^{The News}
Dedicated to Austrian-Hungarian Burgenland Family History

This newsletter concerns:

1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER

2) THE YEAR IN REVIEW: ORGANIZATION

3) THE YEAR IN REVIEW: NEWSLETTER

4) ETHNIC EVENTS

5) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch)

Although we had no months exceeding 10,000 unique Visitors this year (we had two last year), we averaged 8,994 visitors per month for the year (over 295 per day), and this was a slight rise in average visitors per month (up 368/month) compared to 2016.

As for Computer Operating Systems, our visitors continue to predominantly use Windows-based computers (68% on average, up 3%), with the Mac and Linux (Unix) operating systems trailing quite distantly (and each down 1% compared to last year).

Like last year, usage of Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) Web Browser continues its slide into oblivion: only 2% this year from 4% last year and 8%, 19%, 41% and over 50% in the prior years. Google Chrome continues its rise, with an increase of 5% from 38% last year. Safari, however slipped 3% and Firefox/Mozilla slid 2%. Like last year, I have combined Firefox with Mozilla, as Firefox is merely a specific implementation of the underlying Mozilla architecture.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the 2017 data shown above is its uniformity. In past years there tended to be noticeable trends during the year; this year, it is more random movement around fixed midpoints. I don't think there is a strong interpretation for this, though it does suggest stability in the interest in the Burgenland Bunch and the history and genealogy of Burgenland that we curate.



About the BB Staff: As I have noted many times, the BB staff is a fluid collection of individuals who, over varying tenures, voluntarily give back to our community a bit of what they have learned while on their personal journey of family-history discovery. As such, I am pleased to point out that Johnny Santana is now completing two years (how quickly time goes!) on the staff as Members Editor... 'thanks' Johnny! Further, BB Links Editor, Alan Varga, volunteered to take on an additional role as BB Recipes Editor... so special 'thanks' go to Alan too!

Just this past month, I was pleased to announce that Rachel Rein volunteered to become our new Surnames and Villages Editor (relieving me of that task). Rachel is quickly taking charge of the computer side of the job and will likely interact more with members as she learns what we provide to them. I'm glad you joined us, Rachel!

However, I'm sad to recall that we lost a long-term staff member this past year. As previously reported, Tom Glatz died in June. Tom was on Gerry Berghold's first formally-identified staff of 11 (as reported in the Dec 1998 newsletter, which now leaves Fritz Königshofer as the only remaining member of that first staff). Tom was both a founding and ongoing Burgenland Bunch staff member, an officer and board member of the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft, and an avid family genealogist. As the BB's Chicago Enclave Contributing Editor, he contributed articles for our newsletter, assisted members in his area, kept us informed about ethnic events in Chicago, and helped guide our organization. We miss you, Tom.

Over time, 32 different individuals have served on the BB staff (though Hannes Graf has the distinction of serving over two separate intervals, thus being both the 16th and 29th sequential staff members and having retired twice!).

In order of joining the staff, these are the current 13 staff members: Fritz Königshofer, Tom Steichen, Klaus Gerger, Bob Strauch, Margaret Kaiser, John Lavendoski, Frank Paukowits, Emmerich Koller, Alan Varga, Wilhelm Schmidt, Terry McWilliams, Johnny Santana, and Rachel Rein.

In order of retirement from the staff, these are our 19 retirees: Ernest Chrisbacher, Albert Schuch, Hap Anderson, Bill Rudy, Frank Teklits, Dale Knebel, Gerry Berghold, Anna Kresh, Hannes Graf (1st time), Charles Wardell, Heidi Hermann, Bob Unger, Maureen Tighe-Brown, Ron Markland, Barbara Raabe, Hannes Graf (2nd time), Matt Boisen, Steve Geosits, Mary Reilly, and Tom Glatz.

In addition, we have been blessed to have ongoing assistance of additional individuals who, though not on the formal staff, still provide regular service to the organization and its members. Current such individuals include Réka Kiesz, Julia Szent-Gyorgyi, and the leadership of the BB Facebook page.

