Helpful Hints in Researching in Baranya County

By Henry A. Fischer

  The German settlers in Baranya who were of a Lutheran or Reformed background tended to settle in the northern tier of the County clustered along the border with Tolna County from where the vast majority of them had first settled on arriving from Hesse.  In most cases they were first or second generation descendants of the original settlers.  The one exception to this rule is Tófü and to a lesser extent Mekényes were families coming directly down the Danube settled there.

 

Bikal, Baranya County

This was the Mother Church of large and sprawling Roman Catholic parish originally but almost from its inception it had jurisdiction over many Lutheran families locally or in the vicinity.  The baptismal/birth records begin 1729 and in addition to Bikal they include families living in:  Szaks, Tékes, Nagy Hájmas, Magocs, Szalatnak, Mocsolád, Mórágy, Kobleny, Rác Kozar, Mekényes, Tófü, Mucsfa, Bonyhád, Nagy Manyók and Tarros.

In the marriage register that begins in 1752 intermarriage with families from other communities include:  Kobleny, Závod, Rác Kozar, Mekényes, Mórágy, Tófü, Majós, Kakasd, Szalatnak, Gyönk, Izmény, Kismányok, Mucsfa, Nagyszekély, Nádasd, Apar, Nagy Hájmas, Kistormás, Kéty, Kapoly, Magocs, Bikács, Tevel, Hidas, Kalaznó, Felsö Nána, Lengyel, Varsád, Bátaapáti, Szárázd, Szentmarton and Szas.

A Lutheran filial congregation of Rác Kozar was formed in Bikal and all the records are part of the Lutheran Church in Rác Kozar after the Edict of Toleration in 1784.

 

Csikostöttös, Baranya County

The German Lutheran settlers began to arrive in the village in the early 1770s and settled among nationalities and confessions.  Many of the early entries with information on these families can be found in the neighbouring Lutheran and Roman Catholic parishes, Bikal (RC) and Rác Kozar (Lutheran) after the Edict of Toleration.

The baptismal/birth records for the Lutheran congregation here begin in 1808 and also include families from Kaposszekcsö, Tarrós, Gerényes, Nagy Ág, Tékes, Ratzcsarda, Magocs, Sasd, Slavonia, Dombovár, Jenö, Gudisar and Albaliget.

There are marriages in the church records of the Roman Catholic Church in Magocs that includes Lutheran families from Csikostöttös between 1795-1808.

The marriage register of the Lutheran Church begins in 1821 and includes families from Rác Kozar, Györe, Hidas, Almas, Vasza, Tékes, Nagy Ág, Masza, Gerényes, Tófü, Bikal, Mucsfa, Kéty, Mekényes, Izmény, Kismányok, Döbrödöz, Nagy Hájmas, Magocs, Szabádi, Kaposszekcsö, Majós, Tarrós, Mosdos, Varalja, Gadács, Bikal, Liget, Alsónána, Somogyszil, Kalaznó, Vámos, Sasd, Varga, Vaszar, Hidas, Kaposvár, Dombovár, Gödre, Liget and Ecsény.  There is a gap in the register from 1841-1878. 

 

 Gerényes, Baranya County

The German Lutherans who settled here came from Tolna County in the beginning of the 1770s and related to neighbouring parishes especially Rác Kozar and Csikostöttös where you will find records of baptisms and marriages.  The actual congregational records for the Lutheran congregation in the village begin in 1815.  The baptismal/birth records also include families from Dombovár, Csikostöttös, Vasardombo, Magocs, Rác Kozar, Tófü and Mocsolád.

There is also a marriage register covering the years 1819-1826 and include families living in Tarrós, Nagy Ág, Mucsfa, Nagy Hájmas, Kaposszekcsö, Tófü, Györe, Hidas, Almas, Gyönk, Rác Kozar, Kispuszta, Varalja, Tékes, Bonyhád, Mekényes, Csikostöttös and Kéty.

 

Hidas, Baranya County

There were Lutheran and Reformed settlers from Hesse who settled in the community after the original Serbian cattle herders moved on from here.  Entries with regard to these families can be found in various Lutheran congregations in the area, especially in Kismányok from the early settlement period as well as the Roman Catholic records in Bonyhád.

The Lutheran church records in Hidas begin after the Edict of Toleration.  The baptismal/birth records begin in 1786 and in addition to families living in Hidas there are few entries related to families in Bonyhád, Börzsóny, Szabádi, Berekalja and Nagy Ag.

The marriage register begins in 1862 after Hidas became a Mother Church prior to that the marriages are to be found in Majós and Bonyhad.  In addition to the families living in Hidas there was intermarriage with families in Izmény, Bonyhád, Varsád, Kismányok, Bátaapáti, Kéty, Berekalja, Varalja, Nádasd, Majós, Alsónána, Máza, Glasshütte, Börzsóny, Mórágy, Bikal, Györe, Rác Kozar and Zsibrik.

A Reformed congregation was also established in the community and the birth/baptismal records begin in 1802.  There are also some entries for families who are living in Börzsóny, Varalja, Bonyhád, Nagy Manyók, Nádasd, Somogyszil and Máza.

The marriage register begins in 1803 and includes families who intermarried with the families of Hidas who lived in the communities of Varalja, Bonyhád, Bátaapáti, Majós, Gyönk, Mórágy, Zsibrik, Rác Kozar, Nádasd, Magyar Bóly, Mekényes and Börzsóny.

