History of the Gottscheer Heritage and Genealogy Association by Edward Skender There Is a Proposal to Have a Gottscheer Western 1992 Meeting
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FEATURES History of the Gottscheer Heritage and Genealogy Association by Edward Skender There is a proposal to have a Gottscheer Western 1992 meeting. The new association was initially Regional Reunion in Salt Lake City, Utah, in called the Gottscheer Research and Genealogy Asso- 1992. We want to know if there is interest.... ciation, a name that was changed to Gottscheer Heri- The Gottschee Tree, September 1991. tage and Genealogy Association in 1997. This statement appeared in a flyer attached to the Attendees at this historic meeting also included John September 1991 edition of The Gottschee Tree news- Herbst of Utah, Alma Kobets of Kansas, Sister Mary letter. It brought together a group of 17 subscribers, Frances Kobets of Zimbabwe, Africa, Frederick who in June 1992 met in the Shilo Hotel in Salt Lake Pruente of California, Ida Schober of British Colum- City, Utah and formed today’s Gottscheer Heritage bia, Dr. Josephine Schulte of Texas, Frank Spreitzer and Genealogy Association (GHGA). The year 2002 of California, Henry Spreitzer of Ohio, Helen marks the 10th anniversary of that historic meeting. Stampfel and Marie Stampfel of Colorado, Erna Stef- fen of British Columbia, Richard Stiene of New Jer- The Gottschee Tree newsletter was the catalyst. The sey, and Judge Clinton Wyant of Minnesota. newsletter was established 1987 by Dr. Elizabeth Nick of Louisville, Colorado, to explore the history The First Year 1992–1993 and genealogy of Gottscheers and to promote interest Elizabeth Nick began the process of incorporating in current Gottschee events. It is the only English the association. It received its charter from the State language publication dealing with these subjects, and of Colorado in June 1993, and its U.S. Internal Reve- in 1991 it had 205 subscribers. nue Code §501 (c) (3) non-profit educational associa- tion certification in August 1993. One of those subscribers, Mr. James Klupar of Ari- zona, proposed a gathering of Gottscheers living in The Association’s second meeting was held in June the western region of the United States and Canada. 1993 at the Holiday Inn in Frisco, Colorado. It was a Mr. Klupar had visited Gottschee in 1982. Like oth- busy and productive meeting. The fledgling organi- ers concerned about the future of the Gottscheer heri- zation established a schedule of annual membership tage after the passing of the current generation, he dues, wrote the by-laws, and elected a slate of offic- wanted a record of his Gottscheer ancestry. Jim died ers and a board of directors. Elizabeth Nick (Presi- in April 1992, but he will always be remembered for dent), Sophia Wyant (Vice President), Irene his suggestion. Tramposch Bigot (Secretary), and Kate Pruente (Treasurer) were elected as officers. Paul Jenner of The Founding Meeting The June 1992 meeting was organized primarily as a genealogy workshop. In addition to those discus- sions, time was also set aside for a round-table dis- cussion about organizing a more permanent association. Sophia Stalzer Wyant of Minnesota chaired the discussion, which quickly led to a unani- mous decision to form an association dedicated to Gottschee’s history, cultural heritage, and family associations. Elizabeth Nick volunteered to report the results of this meeting in The Gottschee Tree. Irene Tramposch Bigot of Colorado became the acting sec- retary and took the minutes, and Kate Loschke Pruente of California volunteered to be the treasurer. 1993 Officers and Directors, left to right, back row: Paul Jenner, As of August 1992, the treasury held $315.95, an Josephine Schulte, Hank Spreitzer. Front row: Kate Pruente, amount raised principally by the attendees of the Elizabeth Nick, Sophia Wyant, Irene Bigot. June 2002 The Gottschee Tree 1 History of the Gottscheer Heritage and Genealogy Association (continued) Missouri, Dr. Josephine Schulte of Texas, and Henry The Association also began to reach out to other Spreitzer of Ohio were elected as the first directors. Gottscheer organizations. President Nick and mem- Sophia Wyant became the first life member. ber Edward Skender were designated to represent the new GHGA at the September 1994 Gottscheer Tref- It was further decided that yearly meetings would be fen hosted by the First Austrian Mutual Aid Society, held the last full weekend in June and that the Asso- the Gottscheer club in Cleveland, Ohio. Board mem- ciation would work to: (1) record oral histories of the ber Henry Spreitzer, assisted by members Margaret older Gottscheers; (2) translate important books and Cmarik and Helen Petsche, manned a GHGA table at articles about Gottschee into English; (3) establish an the Treffen and sold the Association’s few publica- archive or library to centrally house the materials col- tions, its map of Gottscheer villages, Gottscheer pins, lected; (4) transcribe and make available