June 1996 Newsletter [v5.0] - RootsWeb

German-Bohemian
Heritage Society
Newsletter
the
Heimatbrief
P.O. Box 822
New Ulm, Minnesota, 56073-0822
Email: Society & Newsletter: lalgbhs@newulmtel.net
Research Info: rpaulgb@winternet.com
Vol VII No. 2 June 1996 Louis Lindmeyer, Editor
A Letter From Our President
Dear Members:
In November of '95 I received a letter from
Professor LaVern Rippley stating that he thought
it would be in the best interest of the GBHS if he
resigned from his position on the board.
Professor Rippley is the head of the German
Department at St. Olaf College in Northfield,
MN. This keeps him very busy and often these
duties created a problem when it came time to
attend our board meetings.
I received his letter shortly after our November
meeting and the board was not scheduled to meet
again until February of '96. I chose not to write
about this until I knew how everything was going
to unfold.
The board of directors accepted Professor
Rippley's resignation and on the February 24th
meeting we went about the business of replacing
him. Following a good discussion a vote was taken
and Don Zwach was chosen as that person. After
the meeting I contacted Mr. Zwach and made him
aware of the decision, which he gladly accepted.
Don will be serving the remainder of Vern's term
which expires at the end of this year. He lives in
Waseca, MN and will be retiring from teaching at
the end of this school year. He was present at our
March 16th meeting and I was very impressed
with his debut. Don has a lot of energy and
1
brought forth some new and good ideas.
Although Professor Rippley is no longer a voting
member of our board, we have not completely
parted company. Vern is willing to serve in an "oncall"
basis by which he would still be able to
contribute when needed. I am very happy with
this arrangement because I want to stay in touch
with him. He was one of the people instrumental
in getting this organization started. We needed
his help in telling our ancestors story, as this story
had not been told before. He so eloquently did this
as evidenced by his book entitled "German-
Bohemian - the Quiet Immigrants. "
Because of Vern's many contributions the board
decided to make him a board member emeritus,
with a lifetime membership. This is an honorary
title and is our way of thanking him for all he has
done.
I am glad these things worked out as they did and
I hope you will agree that the outcome was
favorable for everyone.
Paul Kretsch, President
Newsletter Deadline
The next edition of this newsletter is scheduled
for publication in September. If you wish to
contribute an article, send us a query, or write us a
letter, our deadline is August 1. Thank You!

Whats New
As you have already seen we have made some
changes to our newsletter. First we have changed
the name to include “Heimatbrief” meaning
homeland letter or letter from the homeland. One
of the purposes of this newsletter is to educate our
members about the homeland with interesting
articles that give you a sense of what life was
like “over there”. We hope that this newsletter
is like a letter from the homeland whether you
feel your homeland is New Ulm, Minnesota or
Muttersdorf, Bohemia.
The photograph in the upper left corner is the
German-Bohemian Immigrant Monument erected
in 1991 by the German-Bohemian Heritage
Society. The bronze statue of a man, woman and
child was sculpted by a German-Bohemian,
Leopold Hafner of Germany. If you would like to
“read more about it” order the German-Bohemian
Immigrant Monument book in the “History For
Sale” section of this newsletter.
We have also changed our print to a more reader
friendly style that will be easier on the eyes
making the newsletter more enjoyable to read.
Also, we have included more photographs and
images to break up the text trying to follow the
saying that “one picture is worth a thousand
words”.
It is said that change is good. We hope you agree.
Write us and let us know. LAL
Our Readers Write
I received my March 1996 copy of the G.B.H.S.
Newsletter and noticed portions of my last letter
to you printed in the 'Our Readers Write' column.
Also noticed the town in Bohemia that my
grandparents, Andreas (Andrew) Ubl and
Margaret (Foraschick) Ubl came from was spelled
incorrectly. Since the correct spelling of family
names and town names is so important, I am
requesting a correction of the town name to be
printed in the next Newsletter. The correct
spelling is WOTTOWA.
I would also like to comment on the article 'The
Village of Wasserau and the Rubey Family'. The
article was Wonderful! The part that interested
me the most was the part about the end of the
Second World War and the expulsion of all
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German-speaking people from Bohemia.
I have German-Bohemian great-grandparents
who emigrated from Bohemia in 1882, leaving
their village of Ulbersdorf (county of Komotau) to
settle in Nebraska. Ulbersdorf is located north
northwest of Prague. Hollmotz cousins who
remained in Bohemia were among those forced
from their homes and out of the country that had
been home to their ancestors for generations.
Leaving Bohemia with only the belongings they
could carry and with the small amount of money
they had, they traveled to Germany. At this
point I do not know exactly what happened to
them. They ended up in an 'immigrant camp' on
the Isle of Usedom, which is located directly
north of Berlin on the Baltic Sea. They were
apparently held there for weeks and even months
before they were allowed to relocate. The
conditions were not good in the camp and several
of my cousins died there. They had little money
and were forced to sleep on beds of straw in barn
like structures. They probably were barns! I don't
know if they were held there by the Germans or
by the Russians as that was part of the Russian
Zone.
After leaving the Isle of Usedom, the surviving
cousins, Adolph and Theresia and their daughter
Sophia settled in one town and their son Herbert
settled in another. Sophia apparently worked
and cared for her parents as they were not young.
(Adolph died in 1978 at the age of 88)
The saddest part of their relocation is that when
the Berlin Wall went up, Adolph, Theresia and
Sophia were on one side and Herbert was on the
other. Herbert, being in East Germany, was not at
first allowed to visit his parents. By the time he
became a pensioner he and his wife were allowed
to ' cross over' twice a year to visit his parents. By
this time Herbert had a grown son and two
grandsons that Adolph and Theresia had never
seen. Sophia died in 1974, leaving Adolph and
Theresia old and lonely with no family to care for
and comfort them.
My great-grandfather, Joseph Hollmotz
corresponded with his cousin Adolph for many
years. After his death his daughter (my great
Aunt Maxine) continued the correspondence, and
after her death in 1986, I found Adolph's address
and I wrote to him only to find out he had died in
1978. His wife Theresia and I wrote back and

forth for a few years. She helped me with the
Family Tree as much as she could. She would
write in German and I would find someone to
translate it. She lived on a small pension and it
was very expensive for her to have her letter
translated to English before she sent it to me. I
would purchase International Reply Coupons at
my Post Office and send them to her. She would
then use them to purchase stamps to mail her
letters to me.
When the Berlin Wall came down I was so happy
to think that if Theresia was still alive she
would finally be able to be with her son and his
family. I have not heard from her since 1983 and
of course have had no contact with Herbert.
