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Subject: [BURGENLAND-NEWSLETTER-L] BB News No. 94B dtd Mar. 31, 2001
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 11:49:46 EST

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS -No. 94B
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(now issued monthly by )
March 31, 2001
(all rights reserved)

This third section of the 4 section newsletter contains:=20

* Continuation Of Notes On The Genealogy Of Franz Liszt (Ed. Note: this is=20
the second in a series by Fritz K=F6nigshofer which addresses the genealogy=20=
of=20
composers with Burgenland roots. The first, concerning Haydn, appeared in BB=
=20
Newsletter No.89B. Due to the length of this article, the first part was in=20
BB newsletter no. 93B, it concludes in newsletter no. 94C.)


NOTES ON THE GENEALOGY OF COMPOSER FRANZ LISZT (by Fritz=20
K=F6nigshofer)continued:

Notes on the children of Georg Adam Liszt

The three marriages of Georg Liszt, grandfather of Franz, produced a total o=
f=20
25 children. While in line with the health conditions at the time quite a=20
few of them died young, over many years the family's abode nevertheless was=20
teeming with underage children. There was a certain trait of musicality=20
running among the descendents, perhaps owing to the fact that Georg himself=20
was an accomplished musician. However, the poor economic conditions of the=20
family and the sheer number of children made it only possible for the=20
brightest ones (including, as we shall see, Adam, the father of Franz Liszt)=
=20
to find means of arranging their own higher education. It is also evident=20
that Franz Liszt must have had numerous aunts and uncles (a few of them=20
younger than him), cousins in the same generation, as well as nephews and=20
nieces. Except for his youngest half-brother Eduard, however, Franz Liszt=20
appears to have had little ongoing relations with his large flock of=20
relatives, some of whom may have looked at him chiefly as a source of=20
financial support. The list of Georg's children well reflects the stations=20
in Georg's career and runs as follows.


>From the first marriage with Barbara nee Schlesak:

(1) Michael, born September 19, 1775 in Edelstal, died January 22, 1779 in=20
Edelsthal.

(2) Adam, born December 16, 1776 in Edelstal. Adam married Maria Anna Lager=
=20
and was the father of Franz Liszt. He died on August 28, 1827 in=20
Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. See next section of this article.

(3) Magdalena, born November 3, 1778 in Edelstal, died?

(4) Rosalie, born September 12, 1780 in Edelstal, died? [before August 30,=20
1781].

(5) Rosalie, born August 30, 1781 in Edelstal, died?

(6) Anna Maria, born June 22, 1783 in Edelstal, died?

(7) Barbara, born January 24, 1785 in Edelstal, died April 6, 1855 in Bedeg.=
=20
Barbara married Alois Vetzko, born around 1780 in Bohemia and died April 9,=20
1861 in Bedeg. A son of the couple, Anton Vetzko, born May 26, 1825 and die=
d=20
July 20, 1869 in Bedeg, apparently was highly musical. Anton became a=20
priest. I am not sure about the location of Bedeg. It could be Bedeg in=20
Tolna county of Hungary, but it could also be Homokb=F6d=F6ge in Veszpr=E9m=20=
county.

(8) Theresia, born October 31, 1786 in Kittsee, died September 9, 1787 in=20
Kittsee.

(9) Franz, born May 18, 1788 in Kittsee, died?

(10) Katharina, born August 15, 1790 in Kittsee, died October 15, 1826 in=20
Vienna.

(11) Theresia, born?, died ?. In 1827, she married Franz Meyerheim in=20
Pottendorf.

(12) Andreas, born September 15, 1795 in St. Georgen, died? [before February=
=20
13, 1801].

(13) Friderika, born November 25, 1797 in St. Georgen, died August 10, 1798=20
in St. Georgen.


>From the second marriage with Barbara nee Weniger:

(14) Anton, born April 5, 1799 in St. Georgen, died July 29, 1876 in Vienna.=
=20
Anton was first married with Anna Haas, and a second time with Theresia=20
Fichtner.

(15) Andreas, born February 13, 1801 in St. Georgen, died April 10, 1801 in=20
St. Georgen.

(16) Barbara, born February 18, 1802 in Marz, died? This child, Barbara=20
number 2, married Josef Hennig on April 8, 1822. A child from this marriage=
,=20
Alois Hennig, born June 21, 1826 in Rajka, became a Jesuit priest.=20
Apparently, Alois was very musical. He died on June 12, 1902 in Pressburg.=20
Considering that the Barbara from Georg's first marriage was alive, it would=
=20
seem strange that another child would have been given the same name. Doing=20
so, perhaps Georg reflected the fact that his first and second wife had both=
=20
been Barbaras. He may have felt that the second wife also deserved to have=20=
a=20
daughter named after her. This would be another indication of Georg's=20
unconventional character.

(17) Johann Nepomuk, born May 1, 1804 in Marz, died?

(18) Alexander, born September 24, 1806 in Mattersburg, died April 29, 1807=20
in Mattersburg.


>From the third marriage with Magdalena nee Richter:

(19) Johanna, born October 20, 1807 in Mattersburg, died May 6, 1808 in=20
Mattersburg.

