American Historical Society

Of Germans From Russia

Work Paper No. 5 February 1971

(WP5 cover) TABLE OF CONTENTS

President's Letter 1 From the Editor's Page 3 Second International Convention Plans 4 "So You Plan to Organize an AHSGR Chapter 9 Hochzeiteinladungen 12 Letter From David Vinski 13 Germans From Russia ...1920 Census l4 Books and Maps for Archives from Dr. Stumpp 15 Emmigration From Germany Through Poland and Russia to U.S.A. 22 AHSGR Foundation 40 Obermonjou - Then and Now 4l Important Dates of Our History 47 Genealogy Section 51

About the Cover: The photograph was supplied by the Farmers and Manufacturers Beet Sugar Association, Saginaw, Michigan. It was entitled "Arrival of Russian Beet-growers - Sebewaing, Mich., April, 1902". No further information is available.

AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF GERMANS FROM RUSSIA

POST OFFICE BOX 1424

GREELEY, COLORADO 80631

(WP5 inside front cover) American Historical Society of Germans from Russia 1004A NINTH AVENUE - P.O. Box 1424 TELEPHONE; 352-9467 GREELEY. COLORADO 80631 February 1, 1971 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS: H. J. Amen. President Emeritus 601 D Street THE PRESIDENT'S LETTER Lincoln, Nebraska 68502 Dr. Karl Stumpp, Chairman Emeritus 74 Tuebingen Autenrieth Strasse 16 West Germany Fellow Members: David J. Miller, President P.O. Box 1424 Greeley, Colorado 80631 John H. Werner, Vice-President 523 Tucson Progress: AHSGR, through your President, wishes a Happy New Aurora, Colorado 80010 W. P. Urbach, Vice-President Year to you and a year of progress for AHSGR. 9320 East Center Avenue Apt, 2A, Windsor Gardens Denver, Colorado 80231 Col. T. C. Wenzlaff, USA-Ret, Vice-President P.O. Box 26 Sutton, Nebraska 68979 Reader and member response to Work Paper No. 4 is the Mrs. Emma S. Haynes, Vice-President A good job, Hq. V Corps SJA Section best of the Work Papers. The demand for Work Papers 1, 2 APQ New York 09079 Jake Miss Ruth M. Amen, Vice-President and 3 pays tribute to Editor J. Robert Lebsack's (Jake's) 601 D Street Lincoln, Nebraska 68502 journalistic ability and the contributions of Emma Chester G. Krieger, Secretary Major U.S.A.F., Ret. Schwabenland Haynes, Gerda S. Walker, Dr. Height's 3380 Moore Court Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033 translations and the contributions of all. John L. Long, Jr. Treasurer 1908 12th Street Greeley, Colorado 80631 Mrs. Harvey L. Weber, Asst, Treasurer 2137 21st Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80631 Mrs. Rachel Amen Route 1, Box 209 The Society has been blessed with enough renewals to pay Loveland, Colorado 80537 Thanks: Arthur E. Flegel all our bills. Your prompt renewals for 1971 (or 1972) will 1895 Oakdell Drive Menlo Park, California 94025 make possible the publication of this Work Paper No. 5. Judge Ray R. Friederich District Court Rugby, North Dakota 58368 Prof. Adam Giesinger Please Give us a little extra push by sending us an extra $5.00 on 645 Oxford Street Winnipeg, 9, Manitoba, Canada your renewal, if you can. Mrs. Maria Gilbert 1410 Chester Street Aurora, Colorado 80010 Prof. Joseph S. Height 1221 East Adams Drive Franklin, Indiana 46131 Better Still Enclosed are 3 brochures to each of you. Write to your Mrs. Theodore E. Heinz 1913 l5th Avenue sister, brother, cousins or friend, that letter you owe, Greeley, Colorado 80631 Dr. J. Robert Lebsack Help us and enclose a brochure and a membership application and add a 4500 39th Street Apt. 280 Boulder, Colorado 80302 our common note on how much you appreciate your Work Paper and Jerry Lehr 2850 Hudson urge them to join AHSGR. Denver, Colorado 80207 cause. Victor C. Leiker 126 Ocean Boulevard Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey 07716 John E. Pfeiffer 215 North Kline Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401 Paul E. Reeb AHSGR Foundation has been created for memorial Route 2 St. Francis, Kansas 67756 gifts,etc. Honor your Loved Ones with a memorial gift- to Victor A. Reisig 2238 Lake Shore Drive AHSGR Foundation, P. O. Box 1424, Greeley, Colorado, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085 AHSGR Edward Schwartakopf 80631. The donation, as a principle, will be held inviolate 2020 Park Avenue FOUNDATION: Lincoln, Nebraska 68502 as principal. The income is dedicated to AHSGR's Harold Stoll P.O. Box 68 objectives. Tell your minister and your friends. AHSGR Monte Vista, Colorado 81144 Mrs. Theodosia Urbach Foundation will promptly acknowledge each donation. 9320 East Center Avenue Apt. 2A, Windsor Gardens Denver, Colorado 80231 Mrs. Gerda S. Walker 1840 So. Utica Denver, Colorado 80219 Mrs. Albert W. Wardin 807 S.W. Troy Street Portland, Oregon 97219

(WP5 p.1)

2d int. 2d INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION: Lincoln, Nebr. June 17- conv. 20, 1971. Registration Enclosed. Send it in today.

Maps MAPS: Russian Colonies: Volga, Besserabia, Odessa, Caucusus. $1.00 each. Order blank enclosed.

IDEAL For your Mother, Father, Son and Daughter, Brother, Sister. The GIFT most unusual gift is a gift membership in AHSGR – Application Enclosed.

Don’t Wanted: Books, heirlooms, all historical objects: Passports, old Throw it German letters from Russia. Send them to AHSGR, P.O. Box Away – 1424, Greeley, Colorado, 80631.

Make Be Involved: Tape record the story of the “old folks” who are still History with us, and give them the thrill of recording their fond recollections from the “Old Country – Russland”.

Your “old Show your parents and grandparents that you care. Learn the Folks” – exciting history of 200 years of pioneering: Germany to Russia, to Show them USA, Canada, and South America, and give y9our loved ones what You care. money cannot buy – a record of where they and you came from – in your own notes, or on a tape (recorders are cheap or you can borrow one) – let them listen back and share their pleasure with them.

Record ONE DAY YOU WILL WISH you knew Grandma’s „ Who your grandparent’s grandparents were, and Story. „ What town in the USSR (RUSSIA) they came from, and „ All the family “UNOME” (Nicknames) „ Yes, Establish your Identity. „ Sure it matters – to YOU. „ Once they are gone they cannot speak.

Give of your time and talent to make AHSGR an even finer organization.

Cordially yours,

(signed David Miller)

President

(WP5 p.2) From the editor's desk ......

This Workpaper has as its theme - "Lincoln in June!" The Lincoln Chapter - No. 1 in many -ways - has given us the preliminary program, and much valued information about the accommodations available. The story of the founding of the Lincoln chapter is included. We hope that it will spur the formation of many more chapters. A strong beginning has been made in Greeley towards the formation of Northern Colorado Chapter, and as you will see in the Workpaper, a new chapter is under way in Bismarck, North Dakota. We welcome chapter news for the workpapers as far as we are able to fit them in. There is a change of schedule for this issue. With the plans for the Second Annual meeting well under way, and with the generous help of our readers in supplying material, the Publications Committee has decided to go to a quarterly basis, with smaller issues, but more frequent publication., This quarterly plan will work if our readership cooperates. The largest single cost of the Society's operation is the cost of printing and distributing the Workpapers. In this issue you will find an. order blank for the purchase of back issues, maps, and other materials. If the sales of these printed materials are high enough, the income will allow us to meet our quarterly publication schedule. The article about Obermonjou illustrates the problems encountered in historical research, Mrs. Haynes, using German reference sources, added her research material to Mr. Leiker's interview reports to make the report in this issue. There are several points still unresolved, because we cannot, at this late date, verify all the points of interest that occurred 25 or 50 years ago. Each contribution is accepted as an honest attempt to re-create the events that have had such an impact on our lives, but complete historical accuracy may never be possible. The essential facts of the story, are accepted as true, the villages were destroyed, as a way of life, if not in the physical sense, and we are all the losers.

Please read the letter from David Vinski, and then write to your representatives to encourage his support for this very important movement. An expression of interest from every state in the Union will have an impact on the committee members. Many of our readers have sent newspaper clippings, which we could not fit into our page layout. These clippings will be on display at the Annual Convention, and later at the Society headquarters m Greeley. The Workpaper is always open to short, interesting articles, poems, stories, and sketches, cartoons, or photographs. Donations will also be welcomed to help offset the costs of printing.

(WP5 p.3) ALL ROADS AND AIR ROUTES

lead to the

SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

of the

AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF GERMANS FROM RUSSIA

at the

Villager Motel and Convention Center

Lincoln, Nebraska

June 17-20, 1971

* * * The Lincoln, Nebraska, Chapter of the American Historical Society of Germans from

Russia cordially invites you and your family and interested friends to attend the Second

International Convention of the Society. Our "willkommen" mat is out to each of you. We have requested the weatherman to provide Nebraska's finest days. We have ordered delicious German-

Russian food.

We guarantee lots of good fellowship and fun. There will be time to discover acquaintances of long ago and to create new friends. We promise you the opportunity to learn more about our rich heritage and history. Persons who have spent a lifetime gathering information about Germans from Russia will be present to share with us their vast store of knowledge.

We hope you will come to learn, to visit, to reminisce, and to enjoy our hospitality.

(WP5 p.4) AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF GERMANS FROM RUSSIA SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION June 17-20, 1971 Lincoln, Nebraska PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, June 17, 1971 2:00 PM Conducted tours -- Nebraska State Historical Society Nebraska State Capitol 4:00 PM Tea at the Governor's Mansion 6:00 PM International Board of Directors Dinner Meeting 8:00 PM Get Acquainted Reception for All Friday, June 18, 1971

8:00 AM Registration — Hospitality — Exhibits — Book Store

9:00 AM First General Session with keynote address by David J. Miller, International President 11:00 AM Open Committee Meetings and Work Shops Bibliographies, Chapter Organization, Finance, Folk Lore, Genealogy, Locating Friends and Relatives in USSR today, Membership, Publications, Religious History of German-Russians, Research, Translations, Who's Who Among German-Russians. 12:00 Noon Luncheon with an address on Germans from Russia in today's Germany 1:30 PM Continuation of Open Committee Meetings and Work Shops

3:00 PM Second General Session Chapter Reports Nominations for International Board of Directors Roll Call by States and Colonies

4:00 PM An Hour with Dr. Karl Stumpp, Tuebingen, West Germany

6:00 PM A German "Broda" Dinner

8:00 PM A dramatic presentation on the life and folk lore of Germans from Russia 9:30 PM Slides, films, and tapes on Germans from Russia and the 1970 Convention, brought by members to share with those in attendance. Saturday, June 19, 1971

8:00 AM Registration — Hospitality — Exhibits — Book Store

9:00 AM Third General Session Reports and Recommendations from Open Committee Meetings and Work Shops Business Session (WP5 p.5) Saturday, June 19. 1971 (cont.)

12:00 Noon Luncheon with special Music. Seating by geographical regions or colonies in Russia. 2:00 PM Presentations on Geographical Groupings of Germans from Russia. Black Sea, Bessarabia, Caucusus, Volga, Volynia, Germans from Russia in South America, Present-Day Germans in USSR. 3:l5 PM Fourth and Final General Session Planning for the Future Adoption of Goals Invitations to host the Third International Convention Election of Board of Directors

6:30 PM Convention Banquet with Dr. Karl Stumpp as speaker 9:30 PM Dancing to a German Band Sunday, June 20, 1971 8:00 AM International Board of Directors Breakfast Meeting Election of Officers Action on Proposals and Recommendations from the Convention 10:30 AM Attendance at Church of your choice * * *

THINGS TO REMEMBER Register early: There is a special gift for the first 100 "total package" registrations. Reserve accommodations: The Villager Motel is Headquarters and the most convenient location. Those who are on the program and all officers are especially encouraged to stay at convention headquarters. Swell the ranks: Invite friends and relatives to come to the convention and invite them to become members. Bring the young people in your families. Plan a family reunion in Lincoln.

Arrive in time: You will enjoy the opportunity to get acquainted before meetings begin. It's a chance to renew friendships and discover kinfolk.

* * *

YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU CAME

(WP5 p.6) COMMEMORATIVE PLATES PLACED IN MUSEUMS

All members who attended the First International Convention in Greeley in 1970, received the Commemorative Plate, pictured at the right. Presented as a gift from the Lincoln, Nebraska, Chapter, at the closing banquet. The plates are white china with the design in forest green and golden yellow. Since the convention, the plates have been placed in more than 20 museums across the United States along with copies of the convention and banquet programs.

OUR HERITAGE June 19-20, 1970 We are proud of our Forefathers. Migrating to Russia from Germany in the 1700s, On the left is pictured the "Tribute to they mastered the vast and treeless our Forefathers" as it appears on the back steppe. They built stable communities, of the plate were strong in their religious faith, revered home and family. To preserve these a century later, many came to the Americas where they became respected leaders in all walks of life To honor our forefathers, the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Was founded October 6, 1968, in Greeley Colorado, site of this contention. Presented by the Lincoln, Nebraska Chapter of the. Society

Commemorative Plates are now available for purchase at $5.00 each plus $1.00 for packing and postage. Address: AHSGR, Lincoln, Nebraska, Chapter, 601 D Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68502.

(WP5 p.7)

SO YOU PLAN TO ORGANIZE AN AHSGR CHAPTER How we did it in Lincoln, Nebraska

In our files there is a memo from David J. Miller, National President of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. It is dated February 6, 1969, and it lists the names of the members in Lincoln, Nebraska, as of that date—5 individual members and one family membership. A letter of the same date suggests that Mrs. Delores K. Schwartz and Ruth M. Amen plan an organization meeting in Lincoln. The suggestion became a charge when the two of us and Delores’ mother, Mrs. Katherine Giebelhouse, attended a meeting in Denver on March 2. The International Board asked us to organize a Chapter in Lincoln.

Our own enthusiasm was great. The program in Denver and the opportunity to visit with others who were interested in their heritage indicated to us that there must be many more Lincolnites who would want to share in the excitement of learning more about the history and achievements of Germans from Russia.