Kay Hall
Glendora, CA
...Also in your next newsletter could you ask if
anyone knows of a dish called “Bützle und Dunk”
( at least that is what it sounded like).
Grandmother Mary Neimer Vogl made this and
descendants still make it today. It is a bread-like
dough made in large round flat loaves and baked
in an oven without a pan. It turns out nice and
crusty. A gravy is made of chicken or pork and
Spanish saffron (in the old days we bought saffron
in a drug store) is used in the gravy so it was a
bright yellow color. The bread is broken in pieces
on a plate and drenched with the gravy.
Delicious!
Walter Vogl
10623 State Hwy 42
Two Rivers, WI 54241
414-755-4575
Ed. If anyone knows of this dish please write to
Walter and also to us so we can publish the recipe
in the newsletter.
Please rush me a cook book! My wife is
Norwegian and I want her to learn to cook real
food. All Norwegian food is white!
Dan Drimmel
I am writing to let you know what a fine job you
are doing on the newsletter and that I always look
forward to receiving it... The main reason I am
writing is that I am looking for a cookie recipe.
My mother made them when I was a youngster.
They are called Corrobie (core-rabb-bee) cookies.
They need a steel cylinder about 2” high and 1-
1/2 - 2” diameter. They are made with walnuts
and when done are golden dark brown and look
like a Russian tea cake. Please ask if anyone in
the club might know of these cookies.
David Raab
Ed. If anyone knows of this cookie please write to
us. We will publish the recipe in the newsletter
and we will make sure David gets a copy. Thanks
Letters From The Internet
Please forward some information on joining your
society. I would be interested. A good friend,
Dora Selig from Switzerland, brought your society
to my attention. I was born in Karlsbad.
Dr. Rudolf Kies, PhD.
San Fernando, CA 91341
76046.1730@compuserve.com
I have been reading the latest GBHS newsletter
with the greatest interest. We are making our
plans for a trip to Germany this summer to visit
our son and his wife. Joe is stationed in
Heidelberg. They are planning to adopt a Russian
child (or 2) this spring and we simply must go
there to exercise our Grandparent duties. I am also
very interested in trying to find a bit more about
my roots in Bavaria/Bohemia/Austria. Since
belonging to GBHS and reading the books you
published I have been able to get a better feel of
where my Grandparents came from, even if there
is never a mention of the name Bayerl. We have
made contact with a Konrad Bayerl in Bavaria.
I will send some of the genealogy info given to me
by Konrad and will also be in communication with
you with more questions and suggestions for my
root seeking this summer. Looking forward to much
good to come from the GBHS on the Internet. By
the way, you may be interested in looking at some
info about my family. My brother Andy has a nice
home page (www2.pcix.com/~bayerl) with
genealogical and pictorial information. This was
how we made the contact with Konrad.
Final comment: your review of genealogy should
have included “Family Tree Maker”. This is, in
my opinion, the best choice from the points of
view of functionality and cost.
Thanks again for the fine articles in the GBHS
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newsletter giving a perspective of the experiences
of Germans during and after WWII.
Dick Bayerl
dbayerl@telsoft.net
Queries
This space is provided free of charge to anyone
who needs help finding his/her ancestors. Many
of our readers have done extensive research on
their families, and since many of our families are
related or immigrated from the same village, we
can be of help to each other.
I am seeking information on my ancestor Mary
Schoenbauer (Sempaur, Schöbaur). If married,
married name is unknown. Born 1830’s or 1840’s,
birthplace Kolence, Bohemia. Originally settled
in New Prague, MN. Was living in New Ulm, MN
in 1920. Brothers John and Albert of New Prague
and a sister Kathryn of California.
Contact: Eileen M. Schmitz
436 Apgar St.
Shakopee, MN 55379-1130
Musicians Needed
The German-Bohemian Heritage Singers are
looking for musicians for their singing group. They
will need someone to fill in for Benny Seifert,
their horn player, who will be absent from time to
time due to vacations and other commitments.
They would also be interested in other musicians
who could help out on a part-time or full-time
basis. The group practices every Tuesday. All
monies received for performances goes to the
German-Bohemian Heritage Society so this is
strictly volunteer. They have a lot of fun and you
can help preserve our heritage. Anyone interested
can contact them at P.O. Box 822, New Ulm, MN
56073 or phone 507-354-2763.
(Editor’s note: The next three short stories were
taken from the 1995 Egerlander Yearbook and
translated by Karen Hobbs.)
Vorn Hutzenagehen
"Hutzenagehen" belonged to the most beautiful
practices of the good old times. In Egerland
4
visiting the house next door when work was done
was called "Hutschengehen." This was done
mainly during the season of long nights when snow
and cold made any rural work impossible. The
"Hutzengehen" was a kind of social gathering
which, at the same time, made it possible to learn
the local news.
Folklorists argue about the idea of "hutzen",
giving different explanations. One believes the
word may be derived from "hotzen" which has a
meaning similar to "Schaukeln." This leads to
the conclusion that people engaged in
Hutzengehen (Hutzenleute) who had brought
their children with them, first put them to sleep
in order to be able to chat undisturbed.
In Canada miners still meet today in the
"Huthaus" for a sociable go-round together. That
could also be a credible explanation for the
practice in the Erzegebirge. There, during the
time that the mines were active, the miners
occasionally gathered at the "Huthaus." So the
word could have developed from "Im
Huthaussein" to "Hutsein" and finally been
changed to the term "Hutzen."
In the summer the older people sat in front of the
village houses on comfortable benches, in the
shade of an elderberry or lilac bush. In the winter
they gathered on the oven bench in front of the
tile stove. Frugality may have had something to
do with it, too, for the visitors saved heating
their own residence for the evening.
The women often brought along their sewing kits
or their lace-making cushion. With such
domestic work going on a new idea resulted in
adding the word "Z'rocken." For this word also
there is no really valid explanation or spelling.
"Z'rocken gehen" meant joining a circle of friends
and acquaintances to do handwork. In the main
room of the old farmers' houses four women would
often meet with their sewing frames and thus
joined conversation with useful or profitable
enterprises. The hostess not rarely donated a pot
of barley coffee [Gerstenkaffee] and a pan of
"Hefengetzen" [pipe cakes?] or potato cakes
[Kartoffel Kuchen]. It was an inexpensive cake
that tasted best when freshly baked. The
"Hutzenleute" of course made sure that there
would be nothing left over, and left it to
themselves to "taste" all of it. After which,

naturally, the hostesses skill at baking had to be
quite roundly praised.
