The continuing BB Houselist project is an effort that may be of interest to BG members. Klaus Gerger, the BB Vice President and a BG staff member, initiated the project over 10 years ago and continues to manage its current operation. The goal of the project is to transcribe the 1856-1858 land register lists for every village in Burgenland that is available from the Katastralmappenarchiv [Land Registry, Survey and Mapping Archive] of the Österreichisches Bundesamt für Eich- und Vermessungswesen [Austrian Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying].

Progress to date shows that, of the seven Burgenland districts, Jennersdorf, Güssing, Oberwart, Mattersburg and Neusiedl are complete (or nearly complete), Eisenstadt is about two-thirds complete and Oberpullendorf is finally underway. If recent progress continues, the project will likely be completed this year. Nonetheless, Klaus is still accepting transcribers who wish to assist in the effort. BB Newsletter #208 describes what is involved and how to volunteer.

So, you might ask, what is being transcribed and how do I access it? Most of the village lists are a transcription of the house number and the primary owner’s name only. However, some also include the spouse’s given name while others include the full maiden name of the spouse. If there was something special about the property, such as being a mill, a public property such as a school or church, or that the owner was widowed or deceased, that would be recorded as a note. A few of the villages also include the “vulgo” name of the property or the home village of the property owner. In addition, some of the villages had available an alphabetical list of both property owners and the non-property-owning residents. These transcriptions record the status (Bauer, Häusler, Söllner, Inwohner, etc.) of the residents and, by doing so, give a much more complete look at the adult population of the village.

You can directly access the Houselist transcriptions from the BB website link:
http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/HouseList/HouseLists2.htm

Alternatively, go to the BB Homepage and click “Houselists” in the link bar above the “News” box.
We hope you find these transcriptions to be both useful and interesting. They are another small part of the history and legacy of a people and a place dear to both the BB and the BG. Please know that you are welcome and invited to join in to complete this project.

Tom Steichen, BB President