Alois Beitel's Birthplace

Beitel Family History

My Grandparents, Alois and Cecilia (nee: Schiebel) Beitel, lived the last 40 or so years of their lives on the farm on Coon Hollow Road, east of Sublimity, Oregon. This is the story of how Alois's family moved from the “Old Country” to the United States.

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Alois Beitel was born January 19,1869, in Karlsdorf, a little village in what was then known as Austria, now it would be the Czech Republic. Alois's mother, Bertha Koenig Beitel, was born in Karlsdorf also. Alois' father, August Beitel and Alois' sisters, Bertha, Anna and Mina (Hermina), and a brother named August who died in infancy, were all born in Wurbenthal, Austria. [According to notes written by Betty Beitel Silbernagel, his daughter.] Other references refer to them living in the Roemerstadt District which encompassed the village of Karlsdorf. Coincidentally, the District of Roemerstadt also included the village Nieder-Mohrau where Cecilia was born and lived to early adulthood, although Alois and Cecilia were not to meet until they both were living in the United States.

As a result of shifting borders following WWI and WWII, these towns are no longer located in Austria, nor are the names the same. Today they are located in the Czech Republic. Karlsdorf is now likely called Karlov pod Pradedem. [based on proximity to the location of the former Karlsdorf on the map.] Wurbenthal is named Vrbno or Vrbno pod Pradedem. See:

http://www.fallingrain.com/world/EZ/0/Vrbno_pod_Pradedem.html

Roemerstadt is now the Czech city of Rymarov:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%BDma%C5%99ov

Nieder-Mohrau is now known as Dolni Moravice:

http://www.fallingrain.com/world/EZ/0/Dolni_Moravice.html

Geographically, these towns are all in fairly close proximity. Rymarov is the most southern, to the northeast is Dolni Moravice. A little farther again to the north is Karlov pod Pradedem. Vrbno is the farthest north and a little more to the east. To check this area out on the map, use this link:_ http://tiny.cc/jPj7N

The photo above is one from the collection of old family photos. Writing on the front by someone, Sr. Agnes Beitel or Betty (Beitel) Silbernagel perhaps, explains “Papa's birthplace in Karlsdorf, Austria”. It could be a picture of the house he lived in, or just a representative of the houses that were there at the time.

It is a drawing with what looks like short sketch marks rather than an actual photo. It is also signed in the bottom right (just above the "f" in Karlsdorff) by “Taha” or perhaps “Taba”, the writing is a little unclear.

This picture was actually a postcard. The back is empty except for the lines indicating where to place a stamp and the address. It was never written on. Below the address lines, in very small print, are the numbers “101193” followed by a “2” which is perpendicular to the “3”. After the sideways “2” and a space are the letters “ERGO”. The smudge on the front in the bottom left of the postcard is smoke damage from the house fire that the photos went through.

To be continued...