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Newsletter
Dedicated to Austrian-Hungarian Burgenland Family
History
Read past newsletters at the BB NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 187
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
May 31, 2009
(c) 2009 - The Burgenland Bunch - all rights reserved
Our 13th Year, Editor: Johannes Graf burgenland.bunch(at)chello.at and Copy
Editor Maureen Tighe-Brown
The Burgenland Bunch Newsletter, founded by Gerry Berghold, (who retired in
Summer, 2008, and died in August, 2008), is issued monthly as email and is
available online at http://www.burgenland-bunch.org
Current Status Of The BB:
* Members: 1719 * Surname Entries: 5535 * Query Board Entries: 4116
* Newsletters Archived: 186 * Number of Staff Members: 14
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Home page. There is also an archive of previous newsletters.
This first section of our 2-section newsletter concerns:
1)
GOOD DOGS DO STRAY: MEMOIR OF AN IMIGRANT FROM HUNGARY (by Emmerich Koller)
2) A HAPPY REUNION AFTER 52 YEARS (Submitted by Emmerich Koller)
3) PORNŇAPŔTI & RÖNÖK (translated by Emmerich Koller)
4) HIANZNMUSEUM IN RAABFIDISCH / RÁBAFÜZES
5) KÖRMEND CASTLE
Main theme: Borderland
1) GOOD DOGS DO STRAY: MEMOIR OF AN IMIGRANT FROM HUNGARY (by Emmerich Koller)
A summary by the author Emmerich Koller
On November 4, 1956, just as the church bell of Pernau, a.k.a. Pornóapáti,
announced the noon hour, I stepped across the border into Austria, thereby
making the first step in difficult journey that would eventually take my family
and me to America. In my memoir, Good Dogs Do Stray, I describe the intolerable
conditions that forced my family to leave communist Hungary and what happened to
us from that day forward. Before coming to that life-altering event, however, I
dedicate more than half of my book to exploring the history of my native
German-Hungarian village of Pernau, the surrounding region and the village life
itself that shaped and formed my siblings and me.
 During
that first cold winter of 1956-57, our new life as refugees was marked by
homesickness, uncertainty, and general misery. The Bürgermeister of Oberbildein
took pity on my struggling family by giving my father odd jobs. One day as he
was cutting down bushes along the Pinka between Ober- and Unterbildein, a woman
who walked past him said, “Ein guter Hund bleibt zu Haus.” – “A good dog
stays at home.” In my book, I show that her advice was more malicious than
accurate and I validate all who ever strayed from their homeland and found a new
home in a foreign land. Aside from delivering a simple message, my most fervent
hope is to delight my readers with stories that I experienced myself or are part
of the Koller family lore.
My narration begins with Easter Sunday 1945. The Russians are coming! At about
ten in the morning, people flee to their cellars and bunkers as fierce
explosions rock the village; houses collapse, people die. The retreating Germans
care little about the loss of innocent life or village property if their shells
from nearby Austria can slow down the pursuing Red Army. A horrific explosion in
our yard awakens me, little Emmerich, to the world around me. Smoke and dust
have barely settled when an officer knocks on the door and asks for needle and
thread. Like a proper gentleman, he returns everything a short time later.
Relief sweeps over the entire family. Not for long. The dreaded horde follows.
After the war, life in the village returns to a semblance of normalcy for a few
years before the communist plague destroys the traditions and way of life
established by good, hard working people over the course of centuries. My
siblings and I belong to the last generation that experienced the old village
life before it disappeared forever. With my descriptions, I hope to conjure up a
vanished past and pass it on to future generations.
