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Subject: [BURGENLAND-NEWSLETTER-L] BB News No. 47A dtd 30 Nov 1998 (edited)
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 07:38:57 EDT


THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS -No. 47A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND GENEALOGY
(issued biweekly by )
November 30, 1998
(all rights reserved)

This second section of the 3 section newsletter features the Source of German
Names of Hungarian Villages, Military Records-Muster Rolls & Church Records,
Eureeka-Ancestors Found, Cabbage Strudel, Emigration Article from the
Volksfreund Series, Name Questions from WorldGenWeb, Volksfreund
Articles-concerning the names Flamisch, Gro"ller and Jost.

SOURCE OF GERMAN NAMES FOR HUNGARIAN VILLAGES
Member Keiron Rad asked if anyone knew the German name for Nagykanizsa? I
told him it was Grosskirchen and that it was a rail connection to
Steinamanger (Szombathely). Bob Heiling was copied on the reply and asked:
"Where did you get that from? I also tried to help Keiron ....and
corresponded via private email. I checked Albert's village file. I checked
Dvorszak's 1877 Gazetteer of Hungary on LDS microfiche (no. 6000840) and
several webpages and came up blank."

My answer: I use Joh. Dvorszak (Orts Lexican von Ungarn) for Vas, Sopron and
Moson Megye. I copied the pages from the LDS microfiche. I rarely know the
Megye of Hungarian villages like Nagy Kanizsa that are not in the Burgenland
so I find it difficult to find their names in Gazetteers. The Dvorszak index
would tell me but I'd have to go to the history center to look it up. It's
not that easy to use and you must first find the proper Megye in the index.
Albert's (Schuch) village list (now available from the homepage) was prepared
only for the Burgenland. I've found that a copy of the 1900 Baedecker for
Austria (travel guide published for years by Karl
Baedecker-Leipsic-Publisher, English editions Dulau & Co. London and Charles
Scribner's Sons, New York-modern editions currently being published by
Baedecker-Stuttgart, English editions-Prentice Hall Press) which I was lucky
to find in a used book store supplies German and Hungarian names for most
places of any size in Hungary. There is an index and sometimes some brief
data. Baedeckers are great sources of information but old ones are hard to
find and can be expensive as they are collectors' items. The modern Austrian
one wouldn't help of course since it would use only the German names and I
haven't seen an Hungarian one.

MILITARY RECORDS
New contact Richard G. Horvath is researching family in Dmsd, Hungary (east
of Lake Balaton), far from Burgenland, but raises some interesting questions
concerning military records. The following email exchange took place:
To: , I was over to the local Family History Center
yesterday. I searched the family history catalog - - first putting in
(Hungary) Pest county. No military records were listed. Then I just
searched for Hungary. There were numerous records, but, again, no military
records. I put in Austria and among the numerous records were over 1500
military records. Is it possible the records you referred to are listed
under Austria since it was part of Austria-Hungary back then? I guess one way
to pursue this would be to put in film numbers higher than or lower than
1629870 and see what's there. Any further advice would be appreciated.

Reply: Yes, yes yes! How stupid of me. Pre 1848 AND AFTER (when Hungary was
given semi-independence under the dual monarchy) , Austria retained control
of the Military and International Relations until complete Hungarian
independence in 1919. The military records (muster rolls) would thus be under
Austria. The records I was referring to were only "military church records".
See Hungary, Vas, Szombathely-Church Records, 0602034-0602044 "Roman Catholic
Church register of births, marriages and deaths for Szombathely. Includes
military church records and indexes. Good point. Military muster rolls and
military church records are two distinct groups.

