Grandmother Born in Berlin, Germany ?

A BERLIN BRICKWALL

My maternal grandmother, Anna Marie Binder, was my brick wall from the beginning of my genealogical research. Document after document  that I had in my possession stated country of origin Germany or Berlin.

Church document in San Diego. Information provided by Anna.

Year, YEARS of research in Berlin archives and locations referred to by Berlin Archives involved postal mail, postage, international postal certificates, weeks of waitiing for replies and then further translations.

Below are addresses in Berlin or German Genealogical archives between the years 1997 and 2004.

Staasbibbliothek Zu Berlin
D-10102 Berlin
Unter Den Linden 8
D 10117

Standesamt 1 in Berlin

Senatsverwaltung fur Innes
Fehrbelliner Platz 1
10702 Berlin

Evangelisches Zentralarchiv in Berlin
Jebebasstrasse 3 106 Berlin

Sachsisches Staatsaarchiv Leipsig
Deutche Zentr4alstelle fur Genealogie
Schonnenstrasse
04329 Leipsig

Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart
Konrad Adenauer Str. 4
70173 Stuttgart

Thuringisches Hauptstaatsarchiv Weimar
D 99423 Weimar
Marstallstrasse 2


I provide these address here for anyone who may need to research Berlin, Germany.

In another post you will read how I determined that Berlin was not the location of my grandmother's birth.

PART TWO of WE THREE and our story

Ron, Diane and Anna 

Continued... A Brief 

Family History of the Berger and Binder Surnames.

Catherine Binder was born in what was Yugoslavia (now Palesnik/Hercegovac, Croatia) but her mother Anna Marie and the Binders were born in Hungary and believed also to have emigrated prior to the 1700’s  from Germany as Donube Swabians. 

Germans were recruited to come into the Hungary to help rebuild the country after the Turks laid it waste. The Binders can be traced back to mid 1700s in Somogy Harsagy, Hungary .

LDS micfrofilm

Anna Marie Binder (Bauer) was born in Somogy Harsagy, Hungary as was her father Johan (Ivan, John). She was the only living birth of Johan Binder and Agnes Marie Weingartner. Agnes was listed as native of Switzerland on Anna's death certificate.  Agnes Marie died (?) and Johan remarried Marianna Bauman (Baumann).

LDS microfilm

Of that union there were Kata (Aunt Katie), Ivan (uncle John) who came to America and Teresa Binder Bauer, and Elizabeth Binder Rebic. Of these who remained in Europe I have visited the daughter (Teresia) of Teresa Binder Holowitz (who lives outside Munich) and the grandson (Franjo) of Elizabeth Binder Rebic (who lives in Zagreb, Croatia).

LDS microfilm,  family group sheets of Estella Bacon

Johan Binder (Anna’s father) visited America and at least in 1910 was on the South Dakota census as a hired man. He made several trips to and from America but no other family members followed.

Ree Heights, South Dakota census of 1910

Anna Bauer moved to Ree Heights South Dakota where she married Winfield Scott Bauer.

Marriage certificate of Polo Catholic church document

Kata (Aunt Katie, my half great aunt) came to America registered on the ship as Binder and married Matias Muehl at Ellis Island. 

Ellis Island and passenger list documents

Kata was pregnant at the time. They moved to Reblake, WI. From there they went to South Dakota and then to New York state. Anna Binder and her daughter Kata (my mother) came to America in about 1910. It is believed that at any one time they were all in the same place Reblake, WI or Mitchell, SD as there was a family photo* taken of Johan, Katie, Matt Muehl, little Kata, and two of Katie’s other children (Mathew and John?). Kata Muehl’s first child Anton died at birth in Reblake, WI.

Census records, death record, church records

*The photo then had three of Johan’s children in it (Ivan/John, Katie and Anna).

DNA results of our lineage has been somewhat stunted as not many Eastern Europeans of the Bergers or Szabos are here in America. And of those that may be in the USA it is supposed have not many take the DNA tests.

