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

This newsletter concerns:

1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER

2) COMMENTARIES: 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GERRY BERGHOLD'S DEATH

3) ETHNIC EVENTS

4) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch)

The main portion of this month's newsletter is dedicated to a single theme:

The 10-Year Anniversary of Gerry Berghold's Death

...along with the history and fate of his organization, the Burgenland Bunch. The poetic excerpt above is in reference to Gerry's desire that the BB survive his death... I think it has.

While I include a few short bits here in my Corner, as well as the Ethnic Events and Emigrant Obituaries sections at the end, the rest of the newsletter is composed of commentaries by the BB staff, both past and present... nothing more needs to be said.



Digital Microfilm Direct Access Project: As noted in an article last month, the links in our BB LDS pages take you directly to the start of the intended item on multi-item films (the LDS catalog system does not). That article also noted that we have started to do the same for by-type arrangements, for example, like those on the St. Michael film:


 
...you should see that the RC (Roman Catholic) births, marriages and deaths on film 700716 (digital collection 004674865) have been split into three separate entries, with each entry taking you directly to the start of the appropriate records. We noted further that, while it was our intention to do this for all by-type films, that project was in progress.

I report today that we have now completed that effort, so all Burgenland districts, as well as the villages in our Hungarian Borderland section, should provide direct access to the beginning of each type of record, as well as to each date-based section of each type of record (it is common that records of a particular type do not appear consecutively on a film; rather, they are in date-grouped batches with other types between).

As an example of the above parenthetical statement, here is our Bánfalva, Hungary, listing:



As you can see, the birth records appear in two items (numbered 1 & 2) in the same film / digital collection (630562 / 004659128), as do the marriage and death records. However, there are three date-based sections of births in the first item, and the actual starting image numbers for these 8 sections, as you work from top to bottom in our list, are 1, 189, 122, 196; 91, 355; 165, 403, so you can see they are not in a simple type and chronological order. Regardless, clicking our link will take you to the appropriate starting image for each listed row.

Should you find a record set that points to a wrong starting image, please let us know so it can be corrected. Thanks.



Update for book "The Burgenländer Emigration to America": Here is this month's update on purchases of the English issue of the 3rd edition of Dr. Walter Dujmovits' book "Die Amerika-Wanderung Der Burgenländer."

Current total sales are 1328 copies, as interested people purchased 11 more books during this past month.

As always, the book remains available for online purchase at a list price of $7.41 (which is the production charge for the book, as we purposely choose not to make a profit so we can avoid dealing with the income tax consequences and so you can obtain the book at as low a cost as possible!), plus tax & shipping. See the BB homepage for a link to the information / ordering page and for information about current discounts (there is at least one discount on price or shipping available most of the time... if not, wait a few days and there will be one!).

Gerry often stated that his number one goal was that the BB live on past his time; given another year or so, the BB will have existed as long without him as it did with him, so that goal has been obtained. In fact, among current staff members, Fritz Königshofer, myself, Klaus Gerger, Bob Strauch, Margaret Kaiser and John Lavendoski have been staff members longer than Gerry was (and Frank Paukowits will soon join this group of long-timers). The BB was and is Gerry's baby... but as the chief caretaker of the baby (i.e., as BB President), I've held that title longer than Gerry did. He still holds the title for longest incumbent Newsletter Editor, at eleven and a half years (and will continue to do so for some time, as Hannes Graf filled that role for the first two years after Gerry's death, and I have only been Editor for eight years).

Regardless, the BB thrives because of its staff, currently consisting of 15 members (though the count has varied over the years). In total 35 individuals have been staff members over the years, with the most recent three joining us just this past February. As Gerry said in his farewell message to the staff: "I can't tell you how much I appreciate your efforts in support of the BB and your very personal loyalty to me and the goals of the BB. You have become close friends as well as volunteers in a great undertaking." Those feelings remain true today.