EUREKA-ANCESTORS FOUND! (from Giles Gerken)
Had great success today viewing Microfilm for Hegyeshalom, Hungary (just a
few kms se of Nickelsdorf in the Seewinkel-almost on the border). Found
birth record of my Aunt Marie Regl which tells me that is where they lived
prior to coming to US. Thanks to Albert Schuch for informing me that it was
known as Strass-Sommerein by Germans, thus the Strassberg my mother
remembered hearing of. But I noticed many names in the two films of people
other members are looking for . I already sent mail to Betty Mische re the
Presseller name appearing various times. I can' t remember all the names,
but Unger, Hebenstreit and many others appeared. Film numbers 0630700 and
0630701. I remember in 1973 that was where the Iron Curtain fence was, and
where the border guards looked under the seats, in the trunk etc before
allowing our vehicle & driver to enter. Also had message from Host of Hungary
Gen Web- Joseph Nemeth who gave me names & addresses of 3 persons in
Budapest named Regl. ( I have already posted letter to one Janos Regl) I am
keeping fingers crossed hoping they are related. No need to respond to this
but just thought others might want to check the above films. Giles (alias
Hawkeye since eye operations)

CABBAGE STRUDEL (suggested by Mary Marek)
Continuing the taste of Hungary (and the Burgenland-see "Paprika", newsletter
46), I'm going to set myself up as a target by providing a recipe for Cabbage
Strudel as requested by one of our members. I doubt if there is any dish
(other than goulasch) that is as memorable as cabbage strudel among
Burgenland descendants. There are many variations and a lot of you strudel
bakers will tell me I'm doing something wrong or suggest variations.

Mary writes: Subj: Question about cuisine...My name is Mary Marek and I am a
member of The BB...my question for you is this...I am desperate for a receipe
for Cabbage Strudel...My husband's Grandmother used to make this....she was
from Eisenzicken....I have searched in vain looking for a receipe that
matches hers..... Do you know of anyone who may know how to make this.????
Hope I am not a bother, but I do not know where to turn. Thanks.

Answer: Mary, there many variations. Most families try a few and settle on
one which is to their taste. If you haven't pulled strudel dough, don't be
alarmed if your first attempt ends in a failure. Something you have to do to
become an expert. You can patch small holes even though they say you
shouldn't. Just makes the strudel a little lumpy. Would get you fired in
Vienna. (Note-if your dough flops and ends up in the garbage, you can always
boil some noodles and put them in the frying pan with your cabbage filling
for that tasty dish "kraut-nockerl").

Strudel Dough or Use Store Bought Phyllo Dough (sometimes can be too dry)
4 cups high gluten flour (Ceresota or one of the bread flours available in
most stores)
1/2 tsp salt 2 small
eggs
1/2 cup melted butter or shortening (not hot) 1 cup warm water
(some add a teaspoon of vinegar to help activate dough)

Sift flour into large bowl, make a well in center, put in eggs beaten in the
water, salt and shortening. "Make a dough" (that great immigrant cooking
expression that always drove my mother up a wall), working with the hands
until it comes away from sides of bowl. If too wet, add a little flour. Dough
should be soft, pliable and silky. Shape into two round loaves, brush with a
little extra melted shortening and let rest covered on a floured towel in
warm place for 1 hour. While waiting, make filling:

Filling
1 head cabbage (abt. 2 lbs. finely chopped, squeezed and drained of liquid)
1/2 cup fat (bacon or ham fat gives a stronger flavor but shortening is ok
too)
1 Tblsp. or more sugar
2 Tblsp. black pepper (some don't add this untill filling the dough)
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs 2 tsps. salt 1 tsp. crushed
caraway seeds
1/3 cup butter, beef broth (beef boullion cube dissolved in water ok)

Cook sugar in fat until browned; add cabbage, salt, pepper and carraway.
Stirring constantly, cook cabbage until lightly browned, adding beef broth in
small amounts if necessary to keep cabbage from burning. Let cool.

This is most difficult part:
Place a loaf of dough on a clean floured cloth covered surface, (it will
eventually cover the work surface -a card table area is about right). Roll
dough flat with floured rolling pin as thin as possible, then start from
center with hands under dough and gently pull and stretch outwards with a
rolling motion circling the table. Don't stretch too far before moving
outward a few more inches at a time to avoid holes. When table is covered
with dough you can see through, remove lumps of dough from edges by cutting
or winding off. (These edge pieces can be reworked if not too dry or twisted
into pretzels, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked for the kids in the
strudel oven. You can also make sticks, roll in parmesan cheese and make
cheese straws.)