In the evening the men, sometimes on their way
home from work, came to get their women. They
occasionally remained on a "Niederstitz" if the
gathering was not yet ready to break up but
mainly so as not to disturb the peace of the
household. To preserve the domestic quiet and
household peace one must sit for only a short time
at the table of the house when one is on a short
visit.
On weekends the men of the house might also get
his "Quetschin" at the table or one of the
"Hutzenleute" brought along a Harmonika and
funny "Gstanzln" were sung along with the music.
There is not much left of the old sense of
camaraderie brought by the old kind of
"Hutzengegen." Modern electronic media like
television and radios has slowly taken the place
of this old kind of conversation.
It is sad that the old custom of informal
gatherings is lost. It is self-evident that this
custom joined folks together for mutual assistance
in times of need. Today there has to be a similar
social or care service to provide this service.
With the end of the "Hutzengehens" the help of
neighbors is also now lax. One hardly knows his
neighbors any more. There are, of course, parties
but these seem only too solemn and lavish and
intended as mere status symbols. The geniality of
the "Hutzenstuben", the solidarity of the people,
has disappeared under meaningless show
(splendor).
Wasser Für Lautschin
Excerpts from "Wasser für Lautschin"
by Karl Springenschmid, Egerländer
Jahrbuch 1995. Translated from German
by Karen Hobbs, Colorado Springs, CO.
I was born and grew up in Lautschin, Bezirk
Pardubitz. When my father died I took over.
Lautschin is not much -- an old house, a few
meager meadows, a sandy acre or two, a little
forest land. But one can make a living there. Only
one thing bothered us -- there was too little water
in Lautschin. Only a thin thread flowed from the
5
fountain and even this, when the dry weeks of
summer came, dried up. If the cistern became
empty we had to take barrels on an ox-wagon
three hours drive to Mrdlina and haul water from
there.
For years I have looked for a water spring, in
vain. Everywhere the ground was dry and sandy.
Then one night the wind beyond overturned an old
pine tree. In the morning I went out, to look it
over. There I noticed, that the ground in the hole
made by the old tree was damp. I got a shovel and
began to dig and - what luck! I struck a spring
hardly a meter deep flowing a good three fingers
strong. It would be an easy matter to collect this
water and to direct it to the fountain room.
However, at that time, it was the end for us in
Bohemia -- we were forced to leave. If we had
had no water in Lautschin, I thought, then they
who come after us shall also have no water and I
hid the spring again.
And now I live with my cousin in Pardubitz. I
really did not want to go back to Lautschin but
eventually I went there. I only wanted to take a
few photos to show the children what Lautschin
looked like. It looked pretty poor. The resident
has renamed it Korcak, but what do I care?
I sat down on the house [yard] bench. Herr
Korcak went by. He doesn't know me. But then
his wife, Rosa came, who was once our housemaid.
"Jeschusmarija", clapping her hands over her
head, "It is Ellert!" I should come inside. No, not
that. So they brought out bread and bacon and
some wine and we began to talk. Nothing
political, for sure, only about the cattle and the
wood. "But the problem with the water" said
Korcak, and pushed with his boot against the
staves of the water barrel -- which was almost
empty.
But I think, "Why should Korcak have no worries
when everyone everywhere has worries, and
ourselves for sure."
"Didn't you ever look for water, Ellert?" asked
Korcak.
I shrugged my shoulders. Then I took my picture:
the old house with the roof blown askew by the
wind and the tall nut tree over it. But the matter
of the water would not leave my mind. Then I
took a picture of the little shrine which no longer
has an image of the Lord God and the pine forest

ehind it. But the water? - What should I do? It
has little to do with Korcak, I thought, it has to
do only with Lautschin. Yes that is it. Lautschin
should remain and it must have water.
"Come" I said to Korcak, "and bring along your
shovel!"
Some say I should not have done this. Had I
forgotten what had happened? I have forgotten
nothing. But why blame Lautschin? At night
when I can't sleep and everything is quiet, I hear
the fountain roar over there in Lautschin. Good
clear water -- water from the hand of God!
The St.
Martin's
Goose
During the early
days of November
the geese can still
enjoy their existence
waddling about on
the meadow plucking
grass and earthworms
from the soil
and chattering to
their heart's desire.
Thus it goes until
Saint Martin’s day
when the chattering
is over. Each goose
ends up, some sooner and some later, in the
roasting pan for on the 11th day of the 11th month
poultry is on the menu for many Germans.
Considering that particular day, whoever then
wants a Goose in the pot must be willing to dig
rather deeply into his pocket. For "happy" geese
that have spent their short lives out in the open
DM 14-18 per KG is demanded. On the contrary,
deep frozen ...Mast... geese from East European
countries can be had for DM 8 per KG. The price
certainly changes with each year. The goose is
expressly a seasonal fowl [animal], and the
connoisseurs "expense" the goose in the roaster
only for Christmas and Saint Martin's day.
Mankind's taste for roast goose did not originate
with St. Martin for the ancient Egyptians 4,500
years ago treasured the meat of the goose as a
delicacy. In Egerland roast goose was also counted
6
as a holiday feast on St. Martin's day. The goose
living only to be slaughtered by us was entitled to
an explanation. [Die lebende wie geschlachtete
Gans unterlag bei uns aberglÑubischen Deutungen.]
So it was said, for example "Geht zu St. Martini
die Gans auf Eis, so geht sie Weihnachten auf
Dreck." [Ice on the St. Martin's Goose means no
snow [dirt] at Christmas.]
On St. Thomas (30 Nov) and Andres (21 Dec)
nights sometimes a goose who had a band over its
eyes was brought to the Rockenstube. Which ever
of the girls standing in a circle the goose went to
would marry and be a happy bride.
The condition of
the slaughtered
goose's breastbone
gave information
about the winter.
If it were brown it
would be very
cold; if it were
white there
would be much
rain or snow.
(Tending Geese in
New Ulm. Photo
Courtesy of Brown
County Historical
Society)
Another rule of
the weather
states: If it rains on May 1, then death will rain
on the geese and famine on the cattle.
There are different methods to call geese; either
with "Wiewala, Wiewala, Wiewala" or with
"Hussala, Hussala, Hussala; "wie, wie, wie" and
"wussi, wussi, wussi" likewise common as calls
[attractions]. They are driven along with "huda,
huda, huda!"
Why in Egerland geese were generally held to be
stupid and the term "stupid goose" would always
be used for a female person has no plausible
explanation. I had experience with one goose that
completely took the place of the family's house
[pet] dog. With her loud cackling in the vorgarten
[front yard garden, garden out front] she announced
every stranger on the property. If the intruder
thought to chase the "stupid goose" away he was

eaten with wings and bitten. "Dea... woar
offensichtlich sua dumm, da(ss nan d'Gans beissn".
