valley area carry on a tasty tradition http://www.mcall.com/features/all-fastnachthistmar04,0,4764788.story From The Morning Call Fastnacht Day was a big event for Pennsylvania Germans of old. (AND BURGENLAND IMMIGRANTS) 3. DR. LADISLAUS BATTHYÁNY-STRATTMANN BEATIFIED (from Bob Strauch) (ED. Note: The Batthyány family held the Güssing Herrschaft from 1524 to 1918). Bob writes: This week I got my copy of the latest Karpatendeutsche newspaper from Vienna, which also had an article about Ladislaus Batthyány's beatification. He was also well known to the people in and around Pressburg/Bratislava, just a stone's throw from his castle and hospital in Kittsee. My article says that he is buried in the crypt of the Batthyány family castle in Körmend, not Güssing. But according to the Diocese of Eisenstadt website, he is indeed buried in the Franciscan Cloister Church in Güssing. Other tidbits from this article: A hand bone was recently removed from his remains and will be placed in a shrine as a relic. Burgenland parishes organized bus and plane trips to Rome for the celebration. Deceased Bishop of Eisenstadt Stefan Laszlo, who visited the Burgenländers in America several times, originated the campaign for Batthyány's beatification. Batthyány was among the first to perform cataract operations. He would give children a Gulden (florin, guilder) to "help ease the pain". When this became known, children would feign toothaches just to get the coin. He was affable, down-to-earth, even folksy, and this endeared him to the "common folk". The mother of the article's author (family was from Pressburg) was sent to Batthyány as a child because of an earache and hearing loss. He told her, "Don't worry about it, Mitzerl, because there are a lot of things you're better off not hearing anyway!". His all-natural remedy: brew some camomille tea and let the steam enter the ear through a hole cut in the tip of a Stanitzl (cone). His castle in Kittsee is now an ethnographic museum (Ethnographisches Museum Schloss Kittsee). I've been through Kittsee several times on my way to Pressburg, but never had a chance to see the museum. A well-known Advent Concert and Market lasting three days is held every year at the castle, entitled "Burgenländischer Advent in Schloss Kittsee". The concerts are broadcast on Austrian TV and radio. See www.schloss-kittsee.at. A memorial to him will be dedicated on March 30th in the Franciscan Cloister Church in Güssing. For more info, see the Diocese of Eisenstadt website (includes an extensive bio and tribute in English): www.kath-kirche-eisenstadt.at/Batthyány/ Click "Batthyány-Gedenkstätte vor Fertigstellung" for an image and description (in German) of the memorial, as designed by architect Johann Traupmann and artist Heinz Ebner, both of Güssing. * Later: Ladislaus Batthyány has now been entered into the online Dictionary of Saints in Germany: www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienL/Ladislaus_Batthyány-Strattmann.html His birthplace, Dunakiliti (Kiliti = St. Cletus, feastday April 26) lies in Györ-Moson-Sopron County, and also has a German name: Frauendorf. The Batthyány castle, where he also ran a clinic, still stands and has been turned into a school named after him. 4. LATEST? IMMIGRANT FROM SCHACHENDORF (from Klaus Gerger) (ED. Note: Klaus Gerger, who serves as BG liaison to the BB and administers the BG website, sends me this extract from their guest book. Klaus just happens to be my cousin, found on the internet through the BB.) Klaus writes: this a guest book entry from the BG site: Name - Bauer, Andrew Joseph, found the BG website while surfing the net for sites that might mention his hometown, (Schachendorf - district of Oberwart - parish of Rechnitz). He is not a member of the BB or BG but thinks they are great organizations (from what he has seen). He wishes we had a higher profile so he would have found us sooner. As far as he knows he was the last person to emigrate from Schachendorf. He wishes us well. 5. BURGENLAND IN FORMER DAYS (From Gerhard Lang - Part 8, Cont. From NL 111.) ED. Note: Gerhard reports that he has had a hard disk crash and must thus delay Part 8 of this fascinating story. We hope to carry part 8 in our next newsletter. 6. HUPFER FROM OBERWART? Would like any info on a Joseph E. Hupfer, who came to US in 1923. He shows he came from Oberwart. He lived with his Grandfather, Paul Hupfer. His Mother is Mary Hupfer and John Potzmann who were also from Burgenland, but I do not know the village name. They emigrated to USA approximately 1907. Any info I can get would be appreciated. Thank you for any help you can give. Mrs. Judith Janes (Potzmann) 7. MORE FROM CHICAGO (Bob Strauch) Bob writes: Evening all, Anyone up for a field trip to Chicago? Destination: www.paprikashrestaurant.com (WARNING: DO NOT read menu on an empty stomach) Had a phone call from this restaurant on Sunday from Tom Glatz, in between forkfuls of Veal Paprikash. He and Emma Wenzel (granddaughter of Johann Wenzel from Grodnau/Oberwart County, the founder of Chicago's Burgenländer colony) dined here after attending Hungarian mass at St. Stephen of Hungary R.C. Church (www.stephenchurch.org). Two religious experiences back-to-back! END OF NEWSLETTER BURGENLAND BUNCH STAFF (USA unless designated otherwise) Coordinator & Editor Newsletter: (Gerald J. Berghold) Burgenland Editor: (Albert Schuch; Austria) Home Page Editor: (Hap Anderson) Internet/URL Editor: (Anna Tanczos Kresh) Contributing Editors: Austro/Hungarian Research: (Fritz Königshofer) Burgenland Co-Editor & BG liaison: (Klaus Gerger, Austria) Burgenland Lake Corner Research: (Dale Knebel) Chicago Burgenland Enclave: (Tom Glatz) Croatian Burgenland: (Frank Teklits) Home Page village lists: (Bill Rudy) Home Page surname lists: (Tom Steichen) Home Page membership list: (Hannes Graf, Austria) Judaic Burgenland: (Maureen Tighe-Brown) Lehigh Valley Burgenland Enclave: (Robert Strauch) Western US BB Members-Research: (Bob Unger) WorldGenWeb-Austria, RootsWeb Liason-Burgenland: (Charles Wardell, Austria) The BB is in contact with the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft, Hauptplatz 7, A-7540 Güssing, Burgenland, Austria. Burgenl.gem@bnet.at Burgenland Bunch Newsletter distributed courtesy of (c) 1999 RootsWeb.com, Inc. P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 Newsletter and List Rights Reserved. Permission to Copy Granted; Provide Credit and Mention Source.