 

 Kaposszekcsö, Baranya County

(Sometimes referred to as simply Székcö)

The earliest references to the German Lutherans who settled here mainly coming from Tolna County in the 1770’s can be found in the Bikal Roman Catholic church records and the Lutheran church records in Rác Kozar after the Edict of Toleration took effect there in 1783.  The marriages are confined to those records, while there are baptismal/birth records from the congregation in Kaposszekcsö beginning in 1796 and also include a few Lutheran families who were living in Tarrós, Szabádi and Jagonak.

 

Magocs, Baranya County

This was primarily a German Roman Catholic village but there were numerous Lutheran families who lived among them and related to the nearest Lutheran Church as indicated in the other articles.

 

Mekényes, Baranya County

Like most of the settlements of the Lutheran Hessians from Tolna County, Mekényes was part of the Dombovár Domains of the Eszterházy family.  The original thirty families who arrived here came from Gyönk in 1735 and a close relationship between these families and those they left behind would continue in the future.  The early entries with regard to the families living here were in various other church records, especially in Kismányok in the Lutheran church records there as well as in other Lutheran congregations.  In addition a great deal of information can also be found in the Lengyel Roman Catholic records as well as the Roman Catholic records in Bikal.  The congregation became a Mother Church shortly after the Edict of Toleration and served several neighbouring filial congregations after 1782.

The baptismal/birth records begin in 1782 and in addition to entries for the local village there are also entries for families in the neighbouring villages, including Majós, Nagy Hájmas, Csurgo, Magocs, Dalmand, Bettelmann, Leperet, Györe, Fischerhütte, Guirgya, Döbrökaz, Ivanca, Zsibrik, Kis Puszta, Tófü and Fehérvasard.

The marriage register that begins in 1784 includes families living in Mucsfa, Gyönk, Majós, Gerényes, Tófü, Rác Kozar, Izmény, Lepert, Bettelmann, Kismányok, Csikostöttös, Döbrökaz, Csurgo, Varsád, Mocsolád, Dalmand, Kalaznó, Nagy Hájmas, Magocs, Bikal, Felsö Nána, Kajdacs, Ivanca, Váralja, Kaposszekcsö, Vaszar, Nagy Ág, Bonyhád, Kistormás, Baja, Hidas, Zsibrik, Mórágy, Keszö Hidegkút, Ecsény, Györe, Kis Vejke, Gyirgyo, Kis Puszta, Kéty, Tarrós, Szárázd, Szabádi, Tékes, Somogyszil, Murga, Vasardombo and Gadács.

 

Nagy Ág, Baranya County

Settlers from the Hessian Lutheran villages in the Tolna began to arrive here in 1771 and lived among the local Hungarian Roman Catholic population.  They related to several Lutheran congregations in the area, especially Gerényes and Csikostöttös and as otherwise indicated.

 

Nagy Hájmas, Baranya County

(Also simply called Hájmas)

This village was on the estates of the Bishop of Pécs and surprisingly a group of Hessian Lutheran families from the Tolna settled here along with German Roman Catholics and managed to eventually become a filial of Mekényes.  References and entries relating to these families can be found chiefly in Mekényes and some of the other neighbouring congregations both in Baranya and Tolna Counties.

 

Rác Kozar, Baranya County

(Also known as Egyházaskozár)

The German Lutheran settlers on this Eszterházy estate arrived in the mid 1750s and entries related to the families can be found in other Lutheran congregations in southern Tolna County as specified in some other records previously as well as in Bikal a Roman Catholic parish in the vicinity until 1783 when the Lutherans formed a Mother Church and served other Lutheran families in the vicinity.

The baptismal/birth records begin in 1783 and include families from Nagy Ág, Tófü, Majós, Bikal, Csikostöttös, Kaposszekcsö, Magyar Bóly, Gerényes, Tékes, Nagy Hájmas, Tarrós, Mórágy, Szabádi, Szas, Vásárosdombo and Szekszárd.

The marriage register begins in 1783 and also includes families from Tófü, Mucsfa, Bikal, Mekényes, Tékes, Nagy Ág, Kistormás, Csikostöttös, Varsád, Hidas, Gerényes, Kaposszekcsö, Váralja, Kalaznó, Bátaapáti, Tabód, Felsö Nána, Kismányok, Izmény, Tarrós, Kéty, Bonyhád, Nagy Hájmas, Szárázd, Mocsolád, Vásárosdombo, Kajdács, Mórágy, Vaszar, Merszodi Puszta, Gyönk, Tarrós, Varsád, Györköny, Kis Vejke, Szabádi, Dalmand, Ecsény, Györe, Egre, Keszöhidegkút, Döbrökaz, Paks, Bárcs, Murga, Lajos Komárom, Kötcse, Máza, Somogyszil, Liget, Varalja, Berzgallya, Szekszárd and Somogydöröcske. 

 

Tarrós, Baranya County

There were several German Lutheran families who lived in this village but who related to the nearby Lutheran congregations in their vicinity especially Csikostöttös.

 

Tékes, Baranya County

This was an ethnically mixed village with a substantial German Lutheran minority who related to various Lutheran congregations in the vicinity as indicated in some of the above articles.