(20) Alois, born November 17, 1808 in Mattersburg, died August 20, 1809 in=20
Mattersburg.

(21) Johanna, born May 13, 1810 in Mattersburg, died?

(22) Alois, born December 18, 1811 in Mattersburg, died?

(23) Michael, born 1815, died?

(24) Ludwig, born? died?

(25) Eduard, born January 31, 1817 in Margarethen am Moos, the last child of=
=20
Georg. Eduard died on February 8, 1879 in Vienna. Margarethen am Moos lies=
=20
in Lower Austria, more than 25 kilometers north of Eisenstadt, and already=20
close to Schwechat which today serves as the airport of Vienna. As was=20
mentioned earlier, in 1812 Georg finally had lost his employment with the=20
Esterh=E1zy family. His stations till 1819 (when, as I understand, he is=20
documented as seeking a job at the textile factory in Pottendorf) do not=20
appear to be well known yet, but it was likely a most difficult time for the=
=20
large family. As can be seen above, the birth places and dates of two sons,=
=20
Michael and Ludwig, appear unclear, and one must even wonder about the=20
sequence, as a birth of Ludwig in about 1813 would provide a better fit for=20
the timeline. There is also a question mark about what Georg did in=20
Margarethen am Moos in 1817, except that he likely either had a job there or=
=20
was staying with one of his adult children.

Eduard, the youngest child of Georg Liszt, was extraordinarily intelligent=20
and talented. Though he was, strictly speaking, an uncle of Franz Liszt, he=
=20
was more than five years younger than his nephew. Eduard must have attended=20
high school in Wiener Neustadt, possibly via boarding at the Convent of the=20
Franciscans, as he played the organ there at the Franciscan church when he=20
was only 10 years old. Eduard later enrolled as a law student at the=20
University of Vienna, which he completed in 1842. His career eventually too=
k=20
him to the position of Chief Imperial and Royal Prosecutor in Vienna. While=
=20
Franz Liszt is said to have had rather frosty relations to most of his many=20
relatives, he was on very close terms with Eduard who later handled Franz's=20
business affairs and looked after the procedure that led to the award of=20
nobility to and design of a coat of arms for Franz. When Franz Liszt's son=20
Daniel (from Liszt's liaison with Marie d'Agoult, see below) died at about=20
age 20, Franz made sure to transfer his nobility to Eduard and his=20
descendents.

Eduard was first married with Karolina Pickhart, born January 27, 1827 in=20
Cilli, Lower Styria (today's Celje in Slovenia). From this marriage, a son,=
=20
Franz Liszt, born March 2, 1851 in Vienna, became a famous law professor in=20
Berlin and wrote seminal books about criminal law and international law. =20
This cousin of Liszt married Baroness R. Friedenfels and had two daughters.=20=
=20
In second marriage, Eduard was wedded to Henrietta Wolf, born May 30, 1825 i=
n=20
Neugedein, today's Kdyn=E9, a village in the Bohemian forest south-southwest=
of=20
Pilsen (Plzen) near the border to Bavaria. A son of this marriage, Eduard=20
Liszt junior, born March 13, 1867, became a professor of law at the=20
University of Graz, and died only in 1961 (in Vienna). In 1937, this Eduard=
=20
von Liszt (junior) published a book titled "Franz Liszt: Abstammung, Familie=
,=20
Begebenheiten" (Franz Liszt: Descent, Family, and Major Events). Eduard von=
=20
Liszt (junior) married on March 10, 1922, M.J. Linke-Wagner, born June 24,=20
1879 in Mattersburg.


The parents of Franz Liszt

As we have seen, the father of Franz Liszt, Adam, had been born on December=20
16, 1776 in Edelstal as the second child of Georg List/Liszt and Georg's=20
first wife, Barbara Schlesak. Adam loved music and had a talent for it. =20
>From his father, he learned instruments including the piano and cello, and,=20
as already mentioned, is known to have played the cello in Haydn's summer=20
orchestra at the Esterh=E1zy palace in Eisenstadt sometimes before 1790. Un=
til=20
age 14, Adam attended the schools taught by his father in Edelstal and=20
Kittsee. Thereafter, he found a place at the Catholic Gymnasium (high=20
school) in Pressburg where he graduated in 1795. His teacher for music was=20
the theorist Franz Paul Riegler. After high school, Adam entered the=20
Franciscan Order as a novice in the monastery of Malacka, north of Pressburg=
,=20
taking his religious name from Matthew, the apostle. Two other novices who=20
entered the order with him were Josef Kmentovics and Franz Spaidl. With=20
another young friar, Josef (later Capistran) Wagner of Kom=E1rom who had joi=
ned=20
the order a year earlier, Adam struck a lifelong friendship which provided=20
the basis for Adam's son Franz to keep a close relationship to the=20
Franciscans throughout his life culminating in Franz entering the order=20
himself late in life. From Malacka, Adam moved to the monastery in=20
Nagyszombat (Tyrnau, today's Trnava), northeast of Pressburg, but soon=20
started to petition for a release from the order. This release was granted=20
in July 1797 when Adam was 20 years old. Prof. Walker speculates that his=20
nevertheless always close relationship to the Franciscan order gave Adam the=
=20
inspiration to name his son Franz.

