German Genealogy: DANUBE-SWABIANS / DONAUSCHWABEN

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DANUBE-SWABIANS / DONAUSCHWABEN

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General Information

Introduction:
The Donauschwaben Migration refers to large-scale migration of individuals and families from German-speaking states to the areas of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire reconquered from the Ottoman Empire during during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Many if not all of these migrants emigrated out of the areas of the ancient Suebi (Swabian) and Alemannic regions centered around Stuttgart and encompassing portions of modern Baden-Württemberg, Alsace, Lorraine, and Switzerland. Others hailed from Austria, other places in the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Rhineland-Palatinate. These migrants often set out from the cities of Ulm or Günzburg traveling along the Danube River or on it via the famous "Ulmer Schachtel" (Ulm Crates or barges).
Political Divisions:
Below are listed regional names followed by modern jurisdictions and geographical boundaries. Visit the individual regional pages for more detail.
- Banat: (including the Arader Land) East of the Tisza River and north of the Danube River in modern Romania and Yugoslavia (eastern part of Vojvodina, which is part of Serbia), and a very small portion of Hungary
- Batschka: West of the Tisza River and east of the Danube River in Yugoslavia (western part of Vojvodina) and southwest Hungary
- Bosnia: South of the Sava River, between the Una and the Drina Rivers in modern Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Croatia
- Sathmar: Border area around northwest Romania
- Schwäbische Türkei: West of Danube, north of Drava, south of Lake Balaton, today mostly in Hungary (Tolna, Baranya, and Somogy counties) and part of Croatia (lately occupied by Serbs)
- Slavonia: Between the Drava and Sava Rivers in Croatia
- Syrmien: Between the Sava and Danube Rivers in Yugoslavia (Vojvodina, Serbia)
- Südwestliches ungarisches Mittelgebirge: North of Lake Balaton, west and south of the Danube River, east of the Raba River in modern Hungary
"Vojvodina": This modern Serbian administrative region includes the Serbian portion of the Batschka as well as the Serbian portion of the Banat. The name is said to derive from the official title of the Serbian who administred this area when most of Serbia was ruled by the Ottoman Turks.
Religious Divisions:
See Genealogical and Historical Records (Church records) and Archives and Libraries (Archdiocesan Archives) for information about archdiocesan records. Note that in the Austro-Hungarian Empire while a diocese under the leadership of a bishop was nominally responsible to the archbishop of the archdiocese, in practice the bishops had complete control over their jurisdictions.
- Archdiocese of Kalocsa
  The archdiocesan see dates from 1006 AD, Kalocsa being some distance east of Pécs, Hungary. About 1450, the archdiocese covered a vast region stretching south and east from Kalocsa right up to the Carpathian mountains, roughly covering the area conquered by the Habsburgs from the Ottoman Turks. Its neighbors were as follows: in the east, the Archdiocese of L'viv (in Galicia) and the Transylvania region under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Esztergom; in the north and west the Hungarian diocese of Esztergom; and in the south it constituted the end of Roman Catholic jurisdiction. The archdiocese ran right up to Belgrade, which of course easily included Vojvodina.
  By about 1900, the archdiocese was about the same -- including distinct dioceses with bishops at Timisoara (diocese of Csanad/Cenad which was relocated to Szeged, Hungary in 1920), Oradea and Alba Julia -- except that some of its southern territories had been incorporated into the diocese of Dakovo which roughly corresponded to the Syrmia region and which itself was subservient to the archdiocese of Zagreb.
  
