Journal of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia
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Journal of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Vol. 10, No. 1 Spring 1987 On the cover: The family of Georg Reisbick of York, Nebraska. Christine Elizabeth Reisbick Kline is the child seated between her parents, Georg and Elizabeth Reisbick. Christine was ten or eleven years old when this picture was taken. Please note the wedding ring on her mother's finger. The father thought that wedding rings were foolishness, nonsense. Her mother did so want a ring! White Russian Laundry Soap, used by many, had a coupon stamped on the back of the wrapper. This advertised a wedding ring free for so many coupons. Christine asked the neighbors and friends to save the soap wrappers with the coupons for her so that she could obtain a wedding ring for her mother. What a day of happiness and joy it was for Christine when the ring arrived, and she presented the surprise to her mother. The radiant glow of love and appreciation on the mother's face at the time was beyond description. She wore the ring until it was worn, the edges sharp, and it cut her finger. This ring is in Christine's treasure box of earthly possessions, of priceless love, and memories of her yesteryears. Published by American Historical Society of Germans from Russia 631 D Street • Lincoln, Nebraska 68502-1199 • Phone 402-474-3363 Edited by: Ruth M. Amen, Jo Ann Kuhr, Mary Lynn Tuck ® Copyright 1987 by the American Historical Society of Germane From Russia. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS MAP OF KRAFT David H. Schultheiss ...............................................……………………………………………..ii KRAFT: MY BIRTHPLACE AND HOMETOWN AS I REMEMBER IT David R. Schultheiss ...............................................……………………………………………1 TREASURED MEMORIES Bertha Rast Jones ................................................…………………………………………….5. GRANDMOTHER'S DREAM: MY REALITY Shirley Keller Halvorsen ...........................................…………………………………………14 THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST GERMAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN AMERICA AND ITS INFLUENCE Adaline Werner Reimche ............................................………………………………………15 OUR FOREFATHERS AND FAMILY AS TOLD TO ME BY MY MOTHER Theresa Rose Wegner Ennis .........................................…………………………………...19 SUMMARY OF AND PROBLEMS RELATING TO DIALECTAL AND ETHNOGRAPHICAL STUDIES OF GERMAN SETTLEMENTS IN THE U.S.S.R. Chapter 3 Viktor Maksimovich Zhirmunskii Translated by Alexander Dupper ....................................………………………….………..27 POEMS TO PAULINE Translated by Alexander Dupper ....................................…………………………………..33 ERWIN AND HIS BROTHER Hertha Karasek-Strzygowski Translated by Sally Tieszen Hieb .....................................………………………………….35 BOOKS AND ARTICLES RECENTLY ADDED TO THE AHSGR ARCHIVES Frances Amen and Mary Lynn Tuck ..................................………………………………..37 THE ROMAN-CATHOLIC GERMANS OF THE U.S.S.R.: 1917-1986 Father Christopher L. Zugger ........................................…………………………………..41 CONCERNING THE NAMING OF GERMAN SETTLEMENTS IN SOUTH RUSSIA Translated by Erika Barton ........................................……………………………………..48 FELIDA MEMORIES Amelia Krieger Werre ..............................................……………………………………….50 ii KRAFT MY BIRTHPLACE AND HOMETOWN AS I REMEMBER IT David R. Schultheiss* The village of Kraft, located in the southern part of remember the names of the owners—Kimmel and the Volga Region, will be described as it existed during Weimer to the north aufm Steinberg (on the rock hill), the 1920s. I have no statistics or numbers except one— Michel and Starkel to the south. The Starkel windmill that of its population. The population peaked just before was the only one not on a hill. Although it stood on even WWI in 1912 when it reached 6572, according to the ground, its grinding stones turned as much as the others. Heimatbuch der Landsmannschaft derDeutschen aus There was another flour mill in Kraft. This one was Russland 1982-84, p. 150. By 1926 there were less than engine driven, and the grain was ground with steel 4000 people. War and revolution, coupled with the drums. The people called it simply die Feuermühl'. For famine and starvation of the early twenties, were the their own use people went to the windmills and had their primary reasons for the decrease in population. Some of grains stone ground. If the flour was to be sold, they the villagers immigrated to other places like Volhynia went to the Feuermühl'. There they got the best and and the Caucasus. Only a few were able to leave the finest-quality flour for the market. It was called country and settle in the United States, Canada, or South Blaustempel (blue ribbon) flour and brought the highest America. prices. The owner's name was Elsasser, and his The village of Kraft