Foreword
The end of the
great struggle brought about an assimilation, which could never have
been foreseen. The public awareness of the minorities was aroused
in the whole world. Also, after a long slumber, at this moment the
public awareness of the Germans in the Batschka in the kingdom of
Yugoslavia was newly aroused. The work of the 'Erzschwaben', our
great local author Adam Muller-Guttenbrunn, whose works included "The
Bells of the Homeland", "The Great Swabian Migration", and "Gotzdammerung"
have fulfilled their task. Before this these books were secretly
read, found by us in every German library.
It was a miracle. As
if the whole wide world before the relieved eyes in shining clarity are
opened again, so awoke our deeply sunken public awareness with a bang
from its long sleep. A whole world is contemplating and before the
eyes of the late descendants reflects that already they forget the old
German world of the ancestors again; so beautiful, so pure, so loved.
The hitherto neglected
research concerning the history of the immediate area, the birthplaces,
the family trees, would have been recorded in old German regions with
enthusiasm, to preserve the memory of the parents, cultivate the German
ways, to save the German culture and history of the past, and this is
the danger, that it will be snatched away, lost forever into oblivion.
Then a people whose past it had neither known nor honored also has no
future, same as its children that did not keep the fourth commandment.
The Swabian, as we have
become known in this land, right or wrong, are no longer ashamed to be a
Swabian. On the contrary, one is proud of it. And rightly
so! He is publicly aware. With it the sting of the earlier
injury has been taken away, the mocker has been silenced.
Only to the ignorant, not to the
doctor, does it seem to be a miracle. They are relieved that the
once completely blinded eyes can see again, completely and exactly. The doctor knows that the sight of the background exists and only the
cloudy lens at the entrance of the eyes prevents the light rays. So it
was with the public awareness of our Swabians, it slumbered only under
an anesthetic. When the Swabians had the opportunity to become
acquainted with the history of their ancestors, the long sleep was over.
In our Swabian German
cultural union, our German presses lose no opportunity to spur on the
research of the history of the homeland, so that today already in each
one of the communities of the Batschka where Germans live, a historian
of the village can be found, mostly teachers and pastors.
The occasion of the 150
year centennial of the "josefinischen" settlement, two years before the
150 year centennial of the founding of the proud community of Torscha.
In the past year Crvenka, our greatest Protestant community, and Neu-Werbass,
the most progressive and cultural center at the first place where a
German community existed in Central Batschka, celebrated their founding.
In the course of these years would pure German-Protestant communities
exist today? Before all others Sekitsch and Buljkes, then Neu-Schowe
and Neu-Sivac, and finally Batschko-Dobropolje (formerly Kischker)
remember the ancestors who came from Germany 150 years before, or rather
the emperor of the time had the aforementioned Villages established this
way. In the next years the German-Protestant communities would
have the opportunity to celebrate the founding of the last established
community of Jarek (Batschki Jarek).
Also the forefathers of
the Germans of Feketitsch came from Germany with the great Swabian
migration (Schwabenzug) under the glorious rule of Emperor Joseph II and
settled in the above-mentioned German-Protestant communities.
150 years are a period of
which half, 75 years nowadays it is not unusual for many a man to reach
this great age, and quietly we all hope to reach it. Yet in the
span of 150 years there are not two, but six generations. Of them,
five generations are about ready to go into the grave.
Our memories reaching to the time of our
grandparents are still rather lively. Yet the eldest of us recall several
from great-grandfather's time but these memories are already very sparse and are not experienced for oneself. Others knew for example the local farm family
Weber whose Great-grandfather Hann-Nikl Weber with his wife Maria-Elizabetha nee
Gebelin and six children came from Sekitsch in 1848 to reside in Feketisch at
house number 270, in the outside row. While the women tended the home; the
male members rode out on horses. But this Hann-Nikl Weber is the first of the fourth generation before us and the first whose grandfather was a settler from the "Empire." Of him the family knows almost nothing. Only one of the ancestors of the Weber the Sekitsch church register can explain that the settler Philipp family who lived four generations Heinrich Weber immigrated to Sekitsch from the village of before us. Born on 11 August 1799. Ruppertshofen in Hessen-Darmstadt as a 61
year old man and Illustration was made from the and died in 1812 on the 27th of
December. He reached the age original photograph with egg yolk of "87 years
and 7 months."
