Arrival in the New Homeland
by Dr. Viktor Pratscher
Translated by Brad Schwebler
Through the cloudy glass of 150 years we see our
settler-ancestors as they reach their goal in
the new homeland after a long journey of 1200
kilometers which lasted six weeks. They arrived
here with women and children, all their property
and souls, fatigued yet full of hope and
curiosity.
The
hope for a better future persisted throughout
their journey. And with the hope, with us always
was the beguiling conjurer who accompanied us to
the last breath, so it was written by one of the
great poets of our people, Nikolaus Lenan who
lamented in his beautiful poem his life's
tragedy that nothing comes from hope. He wrote
as follows:
Vain
dress, vain rings, consumed your little
life,
Until the evening bell rings, then the wild
run stands still.
A fool, you, you have been treated unfairly,
Always you saw in the gray distance,
You see, friend, there lies the goal.
Yes,
at the goal they arrived. A foreign world
surrounded them. They looked around and saw a
bleak area. There were thistles and thorns,
reeds and wilderness, swamps and epidemics.
When they compared this desert to the Eden of
their old homeland, homesickness crept into
their hearts. All too early and far from home
they sank into quiet graves.
Today
the "Schwabenlied" (Swabian Song) by Adam
Mueller-Guttenbrunn,
one of our people, rings out:
"From
German earth we are descended
On this island distant from the populace
O homeland, diligent Germans of proud blood
You witness many a severe need."
So it
reached the depths of each one of the Swabians
who trembled in quiet solitude, the beautiful,
light precious stone, the loyal German heart.
So as
soon as they were in the assigned region, each
family moved into their assigned house. With
the house each family received:
|
one cow |
one grave
shovel |
|
one sort |
one rug |
|
one bedroom |
one pitchfork |
|
one hoe |
six sacks |
|
one straw sack |
one spinning
wheel |
|
one dried
fruit |
one flour
sieve |
|
one bread
firer |
one butter
barrel |
|
one water tub |
one milk pail |
That the
family also received a mess kit is hardly worth
mentioning. In Feketitsch there are still two
plates of Ludwig Gutwein, which he had in family
tradition kept in the oven. The plates were of
metal, 40 dkg heavy and eight inches in
diameter. On the underside of each there were
three stamps, all the same and imprinted. The
stamps were of the crown of Hungary's King
Stefan, on the left an S, on the right an H:
Sigillum Hungaricum, or the Transylvanian
Chancellery. Farther left is a 17, farther
right is 85 - 1785. Under the crown is an oak
wreath in a semi-circle surrounding the coat of
arms on which there is a double four-leaf
clover. By it are the beautifully engraved
letters A. G. for Adam Gutwein.
Such plates
also exist in Sekitsch, together with a bowl.
However, the stamps are of the Austrian
Emperor's crown.
In
addition each of the farmers received with a
house and cultivated field the following:
|
4 horses |
1 scythe with
whetstone |
|
1 short bridle |
2 sickles |
|
1 long bridle |
1 crock pot |
|
1 axe |
2 drills |
|
1 hoe |
1 unfinished
wagon |
|
1 shovel |
1 plow |
|
1 wooden fork |
1 bow |
|
4 halters |
1 cutting knife |
|
8 cords |
1 handsaw |
|
2 spun ropes |
1 wagon cable |
Each
craftsman who accepted no field received 50
Guilders to purchase his tools. In general it
took 90-95% of the agricultural land although
under this very many craftsmen would be farmers
because so many craftsmen could not have
existed.
There
were session farmers and session farmers. In
many of the villages as in Sekitsch there were
only session farmers because the land on the
hills of the Teletschka was poor. The fields
were measured and divided into three farmlands
in the economy of all communities at the time;
one for winter seeding, another for springtime
seeding, and the third was the fallow field.