was about a mile long, and its reputation for high-quality flour was widely known. streets ran from north to south. Kraft was located on the Many times people from other villages had to wait in line Bergseite, in the southern part of the Volga German for days to have their wheat processed into Blaustempel Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, on the left side flour. of a beautiful creek called Gryaznukha, with a lot of fish Our school was a big brick building with a sheet- in it. The people of Kraft called it simply d'[er]Bach, metal roof. It was built in the early years of this century which means "the brook." The brook was also the and was called die Russe-Schul (the Russian school). It borderline between Kraft and the neighboring village to got its name because the Russian language was the west and southwest, Göbel. introduced in its classrooms. It had four big classrooms, About 65 percent of the houses in Kraft were built an auditorium with a stage, and a long corridor. with lumber and the rest of white stones or clay bricks In the center of the village, there was a beautiful (Lehmsteine). The outside was covered with a white, church with a high steeple and cross. In front of it was a chalky mass called Weisserde (white earth or dirt). bell tower with two bells. The church ground was fenced Saturday's chore was to paint the walls with a big brush in by a four-foot-high, white-painted wooden fence with on a long handle so that the house would look clean and three gates, one on each side and one in front. The attractive for the weekend. We got the Weisserde free of church itself was a wooden structure. It was not heated charge from a quarry about 2 km from the village. In the and was used only in the summertime. In winter our fall after the harvest, people would get a load of services were held in the Bethaus (prayer house), a big, Weisserde. They would store it in a dry place, and it two-story brick building erected in 1905, which was would last for an entire year. In order to use it, they across the street from the church. The main floor was filled a bucket one-third full of the Weisserde, added divided into classrooms for Sunday school. The second water, mixed it, and they had their white paint. Many of floor was equipped with pews, an altar, and a pulpit for the houses in Kraft were roofed with a double layer of church services. It was heated by wood stoves. In 1930- boards; the rest had roofs made of straw or reed grass 31 the church was closed, and the cross and the bells (Schilf). were taken down. The Bethaus became a clubhouse, and There were four windmills in Kraft, two on the north the main floor was remodeled and became a high school. end and two on the south end; there was one on each Christmas and New Year's Day were always special side of the Landstrasse (thoroughfare), usually on a occasions. People prepared for weeks for their favorite small hill to catch the wind. I still holidays. On Christmas Eve the church, or at this time the Bethaus, was packed. Everyone wanted to see the Christmas tree and the children's programs and to hear *Editor's Note: David Schultheiss will be speaking at the the church choir. There were two holidays—and the AHSGR Convention in Portland, Oregon, during the Folklore Symposium on Friday, July 24, 1987. His topic will be "Old people celebrated! There was always a church service on Country Folk Songs, Humor, and Memories." New Year's Eve. It was a special service. The would help activate the pumps. It was an unwritten law that you had to drop everything, whatever you were doing, and rush to the fire and help in accordance with your ability. If you had horse teams, you rushed water to the fire. If not, you helped by pushing the pumps or in any other way until the fire was out. Everyone was a fireman—and without pay, at fhat. At funerals the pallbearers picked up the bier. There were three sizes: small, medium, and large. They would bring the bier to the house of the deceased and place it in the courtyard. Ropes were attached at the proper moment when the minister arrived, and the casket with the body on it was put on the bier. After the casket was closed, the bearers tied the casket to the bier and then carried it in the procession to the cemetery. After the service the bier was brought back to the Wasserschuppen. The bearers also dug the grave at no charge. To be a pallbearer for your departed friend or neighbor was considered an honor. There were two general stores in Kraft and they were called lavka. The word lavka, which means "store," was one of those words adopted from the Russian language. In those stores you could purchase cloth, sugar, spices, petroleum for the lamps (since there was no electricity yet), shoes, galoshes and, of course, hardware items such as shovels, hoes, and nails. On a wooden fence across the street from the Wagners' lavka on the main street was printed in big letters "Luchshiye v mire galoshi" (the best galoshes in the world).