Now what is the real connection between St.
Martin and the goose? For that one must rely
exclusively on a legend. It says that Hungarianborn
holy Martin was first a professional soldier
and later a Brother in a Christian order. In the
year 371 the citizens of Tours chose him against
his will to be their Bishop. To avoid having to
take on this weighty office he sneaked away and
hid in a "Gansestall." But the chattering geese
were the thing that betrayed his hiding place.
A further relationship between Saint Martin and
the goose ... besteht darin, dass zu seiner Zeit die
zu leistenden Abgaben seitens der Burger
...happened to be in the image of a silvery goose.
The story of Saint Martin and his divided coat is
quite well known as proof of his great generosity.
In his honor on November 11 the children carry
lanterns each year, parading through city streets.
Landskron
(Editor’s note: With this article we deal with a
part of our homeland we have not previously
talked about in this newsletter-the area called
Landskron. Many of our Wisconsin members,
whose ancestors immigrated from Landskron, will
be familiar with this area, but many of our other
members will not. I hope all of you enjoy this
well written article. I would like to thank Mr.
Langer for allowing us to publish his article.)
Landskroner Emigration to the
American Midwest
by Edward G. Langer
Copyright 1996, Edward G. Langer
All Rights Reserved
Beginning in the early 1850s, numerous families
left their ancestral villages in the provinces of
Bohemia and Moravia in the Austrian Empire to
start new lives. Some families moved to the
German-speaking cities and towns of the Austrian
Empire or the German principalities. Others
traveled to distant countries such as the Russian
Empire, South Africa or America. This is the
story of some of these emigrants from the district
of Landskron, Bohemia who decided to make new
7
lives for themselves in the mid western United
States, in particular in the state of Wisconsin.
The Old World
The district of Landskron (Czech: Lanskroun) is
named after the town of Landskron. The town and
district of Landskron are about 80 miles south of
present day Wroclaw (Breslau) and about 115
miles north of the then-capital of the Austrian
Empire, Vienna.
Landskron, the district, consisted of the town of
Landskron and forty-two bordering villages. In
the 1850s, Landskron-town contained about 5,000
inhabitants and was connected by rail to the rest
of the Austrian Empire. Second in importance to
the town of Landskron was Cermná (Böhmisch
Rothwasser), a Czech village of about 3,000
inhabitants. Historically, Cermná had market
rights not granted to the other villages. Cermná's
lower half was mostly Catholic and its upper
half was mostly Protestant. (In 1936, it was split
into two villages - Dolní Cermná and Horní
Cermná). The other forty-one villages in the
district of Landskron varied in size from a few
hundred people to about 1,500 inhabitants. Roads
connected the villages to the town of Landskron.
Three-quarters of these villages were
predominantly German, and the majority of both
ethnic groups were of the Roman Catholic faith.
The inhabitants of these villages, both Czech and
German, were divided into three broad social
groups - the "large farmers" (German: Bauer,
Czech: sedláci), the "small farmers" (Feldgärtner
or zahradnici) and the day laborers (Taglohner or
podruzi). The "large farmers" generally had
farms over ten hectares (a hectare is 2.471 acres).
They usually owned horses, cows and numerous
smaller farm animals. These farmers were
engaging in commercial farming and were able to
ship produce to market in nearby towns. The
"small farmers" had only a few hectares. They
usually had a few cows and a number of smaller
farm animals. The day laborers worked for small
or large farmers as field laborers, stable hands
and kitchen and house servants. In addition, some
worked as weavers, carpenters, coopers or
blacksmiths. Some of the day laborers, called
"cottagers" (Häusler or chalupnici), owned a
small house with enough land around it for a
small garden and a few small farm animals such
as goats. Most of the area's population consisted
of day laborers scratching out a marginal

subsistence.
Typical of the Landskroner village of the era was
Ober Johnsdorf (Horní Tresnovec), located just
north of the town of Landskron. Ober Johnsdorf
contained about 1,000 inhabitants in the 1850s,
most of them German-speaking but with a
significant Czech-speaking minority. The
neighboring villages to the north, Cermná and
Nepomuky (Nepomuk), were predominantly
Czech. The other nearby villages, Jokelsdorf
(Jakubovice), Michelsdorf (Ostrov), and Nieder
Johnsdorf (Dolní Tresnovec), were predominantly
German. Ober Johnsdorf was comprised of 1,108
hectares, which is about four and one-quarter
sections of land, or 2,738 acres.
The average landholding in Ober Johnsdorf was
about seven and a half hectares, with over half
the farms smaller than five hectares. Only a
dozen farms had more than 20 hectares. Since the
town of Landskron was three miles distant, it is
likely that excess grain from Ober Johnsdorf was
transported by horse or ox-cart for shipment by
rail to the cities of the Austrian Empire. Apart
from farming, Ober Johnsdorf in the early 1850s
had no church and only a basic school. For church
services and any advanced schooling, Ober
Johnsdorf's villagers traveled to Landskron-town.
Given the limited educational opportunities
available at the time, many of Ober Johnsdorf's
inhabitants had only primitive reading and
writing skills.
In sharp contrast to farming in America,
Landskron-district farmsteads were not separate
from its villages. Farm buildings were located on
both sides of a road, and farm fields stretched
straight back from the buildings until they
bordered another village's farms. Farms might
also end at the woods or at an untillable hill.
Generally, farmers in Ober Johnsdorf cultivated
contiguous fields, unlike the practice in other
areas of Europe. It could, however, be a
considerable distance from the farm buildings to
each farm's property limits. Also, farmland that
was wooded or low provided natural barriers
separating tillable parcels within the farm.
Ober Johnsdorf's farm buildings also showed a
distinctive configuration. Generally, the living
quarters were physically connected to the farm
buildings. More elaborate farmsteads were set up
in a U-shape or square with a courtyard in the
8
middle. The latter square form probably
developed in an attempt to provide some
protection against thieves and foreign soldiers,
and it also allowed the farmer to secure his
animals and harvested crops from marauding
animals.
The Push to Emigrate
The families of the prospective emigrants to
America had lived in the Landskron district for
hundreds of years. Up until 1848, the people of
the district of Landskron were still subject to
feudal restrictions limiting their ability to move
and requiring them to provide certain services to
the local ruling class. As was typical of the time,
a Landskroner's social position was determined
more by birth than by personal accomplishments.
In 1848, revolutions rocked much of Europe, and
thereafter the Hapsburg Emperor of the Austrian
Empire removed the final vestiges of feudalism.
Slowly, the word spread that it was possible to
emigrate.