From the DNA samples from Ronnie and David Berger the DNA reveals a not so surprising German ancestry but also and surprisingly French ancestry as well. 

If you are Danube Swabian I would like to hear from you.

See ya down the road... on the horizon...

Travel on the Danube

 

Danube Swabians or Donauschwaben

The continued study of Eastern European family history is based on the study of geography and political changes and history of Europe itself. 

The Binder family of my mother and the Berger family of my father were Danube-Swabians from Germany.
http://www.dvhh.org/slavonia/esterreicher.htm
Research of birthplaces for the Bergers reflects a second great grandmother had a German birthplace and the Binder dates of birth, marriage, and death going 1) back to the early 18th century in Hungary 2) with Binder not being an Hungarian surname, and 3) the location of Binder family in Hungary being an area needing population by Germans. 
postal research, Eastern European researcher, LDS microfilm

First, A Bit of History
In the 17th century the Turks were defeated outside Vienna. Their occupation and defense of this Danube basin for many years  caused devestation of land and people. Following the defeat they retreated from the area. This left a great area in the Danube basin  and the Banat needing repopulation and development. 

Germans were encouraged to repopulate the area. The Hungarians enticed Germans from the Swabia area in the basin and Banat with the promise of very few restrictions on their religion, culture, and language.
See any good history, geography of the Balkans.

Danube-Swabians travelled the Danube in small boats symbolized here.

And thus the name Danube-Swabians was given to the many Germans of the Swabia areas of Germany (lumped together with tens of thousands from other areas). Many of these came from Ulm, Germany by boat down the Danube. The boat symbolized above.

This repopulation and migration occurred in three waves named for the monarch who sponsored their migration.  

See Tafferner's book cited below.

Small Towns in Northern Hungary

While visiting Hungary in 2016, I was taken to a several small town in the northern part Hungary along the Danube populated by the decendents of Danube Swabians.

Notice the similarity of this boat
to the symbolized boat above

In one of their parks was a statue dedicated to the German Swabians who travelled by boat to the areas populated during those migrations.

Although I did not understand much of the lecture of Swabians history and their population of this area, what was later translated for me went along with what I had read and with my research.

Research of birthplaces for the Bergers reflects a two great grandmother with a Ersingen, Thueringen, Germany birthplace. (translated information from baptismal record of the Roman Catholic Parish in Timisora, Romania) 

The Binder dates of birth, marriage, and death go back to the early 18th century in Hungary on microfilm. 
(LDS microfilm # 2065210 and 2065211)

And this research goes along with my continued query as to:
What nationality am I?
The country where I was born? California
I am a Californian.
The country where my parents were born? Hungary
I am Hungarian.
Or
The country from whence my family came? Germany
I am German.

AND THE RESEARCH GOES ON....next DNA.

__________________________________________________

* Tafferner, Anton, Schmidt, Joseph and Senz, Josef Volkmar, The Danaube Swabians in the Pannonia Basin, a ne German Ethnic Group, S and M Rotogravure Service, Inc New Berlin, Wisconsin, 1982.

*Koehler, Eve Eckertm, Seven Susannahs: Daughters of the Danube

* History of the Danube Swabians,  lecture 2016.


See ya down the road,

If you have Danube Swabian in your family history I would love to hear from you.

Copyright @ 2015-16 Diane McClure Lott

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

PART ONE of WE THREE and our story

Recently at the request of my brother Ron I wrote a brief history of the 
Berger/Szabo and Binder families.
This is our  story.
Part One is presented here.

Diane, Anna and Ronald

Diane, Ronald and Anna

It is odd that Leo Berger and Catherine Binder met in San Diego, CA when as it were they were born not so far away from each other in Austria Hungary. It is less than a day’s drive by car from Palesnik, Croatia where Catherine Binder was born to Temesvar, Romania where Leo Berger was born.

