BB News No. 117 dtd 30 Apr 2003

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 117 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) April 30, 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. This first section of our 4-section newsletter includes the following: 1. Safe To Drive In Hungary? 2. Family Information Concerning Batthyány Beatification 3. A Welcome Email To Our 1000th Member 4. More Information Concerning Batthyány Beatification 5. Burgenland Today - Vas (Moson-Sopron) Yesterday - Castriferrei Earlier? 6. Cantus Felix Sings At Batthyány Beatification 1. SAFE TO DRIVE IN HUNGARY? (courtesy Margaret Kaiser) From *** Newsroom at: http://hungaria.org/ *** NOTORIOUS CAR THIEVES CAUGHT Police have caught three Polish members of a gang that stole more than 70 cars in Hungary in the past two and a half years, mostly from foreigners in Budapest and its surroundings, as well as on the M1 motorway between Budapest and Gyor. The gang would often pose as policemen, or bump into other cars, thus causing the drivers to stop before stealing their cars. They shot a woman, who was protecting her child, in the face with a gas pistol, shot a man's finger off and beat another half dead. National Police commander László Salgó told reporters Tuesday that it was a matter of reputation for the police to capture the gang. Some 90% of the victims were foreigners, mostly well-to-do businessmen or diplomats. Victims spread the word that gangs of uniformed men were robbing well-to-do travelers in Hungary, and that "it is not safe to stop for one minute on Hungarian motorways." (ED. Note: Having driven twice in Hungary in the border regions, albeit not near Budapest, I did not encounter any problems. I took the same precautions I take when driving in the US. Auto rental agencies: however, have been charging an extra premium to drive their cars in Hungary because of car theft in metropolitan areas. The above is good news.) 2. FAMILY INFORMATION CONCERNING BATTHYÁNY BEATIFICATION (from Ladislaus E. Batthyány) With interest I noted that you too mentioned (BB News No. 116C) the beatification of our great-grandfather, Prince Batthyány-Strattmann, in Rome. Just for clarification, I want to point out that this was a unique beatification for one main reason: Batthyány-Strattmann is/was of course buried in our family crypt in Güssing. However, he is also considered a "Hungarian Saint", so the beatification was done by TWO dioceses, Eisenstadt and also Sombathely (Steinamanger). After all, Kittsee was Hungarian when he lived and Körmend (where my father, one of the 27 grandchildren of the blessed, still lived till WW-2) is in Hungary. So also for the whole organization of the beatification it was a big challenge which worked out well, that two countries, two bishops, were involved. For the beatification, the Batthyány family came as well, alltogether over 150 members. My father presented the relics to the Holy Father at the ceremony. From Hungary as well, the Hungarian State President attended and from Austria the governor of Burgenland. Also Archduke Otto von Hapsburg and his family attended. The ceremony was also broadcast on TV in Hungary and Austria. The ceremony on Sunday the 30th in the Franciscan Church in Güssing, where the remains of my great-grandfather were carried into a new shrine by members of the family, at a holy mass with Bishop Iby of Eisenstadt, was very moving! I also want to mention that Güssing (the castle, and family burial place under the church, the largest in Austria, after the Hapsburgs) is still managed by the family Batthyány. This is done via a foundation between the family and the government of Burgenland. Kindest Regards, Ladislaus E. Batthyány, Vienna, Austria PS: Further information can also be found under: www.katolikus.hu 3. A WELCOME EMAIL TO OUR 1000TH MEMBER (Jim Weinzatl to John Vitopil) Welcome John and congratulations upon becoming our 1,000th Burgenland Bunch member. I joined very early; I think I was like #10 or #12. My father's side all came from Pamhagen. My Grandfather John Weinzetl was born there in 1879 and came to America at age 10 in 1889 and they also came through Galveston, Texas. The story in our family was that a cotton farmer in Texas paid for their passage in exchange for working for him for a number of years. However they stole away one night soon after arrival and went to West Bend, Iowa, to join other family and friends from Pamhagen. According to census records, my grandfather's older brother & sister had come to America a year earlier in 1888 and settled in West Bend, Iowa. I was excited to see that another Pamhagen family had come through Galveston. I have tried to find ship passenger lists for years, but unfortunately they were destroyed in a fire. I recently found a Weinzetl (they changed the spelling somewhat to Weinzel) family in Galveston and traced them back to Pamhagen also. So we now know the story has some validity. I have several Leier's also spelled Leierer and Leyer and other ways in my family database. See if any of these connect to your family: Weinzetl - George Leier b. 1795 d. 17 Feb 1873 Pamhagen m. about 1830 to Magolina ? Children: Joseph Leier b. 1839 Pamhagen d. ? m. Aloysia Weinzetl 30 Jan 1871. b. 14 Dec 1851 Pamhagen d. 17 Feb 1907 Pamhagen Children: Maria b. 23 Aug 1873 d. 3 Sep 1873 Julianna b. 18 Jun 1875 d. 3 Sep 1881 Jacob b. 1 Jun 1877 d. ? Rosalia b. 30 Aug 1879 d. ? Maria b. 13 Jan 1882 m. Nikolus Thueringer 1903 Pamhagen d. ? Joseph b. 19 Jan 1884 d. 10 Aug 1884 Pamhagen Joannes b. 24 Jun 1885 d. ? Anna b. 26 Jul 1887 d. 11 Jun 1889 Pamhagen Theresia b 6 Mar 1890 d. ? Rosa b. 18 Jul 1891 d. ? George b. 7 Feb 1896 d. ? Kierien - Lorenz Keirien married Katalin Leier b. 1818 in Pamhagen on 7 Feb 1847. Lentsch - Vincent Leier married Magdalina Lentsch about 1845 and had one child: Stephen b. 1848 in Pamhagen. Stephen married Maria Mueller 20 Oct 1874 in Pamhagen. Tschida - Stephen Leier married Catherina Tschida in Pamhagen 22 April 1885 I have copied nearly all of the Pamhagen church records from 1826-1895. I will check to see if I can find your family and get back to you. Again welcome and hope to hear from you soon. Jim Weinzatl, Tomah, WI 4. MORE INFORMATION CONCERNING BATTHYÁNY BEATIFICATION (from Bob Strauch) The beatification of Ladislaus Batthyány has been a very important event in Burgenland, especially for Güssing, it appears. Busses of pilgrims are arriving from Hungary. I received mail from Güssing late last week: a commemorative envelope of the beatification, inside was a prayer pamphlet with Ladislaus Batthyány's biography, a prayer, and quotations, along with a postcard of Batthyány with the following message: "Einen herzlichen Segensgruss von unserem seligen Augenarzt Dr. Ladislaus Batthyány sendet Dir und dem lieben Hianzn-Chor Euer dankbarer Pater Leopold Prizelitz" (A heartfelt greeting from our blessed eye doctor to you and the dear Hianzn-Chor sent by your thankful, Father Leopold Prizelitz). The Diocese of Eisenstadt has extensively expanded their website devoted to him: www.kath-kirche-eisenstadt.at/Batthyány/termine/03-03-31-translatio.html Go to the above for a photo of his new monument/shrine in the Franciscan church in Güssing. Click "Dr. Ladislaus Batthyány" (top left), then "Bilder der Seligsprechung" for photos of the ceremony in Rome. You will see some familiar faces (besides the Pope, I mean). Click on "Der Lebensweg" (top center) for several pages of historic and contemporary photos. Click "Termine" (top right) for a listing of upcoming and past events. 