To get a flavor of what village life was like, we accompany the Kleinrichter or
kisbiró with his drum on his appointed round, and take an intimate tour of the
old village. We hear the sound of the trumpet that summons the pigs for their
daily dig and wallow in the woods. We watch with delight as our seasonal
friends, the storks, feed their hungry chicks in their nest on top of the
rectory’s chimney. As we work in the fields, we are entertained by the call of
the cuckoo bird and the golden oriole. On our way home at dusk, we are rendered
speechless by the beauty of a nightingale’s serenade. We can’t get enough of
the sweet smell of hay, of our own wine grown in our own vineyard, the Krapfen
mom made on Fat Tuesday, or the irresistible smell of fresh bread that grandma
just pulled out of the bread-baking oven. We meet Seppl the “village idiot”
as he digs out stumps in the forest and we feel sorry for him when he is duped
into carrying the red flag at the head of the May Day parade. We walk into the
one-room schoolhouse where a little boy forms his first letters on a slate board
and are shocked when he gets a serious beating from his teacher for forging his
father’s signature in block letters. We attend Mass in the village church
where a serious ambition in a child’s mind is formed. We discover Shaekl, the
family cow, who has an endearing personality and a mind of her own. We walk into
the dark forest near the Koller house and sense that the forest isn’t just a
collection of trees but a treasured friend with a generous soul. We meet the
roving gypsies who are feared but also pitied for their poverty and sad
condition. We are concerned as cast-offs of the war become dangerous toys for
children, and we hold our breath as we watch a lad walk into the minefield by
the border.
This is just the beginning. The story goes on with many poignant and humorous
tales from a deprived childhood, an old-fashioned upbringing, and a long and
improbable journey from a simple village in the Pinka river valley to the
sophisticated metropolis of Chicago. Good Dogs Do Stray is a narrative blend of
a young person’s wonderment and the seasoned reflection of an older man.
I tell the true story of my family, but woven into the family’s history is my
own metamorphosis from poor country boy to seminarian, to college graduate, to
member of a religious order, to teacher. Setbacks were always followed by
progress because we dared to transcend conventional norms and boundaries. Still,
it took a long time to embrace the concept that it is acceptable for good dogs
to stray.
For any questions about the book or to order a copy, contact the author Emmerich
Koller through his webpage: www.emmerichkoller.com
or simply e-mail him at: emmerich3@comcast.net
.
About the author
Emmerich, a.k.a. Imre Koller, was born in 1942 in Pernau/Pornóapáti, Hungary.
Two years after his family’s escape to Austria in 1956, Emmerich entered the
seminary at Sankt Rupert, Bischofshofen, to study for the priesthood. In 1960,
the Kollers immigrated to America and settled in Chicago. Emmerich left the
seminary in 1966 and became a German teacher. Today he lives in Winnetka with
wife Ann and youngest son Andrew. He holds a BA in Philosophy, an MA in German
and an MA in Education. During his teaching career of 36 years, he received
several awards: The Distinguished Teacher Award at President Clinton’s White
House (1993), The Certificate of Merit from the Goethe Institute in New York
(1989), two Outstanding Teacher Awards from the University of Chicago (1985,
2001).
2) A HAPPY REUNION AFTER 52 YEARS (Submitted by Emmerich Koller)
Back in the first half of the 1950’s, Bán Korsos Sándor, the director of the
village school of Pernau, a.k.a. Pornóapáti, started a music band, thus giving
the more musically talented of his pupils an opportunity to show off and expand
their musical skills. In no time, the little group of nine pupils made such fine
music that its reputation traveled beyond Pernau and performed in neighboring
villages and even Szombathely, a.k.a. Steinamanger, where it won first prize in
a young musicians’ competition. The band's repertoire consisted of local,
mostly German, folksongs and some fancier tunes from operettas. By the spring of
1956, arrangements were being made for a brief tour to Austria, an exceptionally
generous concession on the part of communist Hungary of that time. The pictures
for the passports and promotion were ready, visas were being processed, Die
blaue Donau by Johann Strauß Jr. was being practiced weekly. Then suddenly it
all came to naught. The revolution broke out in October of that year and by
November 4 half of the band members, including Bán Korsos, were gone. They and
their families fled across the Iron Curtain. The band ceased to exist.
Fifty-two years went by before the band members saw each other again. It
happened last summer, on July 12, at the exquisitely appointed Alpesi Fogadó
és Borház located in the Pinka Valley between Vaskeresztes/Großdorf and
Csatár/Schilding. After an unforgettable reunion and a delicious dinner such as
we couldn’t even have dreamed of 52 years ago in communist Hungary, the owners
Erzsi and Zoltán Heinisch invited us all to continue our celebration with music
and singing at their beautiful villa in the vineyards of Csatár. It was a
perfect reunion on a beautiful summer day that will never be forgotten.