One of the ancestors of the Weber
family who lived four generations before us.
Born on August
11, 1799.
Illustration was made from the original
photograph, stuck on glass.
It is not easy to find out such dates
from so long ago. It was an omission that the 50 year and 100 year
anniversaries of the settlers, of the founding of the church communities
would observe much too little and holds on to little of the history of
each time.
How many individuals celebrate the 10, 25, 40,
50 year anniversaries of their marriage, entrance in an occupation, and
so forth. These are individuals who for the most part have no
interest in finding out the history of their family circle. But we
should not be indifferent to a date, which has so enormously affected
the fate of Germans of all of Yugoslavia. Quite a few of us moved
to the heart of the memorial days of Torscha, Crvenka, and Vrbas.
Although we find no so-called German-settler communities, we feel with
all our daily customs and dress. Nevertheless, we should remember
our ancestors when another 150 years passes from the old homeland and we
create for ourselves a new homeland here in the Batschka, far from the
populace.
Bear in mind that we want
to celebrate a joint celebration with our beloved neighboring community
of Sekitsch. And indeed Sekitsch will celebrate the 150 year
anniversary of its founding, but we Feketischer want to remember our
ancestors who left Germany 150 years ago and established a new homeland
for us in the Batschka. The celebration will take place with
participants from the senior church and public officials. Also
guests from the Empire will appear.
There is anticipation from
our esteemed government, as was the case also in Torschau, Crvenka, and
Vrbas, where in the year 1935 besides the esteemed representative of his
majesty the King Peter II, also Hitler's authorized agent of the Saar.
Regional leader Josef Burkel was against it. It is planned that
especially the farmers and workers among us will honor their visits.
Indeed, one of the guests in Vrbas was also introduced as a factory
worker which led to the amazement of us all that he worked in such a
factory where he will be stuck in at the end with shaggy farm boys and
at the other end there was the new 'school teacher'. Even with
consideration for the guests from the Empire the celebration should
rapidly follow from one event to another. Throughout the
celebration the guests will want to have the opportunity to be able to
participate at each community. They will deliver to us greetings
from the old homeland. On the Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd
of August the celebration will take place in Sekitsch-Feketitsch and in Buljkes. The main celebration will be on the first in
Sekitsch-Feketitsch and on the second it will be conducted in Buljkes.
One the following Saturday and Sunday, the 8th and 9th of August, are
the jubilees in Schowe and Sivac, and on the 15th and 16th of August in
V. Dobropolje-Kischker. Meanwhile our guests will observe our
activities in the village and out in the field. The guests will be
met in the Batschka on the 31st of July and some will be picked up by
lovely companions. On the 1st of August a memorial service and
rally will take place. In the afternoon there will be traditional
costumes and a wedding procession will move from Feketitsch to Sekitsch. That evening there will be the performance of a local stage play.
For Sunday there is planned a commemorative ceremony of the cemeteries,
viewing objects on display from the time of the ancestors, sporting
events, etc.
But the most beautiful and
uplifting celebration will in the course of time be forgotten.
Without a record of the development of a community, our history will
only reach back two or three generations. Already an old quote
says: A word expressed is fleeting, but a word written down is lasting. It therefore seems necessary to record the history of the Germans of
Feketitsch in a book.
So just as our settler-ancestors of 150 years ago came from
many different regions of the Empire and found themselves together in
the German-Protestant communities of the Batschka, so they may have
migrated again from these German communities later to Feketisch.
From one community more, from another less. So the namesake of the
family, who resides in Feketisch today may have come from a settler of
Crvenka, while the mother's side of the family came from Sekitsch, yet
the grandmother's side came from Torscha or Vrbas. Such cases in
the so-called settler-communities don't happen so frequently, as in
Feketitsch.