5. BURGENLAND TODAY - VAS (MOSON-SOPRON) YESTERDAY - CASTRIFERREI EARLIER (ED. Note: Geography and History are not subjects dear to the hearts of many. Nonetheless, to understand family history, one must deal with the past, which comprises history, and location, which comprises geography. When considering an ancient microcosm like the Burgenland, it can become confusing. Following is an exchange between member Joe Jarfas and your editor concerning the names under which the Burgenland region has been known. Joe was born and raised in Hungary and I'm sure his remarks reflect the views of the local population. Often, however, such views differ from the "official" view, i.e., what is considered true within the Washington beltway is not always the same as without.) Joe writes: As usual, read with interest your March research summary, which must take an enormous amount of your time to prepare. I'm sure we all appreciate the time and effort you put into this project. What prompted my lines this time was a 'slight' remark of yours in the 2nd article of "EISENBURG - EISENBERG-COUNTY (HUNGARIAN VAS) - ALSO VILLAGE IN AUSTRIA & TOWN IN HUNGARY" - to wit: 'The Komitat Eisenburg (County of Eisenburg) - later called Vas Megye (and previously called Komitat Castrifieri) ...' - where the 'latter' word implies, to me, that Vas(vár) megye was not as such in earlier times, i.e. since circa the year 900 when most of Transdanubia was taken and occupied by the Magyars and became part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Since the 'plebeian' Hungarians definitely did not speak, read and write Latin, and since the name of the county was taken from Vasvár which existed since the Roman Empire times (just like Szombathely did, under the name of Savaria) the county name in Hungarian definitely was Vasvár megye - in the vernacular. The fact that during the duration of the Austrian Monarchy the official language of the realm became German and most every place had to have its German name - beside the local population using their own version of German, Slovene, Croat, Slovak, etc. name - does not detract from the 1100 year history of Hungarian names, which admittedly changed often and took a special law to 'standardize' them in the later part of the 19th century. So the Burgenland of today, in which our genealogy research - by need - restricts itself to the last few centuries, has been an integral part of the Kingdom of Hungary - even during the times of the Austrian Monarchy. Many of the noble families and large landholders who 'owned' the land there (sans population) did not speak a word of Hungarian, yet none of them would have considered that part of Hungary belonging to anywhere else. In this respect there is an interesting bit of history from the Memoirs of Friedrich Ferdinand Count von Beust, who negotiated the Ausgleich of 1867 (he called it Compromise): http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1867beust.html Keep up the good work Gerry, Joe, Equinunk, PA Reply: Joe, thanks for the kind words. You are probably correct in Vasvar being the name in the vernacular. You are also probably aware that the "official" or "administrative" language of Hungary for many years was Latin. Given the peculiarities of Hungarian, it's understandable. Latin in turn gave way to German. My reference to Castriferrei was taken from a series of references dating from the 1800's, which seem to indicate that it was the name of Vas Megye prior to 1830. I quote from the "Topographical Lexicon of the Communities of Hungary Compiled Officially in 1773" published by the Delegation Of The Peace Of Hungary (Budapestini Etypographia v. Hornyanszky) in 1920. Microfilmed by the LDS 13 Mar. 1989 as microfiche no. 6001476. This is a listing of all the places in the territory of a given parish (?) or district (?) and pages 79-98 under Comitaus (County?) Castriferrei provide most of the villages which are in Burgenland today. It gives the following titles - Connotatio Locorum populosorum Comitatus Castriferrei In processu Domini Zarka, Laki, Hertelendi, Boros. It then provides the village - town names in Latin, Hungarian, German, Slavonian (Slavic-Croatian and Slovenian), whether Catholic or Protestant, whether a magistrum (municipality or record office), and the principal language spoken. I hope I have not confused Church administration with governmental administration? The Title of the 1828 Hungarian Census for the (Vas Megye) towns in Burgenland today is Ungarisches Staatsarchive-Archivum Palatinale-Landeskonskription 1828 -Hungaria-Comitatus Castriferrei. (It lists 615 villages). Also microfilmed by the LDS. The 1873 Hungarian Gazetter lists Megye-Comitat-Vas but shows Vasvar as a Jaras-Bezirk (District) with town of Vasvar as district center or town. There are some other references which I haven't taken the time to dig out, but you can see where I'm coming from. I appreciate your bringing this up as it can be quite confusing to those with a limited knowledge of the area. I plan to use your email and my reply as an article in the next newsletter. 6. CANTUS FELIX SINGS AT BATTHYÁNY BEATIFICATION (from Bob Strauch) Just got this from Franz Stangl, director of the Cantus Felix vocal ensemble that sang here in August of 2001. They performed in Rome last weekend at the beatification of Ladislaus Batthyány, and again yesterday at the dedication of his new memorial in the Franciscan Cloister Church in Güssing. 80 singers from 3 groups (Cantus Felix, Güssing Community Choir, & the choir of the Franciscan Church) sang the "Kleine Orgelsolomesse" by Haydn. Check out their website (link below) for photos. http://listen.to/cantus-felix Newsletter continues as no. 117A.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 117A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) April 30, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This second section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. Splitter From Pittsburgh 2. Some Thoughts About The BB 3. New Hungarian Book 4. German Translation Possibilities 5. Taste Of The Burgenland - Noodles With Cottage Cheese 6. First Immigrants - Mosonszolnok (Zanegg), Hungary 7. Want To Find Some Austrian Products? 