Information on this topic is scarce, so I will try to summarize what I knew or could find out. Please consider it preliminary, subject to corrections that, incidentally, are hereby invited from all. The Richter (German) or biró (Hungarian) was a local farmer (Bauer), elected by the villagers, and doing the job part-time, in addition to his work in his fields. An indication that he is elected by the villagers is given in the book “Hungary and Transylvania” by John Paget (London 1839): "... the Biro replied that he neither could nor would act against the law and his conscience, and said that if he was a rogue, he could be no fit person to execute any longer the duties of Biro, and he therefore begged to lay down his stick of office. The next day the prefect sent orders to the peasants to elect a new Biro, but the peasants re-chose their former one, declaring that they would obey no other; and so at present the affair stands, no one knowing how it will terminate. ...” [the English is John Paget's, not mine] The larger segment from the book is at http://www.dvhh.org/alexanderhausen/literature/englishman.htm The Notär was a full-time employee appointed by the higher authorities (prefect?). He usually had some educational background and was the final authority in the village. His signature on official documents was essential. Sometimes he was assisted by a Vize-Notär (mostly in larger localities?). The Geschworene ("the sworn-in ones") formed a kind of village council, to advise and support the Richter in his duties. I am trying to find out more about the election or appointment of these men (to my knowledge, they were always men). The Kleinrichter (Schwowisch sometimes called "Klerchter") was an employee of the village administration, who performed much of the day-to-day work. Notably, he communicated news and orders from that administration r its higher-ups, by walking around the village with a little drum around his neck, stopping at every street corner to make his announcements to the villagers from the surrounding houses in a loud voice. In our village he was called "the Trommelmann" (the man with the drum). In late 1944 and early 1945, the Klerchter in at least one village prepared (or helped prepare) the list of all German men and women to be deported to forced labour in the Soviet Union. I am hoping to add, delete or modify the above, if I can get additional information. Kind regards, Nick Tullius -----Original Message----- From: banat-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:banat-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Susan Clarkson Sent: 25-Jul-10 13:37 To: Amy Nichols Cc: Banat List Subject: Re: [BANAT-L] Local Governments This is a very interesting question, and I hope that someone knowledgable can reply.  I, too, have heard some of these titles, but don't know how the offices came to be.   Susan Clarkson --- On Sat, 7/24/10, Amy Nichols <anichols@att.net> wrote: From: Amy Nichols <anichols@att.net> Subject: [BANAT-L] Local Governments To: BANAT-L@rootsweb.com Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 1:58 PM Hello All, I was wondering if anyone know of any sites that describe the local government of the Banat villages?  I have searched and have not come up with anything. I know the villages had a mayor, but cannot find any information on what other offices were held to support that position, or information on how those people came to office?  Were they elected?  Appointed?  And if so, by who?  I know there was a notary in the villages, but I'm not sure exactly what role this person played in the village?  And I'm imagining there must have been some sort of justice of the peace in order for civil marriages to occur. I was just wondering if there was anything written on the actual governance of the villages that anyone may be aware of? Thanks so much! Amy ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BANAT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BANAT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hello Danube Swabian 'Cousins', As we know, Ann Morrison, the producer of THE FORGOTTEN GENOCIDE documentary, which we will see at Mt. Angel, will join us there but she is also inviting us to the 2nd Annual Forgotten Genocide Conference in St. Louis Community College-Meramec on Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22, 2011. Ann is letting us know so we can start planning on it. More info to follow closer to the date. See you all first in Mt. Angel, Rosina www.hrastovac.net

