SEASON'S GREETINGS! This is the sixth Griesbacher Newsletter. No issue was published last year.
Two letters from Michael Roth of
Burghausen, Germany who was born in Városlöd, Hungary. Michael is
now retired and can devote more time to his family and ancestral research. He
still does consulting with his company, He has finished writing his book about
the German families and kinships of Városlöd. It is about 900 pages
and will be published this year. I have ordered a copy because it will
undoubtedly contain a lot of information about our ancestors who lived in
Városlöd. In August 1993, about 200 people from Wiesthal, Germany
went to Városlöd to celebrate a ten-year friendship reunion. Many
settlers of Városlöd came from Wiesthal, Germany about 250 years
ago. Michael has established a small business in Városlöd
manufacturing hand-painted ceramic pottery. Before WW II there was a very
famous ceramic factory in Városlöd. Now the pottery is sold to
German tourists.
Letter from cousin Mary Chrisbacher Novak of
Hawthorne, NJ, who told me that my father used to stop on the way home from
work to spend time with her and her brothers Al and George when they were
little children and lived on East Prospect Street in Hawthorne (about 1920).
Dad taught Mary to write her name while sitting on his lap when she was four
years old. Dad's brother, Joseph, "Uncle Lefty", also played with Mary, Al and
George too under the apple tree by the farm house. Mary sent photographs of her
parents, my father on his police motorcycle and Lefty with his little cousins
under the apple tree(about 1922). Thank you, Mary, for these precious
pictures.
Ed Polcer's cousin, Andrew E. Gabriel, has
been researching his family tree. I sent him all of my previous information on
the Gabriel line and past copies of The Griesbacher Newsletter. Andrew traveled
to Hungary this past August and visited Jáko, Szücs, other
villages, Veszprém, and the old Gabriel Mill.
Letter from cousin Frederick Griesbacher of
Albuquerque, NM saying that he went to Hungary in May 1994, and visited Dezso
Griesbacher in Nagyalasony and Jeno Gries-bacher who claims to be the last
Griesbacher in Bakonyjáko. While he was there he inquired about
purchasing the old Griesbacher house.
On Thursday, July 14, 1994, at 1:00 P.M. I arrived at Schwechat, The Vienna
Airport, rented a car and drove south to Oberwart, Austria arriving at 5:20
P.M. Our ancestor, Carl Griesbacher, lived there in 1750. It is a market town
and maintains district jurisdiction similar to a small county seat here in the
USA. It also appears very clean, bright, prosperous, pleasant and neat as a
pin. I took some photos of the main street, the city hall, courthouse and the
old catholic church where our 5th great-grandfather, Johan Griesbacher, son of
Carl Griesbacher and Eva-Maria Panzenpeck, was baptized on December 26, 1750.
Carl's apparent father, Elias, was a merchant in Oberwart.
From Oberwart I drove to Veszprém City in Hungary arriving about 10:30
in the dark and had some trouble finding the Penzion Diana Fogado where I had
reserved a room. On Friday morning after a delicious omelet breakfast I drove
to Ajkarendek where Grandma Julianna Triebel was born. It was another bright
sunny day and I took lots of photos of the village. I spoke to two women on the
street who still speak German with the local Swabian dialect and they knew some
of our ancestral surnames.
Then I drove to Gyepes and to Magyarpolány
where to my amazement, they are constructing a sanitary sewerage system for the
village. At the church I climbed up the 151 steps past the seven stations of
the cross to the chapel and a beautiful overview of the village. At the bottom
of the steps is a monument with a list of about 120 names including that of my
maternal grandfather, Ernst Meinzinger. The German inscription reads: "This
cross was dedicated in the year 1901 to the honor of the faithful believers in
the Savior, from Polány who find themselves now in America." Across
from the church is the white stucco Roman Catholic school built in 1761 where
many of our ancestors attended classes.
Next I drove to Kislöd, a few miles south of Polány. The Catholic
church there was built in 1780 and has a beautiful interior which looks newly
refurbished. It is not as ornate as the church in Polány with its
complex, colorful, gilded baroque interior. Across the street is the school,
this one built of fieldstones.
A couple of miles east I stopped at Városlöd where I met Mrs.
Rozalia Pilz, 86 years old, in front of the church. I asked her where the
museum and the ceramic works were. She pointed the way and a brief rain shower
started. When I arrived at the ceramic works I found Mrs. Pilz there with her
daughter Theresia who works there. I bought a pretty hand-painted cup, saucer
and mug and saw the workers at their craft. I drove Mrs. Pilz home and she
showed me Michael Roth's house. Michael was not there so I then went to the
museum at No. 54 Városlöd Pile where Elisabeth Frank showed me
around. It is a refurbished 18th century German farmhouse decorated with period
furniture to show how the people lived at that time. Mannequins are displayed
in typical German dress of the period.