8. Note From Gerhard Lang 1. SPLITTER FROM PITTSBURGH - Anna Kresh & Bob Unger In a message dated 12/2/2002, Bob Unger writes: Anna: I found your button box comments in the November 2002 BB newsletter very interesting. In 1998 when my wife and I took my brother George to Burgenland to meet our new-found relatives, we stayed at the Kirchenwirt Gasthaus in Eltendorf, also mentioned in the BB newsletter 112A. There at the Gasthaus we found that the owner's son, Matthias Mirth, was taking button box lessons. This sparked George's interest since he played the accordion many years ago when he was very young, about 50 years ago. That sparked an interest which grew when he returned to his home in the Pittsburgh area. He immediately bought a button box and has been taking lessons ever since. George has also joined a button box group in his area. He has been a long-standing member of the Pittsburgh German Club - the same group that you mentioned. What a small world. Brother George owns an RV business near the Pittsburgh airport. Currently he is at a RV convention. When he returns, I will tell him of the Burgenland Button Box groups' interest in touring the US, and possibly coming to Pittsburgh (ED. Note: now cancelled). Anna replies: What a neat story! I am sure looking forward to meeting him someday. We will be trying to attend the Austrian-American Cultural Society's annual Christmas party at the Teutonia on Thurs. 12/12. It is a beautiful event - dinner, readings in German and German carol and hymn singing. So pretty. Last year they even had a short video from Austria about the writer of "Silent Night" - not the one you usually see. This was more about his personal life - very good. Is George also a member of the AACS? They put on the Austrian Ball each year. Last year it was at the Carnegie Music Hall; this March it is at the Priory. He will know what that is. We would love to hear George play. I've always wished I could play the button box. At home on the farm, when the Sears, Roebuck catalog arrived, I spent the next couple of days on the accordion pages. (ED. Note: probably more than any other musical instrument, the button box accordion is associated with Burgenland popular music. You will find many references to Burgenland ethnic music in our archives.) 2. SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BB (Margaret Kaiser) I read your email carefully and thoughtfully (editor's comments re membership activity and mail). I venture that many factors are involved. Here are a few of my thoughts. Many of the BB members might be seniors unfamiliar with corresponding with the BB via Internet, or other ages who are reluctant (shy) to do so, or perhaps some are younger 2nd, 3rd and greater generation descendants who want to learn about their ancestral land, but cannot contribute due to their own paucity of knowledge. In so many cases, the language has been lost, and this language loss tends to increase the difficulty. On the plus side, for many of us, we are blessed in knowing our ancestral homeland locations, there is a great population of genealogists who cannot cross the pond as they cannot identify the area from where there ancestors stem. The BB offers specific information for genealogists and for those who are also interested in the culture/history of the area. Otherwise, there is little English language material available for our Burgenland area ancestral searches. The BB is unique in that the language is primarily English, and the BB is thus available to many who can access a computer, either at home or at a senior center, or at a public library. Thus BB readership might be greater than the membership list total (over 1000) indicates. Perhaps the BB might consider a page where upcoming Burgenlaender activities might be listed (those here in the USA and abroad), and perhaps a contact for the different organizations. I am certain that many people do not know where to contact such cultural/social groups. Certainly, in the area where I live, there is no coverage of these activities in the newspaper or other media. There is but one radio program in the German language, which lists activities to some extent. This program is only heard for 2 hours on Saturdays, around 6 pm, I think; perhaps not a great time for listening and, if one does not speak German, then they would not understand. There are other reasons why people do not participate in club activities; live too far away, no transportation, no one to attend with, cost, other conflicting family activities, and so on. Many club activities are dances which may not be suitable for some folks. You are doing great job. The BB is invaluable for so many reasons. The help and assistance I have found through its resources are wonderful. Margaret 3. NEW HUNGARIAN BOOK (Joe Jarfas, Margaret Kaiser, Bob Strauch) (ED. Note: Joe was born and raised in Hungary near today's Burgenland border, Margaret is researching villages near the southern border still in Hungary and Bob's people originated from Inzenhoff, right next to the Hungarian border. As a result, these three keep us posted with regard to matters Hungarian affecting the Burgenland region. We can't forget that Burgenland was Hungarian pre-1921. In these newsletters I try to cover all Burgenland ethnic groups, German, Croatian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Gypsy [Rom] and Slovenian). Joe writes: Hi all, Coming in March: The Hungarians: A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat, by Paul Lendvai - translated by Ann Major Read all about it - and I highly recommend this to all genealogists - no matter what ethnic background: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0691114064/qid=1043206744/sr=1-1 /ref=sr_1_1/104-6934586-6030338?v=glance&s=books#product-details I read the Hungarian translation and the German original ... and now it will be available in English. (I have no connection either to the author or the publisher; recommend it only for its historical evenhandedness and realistic depiction of the Magyars.) Equinunk, PA - USA Margaret forwarded the above to Bob Strauch who writes: Does sound very interesting. Hungarians were fervent patriots. I 've heard it said that even though one might have non-Hungarian ethnic roots and mother tongue (German, Croatian, Slovenian, etc.), one can still have an "ungarisches Herz". I remember Ferdl's cousin Rudi Düh once saying to my Slovenian ("Windish") friends from Bethlehem that came to a dance at the Lehigh Sängerbund, that the Windish made better Hungarians than the Hungarians. He was referring to the Slovenian villages south of Szentgotthard and those across in Slovenia that had once been part of Vas County. I also notice a strong sense of "Hungarianness" among the local Croatians from the villages in the Hungarian part of the Pinka Valley, especially Szentpeterfa/Prostrum. That's not to say they neglect their Croatian side. They seem to be able to gravitate with ease between both cultures. But their ancestors left Croatia 300-400 years ago, so their "political" kinship is with Hungary. For our people it's different because of the forced expulsions in '46, so some are bitter with the Hungarians. But the Croatians and Windish left voluntarily (more or less) during the revolution in '56 and blame the Russian and Hungarian Communists specifically, not Hungary as a whole. 