Another goal of Gerry's, also attained only in these subsequent years, was to see an English edition of Walter Dujmovits book, "The Burgenländer Emigration to America," appear in print. With a translation by the BB's Bob Strauch, publication of that edition occurred in 2013 and, so far, over 1320 copies have been purchased. Gerry would have been ecstatic about that!

While there are many things I could speak about, I'll close by noting how vibrant and active the "official" BB Facebook Page has become. Its administration and membership provide a vital resource to Burgenland researchers, always ready with immediate help and encouragement. Had Gerry lived to see it, he would have been proud to be a member!



Vanessa Sandhu (BB E-mail List Manager):

The BB represents a welcoming hand, reaching out from the past to teach us about our ancestors, our homeland, and our traditions. I am forever grateful to Gerry Berghold and all of the BB staffers for all of the vast knowledge that has been collected within this group. This group is a treasure for all generations, past and present.

Growing up in West Coplay, Burgenland pride is everywhere. It is such a part of everyday life, you don’t realize how different it is until you move away. The village is tiny, but full of Burgenland descendants. Wedding receptions were always held at the Männerchor. If you look at the census and didn’t take note of the town name, you’d think that you were reading the house list from Inzenhof. Three of my four grandparents were of Burgenland descent. My maternal grandparents were the most loving people you could ever meet, and they always took the time to talk with us and teach us their recipes and traditions. My Grammy would teach us German words and tell us about her parents and their home in Woppendorf. My Pop-Pop was the expert goulash, paprikash, krumpis pogasca, and soup maker. My Grammy was the baker, and taught us to make delicious Kipfels and Dobos Tortes. I have so many fond memories of growing up with them, listening to polkas and sitting underneath their beautiful walnut trees.

Sadly, my dad passed away in 2003 at the age of 50. His family was from Eisenberg an der Pinka and Inzenhof. Aside from a few cousins my age, we have no elders to turn to for information about that side of the family. My grandfather was a very private man, quite opposite of my other grandparents. I only knew that his father was killed in an accident at the local cement plant when he was young. It was very painful for him to talk about, so he never did. I was desperate to know more about them. Armed with some old photos and letters, I decided that I was going to find them. This is where this wonderful group came into my life. I felt like I had won the lottery when I found the Burgenland Bunch’s website. Gerry’s articles were fantastic. I spent hours upon hours reading the old newsletters. The Burgenländers Honored and Remembered section gave me names, birth years, and cemeteries for all of my ancestors! My research took off from there. I found out so many things about them—all of the painful struggles they endured—from leaving their homeland and families behind, to losing 2 out of 3 sons to tragic industrial accidents. These people were strong and brave. Their determination was so inspiring and empowering. I am so proud to be descended from such incredible people. I am now completely genealogy obsessed, and I love helping others trace their Burgenland roots.

I know this phenomenal group will continue to help Burgenländers on both sides of the sea for many years to come. I am so grateful that Gerry had the foresight to start this newsletter, and I applaud Tom and all of the contributors who have shared their knowledge and expertise over the years. Our ancestors and their heritage are a rich and beautiful part of every one of us. They live on through us. With the fantastic resource that is The Burgenland Bunch, they will live on forever.



Frank Paukowits (BB BH&R & DNA): A Tribute to Gerry

I can’t believe that it is already ten years since Gerry Berghold, the founder of the Burgenland Bunch, passed away. Not only did he create a tremendous on-line service that provides critical information for people researching their genealogy and family roots from the province of Burgenland, but he did it in a gracious, warm-hearted and supportive manner. Unquestionably, he was a visionary who was able to rally key people to his cause to develop a cohesive and comprehensive database for genealogy enthusiasts.

My first substantive and lengthy contact with Gerry came in the Fall of 2006. I had visited Austria in the Summer of 2006.The trip not only encompassed Austria, but also included Croatia and Slovenia. In the Croatian portion of the trip, I tried to reconstruct the trek made by our ancestors from Croatia who were fleeing the Turks in the 16th Century. The places I visited in Croatia included Koprovnica, Sisak, Kostajnica, among other places. These areas had been identified in the historical writing of Johann Dobrovich, who had chronicled these events and which was translated from German to English by Frank Teklits, a long-time BB member.

