The SENZIUS name has been written as SENSIUS, SENCIUS and SENTZIUS
the oldest version found to date is SENZIUS in Parabutsch, as
the records from Melitics have not availed any SENZIUS family.
Its possible that the family didn't remain there for too long,
probably coming from another town. It is also very possible that
the SENTZ family name or its derivatives are also related to
this family.
The village of Parabutsch near (S/W)
Hodschag was in the Batschka. Today
Parabutsch would be part of the Vojvidina area of
Serbia-Montenegro. The village has been called many names by the
different people of this locality. Parabutsch (German), Parabuty,
Paripash (Hungarian) and Parabuc. Today the village is called
by its Serbian name Ratkovo.
In one report, the village was first settled in1266.
and and another says the first mention of Parabutsch was in
1543, It was also claimed that the Village of Parabutsch has
existed in the same spot since 1650.
During the decline of the Ottoman Empire and
beginning of the 1700's Parabutsch was being abandoned. In the
last of three migrations from about 1780 to 1786, The "Josephinische
Ansiedlung," or Josephine colonization took place under Joseph
II .. about 200 German families were settled in Parabutsch. They
built the first church in 1784, the building was a red brick
structure with a red roof. In 1811 the Donuschwaben again built
a larger church and also had a grave yard with a chapel.
However, the SENZIUS family came from Militics to
Parabutsch in the early 1800's. Militics / Milititsch that was
settled by the Germans at the earliest in 1786. Militics /
Milititsch is currently located (N/W of Hodzag) in
Serbia-Montenegro near Sombor. Which was the same district as
Parabutsch.
In the 1900 census it was reported that there were 764 families
living in the village of Parabutsch:
3.643 Germans
475 Serbs
194 Hungarians
32 Slovaks
3 other ethnicity.
This record also indicates that, included were almost 100 Jews.
During the World War 2 The German families fled
Parabutsch, many families resettling in Bad Schonborn, Germany.
Not all families fled and some still live in Ratkovo among them
were Dr. J. METZGER.
On the entrance to the Catholic Church in Parabutsch at one time
hung a plague, The words of a Catholic priest Steven AUGSBURGER
“Nicht mit dem Schwert, mit der Pflugschar erobert:
Kinder des Friedens
Helden der Arbeit”
translated:
“Not with the sword, with the plowshare they conquered:
these
children of peace and heroes of toil”
Probably for economic reasons some of
the SENZIUS family left Parabutsch and traveled west in about
1865 to Syrmia the other side of the Danube to a village called
Sotin in todays Croatia. The soil was good for farming and
growing vines and the land was not as expensive as it was in the
Batschka. At this period in time Sotin was overflowing with
Donaushwabens. Many other families from Parabutsch and other
villages were also settling there.
Michael SENSIUS coming from Parabutsch
moved to Sotin and his brother Stefan moved to Tompojevci which
is just south west of Sotin. Apparently they decided the area
was a good place to raise their families.
Joseph SENSIUS who was born 1935 in
Sotin and spent half of his childhood there, until he reached
the age of eight years old. He was the gr. gr. grandson of
Sotin's Michael “Mijo” SENSIUS. The Prodginator of Sotins own
SENSIUS family.
Josef said growing up in Sotin that the mornings
usually started with coffee and bread or cream of wheat for
breakfast. He remembers going to Sotin School on School road
(today it is called Kardinala A. Stepinca St.) with the
SCHWEBACH's and his cousin Rosie SCHEIBL nee KIEFER, the
building was a cement / block like structure, which was
reminiscent of a one room school house. His teacher was Johann
BINDER. Sometimes Josef played hooky and enjoying the newly
found free time playing in the tree's while others were in
school. (note: The same teacher would normally teach the class
from grade 1 through to 8, they then the student would probably
go to high school (Gimnazija) in Vukovar the same as today.)
Josef's childhood friends were Pete and Josef
SCHWEBACH. (Both also went to Frankenburg Austria and died
there. one just died was about 2001-2002.) The children would
often go swimming and fishing in the Danube. Josef walked about
a ½ kilometer from his home on the main road and the walking
downhill in order to get to a natural sandy beach on the Danube
He recalls that the water was deep, and catching fish that were
probably Carp. In the winter the Danube would occasionally
freeze, and he watched as horse and carriages were gliding over
it.
Josephs father George SENSIUS and his Uncle Andrew
KIEFER of Sotin were both farmers. Knowing that Sotin is
situated on some of the richest farm land (soil) on the face of
the earth, because of the Danube, they actively farmed their
fields. George SENSIUS would sell his produce at "Beiwinkler's"
store across the street from there home in Sotin. The KIEFER had
a family store and may have sold their produce out of their home
store, At some point after World War 2 started, George SENSIUS
and Josephs, Uncle Andrew KIEFER both had been subscripted into
the German Army. The war was very long and tough, it killed many
soldiers on all sides. Tragically, for the SENSIUS and KIEFER
family Andrew and George were listed as MIA (missing in action),
and never to been heard from again.