Leo Berger was born in Temesvar, (now Romania) Hungary when the area belonged to Hungary but tracing Leo’s roots his great grandmother was from Germany and the Szabos are yet to be researched whereas Berger certainly is a German name and Szabo is certainly an Hungarian name.

Aranka Aurelia Szabo, Leo’s mother, was born in the south of what is now Romania in Buzias/Bazias. Being so the record of her birth was located just across the border in what is Serbia.

I have had an Eastern European researcher investigating the Berger/Szabo line in Hungary, Romania and Serbia. I have the documents of birth for Leo, Etelka (Etta) and Aranka Aurelia and the death records of Aranka's husband Lipot Berger.

There are believed to be Szabo’s still in Romania or Eastern Europe but I have not followed up on them yet.

Grandmother Aranka Aurelia Szabo Berger (Larsen) came to America following an uncle who lived San Diego. Aranka Berger and her son Leo came directly to San Diego. Etta (Etelka) who married Joseph Mattias Prihoda remained in Budapest, Hungary until their son Bela Leo was born and then came to San Diego.

99% of this is information is sourced with confidence.

Part Two is to follow in another blog.

Are you Hungarian and do you have stories to share? I would loce to read them.

See ya down the road.

Facial Recognition??

  A LOOK AT TWO SETS OF PHOTOS

After reading Maureen Taylor's, the Photo Detective, e-newsletters, blogs and information on her website I can make some photo comparisons.

But the ones below still baffle me.

* There is no information written on the back of the photo.

* The person who sent these photos to me had no information.

* I have sent these to distant relations in Canada who might be able to give me a lead.

What is your thinking?

 FIRST SET OF PHOTOS:

Is the lady in the single photo below also in the group photo?

* Is she seated first row left?

OR

* Is she standing in the second row left holding the baby?
OR 
* Not in the picture at all?

 

My guess is the woman in the back row holding the child. Of course at a different time in her life.

SECOND SET OF PHOTOS:

Is the man centrally seated in the group shot above also seated centrally in the group shot below?

My guess is that the man seated centrally in the first photo is the same  man maybe 50+ years later in the second photo.

*And to put a "krimp" in your thinking/analyzing, is one of the middle aged women in the second group photo the child in the arms of the woman in the first group photo?

What is your thinking?
If you have any thoughts please reply to my post and thank you.
 

See ya down the road,

Proud..What else can I say?

My Uncle Leo

The inscription says "to Aunt and Uncle from Sgt. Leo B. Prihoda." 
He addressed this photo to my mother and father.

I called my cousin Leo Bela Prihoda "Uncle Leo" because he was more the age of an uncle than a cousin. I remember him fondly.

He was born in August 3, 1922 in Kispest, Budapest, Hungary.  He came to America with is family and became citizens. Leo Bela with his parents Anna Etelka and Joseph Matyas Prihoda entered the United States Port of Entry New York on the ship Manchuria of the White Star Line. Their date of entry was October 3, 1923. Leo Bela's date of citizenship was June 20, 1930 obtained in San Diego. The Naturalization  Number was 3324991.

His grandfather was named Leo. His uncle (my father) was named Leo. His cousin (my brother) was named Leo.

I know naming like this goes on in many families. It causes major confusions when following a family history. 
Recently found this article on Facebook.
http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/insider/2015/07/09/JohannsAndMariasEverywhereNamingTraditionsGermanGenealogistsShouldKnow.aspx 
More on this later as our family has a Johanns and Maria. 

His daughter my second cousin tells me that he won a Purple Heart having been injured twice in battle. We were all proud of him.

As a civilian employee working on airplanes as a machinist for the government he invented a tool that saved the government a great deal of money. We were all proud of him.

As a civilian working for the government as a machinist, he invented a tool that saved the government a great deal of money

Having been diagnosed later in life with diabetes,  he lost his leg due to complications with the disease. He regained consciousness after the surgery to remove his leg but died several hours. His attitude was heroic. We were all proud of him.

Leo Bela Prihoda was buried at Fort Rosecrans San Diego, California.