During the process of writing up my trip report, Gerry was tremendously supportive of my efforts. He offered valuable suggestions at every step in the process. The end result was a newsletter Article (#157- dated Nov. 2006) that was informative to our membership and satisfying to me, its author.

Gerry just knew “how to share the stage.” As long as he was providing useful tidbits to our membership via the Newsletter, he was totally committed to the staff. One of the most important things that Gerry did is that he left his work in the hands of an able successor, Tom Steichen. Tom has remained true to the cause, and has continued publishing high quality monthly newsletters. The Burgenland Bunch continues to thrive as the most formidable resource available for genealogists studying their Burgenland roots. We all have to be thankful for the vision that Gerry had, and Tom’s commitment to continuing Gerry’s legacy.



Ron Markland (BB St. Louis Research, 2010-2014, retired):

I had a few conversations with Gerry, however most of my involvement with the BB started after my trip to Austria in 2009. Those conversations with Gerry were very encouraging and caused me to dig deeper into my quest for family. Surprisingly, I received an email from a person living in Vienna asking if I was seeking information on Alouisa Aufner. It turned out that the person asking was the granddaughter of my grandmother’s brother -- a brother that we had not known even existed. One thing led to another and, six months later, I was in Vienna with my personal guide and newly-discovered cousin, Brigette, beginning a tour of the Burgenland and the long lost family that was left behind.

This caused a "trip report" to be written to then-editor Hannes Graf.

Gerry's shoving me in the correct direction was something that I shall never forget. It is amazing how the BB has changed so many individuals ability to find our family background. Without what he started, many would have given up and missed opportunities similar to mine.

Thanks Gerry!



Theresa McWilliams (BB St. Louis Research): BB Remembrance and Review

Those of us who knew our grandparents and great-grandparents like to reminisce about times spent with them. For the most part, these are good memories—and a thing of the past only to be relived in our minds or shared in conversations with others. There are some who never knew their grandparents and great-grandparents or may have lost them at a young age. Either way, if you are reading this, you are likely part of a group of people who wonder about the details of their lives. In seeking and discovering facts about them or their connections with other persons in the family tree we experience a sense of exhilaration. Being able to search for our Burgenland roots and connect with relatives living or deceased is a privilege never before so easily accessed. Information about our ancestors that, not so long ago, seemed impossible or too labor intensive to attain is there for the taking thanks to the generous and seemingly tireless efforts of a small group of people on the Burgenland Bunch staff. We owe a debt of gratitude to the founder of the Burgenland Bunch, Gerry Berghold, and to those who keep alive his dream of making Burgenland research so available and accessible. Indeed, the branches of our family trees are limited only to the amount of time we are willing and able to spend researching them. Many of us have experienced being transported to a different world, and then brought back to reality, sometimes at 2 or 3 in the morning, coming away with much more to learn than we set out to do in the first place! How fortunate we are as Burgenländer descendants to have had the likes of Gerry Berghold and his cohorts create such an invaluable resource.

When I found the Burgenland Bunch six or so years ago, it allowed me to make connections with other descendants, as it provided surnames, villages, addresses, dates, Burgenländers Honored and Remembered, and more. For our St. Louis group, that has led to many hours of enjoying each others' company and discovering connections between us and/or our ancestors to each other. The stories my grandfather told about his home in “the old country” often brought a tear to his eye as he relived his happy childhood memories. In 2012, my husband, my brother and I visited our grandparents' villages, Deutsch Schützen and Strem. The connections we made in those three short days were amazing. We met several distant relatives and even a few first-cousins twice-removed who were still living in the ancestral homes. Some of them are now deceased so we are thankful for finding the BB when we did. Before the trip, I discovered a few people in my social circles who had roots in Pernau and Eisenberg an der Pinka and was able to bring back photos of their ancestral homes and villages. Without the BB, the trip would have been great but, because of this vital resource, it was nothing short of stellar!