4. GERMAN TRANSLATION POSSIBILITIES (from Yvonne Lockwood) (ED. Note: I am always reluctant to mention language translation help, as requests for such help can become overwhelming. There are those who offer this service for a fee (which is generally substantial - and rightly so as much work is entailed) and we do not carry ads for such. We do offer help in the form of defining archaic terms and even providing "ponies" for help in translating birth certificates and the like (see our archives). Below we have correspondence from one of our members who received help from a very generous source. Feel free to contact this person, however, remember, that the source may be overwhelmed and not capable of responding.) Yvonne writes: I wanted to alert you and any other Burgenlanders about Amorel Young. Several months ago she wrote to say that she was a translator who was offering her services to the BBunch. I had several texts in German dealing with a research subject and contacted her. The long and short of it is that she translated my German texts into beautiful, readable, and accurate English and did this gratis. She is not charging because she feels she is rusty and is practicing; this is misplaced humility. The results of her work is hardly rusty. I highly recommend her to our colleagues. Yvonne R. Lockwood Curator of Folklife Michigan Traditional Arts Program Michigan State University Museum East Lansing, MI 48824 5. TASTE OF THE BURGENLAND - NOODLES WITH COTTAGE CHEESE (Bob Strauch & Anna Kresh) Anna Kresh asks for some recipes, Bob Strauch replies: Anna, I'm sending you recipes by mail, but in the meantime, I've translated a recipe from the Burgenland chapter of the book "Vom Essen auf dem Lande" by Franz Maier-Bruck, the absolute bible of Austrian country-, mountain-, and regional cooking. "Topfenfleckerln" or "Topfenhaluschka" ("Túrós csusza" in Hungarian) 9 oz. noodle patches (Fleckerln) 9 oz. cottage cheese (dry curd or very well-drained) 3.5 oz. bacon, fried until golden 1/2 pint sour cream salt & pepper Cook noodles in salted water, drain, and rinse with cold water and drain well. Grease a fireproof casserole and add a layer of noodles. Top with a layer of cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper. Add a layer of sour cream. Continue layers until all the ingredients are used up. Finally, top with the chopped bacon. Bake in the oven until the top is browned. For Fleckerln, use regular egg noodles and break them into pieces before cooking. If using regular cottage cheese, I'd wrap it in a clean kitchen cloth and wring as much liquid out as possible. Or use pot cheese or farmer's cheese (the curd variety). There's a brand called Friendship that we can get at the kosher delis in our local markets. But even that might need to be "de-moisturized" a little. Mahlzeit, Bob (ED. Note: I never cared for these but everyone else just doted on them - better than American macaroni and cheese they say. I much preferred noodles with ground walnuts and sugar or ground poppy seed with sugar. These were more of a dessert. My grandmother always used home-made Fleckerln, cutting them into one inch squares. They were more substantial than egg noodles. She had a big wooden noodle board to form and cut them.) 6. FIRST IMMIGRRANTS - MOSONSZOLNOK (SZOLNOK, ZANEGG), HUNGARY (from Betty Mische) I have just been re-reading some of my BB news, and came across the First Immigrants..... I know from past experience that there is no one anywhere looking for any Presseller's....but, I thought I would share what I found from the manifests of my two grandparents who arrived from Zanegg/Solnok... my grandmother (Anna Weisz, 1887) came here at age 13 with her grandmother (Elizabeth Holzapfel Windsperger, 1836)... they arrived in 1901 at Ellis Island. My grandfather (Paul Presseller, 1883) came with his family: Mother (Theresia Schwab, 1861), Father (Paul Presseller, 1855) and brother (Mathias Presseller). They arrived at the port of Baltimore in 1902. (also from Zanegg/Szolnok) All of the above settled in St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota, in an area that is now called Robbinsdale. My g.grandfather bought a lot from people in Iowa and in the first year of living in MN and built a lovely home. I always wonder where he found the money to do so! I recall hearing that he had come to the USA for not the best reasons... so, of course my imagination runs wild! I heard it when I was young and did not bother to ask what the circumstances were! Thanks for your time. 7. WANT TO FIND SOME AUSTRIAN PRODUCTS? (courtesy Bob Strauch) (ED. Note: At the risk of being accused of being a commercial newsletter, I bring you these occasional ads and addresses so you may find ethnic products not normally available elsewhere. The BB receives no compensation for this service, nor does it endorse any product, although if your editor has purchased same he will tell you. If anyone orders a Bosendorfer piano, please advise. My wife would love one!) Buy in Austria... By Computer Your favorite Austrian products can often be ordered by computer. For example, a full line of Julius Meinl coffee, jams and chocolates await you at www.meinl.com. Demmers Teehaus offers an amazing range of teas at www.demmer.at/en along with an interesting history of tea and brewing tips. Bad Ischl's beloved Zauner's Cafe (www.zauner.at) tempts with sweets of all descriptions, including its famous Zauner Cake ($20). (Ed. what no Sacher torte?) The Kunsthistorisches Museum site (www.khm.at) is an arts treasure trove including six silk scarves and 74 posters from the museum's paintings, as well as exhibit catalogues (the recent Paul Flora show is EUR 20). (Ed. Albert Schuch sent me two great pictures of Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elizabeth from here. They are framed and hanging above my computer along with a picture of the Hoffburg in Vienna.) Or would you like a dirndl for your child at EUR 195 or a classic cape for yourself at EUR 327 from Loden Plankl? Go to www.loden-plankl.at. (Ed. We still have ours bought many years ago.) Complete with charming music, the Bösendorfer site (www.boesendorfer.com) displays its full range of pianos. Also, an astonishing variety of merchandise is offered, for example, a $51 fleece sweater with the company logo. (Ed. Maybe Bob Strauch plans to trade in his accordion?) 8. NOTE FROM GERHARD LANG As you can see, I fixed my computer problems and I hope it will last for a while, before the next problem occurs. I was on holiday last week and used the nice weather for taking care of my garden. I dug up and planted vegetables (peas, carrots, beans - for "Sterz" and "Strudel", salad and many others), I spent almost the entire time out there. Last Sunday we had our annual Burgenland contest for wind-orchestras and I was there for the whole day, typing the results into a laptop computer and presenting the results to the auditors. I'm proud to report that our orchestra (achieved) an "excellent success" with 91.5 of 100 points in grade 4. After finishing this mail I'll go to Schützen to listen to the "Bauernkapelle Schützen"-concert and to honor a member of theirs, who is receiving a medal for his many years of musical involvement. Newsletter continues at no. 117B.