  Major changes occurred in 1920 following the First World War and the transfer of Austro-Hungarian territories to the new nation of Yugoslavia where the new Archdiocese of Subotica was set up. A new diocese of Timisoara was set up in 1923.
- Archdiocese of Subotica
  The Subotica archdiocesan see in Yugoslavia was set up in 1920 following the border changes caused by the World War I settlements.
- Archdiocese of Zagreb
  In 1900, the Archdiocese of Zagreb, created from the Archdiocese of Kalocsa in 1852, included roughly the territory of modern Croatia (including most of Slavonia) and Slovenia, also included the diocese of Dakovo, roughly Syrmia and eastern Slavonia.
- Archdiocese of Esztergom
  The archdiocesan see dates from 1001 AD, Esztergom being located near Budapest. Its neighbors were as follows: in the east, the Archdiocese of L'viv (in Galicia); in the south that of Kalocsa and from 1050-1300 a diocesan see in Vrhbosna, Bosnia; in the west, the Diocese of Zagreb and the Archdiocese of Salzburg; in the north, the Archdioceses of Prague and Gniezno, Poland. Basically, the archdiocese consisted of the part of Hungary which was not conquered by the Turks including Slovakia. The Transylvania region was also under its jurisdiction.
  By 1900, the eastern half of the archdiocese had been transferred to a new archdiocesan see at Eger and dioceses within the archdiocese had been set up with bishops at Pécs, Veszprém, Székesfehérvár, Szombathely, Györ, Vác, Nitra and Banská Bystrica.
- Archdiocese of Sarajevo
  In 1900, the Archdiocese of Sarajevo, Bosnia, also included the diocese of Banja Luka in its west and that of Mostar in its south.
History:
Sue Clarkson has written a compelling and informative History of the Donauschwaben Migrants and Their Descendants (26 kilobyte text file)

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Associations and Societies

Genealogical Associations and Societies
- AKdFF the Arbeitskreis donauschwäbischer Familienforscher (D) or Working Group of Danube-Swabian Genealogists (E) supports all Donauschwaben research.
- AGoFF the Arbeitsgemeinschaft ostdeutscher Familienforscher (D), has extensive records and publications. Contact
  Forschungsstelle Donauschwaben der AGoFF
  Leiter: Dr. phil. Martin Armgart
  Graitengraben 31
  D-45326 Essen
  GERMANY
  Tel.: 0201-354621.
Historical Associations and Societies
- Institut für donauschwäbische Geschichte und Landeskunde
  (Institute for Danube-Swabian History and Regional Studies) in Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, maintains records of history and culture. When contacting them, it is important to know the name and place of birth in the Banat of the person(s) who immigrated to the USA, in order to get information about where they stem from in Germany. English, is said to be acceptable. Contact them at
  Institut für donauschwäbische Geschichte und Landeskunde
  Mohlstr.18
  D-72074 Tübingen
  GERMANY
  Phone 07071-2002514, FAX 07071-2002535
- Arbeitskreis für donauschwäbische Heimat- und Volksforschung
  Dr. Heiß-Str. 38
  D-94315 Straubing
  GERMANY
- Südostdeutsche historische Kommission
  Mohlstr. 18
  D-72074 Tübingen
  GERMANY
Other Societies
After the First World-War (1914-1918), the Donauschwaben areas in Hungary were split among three countries: Romania, Yugoslavia and Hungary. After the Second World-War (1939-1945) these countries got Communist Governments and many Germans escaped and emigrated to West Germany where the different villages have every year, or every second year, their Heimatortstreffen (home-village-reunions) in different cities in Germany (see Events). The Germans from Yugoslavia, Romania and Hungary organized themselves into Landsmannschaften (Countryman-Associations) where all villages are members. They also have their own German publications where news from the old home-villages is printed, for example, who is arriving as an expellee, who has married, who has been blessed by children, birthdays, the date of the next home-village-reunion, etc. See the bibliography sections of the regional pages for details. Find more societies also on the individual regional pages.
- Bund Donauschwäbischer Landsmannschaften in Deutschland
  [Union of Societies of Danube-Swabians]
  Goldmühlestr. 30, D-71065 Sindelfingen, GERMANY.
- Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Jugoslawien - Bundesverband e.V.
  [Society of Germans from Jugoslavia]
  Goldmühlestr. 30, D-71065 Sindelfingen, GERMANY.
- Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Ungarn - Bundesverband e.V.
  [Society of Germans from Hungary]
  Himmelreichstr. 4, D-80538 Munich, GERMANY.
- Donauschwaben in Austria
- Deutscher Volksverband (Subotica, Vojvodina, Yugoslavia)
- Complete List of Donauschwaben Clubs in the USA
- Donauschwaben of Trenton (USA)
- Donauschwaben of Kitchener, Ontario (Canada)
- Donauschwaben Club of SA Incorporated
  29 Bower Street, Woodville SA 5011, Australia, Telephone: +618 8268 8825
- Hungarian Genealogy Society of Greater Cleveland