The reunion was attended by all the former band members except Pfliegler Gusti,
who is no longer with us, and Schmied/Hanzel Zsuzsi who couldn’t make it. A
good number of guests and family members participated in the celebration, most
importantly, the organizers Franz Schmalzl of Viehhofen, Salzburg, and Mitzi
Perlaki of Pernau.
1956 picture from left to right: (sitting) Pfliegler Gusti,
Molnár Erzsi, Schmalzl Laci, Schmied Zsuzsi, Gober Jancsi; (standing) Koller
Imre, a.k.a. Emmerich, Sásdi Pista, Teacher Bán Korsos Sándor, Mátyás Erzsi,
Bruckner Georg
2008 reunion picture: (sitting) Molnár Erzsi – now Mrs.
Zoltán Heinisch, Schmalzl Laci, Gober Jancsi; (standing) Koller Imre/ Emmerich,
Sásdi Pista, Teacher Bán Korsos Sándor, Mátyás Erzsi – now Mrs. Emil
Horváth, Bruckner Georg
3) PORNŇAPŔTI & RÖNÖK (translated by Emmerich Koller)
"Village" informations from Hungarian Catholic Encyclopaedia
RADLING / RÖNÖK
Rönök, until 1950 Alsó- and Felsörönök (Lower and Upper Rönök), located
in the County of Vas, in the diocese of Szombathely, vicariate
Körmend-Szentgotthard. - - The parish existed already in 1332. The church
was dedicated to Saint Imre (Emmerich). The church of today church was built in
1907. The Turks occupied it in 1526. In 1618 the inhabitants first became
Reformed then Lutheran. In 1789 the church was rededicated. Since 1951 the
church is not usable. The official language in 1880 was Hungarian, in 1910
German, in 1940 German and Hungarian. The pastors were: 1452 Kelemen, 1789
Stibler János - administrator, 1793 Hubertus OFM - administrator, 1794 Eisner
István - admin., 1799 Schrammel János, 1807 Mittl István - admin., 1809
Schmitzl Mihály, 1831 Griller Antal, 1835 Spreiczenbart Lipót, 1864 Czigler
József, 1879 Reichl Ferenc, 1886 Eberhard József - admin., 1887 Herczeg Miklos
- admin., 1895 Bartl József - admin., 1941 Zadravec Mátyás - admin., 1945
Németh István - admin., 1948 Lautz Alfred - admin., 1949 Kömives János -
admin., 1951 Weber Antal - admin., 1980 Farkas Antal - admin., Since 2000 the
parish is administered from Szentgotthard. - Inhabitants in 1840: 556 Rom.
Cath., 30 Lutheran, total 586; in 1910 there were 802 Rom. Cath., 43 Lutheran, 6
Jewish, total 851; in 1940 787 Rom. Cath., 32 Lutheran, total 819; in 1983 209
Rom. Cath., total inhabitants 636. - In 1948 4 teachers teach 120 students in
its elementary school. Schem. Sab. 1914:65. - Schem.
Sab. 1977:42. - MKA 2000:536
PERNAU /
PORNÓAPŔTI
 Parish of
Pornóapáti, located in Vas County, diocese of Szombathely. - The parish
existed already in 1332. The church was dedicated to the Virgin
Mary and Saint Margaret of Antioch. The existing church today, dedicated to St.
Margaret, was finished in 1795. The Turks destroyed the original church in 1530.