I'll close this section by saying that the BB would not exist without the giving, knowledgeable people named in the above lists! My thanks to all our BB staff members and supporters, both former and current.



BB Website and Organizational Events: Here are the more significant items from 2017:

►Twentieth Anniversary of the Burgenland Bunch: The Burgenland Bunch (BB) celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2017, having been founded in January 1997 by Gerald Berghold (1930–2008).

►2,500th BB Member Joined in January: Joshua Schlener, of Los Angeles, CA, had the distinction of being the BB's 2,500th member.

►Burgenland DNA Project Adds New Co-Administrator: BB Member Jane Horvath joined the Burgenland DNA Project as a Co-Administrator. Welcome Jane!

►Church Record Transcriptions on the BB Site: Four villages have been added to the BB's collection of transcribed Church and Civil records, courtesy of Frank Teklits and Patrick Kovacs.

►FamilySearch.org Records Preservation, Microfilm Discontinuation, and Required Sign-in: In 2017, the LDS made a concerted effort to move to digital imaging in place of microfilm imaging for records on their FamilySearch.org site. Microfilming of new records was halted (replaced by digital imaging) and much existing microfilm was transferred to digital format (all remaining records are intended to be transferred within two years). As a result, microfilm distribution services were halted in September. In December, FamilySearch initiated a required sign-in policy to search or view records, the reason being that doing so meets the "trustee" requirements of their records partners.

Given these facts, a project was undertaken to modify our LDS pages (at the-burgenland-bunch.org/LDS/LDS.htm) to include links to the new digital images. Thus you will now find a column titled "Digital #" in the bottom half of each BB LDS page that provides the digital collection numbers, and those numbers are active links to the appropriate images.

Recently, five additional collections were made available in digital format and links for them have been added to the BB pages. In addition, a request was made to the LDS to add the remaining missing collections to their "priority list" ...but we will need to wait to see if that request has any effect!

►Burgenland Delegation Visit to North America: A Burgenland Government Delegation, headed by Governor Hans Niessl and BG President Walter Dujmovits, visited four cities in North America (Toronto, Chicago, Lehigh Valley, and New York) from May 26 until June 3. In Canada, BB member Eva Hergovich received an award for significant contributions to the Burgenländer Club Toronto and promoting and strengthening ties between Austria and Canada. In Chicago, BB-staffers Emmerich Koller and Alan Varga were awarded Ehrenzeichen (Badges of Honor) [other staffers attending in Chicago were Theresa McWilliams, Ron Markland (retired) and Tom Steichen]. In the Lehigh Valley, BB staff members Margaret Kaiser and Fritz Königshofer were awarded "Ehrenmedaille" for their "outstanding service" to Burgenland. In New York, BB member Rudy Wolf received an award for his book about Edlitz.

►40th Anniversary of the Burgenländer Club Toronto: The Burgenländer Club Toronto celebrated its 40th Anniversary in May, joined by the Burgenland government delegation.

►St. Louis Gathering of Burgenländer and Descendants: The 2017 St. Louis Gathering of Burgenländer and Descendants was held in June.

►"The Burgenländer Emigration to America" (by Dr. Walter Dujmovits): As expected following the outstanding 2014 first-year sales of 761 copies of the book, the sales rate slowed but with a still encouraging 197 copies purchased in 2015, 162 in 2016 and now 113 in 2017. Current total sales is 1,233 copies.

As you may recall, the BB sells the book at its wholesale production cost of just $7.41 (plus any tax & shipping), as our goal is wide circulation rather than profit (we earn absolutely nothing from book sales but you get an inexpensive opportunity to learn about the forces that led your ancestors to leave their homeland).

The book is the definitive history of the emigration of Burgenländers to the Americas, written by the leading authority on the subject. The BB remains pleased to have been instrumental in bringing this material to English-reading audiences and we recommend that you treat yourself to a copy, if you have not done so already... call it a late Christmas present for yourself!