My next stop was Bakonyjáko where I wandered around the old crumbling
Griesbacher house opposite Holy Trinity Church. The barn is in ruins, but the
pigsties inside are still intact. Old potatoes are still heaped in the potato
cellar. It is a large house which was occupied when I was there in 1973 by
Magdalena Griesbacher (died 1980), who had a public tavern there. The church
has been repaired and painted but I could not get inside. I walked around the
school next door, empty for the summer, and saw the playground facilities and
soccer field to the rear. About three quarters of the houses in Jáko are
either rebuilt or being rebuilt and this is in stark contrast to the bleak old
and poor condition of many of them in 1973. The village is starting to look
much more pleasant and prosperous.
Next I drove to Németbánya (Deitschütten) where my grandmother, Maria Fodi, was born. There is a monument at the bend in the road which reads: "Erected in honor of God by those staying in America". Forty names are listed but no date is given. Another monument 30 feet away lists 35 men lost in World War II. The house of Eva Kiss, school teacher at Jáko, is next to the monuments, but I was unable to get near it because of a viciously barking dog.
I drove to Iharkut, but nothing is left of this village which has become a surface mine. Then I went to the Jáko cemetery which is beautifully landscaped, very well kept and has lots of flowers everywhere at the graves and many new expensive gravestones, another stark contrast to what we saw at the overgrown place in 1973. The weather was very warm so I bought a Pepsi Cola at a roadside stand and spoke briefly with a man who recognized the name Griesbacher. I then drove to Jarifold Puzsta, Tapolcafö, Nagytevel, Homokbödöge, Ugod, and Béb, where a monument next to the Catholic church lists 17 German men lost in W W I and 22 lost in W W II. When I arrived at the village Csot, it was 9 o'clock and too dark to take photos, and I was not able to see the remaining towns on my list, Bakonykopány, Szücs, and Papateszer. I drove back to Veszprém and had another late but delicious dinner while many other people enjoyed themselves on the outdoor patio cafe.
On Saturday, July 16th I awoke early and had a large mushroom omelet with
toasted brown bread, butter and a large pot of good coffee. I paid my bill and
checked out. It was only 8,000 Forints (about $80) including tip, for two
nights, two breakfasts and two dinners. It was a beautiful clear day and I
decided to wander around the old city section of Veszprem (13th Century). I
have some nice phtos of the Burg castle, the museum buildings and the Bakony
Hills. It is a beautiful city now, quite different than the dull, drab town I
saw in 1973 under Russian occupation. Then it was gray and depressing and
unfortunately so were the people. Now they are brightly dressed, cheerful and
friendly and helpful. In 1973, no one spoke German, or they were afraid to
because of the Russians, remembering the horrible expulsion of 1948 when
thousands of German villagers were gathered up and thrown into railroad cattle
cars and shipped to work camps in Russia. Now many will speak to you in German.
This part of Hungary has obviously been revitalized since the Russians left.
The people look prosperous, busy and happy. Construction is going on everywhere
with road improvements, houses, apartments. Many people have cars and there are
filling stations, motels stores and businesses (Toyota) along the highways.
Thousands of European tourists come to vacation at Lake Balaton, about 10 miles
from Veszprem.
I drove to Zirc, another large town settle by German people in the 18th
Century, then north on Highway 82 past an old Roman castle (Vár) and
then to Veszpremvarsány and Románd where our Triebel ancestors
first lived in the early 1700s. Then to Bakonygyirot where a monument lists the
names of 22 German men lost in W W II. In Bakonypeterd a monument near the
church lists 13 German men lost in WW I and 10 lost in W W II. Running short of
time, I headed northeast for the M1 Highway to Budapest.
On the drive from Veszprém north along Highway 82 I passed a continuous line of tourists heading south to Lake Balaton. They had bicycles, windsurfers, and all other sorts of recreational paraphernalia on their cars and trailers (many BMWs and Mercedes). At one point I passed about 5 miles of traffic at a dead standstill because of an accident. There were thousands of European tourists bringing money into Hungary.
On the M1 to Budapest I drove 75 miles per hour while many cars swished by me
appearing to be going 100, there being no speed limit. I visited Dr. Alexander
Harmath in Budapest where he, his wife and son welcomed me with cordial
hospitality. It was very hot and humid. We had several cold bottles of beer and
talked about many things from genealogy to politics. He played "Happy Birthday"
for me on the piano and we all sang along. After three hours it was time for me
to leave to meet Marian in Vienna. On the trip back I was stopped on the M1 by
a Hungarian Policeman who asked for my passport. Since that's all I can
understand in Hungarian, I tried German and he obliged by telling me that I had
been exceeding the speed limit, to which I replied, "I thought there was no
speed limit" He then explained that occasionally for short distances, there are
speed reduction zones. I said I hadn't seen the sign because I wasn't thinking
of a speed limit. He said, "OK, Auf weidersehen", and then went to talk to the
five other drivers he had pulled over behind me. It took me more than three
hours to reach Vienna. Marian was out on a tour of the city with her tour
group. The next day we left Vienna on the bus and spent a wonderful week
traveling through Austria, Germany, Switzerland Italy, The Riviera and
France.