In 1780 a new church was founded. The organ was built in 1832 by an unknown
master. Around 1870, it was reconstructed by Peppert Nándor. The large bell, 82
cm in diameter, was poured in 1492 by an unknown master. It is Hungary's oldest
active bell. The newer bell, 57 cm in diameter, was made by the sons of
Seltenhofer Frigyes (i.e., Friedrich Seltenhofer). The church records go back to
1790. The patroness in 1880 was the grand duchess Therese. The official
languages in 1880 were German and Hungarian; in 1910 German and Hungarian; in
1940 German and Hungarian. The pastors of the parish were: Glaser György
until 1788, Hegyi János 1807, Schenk Vince 1820, Schmidt György 1828,
Köberl Antal 1836, Schamadinger András 1841, Káncz György Ferenc 1846,
Vindisch Antal 1847, Menyhárt Ferenc 1860, Fülöp István 1885, Höbe Károly
1887-88, Cziczer Ferenc 1892, Számálovits Ferenc 1893, Iritzer (Traugott) Imre
1910, Gartner Jozsef 1917, Pataki Ferenc 1921, Keleti Kálmán 1922, Illés
György 1951, Lautz Alfred Pál. The parish was cared for by Vaskeresztes/Großdorf
till 1982, by Nárai till 1984, by Vaskeresztes till 1993, again by Nárai till
2000. Inhabitants in 1840 - 508 Roman Catholic, 4 Lutheran, total 512; in 1910 -
683 Rom. Cath, 5 Lutheran, 1 Reformed, 7 Jewish, total 696; in 1940 - 621
Rom.Cath, 2 Lutheran, 9 Reformed, total 632; in 1983 - 465 Rom. Cath. In 1948
the village school had two teachers and 78 pupils. Szántó János Patay 1980.
- MKA 2000:524.
4) HIANZNMUSEUM IN RAABFIDISCH / RÁBAFÜZES
“Do not forget that tomorrow, today’s tool is already history” /Franz
Dankovics
In Burgenland today there are several ethnic groups, among them Croatian and
Hungarian. But German-speaking Hianzen still live behind the Hungarian border. A
museum in Rábafüzes tells their story. The first Hianzenmuseum in Raabfidisch/Rábafüzes
was opened in Hungary.
The village (of approximately 400 inhabitants) is today a part of the town
Szentgotthárd. There are still about 50 people who speak "Hianzisch".
A museum was devoted to them and their forefathers in what was formerly the
village school.
Memorial to the farmer culture and the Hianzen
 The ethnological collection's foundation stone was laid
by the former principal Ferenc Dankovics and his wife in the sixties. On 26th
May 1986 the collection was opened to the public in the school building. After
Ferenc Dankovics' death, the collection was also extended and, after years of
hardship, it came under the maintenance of the Local Government of the German
Minority and the Branch Library in Rábafüzes. The present exhibition room was
provided by the local government as a final place, and after being redesigned
opened its gates to the public.
In the meantime, 500 exhibits have been assembled with years of hard work. The
whole inventory is labeled in Hungarian, German, and Hianzisch.
Contacts in Burgenland
 Until World War II, the population of Rábafüzes had
close contact with their neighbours in Burgenland. The place was pulsing, says
the village eldest, 86 year old Paula Nagy Vincené. "There were 5
guesthouses in our village, 3 were outside in Bergen. Then there was another
guest house next to the border that already belonged to Burgenland - we also
went there to dance", says the 86 year old.
Female Choir of Rábafüzes
In 1976 the Female Choir in Rábafüzes was formed, which has faithfully
maintained the song lore of the village and the surrounding areas ever since
then. The songs are also presented in vernacular "Hianzisch". The
founder and leader of the choir is Magdolna Unger, and its harmonica accompanist
is her sister, Edit Unger. The choir has 2 albums so far.
 Hianzenmuseum
Rábafüzes/Raabfidisch
Kodály Zoltán út 2
Opening hours:
Wednesday: 11 am - 4 pm
Friday: 12 noon - 6 pm
By previous agreement, another appointment is also possible.
Phone: +36-30-5686861
5) KÖRMEND CASTLE
Körmend was first documented in 1238 as "Curmend", seat of kings.
King Béla IV. granted Körmend town privileges with the right to hold markets
in 1244
After Körmend was in royal possession, it became the
property of various lords.Since 1604, it has been the central estate of the
Batthyány family. The king gave the castle and the estate of Körmend to Franz
II Batthyány in recognition of his service.
From 1716 until 1945, when the family was dispossessed of the castle and the
estate by the communists, Körmend had been the centre of their seigniory.
After the struggle for freedom under the leadership of Prince Rákóczi the
Batthyánys moved the management of their estates to Körmend. Thenceforward it
became a prospering small town. The castle changed to a beautiful baroque
palace.
After 1769, the Batthánys over several centuries collected documents and the
majority of their art treasures were brought here.