Increased population and frequent wars were the
main factors prompting the Landskroners to
consider emigrating. By the mid-1800s, improved
food and sanitary conditions had caused such a
population explosion that there were limited
opportunities for young people, and people were
crammed into small one-room houses. It is
estimated that in Horní Cermná there were
twenty-six houses holding ten or more occupants,
and four Silar families with a total of twenty-one
people lived in one house in Nepomuky. There
was little virgin land in the area, and subdividing
the existing farms would have made them
unprofitable. Further, the Austrian Empire was
involved in frequent wars, resulting in increasing
taxes and young men sent to fight in distant
locations.
One of these wars had a direct impact on the lives
of every inhabitant of the district of Landskron.
In June, 1866, war broke out between the Austrian
Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia over whether
a unified Germany was to be created, what lands
would be included in the new nation and which
country would be the leading force of the new
German nation. The Italians were a key ally of
the Prussians, forcing the Austrians to fight on
two fronts. Prussian General Moltke, who had
learned crucial lessons on the use of telegraph and
railroads from the American Civil War, was able
to quickly move hundreds of thousands of Prussian

troops into Bohemia. Simultaneously, hundreds of
thousands of Austrian troops marched into
Bohemia to meet them. Part of the Austrian army
was quartered in the Landskron area, and other
parts of the Austrian army marched through the
area. At one point, 120,000 troops were in the
Landskron area.
On July 3, 1866, the Imperial Austrian army and
the Prussian army met northwest of Hradec
Králové (Königgrätz), about 40 miles from
Landskron. (The Battle of Königgrätz is also
referred to as the Battle of Sadowa). The
Prussian army was better equipped than the
Austrian army. One crucial advantage was that
the Prussian infantry had breech-loading
"needle-guns," enabling them to fire from the
prone position at the standing Austrian infantry,
which used muzzle-loaders. The Prussian victory
was sudden and complete.
After the Austrian loss, some Austrian troops
retreated through the Landskron area, followed
closely by Prussian troops. A skirmish occurred
near the villages of Rudelsdorf (Rudoltice) and
Thomigsdorf (Damníkov). The encroaching
armies destroyed many growing crops in their
wake, and confiscated the villagers' food as well.
The Prussians occupied Landskron, and 10 to 20
soldiers took up residence in Landskroner homes.
This war and the subsequent Prussian occupation
had a profound effect on the Landskroners, and
induced many to emigrate to America.
The New World
By the 1850s, numerous sources encouraged
European peoples to emigrate to America. "Howto-emigrate"
books extolled America's virtues,
especially the freedom and cheap land available
in America. Rail and shipping interests made
emigration sound very attractive in an attempt to
increase their business. American states, such as
Wisconsin, sent agents to European ports to
encourage emigrants to settle in their states.
Early emigrants had to rely upon these writers
and businessmen for information about emigration
to America, while later emigrants heard about
the virtues of life in America from fellow
emigrating villagers.
The first sizable emigration from the district of
Landskron occurred in 1851 and consisted of Czech
Protestant day laborers primarily from the
villages of Cermná and Nepomuky. These
emigrants had little to lose by emigrating, given
their low social status in Landskron-district --
they were poor, they were Czech speakers in an
empire having a German ruling class, and they
were Protestants in a country where the ruling
class was ardently Catholic. On November 6,
1851, about seventy-four Czechs started on their
trip to America. They traveled by train from Ústí
nad Orlicí (Wildenschwert) to Hamburg. They
sailed from Hamburg to Liverpool, Great Britain
and then transferred to the sailing vessel Maria
for the long trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. In
New Orleans, they transferred to a third ship to
travel to Galveston, Texas. Then they took a
fourth schooner to Houston. About traveling for
three or four months, fewer than half of the
emigrants reached their final destination, the
Cat Spring area in Austin County, Texas. Others
had died along the way, of illness caused by poor
food, limited water supplies and poor living
conditions on the long journey. The surviving
emigrants sent a number of letters home relating
their ordeal, and one emigrant recommended
traveling on a ship directly to Galveston even
though it would be more expensive. When a
second group of about eighty-five Czech
Protestants left their homes for Texas on about
October 9, 1853, they followed that advice and
boarded the Suwa from Bremerhaven, which took
them directly to Galveston. In later years, many
other Czech Protestants from the district of
Landskron emigrated to Texas. They were joined
by some Czech and German Catholics from the
district of Landskron. Some of the Czech
Catholics who settled in Pierce County,
Wisconsin, first traveled to Texas before settling
in Wisconsin.
Already in 1852, German Catholic day laborers
were applying for passports for emigration to
Wisconsin. Others who indicated on their
passport applications that they were bound for
Texas instead headed to Wisconsin. It is not
known how these applicants knew that Wisconsin
was a favorable destination. However, perhaps
written information of the period filtered to the
tiny Landskron villages. Writers in the mid-1850s
wrote favorably of life in Wisconsin, emphasizing
the good farmland available, a climate similar to
central Europe's, and the presence of many
German-speaking people. It is also likely that
these later emigrants had learned of the tragic
trip of the first Czech Protestants emigrants, and
they may have decided to avoid the difficult trip
9

to Texas.
The primary destination of the German Catholic
emigres was the Watertown, Wisconsin area. In
the early 1850s, Watertown, with about 5,000
inhabitants, was one of the largest cities in
Wisconsin. The area's abundant rich, rolling
farmland, some of which had been partially
cleared by earlier settlers, would have appealed
to Landskroners wanting to farm their own land in
America. Wisconsin had become a state in 1848,
and southern Wisconsin was no longer considered
part of the western frontier. Railroads were
starting to connect the major towns in the state,
and farmers were able to sell their surplus product
on the market.
Watertown was also a center of German
immigration. As such, the Landskron emigrants
would have found in the Watertown area Germanspeaking
immigrants from the Austrian Empire,
Bavaria, Prussia and other German-speaking
lands, in addition to those Landskron-district
families that had emigrated in earlier years.
Watertown had a German Catholic parish (Saint
Henry's) founded in 1853, a German newspaper,
the Anzeiger, and a brewery.
The Voyage to the New World
Most of the earlier emigrants from the Landskron
district departed from the port of Bremen in what
is now northwestern Germany. The emigrants
probably traveled by rail to Bremen. Landskroner
emigrants to the American Midwest generally
headed to the port of New York or to Baltimore.
When they reached America, it is believed that
most of the settlers took the train via Chicago to a
town like Watertown, where they intended to
look for land. If the rail lines had not yet reached
their final destination, they would have
completed their trip by coach or wagon.