I have come to the realization that there are those who are interested in connecting exclusively with ancestors, while others hope to make connections with distant cousins and those who share similar lineage. A beautiful feature of the BB website is that it allows us to connect us with people in both eras, past and present. The BB ultimately brings wonderful opportunities to those just seeking information or additionally wanting to share memories. It allows us to keep traditions alive, connect with living relatives and pass along our family legacy. It has been instrumental in igniting a community of descendants here in St. Louis that we would not be privy to without Gerry Berghold, his dream, Tom Steichen and others that keep it going. Vielen Dank! Nagyon szépen köszönjük!



Mary Reilly (BB E-mail List Manager, 2010-2016, retired):

I am grateful to Gerry Berghold for starting the Burgenland Bunch. It has been a great source of information and support. He deserves our thanks and praise. God bless him.



Alan Varga (BB Links/URL and Recipes Editor):

The Burgenland Bunch is an incredible resource for those with roots in this area of former Austria-Hungary. While there are other newsgroups and niche websites for other areas of the former empire (ranging all over Europe, not just these two modern-day offspring), none that I have seen have explored the history of their region as deeply as ours. The historical information contained in our various pages, from Burgenländers Honored and Remembered to House and Village lists and LDS links and Maps is a solid foundation which I have not seen elsewhere. But there is also context provided by the newsletters, which were the core of the organization when Gerry started it many years ago, and links to websites of history and culture in both Europe and the U.S. The BB has managed to evolve and stay relevant thanks to many contributors over the years, and evidenced by several regional groups, a related Facebook page, and information about DNA testing.

Both of my grandparents had died before I finished college, and my father never spoke much about their lives—or his, for that matter. Growing up, I heard Croatian whenever I visited them and I knew the names of their friends but I really knew nothing of who they left behind or why. I joined the Burgenland Bunch to try to fill in some of these gaps, not expecting more than a couple of names.

I got so much more than that, starting with reading the newsletters. I learned about the history around 1921 and about the people who stayed behind. I eagerly read about return trips of descendants of the original immigrants who made pilgrimages to the Heimat and were able to start new relationships and friendships. And most importantly, I discovered there were others, just like me, to fill in missing pieces. It’s sad that, by the time we start to take an interest in our own family histories, it is sometimes too late because the knowledge of older relatives is lost to failing memory or even death.

Through the BB I have made friends in other cities, state and countries, and have been able to share experiences and knowledge. Our staff has been key in fostering this feeling of camaraderie, and the group continues to welcome more new members every month. I am thankful to have a resource like this to help me with my own family history, and I want to help others just starting their search in any way I can. I am grateful to be a part of this organization, for those volunteers who have retired, and for those who will take up their posts to keep the Burgenland traditions alive.



Fritz Königshofer (BB Austro-Hungarian Research):

Being able to participate in building the BB was my finest achievement. Gerry and you [Tom] were inspired and creative leaders who always found the right subjects and words. With my best wishes, Fritz



Klaus Gerger (BB Vice President):

My first e-mail contact with Gerry Berghold dated from the late nineties when we found out that we were second cousins, sharing grandparents from the Pöltl family of Rosenberg near Güssing. We met many times in Austria and in the US, where I was guest in his and Molly's home in Winchester. And there I was amazed about his huge library of Burgenland-related books. One thing he did mention many times was the lack of books in English language dealing with the Burgenland emigration. He saw the many descendants of Burgenland origin who did not understand German, one of them being his son.

We found that the comprehensive Burgenland emigration history in Dr. Dujmovits' (German language) book "Die Amerikawanderung der Burgenländer," would be a great base for translation to English.

Dr. Dujmovits was also enthusiastic about this idea and he offered to create a new edition of the Amerikawanderung, to incorporate his latest findings on the topic, as a base for the translation.

In 2007, when the Burgenland government delegation visited America, we were able to present the 3rd edition of "Die Amerikawanderung der Burgenländer" to Gerry and to the public.