Sprinkle half melted butter (from 1/3 cup) over stretched dough. Sprinkle
half cabbage mixture next making sure coverage is even. Sprinkle with half
bread crumbs. Starting at one edge, rollup (use the cloth to do this, picking
up one end and letting the dough fall away from the cloth) firmly toward
center for two long rolls (easiest) or all the way for one fat one.

Cut to fit pan or sheet. Put rolled strudel on greased baking sheet or pan
and brush with melted butter. Repeat with second loaf. Bake in medium oven
until lightly browned. Cut into four inch pieces and serve warm.

Some more variations.
Sprinkle filling with cream (sweet or sour) before rolling.
Add more or less caraway seed.
Add bacon bits (rendered) or "grammels" (bits left from rendering lard)
before rolling.
Add onion (to taste-maybe 1 small one chopped fine) to cabbage before cooking.
Sprinkle with sweet paprika.
Add more sugar, lemon rind and blanched almonds to potato filling (below).
Original recipes all called for lard for "fat".

Potato strudel can be made in the same way (it's drier). Cook 3 or more large
baking potatoes with skins on. Remove skins and put through ricer. Sprinkle
on dough, add butter and breadcrumbs, maybe more salt and do all the other
things.

My grandmother served both cabbage and potato on special pre holiday Fridays
(meatless days). She doubled and tripled the above recipe. She had a soup and
salad first, then the above and apple or cherry strudel for dessert. The
strudel was kept warm in big black baking pans in a warming compartment of
her immense gas and coal iron stove that filled a whole kitchen alcove. Have
fun, I'm going to look for a snack. Gerry

EMIGRATION ARTICLES FROM THE "VOLKSFREUND"- EARLY 1900's (2 of 5)
(Ed. Note: this is the final series of Volksfreund articles written at the
turn of the century by Adolf Knigshofer, school teacher in Poppendorf, and
contributing columnist to the newspaper "Volksfreund". Extracted and
translated from the original by Adolf's great-grandson, our Austrian
Contributing Editor, Fritz Knigshofer.

Fritz writes: This is the second in the final series of emigration articles
written by my greatgrandfather in Poppendorf. This article appeared in Der
Volksfreund, issue of 6 April 1907, on pages 4 and 5. (Ed. note: It is not a
happy story and shows the down side of emigration).

Return of Emigrants.
'Mit des Schicksals Ma"chten, Ist kein ew'ger Bund zu flechten.'[With the
powers of fate, man cannot cope (wreathe an eternal bond)]

It happened some years ago that two very young married couples emigrated from
Patafalva to America, where, as many believe, one only needs to spread out
the apron and the Dollars will rain into it just like that. Sometimes the
money does drip in, but when one looks closer at these drops, how they show a
crust formed from labor and sweat, and how sometimes life itself has hung on
them by a hair, one can often rightfully say that this silver and that golden
drop has been secured straight out of the fire.

Well, there are many people who fear no danger, take on the most difficult
and dangerous jobs, just to quickly earn much much money, and get rich. There
are not many things man would not do in the pursuit of the dear money! Not
many things that would not get sacrificed for it! Honor, respect, power,
life; indeed, parents are even willing to sacrifice their children. The
greatest crimes get committed. Nobody cares for obtaining happiness and
satisfaction; the only desire is money and again money.... Money was and
remains the target for everybody, from the beggar to the richest of the rich.