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 117B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) April 30, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This third section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. American-Hungarian Day 2. Another Spam Query 3. Source Of Name Fangel 4. Hungarian Jewish Genealogy Sources 5. German Translation Help 1. AMERICAN-HUNGARIAN DAY (forwarded by Bob Strauch) ----- Original Message from ML Pecsi Just received some news articles from PA regarding the State Legislature approving a resolution designating March 15, 2003 as American Hungarian Day. March 15, 1848 is the Hungarian Independence Day. Attending the ceremony was Antonio de Blasio, sec. gen. of the Hungarian Assn. of Healthy Cities and Dr. Ferenc Szebenyi, counselor for the public affairs section of the Republic of Hungary Embassy in Washington, D.C., came to promote a new Pennsylvania-Hungarian tie. That partnership involves 94 communities in Pennsylvania and 18 in Hungary. If you are interested in promoting this for your state, I'm sure if you contact the following person he may be of help. I don't know that this resolution is perpetual; you'll have to inquire. Pennsylvania State Representative Marc Gergely (D) White Oak, Pa. 2. ANOTHER SPAM QUERY (from Giles Gurken, reply by Albert Schuch) (ED. Comment: Again, the BB does not engage in Spam or send email addresses to anyone. However, if you are a member and your address is listed in our lists, anyone can copy it, as Albert says below. The alternative is not to list with us and not hear from possible links and contacts. The choice is yours. It is not difficult to delete Spam email unread. Add BB to your email to members so they know it isn't Spam.) Giles writes: Re: attached letter. I'm puzzled & startled. Do they get name & address from BB group? Or I am wondering if from letter I sent 12 February to Dr. Tepperberg-Kriegarchives, asking a question? I stated that if there were any charges to advise me of amount & whether credit card might be used in a secure manner. I've never received an answer but find it strange that this letter states credit card to be used. I think it tells of collecting a fund for crippled children & seniors to present some entertainment- Red nosed Clown doctors ?? What is your assessment of this? Albert replies: I copied Gerry Berghold as he may receive inquiries from other members. I think we can rule out the possibility that this email has been caused by your message to the Kriegsarchiv. They certainly took your name from the BB website, as the email is addressed anonymously to "Dear Austrian abroad". So it is clearly no individual message to you. While supporting a good cause (fundraising for the Clown doctors - who are in the same "business" as Patch Adams of the Gesundheit! Institute - see www.patchadams.org) this is just another form of unsolicited email (SPAM). Regards, Albert ----- Original message from "Evelin Riedl" to Giles Gurken Subject: LACHEN HILFT Liebe Auslandsösterreicherin, lieber Auslandsösterreicher, Mit diesem Schreiben möchte ich Sie für eine Idee begeistern, die mittlerweile 50.000 kranken Kindern und zahlreichen Senioren in Spitälern ganz Österreich Hoffnung und Lebensfreude bringt. EINE IDEE, SO EINFACH WIE PROFESSIONELL! ROTE NASEN Clowndoctors bestehen aus professionell arbeitenden Künstlern/Clowns, die kranken und leidenden Menschen Trost, Zuversicht und Lebensmotivation geben. Jährlich bekommen kleine Patienten auf 74 Kinderstationen Besuch von ROTE NASEN Clowndoctors. Das sind rund 1.350 Spitalseinsätze pro Jahr. Seit 1999 werden auch kranke und pflegebedürftige ältere Menschen regelmäßig von Clowndoctors betreut etc.....Spenden Sie einfach & bequem mit Kreditkarkte per Internet: www.rotenasen.at 3. SOURCE OF NAME FANGEL (from Bob Paulson, replies from G. Berghold and Fritz Königshofer) (ED. Note: Anyone preparing a family history should try to include the origins of their family names. This; however, may take us into the never-never land of conjecture. The origin of some names is obvious, others link to possibilities, some defy a logical explanation. We should all try to define such origin to the best of our ability, however unless we have absolute proof, we should always include with such explanation the possibility that it is unproven and possibly in error. Bob Paulson does just that in the following - edited.) I am currently writing the "Family History" and I have speculated about the origins of the family name FANGEL.....I will copy a portion of my "speculation" below......would you tell me if this has an element of truth to it? Thanks, Bob The Fangels - Unearthing Our Germanic Roots The earliest documentation for the origins of the Fangel (Fangl) and Sattler names has been found in the village of Andau in the year 1856 in what is now the province of Burgenland, the western-most province of Austria. The Sattler name, which means saddle or harness maker, is a common German name and can be found throughout German speaking parts of Europe. The name Fangel or Fangl as it is spelt in Andau, however, can only be found in Austria and Denmark. All the Austria sources can be traced back to Andau. Fangel is also the name of a tiny village about 25 kilometers south of Odense on the island of Funene, the second-largest island of Denmark. The family name Fangel (may have) originated from this village. Exactly what the connection is between Austria and Denmark is a matter of conjecture. How the Fangel name migrated from Denmark can possibly be explained in this way. During the first half of the 17th century, much of Europe was embroiled in the 30 Years War. Beginning as a dynastic struggle in Bohemia, the war became a religious conflict, where no quarter was given, involving Protestant nations against Catholic nations, from Sweden to Italy. At the conclusion of the war, much of Germany lay in ruins, one-third of its population had perished. Southeastern Germany, the historical area of Swabia, was the scene of constant warfare between the Italian Catholics and Swedish Lutherans. At the conclusion of hostilities, the warring armies were merely disbanded leaving soldiers to fend for themselves. Many, of course, began the long journey to their homeland but still others stayed in this part of Germany. In this way it is possible that a Danish soldier from Fangel (island) fought in the 30 Years War in southeastern Germany, at its conclusion remained behind to start a new life. No evidence of the Fangel name has been found in the area so it is believed that soldier Fangel stayed but a relatively short time, not enough to establish a family. During the last half the 17th century and first half of the 18th century (there was) a large migration of people from this same area of Southeast Germany eastward to Central Europe, to the western section of Hungary that had been occupied by the Ottoman Turks. This area of Europe had also been the scene of almost constant warfare for over two hundred years between the Ottoman Turks and armies of the Christian