In about 1942-1943 The German Army were very much
present in Sotin. In fact the village of Sotin was occupied by
the German Army, and the troops stayed with Sotin families.
Josef SENSIUS remembers having two soldiers stay with them in
their two bedroom home (The SENSIUS home had only two
bedrooms dirt floors as did most the homes and stores, clay
roofs, outhouses only, Sotin had no running water, no electric,
no paved streets, no cars except for German army vehicles.)
. There was a lot of talk, it was common knowledge, and
everyone knew the "Russian Front" was getting closer and they
would be captured or die if they did not avoid the Russians. The
German Army didn't have to go door to door, to tell the
Donauschwaben's living in Sotin to leave the village, everyone
knew and were worried. The German Army was losing ground and now
the Donaschwaben were forced to flee Sotin.
Sotin villagers and some of SENSIUS family members
fled Sotin. Though not all families of Sotin opted to flee, some
stayed, and some were just to old or too sick to leave. Nor did
all families leave at the same time, or go to the same
destination, Josef is uncertain how many fled, but many
families fled Sotin..
In 1943, Maria KIEFER SENSIUS (who passed in Ohio 1996
)and her children, Josef (age 8yrs) Steve and George decided
to leave, like the other families, she was thinking they would
return shortly.
The SENSIUS-KIEFERS opted to go to Austria, via train(probably
out of Vukovar or Vinkovci).
Josef SENSIUS doesn't remember how many people were on
the train but, that there were not only Germans fleeing but,
many other ethnic families as well. The trains were also not
luxurious passenger trains they were like box cars for hauling
cattle or other goods. He vividly recalls the train stopping
on occasion and the people would very quickly leave the train.
The trains were prime and easy targets for the Americans and or
other forces. The trains were often shot at and if they heard
the planes coming, to avoid the aerial bombing the train would
rapidly stop, and people would quickly run into woods for cover.
The SENSIUS family like others, did not know what
their actual destination was to be, they were just "dropped
off" near the south slope of the Hausruckwoods, put in a refuge
camp, in the northern Kalkalpen mountains, called Frankenburg,
Austria.
Many refugees were displaced to Franenburg. The
SENSIUS family lived in a displaced persons camp with many
other families, Josef recalls it being very crowded, fortunately
or unfortunately they were roomed in a not so vacant castle
“Schloss Frein “ with many other families. In fact they lived
with about 5 other families about 30+ people which included the
SCHWEBACH and SCHIEBL families and a man with one leg. There was
one stove, one bathroom and just one room per family. Life in
the camp was crowded, the sleeping arrangements were cramped as
they all slept in bunks. Food was scarce, everyone basically
cooked for themselves and primarily ate potatoes and milk.
However the SENSIUS and other families were able to work, if
they could find jobs.
People did
what they knew. They lived in the castle for about two years, when
the owner of the castle wanted it back. Then they moved to
Vocklabruck Austria to a barracks. Josef was worked home
construction in Austria.
The Castle
“Schloss
Frein“, it is like a little Suburb of Frankenburg about a 10
minutes walk from the Marktplatz Frankenburg.It is still there
and in good condition.
History; - It went from the
Khevenhuellers to the Family Pausinger 1810. Then it
was bought in 1849 by a Wiener Banker -Franz Schaup. Since
World War 2 it belonged to the Barons Limbeck-Lilienau. Now they have the Offices of the
Frankenburg Forest and there is also a Museum
believed to be in there.
When Germany lost the war. The SENCIUS and KIEFER"S
could not go back to Sotin as the property fell into others'
hands.
Josephs brother John SENSIUS, left Vocklabruck, Austria with his
wife and arrived in the U.S.A. in 1951. And because of economic
conditions, After the war, Josef wanted a better way of life,
since his brother was already in the states, Josef thought he
would come over too. Josef SENSIUS came to the USA in 1955.
Josef was in the USA for about a year and in 1956 he sent for
his mother Maria KIEFER SENSIUS and his brother George SENSIUS.
Josef became a machinist once he moved to Ohio, USA. Eventually
the SENSIUS made it to the Akron, OH., where the family now
resides.
The
SENSIUS family became very active in the German Family Society
in Brimfield, OH. Joseph's son Steve SENSIUS went to Germany and
Austria in 1988 with the Detroit and Chicago German dance
groups. Paula SCHLIES of the Sotin WILLIG family did an article
for the Beacon Journal in Ohio about the Donauschwaben and
included some of Josephs grandchildren in the photo's of the
story. Innocently neither family knowing of their Sotin family
ties until 2 years after, when Steve SENSIUS pulled out the
article in search of information for this report.
Josef
SENSIUS no longer has any known relatives that he is aware of,
living in Sotin. but he does have other Sotin family members
that had been dislocated, and living in Austria, Germany and the
USA. The Sotin families of KEIFER, SCHIEBL, BAUMGARTNER and
WILLIG families are also in their family tree.