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Genealogical and Historical Records

Church Records
Civil Registration Records
- Former Yugoslavia
Other Records

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Gazetteers and Maps

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Bibliography and Literature

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Archives and Libraries

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Miscellaneous

Publishers
Publishers for Eastern Europe
Professional Researchers
- Translation Service - Free!
- German Town Locator - Free!
- Gordon McDaniel, APG, professional genealogist and translator. PhD (Slavic languages), MLS. Records searching, background research, and translating. Specialist in languages and history of Eastern Europe, especially former Yugoslavia. All languages of Eastern Europe except Hungarian, but including German. Rates: $20/hr, or equivalent for translation. For estimate, send SASE to: 366 Euclid Ave. #402, Oakland, CA, 94610, OR call (510) 839-6856 OR send e-mail to mcdaniel@hoover.stanford.edu .
- Family Tree is a probate research bureau offering researches in Hungary, Romania, Austria, Russia and others. They are located in Budapest, Hungary. .
- Institut für Historische Familienforschung (Institute for Historical Family Research) Located in Austria.
- Radix, specializing in Hungarian genealogy, with a listing of the most common Hungarian surnames, gazetteers, 1876 map of Hungary, info on emigrants from Hungary to the USA 1899-1913 and emigrants from Hungary to overseas 1871-1913.
Calendar
The change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian one was a major one which did not see adoption universally. Thus, in pursuing important dates with respect to ancestors, it can be helpful to know when this change occurred, particularly with respect to church records. The times of change which are known are as follows:
- Germany and Austria (Roman Catholic): 1583-85
- Germany (Protestant): 1700-76
- Hungary: 1584-1587
- Romania: 1917
- Serbia: 1918 (not including the Orthodox churches)
Emigration
In 1904, the Hungarian government passed a law restricting emigration, such that citizens could only leave via Fiume; furthermore, emigrants to the USA could only travel via Cunard to the Port of New York (Ellis Island). Fiume, which was Hungary's port on the Adriatic, is now the city of Rijeka, in Croatia on the Istrian peninsula.
Etymology
Events
- see Events
- Heimattag:
  Every two years, there is in Ulm on the Donau (100 kilometers east of Sindelfingen), a big reunion of Danube Swabians from all villages (about 100) with more than 15,000 people, including traditional customs, Blasmusik, etc.
  The Heimattag is a meeting of Banater Schwaben in Ulm. This meeting occurs on Pentecost weekend in even-numbered years in Ulm. An estimated 4,000-5,000 Banaters attended the meeting in 1996 at the Donauhalle. It is no accident that Ulm was chosen as the site of this meeting since it was on the shores of the Donau at Ulm that their forefathers built the rafts and barges used to float down the river on their way to the Banat.
  
  The Heimattag meeting includes displays of Banater folk dancing concerts featuring works by Banater composers, a torchlight parade church service, a "business meeting" with speakers and meetings of various Banat village groups.
  
  If you are interested in attending, please write or e-mail the Banater Post care of the Landsmannschaft der Banater Schwaben aus Rumänien in Deutschland e.V. [Society of Banat Swabians from Romania] for more information.
Indices
- A list of topics from Quellenbuch zur Donauschwäbischen Geschichte , part 3, Anton Tafferner, Verlag Buch und Kunst Kepplerhaus - Stuttgart 197813, ISBN 3-921005-24-8
Regions of Settlement Today
- Original Lands: Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina
- Germany
- Austria
- France
- USA
- Canada
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Venezuela