The first Landskroner emigrants known to have
settled permanently in southern Wisconsin
arrived in 1852. The records of the Jason, which
arrived in New York on December 7, 1852, from
Bremen, shows about sixty people from the
Landskron district on board: the Johann Blaschka
and Johann Klecker families of Hertersdorf
(Horní Houzovec), the Ignatz Yelg, Wenzel
Blaschka and Johann Blaschka families of
Tschernowier (Cernovír), the Joseph Veit family
and Anton Wawrauscheck, Philip Zimprich and
Ludwig Zimprich of Knappendorf (Knapovec),
10
the Anton Fiebiger family of Jokelsdorf
(Jakubovice), the Johann Fischer family of
Riebnig (Rybník), the Joseph Zimprich family of
Rathsdorf (Skuhrov) and the Wenzel Fuchs
family of Hilbetten (Hylváty). Also on board
were the following persons, whose place of origin
may be the district of Landskron: the Wenzel
Blaska and Anton Kobliz families, Barbara
Detterer and Franz Meidner. The Jason provided
the nucleus of the Landskroner community near
what in 1859 became the village of Waterloo,
west of Watertown, Wisconsin.
On January 10, 1853, the Johanna arrived in New
York from Bremen with seven families of thirtytwo
people from the Landskron district: the John
Huebel, Johann Langer and John Stangler families
of Rudelsdorf (Rudoltice), the Franz Pirkl, Franz
Haubenschild and Johann Haubenschild families
of Triebitz (Trebovice), and the Josef Rössler
family of Michelsdorf (Ostrov). Also on board
was the Franz Gilg family of Nikl (Nikulec) in
the neighboring county of Zwittau (Svitavy). A
number of these families joined the Jason group
near Waterloo, Wisconsin.
On June 17, 1853, the Oldenburg arrived in New
York from Bremen, with 103 passengers from
Bohemia whose stated destination was
Wisconsin. The emigrants from the district of
Landskron were the following: the Johann Meitner
and Johann Schöberle families, Vincenz Klecker
and Franz Schöberle of Ober Johnsdorf (Horní
Tresnovec), the Franz Hampel, Josef Jirschele and
Josef Arnold families of Rathsdorf (Skuhrov), the
Franz Langer, Ignatz Huebl, and Bernhard
Leschinger families of Rudelsdorf (Rudoltice), the
Franz Fischer, Johann Plotz and Engelbert
Habermann families of Riebnig (Rybník), the
Johann Smetana and Johann Kuckera families of
Tschernowier (Cernovír), the Franz Foltin family
of Königsberg (Královec), and the Anton Kristl
family of Michelsdorf (Ostrov). Two other
families were from neighboring districts: the
Wenzel Scholla family of Prívrat (Pschiwrat)
and the Joseph Pospischel family of Litomysl
(Leitomischl). The other families from Bohemia
were the Nicholaus Dank, Johann Czernin, Johann
Strilesky, and Arnold Patsch families. The
Johann Meitner, Johann Schöberle, Franz Hampel
and Franz Langer families, along with Vincenz
Klecker and Franz Schöberle, provided the
nucleus of the Landskroner community of
Watertown, Wisconsin. A number of these other

families joined the Waterloo community.
Ship records indicate that emigration to America
was not a solitary affair by a single individual or
a single family. Rather, emigrants tended to
travel with others from their home district to
America where they often found fellow
countrymen awaiting them.
Life in the New World
When the new emigrants arrived in America,
previous settlers helped them find homes, farms
and jobs. The Landskroners tended to live near
each other, as the later arrivals would move near
their countrymen. Sometimes these later arrivals
would only stay near their friends and relatives
for a few months or years before moving to find
cheaper land. The expanding path of these
Landskron emigrants can be traced westward from
Watertown toward Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and
south to Janesville, Wisconsin. A significant
number of Landskroners settled in Pierce County,
Wisconsin, just east of the Twin Cities of
Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Both
Germans and Czechs from Landskron settled in
this area. The Czech community of Pierce County
is still referred to today as Cherma, after their
Bohemian hometown of Cermná. Other
Landskroner groups settled near Owatonna,
Minnesota and Casselton, North Dakota, and
other emigrants settled in Illinois, Iowa, South
Dakota and Oregon. It is likely that further
research will discover small groups of settlers
extending all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Two examples of this migration west are the
Franz Langer and Franz Jansa families. The Franz
Langer family of Michelsdorf (Ostrov) is believed
to be among the first to have left the Landskron
area for the Watertown area. This family lived
in the Watertown area from around 1852 until
1861, when they traveled west to the Plainview,
Minnesota area. Later they moved to near Fargo,
North Dakota. One of this family's famous
descendants is the late North Dakota Governor
and United States Senator William "Wild Bill"
Langer.
The Franz Jansa family from Cermná (Böhmisch
Rothwasser) came to Watertown in 1867. The
Jansas had brought with them only a small chest
which contained some household articles and
Franz's blacksmith tools. The Jansas stayed with
Mrs. Jansa's aunt and uncle, the Johann Roffeis
11
family, for about a week when they first arrived
in Watertown, until Johann Roffeis found them a
small house. To help them set up their
household, Johann Roffeis gave the Jansas a dozen
eggs, a sack of flour and a rolling pin. The
furnishings in the Jansa house were simple: an
oven, boxes for chairs, their chest and bed. The
bed was a box filled with straw and covered with
blankets. From these humble beginnings, Franz
Jansa was able to dramatically increase his
standard of living. He worked as a blacksmith in
Waterloo and Marshall, Wisconsin for 11 years,
saving $3,000.00, after which the Jansas moved to
Cherma in Pierce County, Wisconsin and bought a
farm.
Although some emigrants settled permanently in
the villages and towns of the American Midwest,
the majority of the emigrants wanted their own
land and went into farming. In America, farms
were sold in rectangular plots based upon a survey
system mandated by the Northwest Ordinance of
1787. Generally, farms were sold in 20-acre, 40acre,
80-acre or 160-acre parcels. Farmsteads were
located at a convenient place on the farmland, and
as the farms grew in size, distances between the
farmers' houses grew. Where in Landskron houses
were commonly clustered together along a road, in
America they were often located quite far from
these roads. Farm buildings were free-standing,
separate structures in America, and were not
connected as in Landskron. The villages that arose
were not farming villages, but rather provided a
central location for tradesmen and craftsmen,
along with community buildings such as a village
hall, a school and a church. Where in Landskron,
an hour's walk could take you past the houses of a
thousand people, such a walk in America would
likely take you past the houses of only a few
dozen neighbors.
