In Touch with Prairie Living By Michael M. Miller Germans from Russia Heritage Collection North Dakota State University Libraries, Fargo

As I write this May column, I look . This large gathering is held traveling to the village where mother was forward to meeting members of the every two years. Many Bessarabian born. I am sure when I get there she will 16th Journey to the Homeland Tour Germans immigrated to the Dakotas be clapping her hands up in Heaven very group traveling to Odessa, Ukraine and southern Alberta. The June excited.” Gilbert and Audrey Schauer and , Germany from May column will share memories from tour travel with their daughter Tauni of N.M. 20-30. We have tour members members of visits to their ancestral to join our 16th Journey to the Homeland coming from California, Idaho, Iowa, villages. Tour group. Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Arve Moser, Sartell, Minn., native On June 1 in Berlin, I will meet with Tennessee, Utah and Washington as of Medina, N.D., writes: “As a full Dr. Ute Schmidt, author of the book, well as Germany and Moscow, Russia. blooded Germans from Russia with “Bessarabien: Deutsche Kolonisten am When I return from Germany on June all my grandparents as direct ancestors Schwarzen Meer” (“Bessarabia: German 7, I look forward to attending Elgin, from Russia, I have a deep almost Colonists on the Black Sea”) to be N.D.’s 100th Centennial on June 18- yearning desire to visit where they published by the GRHC in the English 19. The GRHC will have information came from. I want to see the landscapes language in 2011. tables and displays at the Elgin Public and anything else remaining that will The dates for the 17th Journey to the Library. take me back in time and allow me Homeland Tour are May 18-28, 2011 While in Odessa from May 22-26, for to understand the culture a bit more. for Odessa, Ukraine and Stuttgart, the first time we will stay at the guest There are so many cultural influences Germany. rooms of the Parish House of St. Paul’s during my childhood that have shaped The Dakota Germans from Russia German Lutheran Church which has me into who I am today, and I simply online professional development course is been rebuilt and was dedicated in April. continue to need to know more. In offered for this summer through NDSU’s Tour members will visit these villages: looking back, it seems, the more I Distance and Continuing Studies. The Bergdorf, Glueckstal, Kassel, Neudorf found out about the Germans from course deals with their migrations; their and Neu Kassel (Glueckstal District); Russia, the more I know that if ever ways of life and customs; and their Johannestal, Worms and Rohrbach possible, I need to do the tour.” cultural memory and ethnic identify. (Beresan District); Baden, Elsass, Gilbert Schauer, Longview, Wash., For further information, go to: http:// Kandel, Mannheim, Selz and Strassburg native of Wishek, N.D., shares: “As I historyrfd.net/isern/gfr or contact the (Kutschurgan District); Alt-Posttal, was growing up my dad never talked GRHC. Friedentstal, Gnadental, Kalatschowka, about the place where he was born For further information about Leipzig, Tarutino and Wittenberg, which was Neudorf. I think maybe the Germans from Russia Heritage Bessarabia; Freudental (Liebental he was too young to really remember Collection, the Friends of the GRHC, District). too much about it. My mother and I the online course, the 2011 Journey to While in Stuttgart for May 26-30, had a much closer relationship. In the the Homeland Tour and donations to the we will visit the Germans from Russia spring, she and I would walk out in the GRHC (such as family histories), contact society museums and take a one-day pasture looking for turkey nests. She Michael M. Miller, The Libraries, NDSU trip to Alsace, France. Here we will always raised a lot of turkeys. Mother Dept. #2080, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND visit towns where German families lived and I would talk about where she was 58108-6050 (Telephone: 701-231-8416; before immigrating to South Russia born and raised. She was 18 when she Email: [email protected]; the from about 1804-1810 (today southern came with her mother. Sometimes she GRHC website: www.ndsu.edu/grhc). Ukraine and Moldova). would say it would be nice if one of On May 30, some of the tour members her kids could go over and see where I May 2010 column for North Dakota and I will attend the Bessarabian was born. Mother had 12 children with and South Dakota newspapers. Bundestreffen at , me being the youngest. Now I will be