How should we begin? This was the question which Delores, her mother and I discussed on March 12. We decided to invite several friends and relatives to a "talk it over" session and to acquaint them with the goals and purposes of AHSGR. On May 15, there were 7 of us at a meeting held at the American .Forward Association. Our 4 recruits listened and questioned and thought this organization was long overdue. They wanted to join and they would help spread the word. Again each person present agreed to invite several others to help us get a Chapter started and on June 15 we met again. There were several new faces, but we were still 7. Patiently we again described AHSGR, its goals and hopes and with enthusiasm running high we decided to work individually during the summer months lining up recruits to bring to a meeting on September 12. Others who had joined in the meantime were also invited. When 10 showed up we took the giant step. We, Edward Schwartzkopf, Mrs. Magdalene Lebsack Novak, Mrs. Marie Willis, Miss Clara Wertz, Mrs. Marie Collins, Ralph Griebelhaus, Roger L. Welsch, Miss Frances D. Amen, Mrs. Delores K. Schwartz, and Miss Ruth M. Amen, would be the Committee. Boldly we set Sunday afternoon, November 18, 1969, as the date for a "come one, come all" meeting. We had 3 more planning sessions on October 2 and 22 and November 5 to suggest names of people to invite, to plan the program, and to just plain keep our planning group excited about the project we had undertaken. Then we kept our fingers crossed. By this time we had about 22 national members in Lincoln and we hoped at least all of these would appear. How do you estimate the turn-out for your first meeting? We had sent out about 80 flyers to Lincoln people and told them to bring their friends. We also mailed notices to every AHSGR member in Nebraska in case any of them would be in Lincoln at that time. We placed flyers in stores and on Church bulletin boards. We decided to plan on 60 to 70 and told ourselves that we should not be discouraged if at least 55 appeared. The Committee arrived

(WP5 p.9) 2. an hour ahead. of the meeting time and soon there were others. As people came they signed a register and received name tags. Imagine our delight! When Ed Schwartzkopf, our Master of Ceremonies, said "Guten Tag" to the group, there were 126 assembled in the Community Room of the National Bank of Commerce. Our program? It was very simple. We "played it by ear" for the most part. We had an invocation by Paul J. Amen and heard special greetings from our Mayor, Sam Schwartskopf, one of our own people. We told them about the organization. Each person present introduced himself and as they told which colony in Russia they or their parents came from we tallied the reports. Some told interesting stories about their early days in this country. The oldest person present was 92, the youngest under 10. Rev. Benjamin Rieger told about the dulcimer and how he builds them. There was much interest in the maps showing the German-Russian colonies and we were sold out much too soon. We told the group about Dr. Karl Stumpp’s book, The German-Russland, which has been translated by Dr. Joseph S. Height. Led by Mrs. Victor Maul, we sang some old favorites in German -- Jesu Geh Voran, Oh Du Froehliche, Gott ist Die Liebe, Stille Nacht, and So Nim Den Meine Haende. We allowed lots of time for visiting, renewing friendships, getting re-acquainted with kinfolk, and looking at exhibits of memorabilia brought by those who came. Coffee and cookies furnished by the bank were served. All of us were aglow. One person wrote, "I came away feeling filled with pride and enthusiasm.” "Did they want to meet again?" we asked. The answer was a resounding "yes". And 44 new members paid their dues that afternoon. Encouraged by this beginning our Committee has moved forward. From the meeting roster and the national membership list we made a card file in three sections--Lincoln members, out-state Nebraska members, and prospective members. We now have a better mailing list to which we keep adding. Our second meeting, held in the same location on March 8, 1970, attracted 176. Mr. and Mrs. David J. Miller and Mrs. Gerda Walker came from Colorado. The Millers showed their pictures taken in Russia. There were 23 out-of-towners including the Herman Aments from Sioux City, Iowa. We enrolled 21 new members. A dinner meeting for the committee members, our Colorado visitors, Senator and Mrs. Ted Wenzlaff, Dr. and Mrs. Donald Herzog, and others who had helped with our meetings, the night before gave us the opportunity to discuss many things related to the organization and its future. A welcome problem now confronted us. We had outgrown our meeting place. When the Welfare Society invited us to use their facilities for a meeting, we accepted gladly. Our May 24, 1970, meeting flyer announced that we would feature German-Russian food "prepared by the best cooks this side of heaven". There were grebel, runza, coffee cake, rye bread, home made sausage and lots of coffee. Our oldest members provided the program. Mr. John Strauch and Mr. Henry J. Amen told about their early days in Lincoln and Mr. Gottfried Schumacher played several selections on

(WP5 p.10) 3. the dulcimer. We always sing. This time we were led by Henry Hohnstein. The First International Convention to be held in Greeley, Colorado, in June was promoted. Most important of all, the group unanimously agreed that they wanted a permanent organization in Lincoln. Our approach had been to get them to join the national organization first by offering interesting programs, involving lots of people and by giving all a sense of participation. We are ready to enroll new AHSGR members at every meeting. Each program is planned so they leave asking when we will meet again. By this time that canary yellow flyer in the mail means a good time ahead. Excitement over the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia continues to ride high in Lincoln. 14 of us attended the Greeley convention where the announcement was made that we had been granted the first Chapter charter on June 4, 1970. What we gleaned from that convention we tried to pass on to our other members at a Chapter dinner on October 8, 1970, with 212 present. The authentic "Broda" menu was prepared and served by members of the Chapter Board and their spouses. Directors added to the original committee were Conrad Gabelhaus, G. Scotty Kaufman, and Jake Sinner. Mrs. Gabelhaus, Mrs. Sinner, Mrs. Schwartz and Mrs. Marie Gannon were chief cooks. It was a distinct honor when the convention accepted our invitation to host the Second International Convention which is to be held June 17-20, 1971, here in Lincoln. We hope all of you will plan to enjoy it with us.

Ruth M. Amen, President Lincoln, Nebraska, Chapter

• * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ich bin ein kteiner Koenig Geb mir net zu wenig; Lass mich net su tange steh', Kummt er net ‘raus, kummt sie 'raus, Bringt mir ein Dollar-Funfer ‘raus

Gluecklick Nei Yahr

Submitted by Mrs. George (Johanna) Askegaard, 916 W. Marie Street Pasco, Washington 99301

(WP5 p.11) HOCHZEITSEINLADUNGEN

Wir haben euoh ein schoenen Gruss Wir haben kein Pferd Deshalb kommen wir zu Fuss.

Braut Maria Krumbein and Braeutigam Johan Klein Laden euch besonders ein su der Kirche bei der Trauung sein Die Musikanten sind auch bestellt Sie spielen scbon heftig in des Braeutigam Feld.

Von der Kirche gehts zu dem Hochzeits Haus Da riecht man schon den guten Schmaus Zwei Kalber and sieben Schweinen Sind auchgeschtachtet und Haben drei Kerbe voll Wurst gemacht. Frisch Brot und Kuchen sind auch genug Und der Brantewein ist auch fertig im Krug. Im Keller liegt das Fass voll guten Bier Dafuer graut es mir auch nicht meehr.

Nach dem Mahlzeit von guten Essen Dann muss man das Vergangene alles vergessen Denn die Musikanten riesten sich schon auf ihren Platz Und der Hochzeits Vater raumt aus dem Weg der Hund und die Katz Ihr werdet sehen an meinem Stock Bander farbig und rein Und wenn ihr noch eins daran bindet sage ich nicht nein Nun uenn ihr kommt darft ihr Gabel and Loeffel nicht vergessen Sonst musst ihr mit den Finger essen. Nun fehtt es nuv an einen Geschenk so ktein Das kannt ihr gut machen mit einem glaessohen Brantewein.

Note: The above wedding invitation was given by Henry J. Diets at the Society's meeting at Windsor, Colorado, August 15, 1969, at Faith United Church of Christ. Mr. Dietz took a part of it from the one given by Harold Stoll at Salem United Church of Christ, Denver, Colorado, March 2, 1969. Mr. Dietz composed a part of it himself and took a part of it from other wedding invitations.

(WP5 p.12)

Mr. John E. Pfeiffer 215 North Kline Street Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401

Dear Mr. Pfeiffer:

Your commemorative plate arrived shortly before the holidays, and now that I am getting to my letter writing, I'd like to thank you for it.

The plate will be displayed in the Tamburitsan Gift Collection where it will be on view to visitors to our Cultural Center. I might add that it is good to see that such a tasteful momento has been produced.

I was also grateful to learn of the bibliography concerning German-Russians, and will send for it shortly.

Because of your interest in your heritage, I would like to bring to your attention a proposed piece of legislation which is currently being considered in both organs of our congress. It is called the Ethnic Heritage Studies Centers Act and was first introduced in the House as H.R. 14910, and then later in the Senate. It will have to be re-introduced in the current session.

The purpose of the bill is to provide course material and teachers for primary and secondary schools. Studies Centers would be instituted, specializing in various nationality backgrounds, which would collect and prepare this material.

I thought you would probably be interested. I feel myself that it may be potentially very significant. You can receive a copy of the Senate proceedings on this bill by writing to the office of Senator Schweiker, Wash., D.C., Maybe you can "stir up" interest in your community, state, or your officials and congressmen.

Again, thanks for thinking of us.

Sincerely yours,

(signed) David Vinski Curator-Archivist

dv (WP5 p.13

GERMANS FROM RUSSIA IN AMERICA - 1920 Contributed by Dr. Paul G. Reitzer, Charleston, South Carolina.

State First Generation First and Second Generations

Alabama 64 183 Arkansas 69 158

Arizona 43 93 California 4989 11529

Connecticut 1150 4308 Colorado 9935 21067 Delaware 16 23

District of Columbia 59 154 Florida 50 105 Georgia 37 69 Idaho 1025 2574 Illinois 4476 8775

Indiana 224 475 Iowa 789 1646 Kansas 9056 31512 Kentucky 66 158 Louisiana 37 99

Maine 14 38 Maryland 321 606 Massachusetts 504 1018 Michigan 6122 12857 Minnesota 1969 5005

Mississippi 28 87 Missouri 639 1473 Nebraska 9904 22421 Nevada 11 26 New York 4027 8560

New Hampshire 13 21 New Jersey 1614 3568 New Mexico 52 190 Montana 3224 7666 North Carolina 6 31 North Dakota 23850 69985

Ohio 1930 5962 Oklahoma 2882 10067 Oregon 3281 7031 Pennsylvania 1916 . 4683 Rhode Island 55 85

South Carolina 9 21 South Dakota 9657 30937 Tennessee 41 95 Texas 885 2301 Utah 60 159

Vermont 6 16 Virginia 64 123 Washington 4933 11873 West Virginia 36 64

Wisconsin 5543 11714 Wyoming 884 1939

(WP5 p.14) BOOKS AND MAPS FOR THE ARCHIVES OF AHSGR Emma Schwabenland Haynes

In the fall of 1970 Dr. Karl Stumpp very generously donated twenty-two books and pamphlets to our Historical Archives in Greeley, Colorado. In order that the members of AHSGR may achieve an understanding of this material, the titles of the books as well as brief descriptions of their contents will be given below.

A. Mennonite Publications

1. Krahn, Cornelius, editor, From the Steppes to the Prairies 1874-1949. Newton, Kansas: Mennonite Publication Office, 1949 (115 pages. Illustrated). In the decade following 1875 about 18,000 Mennonites left their homes in southern Russia for North America. In this book Dr. Krahn gives excerpts from newspapers and books printed between 1874 and 1889 describing the arrival and early life of those Mennonites who came to Kansas. Personal memoirs are also included. In general, the book gives fascinating background information on pioneer conditions in the Midwest during the 1870's. It is a valuable addition to the library of any student of American history.

2. Dyck, Peter P, Orenburg am Ural. Clearbrook, British Columbia: Christian Book Store, 1951 (160 pages. Illustrated). In spite of the emigration of many Mennonites to North America, the villages of southern Russia remained overcrowded, and in the winter of 1892-95, land was purchased about eighty "werst" from Orenburg, at the foot of the Ural Mountains. Several hundred Mennonite families left for this area, and in spite of initial difficulties, were able to establish flourishing "Daughter Colonies". Then came World War I, the Communist Revolution, the Famine of 1921-22, the collectivization of farmland, and the deportation of so-called "kulaks". There was no mass deportation from Orenburg in 1941, but the book ends with a tragic letter written in 1946 by an unnamed Mennonite woman who describes the privations of the war years.

5. Unruh, Benjamin Heinrich. Fuegung und Fuehrung im Mennonitischen Welthilfswerk 1920- 1955. Karlsruhe, 1966 (64 pages. Illustrated). Professor Unruh's name will always be revered for his outstanding efforts to help any of his people who were in economic need. In this book we are told of his attempts to find homes for those Mennonites who left the Soviet Union between 1920 and 1950. Many of the earlier refugees were offered shelter in Canada, but in 1929 this door was closed, and it was necessary to look elsewhere. After much negotiation, the refugees were given permission to settle in Brazil and Paraguay.

4. Campos Gerais Estruturas Agrarias. Universidade federal Do Parana,1968 (in Portuguese with English, German and French summaries. 268 pages). This book is in some respects a continuation of the one above. It describes the arrival of Russian Mennonites in Santa Caterina, Brazil, and tells that in 1951 a sub-

(WP5 p.15) stantial number moved northward to found the colony of Wirmarsum west of the city of Curitiba. The social, economic, religious, educational and agricultural life of the new colony is then described.

B. Bessarabian Germans Dr. Stumpp has given to our society eleven volumes which were recently published in Germany as memorial "Heimatbucher" of those Bessarabian colonies which are described. Six books deal with the "Mother Colonies" of Alt-Elft, Arzis, Beresina, Brienne, Kloestitz, and Kulm, which were founded in the years 1815-1816, and five with the "Daughter Colonies" of Basyrjamka, Benkendorf, Eichendorf, Neu Postal, and Seimeny founded between 1863 and 1908.

For the benefit of our Volga German members, it might be wise to explain that Bessarabia lies on the Black Sea between the Dniester and the Pruth Rivers. It was acquired from Turkey by Alexander I in 1812. Almost immediately he offered special privileges to those German families who would agree to settle in the area. His invitation was gladly accepted by many Germans who had been living for several decades in that section of Poland which had been annexed by Prussia between 1772 and 1795. At first everything had gone well, but in 1807 Napoleon created the Grandduchy of Warsaw, and many Polish noblemen who had been living as émigrés in Paris returned home to reclaim their former possessions. Consequently, the German settlers, now regarded as intruders, were more than happy to come to Bessarabia where they founded nineteen "Mother Colonies". They were joined by other German colonists, either from the previously settled Odessa area or directly from Wuerttemberg. This second group organized new colonies of their own, such as Sarata, Gnadental and Lichtental or acquired land in the nineteen colonies of the Prussian Germans.

There were at first great differences in the dialect and customs of the Prussian and Wuerttemberg Germans, and in the early years the nicknames "Kuczuba" for the first group and "Schwob" for the second were likely to be fighting words. But before .long intermarriages began to take place and background differences were forgotten. In 1918 Bessarabia became part of Romania, and thus the Bessarabian Germans were spared the famines and purges which took place in the Soviet Union. However, in 1940 Hitler agreed that Bessarabia would be returned to Russia, provided that the German residents be given permission to leave the country. It is for this reason that most Bessarabian Germans live in Germany today.