The inhabitants occupy themselves with farming and viniculture. In more prosperous communities, they are engaged predominately with cattle breeding; the poorer areas with woodwork. The products of the wife's work help to cover the daily needs. The principle of self-production prevailed, especially in the economy of the farmyard.
The work in the household is exactly divided between husbands and wives. The husband tills the fields, cuts wood, takes care of the required community work and takes care of the horses and oxen. He sells his products regularly at the fair and from the proceeds he defrays the outlays of the household, pays the taxes, and buys himself and the farm hands the necessary clothing. The wife directs the household, takes care of the vegetable garden, provides for the cows and the pigs, raises the poultry and helps with extra work in the fields. The farmwives in villages near to the city (Marko, Band), supply the weekly market with dairy products, eggs, poultry and fruit. From the proceeds they help meet the expenses of the household and make themselves and the children the necessary clothes.
Each Friday, at least, the woman of the house goes to Veszprém. She travels either with the wagon or walks. Those who walk are ordinarily invited to go with the riders, certainly one counts on a return ride. Not only do the village companions come together at the marketplace, but also all wives of the vicinity. One gets information from relatives about the neighboring villages. They carry messages sent to other villages. All this gives rise to an obvious feeling of homogeneousness. After the sale of their wares, the women meet at an inn in order to start out on their way home together. You often hear songs at this time. Thus Mrs. H. heard on this occasion the village song: "Lokut is a pretty Town". To be sure many Magyar songs and popular songs are also suitable for the occasion.
The regular activity of the weekdays bring not only the occasions mentioned already, but also the unusual work of a more or less desired change. The time-consuming work occupies not only the members of the family but also a number of foreign workmen and embraces with the work a gregarious association, rich food and drink.
Commitment to the harvest starts around the 29th of June. Foreign reapers arrive in prosperous villages. They can also disseminate occasional songs. In that way K. Rotenbücher heard the reaping song from them.
During certain periods, if the fields require no care, the family performs work in the vineyard. The vintage will be committed with great joy. Only the older people remain home. The younger members of the family gather the grapes with the foreign vintagers. The men are occupied at the press, while plentiful meals are provided by the housewives. At late afternoon when dusk already begins, the parties sit down together. Soon songs ring out, German and Hungarian according to where the workers originate from. In the village Veszprémfaisz, for instance, the ballad "The Count and the Hired Girl", came from the family of Mrs. B. Reider, and is customary in Márko, but is not well known anymore in the southern villages at Lake Balaton.
The corn husking is a popular meeting time for relatives and the neighbors. The corn becomes piled up for the most part in the barn, sometimes also in the courtyard. The relatives and neighbors help with the work. In addition good singers and good story tellers especially are invited. The company, mainly young people, sing very much at this occasion, but also they gladly hear the story tellers too.
The times of extraordinary work have no great significance for song cultivation. On weekdays in the winter a song is offered for the mere asking.
The daily schedule is ordered around three main meals. Before breakfast, which in summer is about 7 o'clock, and in winter about 8 o'clock, the cattle have already been provided for and external work has been performed. After breakfast each one goes about his own work. Lunch follows exactly at 12 noon, after which is a short rest period. The feeding and watering of the cattle begins about 5 or 6 o'clock in the summer and about 4 o'clock in the winter. The evening bell again calls everyone to the table about 8 o'clock in the summer and about 7 o'clock in the winter. In times of crammed work, one goes to bed not until about 11 or 12 o'clock. In the winter the family remains together until 8 or 9 o'clock.
In the winter the men also find external work at days end such as chopping wood shoveling snow, breaking ice, compulsory labor (for the landlord) and the like. The women look for work at home. They spend time in the morning with sewing, spinning and patching until the cooking starts. The afternoon is generally devoted to the ironing of the numerous pleated skirts. Here and there a wife strips feathers, but only rarely, since in addition to their own needs, there is little demand for the sale of raw feathers. In the evenings the men are present also; not sitting around idle but they grind corn or braid baskets. During the quiet winter mornings the wives are fond of conversing and singing, especially where mother and daughters who sing also live together. The younger woman sings the tune while the older sings second. Sometimes she leads the melody and the younger one accompanies her in the upper third. At these times mainly spiritual or serious secular songs are sung. Songs of legends are sometimes sung, which otherwise are rarely heard anymore. Songs with religious content, which are banished from the church, in this case enjoy a special popularity. They often owe their preference to anyone who gives encouragement. For example: "There Down in The Garden The Morningstar Rose", promises eternal salvation; "The Saint Lorenzi Song" protects from the danger of fire.
The men are heard singing only at the inn or at weddings, the women have cause for song on the weekdays in winter. In contrast to the men, they enjoy their singing mainly in company during the day. The men favor drinking songs and other humorous songs. The wives sing at home in the family usually only as runners up. They put the spiritual songs first which embrace salvation for their souls. The men regularly sing exact, rhythmical as well as melodious songs. The women have at their disposal instead a greater number of old pieces, and thus, they are the preservers of the traditional values. (Partial Transcript Only, The remainder of this article is about songs.)
Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year to you and yours!