countries of Western Europe, notably Austria. In 1683, the Turks were finally defeated at the gates of Vienna by a combined army of Austrians and Poles. The village located on the invasion route had been totally destroyed and their inhabitants killed. This area of Hungary lay in ruins. In order to repopulate and make this part of the Austrian Empire productive again, Maria Theresa, the empress of Austria, encouraged peasants from throughout Europe to migrate to these lands by offering free land, with special priviledges such as freedom from taxation for a period of years, as well as freedom from military service and the freedom to bear arms to protect the empire. During the ensuing decades, thousands of peasants migrated from Swabia to these tracts in East-central Europe. Many traveled by boat along the Danube, others followed the same route overland. It is in this way that soldier Fangel may have traveled along the Danube to Austro-West Hungary which later became known as Burgenland. His final destination may have been further east into this southern Hungary or even Romania along with the majority of the Donauswabians. What may have cut his journey short was the fact that the so-called Kuruzzen War of rebellion was raging in Austro- Hungary along the Danube River around the city of Wieselburg about 1704. The village Andau, the birthplace of the Fangel family, is located about 40 miles southwest of Vienna in the eastern province of Austria, Burgenland. It is about 15 miles east of Neusiedel See and about 300 yards from the border with Hungary. In the 18th and 19th century when the Fangel family lived in Andau, the village was a part of the Herrshaft of Ungarish Altenburg or the domain or landholdings of the Habsburg family, the ruling family of Austria. The County seat was Wieselburg. The area was located in the western-most part of the Kingdom of Hungary in an area known as Austro-West Hungary. The Fangels were Germanic people living there. Thus, in the United States, the birthplace of the Fangel family would be listed as Hungary or, in German, Ungarn. * Reply from G. Berghold: Bob - sure it does - it's possible. While I can't validate whether your Fangel was a military or other colonist from Denmark, I have read of similar cases - names in the Burgenland of today which have a French, Italian, even Irish or English derivation. We know for instance that the "combined" army of Montecuccoli, which defeated the Turks at Szt. Gotthard (Mogersdorf in southern Burgenland) was made up of more French, Irish and other troops then Hungarian or Austrian ones. Likewise the re-colonization of northern Burgenland was made by Swiss and Germans from various Germanic states at various times. In 1529 and 1683, Apetlon was destroyed so we could have re-colonization both times - also later during the Napoleonic Wars - perhaps a better choice for a colonist with name Fangel. Relative to the derivation of the name - G. F. Jones (German-American Names) doesn't list it - in fact he lists few Austro-Hungarian names (those having specific Burgenland endings) probably because they changed from German to Hungarian to Latin, back to German, etc. acquiring noun endings and vowel changes used in those other languages. He does however list Fanger, Fangman, Fangmann, which he defines as "catcher" - see German word Fang. I find no Hungarian word which comes close, so it is doubtful if it had an Hungarian derivation. I'd opt for Germanic as you have done. In Andau today (phone book) I find 8 families spelling the name Fangl. You may already know that Johann Sattler (b1877-d1941) was twice Burgermeister of Andau - 1921-22 and 1927-37. His occupation shows as Landwirt. Hanks & Hodges (A Dictionary Of Surnames) doesn't list Fangel, neither does Ernest Thode (closest is Fänger-hunter) but since you have access to University Libraries, I'd search for a German Surname Dictionary. I know of two, Forstemann-Altdeutschen Namenbuch and Heintze-Cascordi-Die Deutschen Familiennamen. It is always interesting to seek the earliest mention of a family name as well as all of the possible derivations - but I'm sure you recognize that in the absence of proof positive we are merely citing possibilities. I've added such to both of my genealogies. I find your possibilities as good as any although I'd be happier if you could prove that Danish Island possibility. Denmark is a long way from Andau, as tantalizing as an island of the same name is. Wouldn't someone from Fangel be called Fangeler? My copies of the 17th & early 18th century Canonical Visitations for Andau show no inhabitants named Fangel, but I still think your family name reference goes back beyond 1856; it would be worthwhile to search for it in the period 1718-1856. Just as an idea, why don't you bounce this name off of Albert Schuch and Fritz Königshofer (I've copied them). They might have something to add. Even so, I'd again like to publish what you've researched. It may encourage some of our other members to do likewise. We do have a member researching Fang. You'll find we've published some others in a similar vein. Let me know. Fritz writes: The name sounds quite German to me, though its sense/origin is not obvious for me either. I wonder if it could be an alternative form for Stephen (Stefan --> Fandl, perhaps with a possible later change to Fangl), or could come from Anfang ("begin") oder Rauchfang ("chimney"). Otherwise, I would go with Gerry's explanation with the word Fang (for catch). The best would be to find educated bearers of the name in Austria and get theories from them about the origin of their name. This is how I got the likely meaning of one of my ancestral names: Tibold aka Tivalt (aka Diebold, Diewald and other spellings). One intelligent bearer of the name interpreted the meaning as "Dürrwald" (dry wood), but the much better explanation was received from another bearer of the name as Thiuwalt, old German for "leader of the tribe (or village)," with a French version (Thibaut) and an Italian one (Tebaldi). 4. HUNGARIAN JEWISH GENEALOGY SOURCES (forwarded by Margaret Kaiser) Margaret writes: The attached (extracts) contains interesting information. Included is information concerning searching for Jewish ancestors in Hungary, etc. To subscribe to AVOTAYNU, The International Review of Jewish Genealogy, go to http://www.avotaynu.com/journal.htm. Nu? What's New? News About Jewish Genealogy from Avotaynu Gary Mokotoff, Editor JewishGen has added an "All-Hungary Database" at http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Hungary. A list of all JewishGen databases can be viewed at http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/. They are categorized into General, America, Belarus, Czech Republic, Eastern Europe, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, South Africa and Utilities. Back issues of "Nu? What's New?" are available at http://www.avotaynu.com/nu.htm. 5. GERMAN TRANSLATION HELP (from Frank Jandrisovits) In a message dated 4/1/03 Frank writes: Congratulations on the 1000th member of the Bunch. A question. I've collected a number of documents on the Jandrisovits family -i.e., birth certificates. Unfortunately I am not fluent in German. Is there anyone you can recommend that could do an English translation of the documents. I would be happy to compensate someone. Reply: Frank: it's always difficult to find someone to do this. I'd suggest you give it a try yourself. Birth and Baptism certificates are not that difficult. Two suggestions: try our Internet Links (URL listings) available from the homepage. Click under the title Language Aids - translations etc. Secondly review our newsletter archives which explain how to read these documents - see nos. 15, 18A, 41A, 47B, 72B. If you get stuck let me know. Newsletter continues at no. 117C