In general the eleven "Heimatbucher" follow the same pattern. The founding of the colony is described, and in many cases the name and place of origin of the original settlers are given. Then come chapters describing the economic, social, religious and educational life of the village. Most of the books contain detailed plans showing the various streets, with the names of the families living there in 1940. The repatriation period of 1940 and the

(WP5 p.16) flight to West Germany in 1945 are described from personal memoirs. All of the books, with the exception of the one on Beresina, end by giving the names of the men, women and children who left Romania in 1940.

Bessarabian members of our society who are interested in genealogy will find these volumes of inestimable value for purposes of research. I was interested in noting that the family names Wenzlaff and Schock are mentioned several times in the book on Arzis. People named Flegel, Gross, Graumann, Radach, Raugust, Sauer, and Tiede were all present among the original settlers of Kulm, and in Basyrjamka the mayor of the town from 1922-1925 was named August Friedrich. In 1940 when the Bessarabian Germans were repatriated, families named Quast and Reich were living in Alt-Elft, and others named Baumann, Esslinger, Joerke, and Weber were in Kloestitz.

The titles of the books are: 1. Alt-Elft. Heimat in Wort und bild. Von Otto Lehmann (senior). Druck: Verlag Heilbronner Stimme, 1968 (198 pages).

2. Arzis, Bessarabien. Blick auf 150 Jahre 1916-1966. Von Alfred Biebart, 714 Ludwigsburg, Hegelstrasse 14. 1966 (381 pages).

3. Basyrjamka eine deutsche Gemeinde am Schwarzem Meer. 1891-1940. Herausgegeben vom Jubilaeums-Ausschuss der ehemaligen Gemeinde Basyrjamka. Ludwigsburg, 1966 (158 pages).

4. Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Benkendorf. 1865-1965. Verfasst von Oberlehrer Josef Sigmund. Backnang, 1963 (160 pages).

5. Beresina, eine besaarabiendeutsche Gemeinde. Von Jakob Becker. Bietigheim, 1967 (165 pages).

6. Brienne-Bessarabien 1816-1966. Von Alfred Ziebart. Ludwigsburg, 1967 (86 pages).

7. Eichendorf in Bessarabien. Von Hugo Hafner. Herausgegeben zum 60. Jahre stag der Gruendung des Dorfes. Klaffenbach, 1968 (556 pages). This book contains 159 pages of genealogical information on the inhabitants of Eichendorf.

6. Kloestitz. Das Bild der Heimat. Bearbeitung Arnold Mammel. Wasseralfingen, 1965 (178 pages). In 1890 a citizen of Kloestitz; named Arndt Mammel left his native village for North Dakota where he died in 1955. Mr. Mammel saved approximately two hundred letters which he received from people in his native village. After his death the letters were sent to Germany and used as valuable background material for the writing of this book.

9. Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Kulm. Von David Treichel und Mitarbeiter. H.I-I. Gachet &. Co. Langen bez. Frankfurt/Main, 1968 (284 pages).

(WP5 p.17) 10. Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Neu Postal. Gesamtgestaltung Egon Schempp. No place of publication given, 1964 (176 pages).

11. Gesentente des Dorfes Seimeny. Bearbeitet von Johann Mayer und Gustav Vossler. Ludwigsburg, 1958 (64 pagea).

All of these books are written in German, but they are so generously illustrated, that the pictures alone make them extremely worthwhile, even for somebody who is no longer able to read German.

C. Miscellaneous Literature 1. Fiftieth Anniversary of the First German Evangelical Congregational Church of Denver, Colorado 1894-1944 (48 pages). The pamphlet is written primarily in German, but with some sections in English. There are pictures of the various church organizations and past ministers, as well as a chronological history of the congregation.

2. Ponten, Josef. Die Heiligen der letzten Tage. Stuttgart, 1958 (515 pages). In this novel Ponten describes the chiliastic movement which was so prevalent in Wuerttemberg during and after the Napoleonic wars. It was believed that the Second Coming of Christ was imminent, and several thousand Germans set out for Russia with the intention of finding a "place of refuge" where they hoped to wait for this event. Ponten tells how these people boarded boats in Ulm and journeyed down the Danube. Plague broke out, and a large percentage of the emigrants died, either on the way, or during their period of quarantine in Ismail near the mouth of the river. Eventually the survivors were able to cross the Dniester River and establish permanent homes in Russia.

5. Fischer, Karl August. Die deutschen in Kaukasus, insbesondre in Transkaukasien. Verein fuer das Deutsohtum im Ausland. Berlin 1919 (15 pages). The author gives a brief history of the Caucasus, but devotes most of the pamphlet to the colonies which were established in 1817 and 1818 by the religious believers described in Ponten's novel above. These people had hoped to settle in Palestine, but were persuaded to found colonies in the neighborhood of Tiflis.

4. Schleuning, Pastor Johannes. Die deutschen Kolonien im Wolgagebiet. Verein fuer das Deutschtum im Ausland. Berlin 1919 (45 pages with a map of the colonies). A brief history of the Volga German settlements from the time of their organization until 1919.

5. Schleuning, Johannes. Die Deutschen Siedlungsgebiets in Russland. Wuerzburg - no date given (71 pages). In this pamphlet Pastor Schleuning describes German settlements in the large cities of Russia as well as along the Volga and the Black Sea, and in the Caucasus, Volhynia and Siberia. His report includes World War II and its aftermath.

6. Schmid, Edmund. Die deutschen Kolonien in Sibirien und Mittelasien. Verein fuer das Deutschtum im Ausland. Berlin, 1919

(WP5 p.18) (14 pages). Herr Schmid describes the expansion of the Volga and Black Sea Germans into Siberia and Central Asia. In 1919 the two biggest German centers were in Omsk and Barnaul.

7. Toepfer, Amy Brungardt and Dreiling, Agner. Conquering the Wind. Published by Victor C. Leiker. Garwood, New Jersey, 1966 (208 pages). All members of AHSGR must know by now that this book tells the fascinating story of those Catholic Volga Germans who settled in Kansas between the years 1875 and 1878. Mr. Leiker and the two authors deserve the gratitude of all members of our society for this very fine contribution to American history.

In addition to the twenty-two books listed above, Dr. Stumpp has donated to our Greeley Archives forty maps and charts connected with Russian-German history. All of them were designed and drawn by him, and ten have been hand-colored for greater clarity. Dr. Stumpp suggests that the most interesting of these maps be used for display purposes at our June 1971 Convention in Lincoln, Nebraska. His donation consists of:

1. Three different maps showing migration routes and places of settlement of the Volga and Black Sea Germans. (With duplicates)

2. Four different maps showing the place of origin in Germany of the black Sea Germans. As a result of his lifelong studies, Dr. Stumpp knows from where in Germany most of these people came. Unfortunately, he is unable to provide comparable information on the Volga Germans, because no emigration lists are presently available telling from where in Germany the Volga Germans came, with the exception of the inhabitants of Jagodnaja Poljana on the "bergseite".

5. Thirteen different maps of the original "Mother Colonies" of the Russian-Germans along the Volga, in Volhynia, Bessarabia, the Black Sea, the Ukraine, the Caucasus, the Crimea, etc. (Duplicates)

4. Seven different maps showing the areas of the world in which Russian-Germans live today. This includes maps of Siberia Soviet Asia, the Ural Mountains, Canada, the United States, Mexico, and South America. (with duplicates) 5. Three charts showing population statistics, land ownership of the Russian-Germans before World War I, and the increase in the number of their colonies.

If Dr. Stumpp's health permits, he hopes to accept the invitation of AHSGR to come to our Lincoln Convention in 1971 as guest speaker. I am certain that all members of our society fervently hope that he will be able to join us on that occasion, so that we will have an opportunity to thank him personally for his many outstanding contributions to our Archives in Greeley, and for the unfailing interest which he has always shown in our organization.

(WP5 p.19) BIBLIOGRAPHY

Several new entries have been received for our bibliographic listings. Not all of them are as yet available through our library exchanges, so the locations are given for each entry.

Peterson, Albert J. Jr., "German-Russian Colonization in Western Kansas - A Settlement Geography" Ph. D. Dissertation, Louisiana State University, 1970. This scholarly study is unique in its liberal use of photographs of early buildings, fence lines, and structural items in the Ellis County area. There are many interesting sidelights of the development of unincorporated towns and villages in the area. Very few copies are available, inter-library loan may be best bet. Rippley, La Vern, "Of German Ways" Dillon Press, 106 North Washington Ave., Minneapolis, Minn. Illustrated $5.95 A thoughtful book about German life in the Old and New Worlds. Subjects include: The Land - a description of German lands left behind, and areas chosen for settlement in America. Folklore, Sports, Food, and many other themes. Copies available from publisher or author.

The following Items were contributed for listing from t he personal library of Dr. Paul G. Reitzer, Baptist College at Charleston, South Carolina. Copies will be placed in the Society’s records at a later date.

Bauer, Gottlieb. Geschichte der Deutschen in den Wolgakolonien (1766-1874). Lincoln, Nebraska: Nebraska' Echo, 1907.

Ballensky, I, Wolgadeutsche Bruederschaft. New Ulm, Minnesota: Dakota Freien Presse, 1929.

Hoelzer, John. Die Entstehung und Entwickelung der Brueder-Konferenz in den Staaten Nebraska und Colorado. 1909. Obenhaus, Hermann. Die Kongregationalisten. Chicago: The German Pilgrim Press, Inc., 1913.

Correspondence dealing with Pastor Wilhelm Starkel

Misc. articles from periodical literature.

(WP5 p.20)

WORLD CONFERENCE '''Record Protection in an Uncertain World" ON RECORDS

AND GENEALOGICAL SEMINAR

Salt Lake City, Utah. U.S.A. 5-8 August 1969

------

Reprinted with the permission of the Genealogical Society

GENERAL ASSEMBLIES

COPYRIGHT® 1969 THE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, INC.

(WP5 p.21) EMIGRATION FROM GERMANY THROUGH POLAND AND RUSSIA TO THE U.S.A.

By Prof. George Rath

From early times Germany has been a country surrounded by many powerful nations. It has had no possibilities for expansion to make room for its growing population except by means of force or emigration to other countries. We see, therefore, the population from Germany emigrating to countries east and west of their homeland.

In the course of the German emigration to the eastern countries one can distinguish two phases:

1. The emigration at the beginning of the Medieval Age which resulted in the building of cities by the merchants and craftsmen in those countries where they settled.

2. The emigration during the latter part of the 18th century to the farm or open country resulting in the colonization of idle land.

We deal in our discourse especially with the latter emigration. Originally directed to the East, it ended to a great extent in the West; in the United States, Canada and the countries of South America. (1) It would take much time to go deeply into it, and we can only take here a short glance at it in our discourse.

Transylvania

It was the Hungarian king Geisa II (1141 - 61) who invited the Saxons from Flanders and inhabitants from the Middle and Lower Rhine to settle and cultivate his land. Seventy years later the king Andrew II called the German Order to the Burzenland. The Order of the German Knights and the Saxon peasants practically brought Transylvania to life. With the years arose blooming cities, like Hermannstadt, Mediasch, Klausenburg, Kronstadt and others. Before the first world war there lived in Siebenburgen about 250,000 Germans. The Germans of the Zips, 46,000, are a part of this group.

(WP5 p.22) The Banat

A continuation of the emigration to this region took place under the Austrian Empress Maria Theresia (1717-1780) and her son Joseph II (1741-1790) in the Banat. This country lies in the lower areas of the rivers Theis, Maros, and Ternes. It was won from the Turks in 1718. When Maria Theresia heard of the colonization plans of Catherine II of Russia, she decided to colonize this land for Austria. With a great system of canals the marshy country was drained and then cleaned of brush and trees. About 45 acres of land and many privileges were offered to settlers. They came from almost the same countries as the settlers who went to the Volga -- Alsace- Lorraine, Baden, Württemberg, and Palatinate. Often members of the same family separated in a manner that one or some went to Russia and the others to the Banat. Correspondence continued for a while, but later stopped. About 1,000 families were originally settled in the Banat. Later came more settlers, who had to be satisfied with less land. (2)

Poland.

Poland profited from it's beginning from the German immigration. The cities of Krakau, Warsaw and many others were in the thirteenth century but little villages. The German merchants and craftsmen developed them into industrious and important cities. Polish kings granted great privileges to the German immigrants over a period of several centuries. Among these the most important was the privilege of their own jurisdiction under the Magdeburgian law. However Kasimir the Great (1333-1370) deprived them of that privilege and from that time there began a decline of the German cities and the influence of the Germans. The cities became "Polanized" and the German immigration came to an end for a time.

However, in the later part of the 18th century German immigration was renewed, under favor of the Polish gentry. (3) They leased land to the German farmers from their estates, usually for a period of 30-40 years. According to the Polish law this privilege was hereditary. Thus on the Vistula River sprang up numerous settlements of German farmers. When Poland was divided in 1772, Prussia and Austria began to colonize their Polish areas with German colonists. The Western part of Poland received at that time a great influx of German colonists. Before the first world war, Poland had a population of about 700,000 Germans who lived in both the cities and the country. (4)

Galicia

The so-called Tolerance edict of Emperor Joseph II in 1771 found its application especially in the province of Galicia. Of course Germans settled here very early from the older settlements of Poland, especially in the cities, but after the division of Poland, new groups of colonists came from West Galicia, Germany, and Austria proper, and settled especially in Eastern Galicia. They were both Catholic and Protestant. Land, money and loans (5) were

(WP5 p.23) granted to them, but the country was already very densely settled. The Ruthenians or, as they call themselves now, Ukrainians, were an agriculturally minded people. The German colonies among them remained small. Usually some trade or handicraft had to be learned to go along with farming. These German settlements were extensively spread over the country, (6) their number totaling about 50,000 persons.

Bukowina

This province had already received German immigrants in the Medieval Age. They came into that country, from Transylvania and Galicia. The immigrants of this early time were mostly merchants, craftsmen, teachers and officials. The Moldavian princes were always favorably inclined to the Germans and granted them many privileges. When the first Germans arrived, Czernowitz was only a little village. After Austria had taken over the rule of the country in 1774, it brought in a strong influx of German settlers in order to better cultivate the land. Numerous villages sprang up and other German people settled in the cities. The German language was taught in 500 public schools. In 1875 a German university was founded in Czernowitz. (7) The cities in this country in time took on an European aspect because of the houses built by the Germans. The province had about 75,000 persons of German descent.