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Other Internet Resources

Genealogical
- The BANAT-L mailing list (name chosen for brevity -- all Donauschwaben regions are discussed) offers on-line contact with other Donauschwaben researchers. To subscribe at no cost, send regular e-mail to: BANAT-L-request@rootsweb.com . In the message area, type: subscribe
  It is also possible to interactively search the BANAT-L archives. If you were away from the list for a specific time and want to see the messages you missed, enter the dates, e.g. "15 Oct 1997" (retaining the quotes) one by one to see the messages for each such day.
- Links to private homepages of Danube-Swabian genealogical researchers by Gottfried Moser
- Search the AKdFF member/surname/town list in the FOKO-Database
- RadixIndex, searchable index of the Industry and Trade Directory of Hungary for 1891
- FEEFHS , the Federation of East European Family History Societies, is an umbrella organization which includes data pages for the Banat and Bremen Shipping records for 1907, 1913-4 covering emigration out of the Banat.
- Ancestors of a Danube-Swabian Swabian Family by Helmut Flacker
- The Emigration of the Hotzen (People from the southern Black Forest) to Hungary and to the Banat (D)
- Hungary Genealogy
- On-line Translation Dictionaries
- Newspapers of Europe, from the Library of Congress includes orderable newspapers from Donauschwaben regions.
- Donauschwaben in Brazil
- Luxembourg
- Hungarian Jewish SIG
- Jewish Households
Geographical and Historical
- Zeittafel zur Geschichte der Banater Schwaben (Timeline of Banat Swabian History from the Banat Swabians)
- History of Austria-Hungary (from State University of Mississippi)
- Twenty-Five Lectures on Modern Balkan History
- Germans in EX-Yugoslavia by Vladimir Geiger
- A Numismatic Trek: Der Schwabenzug
- Halbjahresschrift für südosteuropäische Geschichte, Literatur und Politik
- Prinz Eugen Division
- Bunjewatzen (FEEFHS)
Cultural
Ungarndeutsche [D]
- Banater Schwaben with Kirchweihfest and church photos
- Complete List of Donauschwaben Clubs in America
- Donauschwaben Radio Hour from the Milwaukee Donauschwaben
- Donauschwäbische Tanzgruppe (Danube-Swabian Dance Group of Los Angeles)
- June Meyer's Recipes Page
- Card Games of the Donauschwaben
- L'Angelus (The Angelus)
- Les Glaneuses (The Gleaners)
- Prinz Eugen, der edle Ritter [Song about Prinz Eugen]

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Last update: 02-jan-07 (gj)
Thanks for the contributions of Norbert Bambach, Richard Barton, Dennis Bauer, Lori Beckett, Robert Behra, Eric Benshetler, Bruce Baird, Elizabeth Barth, Susan Elaine Clarkson, George Conrad, Wolfgang Dieing, Oliver Dewald, John Donis, Frank Dogendorf, George Dragicevic, David Dreyer, Jim Eggert (contribution edited from soc.genealogy.german), Monika (Kleer) Ferrier, Joy Fisher, Helmut Flacker, Anton Freijsen, Charlie Furtaw, Anthony Gerring, Shirley Gibbard, Robert Goetz, John Green, Ronald Gretz, John A. Hudick (contribution edited from Slovak FAQ), Cristian Ionitoiu , Bob Kraus, Tim Kretschmann, Ladislaus von Jancso, Günter Junkers, Chris J. Lamesfield, Bob Madler, Gordon McDaniel, John Michels, Harold J. Miller, Uwe Morres, Gottfried Moser, John Niefer, Martin Ott (contribution edited from soc.genealogy.german), Michael Palmer, Rosa Pitman, Richard J. Sadorf, Erich Scholz, Sheila M. Selman-Maas, Gene K. Speckert, Karen Stamm, Michael Stamm, Terri Bible Strotman, Martha Wermes (contribution edited from soc.genealogy.german), Betty Wray.

Please forward any comments and additions to this WWW-page (include the name of this web page) to Rick Heli, e-mail: heli@genealogy.net or to: WebMaster

DANUBE-SWABIANS / DONAUSCHWABEN

Contents:

General Information

Associations and Societies

Genealogical and Historical Records

Gazetteers and Maps

Bibliography and Literature

Archives and Libraries

Miscellaneous

Other Internet Resources