An attempt by Adam to continue as a student of philosophy at the University=20
of Pressburg ended prematurely as Adam was unable to support himself. He ha=
d=20
to look for a job, and in January 1798 became a clerk at the Esterh=E1zy est=
ate=20
in Forchtenau (today's Forchtenstein). Soon afterwards, his mother died and=20
not much later, father Georg was engulfed in his dispute at St. Georgen and=20
was forced to leave the teaching profession. As already mentioned, the young=
=20
Adam may have helped finding the father a job in the Esterh=E1zy lumberyard=20=
in=20
Marz. After two years in Forchtenau, Adam was transferred to Kapuv=E1r wher=
e=20
he soon was frustrated by his inability to speak Hungarian and by missing th=
e=20
musical atmosphere at Eisenstadt. Adam started to compose music which he=20
dedicated to the Prince in order to obtain a transfer back to the Western=20
part of Sopron county. Only in 1805 did he finally succeed in getting a job=
=20
at the court in Eisenstadt, a change which started a happy period of music=20
making in his spare time as cello player in the orchestra led by Johann=20
Nepomuk Hummel, the successor of Haydn. Highlights were visits by Cherubini=
=20
and, most memorably, Beethoven who on December 13, 1808 conducted the=20
orchestra in a performance of his C-major Mass. Adam also learned to play=20
Hummel's exquisite music for the piano. This happy time ended when in 1809=20
Adam was appointed as overseer of the herd of about 50,000 sheep at the=20
Esterh=E1zy estate of Raiding, in comparison to Eisenstadt with its princely=
=20
court, a rather remote and provincial place.

While visiting his father in Mattersburg in the summer of 1810, Adam met a=20
young woman, (Maria) Anna Lager, 22 years of age and an orphan since age 9,=20
who hailed from Krems an der Donau in Lower Austria and had recently moved=20
from Vienna to Mattersburg to join her brother Franz, a soap-maker. Soon=20
Adam proposed to her, and in September of the same year, he already=20
petitioned his authorities for permission to marry her. The marriage of the=
=20
couple took place in the parish of Unterfrauenhaid on January 11, 1811.=20
Unterfrauenhaid (L=F3k) served as the parish for Raiding (Doborj=E1n). One=20=
of=20
the two best men was the young village teacher Franz Rohrer (1783-1868) who=20
had just started his teaching job in Raiding in 1805, would later onwards be=
=20
Franz Liszt's first schoolteacher and stay on his assignment in Raiding unti=
l=20
retirement in 1866.

The only child of the couple, Franz Liszt, was born on October 22, 1811. Hi=
s=20
baptismal entry in the parish register of Frauenhaid is in Latin and states=20
the birth of Franciscus, son of Adamus List, ovium rationista Principis=20
Esterh=E1zy, and Maria Anna Lager, with godparents Franciscus Zambothy and=20
Julianna Szalay. The officiating priest was Georg Mersits, chaplain in=20
"Look" (i.e., Unterfrauenhaid).

When Liszt's genius manifested itself, his parents stayed close with their=20
son throughout, whether this was in Vienna or Paris. Until his early death=20
on August 28, 1827 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Adam managed his son's education and=
=20
early career as a virtuoso. Franz Liszt always remained in close letter=20
contact with his mother, and when he asked her to come to Paris to take care=
=20
of his three children from the liaison with Countess Marie d'Agoult, she=20
obliged. Liszt's mother Anna died on February 6, 1866 in Paris.

While there is no question that Franz was the only child of Adam and Anna, a=
n=20
enduring mystery exists about half-siblings of Franz from a possible earlier=
=20
marriage of father Adam. The mystery rests on a sentence in one of Liszt's=20
letters where he seems to say that he saw a brother die early from=20
consumption (generally, but not necessarily, meaning tuberculosis). Another=
=20
indication can be found in a petition written by grandfather Georg around=20
1812, after Georg had lost his job with the Esterh=E1zys. In this letter, Ge=
org=20
states that with his eight underage children he was placing an unbearable=20
burden on his son, where he had found shelter, and that the son had four=20
small children himself. Since of all sons of Georg, age-wise only Adam coul=
d=20
have had four children in 1812, the question is whether there could have bee=
n=20
three children from a previous marriage of Adam - unless Georg might possibl=
y=20
have referred to a son-in-law. The situation could be probed by checking th=
e=20
marriage record of January 11, 1811 on whether it lists the groom as a=20
widower, and checking the records of Kapuv=E1r/Eszterh=E1za, Eisenstadt, and=
=20
Unterfrauenhaid for births of children of Adam, a possible first marriage,=20
and the possible death of the first wife and of children. Clearly, if there=
=20
were any other children of Adam in the house in Raiding after 1811, one woul=
d=20
expect their deaths to be on record in the parish register of=20
Unterfrauenhaid.(continued in newsletter no. 94C)
Newsletter Continues As No. 94C.

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