Amy, The "Molidorf in Banat" book located on the Molidorf website www.Molidorf.com talks about the history of the village and some of the government, cultural activities and many other things that may be of interest to you. It is in English, translated from the original German. I hope this helps. Sherry -----Original Message----- From: banat-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:banat-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Susan Clarkson Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2010 1:37 PM To: Amy Nichols Cc: Banat List Subject: Re: [BANAT-L] Local Governments This is a very interesting question, and I hope that someone knowledgable can reply.  I, too, have heard some of these titles, but don't know how the offices came to be.   Susan Clarkson --- On Sat, 7/24/10, Amy Nichols <anichols@att.net> wrote: From: Amy Nichols <anichols@att.net> Subject: [BANAT-L] Local Governments To: BANAT-L@rootsweb.com Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 1:58 PM Hello All, I was wondering if anyone know of any sites that describe the local government of the Banat villages?  I have searched and have not come up with anything. I know the villages had a mayor, but cannot find any information on what other offices were held to support that position, or information on how those people came to office?  Were they elected?  Appointed?  And if so, by who?  I know there was a notary in the villages, but I'm not sure exactly what role this person played in the village?  And I'm imagining there must have been some sort of justice of the peace in order for civil marriages to occur. I was just wondering if there was anything written on the actual governance of the villages that anyone may be aware of? Thanks so much! Amy ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BANAT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BANAT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Amy and Susan: I have some very limited information on this subject. My father lived in Baratzhausen as a child from about 1913 to 1922. According to him, his grandfather Peter Ritter held at least two governmental positions in the town. In addition to his regular occupation as stadtmetzger (town butcher), he was the burgermeister (mayor) and the Justice of the Peace. Joe Ritter Jul 25, 2010 05:47:45 PM, clark1se@sbcglobal.net wrote: This is a very interesting question, and I hope that someone knowledgable can reply. I, too, have heard some of these titles, but don't know how the offices came to be. Susan Clarkson --- On Sat, 7/24/10, Amy Nichols wrote: From: Amy Nichols Subject: [BANAT-L] Local Governments To: BANAT-L@rootsweb.com Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 1:58 PM Hello All, I was wondering if anyone know of any sites that describe the local government of the Banat villages? I have searched and have not come up with anything. I know the villages had a mayor, but cannot find any information on what other offices were held to support that position, or information on how those people came to office? Were they elected? Appointed? And if so, by who? I know there was a notary in the villages, but I'm not sure exactly what role this person played in the village? And I'm imagining there must have been some sort of justice of the peace in order for civil marriages to occur. I was just wondering if there was anything written on the actual governance of the villages that anyone may be aware of? Thanks so much! Amy ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BANAT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BANAT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

This is a very interesting question, and I hope that someone knowledgable can reply.  I, too, have heard some of these titles, but don't know how the offices came to be.   Susan Clarkson --- On Sat, 7/24/10, Amy Nichols <anichols@att.net> wrote: From: Amy Nichols <anichols@att.net> Subject: [BANAT-L] Local Governments To: BANAT-L@rootsweb.com Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 1:58 PM Hello All, I was wondering if anyone know of any sites that describe the local government of the Banat villages?  I have searched and have not come up with anything. I know the villages had a mayor, but cannot find any information on what other offices were held to support that position, or information on how those people came to office?  Were they elected?  Appointed?  And if so, by who?  I know there was a notary in the villages, but I'm not sure exactly what role this person played in the village?  And I'm imagining there must have been some sort of justice of the peace in order for civil marriages to occur. I was just wondering if there was anything written on the actual governance of the villages that anyone may be aware of? Thanks so much! Amy ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BANAT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Rosina et al, You forgot Pennsylvania Dutch still spoken in Pennsylvania and Waterloo County in Ontario in Canada. Henry Fischer ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rosina T Schmidt" <rosinats@shaw.ca> To: <Banat@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2010 2:29 PM Subject: [BANAT-L] German language - International Hello Danube Swabian Researchers, All of us on this list know what "Swowish" stands for (Schwäbisch - a Germanic dialect). Some of us still speak it also. But did you know that today there is such a thing as: Belgrano - Argentinean-German dialect; Texas-German; Mokra-German - Ukraine-German dialect; Kitchen-German - Namibia-German dialect; Our-German - a Papua-Neuguinea German dialect; See www.magazine-deutschland.de See you all in Mt. Angel, Rosina www.hrastovac.net ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BANAT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hello All, I was wondering if anyone know of any sites that describe the local government of the Banat villages? I have searched and have not come up with anything. I know the villages had a mayor, but cannot find any information on what other offices were held to support that position, or information on how those people came to office? Were they elected? Appointed? And if so, by who? I know there was a notary in the villages, but I'm not sure exactly what role this person played in the village? And I'm imagining there must have been some sort of justice of the peace in order for civil marriages to occur. I was just wondering if there was anything written on the actual governance of the villages that anyone may be aware of? Thanks so much! Amy

Hello Danube Swabian Researchers, All of us on this list know what "Swowish" stands for (Schwäbisch - a Germanic dialect). Some of us still speak it also. But did you know that today there is such a thing as: Belgrano - Argentinean-German dialect; Texas-German; Mokra-German - Ukraine-German dialect; Kitchen-German - Namibia-German dialect; Our-German - a Papua-Neuguinea German dialect; See www.magazine-deutschland.de See you all in Mt. Angel, Rosina www.hrastovac.net

there hasn't been much traffic lately, ----- Original Message ----- From: ffs1@cogeco.ca<mailto:ffs1@cogeco.ca> To: Banat@rootsweb.com<mailto:Banat@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2010 7:46 AM Subject: [BANAT-L] testing Haven't received anything for a while. Is the site down? ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BANAT-request@rootsweb.com<mailto:BANAT-request@rootsweb.com> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Haven't received anything for a while. Is the site down?