Volhynia

The Province of Volhynia was taken over by the Russians after the first division of Poland, but the Polish influence was still strong for many years. The Mennonites, who had settled in the neighboring province of Kiev at Michalin, moved from there to Volhynia around 1723. It is definitely known that some of them settled in this province in 1773, coming from Graudenz, Germany. After the Polish uprising in 1830 the Polish gentry began also in this province as in Poland proper to invite German settlers to their estates as renters, woodcutters and laborers. (8) They leased to them their land or used them to cut lumber in their forests, which was to a great extent sold to German factories. (9) In 1860 after a renewed Polish uprising the German influx became even larger. The poor Polish gentry were anxious to make use of their marshy lands and forests and invited many thousands of new settlers. The settlements in this province arose before the first world war to about 500, but were usually very small in size. The German population in this province totaled about 200,000. (10) Almost all of them were Lutheran, except of course the Mennonites, but neither group ever became prosperous. (11)

(WP5 p.24) Russia

Already Czar Ivan IV, the Terrible, (1533-1584) had called craftsmen, merchants and officers from Germany and settled them near Moscow in a village called "Nyemetzkaya Sloboda". Czar Peter I had also invited many Germans when he built his new capital St. Petersburg. But it was the Empress Catherine II, who with her manifesto of July 22, 1763, brought about a great exodus from Germany to Russia. Not only Germans were invited to come and to settle in her domain but Western Europeans in general. The unsatisfactory conditions in Germany favored her invitation. In fact the population suffered immensely under the steady wars. There were the three Silesian wars between Austria and Prussia; 1740-1742; 1742-1745; and 1756-1763. Interwoven with them were the Austrian Succession war 1741-1748; and the Bavarian Succession war 1778-1779. Finally the French Revolution came in 1789. (12) In the midst the general poverty and misery, the call to Russia came for many as a relief or last resort.

Of most importance among the provisions of the manifesto, are the first 10 sections. Essentially they promise and grant to the settlers the following:

1. Freedom of Religion

2. Exemption from taxes for a period of ten to thirty years.

3. Loans for the acquisition of necessary tools.

4. Thirty to sixty hectars of land.

5. Exemption from military service for "all the time of their residence in Russia".

6. Self-rule in church and school.

Item number seven, which deals with the freeing from military service, reads thus:

"Paseliwschiesya w Rassii innostrannye wa wso wremya prebywanyia swayewo, ni w wayennuyu, ni w graschdanskuyu sluschbu protiwu wolf ich apredeleny ne budut."

In English:

"The foreigners which have settled in Russia shall during all the time of their living there not be put into military or civil service against their will."

Government agents spread copies of the edict translated into different languages in Germany, France, Switzerland, Holland, Austria and Prussia. About 25,000 persons were recruited and directed to the sea ports of Luebeck, Rosslau and also some Hollandish ports including Kronstadt. (13) Some of the emigrants were settled around St. Petersburg in 13

(WP5 p.25) villages, but the great majority was sent to the Volga over Novgorod, Tver, Moscow, Ryavan and Pensa. They landed in Saratov and were placed under the direction of a "Board of Guardians". This board settled the newcomers on both sides of the Volga river. Forty-four villages were founded on the so-called hillside and 60 on the meadow side, some to the north-east and some to the south of Saratov. (14) The emigration to Russia went on till 1768, when the German states placed a prohibition on further emigration. This was not, however, until Germans in Russia had become the largest colonist group. Before the First World War it counted 554,000 persons. (16)

In spite of the measures of the western states, the emigration to Russia continued. In the years from 1765-1789 a number of Protestant and Catholic colonies were founded in the provinces of Cherson, Voronezch, Tschernigov and Ekaterinoslav. (17)

Mennonites

It was Potyomkin, governor general of South Russia, who in Company with General von Trappe succeeded in interesting the Prussian Mennonites on the Vistula River in the Lowlands of Danzig to settle in the newly acquired areas of the Dnieper region. After having sent two delegates for investigation they, on the promise of an application of the privileges of the Empress being extended to them, moved down the Dnieper in 1789 and with 288 families founded 8 villages on and by the island of Chortiza in the province of Ekaterinoslav. Later a new tract of land was given to the Mennonites by the government along the Molotschna River in the province of Taurida. By 1840 this group had founded 46 villages in South Russia, which had a population of about 10,000. The Mennonites were very successful in their farming and for the most part became wealthy.

Hutterites

Related to the Mennonites are the Hutterites, a religious group which after many hardships and persecutions was reorganized in Moravia by Jakob Hutter, from whom it accepted its name. It finally found an asylum on the estate of Count Rumyanzew in Wischenka on the Dyesna River. From here the Hutterites, with the help of the Mennonite leader Johann Cornies, moved to the province of Taurida where they, in 1842, (19) founded the village Huttertal in the district of Melitopol with 78 families. Later three more villages were founded by them.

(WP5 p.26) Colonization in the Black Sea Region

A continuation of the colonization in Russia was undertaken by Emperor Alexander I. by an edict published on February 20, 1804, he asserted the privileges granted by Catherine II with regard to military service and home rule in church and school, and doubled the land apportionment. The colonists had to have property in the amount of about $300.00, be married, and present documents of good behavior. These colonists were to be model farmers for the other nationalities. (20) While the Volga Germans came predominantly from Hesse and to a small extent from Rhenish Franconia, Palatinate and Württemberg, this group came mostly from Württemberg, Alsace-Lorraine, the Palatinate and Bavaria. (21) As to religion, they were both Protestants and Catholics. A part of them became Baptists in Russia. The provinces in which these immigrants settled were Bessarabia, Cherson, Ekaterinoslav, Taurida, and the peninsula of Taurida. They founded 181 villages. With the other colonies, the Russian Empire may have had 300 so-called "Mother colonies". (22) Their population at the beginning may have been about 100,000 persons.

Economic and Cultural Development.

There was a great difference in the economical development of the Volga and Black Sea Germans. The Volga colonies practiced the so-called "Mir" system. According to this the land was divided among the inhabitants. This slowed down the economic development to a large degree. At the Black Sea, though, the original colonial land had to stay with one member of the family. The others had to look out for themselves. Thus the whole village had to look for the needed room or land for the next generation. The so-called "mother colonies" had to buy again and again land for the so-called "Landlosen" i.e. those of the colony who were without land. On the newly bought land originated the "daughter colonies". At the Volga, the government twice added land to the original amount; about three million acres. Nevertheless, the need for more land remained. The surplus of the population stayed and was an obstacle in the economic progress.

In the meantime at the Black Sea, the villages bought about twelve million acres of land for "Landlosen", or land-lacking, to avoid overpopulation. (23) The land, however, was never bought from the Russian farmers or peasants. It was the Russian gentry who sold their lands at high prices to the German settlers. Naturally the price of the land rose very fast. In 1910 the hectar - about three acres - was sold for 300 rubles (or $150.00). Every year more land came into the hands of the German colonists, for they were thrifty and industrious people.

An example may serve to illustrate this. In the provinces of Bessarabia, Cherson, Tauria and Ekaterinoslav, the German population averaged 6% but the amount of their land was 23%. (24) Conditions were similar in other provinces in South Russia where the number of Germans,

(WP5 p.27) including all religious confessions, was about 500,000 souls. They were very much spread out on account of the necessity to make room for their activities as farmers. Daughter colonies were founded in the Don province, the Kuban, the Caucasus. Orenburg, Turkestan and Siberia. Before the first World War there were about 3,000 larger or smaller villages with a population of 1,700,000, not counting the Germans in the Baltic provinces, Congress Poland and Polish Volhynia. (25) The civil rule of the colonies was executed by the Committee of Guardians in Saratov and Odessa. The direction of the religious matters lay in the hands of the General Consistory in St. Petersburg. (26) The language used in school and church was the native German language. The government did not contribute to the maintenance of the church nor the schools. They were all maintained by the colonists. There was seldom found a person who could not read or write. Illiterates were practically unknown among the Russian-Germans, while according to the census of 1897 the Russian population was as high as 78% illiterate. (27)

Time does not allow us to continue with the destiny of the Germans in the Russian Empire. We confine ourselves here only to these few lines.

During the First World War the infamous government of Czar Nikolas II issued the Acts of February 2 and December 13 of 1915 by which the German colonists lost all rights to their land and property. He could not live up to the execution of these laws for, as we know, he and his family were executed in Katharinenburg. Kerensky postponed the execution of these laws, but the Communists had their chance to realize the ideas of Nikolas. [In 1941] they deprived all Germans in European Russia of their possessions and sent them to Siberia or Turkestan. Not a single German village is left on the European soil of Russia. But in spite of all the disaster, as we hear, the German colonists came slowly back. (28)

Immigration to the United States

On June 4, 1871 the government of Czar Alexander II issued a decree by which the German colonists lost all the privileges granted to them by Catherine II and Alexander I. Even the name was taken away. They were no more "Colonist" but settlers (in Russian "Paselyane"). They still were not made "Krestyane", as the Russian peasants were officially called, but in fact [were] subjected to the "Semstwo", and made equal to the Russian peasantry. For them, this was a discrimination of their social standing. (29) They began to look for some other places for settlement. North and South America became the countries to which they emigrated.

"Among the many good reasons which motivated the immigration of the Russian-Germans to the United States, four are outstanding; 1- General unrest; 2- the wanderlust; 3- the Ukase of June 4, 1871, and 4- land hunger coupled with land need." (30) Thus writes A. Schock, in his book; In quest of free land. This is all true, but the moral side of

(WP5 p.28) the problem also played an immense role. In the United States, meanwhile, the West was conquered. Hundreds of millions of acres of land were lying idle waiting for an industrious human hand to wake them up.

The railroads -- The Union Pacific, Santa Fe, Burlington, Northern Pacific, and others -- took up the task of linking the Pacific with the Atlantic. The federal government granted them 181,000,000 acres of land, to the individual states 140,000,000 acres. The federal land office sold 100,000,000 acres to settlers. People from their own "old west" and from Western Europe came across the ocean to take homesteads by the thousands and hundreds of thousands. Congress provided laws to dispose of these huge portions of land. Four laws were outstanding for getting settlers for the West: 1- the preemption law of 1841; 2-The homestead law of 1862 which offered an acre for $1.25; 3- the Timber and Culture Act; and 4- the Desert Act of 1877.(31) Agents were employed by the federal government and railroad companies as well as by individual states to invite settlers from their own country and Europe. These agents and millions of pamphlets found their way also to Russia. (32)

The first group of Russian-Germans had arrived much earlier though; namely in 1849. It was William Schauffler, a Russian-German, who had studied at Andover, Massachusetts, and became a Presbyterian missionary for the Jews in Constantinople, who pointed out to a group of pietistic minded people in Odessa the religious freedom they could enjoy in America. (33) Another minister of the gospel, Johannes Bonekemper, from Umbrecht, Germany, who was in charge of a parish north of Odessa, also a pietist like Schauffler. decided to move with his group to the United States. However, he went to the then Turkish Dobrudja and his people, about 80 persons, left without him (34) for America where they landed on the 10th of November, 1849. This was the first group of Russian-Germans to come to the United States. However, soon after their arrival they dispersed after suffering many hardships.

A few of them came to Sandusky. Ohio, where they settled. One of them, Ludwig Bette, who had become a wine grower and wealthy man on Kelleys Island in Lake Erie, decided in 1872 to visit his relatives in Russia. While there he talked about the wonderland America, and after what had happened since June of 1871, he found willing ears to listen. He was hardly home, before his closest relatives followed him, and he placed them on his farm. About 75 persons came during the winter of 1872-73, and settled in Sandusky, waiting until spring to move westward. A delegation sent to the West found South Dakota to be a most suitable place for settlement. On April 17th these Russian-German immigrants landed in Yankton and took homesteads 20 miles north of that city. They called the-settlement Odessa. (35)

The first settlers from Russia in Nebraska were a group of 46 persons who came in April 1873 from the province of Bessarabia and settled at Columbus. (36)

(WP5 p.29) In the fall of 1873 a group of about 300 persons came on the ships Cimbna and Thuringias from the province of Cherson, and settled in and near Sutton, Nebraska, (37) with some going to South Dakota.

The Mennonites

The Mennonites had sent to St. Petersburg one delegation after the other to bring about the change of the June edict. But all was in vain. Finally, upon the advice of one of their leaders, Cornelius Jansen, and on the invitation of the Canadian government, they and the Hutterites sent over to Canada and the United States three delegations to look for possibilities to settle. One of these groups reached an agreement with the Northern Pacific railroad for settlements in North Dakota. (38) However, the agreement was not kept. Two of the delegates were received by President Grant, in New York, but he could not give them the assurance of exemption for military service. (39) The petition of Cornelius Jansen and his friends to the Congress for the setting aside of an area of 200,000 acres for the Mennonites was also not granted. They had to accept the laws made for all immigrants. (40) The American Mennonites organized a "Committee of Guardians" which directed their friends from Russia and assisted them. The State of Kansas received the majority of the Mennonite immigration, about 600 families, with South Dakota receiving about 200 families, and Nebraska about 15. (41)

The Volga Germans

In 1874 the Evangelical and Catholic Volga German colonies held meetings which resulted in the election of 14 delegates whom they sent to the United States to look for land. Nine of them were Evangelical and five were Catholic. They came over on the ship Schiller of the Hamburg America Line . They were in the states of Arkansas, Kansas, and Nebraska. In September of the same year the immigration from the Volga began. The Protestants went to Sutton, Nebraska, and the Catholics to Kansas. Some of the Protestants also went to Kansas.

The Hutterites The first Hutterites arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska, in July 1873. Scouting from here for land and not finding what they expected, they went to Yankton, South Dakota, where they stayed until August, 1874, when they bought an estate west of town on which they founded their first "Bruderhof" - brotherly estate. (42) At the same time they also settled at Silver Lake in Turner County, and later at the Wolf creek on the James River. (43) Later they organized about 24 "brotherly estates" - "Bruderhofe". - in South Dakota. (44)

(WP5 p.30) Settlements in the Individual States

South Dakota

From 1873 until 1884 the Russian-Germans settled in South Dakota in the counties of Hutchinson, Yankton, Bon Homme, Turner, Douglas, and Mix. By 1884 the land in these counties was almost all taken, and the immigration went farther north with the covered wagon or with the railroad. In the central part of the state are very few Russian-German settlements. They did settle, however, in the more northerly counties of Edmonds, McPherson, Campbell, Potter and Wallworth. (45) The Mennonites came to South Dakota in the summer of 1873, and settled about 30 miles north of Yankton in the spring of 1874. They took homesteads near Freeman, Menno, and Parker. Most of them came from Volhynia, but also from the Crimea and Molotschna. They did not spread out in South Dakota as did the non-Mennonites. (46)

Nebraska

The settlement at Sutton did not develop to a large degree. The evangelical group spread out from there to Burlington, Colorado; St. Francis, Kansas; and Culbertson and McCook, Nebraska. The Catholics spread to Albion, Nebraska. (47)

The Volga Germans settled partly on farms near Sutton, but the majority went to work at the railroad and in the nearby towns. Materially they were by far less well-off than the Black Sea Germans. They scattered in the towns along the Burlington railroad; Hastings, Grand Island, York. Lincoln, though, became the main place of arrival and settlement. Here they found jobs and from here they spread out at the beginning of the century to the beet fields of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. (48)

The oldest settlement of the Mennonites in Nebraska is Beatrice. Mennonites from Germany also settled here. Jansen and Henderson have also settlements of this group.