The castle originally rose on a hill with a broad moat. The road from the town
to the castle led through a double moat and over timber bridges. In the castle's
bailey was a one-storied residential building. Then there was an outer staircase
which led to the timber gallery facing the bailey. The gallery encircled the
whole bailey and led to the loop-holes integrated into the walls. The ground
floor included a grain stock, a dry mill, and a common bakery.
After 1600 and the fall of Kanizsas, a new time began: Körmend became a border
town of military importance. The town's development reached its climax in the
mid-17th century. In 1625, Ferenc Batthyány's son Ádám inherited the town. He
was a well educated land owner, and not only a great manager of his properties
but also a leading military figure of the country. He assigned the excellent
Italian war engineer, and later imperial main architect, Filiberto Lucchese to
the alteration of the castle.
 Significant changes came along with the
four years of construction work going on. The main structure of the castle
remained, but its look had been changed. Now there were multi-storied
residential buildings on all four sides, the towers were higher and arcades had
been built in place of the timber gallery. The windows were opened to the
courtyard. The massive and medieval character of the castle remained but the
interior was made more comfortable. After the Turkish had been driven out of the
country successfully, the castle of Körmend became one of the "dispensable
castles" and the war council of Vienna ordered its demolition on the
26.01.1702, but the Batthyánys were able to prevent that.
The town and castle of Körmend suffered during the struggle for freedom under
the leadership of Rákóczi. The army of Antal Eszterházy destroyed the town
and the castle. Therefore, at the beginning of the 18th century the castle
actually did not exist and the town was utterly destroyed.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the coordination of the Batthyány estates
was shifted to Körmend. Lajos Batthyany took over the properties from his
father in 1720. He served variously as imperial and royal chamberlain, privy
councillor, chancellor and the last Hungarian palatine from 1751 to 1765. His
societal importance was revealed even in his constructions. Following his
instructions began the generous conversion works of Körmend castle.
Thenceforward the castle stood in an open park, which, with its dynamic layout
and arrangement, strove for pomp and the castle was meant to imitate baroque
splendor. The designer of the newly arranged building was the Italian Felice de
Allio, who had already been an important representative of Austrian baroque in
the first half of the 18th century. The construction works began with the
dismantling of the gate tower and the filling up of the moat. Then there was
built a new floor on top of the whole building. The arcades in the inner
courtyard were dismantled and replaced by huge corridors with windows. In the
second floor they installed parlours and living rooms. A mansard roof was added
and the façade got blue-white-yellow stripes. Among the adjoining buildings in
front of the main building was the depot where the carriages were stored
standing west and the horse stable with the red marmoreal feeding troughs
standing east. On the first floor of the building which also had a basement was
the Sala Terrena. On the one-room second floor you could find the archive and
the library. The ensemble of buildings built 1730-1745 shows a typical Hungarian
style including, of
course, elements of the Austrian Baroque.
 About 1800, a
six-column balcony and a gable were added to the facade of the castle. The gable
was adorned with the Batthyány family's coat of arms.
In 1945, in the course of the invasion of the Russian army, the outstanding
picture gallery, the library, the collection of weapons and a lot of art
treasures were destroyed, pillaged and stolen. Even the huge archive wasn't
spared. The remaining documents and art treasures had then been expropriated by
the Communists and have so far not been returned to the family. Nowadays they
can be seen, among other places, in the Hungarian National Museum and the Public
Records Office.
Opening times of the museum:
From April 1 to October 31: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (every day except Monday)
From November 1 to March 31: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. (every
day except Sunday and Monday)
The museum shows periodic exhibitions in the castle chapel.
In 2009:
March 28 - May 10: Factory Faulty coins and banknotes
May 18 - August 8: Men patronage, patrons, prelates - Batthyány family and
the church
August 19- October 31: Carolus Clusius and Balthazar Batthyány
October 3 - November 4: Herend in the castle - Porcelain Exhibition
Newsletter continues as number 187A.
