Bukovina Tour – 2012

By Zita Johana Watzlawik
Published by the author in the Bukovina Society of the Americas Newsletter,
Vol. 22, No.1 March, 2012


Last September, the tour I made to Bukovina was very emotional for me because I met almost 40 descendants who had the same ancestral home as me. I was especially ex-cited about visiting Augustendorf where my grandparents and my father were born. The tour was excellent, covering five countries and the former Bukovina villages in 10 days! Thanks, Lucian Geier, Mary Scheinost and Carola Neidhart! From these wonderful people I learned much of my family history. In the library of the Bukovina Institute in Augsburg, Carola gave us information and a list of resources noting records of our ancestors, although only available in the German language.

I was very lucky to find myself on this journey with Ingrid Weniger, from Canada, whose great grandparents, grand-parents and mother were born in Augustendorf. She speaks German and English and helped me. My language is Spanish with limited English. Ingrid provided me with important information about families in Augustendorf. I read this material carefully and found that our grandparents were neighbors. In the school class list of 1913, Ingrid’s two great uncles were listed as classmates of my uncles Anton and Julius and my father Ludwig, who was five years old at that time. Ingrid’s material showed seven Watzlawik names in Augustendorf, one of whom was my uncle Anton.

In the cemetery at Radautz, I found seven Watzlawik grave-stones. I am investigating their connection to my grandfather Johann Watzlawik. It is hard to believe this is all true.