Of whom you are proud?


See ya down the road,

A Dollop of Sour Cream

Chicken paprikash with additional sour cream when plated

Cooking Hungarian

Like many cultures, food can be a central theme. But for Hungarians food is an expression of love, camaraderie, and celebration. It is quite unexplainable.

My favorite Hungarian recipes can be found on any internet if you Google them... but there are nuances and differences of ingredients, measurement, or cooking styles. But the one thing that is common in most Hungarian dishes is sour cream either mixed into the sauce while cooking or topping the dish when plated and served.

The following are few of our family's Hungarian dishes with their nuances.

Chicken Paprikash
 All Hungarian dishes start by cooking several chopped onions until soft.  Take the pot with the onion off the fire and add the paprika (paprika will burn and taste bitter).
Add chicken, chicken broth or water and heat
Stir in 1 cup of good sour cream.

Chicken Paprikash sour cream added to sauce

Additional sour cream can top the paprikash if desired when plated (see at top of post).

Cabbage Rolls
Sour cream is added to the cabbage rolls when they are served.

Stuffed cabbage before cooking

The rolls filled with an onion, beef, pork, rice mixture and wrapped in blanched cabbage leaves are then covered 1/2 way up the pan with water. I top with sauerkraut. Top the entire dish with tomatoes or tomato juice and then a few peppercorns.  Stuff a few pepperoni into the crevices of the cabbages. Cook 1-2 hours until rice is cooked.

 Cabbage rolls plated with sour cream. Many Hungarians do not top this dish with sour cream.

Hungarian Beef Goulash

Goulash while cooking...red from Paprika

Goulash is usually cooked with beef. Use a top sirloin rather than stew beef so that the beef is very tender. The sour cream is added to the plated goulash.
There are two kinds of goulash. One is served over a homemade noodle or "nokedli" (spaetzel) and the other is like a soup made with potatoes and more liquid.

Other Hungarian Food served with sour cream

Langos is a fried puffed bread that should be sprinkled with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Picked up and eaten by hand.

Uborka Salat is a cucumber salad. The cucumbers are sliced thin, salted and left to drain of their natural liquid.
They are to be cured in the refrigerator with a vinegar, garlic, salt, sugar dressing overnight. Before serving, sour cream is mixed into the salad. Add a dash of paprika just before serving. If you leave the cucumbers unpeeled the dish with the paprika on top reflects the colors of the Hungarian flag...red (paprika) and green (cucumbers).

Rakott Krumpli  is cooked sliced potato, cooked sliced eggs, layered with sour cream. Stuff kolbas, sausage, pieces of thick bacon, or other spiced Hungarian meats in between the layers. Top with a sour cream mixture. This dish resembles scalloped potatoes. 

Hungarian Summer Squash is grated summer squash (or zuchinni or spaghetti squash) sauted with a bit of flour and cream added and then sour cream. Top with lots of fresh dill!

Cheese Dip Farmer's cheese or an America unsalted feta cheese with sour cream, paprika, caraway seeds.

The following are Hungarian Dishes Made Without Sour Cream
 
There are many dishes served without sour cream. Desserts like Dobors torte, walnut cake, poppy seed strudel, and palachinka are just a few.

Palachinka is like a crepe and can be prepared sweet or savory.

For a sweet palachinka:
A ladle of mixture into a frying pan. Tip the pan to spread the mixture all around the pan and then flip to the other side.
It can be served rolled up with apricot jam inside. 

For a savory palachinka:
You can use the crepe for savory dishes also. Roll chicken inside and serve with a paprika cream sauce...then sour cream can top this savory dish. 

Please see one of my favorite websites for Hungarian cooking (below). 

http://welovebudapest.com/budapest.and.hungary/the.hungarian.food.you.must.try.at.least.once.in.your.life

Also Facebook: Hungarian Cooking.

See online June Meyer's website.

If you enjoy Hungarian Food and wanna swap recipes,  just write me.

See ya down the road,