Kansas

The first settlements of the Mennonites in Kansas originated north of Newton in Marion and McPherson counties in 1874. They founded the villages of Brudertal, Rosenort, Gnadenfeld, and others. Later they turned to individual farming buying most of their land from the Santa Fe railroad. (50)

(WP5 p.31) The Protestant Volga Germans started for Kansas around Christmas, 1875. They settled first near Peabody, Marion, and Tampa in the neighborhood of the Mennonites in Marion county. Later they spread farther West to Rush and Russel counties; also to Bazine and Ness counties. (51) The Catholic Volga Germans started their immigration to Kansas in October 1875 on the ship Ohio of the North German Lloyd line. They settled also in Rush, Russel, and Ellis counties and organized a number of villages: Liebentaz, Pfeifer, Munior, Schoenchen, Catherine, and Victoria (formerly Herzog). (52) St. Francis has a Black Sea German Settlement. Some Black Sea Germans live near Russel. (53)

Oklahoma When this state finally was opened for white settlement in 1891, protestant Volga Germans from Kansas crossed the line and settled on the upper course of the Canadian river. They founded a number of settlements including Shattuck, Tangier, and Okene. (54) The Black Sea Germans settled at Clinton and Bessie. (55)

There are also some Mennonite Settlements at Menno, Corded, and Mountain View.

North Dakota

The Russian-German immigration to this state began in 1884, and was a continuation of the immigration of the Black Sea Germans to South Dakota. At that time both states were one territory. When there was no more land in that state to settle, the move to North Dakota began. The Volga Germans were absent in this immigration and they were not many Mennonites. (56) The immigrants were almost all Protestant and Catholic Black Sea Germans. If one places the Missouri River in the middle, one may form of the area in which the Russian-Germans have settled in this state a pyramid, at the top of which will be Pierce County, not far from the Canadian border, and the base about 150 miles east and west of the river. The area comprises 23 counties. The Protestants live mostly east of the river; the Catholics to the north-east and west of it. But the Protestant element predominates everywhere. After the Norwegians, the Germans and Russian-Germans form the largest national group in North Dakota. In 1910 the state counted 60,000 persons of Russian-German descent. McIntosh county, for example, has a population of which 90% are Russian-Germans. (57) Strong Russian-German settlements are found also in the counties of Logan, Stutsman, McLean, Emmons, and Morton. (58)

(WP5 p.32) Colorado

The first Volga Germans arrived in Denver in 1880 with the Union Pacific railroad on - which they were working. They originally lived in Russel, Kansas. In 1900 when a sugar factory was built in Sugar City, German workers were called in from Lincoln, Nebraska. From that time on began the immigration of that group to Colorado. Settlements arose in Ft. Lupton, Greeley, Windsor, Ft. Morgan, Ft. Collins, Loveland, Longmont and Montrose. (59)

Wyoming, Montana, Idaho In the state of Wyoming the oldest Russian-German settlement is found in Cheyenne. The group was brought in by the Union Pacific railroad. The oil city of Casper has also a Volga German settlement. When in the Wind River and Big Horn Basin irrigation and the planting of Sugar beets was begun in 1916, Volga German farmers and workers were brought in. Worland and Riverton also have Volga German settlements, (60) as well as Lovell and Wheatland. (61)

Montana has Volga German settlements in Billings, Hardin, Laural, Park City, and Worden. These are places with irrigation where beets, peas and beans are grown. (62)

Black Sea Germans live in the eastern part of Montana at Fallen, Watchins, Glendive, and Terry. (63)

Mennonite settlements are found on the Missouri at Wolf Point, and Hutterites at Lewistown.

In Idaho we find the Volga Germans in Sugar City, St. Maries, Paul and Malbeta. They came here also with the beginning of the sugar industry. (64)

Washington The Volga Germans reached this state in 1881. They came from Hastings, Nebraska, and settled at Ritzville. Further settlements of the group are at Walla Walla, Yakima, and Tacoma. (65)

Some Catholic Volga Germans settled at Toppenish.

The Black Sea Germans came to the state in 1890 and settled at Ritzville, Ralston, Odessa, Lind, and Krupp (Marlin). (66)

Mennonites settled also at Ritzvlle.

(WP5 p.33) Oregon The oldest Volga German settlement in this state is in the northern part of Portland. In the 30's this settlement numbered about 500 families. It goes back to 1882, when the Volga Germans, after having worked for the Union Pacific, were either brought to or terminated their employment in San Francisco. From there they were brought to Portland by ship. In 1891 a group of Black Sea Germans settled in Eugene, and in 1906 and 1909 in Mulino and Newberg.

In 1892 some Black Sea Germans settled also in Portland together with some Catholic Volga Germans.

California

A large Volga German settlement is found in Fresno. They came to California as workers on the vegetable growing fields and in the packing houses. Other settlements of that group are found in Reedley, Sanger. Dinuba, and Visalia. (69)

Lodi has a strong settlement of Black Sea Germans since 1897. The settlers originally came from Menno. South Dakota. From Lodi they spread out to the north and settled in Gait, Scampo, and Elk Grove. (70) In Southern California there are Black Sea and Mennonite settlements in Shatter and Bakersfield. (71)

Texas Since 1890 some Black Sea Germans who probably came from Worms (Sutton), have settled in Texas. We find settlements in Henrietta, which was organized by them, and in Petrolia. (72)

Utah

There is a small settlement of Black Sea Germans in Provo. The group came to that state in 1887. They are from Neudorf of the province of Cherson. Originally they had gone to Palestine in 1873 with other templars. From there they came to Utah. (73)

Industrial Cities in the East

Industrial cities of the East received a great German influx especially of Volga Germans: Muscatine, Iowa - factory workers; Saginaw, Bay City, and Flint, Michigan automobile industry; Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Ashkosh, Racine, and Milwaukee, Wis. - Factory workers;

(WP5 p.34) Chicago, Jefferson Park, Dolton, Lansing, Thorndton, Riverdale - in all of these are found Volga Germans. Groups are also found in Wauseon, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Pine Island, and Stuyvesant Falls.

Economic Development. The immigration

According to the official dates of the Commissioner of Immigration since 1903 to 1927 there emigrated from Russia to the United States 115,022 persons, of German descent.

The highest number came in the years;

1905 - 10,279 1906 - 13.480 1911 - 11,031 1912 - 17,857 1913 - 9,889

Total persons who immigrated from Russia to the United States 1857-1905: 1,565,487.(74) This shows that the highest immigration took place during or about the time of the Japanese war and the years before World War 1. Dates from 1857 to 1903 indicate in general persons from Russia, but not the nationality.

One can state that the Germans from Russia became in time quite prosperous. About half of the Volga Germans from Russia are on farms in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and other states. The other half lives in the cities and are employed in the factories, shops railroads, etc. They were usually much poorer than the Black Sea Germans at their arrival. Big settlements of Volga Germans employed in industries are found in Chicago, Lincoln, Denver, Portland, and Fresno. They usually live in the suburbs, but not in slums. Their yards and houses are clean, Hattie Plum Williams writes in her book A Social Study of the Russian German "Neglect and decay of buildings is nowhere visible. On the other hand many of the houses of the settlement are made over from half tumbled down structures which were brought at a low price and remodeled under the skillful and painstaking hand of the owner."

The Volga Germans were very successful as beet farmers in Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. First they came as laborers, then they rented the farms and finally they bought them. About one-half of the beet farms in Colorado are owned by Volga Germans.

The Black Sea Germans live on farms in Nebraska, Kansas, South and North Dakota, Montana, and Washington. Where there is wheat to plant there they feel best. To a good part they were also poor when they came to the United States and experienced great hardships at

(WP5 35) the beginning. They contributed immensely to the building up of the farms where they settled and became more prosperous than the Volga Germans. Seldom were they satisfied with one quarter of land. Two or three is the usual measure.

Religious Conditions

While in Russia the Germans were of the following confessions: Lutheran, Catholic, Mennonite, Baptist, and Hutterite, but in the United States, however, they split into smaller factions. Those who are Lutheran belong to a number of Lutheran denominations such as the American Lutheran Church, Missouri Lutheran Church, Wisconsin Lutheran and United Lutheran. The Congregational church had a German Congregational Branch which was dissolved at the Union of the Congregationalists with the Evangelical and Reformed churches. These three churches now compose the United Church of Christ. The Russian-Germans who belonged to the Congregational, Evangelical and Reformed churches, now belong to the United Church of Christ. The United Bretheren linked with the Methodists and so the Russian-Germans who formerly belonged to that church are now Methodists. One of the reasons for the German emigration from Russia was the requirement to change their church services from their mother tongue to a foreign language. These immigrants experienced similar difficulties in the United States when their churches changed from German to English, which caused many bad feelings in the congregations.

We could count 400 congregations of different denominations not including the Mennonites, Hutterites and Catholics.

The steamship lines used by the Russian-Germans to reach the shores of the United States were: The Hamburg America Line, Red Star Line, Inman Line, and The North German Lloyd.

The Mennonites used mainly the Hamburg America Line. It seems the service, especially the food, on the ships of this line was better than on the others. There were usually no small complaints concerning the treatment and food on the ships of the North German Lloyd.

The genealogist will have to face the sad experience that the records of the Hamburg America Line were destroyed. However there are records of the senate of the Free City of Hamburg that are preserved, and could be used for genealogical purposes. It is different, though, with the records of the North German Lloyd line of Bremen. Here everything was destroyed by the bombings that took place during the second World War.

The National Archives and Record Service in Washington, D.C. has shipping records of

(WP5 p.36) immigration beginning with 1820. These records are from the customs office, and are therefore not complete. The Immigration Office has records from 1891 on, and the port of New York from 1897. The records on Russia begin with 1857. Unfortunately they do not indicate the descent of the persons. Only from 1904 on is the origin or extraction indicated.

Of importance for genealogy are a good number of family chronicles which were published by Russian-Germans as well as church records of different denominations to whom the Russian- Germans belong. Especially important is a series of so-called Jubilee books published in South and North Dakota. Our bibliography will give an account of those.

(WP5 p.37) FOOTNOTES

(1) Stumpp, Karl, Die Russlanddeutschen in Veberser Heimatbuch 1963, pp. 18-21. (2) Aberle, George, From the Steppes to the Prairies p. 77. (3) Eichler, Adolph Die Deutschen in Kongresspolen p. 57. (4) Ibid. Page 129. (5) Beyer, Richard. Die Deutschen in Ost-Galizien. - Deutsche Post aus dam Osten. 1940. N. 2. pp. 5-7. (6) Siewert, Harald. Umsiedlung der Volksdeutschen aus Galizien und Wolhynein. Deutsche Post aus dein Osten. N. 12, 1939, pages 1-4. (7) Kaindl, R. F. Dr. Dig deutschen in der Bukowina pp. 2, 6, 10. (8) Rink. F. Die Wolhyniendeutschen. Ihr Werk und Ihr Schicksal. Heimatbuch 1959, p. 42. (9) Althausen, Ernst, Pastor. Die Deutschen in Wolhynien. p. 2. (10) Ibid. p. 4 (11) Boese, J.A. The Prussian • Polish Mennonites settling in South Dakota pp. 42, 83. (12) Stumpp, K. Dr. Die deutsche Auswanderung nach Russland 1763.1862. page VI. (13) Bonwetsch, Gerhardt Dr. Geschichte der deutschen Kolonien an der Wolga pp. 30-31. (14) Stumpp. Karl Dr. The German Russians p. 12. (15) Bonwetsch.G. Ibid. p.23. (16) Mortitz, Andreas. Aus der russlanddeutschen Forschung. Deutsche Post aus dem Osten 1940. p. 14. (17) Stumpp, Karl Dr. Die Russlanddeutschen. p. 13. (18) Smith, C.H. Story of the Mennonites. p. 387. (19) Zieglschmidt, AJ.F. Daskleike Geschichtebuch der hutterischen Brueder. pp. 435-436. (20) Stumpp. Karl. The German Russians, p. 11. (21). Ibid. p. 15. (22) Ibid. p. 14. (23) Stumpp, K. Die Russlanddeutschen. pp. 24, 26 (24) Ibid. p. 25. (25) Ibid, p. 26.

(26) The Catholics were under a German • Russian Bishop who resided at Saratov. (27) Stumpp. Karl. Die Russlanddeutschen. p. 28. (28) Stumpp, Karl. Die heutigen Wohngebiete und berufliche Aufgliederung der Deutschen in der Sowjetunion. Heimatbuch 1959. p. 315. (29) Schmid, Edmund. Die deutschen Kolonien im Schwarsmeergebiet Sued Russlands pp. 25-26. (30) Schock, Adolph Prof. In quest of free land. p. 97. (31) Billington, R.A. Westward expansion, p.703. (32) Ibid. p. 699. (33) Schauffler, William. Autobiography of William Schsuffler. p.97. (34) Bonekemper, Johannes, Tagebuch von 1849. p.44. (35) Rath, Georg. Prof. Die Russlanddeutschen in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nord Anwika. Heimatbuch. 1963. pp. 26, 33.

(WP5 p.38) (36) Ibid. p. 35. (37) Ibid. p. 34. (38) Smith, C.H. The coming of the Russian Mennonites. pp. 70-71. (39) Zieglschmidt A.J. Das kleine Geschichtsbuch der hutterischen Brueder. p.604. (40) Reimer, Gustav & Gaeddert, G.R. Exiled by the Czar. pp.92-96. (41) Smith. C.H. The coming of the Russian Mennonites. p. 107. (42) Zieglschmidt, A.J.F. Das kleine Gescbicbtsbuch der Hutterischen Brueder, p. 459. (43) Ibid. (44) Mendel, J.J. History of the people of East Freeman, Silver Lake and West Freeman and History of Freeman (1958-1951) p.25. (45) Sallet, Richard. Russlanddeutsche Siedlungen in den Vereinigten Staaten. pp. 17, 18, 12, 13. (46) Smith, C. H. The Coming of the Russian Mennonites p. 158-159. (47) Sallet. R. Ibid. pp. 32-33. (48) Williams, Hattie Plum. A social study of the Russian-German. (49) Smith. C. H. Ibid. pp. 172-173. (50) Ibid. p. 143. (51) Sallet, Richard. Ibid. pp. 34-35. (52) The Golden Jubilee of the German-Russian settlements of Ellis and Rush counties, Kansas. pp. 13-14 ff. (53) Sallet, R. Ibid. p. l8. (54) Sallet. R, Ibid. pp. 18, 36. (55) Ibid. (56) Robinson, History of North Dakota. p. 360. (57) Sallet, R. Russlanddeutsche Siedlungen in den Vereinigten Staaten. p. 16. (58) Ibid. p. 15. (59) Ibid. pp. 39 ff. (60) Ibid. p. 43. (61) Ibid. (62) Ibid. p. 42 (63) Ibid. p. 43. (64) Ibid. (65) Ibid. p. 37. (66) Ibid. p. 19. (67) Ibid. p. 38. (68) Ibid. p. 20. (69) Ibid. p: 38. (70) Ibid. p. 20. (71) Ibid. p.20 (72) Ibid. pp. 18-19. (73) Ibid. p.21. (74) Rath. G. Die Russlanddeutschen in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nord Amerika. Heimatbuch. 1963. p. 42. (75) Williams, Hattie Plum. A social study of the Russian-German. p. 147.

