At the meeting of the homeland committee in May 1967 we were agreed that an "Ortsmonographie" of our former homeland community should be written.  Because I was already in retirement at the time I gladly took on this task although I had no documents.  I got the courage to obtain about four pages of Friedrich Scherer's memories.  I had already written about 200 pages without documents when by chance I came across the preserved Krtschediner homeland book by Friedrich Renz.  Because Beschka was the parent community of Krtschedin, I received this book as a gift from God because in it, it described the history of the people of Beschka.  References for further written documents (Bierbrunner and Pindor) I received from Rev. Peter but these books disappeared as souvenirs from the Germans Abroad Institute during the occupation time.  Again by chance I learned from Director Friedrich Lotz that he had the Bierbrunner papers and he soon also sent me a handwritten excerpt as far as it concerns the book Beschka.  I was naturally very lucky that I now had papers for the first 40 years.  The Pindor papers I obtained through a friend from the Budapest bishop's office.  The present Serbian pastor in Beschka also sent me the most important papers from Beschka from 1702 to the present.

          As suggested through the Krtschedin homeland book with its register of births, deaths, and marriages I decided to record the people of Beschka in such a way also, because our church books were not at our disposal or that of our descendants either.  I printed a questionnaire and distributed it to the countrymen at the fourth village meeting in 1968 in Echterdingen.  But it took three months for the first questionnaire to come back.  I already thought the plan failed because of lack of interest, but gave up and reported in the refugee newspapers in which many questionnaires are already entered.  (Many and few is a relative term and I deliberatively chose the word "many", knowing very well that it is psychologically better because "Where there are many pigeons, many more come besides, and where there are few, fewer fly from it.")  This propaganda worked amazingly and from the further reports I was already clearer and cited "more than 200 questionnaires."  In the spring of 1970 there were already almost 1000 questionnaires and I wrote the remaining families from the federal settlement office.

          In August 1970 I sent invitations to about 800 addresses for the fifth village meeting, together with the request for the advance order and advance payment for the books.  That way I could be assured that the minimum would be printed up before the meeting in October.

          Now nothing more stood in the way of distributing the book.  The completion of the book took more than three months because I was very short of material.  It was not easy for me to make the choice, because he who has the choice, also has the torment.  Selecting the illustrations was especially difficult because I had to leave many pictures out because of the question of cost.  I have given preference towards group photographs of families.  Individual photographs I only chose when there was a special reason, such as traditional costumes, to show them.

          For the selection of the text I also dealt with the relationships to the parent communities, because the people of Beschka came from them.  Preference belonged not to our parent community, but to the social product and tax relationship in favor of allowing our parent community to be correct. 

          As source materials besides the writings mentioned I also used: Hudjetz-Rometsch "Neupasua", especially the register of births, deaths, and marriages; Peter Wack's "Torschau"; Konrad Blum's "Liebling", and Heinrich Schmidt's "Jarek".  The memories of Friedrich Scherer, Jakob Philippi, Andreas Scherer, Peter Ewinger, and Anton Bobosch were very useful to me.

          I thank everyone who helped in some way, especially the refugee newspapers in the following order of their appearance from west to east: "Mitteilungen" (Communications), 7500 Karlsruhe, Kaiserallee 8/2; "Der Donauschwabe", 7080 Aalen and "Das Neuland", 8228 Freilassing.  Last but not least I would also like to thank the Leuchter Publishing Company for the favorable price offer, especially for the illustrations.

Marbach/Neckar, 28th of June, 1971
Peter Lang