Hello Mt. Angel Travelers, If you are coming by car, the URL below of some of Oregon's Ghost towns might interest you: http://backroadsofnorthamerica.com/ See you all come Sept. 16-19th in Mt. Angel! Rosina www.hrastovac.net

If you can help Simone with her project on German Women Immigrant please contact her directly. - See below. See you all in Mt. Angel! - Rosina Hallo, I am a PhD student at a university in Texas and I am looking for German women who came here to the United States after the war. I would like to interview these women about their experience in the US. These interviews will become part of the German Women Immigrant Project. Women in Texas preferred, but I am willing to travel. If interested, please contact me at: germanwomengwip@hotmail.com Simone De Santiago Ramos

Ken; The "family book" for Engelsbrunn by Anna and Johann Gross is kinda a combination Heimat book and family book. Moreover, the KB data is not organized into families but simply abstracts of the KBs. So it is up to the user to pick out the entries of interst. In addition, the books lack entries between 1895 and 1906 which the authors spectulate are in the Arad archives. In fairness the authors do not claim their work to be a family book. I do not have the address of the authors but suggest writing to the Engelsbrunn HOG chairman to get a copy of the book. Hubert Schuch Franz Liszt-Str 2 91126 Schwabach Germany If you go to the Engelsbrunn home page you will find an email address for an Anna Gross. This may be the one your want. Dave Dreyer ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kenneth Sturmer" <kws48@verizon.net> To: <BANAT@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 6:34 AM Subject: [BANAT-L] Family Book for Engelsbrunn >I know there is a family book for Engelsbrunn. > > Is there a way of obtaining one? > > Ken Sturmer > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > BANAT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message >

I know there is a family book for Engelsbrunn. Is there a way of obtaining one? Ken Sturmer

Hi everyone, Is it possible for someone to do a look up on Johann and Barbara Fellner ( Fellnor ? ) born in Schag ? Barbara's maiden name unknown. Johann b. 1886, Barbara b. 1887 as far as I know. Both came to USA 1909. Many thanks for any help, Harold

German burghers families: http://tinyurl.com/398g4jy See you all in Mt. Angel! Rosina P.S. If you have difficulty with registration, please let me know.

Hello, I was wondering if some kind soul who has the Heufeld1/B1 1789-1837 cd could look at p260-261 jpg. On page 260 there is a Margaretha born on the 24 of October 1818 and tell me was it says. I know the father is Jacob LESCH and the mother's name is Maria, and the hse is 66. That is about all I can make out. David Biacsi got me this far and I am so grateful for his help. This helps with a friend, who is now a half cousin. Evelyn in HOT, HOT, Michigan

At one time there was someone looking for the name Dilk. If they are still on the list, please contact me. Thanks, Harold

Hi Evelyn, It looks like the words after Maria are consors ejus, or "his wife", nata Menzer So, it translates as: 24 8bis (October) 1818 Margaretha dau of Jacobus LESCH & Maria, his wife, maiden name Menzer Godparents: Josef FENDLER & Magdalena LESCH, wife of Johann LOJAL (#1953 in the Heufeld book) in the Familienbuch Heufeld-Mastort by Josef Kuehn, I found the following: 1904 LESCH Jakob, son of Peter Lesch & Barbara NN *27.05.1783 Mastort 64 1oo 25.10.1802 Heufeld; witnesses: Christ. Pumnes & Jakob Buchner KLECKER Margaretha, dau of Anton Klecker & Magdalena Puchner (Buchner) *22.01.1786 Mastort 19 +22.01.1817Mastort 66 7 children, all born at Mastort 66 2oo 27.11.1817 Heufeld; witnesses: Josef Fendler & Heinrich Miller, of D Zerne FOELKER Anna Maria * ? "widow geb Meuter ?" 3 children, all born at Mastort 66 In Kuehn's Heufeld book, Margaretha is not listed with Jakob and Anna Maria's children. It is interesting that Margaretha's godfather is the same person as one of the witnesses at his marriage to Anna Maria (Maria). Since one of the witnesses at the marriage was from D Zerne, I checked the D Zerne Fb, and the surname MENZER is listed. I hope this helps! --Karen On Jul 15, 2010, at 1:45 PM, Evelyn Hoegeman wrote: > Hello, > I was wondering if some kind soul who has the Heufeld1/B1 1789-1837 cd > could look at p260-261 jpg. On page 260 there is a Margaretha born on > the 24 of October 1818 and tell me was it says. I know the father is > Jacob LESCH and the mother's name is Maria, and the hse is 66. That is > about all I can make out. > David Biacsi got me this far and I am so grateful for his help. This > helps with a friend, who is now a half cousin. > > Evelyn in HOT, HOT, Michigan

Hello Mt. Angel Travelers, If you are having difficulty registering at www.dsheritage.com pages, please let me know. See you all in Mt. Angel, Rosina www.hrastovac.net