(WP5 p.39) American Historical Society of Germans. from Russia 1004A NINTH AVENUE - P.O. Box 1424. TELEPHONE: 352-9467 GREELEY, COLORADO 80831

FOUNDATION EDUCATION AND RESEARCH January 1, 1971

SET YOUR SIGHTS HIGH

At Long Last!!

Did you know?

1. That the AHSGR Foundation is almost a reality?

2. That the legal clearance from present indications will be no problem – tax wise?

3. That the Foundation will make a great AHSGR greater?

What! Where! Who!

1. The Foundation is a separate Fund of Monies for our future Repositories, Research, Goals.

2. Members and Administrators will designate how funds can best serve our objectives.

3. Pioneer Members from everywhere, who make donations will receive certificates of recognition to treasure.

When? Coming Soon!

1. Plan ahead now to participate. Rewarding!

2. Our next mailing will have all details.

At your service, always,

Mrs. Theodore E. Heinz

[The original was handwritten.]

(WP5 p.40) OBERMONJOU - THEN AND NOW

This article is a composite of interviews held in 1968 with four natives of the village Obermonjou on the Volga, who are now living in Germany. The men, ranging in age from 49 to 53 years, made their way in one way or another to Germany and were re-settled there after the war. All have now re-established contact with members of their families in Siberia. They all told similar stories, often corroborating each other's accounts. Only one of the four had attended school beyond a few years and one had not attended at all. None has made any attempt to bring relatives to the west. All four were afraid to go back. All four asked that their names not be used.

The author, Victor Leiker, is a New Jersey Journalist, and a native of the village of Monjor, Ellis County, Kansas.

This then is their story, the story of their village:

There were rich fields of grain all around the village; the geese and pigs were almost hidden in the high, lush prairie grasses in the communal fields just outside the town. The milk cows, a few with a calf at their sides, were fat with glistening hides. Little boys shouted to each other across the field or played together, keeping a wary eye on the animals with whose safety they were charged as well as on the village streets lest someone discover their delinquency.

In the village itself there was order, such order as Germans always maintain. There were now sidewalks and some paved streets but otherwise the village had changed little in the past one hundred and sixty years. Each home was still a small "fortress" of its own with huge, often thick wooden gates. In each yard there was the same impeccable order which marked the town.

There were no animals in the barns. The horses and sheep had been taken to the "plains" where they were being summered as the working members of the family tended to the crops. As they had done for generation after generation, the families went to the fields in the spring where they lived in huts, tents or often in underground "semilinken" until the fall.

In the back of the yard and buildings were the gardens, often large with all manner of rich vegetables piled in small heaps which the women and older children were harvesting. The tops from the root vegetables were in small piles to be saved for feed or compost.

It had been a good spring. There were cucumbers as large

(WP5 p.41) as a man's forearm, watermelon, turnips, carrots, beets, cantaloupes, radishes and rows of potatoes and cabbage. The fruit trees were heavy with their yield, big blue plums, apples so thick they bent the limbs almost to the ground, and pears ready for picking.

The place was Obermonjou, deep in the heart of Russia on the banks of the Volga River. The year was 1925. It was the type of harvest season the people loved and had known for decades. It was a particularly joyous occasion this year because few had forgotten the suffering and hunger during the famine of the early 1920's.

Founded in 1767, the village had been named after a land and settlement agent employed by Catherine the Great to induce the Germans to settle along the Volga on the steppes of central Russia. His name was Monjou and he was a Frenchman. Another village, this one settled by Evangelical Lutherans and called Nieder-monjou, also bore his name. Obermonjou had grown and had a population of almost 5,000 souls, as the people were reckoned then.

Residents of Obermonjou knew that the Russia they had studied about and had been born in had changed. They knew of the wars between the bolsheviks, the communists, the White Russians. They knew the Czar was dead but for the most part they paid little attention to these dramatic changes in their world. In fact, they knew less of what was going on and cared less than did the villagers in the north of England or Scotland or the man in the streets in America's Midwest.

There had been changes in their way of life, but changes they did not, at least most of them did not, comprehend nor try to understand. The older people had been concerned for the past few years over the school crisis.

In contrast to the Russification Policy of the late 19th century czars, by which the Russian language had become mandatory in German schools, the communists had established a Volga German Republic in which German was the basic language. However, even though school instruction could now be given in German, a far greater peril soon became evident.

Religious instruction was no longer allowed, and only those teachers who were completely loyal to the communist regime were given permission to continue working. The main duty of these teachers was to inculcate atheistic and communistic beliefs in the minds and souls of their pupils. As a result, many parents refused to allow their children to continue attending the village schools.

Looking back, the villagers recall that the establishment of these communistic schools was the beginning of the heartbreak and agony they were to endure. There were some who felt they knew what

(WP5 p.42) was coming. These advocated cooperation. Others insisted that the schools were the testing ground. If they could win on this issue, they reasoned, they would be left alone. Those who had relatives and friends in the cities knew different. They knew the communists had won and that they were here to stay. But even they did not know how awful and how horrible the death of their village would be.

Looking back, the villagers now remember other signs. One was the closing of the Catholic seminary in Saratov. Another was the return of their young men who had gone to Saratov or other Russian cities for work. They reported that the communists were in power everywhere and repression and persecution had begun.

While there had been some harassments and difficulties since the early 1920's with the government, the first major confrontation came with the arrival of a new edict in 1929.

The tax was oppressive and meant ruin for most of the farmers. The villagers assembled and discussed this crisis and sent delegations to meet with their neighboring villages. Protest letters were sent to the highest councils but all to no avail.

It was at about this time, they remember, that the first communist arrived. He was a small, wiry man, with bright and penetrating eyes. He was dressed immaculately and spoke a cultured German. He also could speak the villager’s dialect. Glib, easy going and fond of stories his charm met with almost total silence wherever he went. Counseling cooperation with the government, preaching the brotherhood of man and passionately and eloquently defending the revolution, he forecast a great day for all the Russian people. But he made no friends. The suspicious Germans isolated him and few would be found speaking to him but all had to listen.

Shortly after the arrival of the "Satan", as the man was called, came more tax assessments. These grew and grew ever larger. The large landowners, and there were many, were the first to feel the pinch. They often had to sell their livestock, their crops still in the fields and often some of their land to meet the assessments. When they could no longer pay the taxes confiscation was speedy and prompt. In, the next few years most of the large farmers were liquidated and their lands taken over by the government for collectivized farms. There was never a single order, the people recall, as had been the case in many other parts of Russia for the abolition of the private farms. It was rather a slow, steady, step-by-step program. While the new communist agents recommended that the villages combine their acreage they did not, for some reason or other, force the issue in those early years.

Only seldom, during this period, did Russian soldiers appear in the village. When they did, it was a sort of gruesome game they played. A villager often woke in the morning to find a wooden, carved figure of a man standing before his door. On his chest would be pinned or nailed a notice of grain or livestock

(WP5 p.43) assessment. The assessment was generally for more grain or animals than the villager possessed. He then had to borrow from his friends or family all he could or he would lose all that he possessed. Often he was required to deliver the assessment in his own wagon and with his own horses to a designated warehouse or receiving point. Sometimes he had to walk home as his wagon and horses were also confiscated.

Sometimes villagers disappeared because they defied the tax collectors. Occasionally entire families just disappeared during the night and would never be heard from again. This was comparatively rare, however, since most of them did what they could to meet the quotas and when their animals were finally taken away from them they tried to subsist as best they could, often subsisting almost entirely out of their gardens.

What is hard to explain, one of the survivors of this period says, is that the death of their village was nothing sudden. It was a “gradual thing". As an example, he explained that when the Germans resisted the collectivization effort all the horses in the village were ordered assembled in the village square. A group of Russians then examined each animal carefully. One man was observed frequently placing his hand in his pocket before he turned back the horses’ eyelids. When the horse was then led to the next inspector he would declare that the horse suffered from an eye disease and had to be destroyed. A group of youngsters noticed what was happening and quickly whispered their discovery to the young men leading the animals. Those who believed the whispering would quickly wipe the horses' eyes. Many horses were spared that way. The others were destroyed immediately. A group of young men were pressed into service and were required to bury the animals in long, deep trenches just outside the village. Only a few dozen horses were left in Obermonjou when the sun set that night.

The historic and famous famine began slowly. In the spring of 1930 there were few breeding animals left, the last sausage had been consumed during the long winter and there was little seed grain left of any kind. Appeals to the commune did not help and much of the confiscated land now lay idle because the government had not provided seed and there were too few horses and no power machinery with which to till the land. But nature could not be stopped and somehow food was grown and hoarded and saved. The following year the shortage of seed grains and breeding stock became even worse.

Yet the stubborn people resisted. They attended few meetings and did little to cooperate with the bureaucrats who were setting up offices in every town and village.

Some relief finally came but it was too late for many. In Obermonjou an appreciable percentage of the population had starved. Many left, abandoning all that they loved and cherished, only to die along the roadsides in their search for food. Cats, dogs, rats

(WP5 p.44) and wild animals in the fields disappeared. People were now too weak to work or even to care. Often the fathers who had left to find work or food returned only to die in the arms of their loved ones. Mothers, who gave each crumb to their young ones, often were found dead in bed in the morning.

The people, however, clung to their faith. In Obermonjou, the survivors of the famine can fix the date of the death of their village, if a date were needed. It was the day the Russian soldiers arrived, mined their church and blew it to smithereens.

In village after village the churches had been locked up. Often this was a simple matter as there were few priests or ordained ministers left. Those few old priests who could still travel made trips to the various communities whenever they could. The frequency declined, steadily until services could be held only once every two or three months. When the notice came for the Obermonjou village church to be closed, one of the few priests in the valley was still living in the village. He and the men in his parish assembled en-masse in front of the church and defied the communists who had arrived to seal the doors. The communists, to everyone's surprise, left, ostensibly giving up. The villagers rang their bells proudly and assembled, the entire congregation for a celebration of thanksgiving.

Their joy was short lived, however. A few weeks later a contingent of soldiers, some say there were twelve of them, arrived with a wagon load of equipment and kegs of dynamite. Without a word. to anyone they proceeded to drill holes along the foundations of what was described as a "most beautiful church in the valley with a magnificent hand-carved high altar". When all was in readiness the villagers were assembled near the church and the explosion was set off. There was no fire but the blast "separated stone from stone".

The men, women and children were then ordered to clean up the debris. They worked for weeks, the stones being carefully cleaned and hauled to the banks of the Volga River near a wharf. Months later the villagers again had to handle the stones to load them on the barges. They were taken to Katherinenstadt (Marxstadt) for a technical high school which still stands.

While living conditions improved gradually the Germans watched in amazement as the nation became armed but no German boys were conscripted. Many of the farmers still raised their crops in the distant fields. Others simply went to work on the collectivized, farms which the Russians were establishing. With the church destroyed some families no longer returned to the village but remained on their distant fields where they eked out a bare existence.

The anti-religious campaign, through the newspapers and posters, was now intensified. Yet, it is recalled, there was no direct persecution. The communists, at least in Obermonjou, relied mainly on ridicule. No religious instruction could be given. However, adults assembled regularly and often in secret to conduct

(WP5 p.45) simple services. Children were baptized and often a priest could be found to bless marriages.

In 1939, finally, the order came for all the young men to report for physical examinations and induction into the army. But even then, many waited for months while the military leaders in Moscow debated whether or not to accept these "Germans" in the armed forces.

The rest of the story of Obermonjou, as well as that of the other villages in the Volga area and much of the Crimea is well known. Rumors had been circulating for months that the German army would soon occupy Stalingrad and would then come up the Volga to occupy the area. There were reports that the Germans had restored property rights to the people in the Ukraine. Others predicted that the communists would be driven out and the Germans would establish a democracy. Yet there were too many stories, often carried by travelers and sometimes relatives, that the Russian army had already begun evacuating Germans from the Crimea.

In Obermonjou the order came early in the morning. The people were given four hours in which to prepare for the evacuation. Anyone resisting or attempting to hide would be summarily shot, and a few were. Soldiers arrived a few hours after the order and herded the people to the banks of the river where they boarded barges and were taken to a railhead. Each person, regardless of age, was allowed one suitcase or bundle. That and nothing more. Some suspected that they would be sent to Siberia and took all the clothes and bedding they could carry. Others took as much food as they could assemble. In the long run those with the extra clothing and bedding had the best chance of surviving the cold in the north where little or no preparation had been made for their arrival.

At the railhead, the people were loaded into freight and cattle cars, some with open vents and some with no vents at all. And so began the long, horrible and disastrous trip to Siberia. No statistics are available, and we shall probably never know how many died on their trip to the forced labor camps, and how many in the forests, mines and fields of Siberia.

The full story of those years is not yet known. Letters to natives of Obermonjou now living in Germany are still guarded. Reports from an occasional escapee are often fragmentary.

One young Obermonjou lad. who survived Siberia was able to visit the Volga a few years ago while on a government mission. His report to an uncle in Germany was short. It said: "I could not even find where our village had been.” It is as though nature had returned the land to the plains as they once were, with not a tree, or a smokestack or a road or even a rusty pipe marking the village we loved so much."

(WP5 p.46) IMPORTANT DATES IN THE HISTORY OF THE GERMAN COLONISTS IN RUSSIA Compiled by Theo. C. Wenzlaff

1. September 22. 1762 ------German Princess Sophia Augusta Fredericka of Anhalt- Zerbst crowned Empress Catherine II (known as the Great) of Russia; reigned 1762-1796.

2. December 4, 1762 ------First Manifesto of Catherine II issued, inviting foreigners to settle in Russia with no results.

3. July 22, 1763 ------Second Manifesto of Catherine II issued, setting forth alluring terms of colonization of foreigners in Russia, attracting thousands of colonists from Germany. 4. 1764/1767 ------Founding of German colonies in the Volga Region, Russia. 5. August 28, 1765 ------Founding of Balzer, one of the largest Volga-German colonies.