The
session farmers of Sekitsch had in each farmland
two pieces of field to three yokes per 200
square fathoms. Then there were still two great
meadows, one of which had four yokes per 600
square fathoms and one little meadow with two
yokes. Together there were 30 yokes per 1200
square fathoms (that was the size of the little
Hungarian yoke). That corresponds to 18 chains;
and with it still came the pasture rights for
the pasture which all the farmlands bordered
on. Each one received a piece of land from the
pasture of which they were apportioned a
corresponding part. So for a session in
Feketitsch one received 6 chains and for a half
session one received 3 chains share of pasture.
At the
settlement seeds would be loaned which must be
paid back in three years. House, field, and
appliances were the assets and make-up of the
family allowed but would not be sold without
getting a grant, which would always be granted
anyway, only something must be scrawled if one
wanted a ride.
It
originated in the following newly established
Protestant communities:
In the year
1820 - In the year 1930
|
|
In the year |
Houses
|
Ev. + Ref
|
Ev. + Ref. =
Prot. |
|
1) |
1784 Torscha |
250 |
900 " 565 =
1465 |
1790 " 1815 =
3605 |
|
2) |
1785 Crvenka |
500 |
2840 " 835 =
3675 |
6444 " 1454 =
7898 |
|
3) |
1785 Neu Vrbas |
310 |
1982 " 27 =
2609 |
4257 " 1920 =
6177 |
|
4) |
1786 Sekitsch |
230 |
1624 " 71 =
1695 |
5015 " 26 =
5041 |
|
5) |
1786 B.
Dobropolje |
230 |
1402 " 0 =
1402 |
3521 " -- =
3521 |
|
6) |
1786 Buljkes |
230 |
1100 " 44 =
1144 |
2654 " -- =
2654 |
|
7) |
1787 Jarek |
80 |
725 " 25 =
750 |
2191 " -- =
2191 |
In the
already standing Serbian villages would be
added:
|
|
In the year |
Houses |
Ev. + Ref
|
Ev. + Ref. =
Prot. |
|
8) |
1786 Neu Sivac |
165 |
67 " 1574 =
1641 |
N. 2184 80 " =
3970 |
|
9) |
1786 Neu Schowe |
80 |
263 " 486
= 749 |
1380 " 1571 =
2951 |
2075;
10903 4227=15130 27332"10676=38008
Of the
first six communities named, five were
considered for 250 houses. Only in Crvenka was
the number built doubled to 500 houses and
Eimann says "There is no doubt that this village
will be the most important in the whole Comitat.
It can certainly also be assumed that they would
have the leading roll and therefore would
receive 500 houses. It is already noticed here
that also in the year 1785 that the Hungarian
settlement of Feketitsch was also considered for
250 houses as can be gathered from its founding
document. What would it have been like if
Sekitsch, B. Dobropolje (Kitschker), and Buljkes
had received allocations for only 230 families
instead of 250? It is apparent that Vrbas even
received about 60 more families. Consequently
310 families would be settled in Vrbas. The
original settlement plan for this pasture would
be changed and as a whole would be put into
effect.
1) From
Eimann; 2) See the 1929 Evangelical executive
minutes; refer to the 1930 Reformed orphanage
calendar. It's certain that one would be smart
to go to the mixed settlements of Evangelists
and Reformers, in Torscha, Crvenka, and Vrbas,
and for that reason B. Dobropolje (Kischker),
Sekitsch, and Buljkes were settled almost
exclusively by Evangelists, just as Sivac was
settled predominantly by Reformers. The few
Evangelists who migrated from the Evangelist
community as far as their strength would take
them so the Evangelists of Schowe could
establish their own church community. The 60
additional families which Vrbas received, as was
originally planned, were most probably Reformed
families. It is likely that just for that
reason the settlement of Vrbas was halted in
1786.
The most
interesting and mentionable fact that must be
given thought is that according to Eimann's
records there were 28,000 inhabitants in
Subotica in the year 1820, of which 5,457 were
Germans, but in Batschka-Topola there were only
210 souls. Around the turn of the century there
is almost no trace left existing of two
lifetimes of these numerous Germans.
What is
to be blamed for the so many of them who have
lost their German customs and traditions?
[Published at
DVHH.org 2004 by Jody McKim Pharr]