Today's target of longings for money in our country is: America. Fellow
countrymen borrow, or they carefully save crown upon crown, so that they
gather together the money for the travel costs. Over there, in America, 'I
will surely have it much better, can help myself back on my feet.' Thus, with
the same thoughts, our four travelers sailed over the ocean. One of them did
it because the long illness of his father had brought debts upon their roof;
he realized that is was impossible here at home to extricate himself and the
family from these debts. 'Hanzl,' he said to his neighbor, 'if I am lucky I
will be able to help myself!' He married, and headed west with his young and
brave wife. The other, also a handsome young man, slender like a fir tree,
strong like an oak, but quite poor in money, also married a brave,
hard-working and pretty girl and they sailed over the sea, full of the most
splendid hopes.

After they arrived in America, they soon found work and the money started to
drip. The first of the two was well used to work from home, but was not
strong enough for the type of work in America; he started to become sickly,
the remuneration got smaller and smaller, the pains and illness grew ever
worse, and the poverty ever larger; saving soon was out of the question and
-- on one of the days, a young widow and two small orphans stood bereft at
the casket of their bread-winner. The other one managed the work bravely;
his arms were strong and his nerves were like steel; money dripped in
continuously, and his young and lovely wife also earned an income; they
already started to think of returning home, in order to finally establish
their own hearth. But man can only think, while God calls the shots.
Suddenly, pangs of cold fever threw the man onto the sickbed; a bloodless
figure grinned through the window: it was the grim reaper, who bent forward
and took a strong stroke with his scythe -- the young life was snuffed out,
and the brightest hopes that can flower in the breast of a young man were all
dashed forever.

On Easter Monday, the two young grieving widows have arrived back home in
Patafalva and found here what the far-away world had not been able to give
them: a mother's and father's love, which provides them comfort and peace
for their still so young yet already heavily tried hearts. End of article.

A Crtique: Gerry, when translating this story I felt its sentiment and
sadness even more than at the earlier cursory readings. Perhaps it is too
much for the newsletter. Regards, Fritz

Answer: I agree that this article is very poignant, but then the Auswanderung
was not a happy time. We'll present this as one of the bad sides of
emigration. The other articles were mostly full of hope and promise, albeit
some unrequited and with admonishments. The partings had to be full of
sorrow. Many never had the opportunity to return. One picture in Dujmovits'
book "Die Amerika-Wanderung der Burgenlnder" shows a young woman embracing
her mother tearfully as she leaves; her father sits on his wagon holding the
reins of his horse and gazes into the distance. That picture haunts me when I
think of it. My own grandfather Sorger never saw his parents or many of his
siblings again, nor did 2 of the 3 Berghold brothers Josef and Franz
(although my grandfather John returned with family after a few years, built a
house and then emigrated again permanently. Just recently I met and talked to
an old emigrant. He asked me to tell him what it was like in his village when
I was there last. At the end he sighed, eyes full of tears and said "I never
went back and now they are all dead." A lament for his lost youth as well as
lost loved ones.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FROM AUSTRIAN WORLD GEN WEB (from Fritz Knigshofer)
Names Krammer & Ponstingl
David, This is re your posting at the Austrian gen web. Krammer is quite a
common name in the Gu"ssing and Stegersbach area of South Burgenland, which
is very close to Burgau in Styria. My father was born in Rauchwart near
Stegersbach, and his best friend when growing up was from a family Krammer of
Rauchwart. One of this very family later (afterWW 2) became the mayor of
Gu"ssing. Krammer, Kramer, or Kra"mer is in general a quite common family
name in German lands. It derives from Kramer or Kra"mer which means grocer
(with a shop, or traveling). I would not connect a Jewish family origin with
it, especially not in and around Burgau where there were many Krammer
families, see above, but it is quite possible that the name was in use in
Jewish families as well.

Ponstingl exists as a name in the Southern Burgenland as well, not only in
Eastern Styria ("bean stick" or "post," perhaps given to a tall and slender
man?). One bearer of the name (already deceased) wrote entertaining
literature in the Heanzisch dialect in the middle of this century. I really
enjoyed his poems.