6. 1765/1767 ------Founding of settlements by German colonists around Saint Petersburg (later named Petrograd and now named Leningrad), Russia. 7. 1765/1789 ------Founding of Belowesch colonies near Tschernigow, Riebensdorf near Voronesh, Alt-Schwedendorf near Berislav and Alt-Dansig, Fischerdorf and Josefstal, all in the Ukraine. 8. 1789/1790 ------Founding of Mennonite colonies in Chortiza District, Ukraine. 9. November 6, 1796 ------Death of Catherine II at the age of sixty-seven following a stroke.

10. 1796-1801 ------Reign of Czar Paul I, son of Catherine II.

11. 1801-1825 ------Reign of Czar Alexander I, the Well-Beloved, grandson of Catherine II.

12. February 20, 1804 ------Alexander I issues decree for settlement of colonists in the Black Sea Region.

13. 1804/1827 ------Founding of German colonies in Taurida, Ukraine; Klosterdorf, Muehlhausendorf, Schlangendorf near Berislav, Prischib District and Halbstadt District.

(WP5 p.47)

14. 1804/1824 ------Founding of German colonies in the Odessa District, Ukraine.

15. 1804/1810 ------Founding of German colonies in the Crimea.

16. 1814/1842 ------Founding of German colonies in Bessarabia.

17. 1817/1818 ------Founding of German colonies in the South Caucasus. 18. 1822/1831 ------Founding of German colonies near Berdjansk on the Sea of Azov, Ukraine. 19. 1823/1842 ------Founding of German colonies in the Mariupol (Planer) District, Ukraine. 20. 1854/1859 ------Founding of Mennonite colonies near Samara (now Kuibyshev) on the Volga River. 21. 1816-1831-1861 ------Settlement of Germans in Volhynia along the border of Poland and Russia. 22. 1825-1855 ------Reign of Czar Nicholas I, grandson of Catherine II, brother of Alexander I. 23. July 1, 1849 ------Johann Ludwig Botte (born 1821 in the German colony Johannestall, Odessa District) and a small party from the Odessa District sail from Odessa, Russia, for the United States and settle in Ohio. 24. 1855-1881 ------Reign of Czar Alexander II, great-grandson of Catherine II and son of Nicholas I. 25. June 4, 1871 ------Imperial Russian government issues decree repealing the Manifestos of Catherine II and Alexander I, terminating, after a grace period of ten years, the special privileges of the German colonists. 26. June/July, 1872 ------Johann Ludwig Bette visits colonies of Johannestal, Worms and Rohrbach, Odessa District, urging emigration to the United States. 27. Summer 1872 ------Departure of first group of eight families (l6 persons) from Johannestal, Odessa District, for Sandusky, Ohio. 28. October 17, 1872 ------Departure of second group of l6 to 26 families from Johannestal, Rohrbach and Worms, Odessa District, for Sandusky, Ohio.

(WP5 p.48)

29. November 5/8, 1872 ------Departure of third group of six families from Rohrbach and Helenental, Odessa District, for Sandusky, Ohio.

30. April 16, 1873 ------The three groups (30-40 families) of German immigrants from the Odessa District, Russia, leave Sandusky, Ohio, traveling by train to Yankton, Dakota Territory, arriving on April 18, 1873, and later homesteading near the present site of Lesterville, South Dakota.

31. Summer, 1873 ------Departure of 55 families (about 400 persons) from Worms and Rohrbach, Odessa District, Russia, for Nebraska, settling in and near Sutton, Nebraska, in September, 1873.

32. January 13, 1874 ------Imperial Russian government issues second decree to the decree of June 4, 1871 instituting compulsory military conscription immediately of German colonists. These two decrees impelled hundreds of thousands of German and Mennonite colonists to emigrate from Russia to North and South America.

33. 1881-1894 ------Reign of Czar Alexander III, great-great-grandson of Catherine II.

34. 1894-1917 ------Reign of Czar Nicholas II, great-great-great-grandson of Catherine II. He was deposed in 1917, imprisoned and executed with his family on July l6i 1918. He was the last monarch to rule over Russia.

35. July 28, 1914 ------Outbreak of World War I.

36. February, 1917 ------Revolution of February, 1917.

37. November 7, 1917 ------Bolshevik revolution in Russia led by Nikolai Lenin and the beginning of the Soviet regime.

38. 1920/1923 ------Period of famine in Russia claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. Death by starvation in the Volga-German villages estimated at 166,000 lives. American Relief Administration provides assistance.

39. 1928/1940 ------Farms and property expropriated by the Soviet government and Germans, like other Russian farmers, forced onto collective farms at starvation wages.

40. 1932/1933 ------Second period of famine again claims many lives, especially among the Volga Germans.

(WP5 p.49) 41. September 1, 1939 ------Outbreak of World War II.

42. June 22, 1941 ------Beginning of the German-Soviet War. 43. August 28, 1941 ------Beginning of the banishment and exile of the Volga Germans to the northeastern part of the European Soviet Union, to Middle Asia and to Siberia. 44. October 1-15, 1941 ------Banishment and exile of the Germans in the South Caucasus. 45. October l6, 1941 ------German troops capture Odessa and sweep over the Ukraine. 46. 1942/1944 ------With the retreat of the German forces and the approach of the Soviet Red Army, some 350,000 Germans in the Ukraine flee to the War the River region in Poland and to East Germany.

47. October 25, 1943 ------Soviet troops recapture Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

48. March 27, 1944 ------Soviet troops recapture Nikolajew, Ukraine.

49. April 10, 1944 ------Soviet troops occupy Odessa, Ukraine. 50. 1944/1945 ------Soviet troops advance into Poland and East Germany, and about 250,000 German refugees from Russia are returned to the Soviet Union into exile. Balance of about 100,000 Germans from Russia flee to West Germany. 51. 1946/1970 ------Of the 100,000 Germans from Russia who reached West Germany, some 25,000 to 30,000 have emigrated to Canada and the United States, and between 70,000 and 75,000 are living in the Federal Republic of Germany. The displaced Germans in Russia are held in virtual captivity behind the Iron Curtain.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

(WP5 p.50) GENEALOGY SECTION

Elsewhere in this Workpaper you will find information about the 2nd Annual Convention of the AHSGR to be held in Lincoln, Nebraska on June l8-20th, 1971. Because there was so much interest in family history research at last years convention we are planning two Workshops this year. One will again be on "Beginning Genealogy Research" with tips on where to look for information and how to fill out the forms to record it. The second Workshop will have a panel of experienced researchers who will give information and answer questions about where you can search to find the records of your ancestors from the various areas in the Soviet Union and Germany.

We are very pleased and excited to hear that Dr. Karl Stumpp of Tuebingen, Germany may be the guest speaker at this convention. Dr, Stumpp was born in Alexanderhilf, Odessa in 1896. He has spent many years in the research of the German colonists to Russia and is considered the foremost authority on their genealogy. Dr. Stumpp hopes to be able to address all those interested in family research at a special session during the convention.

In preparation for this, as well as for any other search you hope to make in Europe, we urge you to work doubly hard at contacting all the members of your family line who might have information that would give a clue to your ancestors original home. You simply cannot do any research without the name of your ancestor, where he came from and a date to help identify him. It may seem impossible then for some of us to ever be able to find the necessary data since records in the USSR are not available to us and the names and dates needed are not known — but are you sure? Often a family tradition, legend, nickname or characteristic will be the clue which identifies the person you are searching for.

For sometime now, Dr. Stumpp and others, have been searching through the archives of Germany and other countries and compiling lists of persons who emigrated, to Russia in the years 1765- 1862. The name and place of origin are given and the destination in Russia, if known. Articles on the various histories of the colonies are being translated and printed in the Workpapers and these often contain the list of the original colonists. Dr. Stumpp has also added a list of emigrants who left Russia for North and South America to his latest revision of his "Emigration Lists". Can you see how knowing your ancestor was the only one by that name in a certain colony or that he was "from Frankfort" might help you identify him?

In our eagerness to learn where our forefathers came from we often direct our inquiries overseas when we could have found the information here. The most fabulous collection of genealogical data in the world is stored in the Salt Lake City archive of The Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For this issue, Mrs. Roseann S. Warren of Helena, Montana, has written an interesting article to acquaint you with the Branch Libraries the Society maintains for genealogical research. In a future Workpaper we will try to list what records of Germans from Russia you will be able to find in the Genealogical Society's Library.

Government records are also a rich source of information. Mr. T. J. Schmierer of Albuquerque has a fine article on Homestead Records in Genealogy research. This should be of help to those of you who had a family member file for a claim. Genealogically speaking, (signed)Gerda Walker

(WP5 p.51) THE USE OF FEDERAL HOMESTEAD RECORDS IN OBTAINING FAMILY HISTORY INFORMATION By T. J . Schmierer

What does one do with this Homestead information? The National Archives in Washington, D. C, has all the original Homestead application and finalization data. To obtain this information, you can write to the National Archives and request the information of a personal nature relative to the Homestead or Timber Culture number which you copied from the Tract Book. In many cases it is not possible to determine from Tract Book entries if identical names represent one person or more than one person. There are many instances in which the same first and last names almost follow one another in the Tract Books but they represent two different people which are most likely cousins.

The following is one of the more detailed lists of personal data obtained from the National Archives after furnishing them the Homestead number: 1) the name of the individual and the legal description of the land, Michael Schmierer filed Homestead Final Certificate 4870, Bismarck, North Dakota, for the NW¼ of Section 33, Township 13 North of Range 75 West. 2) Notice of preemption Final Proof was published by Michael on May 30, 1890. 3) His Declaration of Intention for Citizenship was signed September 24, 1889. and stated that he was born in Russia in 1861 and arrived in the United States at Baltimore in June 1889. 4) The document, signed by Michael, "proving" his land was dated May 30, 1890 and stated he had moved on the land on July 20, 1889; had an 18' by 24' sod house worth $50.00 with two rooms, two doors, three windows and was plastered inside; a 14' by 14' sod barn worth $20,00; a 20' well worth $30.00; was a farmer and soldier in Russia; dug a cellar on June 22, 1889; had one wagon, one plow, one drag, two horses, two mules, one cow, one calf, two hogs, poultry, three beds and bedding, one table, two benches, one chair, one chest and a stone stove; had 2 1/2 acres in garden (including potatoes) and will sow the remaining 11 1/2 acres to flax.

The above is the most extensive information of a personal nature that I have ever obtained from this source. The National Archives will state the price of a copy of the entire 10, 20 or whatever number of pages from which the information was obtained. Although I have never purchased any of these copies, I did have the opportunity to look at some of these records during a trip to Washington several years ago.

(WP5 p.52) You will note that the personal information provided by the National Archives included the month and port at which Michael arrived in the United States. Although I did not pursue Michael any further, I did look for my grandfather as I knew the exact date he arrived and the port of entry. The National Archives has rolls of 35 mm microfilms of passenger lists and the viewers necessary to read the film. Unless the name is quite simple such as Brown or James, it is very likely that the name is misspelled as those people spoke German and the persons assigned the job of complying with the laws for recording the information did not.

To give you some idea as to the difficulties involved, I will relate the problems I had in my search. As I mentioned above, I knew the exact date and port of entry but it took me several searches through the same roll of film before I was able to find my grandfather's name. I knew that my grandfather left Russia by train and got on a boat at Hamburg, Germany. Since I knew that my grandfather got on a boat in Hamburg, I lightly passed over those ships that originated from other ports in Germany and England. I subsequently found that my grandfather had changed ships in England and had arrived in the United States on a ship originating in Glasgow. Rather than spelling the name correctly (Schmierer), it was spelled Schriemer. The ship records stated that he arrived on the SS Circassia and landed at the Port of New York on June 2, 1879 and had traveled steerage. Family names of others on the boat were Nief, Bing, Weber, Frey and Gohring as well as many others which I did not list. The passenger list gave his age as 33 and that of his wife as 36. Apparently the translation from German to English was poor as the age of his wife was 26.

Other information which can be obtained from this list is equally confusing and interesting. In the case of my Grandfather Meisenholder (spelled Maisenhelter in the passenger list) one of his sisters, listed as five years old though actually nine years old, died at sea. Also included as part of the family in the passenger list were another boy and another girl who were not actually members of that family. The thought is that those two children were from a Meisenholder family that stayed in Russia and just came along with my Grandfathers family.

(WP5 p.53) If your ancestors did any farming in Russia, it is very likely that they did the same thing in this country, at least for a few years. At the time of their migration to the United States, there was much land open in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas and areas to the west. The government was most interested in putting the land to use and made it very easy for people to acquire land providing they intended to use it. Two of the most popular methods were Homesteading and Timber Culture. It was often the case that a family would apply for the maximum Homestead land and then get neighboring land for Timber Culure. Your geography books will show you that much of this country was treeless.

The railroads and other groups which induced these Germans to come to the United States provided them with the necessary information to apply for citizenship and to obtain land. The Eastern States Land Office, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of the Interior, 7981 Eastern Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910 maintains the Tract Books in which the Homestead and Timber Culture information is located. The actual amount of information in these books is quite limited but is sufficient for starting one off on a very interesting path. Since most of you know that your parents, grandparents or great grandparents first settled in, say. South Dakota, you have several choices for obtaining Homestead and Timber Culture data. 1. You can go to Silver Spring, Maryland and look through the Track Books between 10:00 A. M. to 4:00 P. M. 2. You can hire someone in the area to perform the search for you. 3. You can order photo static copies of pages in the books at a cost of $2.00 per page.

Since the records are by State and by legal description in the State, you can narrow your search down considerably and, should you chose to order photo static copies, can cut your expenses considerably. Even if you have to order 20 or more copies, that is still much cheaper than going to Maryland. If you can't use the pages, send them to Greeley as others may use them. If the Society can obtain a complete set of the pertinent portions of the Tract Books, they can be indexed for general use.

(WP5 p.54) Another bit of information that can be obtained from the Tract Books is the legal description of the land which will permit you to request a copy of the 1880 census report for the family. This is obtained from Pittsburgh, Kansas. Several years ago the price was $1.00 per copy but is, no doubt, higher today. In some cases it is possible to obtain copies of the 1900 census reports for specific families. In any case, you will have to complete an application form, before placing your order. The translation from German to English again becomes a problem. The name Schmierer was spelled Smearer.

Copies of rolls of microfilm can be purchased from the National Archives and you can read them in your local library. The pricing procedure has changed as of July 1, 1970 and the National Archives will not be able to publish a complete price list much before January 1, 1971 but they will quote individual prices on request. The amount of information from. passenger lists varies with the years being examined. Prior to 1900 and after 1880, the passenger list included the number and types of pieces of luggage in addition to the information provided prior to that time.

T. J. Schmierer P. 0. Box 11116 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87112

If you are wondering where to write for government records send for the following booklets. Send cash or money orders, no stamps.

