Village Resources & Church Record Transcriptions
Provided by your Swabian Turkey Coordinator Henry Fischer
TOLNA | BARANYA | SOMOGY

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The German settlers in Baranya who were of a Lutheran or Reformed background tended to settle in the northern tier of the County clustered along the border with Tolna County from where the vast majority of them had first settled on arriving from Hesse.  In most cases they were first or second generation descendants of the original settlers.  The one exception to this rule is Tófü and to a lesser extent Mekényes were families coming directly down the Danube settled there. 

Researching in the Swabian Turkey is often confusing, as the church books were kept at different localities from time to time. Most of those settlements were of Lutheran or Reformed faith, whose churches and pastors were persecuted prior to the Edict of Toleration in 1784. The information below should help the researcher to find out where the church books were kept for individual localities at various times in the County of Somogy. ~Henry Fischer

Bikal, Baranya County 

This was the Mother Church of large and sprawling Roman Catholic parish originally but almost from its inception it had jurisdiction over many Lutheran families locally or in the vicinity.  The baptismal/birth records begin 1729 and in addition to Bikal they include families living in:  Bonyhád, Kobleny, Mekényes,  Mocsolád, Magocs, Mórágy, Mucsfa, Nagy Hájmas, Nagy Manyók, Rác Kozar, Szaks, Szalatnak, Tarros,  Tékes, Tófü.

In the marriage register that begins in 1752 intermarriage with families from other communities include:  Apar, Bátaapáti, Bikács, Bikal, Felsö Nána, Gyönk, Hidas, Izmény, Kakasd, Kalaznó, Kapoly, Kéty, Kismányok, Kistormás, Kobleny, Lengyel, Magocs, Majós, Mekényes, Mórágy, Mucsfa, Nádasd, Nagy Hájmas, Nagyszekély, Rác Kozar, Szalatnak, Szárázd, Szas, Szentmarton, Tevel, Tófü, Varsád, Závod.

A Lutheran filial congregation of Rác Kozar was formed in Bikal and all the records are part of the Lutheran Church in Rác Kozar after the Edict of Toleration in 1784.

Csikostöttös, Baranya County 

The German Lutheran settlers began to arrive in the village in the early 1770s and settled among nationalities and confessions.  Many of the early entries with information on these families can be found in the neighbouring Lutheran and Roman Catholic parishes, Bikal (RC) and Rác Kozar (Lutheran) after the Edict of Toleration. 

The baptismal/birth records for the Lutheran congregation here begin in 1808 and also include families from Albaliget, Dombovár, Gerényes, Gudisar, Jenö, Kaposszekcsö, Magocs, Nagy Ág, Ratzcsarda, Sasd, Slavonia, Tarrós, and Tékes. 

There are marriages in the church records of the Roman Catholic Church in Magocs that includes Lutheran families from Csikostöttös between 1795-1808. 

The marriage register of the Lutheran Church begins in 1821 and includes families from Almas, Alsónána, Bikal, Döbrödöz, Dombovár, Ecsény, Gadács, Gerényes, Gödre, Györe, Hidas, Izmény, Kalaznó, Kaposszekcsö, Kaposvár, Kéty, Kismányok, Liget, Magocs, Majós, Masza, Mekényes, Mosdos, Mucsfa, Nagy Ág, Nagy Hájmas, Rác Kozar, Sasd, Somogyszil, Szabádi, Tarrós, Tékes, Tófü, Vámos, Varalja, Varga, Vasza,  and Vaszar.  There is a gap in the register from 1841-1878.

Gerényes, Baranya County 

The German Lutherans who settled here came from Tolna County in the beginning of the 1770s and related to neighbouring parishes especially Rác Kozar and Csikostöttös where you will find records of baptisms and marriages.  The actual congregational records for the Lutheran congregation in the village begin in 1815.  The baptismal/birth records also include families from Csikostöttös, Dombovár, Gerényes, Mocsolád Magocs, Rác Kozar, Tófü, and Vasardombo. 

There is also a marriage register covering the years 1819-1826 and include families living in Almas,  Bonyhád, Csikostöttös, Gerényes, Gyönk, Györe, Hidas, Kéty, Kaposszekcsö, Kispuszta, Mekényes, Mucsfa, Nagy Ág, Nagy Hájmas, Rác Kozar, Tarrós, Tékes, Tófü, and Varalja.

Hidas, Baranya County 

There were Lutheran and Reformed settlers from Hesse who settled in the community after the original Serbian cattle herders moved on from here.  Entries with regard to these families can be found in various Lutheran congregations in the area, especially in Kismányok from the early settlement period as well as the Roman Catholic records in Bonyhád. 

The Lutheran church records in Hidas begin after the Edict of Toleration.  The baptismal/birth records begin in 1786 and in addition to families living in Hidas there are few entries related to families in Berekalja, Bonyhád, Börzsóny, Kismányok, Nagy Ag, and Szabád. 

The marriage register begins in 1862 after Hidas became a Mother Church prior to that the marriages are to be found in Majós and Bonyhad.  In addition to the families living in Hidas there was intermarriage with families in Alsónána,  Bátaapáti, Berekalja, Bikal, Bonyhád, Börzsóny, Glasshütte, Györe, Izmény, Kismányok,  Kéty, Majós, Máza, Mórágy, Nádasd, Rác Kozar, Varalja, Varsád, and Zsibrik. 