the vital tote bags, and other items that had been developed to records of the Gottscheer parishes; (5) organize raise funds for the Association. research visits to Slovenia and Gottschee; and (6) publicize the founding of the association to attract The Third Year, 1994–1995 members and raise funds for its programs. By the third year of operations, the Association had grown to 140 members. At the June 1995 annual Josephine Schulte had been appointed previously to meeting, held at the Hallmark Inn in Overland Park, a organize the first tour to Gottschee planned for May suburb of Kansas City, Kansas, the GHGA made its or June 1993. The planned commercial tour was can- first overseas donation, which was for a monument to celed for insufficient numbers; however, 12 people the Gottscheers that was to be erected in the former made the trip to Gottschee together as individuals. Gottscheer village of Gatschen (Gaèe). (With Slove- Their experience set the pattern for future trips to the nia’s 1991 independence and democratization, it was homeland. now possible to recognize the Gottscheers in a posi- tive way.) The 1993 meeting was not all organizational work. The program included presentations on the History of The Association commissioned a 3-foot by 4-foot the Gottscheers in Colorado by Helen Stampfel and association banner, which a committee had designed. Marie Stampfel; Oral History Techniques by Irene The design includes elements of the Gottschee city Bigot; How to Research Courthouse Records by Eliz- seal of the year 1471, and symbols representing the abeth Nick; and Techniques for Reading Names in mission of the GHGA. Irene Bigot volunteered to the Gottschee (LDS) Records by Kate Pruente. make the banner. Laboriously hand-stitched, the handsome banner was first carried at the 1998 Tref- The Second Year, 1993–1994 fen in Cleveland and at all subsequent events. The GHGA had 113 members by the time of the June 1994 annual meeting, which was held at the Howard Three new books were published for sale by the Johnson Motel in Salt Lake City, Utah. It had pub- Association: Martha Hutter’s Surnames of Gottschee, lished its first newsletter, The Gottscheer Connec- Thomas Bencin’s master’s degree thesis, Gottschee: tion, edited by Sophia Wyant and Maria Cuzzo, and A History of a German Community in Slovenia, and its first book, A Short History of the Duchy of Carni- Maximilian Mische’s Gottschee Journey: Listening ola and Gottschee County by member Edward to the Ghosts. The books and proceeds from their Skender of Pennsylvania, which the author donated sale were donated to the Association by the authors. as a fund-raiser. The genealogical research of John Herbst and Kate Pruente continued to locate and tran- Members Sophia Wyant and Edward Skender were scribe the vital records of the Gottschee parishes; and appointed to represent the GHGA at the September Irene Bigot and John Herbst began to develop a sys- 1995 Treffen in Milwaukee, with the latter also rep- tem for recording and transcribing the oral histories resenting the GHGA at the Gottschee Relief Associa- of older Gottscheers. A membership brochure was tion’s 50th anniversary celebration in New York in developed and distributed to prospective members, early June 1996. and plans were made to conduct the first GHGA- sponsored trip to Slovenia and Gottschee for 1996. In accordance with one of the GHGA’s original aims, 2 The Gottschee Tree June 2002 History of the Gottscheer Heritage and Genealogy Association (continued) an earnest search was undertaken to find a suitable The Fourth Year 1995–1996 North American archive that would permanently By the June 1996 annual meeting, the association had house Gottscheer materials. Small libraries existed at 156 members and had conducted its first successful the Gottscheer Relief Association in New York man- organized tour to Slovenia and Austria, a 14-day aged by the Relief’s secretary and GHGA member event that was planned principally by President Nick Martha Hutter, and at the Cleveland Gottscheer club. and Vice President Wyant. The 24 travelers visited Three important private collections were held by all 5 geographic areas of Gottschee and 61 former members Karl Stalzer and William Schauer in New Gottschee villages of the ancestors of those on the York and Edith Herold of Kitchener, Ontario. The tour. Meetings were held with the leaders of the local GHGA initiated a Library Fund fund-raising drive Gottscheer societies in Slovenia, Ivan Jaklitsch and under Vice President Wyant’s leadership to acquire August Gril of the Gottscheer Altsiedler Verein and and translate into English important books and arti- Erik Krisch of the Peter Kosler Gottscheer Verein. cles about Gottschee and make them available to Several Gottscheers still living there hosted the group members and others. Karl Stalzer of New York was for refreshments, and a diplomat from the U.S. the honorary chairman of the fund-raising effort and embassy in Ljubljana joined the group at its farewell a generous contributor.