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 187A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
May 31, 2009
(c) 2009 - The Burgenland Bunch - all rights reserved
The second section of this 2-section newsletter includes:
1) WHAT'S NEW IN THE SZENTPETERFA GENEALOGY WEBSITE? (by Steve Geosits and
John Lavendoski)
2) RECORDINGS ON THE SZENTPÉTERFA GENEALOGY PAGES (by Steve Geosits)
3) 1946 DEPORTEES FROM PERNAU (Submitted by Emmerich Koller)
4) WOLFS / BALF DEPORTATION LIST (by Marsha Jenakovich)
5) LDS FILMS BORDERLAND
6) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch)
1) WHAT'S NEW IN THE SZENTPETERFA GENEALOGY WEBSITE? (by Steve Geosits and
John Lavendoski)
In the BB News No. 156A issue (dated Oct. 31, 2006), BB members Steve Geosits
and John Lavendoski announced the launch of a new genealogical website for those
individuals and families who have ancestors from the village of Szentpéterfa,
Vas, Hungary (Petrovo Selo), or from any of the nearby Austrian villages that
were once a part of Western Hungary, including Eberau, Gaas, Kulm, Winten,
Kroatisch Ehrensdorf, Edlitz, St. Kathrein, and Harmisch.
From those modest beginnings over two and a half years ago, we are happy to
report that the website has grown considerably in both subscribership and
content. We now have over 167 registered users with the largest percent of
registrations coming from the USA (68%), Hungary (23%) and Canada (4%).
When it was launched, the Szentpéterfa website contained data from John’s
offline database, and consisted of about 3000 individual entries, 250
photographs and 70 source entries. Since that time, Steve has been continually
adding more content, and has been busy managing registrations, interviews,
software upgrades and other design improvements. As a result, the website has
almost tripled in size. Here are some recent statistics, and a summary of new
features that have been added.
Profiles – We now have a total of 8290 individual and 2810 family profiles,
650 photographs and 281 source entries defined to the site. Where known, census
and immigration data, as well as Steve’s “house name” data and
descriptions have been added for many individual and family profiles.
Albums – This section was expanded and now includes 30 family photo albums.
Other albums have been created for villagers who served or became priests,
sisters and teachers; as well as memorial albums to honor those who died in
World War I and World War II, and to those who were exiled to Hortobágy during
the communist years.
Recordings - About 70 Croatian and Hungarian traditional songs have been added
to the website. These include recent contributions from musicians and singers in
Szentpéterfa, as well as older songs that were played and first recorded by
Steve and his family in the 1970s.
Most Wanted – This new feature was added so that we can reach out to others in
our community for help in the identification of unknown people in “mystery
photographs”.
Maps - A Google Maps interface has been incorporated into the website, making it
possible to see map locations of birth, marriage and death when looking at an
individual’s profile. Currently over 500 different locations have been defined
with this new mapping feature.
Languages – Croatian and German translation scripts have been added to the
site. Steve is currently coordinating an effort with volunteers in the United
States and in Hungary to create a much needed Hungarian translation script, and
to provide Croatian and Hungarian text to all descriptions on the site.
In closing, we wish to thank all of our subscribers who have contributed content
to the site and who have given us positive feedback and encouraging support for
our efforts. You have helped make the Szentpéterfa Genealogy website a success.
If any of our Burgenland Bunch members have ancestors who are either from
Szentpéterfa or from one of the surrounding villages mentioned above, we
encourage you to register on our site at www.szentpeterfa.com. If you do
register, please let us know the names of your ancestors and your relationship
to them, so that we can properly set up your access and to better assist you.
2) RECORDINGS ON THE SZENTPÉTERFA GENEALOGY PAGES (by Steve Geosits)
Editor: The following message was sent to registered members of the
Szentpéterfa Genealogy Pages at www.szentpeterfa.com. If you have an interest
in Szentpéterfa or traditional music, you should consider registering. We thank
BB Staff member Steve Geosits and his team for all their hard efforts on this
complementary site.
Greetings! This is Steve Geosits, the webmaster and one of the keepers of the www.szentpeterfa.com
genealogy site. I recently added 56 recordings of traditional Croatian and
Hungarian songs to the website that I hope all of our Petroviscani will enjoy.
To see the recordings, go to the Recordings tab from the home page.