Emigrants with financial means were able to
afford to buy a farm shortly after their arrival in
America. One of the few "large farmers" among
the early Landskroner emigrants was Johann
Meitner from Ober Johnsdorf. Meitner arrived in
New York on the Oldenburg on June 17, 1853. On
July 9 of that year, he purchased an 80-acre farm
several miles north of Watertown. That fall he
purchased an additional 40 acres of farmland, and
in May of 1855, Meitner bought another 40 acres.
None of these purchases involved a mortgage.
Meitner's resulting 160-acre farm was larger than
most, if not all, of the farms in Ober Johnsdorf.

Since the overwhelming majority of these early
emigrants were day laborers, they were not able to
buy good land near a market town like Watertown
so quickly. Their options were to save money to
buy a farm, use credit, buy poorer land, or move
west to find good, cheap land closer to the edge of
the frontier. The poorer Landskroner emigrants
used all of these methods. As noted above, Franz
Jansa saved for eleven years in order to buy his
farm. Johann Pitterle, a day laborer from Ober
Johnsdorf who arrived in America in August, 1854,
was first able to buy a farm in 1858. That year he
bought an 80-acre farm north of Watertown,
Wisconsin for $600.00. He bought the farm on
credit at 10% interest, with $200.00 due on July 1,
1858, and $400.00 due on January 2, 1863. Many of
the early emigrants to southern Wisconsin bought
marshy land west of Watertown near what is now
the village of Waterloo. Another early emigrant,
Franz Pirkl of Triebitz (Trebovice) who arrived on
the Johanna in 1853, headed to Pierce County in
northwestern Wisconsin in about 1855 where land
was much cheaper. His 160-acre farm was valued
at $341.12 on the 1859 real estate property list.
It is logical to assume that the Landskroner
emigrants spent a great deal of their social life
with each other. As noted above, their adjoining
farms would allow for socializing with fellow
Landskron emigrants. Since most were Roman
Catholic, they also attended the same church.
The membership of at least three Wisconsin
Catholic churches was predominantly
Landskroner: "The Island" church, St.
Wenceslaus, built in 1863 outside of what is now
Waterloo; the Church of the Immaculate
Conception, built in the early 1880s in "Lost
Creek" in Pierce County, and St Martin's Church,
built in the 1890s in Cherma in Pierce County. The
first two were German and the last was a Czech
parish. One of the results of this social
interaction is the relative frequency of
Landskroner intermarriage with other
Landskroners. As in the Old World, some of these
marriages crossed linguistic lines, with a Germanspeaker
marrying a Czech-speaker.
The primary cash crop raised by the early settlers
was wheat. After the wheat blight destroyed the
economic viability of wheat production in
Wisconsin, however, the emigrants, along with
their neighbors, switched to the production of
milk and milk products for sale at market.
12
Many of the early emigrants did very well for
themselves. The 80-acre farm that Johann Pitterle
purchased would have made him the owner of one
of the larger farms in his native village. By 1890,
each of his five children owned farms near
Watertown totaling 420 acres, which would have
comprised about one-sixth of all the land in their
native village of Ober Johnsdorf. The Pitterle
children had more land in America than they
ever could have dreamed of having had they
remained in Europe. The success of the early
emigrants induced many of their countrymen to
follow them to America.
A partial listing of the family names of the
Landskroner men and women who settled near
Waterloo and Watertown and in Pierce County,
all in Wisconsin, follows. Included in the list are
their known places of origin.
The Watertown Community
The largest group of Landskroner emigrants in
Watertown were from the villages of Ober and
Nieder Johnsdorf (Horní and Dolní Tresnovec).
Other villages represented in Watertown were
Cermná (Böhmisch Rothwasser), Dittersbach
(Horní Dobrouc), Lukau (Luková), Olbersdorf
(Albrechtice), Rathsdorf (Skuhrov), Rudelsdorf
(Rudoltice), Sichelsdorf (Zichlínek),
Thomigsdorf (Damníkov) and the town of
Landskron. The list of Landskroner families
settling in Watertown include the following:
Barrent, Bopp, Brusenbach, Clement, Dobischek,
Frodel, Groh (Gro), Hampel, Heger, Huebl, Huss,
Jahna (Yahna), Hecker, Hausler, Hübler, Janisch,
Kalupka, Klecker, Köhler, Kohler, Kreuziger,
Kunert, Kunz, Langer, Melcher, Meitner, Miller,
Müller, Motl, Pfeifer, Pitterle, Richter, Roffeis,
Roller, Schless, Schlinger, Schmeiser, Schöberle,
Schmid, Schramm, Stadler, Stangler, Steiner,
Uherr, Unzeitig, Warner, Wohlitz, Wollitz and
Zeiner. Other Landskroners who lived in the
Watertown area for a period of time or who
married in Watertown include: Benesch, Betlach,
Gritzbauch, Jansa, Kratschmer, Marek, Maresh,
Markl, Nagel, Wavra, Willertin and Wurst.
The Waterloo community
Villages represented in Waterloo include Cermná
(Böhmisch Rothwasser), Dreihöf (Oldrichovice)
Hertersdorf (Horní Houzovec), Jokelsdorf
(Jakubovice), Knappendorf (Knapovec),
Michelsdorf (Ostrov), Rathsdorf (Skuhrov),
Riebnig (Rybník), Rudelsdorf (Rudoltice),

Tschernowier (Cernovír) and Zohsee (Sázava).
The list of Landskroner families settling in
Waterloo include the following: Barta, Bartosch,
Benisch, Betlach, Binstock (Binenstock),
Blaschka, Fiebiger, Filg, Haberman, Huebel,
Jahna, Janisch, Klecker, Koblitz, Langer,
Leschinger, Maresch (Mares), Mautz, Melchior,
Miller, Motl, Neugebau, Peschel, Pitterle
(Peterle), Rotter, Tilg (Yelg), Tomscha, Schieck,
Schiller, Skalitzky (Skalitzka), Springer,
Stangler, Veith, Wovra, Wurst, Zalmanová and
Zimbrich (Zimprick).
The Pierce County Landskroners
Although Franz Pirkl settled in Pierce County in
1855, most of the Landskroner emigrants to Pierce
County arrived after the Austro-Prussian War of
1866. Many of these emigrants, both German and
Czech, passed through Waterloo or Watertown on
their way to Pierce County. Many Czech
emigrants from Cermná (Böhmisch Rothwasser)
settled here. Some Czechs traveled through
Texas and not the Waterloo and Watertown areas.