It took nearly 2 more years to complete the translation.

Unfortunately, Gerry did not live to see the completion of the translated book.

But, in early 2014, I was able to visit Winchester again and present the book “The Burgenländer Emigration to America” (translated by Robert Strauch) to Gerry’s son Chris. He liked the book even though he didn't expect to get it.

Being in the area I took the opportunity to visit the gravesites of Gerry and his wife Molly in Shenandoah Memorial Park cemetery. Praying for my cousin and friend, and for his wife, I lit a candle I brought from Burgenland.



Obituary: Gerald J. "Gerry" Berghold, 1930 - 2008

Gerald J. "Gerry" Berghold, age 77, of 327 Walker Street, Winchester, died Friday, August 29, 2008 at his home after a lengthy illness. Mr. Berghold was born Sept. 22, 1930, in Allentown, PA, the son of the late Julius Berghold and Frida Sorger Berghold Carpenter.

Mr. Berghold retired from the Du Pont Company (E.I. Du Pont, de Nemours, Inc.), Wilmington, DE in 1985 as a manager in the Finance Dept. with 30 years of service, at which time he relocated to Winchester, VA.

He was an honor graduate of Allentown High School class of 1948. He served in the US Air Force from 1948-1952, leaving with the rank of Staff Sergeant. During the Korean War, he was stationed at bases in Texas and England. He graduated from Lehigh University, class of 1957 with a BS in Accounting. While at Lehigh, he was a corresponding secretary of Alpha Lambda Omega fraternity and the Town Council.

He was a long time member of the Delaware Blues of the North South Skirmish Association, and active in the Winchester Glass Club (Glasshoppers). As founder of the Burgenland Bunch Internet Group and editor of their newsletter, he received the Austrian Burgenland Gold Medal of Honor (Ehrenzeichen) in 2001 for his work in promoting Burgenland ethnicity and became a Lifetime Honorable Member of the International Burgenländisches Gemeinschaft. He was a member of Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Winchester, where he had served as treasurer, council member and positions on various committees.

His wife, Molly Beck Berghold, preceded him in death on May 27, 2008. The Bergholds were married in Packer Memorial Chapel, Lehigh University, and had recently celebrated their 51st anniversary. They have two daughters, Mrs. Jan Carr of Lester, PA, and Mrs. Kim Labiak of Mountville, PA, and a son, Chris Berghold, Winchester. In addition, he leaves six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Also surviving are a brother, Robert L. Berghold, Boston, MA, a half-sister, Donna Berghold Kotz of Allentown, PA, as well as other half brothers and sisters.

A memorial service will be held at Bethel Lutheran Church on Saturday at 11:00 A.M., with Pastors Rev. D. Rhodes Woolly and Rev. Dr. Conrad Christianson officiating. Inurnment at Shenandoah Memorial Park will be private. Friends may call at any time. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to Bethel Lutheran Church Mission Expansion Fund, 2077 North Frederick Pike, Winchester, VA 22603.

NOTICE (Informal Terms and Conditions): The Burgenland Bunch (BB) was formed and exists to assist Burgenland descendants in their research into their heritage and, toward that end, reserves the right to use any communication you have with us (email, letter, phone conversation, data upload, etc.) as part of our information exchange and educational research efforts.
    ● If you do not want your communication to be used for this purpose, indicate that it is "confidential" and we will attempt to abide by that request.
    ● Correspondents who communicate with the BB without requesting confidentiality retain their copyright but give a non-exclusive license to the BB allowing us to forward to BB members, publish in our monthly newsletter or on our website, and/or subsequently and permanently archive all or parts of such communications.

The formal Burgenland Bunch Website Usage Agreement can be found here: Agreement

The Burgenland Bunch homepage (website) can be found at: the-burgenland-bunch.org

Burgenland Bunch Newsletter, copyright © 2018 by The Burgenland Bunch
All rights reserved. Permission to copy excerpts granted if credit is provided.