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 117C DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) April 30, 2003 (c) 2003 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This fourth section of our 4-section newsletter includes: 1. Burgenland In Former Days (Part 8, continued from 111) - Gerhard Lang 2. Origin Of Term "Ban" - As In "Ban Of Croatia" 1. BURGENLAND IN FORMER DAYS (Translated by Gerhard Lang - Part 8, Continued From Newsletter 111.) Father Leopold Pritzelitz series - Childhood Grosshöflein When water was too cold for swimming, geese and ducks still took a bath in the pond. It also was possible to enter the pond with horse and wagon; the horses were often driven in for cleaning. A so-called "Toka" (drain) was in the pond. There water was drained from time to time and mud and trash removed. After cleaning, water was let back in. The creek ran beside the pond and therefore runoff and inflow was easy to manage. In that creek, ducks and geese made a home, and often nappies and baking dishes were scrubbed. Therefore, sometimes it could happen, that napkins and baking dishes were scrubbed for over 100 meters up and down the bank. However, people used to say: "Wenn das Wasser über 7 Steine fliesst, ist es wieder rein." (When water runs over seven stones, it will get clean again.) During heavy rainfall, the creek sometimes ran over. Then a lot of mud was on the street and in summer, we children waded around in it. During the entire summer, we were bare-footed. Only on Sundays, for churchgoing did we put on our shoes, but after the service we immediately we took them off. When the sun came after the rain and dried things, there was a lot of dust in the street. Every Saturday the street was swept in front of the house. Each dweller had to take care of his portion. Before sweeping, the ground was sprinkled with a "Giesskanne" (watering can), so that dust couldn't raise that much. Near the houses were pear trees, which offered welcome refreshment and shade for us. In those days, a lot of life was in the village's streets. Children played in the street, grown-ups went to the well, the pond or creek, went shopping or to the fields; cows, oxen and horses were in the street, fowls, ducks and geese fluttered, dogs and cats ran around and elder people sat on a bench in front of the houses. In the evening the youth was there singing and chatting, there was neither radio nor TV, no motorbikes, cars or tractors, only once in a while a bicycle. There was dust and mud, but there was life. On today's asphalt streets there is no dirt, no dust, no "horse-dumplings" and no "cow pats", no cats and dogs, no poultry, no birds, no playing children, no cows and horses, scarcely anybody walking, but in front of every house parked cars and rumbling tractors. No life in the street, the village looks desolate. My sister always said: "In the evening you can walk naked through the village because you don't meet anyone." Once an old lady in the village said: "In former days, when the priest walked through the village, people could talk with him. Today, when the chaplain drives past on his motorbike, people can't talk to him. As soon as you have said: "'Praise to Jesus Christ' (Gelobt Sei Jesus Christus - I hope I found a correct translation), he is at the devil!" (The entire German sentence: "Kaum hat man gesagt: 'Gelobt Sei Jesus Christus', ist er schon beim Teufel!") (To be continued) (ED. Note: I always wonder about the few people found outside in the villages. I know many work elsewhere (in the fields or in nearby towns, but then, where are the children and the older people? We have the same situation in America - except in the metropolitan areas. Are we becoming a reclusive world?) Matthias Artner series - During the past century During the 50'ies, the released workers from agriculture were mostly needed in Vienna. During the 60'ies, those needed at home on the farms started to accept jobs or migrate elsewhere. ("Wann i koa Motorradl kriag, geh i nach Wean" - If I don't get a motorbike, I will migrate to Vienna). Motorization and mechanization started, followed by rationalization. These alterations left their marks in agriculture. With the migration of the youth away from agriculture and retirement of the elders, the time of the extended families ended. Burgenland ceased to be an agricultural country. Now came industrialization and a construction boom began, following that which had started in the other provinces earlier. Many traditional ways of life and values, which would have been worthwhile keeping and cultivating, fell victim to this time of catch-up. The rustic aspect of most Burgenland villages was destroyed and defaced by distasteful modernization. With that extensive construction, people wanted to change the poverty of the past. Laborers and employees improved their social standing through prosperity, the village-elders lost their superior position, and the equalization of social levels began. Soon it made no difference if one was teacher, farmer or worker. With structural enhancement in the villages - sewers, paved streets, and water conduits - the infrastructure in the regions was improved. Centers for public administration and secondary schools were built, communities were consolidated, fields were drained and rivers regulated. The Beatles, Pop, clothes-miniskirts, teased hair, birth control pills and magazines like "Quick", "Stern" and "Revue" established a revolution among the youth. Heintje, Udo Jürgens and Peter Alexander (rem.: famous and well-known singers) brought a new mood. Bruno Kreisky was elected as Federal Chancellor in 1970 and economic reforms, that modified - but also shocked - started in many areas. The state took over many tasks, which families had previously born. This brought a better standard of living to the families, but created more state dependency. Prosperity needs productivity and a faster pace of life. Men have to subordinate to the economy and not the reverse. Not frugality, but throwaway stimulates economy, boosts growth and brings prosperity. But this causes other problems, which will have to be addressed in the coming years. (To be continued) (ED. Note: I've mentioned how in earlier days, the school teacher, the priest (pastor), the "richter" (mayor) and the representative of the Herrschaft were the village leaders. They were approached with servility by the rest of the population. I once visited a Burgenland village civil office wearing a coat and tie and carrying a briefcase. I received prompt attention and help. An elderly man wearing a cap, work apron and dusty trousers entered while I was conducting my business. He was ignored and then doffed his cap, bowed in our direction, pardoned his intrusion and humbly asked a question. Was this a trace of the former servility. Some customs die hard, but die they do with each succeeding generation, democratization in progress.) 