1. The first set of songs feature Janos Geosits (my father) playing the organ
and Stephan Skrapits (my uncle) playing the violin, with family and friends
singing in New York City. The collections are called: Hrvatske Jacke and
Vugarske Jacke.
2. The second set of traditional Péterfai songs, "Accordion Solos"
feature János Geosits. Both of these collections were recorded on cassette tape
by me and others in the 1970s on various gatherings in New York. I then
transferred them to digital format in 2008. Janos Geosits learned to play the
accordion at an early age and performed at many weddings and dances in
Szentpéterfa, and later at many local gatherings in New York City. Stephen
Skrapits was a carpenter, and even made his first violin in Szentpeterfa when he
a young lad. He played with my father at many dance events and gatherings in New
York City.
3. The next set of traditional Péterfai songs, "Accordion Solos"
feature Antal Merotei. These recordings were recently made specifically for our
website. Antal Merotei has played accordion in the village for over 20 years. He
was the member of the Pinka Band, he played in dance groups, in the Ljubicica
choir and in some of the local plays that were performed in Petrovo Selo.
4. Finally, two songs feature the Ljubicica zenski choir and have been
generously contributed to our website by members of the group. These were taken
from the CD recording called "U Pincenoj Dragi." We hope we can share
more of their beautiful vocals to our website soon.
Steve Geosits, Szentpéterfa Genealogy Pages, www.szentpeterfa.com
3) 1946 DEPORTEES FROM PERNAU (Submitted by Emmerich Koller)
A former Pernau resident graciously compiled and forwarded this list of all
persons deported from Pernau in 1946. The list format is as follows: Name of
Head of Family (Listed in Hungarian), Number of total Family Members Deported,
Name of Head of Family (Same Person Listed in German).
Schmidt Terézia 1 family member Theresia Schmidt
Taschler János 2 family members Johann Taschler
Szeidl István 7 f. m. Stefan Szeidl
Enger Ferenc 2 f. m. Franz Enger
Mrs. Mittl József 1 f. m. Frau Joseph Mittl
Mrs. Eberhardt Ferenc 4 f. m. Frau Franz Eberhardt
Stéger János 5 f. m. Johann Steger
Schlaffer István 5 f. m. Stefan Schlaffer
Wölfinger Ede 5 f. m. Ede Wölfinger
Windisch Ferenc 5 f. m. Franz Windisch
Rosner István 5 f. m. Stefan Rosner
Vizler György 5 f. m. Georg Wiesler
Purker I stván 5 f. m. Stefan Purker
Gratzl János 4 f. m. Johann Gratzl
Einfaldt Ferenc 3 f. m. Franz Einfaldt
Schmidt György 2 f. m. Georg Schmidt
Mölcs József 2 f. m. Joseph Meltsch
Schmidt János 4 f. m. Johann Schmidt
Schwáb Ede 4 f. m. Ede Schwab
Mrs. Szakál János 1 f. m. Frau Johann Szakál
Schwarcz János 5 f. m. Johann Schwarz
Pfliegler István 2 f. m. Stefan Pfliegler
Schnalzer Ignác 3 f. m. Ignatz Schnalzer
Reinhardt Ferenc 5 f. m. Franz Reinhardt
Schrammel János 3 f. m. Johann Schrammel
Krammer Ferenc 5 f. m. Franz Krammer
Krammer István 4 f. m. Stefan Krammer
Pehr Károly 6 f. m. Karl Pehr
Schrammel Margit 6 f. m. Margarete Schrammel
4) WOLFS / BALF DEPORTATION LIST (by Marsha Jenakovich)
I was online Googling a few days ago and was lucky enough to stumble upon a
deportation list (Vertreibung) for the village of Wolfs (now Balf), Hungary. The
list is posted at: http://www.steinerlh.de/nachHausnummer.pdf
It seems to originate from someone's personal website, so I'm
not sure if there are similar lists available for other villages from another
more official source. I know the Burgenland Bunch has members whose ancestors,
like mine, fell somewhat arbitrarily on one side or the other of modern borders,
which in some cases determined their destiny after the war. If any BB members
know of the source of this information, perhaps they can share it with the
Bunch. The internet is an amazing, evolving resource, but sometimes it's hard to
keep up.
5) LDS FILMS BORDERLAND
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