Superintendent of Documents Government Printing Office Washington, D. C. 20402 #630A-1 Where to Write for Birth and Death Records ($0.15) #630B Where to Write for Marriage Records ($0.10) #630G Where to Write for Divorce Records ($0.10) #GS 4. 6/2: G28 Guide to Genealogical Records in the National Archives pamphlet (free I think) Genealogical Sources Outside the Nat’l Archives Many of the important genealogical records for Canada are in the Public Archives of Canada. A brief guide to their records, entitled "Tracing your Ancestors in Canada", is available from the Queen's Printer, Ottawa, for $0.25. Ask for: #0. SA 2-4267

(WP5 p.55) GENEALOGICAL BRANCH LIBRARIES The Genealogical Society of the Church. of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints was organized in 1894 for the purpose of gathering vital records of genealogical importance from all over the world. The printed book collection at the close of 1968 numbered over 85,000 volumes—which are on shelves and available to researchers. The archives have a reference of over 6,500,000 indexed family records and card index of over 6,000,000 individual names. At the close of 1968 the collection of microfilmed records of genealogical interest numbered 600,000 rolls representing the equivalent of well over 5,000,000 volumes of 500 pages each. Microfilming of such records is now proceeding in locations the world over, and four to five thousand new rolls are added each month. The Genealogical Society library, 107 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111, ("genealogical treasure house of the world") although private, is available to anyone without charge and without regard to race or religious affiliation. In order for these microfilms to be used more widely, Genealogical Branch Libraries were established in 1964. Under usual circumstances, branch libraries are not located within 60 miles of another branch library. They are located in various Stake Houses across the county. Each branch library has a microfilm copy of the card catalog file of the Genealogical Society Library. Consult this set of films when ordering microfilms—title, subject, call number. Films are ordered at a branch library from the Genealogical Society Library at $0.50 per two- week rental with $0.15 postage, renewal is $0.25 a week. Or, if desired, indefinite loan is possible on payment of duplication costs. All microfilms are owned by the Genealogical Society Library and must be used only at the branch library and not removed. Branch libraries have microfilm reading machines located in a reading room. Tables and chairs are provided for reading and using the texts. These volumes at the branch libraries range from the basic texts required by Genealogical Society in some branches to large collections in others. Records on microfilm include ship passenger lists, U.S. and foreign-country censuses, family histories, and many sources of birth, christening, marriage and death from many countries. Each branch library's set of microfilm of the Genealogical Society Library's card catalog has, in addition to a list of microfilms of genealogical interest, lists of books, pamphlets, etc. that are of genealogical use and are in Salt Lake City. These are listed under states and countries. Even though this type of information can't be sent to branch libraries, it is valuable to know what is available should a person visit the main library in Salt Lake City. The Genealogical Society Library is unable to loan books since there is usually only one copy in its collection. As books are put on microfilm, however, the films will be made available on indefinite loan, provided copyright laws are not infringed.

(WP5 p.56) Each branch library has a collection. of basic genealogical books that can be used for reference for the U.S., British Isles, Norway and various other countries. They also contain books that describe how to find and file information and maps. Branch libraries, as of January 1, 1970, located in the rather immediate area are in Colorado Springs and Denver, Colorado; Montpelier, Boise, Burley, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Salmon, and Rexburg, Idaho; Kansas City, Missouri; Billings and Great Falls, Montana, La Grande and Eugene, Oregon; Moses Lake, Spokane, Tacoma and Richland, Washington; and Lovell and Evanston, Wyoming. The hours and days when branch libraries are open and staffed with member librarians can quickly be learned by calling a Bishop or Stake President or local LDS Church. It is worthwhile to visit these branch libraries and become acquainted with their invaluable facilities.

Mrs. Roseann Stroh Barren 546 Sparta St. Helena, Montana 59601

Note: Thanks to Mrs. Jennice Abercrombie who indexed the list of records available on microfilm of the Bessarabian colonies. We do not have the space to print them in this Workpaper but hope to do so in the near future. The information varies but births, marriages and deaths are given. The information is all in German script, Serial numbers 8440-8475 inclusive.

also: Microfilm 48868, 947 W2s “Notes and lists of persons colonizing in Russia and near the Black Sea, 1763-1862” by Dr. Karl Stumpp (from 1961 Heimatbuch der Deutschen aus Russland. In German.

Books of 1962, 1963 and 1964 contain the continued list but I did not find any cards on file indicating that they had been filmed. GsW.

(WP5 p.57) FAMILY NAME EXCHANGE Workpaper #5 The family Name Exchange was begun last issue to see if there was an interest in such a service. The response was greater than we could handle in Workpaper #4 and will be continued. We would like to hear if any of you have had positive results. In this listing it is our guess that two of the researchers are cousins both asking questions about the same family lines! We are interested in learning if that is so, do let us know. Again, do read these ads to any person who might have come from the same area either in Russia, the United States or Canada. Anyone with any research knowledge of Germans from Russia please write in and share it with us. Abbreviations used: b. = born Intin. = interested in GGF = Great Grandfather d. = died desc. = descendants Rss = Russia m.= married F = father Pat.= Paternal abt. = about M = mother Mat. = Maternal info. = information GF,GM = Grandfather Grandmother (?) = not sure of

ALTENHOF, N. C. Captain CFPO 1 GAG, Belleville, Ontario Canada Info. on anyone by this name (ALTENHOF) or anyone residing at Polevodino or G(l)nadenflur, both in Samara region.

BETZ, Larry, 3446 West 30th Ave. Denver, Colo. 80211 Researching BETZ family of Messer, Rss.

BRICE, Mrs. Ernest W. 3821 So. Findlay St., Seattle, Wash. 98118 Info. on: Karl LIPPERT and Heinergete RUEZLER of Berlin-Karolinov-Russo. Pol. Adam WEGNER of Karolinov, Flock, Russo-Pol. Helena KOELH of Karolinov; Flock, Russo. Pol. William PROCHNAU of Stieglitz-Prussia, Anna POTZLAF of Bruesow-Prussia and Henry HAUER of Hannover, Germany,

BULLOCK, Alice Grinstaff (Alice P. Bullock) 858 Woodrow Ave., Wichita, Kansas 67203 Info. on: DYCK, Johann, b 17-8-1847, Pantnva, Rss, m SCHEIKOFSKY, Katherina, b 15-11- 1872 Caucasus-Kuban, d 21-4-1916 Hillsboro, Marion Co. Kan. This family came to the USA 4- 7-1885, settled at Hillsboro. John DYCK was one of the early merchants, owning and operating his own store. Where was John DYCK born in Rss? Where did he live before & after his marriage? Father’s & mother’s names & occupation?

BULLOCK, Alice Grinstaff, 858 Woodrow Ave., Wichita, Kansas 67203 SCHEIKOFSKY, (SCHENKOSKY) Franz (Frank) b 1851(?) Marienburg, East Prussia, m to KLEIN, Louise (Lizzie),. Marienburg E. P.. 1852, d 1901 Hillsboro, Marion Co. Kans. Bur: Lehigh, Marion Co, Kansas. This family moved to the Kuban district in Rss in 1857, to the USA abt. 1876, living near Lehigh, Marion Co., Kans. Where did this family live in Rss (town)? Was it the Volga area? Some of the family remained in Rss, where?

ESSIG, Mrs. Walter Denhoff, No. Dakota 58430 Exchng, info on:WAHL. MEHLHAF, BENDER, WANNER, all from Kassel, Odessa district. RIEDLINGER from Neufreudental, Odessa. FISCHER from Gueldendorf, S. Rss., ESSIG, WIEDMAIER from Rosenfeld, S. Rss.

(WP5 p.58) GERRIKGER, Mrs. William Fredrich (Rose REISWIG) Green Spring Ave, Lutherville, Mr. 21095 Exchng info on: WAGNER family from Walter-Chutor and BITTERMAN from Gieltondorf (Gueldendorf?). Also GERLOCK and FYE from Ger. or Prussia.

KIESZ, Arthur, 4011 Aldercrest Rd., Milwaukie, Oregon 97222 Would like info. on his Mat. GF, Jacob RIEKER, came to USA abt 1896 or 1897 from Glueckstahl.

GETTMAN, Daniel Pine Tree Trailer Ct. P.O. Box 42, Moses Lake, Wn. 98857 Info on: Han-Paul GETTMAN, Han-Adam GETTMAN, both from Odessa or a village called "Boan", also info abt Jake GETTMAN, last heard of he went into the army, also info for nieces and nephews by the name of AMEN whose parents came from Frank, Rss.

GOEBEL, Eldon L. Rebgarten 15, Frankfurt, Germany Info on: GOEBEL and KESSLER families of Glueckstal, So. Rss (Ukraine)

HANNELD, Miss Alma E. 1602 West 14th Street, Sioux City, Iowa 51103 Will exchg info on: HANNELD family of Gluecksthal, So. Rss. LANG family of Gluecksthal, HILLE and DOERING families of Josefstal, So. Rss.

HUETHER, Mrs. Rueben (Elsie) 641 Park Ave., Dickinson, No. Dak. 58601 Info on: SCHUETZLE, Christian, b. 16-7-1861 Grosliebenthal, So. Rss., m Margareta HEPPERLE, her father was Jacob HEPPERLE and her mother Elizabeth KELLER. Jacob & Eliz.’s other children were: Fred, John, Jacob, Matilda & Willhelmina. Christian SCHUETZLE's bro's & sis's were: John, Fred, Edward, Theodore, Magdalena & Sophia . Also: HUETHER, Ludwig, m Barbara ZECHMEISTER. Possibly b. in Duesseldorf, Germany or somewhere in Hungary & emigrated to Petersdorf, So. Rss. (?) Parents & birthplace? STRAUB Johannes (related to wife), to Rss 1805, m Louisa GASSMAN who emigrated to Alt-Luestdorf (Lustdorf) near Odessa, also 1805, ?parents of this Johannes STRAUB & where born?

KLEIM, JoAnn Carol P.O. Box 2042 Fresno, Calif. 95718 Exchg info: GLEIM,, STEITZ and SCHWABENLAND of Straub, Rss & Germany. SCHARER, NIELMIER, GEARHART of Straub, Rss. NIELSEN, MOHR (sp?) KAHLER (sp?), SALWASSBR, LEHMAH, KRELL(sp?), HELMUTH of Stahl, Rss.

MERKEL, Ross Donald, Rt. 5 Box 153, Galt, Calif. 95632 Exchg info on: MERKEL from Bergdorf, Marienenberg, So. Rss. JESSER, Bergdorf, HEYD, Neudor, Neu Glueckstal, S. Rss and BECK, MAYER, from Kassel, S. Rss & Bessarabia.

POHL, Lt. Col. Carl R., USAR-Ret. 1542 Sherbourne Dr., Los Angeles, Calif. 90035 Info on: WEISGERBER, Philip - Carolina (KUNZ), Josephstal, S. Rss. WEISGERBER, John - Helen (HABERLOCH), Josephstal, Odessa area. WEISGERBER (WEISSGERBER) Philip, father of Philip, above. Josephstal. I would like to know the source of their migration from Germany and when?

(WP5 p.59) ROLL, Herbert Walter, 1110 5th Ave. So. #404, Edmonds. Wash. 98020 Info on: GGF ROLL, Jakob. b 1853, Odessa (?) Rss. m Katherine____? in Odessa, Nov. 21,___?, d Nov. 1916 in Spokane, Wash. KRAUS, KRAUSS, or KRAUSE families of Cherson area. GGF was Johannes KRAUS, m to Katherine KRAUS(S), same maiden name as married name, in Odessa (?). Johannes KRAUS d in Hebron, No. Dak. in. 1901/1902. Family then moved to Spokane, Wash.

SCHMICK, Mrs. Raynold A. 918 Thurman, Saginaw, Mioh. 48602 Info on: GF SCHMICK, Henry, m to WEEDMAN, Christina, came to USA in 1906, lived in Windsor, Colo., from Grimm (Krim) Rss.

SCHULDHEISZ, Rev. Benj. W., 904 State St., Hood River, Ore. 97031 Would like to locate members of the Fred DIEGEL family, lived in Java, So. Dakota. Many in Canada. Send names and addresses.

SEIFFERT, Reta, 2540 Randolph, Lincoln, Nebr. 68510 Exchg. info on: LESSER & STRASHEIM families of Frank, Russia

STADEL, Emil J» 1530 S. E. Linn St., Boone, Iowa 50036 Info on: Jakob MERZ (MERTZ), Mat. GGpts from Gluecksthal, So. Rss. Searching for records & info on Pat. GGGF, Jakob STADEL, of Württemberg, Germany.

STUMPF, Harvey Calvin, 728 N. E. 753rd, Portland, Oregon 97230 Info on: STUMPF. ?? Russia, PFAFF from Freudental, Rss. KINZEL, Rss

STURTZ, Molly, 1952 Maine, Saginaw, Mich. 48602 Info on: her ancestors. GF was STURTZ, Martin, m to Elizabeth KLING. Lived in Oberdorf, Rss. Her father was Henry STURTZ who came to USA in 1912.

WAGNER, Edna 108 N. Tyler, Pierre, So. Dak. 57501 Info on: REISWIG, KAMMERZELL. DOELL and GERRINGER families of Walter Kooter (Chutor).

WALKER, Gerda S., 1840 So. Utica, Denver, Colo. 80219 Researching the following from Frank, Rss: BASTRON, BERATZ, BORGENS, STROH, WACKER (WALKER), WEBER & ZEILER. ROSS from Norka, LETT (LILT) from Dinkle, all Volga area.

WARREN, Mrs. Roseann S. 546 Sparta, Helena, Montana 59601 Will exchg info on: BRENING (BRENNING), GREILIG, KARLLA of Volga area. Also LEHR.

NEUMILLER, Marilyn 4611 Cooper 5 Lincoln, Nebr. 68506 Would like info on NEUMILLER, BECK AND CHRISTMANN from the North and South Dakota areas.

RATH, Rev. Theodore B., 107 Elizabeth Street, Cavalier, No. Dak. 58220 Would like to locate desc. of Andrew RATH, also desc. of Jacob RATH, Uncle who died in Alma Ata area in 1965. Also would like help in reading Russian addresses in correspondence.

(WP5 p.60) CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Banquet Meeting, Northern Colorado Chapter, Greeley April 24 Second International Convention, Lincoln, Nebr. June 17-20 Poffenrath family Re-union Cour d'Alene, Idaho July -

Neu Jahr Wuensche

Ich wuensche euch, geht mir gleich Lass mich net so lang stehen Ich will a Hauschen weiter gehen. Ich wuensche euch ein neuen tisch An jeder eck ein gebrodner fisch. In der mit ein gtasse wein Das soll euer Neu Jahr sein. Ich wuensche euch ein gluckseliges Neu Jahr Gesundheit, Fried und Einigkeit, langes leben Und die Ewige Seligkeit

submitted by: Alice E. Miller R. #4, Box 77 Ft. Collins, Colo. 80521

(WP5 inside back cover, last page)