Other emigrants came from the villages of
Hermanice (Hermanitz), Jokelsdorf (Jakubovice),
Michelsdorf (Ostrov), Ober and Nieder Johnsdorf
(Horní and Dolní Tresnovec) and Sichelsdorf
(Zichlínek). Among the Landskroner families
eventually settling in Pierce County were the
following: Appel, Benes, Brickner, Falteisek,
Fischer, Gregor, Heinz, Huebl, Jahna (Yahna),
Jana (Yana), Janisch (Yanisch), Janovec, Jansa,
Kabarle, Katzer, Kitna, Klecker, Kreuziger,
Kusilek, Langer, Marek, Maresch, Maresh,
Meixner, Merta, Motl, Nagle, Neugebauer, Nickel
(Nicol), Novak, Pechácek, Pelzel, Prokscher,
Raeschler, Richter, Roller, Schmeiser, Schmied,
Schöberle, Seifert, Steiner, Strofus, Svec, Tajerle,
Tayerle and Yanovec.
Conclusion
The emigrants from Landskron to Wisconsin, both
German and Czech, found the land and the
freedom they desired and generally were able to
attain a much higher standard of living than
their relatives who remained behind in
Landskron. They were also able to escape the
horrors of war, Nazi rule, forced expulsion,
collectivization and Communist rule that marked
the lives of the Germans and Czechs who did not
emigrate.
Sources
Sources used in writing this article include vital
records, probate records, census records, farm
13
abstracts, plat maps, cadastral maps, passport
applications, ship manifests, naturalization
records, church records, cemetery records,
obituaries, local histories and personal histories.
I visited the regional archives in Zámrsk on two
occasions. Many interviews were conducted over
the years. Three interviewees worth noting for
their assistance are Frantisek Silar and Rev.
Miroslav Hejl of Horní Cermná and Otto Cejnar of
Dolní Cermná. Invaluable sources of information
on the Pierce County immigrants are Volumes
Seven and Eight of Pierce County's Heritage.
German language sources include the
Schönhengster Heimat, Schönhengster Jahrbuch,
"Der Bauernhof des Schönhengster Oberlandes"
by Johann Neubauer (Schönhengster Heimatbund
1989), "Landwirtshaft im Schönhengstgau" by
Albin Ruth (Schönhengster Heimatbund 1988) and
"Heimat Kreis Landskron" by Franz J. C. Gauglitz
(Verlagsdruckerei Otto W. Zluhan 1978)
Edward G. Langer
Bio
I am the 13th of 14 children of a Wisconsin dairy
farmer and a Swiss immigrant mother. My
father's ancestors are from the district of
Landskron/Lanskroun, Bohemia and my mother
was born in Küsnacht, Kanton Zürich,
Switzerland. I have been to Landskron/Lanskroun
five times. I have a B. A., magna cum laude, in
Government from Lawrence University, Appleton,
Wisconsin and a J.D., cum laude, from the
University of Wisconsin Law School. I am
Assistant District Counsel for the Internal
Revenue Service in Milwaukee. I have been
researching local history and genealogy for over
20 years. My wife and I traveled to my
grandfather's hometown in Switzerland to get
married. I am proficient in German, but not Czech.
(The author can be reached at 11430 W. Woodside
Drive, Hales Corners, WI 53130 U.S.A. His phone
number is (414) 529-4822).
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Agriculture In The Homeland
The Treasure of Ploiss
The Measure of It
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Bohemian dialect songs. . . . . . . . . . . $9.00
All prices (U.S. Funds Only Please) include sales
tax and postage . If you wish to order any of these
items, send a check payable to GBHS and mail it
with your request to: GBHS, P.O. Box 822, New
Ulm, MN, 56073-0822
World-Wide Web
Resources for Research
14

y Paula Goblirsch
Over the previous year a
lot of genealogical
information was put up on
the Web, but there is still
very little primary
information available.
For the most part you won't be able to access census
or vital records. What you will find includes the
following:
- information on how to do genealogical research
- descriptions of genealogical resources including
libraries and historical organizations
- geographical information
- telephone directories
- pages with information on individual surnames
and pedigrees
- genealogical products for sale
- information on genealogy software
- names of professional genealogists who will do
your research for you
How the World-Wide Web Works
Individuals and organizations make information
from their computers available on the World-
Wide Web that they want other people to see.
Each of these computers or web sites has an
address just as your house has an address. Web
addresses are called Uniform Resource Locators
(URLs). A URL looks like
t h i s :
http://www.genealogy.com/gene/reg/SUD/sudet
_GBHS.html (this is the address of the German-
Bohemian Heritage Society). You run a web
browser like Netscape on your computer to access
this information. There are three main ways of
searching for information on the World-Wide
Web: browsing, using search engines, using subject
catalogs.
Browsing the Web
The best way to find information is to "browse" by
selecting links in Web documents. To locate a
15
particular web site, type its URL into a search
window in your World-Wide Web browser. Make
sure that you type in the URL exactly. Any typos
will get you an error message. How do you find
URLs? Ask your friends or look in many
publications. Some URLs you might be interested
in are:
The German Genealogy Home Page
http://www.genealogy.com/gene/index.html
Genealogy Resources on the World-Wide Web
http://wwwpersonal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/gen_we
b.html
Once you have accessed one World-Wide Web
site, you will find links to other Web sites. These
links usually appear as underlined or highlighted
text depending on your web browser. Click on the
link with your mouse to jump to the linked page.
Using WWW Search Engines
While simple browsing of the Web is a good way
to get a survey of available topics, it's not a very
efficient way to find specific information.
Several individuals and organizations have
developed systems for indexing documents on the
Web. Some of these "search engines" index the
full text in each document, while others index
only their titles. They are excellent resources for
getting information on specific topics.
Using Subject Catalogs
Searching is one important means of finding
information on the Web. The use of subject
catalogs is another. World-Wide Web subject
catalogs categorize WWW sites based on their
contents. Once you've found a listing of servers
that contain information pertaining to your topic
of interest, you can browse through these servers in
a directed fashion.
C|NET has brought together links to many
popular search engines and subject catalogs at its
web site: http://www.search.com
To use search engines or subject catalogs, type the
key word(s) you are searching for into the search
text box and click on the Search button.

German-Bohemian Heritage Society Non-Profit Org.
P.O. Box 822 U.S. Postage Paid
New Ulm, MN 56073-0822 Permit No. 54
New Ulm, MN
56073-0822
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join Us
Membership Form for the German-Bohemian Heritage Society
Family Membership $10.00 per Year
Name ________________________________________Phone #_____________
Address __________________________________________________________
City ___________________________ State ______________ Zip ___________
Please list surnames you are researching including geographical locations. (Optional)
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Mail with your check to: GBHS
P.O. Box 822
New Ulm, MN 56073-0822
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