Names Flamisch, Grller, Yost
Donna and Bob, This is re your postings at the Austrian gen web.You might
know this already, but there was a Flamisch inn in Poppendorf (besides the
Berghold and Medl/Mo"dl inns). I wonder whether the family name refers to
the old story of Belgian soldiers fighting in the battle of Szent Gotthrd
against the Turks (in 1664) who afterwards settled in the area. There is a
Wallendorf near Poppendorf which in one interpretation derives its name from
Walloons. If you are able to trace your Flamisch lines to Poppendorf, then I
could relay to you some old newspaper articles from early this century which
mention the Flamisch inn in Poppendorf.

Gro"ller or Groller was also a family name very much present in Poppendorf.
In any case, many of these names were also present in nearby Eltendorf (seat
of the Lutheran parish) and Heiligenkreuz (where the rom.-catholic parish was
located).

As to Yost, in a recent correspondence with Lea Simitz Buzby
(), I noted that one of her ancestral lines is a family
Jost, changed in spelling to Yost in the US. According to my information,
her Jost line is from Unterradling, a village which remained in Hungary. The
Hungarian name of the village is Also' Ro"no"k. A Franz (Frank in the US)
Simitz of Poppendorf married a Theresa Jost of Unterradling in the 1890s.

VOLKSFREUND ARTICLES -FLAMISCH, GROLLER & JOST (also from Fritz Knigshofer)
This is the result from scanning the articles I have on events in Poppendorf
and surroundings from the long gone Volksfreund weekly as to mention of the
family names Flamisch, Gro"ller and Jost.

Flamisch
Jan. 5, 1907. Announcement that the annual ball (dancing evening) of the
Voluntary Firefighters of Patafalva will be held on January 13 at the inn of
Mathias Flamisch.

May 5, 1907, page 3-4. This article reports about the celebrations held at
the occasion of 25 years service in the teaching profession by my
greatgrandfather Adolf Ko"nigshofer, the r-c teacher at Poppendorf. The
article states that the village judge (=mayor) Johann Gro"ller was absent
since, as a supporter of the German movement, he was in kind of a clinch with
Adolf who supported the Hungarian state idea. The article says that the
celebrations were held at the Flamisch inn. [Please don't interpret too much
into the gist of this story. For example, to the best I know, my
greatgrandfather's own close family included supporters of the German
movement.]

May 1, 1909, page 6. Reports on a walking excursion by the Choral Society of
Heiligenkreuz to Poppendorf, where they stopped for food and refreshments at
Flamisch's inn.

Feb. 17, 1912, page 4. The list of donors at the ball of the voluntary fire
brigade held at the Mo"dl inn in Patafalva included Mathias Flamisch.

Gro"ller
Note the mention of Johann Gro"ller of May 5, 1907 of above.

Feb. 16, 1901, page 3. Lists a Gro"ller (no first name) as a member of the
Voluntary Fire Brigade of Heiligenkreuz.

Feb. 1, 1902, page 3. The Fire Brigade of Neustift concludes its general
assembly at the inn of Franz Gro"ller in Neustift.

Feb. 7, 1903. The Military Veterans Society of Heiligenkreuz accepts Josef
Gro"ller of Patafalva as a new member.

Oct. 17, 1903. Reports on a break-in and theft at the home of Josef Gro"ller
in Poppendorfbergen. (Ed. note-this is a small crossroads village north of
Poppendorf)

Jost
Jan. 3, 1903, page 3. Elections to the village council of Poppendorf.
Michael Jost becomes "Gemeindevormund." [I do not know the meaning of this
function; perhaps it was somebody who served as guardian for orphans, if a
guardian could not be identified in the affected families.]

March 24, 1906, page 6. Michael Jost, 48 [years old?], is accepted as a new
member of the Voluntary Fire Brigade of Poppendorf. [For Lea Buzby: This
Jost was perhaps too young to possibly be the father of your grandmother
Therese nee Jost. Since your Jost ancestors might haven been from
Unterradling, perhaps there was a Jost family branch in Poppendorf as well.
(This newsletter continued as No. 47-B)

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