2. ORIGIN OF TERM "BAN" AS IN "BAN OF CROATIA" * In a message dated 4/7/03, Sorin Fortiu writes: Please allow introducing myself; I am a researcher and I live in Romania/ie Timisoarain a region still named BANAT [Some Basic Info on Banat can be found at http://www.genealogy.ro/cont/1.html) I would like to comment regarding the meaning of ban/Banat [ie ban as ruler of a Banat]. Everything was ok until I reach the etymology problem of these words. In THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 96B, May 31, 2001, you make the comment: A "Ban" by the way is Slavic for "Duke" or the Latin "Dux". This is very interesting for me and I would like to know, if possible, your source for this statement? Reply: Dear Sorin Fortiu, My interest in the term "Ban" arose because Franz Batthyány - Ban of Croatia - in 1524 was granted the Herrschaft of Güssing (now Castle Güssing-Bezirk Güssing-Stadt Güssing, Province of Burgenland in the southeast of Austria.) The Batthyány family held the fief until 1918, but still own Castle Güssing and land in the area. The source of this are various histories of the Province of Burgenland (parts of Hungarian Vas-Moson-Sopron Megye pre-1921). I used the term "Slavic" perhaps in error (I was thinking of Croatian) - from what follows below - I believe I should have used the word "Hungarian" or Magyar. Ban (horvat), as you probably know is a Hungarian word (noun) meaning governor/viceroy - my dictionary says (of Croatia). It is also defined as warden of the southern marches of Hungary. I have also seen it used to describe the political entity ruled by a ban as a "banate." A simple hiearchial structure in early Hungary would have been King-Palatine; Vajda; Ban; Ispan (administrator of a county or Megye [Comitatus]). Most of the above comes from three books, currently being published in English. They are: 1. "A History of Hungary" edited by Peter F. Sugar, Peter Hanak and Tibor Frank. Indiana University Press, 1994. The use of the term "Ban" occurs on 12 pages of this book. First reference (p19 - written by Laszlo Makai - the chapter called Foundations of the Hungarian Christian State) says: "Coloman (successor to Hungarian Kings Ladislaus and Bela) convinced the papacy that a Hungarian alliance was worth more than a forced oath of fealty and became King of Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia in 1102 with papal approval. He appointed viceroys with the title of "Ban" to rule each of these lands. Banat is mentioned in the above on five pages, mostly in conjunction with the so-called Donau-Schwabian migration (repopulation). It is silent as to the origin of the word "Banat." It could well be derived from the word "Ban" as you seem to indicate. 2. The second book "Southeastern Europe under Ottoman Rule, 1354-1804" by Peter Sugar, Volume 5 of "A History of East Central Europe", University of Washington Press, 1993. In the appendix, page 343, we find the term "Ban" (banus) defined as Hungarian viceroy administering Croatia. English definition of viceroy is "governor" of a province who rules as a representative of his king. Now in the English Feudal Hiearchy, a viceroy is a Duke, from the Latin: Dux. Since the Hungarians used Latin almost exclusively for their governmental decrees, the Latin term Dux (Duke) is often found in their records (see below). This book mentions Banat on three pages starting with the 1527 movement of Christians to that area. 3. The third book is "The Slavs in European History and Civilization" by Francis Dvornik. Rutgers University Press, 1962. Pages 136-137 state: "the lands of the Croats were regarded not as conquered lands (1102AD - partes subiugatae) but as annexed lands (partes adnexae)....the independent status of Croatia was respected...As Croat kings, the Hungarian rulers used the title "King of Croatia and Dalmatia" (rex Croatiae et Dalmatiae). Croatia was administered by a "ban" the supreme officer of the realm, representing the king. Sometimes the kings chose to send their sons or younger brothers to Croatia as administrators, called dukes (voivoda, dux). The dukes or bans used the title Duke or Ban of Slavonia (dux, banus Slavoniae), in order to emphasize that their administration extended over the whole Croat kingdom." p104 - "Ratislav, a Russian prince, who after his expulsion from Galicia by the Mongols, received the Banat of Slavonia with Belgrade from the Hungarians." p357 - "The Serbians of the Banat revolted in 1594" In a message dated 4/9/03, Sorin Fortiu replies: Sure (Ban) is not a Hungarian word! I am a native Hungarian speaker [my mother is "pure" Hungarian and my g-mother, which raised me, did not know more then 50 words in Romanian even if she lived all her life in Romania]. So, I can tell you for sure that BAN [with the meaning of ruler of a region named Banat] is not a Hungarian word. Reply: Hungarian Dictionary "Magyar Angol Nagyszotar" - Orszag Laszlo - 9th Edition - in two volumes - published by Akademiai Kiado - Budapest 1991, shows on vol. one, page 139: ban (with diacritical mark over a and subscript 1) - verb regret, be sorry ban (with dia. mark over a and subscript 2) - noun, ban {horvat} governor etc. I can only surmise that if a word is found in the main section of a particular language dictionary, it is considered a word of that language and not a "foreign" term, although I assume the (horvat) connotes Croatian origin. I am mainly concerned with the Burgenland of Austria and its historical background as it pertains to family history. This requires some knowledge of the Balkans. My main resource for Balkan history is the ten volume series "A History of East Central Europe" (volume one is an atlas) by the Univ. of Washington Press. Another interesting book of the Carolingian Period is "Franks, Moravians, and Magyars" (The Struggle For The Middle Danube 788-907) by Charles R. Bowlus, 1995, Univ. of Pennsylvania Press. It argues and moves the locus of the Moravian Empire southeast from the Czech and Slovak area of today to the Austrian-Hungarian border regions centered around Szombathely, Hungary. You may be interested to know that we published in our newsletter series, an English translation of Dobrovich's book, "People on the Border - History of the Burgenland Croats". Thanks for your comments. I am not sure if you are familiar with our group, but let me append our Invitation Letter which will explain our purpose. 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 BB ARCHIVES (can be reached via Home Page hyperlinks) 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.