A Reformed congregation was also established in the community and the birth/baptismal records begin in 1802.  There are also some entries for families who are living in Börzsóny, Bonyhád, Manyók, Máza, Nagy  Nádasd, Somogyszil and Varalja,

The marriage register begins in 1803 and includes families who intermarried with the families of Hidas who lived in the communities of  Bonyhád, Börzsóny, Majós, Gyönk, Mórágy, Rác Kozar, Nádasd, Magyar Bóly, Mekényes, Varalja, and Zsibrik.

Kaposszekcsö, Baranya County
Sometimes referred to as simply Székcö 

The earliest references to the German Lutherans who settled here mainly coming from Tolna County in the 1770’s can be found in the Bikal Roman Catholic church records and the Lutheran church records in Rác Kozar after the Edict of Toleration took effect there in 1783.  The marriages are confined to those records, while there are baptismal/birth records from the congregation in Kaposszekcsö beginning in 1796 and also include a few Lutheran families who were living in Jagonak, Tarrós, and Szabád. 

Magocs, Baranya County 

This was primarily a German Roman Catholic village but there were numerous Lutheran families who lived among them and related to the nearest Lutheran Church as indicated in the other articles. 

Mekényes, Baranya County 

Like most of the settlements of the Lutheran Hessians from Tolna County, Mekényes was part of the Dombovár Domains of the Eszterházy family.  The original thirty families who arrived here came from Gyönk in 1735 and a close relationship between these families and those they left behind would continue in the future.  The early entries with regard to the families living here were in various other church records, especially in Kismányok in the Lutheran church records there as well as in other Lutheran congregations.  In addition a great deal of information can also be found in the Lengyel Roman Catholic records as well as the Roman Catholic records in Bikal.  The congregation became a Mother Church shortly after the Edict of Toleration and served several neighbouring filial congregations after 1782. 

The baptismal/birth records begin in 1782 and in addition to entries for the local village there are also entries for families in the neighbouring villages, including Bettelmann, Csurgo, Dalmand, Döbrökaz, Fehérvasard, Fischerhütte, Guirgya, Györe, Ivanca, Kis Puszta, Leperet, Magocs, Majós, Mekényes, Nagy Hájmas,  Tófü, and Zsibrik. 

The marriage register that begins in 1784 includes families living in Baja, Bettelmann, Bikal, Bonyhád, Csikostöttös, Csurgo, Dalmand, Döbrökaz, Ecsény, Felsö Nána, Gadács, Gerényes, Gyirgyo, Gyönk, Györe, Hidas, Hidegkút, Ivanca, Izmény, Kajdacs, Kalaznó, Kaposszekcsö, Keszö, Kéty, Kismányok, Kis Puszta, Kistormás, Kis Vejke, Lepert, Magocs, Majós, Mekényes, Mocsolád, Mórágy, Mucsfa, Murga, Nagy Ág, Nagy Hájmas, Rác Kozar, Somogyszil, Szabádi, Szárázd, Tarrós, Tékes, Tófü, Váralja, Varsád, Vasardombo, Vaszar, and Zsibrik. 

Nagy Ág, Baranya County 

Settlers from the Hessian Lutheran villages in the Tolna began to arrive here in 1771 and lived among the local Hungarian Roman Catholic population.  They related to several Lutheran congregations in the area, especially Gerényes and Csikostöttös and as otherwise indicated. 

Nagy Hájmas, Baranya County
Also simply called Hájmas 

This village was on the estates of the Bishop of Pécs and surprisingly a group of Hessian Lutheran families from the Tolna settled here along with German Roman Catholics and managed to eventually become a filial of Mekényes.  References and entries relating to these families can be found chiefly in Mekényes and some of the other neighbouring congregations both in Baranya and Tolna Counties. 

Rác Kozar, Baranya County
Also known as Egyházaskozár 

The German Lutheran settlers on this Eszterházy estate arrived in the mid 1750s and entries related to the families can be found in other Lutheran congregations in southern Tolna County as specified in some other records previously as well as in Bikal a Roman Catholic parish in the vicinity until 1783 when the Lutherans formed a Mother Church and served other Lutheran families in the vicinity. 

The baptismal/birth records begin in 1783 and include families from  Bikal, Csikostöttös, Gerényes,  Kaposszekcsö, Magyar Bóly, Majós, Mórágy, Nagy Ág, Nagy Hájmas, Rác Kozar, Tarrós, Tékes, Tófü, Vásárosdombo Szabádi, Szas, and Szekszárd. 

The marriage register begins in 1783 and also includes families from Bárcs, Bátaapáti, Berzgallya, Bikal, Bonyhád, Csikostöttös, Dalmand, Döbrökaz, Ecsény, Egre, Felsö Nána, Gerényes, Gyönk, Györe, Györköny, Hidas, Izmény, Kajdács, Kalaznó, Kaposszekcsö, Keszöhidegkút, Kéty, Kismányok, Kistormás, Kis Vejke, Kötcse, Lajos Komárom, Liget, Máza, Mekényes, Merszodi Puszta, Mocsolád, Mórágy, Mucsfa, Murga, Nagy Ág, Nagy Hájmas, Paks, Rác Kozar, Somogydöröcske, Somogyszil, Szabádi, Szárázd,  Szekszárd, Tabód, Tarrós, Tékes, Tófü, Váralja, Varsád, Vásárosdombo, and Vaszar.

Tarrós, Baranya County 

There were several German Lutheran families who lived in this village but who related to the nearby Lutheran congregations in their vicinity especially Csikostöttös. 

Tékes, Baranya County 

This was an ethnically mixed village with a substantial German Lutheran minority who related to various Lutheran congregations in the vicinity as indicated in some of the above articles.