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1933-2020
Tribute to Ernest Chrisbacher
Visit to Hungary & Austria
By Ernest Chrisbacher, 1998
Visit to Hungary & Austria By Ernest Chrisbacher, 1998
The purpose of my trip was threefold: 1. To attend the 50-year reunion of the ethnic German people expelled from the village Bakonyjako, Veszprem County, after WW II in 1948, the town where my grandfather was born; 2. Go to Eisenstadt to do research for ancestors in the Diocesan Archives of Burgenland; and 3. Visit several small parish villages around Oberwart in south Burgenland for research in their old baptismal and marriage records.
With the help of a city map I found No. 50 Jozsef kort, the apartment of my correspondent friend and genealogist, Dr. Sandor Harmath. We sipped some Tokaj wine and discussed plans to travel to Austria for research at Eisenstadt and at several villages in the vicinity of Oberwart.
I walked all around this beautiful old city observing the commercial activity, construction, old and new buildings, the tourists, the vitality of the place and the apparent flourishing business and prosperity of the inhabitants; a stark contrast to the poor, depressed, drab, gray downtrodden people that I had seen here under Russian Communist domination when I visited in 1973. Many of the people spoke German with me, also in stark contrast to the situation in 1973 when no one would dare to speak German.
Bakonyjako, the village where my grandfather, Joseph Grisbacher, was born. This was the weekend of the 50-year reunion celebration of the German people who were expelled from Bakonyjako in 1948 after WW II. Because the population of Bakonyako was at that time 95 percent ethnic German, almost all of the people had to pack up what they could carry on their backs and leave their homes.
I met several people with whom I had corresponded but had never seen before: distant cousin Joseph Griesbacher, Andrew Gabriel from Fairview Hts., IL, distant cousin Maria Griesbacher Tillich from Canada, Joseph Steiner from Germany.
I went with Joseph Steiner to the house of Emilia Maria Griesbacher Andl, age 77, where I reviewed my genealogical charts to determine that we are fourth cousins once removed. Her daughters, Emma Andl Sas, Anna and Eva are fifth cousins to me.
Although I am a second generation American, they made me feel like one of their own, a native German-Hungarian, and I found it hard to keep a dry eye when saying goodbye. I am probably distantly related to many of them.
Father Mach was very understanding and helpful and allowed us to look through the old baptismal and marriage registers from 1698 through 1760 where we were hoping to find my GGGGGGrandfather Johannes Carolus Grisbacher or any other Grisbacher names. Unfortunately we had no results
The priest, a Pole, allowed us to look at the old marriage records (1740-1750) but again unfortunately we did not find the marriage of Johannes Carolus Griesbacher to Eva Maria Pantzenpeck as we had hoped.
The lessons to be learned from this are: Do not try to visit parishes in Burgenland during the month of August when most of the priests are on vacation, and call ahead to make appointments with the priests.
Visit to Hungary & Austria By Ernest Chrisbacher, 1998
The German Immigrants from Veszprém County, Hungary
by Ernest Chrisbacher. A guide to finding your German ancestors from Veszprém County, Hungary, their history, culture and origins. Published by Gateway Press Inc., August, 2005, 347 pages, hard cover. More than 2,000 names of settlers in the early 1700s & their origins. Over 4,000 names of immigrants to the USA between 1890 & 1960.
Published by Gateway Press Inc., August, 2005, 347 pages, hard cover. More than 2,000 names of settlers in the early 1700s & their origins. Over 4,000 names of immigrants to the USA between 1890 & 1960. www.chrisbacher.net/~ernest/book.html
NOTE: Since his passing, I'm not sure if this book is still available. ~Jody
Copies are available from the author Ernest
Chrisbacher
Price: $22.50 · Handling
& shipping: $2.50 · Total: $25.00
Send a check for $25 per book (includes postage & handling) to:
Ernest Chrisbacher
13 Orange Place
Wayne, NJ 07470
Danube Swabians of Veszprém County - Synopsis of the book
"The German Immigrants from Veszprém County, Hungary"
by Ernest Chrisbacher.
Synopsis of "The German Immigrants from Veszprém County, Hungary"
By Ernest Chrisbacher, 2005
"It is hoped that this work will provide sufficient information to enable the researcher to easily locate the birth villages of his Veszprémer German ancestors and learn about their lives and the places they occupied in the historical context of the region. References to the lists of origins herein should enable the family researcher to determine in general terms from where in the German-speaking lands his Veszprém County ancestors came, and with further research, specific places of origin might be found."
Ernest provides the German Villages Settled in Veszprém County From the book: "The German Immigrants from Veszprém County, Hungary"
By Ernest Chrisbacher, 2005
Veszprém County Villages Settled by Germans
Family Names of Immigrants in Verzprém County
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