Journal of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Vol. 5, No. 3 Fall 1982 TABLE OF CONTENTS REDACTIONS: THE EDITOR'S PAGE .........….....………........................ i ICH BIN AUCH EIN DEUTSCHER AUS RUSSLAND Norbert R. Dreiling ...............……........................…………................... 1 PIONEERING IN DAKOTA TERRITORY Reuben Goertz ........................……….............…………...................... .5 THE FATE OF A WEALTHY WARENBURG FAMILY Emma Schwabenland Haynes ............................…………................. 13 MY RETURN TO RUSSIA Jacob Hieb, Sr. .....................……….................………......................16 THE VOLGA GERMAN REFUGEES OF 1921-1922 Adam Giesinger............................………........…………........................21 ESCAPE FROM STARVING RUSSIA Edward John Amend.............................................………….……..........27 AUS HEIMAT UND LEBEN: ABOUT MY LIFE AND HOMELAND David Weigum Translated by Leona Pfeifer .......………….....................31 VILLAGES IN WHICH OUR FOREFATHERS LIVED Adam Giesinger..............................................…………….………...........35 THE STYLE OF LOW GERMAN FOLKLORE Katie Funk Wiebe ................................…….……………..........................45 VOLGA GERMAN CHILDREN'S FOLKLORE Lawrence A. Weigel. ..................................………………....................... .53 ANNA BARKMAN: A CHILD PILGRIM Wesley J. Prieb ....................................………………….........................58 THE HISTORY OF AHSGR: THE EVENTFUL YEAR 1971 Adam Giesinger..........................................…………………................. .61 BOOKS AND ARTICLES RECENTLY ADDED TO THE AHSGR ARCHIVES Emma S. Haynes............................………………….............................. .66 On the Cover: Those in attendance at the Thirteenth International Convention in Wichita, August 3-8, 1982. Published by American Historical Society of Germans from Russia 1139 South 7th Street . Lincoln, Nebraska 68502-1199 Editor: Adam Giesinger ©Copyright 1982 by the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. All rights reserved, REDACTIONS: THE EDITOR'S PAGE Our thirteenth international convention, held at Wichita, Kansas, on August 3-8, 1982, was another outstanding success for the society. It provided entertainment, good fellowship and, above all, intellectual fare that stimulated and inspired the hundreds of people who attended. We present in this issue five addresses of special merit dealing with the history and folklore of our people. Norbert Dreiling's inspirational address at the closing banquet brought him prolonged applause from an appreciative audience. Reuben Goertz drew both laughter and tears with his inimitable description of pioneer life in the Dakotas. The three addresses at the folklore session received rapt attention from a large audience. The publication of the List of Volga German Refugees in our Spring and Summer issues has brought us much interesting response, some of which is described in my article on the refugees in this issue. Emma Haynes describes for us the fate of a wealthy Volga German family during the revolutionary period. We conclude in this issue Edward John Amend's story of his escape from Russia in 1921. The second chapter of the Jacob Hieb story gives us an insight into conditions in the Soviet Union just before Stalin initiated his "liquidation of the kulaks" in 1928. Old Russia is not forgotten. We have the usual installment of the Weigum story of life on the Crimean steppes in the 1880's. My Villages article this time deals with the German daughter colonies in Asiatic Russia, about which very little has been written in English so far. Because this is the part of Russia in which most of the surviving Germans now live, it is desirable that we learn more about that area. If you have contact with relatives there, we would appreciate very much hearing from you about them. It is time, I think, to say a brief word regarding the History of AHSGR, the sixth installment of which appears in this issue. We should not be surprised that it is a story of progress, with setbacks now and then. The rapid growth, but also the difficulties of the early years, are very characteristic of our people. They are readily aroused to great enthusiasm for a cause, but have difficulty agreeing on details. They frequently quarrel over inconsequential matters, sometimes bitterly. It is not easy for them to form a viable organization. Much credit for the survival of AHSGR is due to the early board members, who rallied around the first president, David J. Miller, and refused to admit defeat. The society's flourishing condition today was then beyond their imagining. AHSGR is a miracle! Adam Giesinger A view of the crowded banquet hall at the AHSGR Convention in Wichita. A view of the head table showing Norbert Dreiling at the podium. ii ICH BIN AUCH EIN DEUTSCHER AUS RUSSLAND Norbert R. Dreiling Address to the 13th International Convention Banquet of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia at Wichita, Kansas, on August 7, 1982 The date: June 24, 1963. The place: The Berlin Wall. A young American President, five months from the assassin's bullet, eyeballs a hostile East with this tribute to a great people: "Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was 'Civis Romanus sum,' Today in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berimer!’ " Two hundred years earlier - almost to the day - another ruler reversed roles and faced the West in an historic bid for the freedom-starved Germanic soul. On July 22, 1763, the Empress of Russia issued a Manifesto whose consequences were to trigger a quest for freedom spanning two centuries, three continents, four empires, and experiences so traumatic they produced a new breed — Our People, Unsere Leute. Our presence this evening attests to their final success. They initiated a freedom crusade sixteen years before the Declaration of Independence and twenty-six years before the U.S. Constitution and the French Revolution. They lived through hell but rest content tonight in the satisfaction that the loved ones who followed, are free at last, home at last! They were the Berliners of their time, fully deserving of the accolade: "Ich bin auch ein Deutscher Aus Russland!" Until recent times the outside world knew little of Unsere Leute or their experiences. This is understandable. The English language dominates the western world. Our people spoke only the antiquated dialect with which they left the Fatherland in 1763. Most were peasants, many illiterate. They lived in virtual isolation at the edge of the Russian and American frontiers. Fortunately, that situation no longer exists. The American and Canadian freedoms have spawned a dedicated and educated posterity more than willing to convert legend to record. Thank God for the vision of David Miller, Ruth Amen, Arthur Flegel, Ed Schwartzkopf, Adam Giesinger and the multitude of others who sensed the need for, and implemented the hopes of, our American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. Their dreams are a proud reality. We, as well as "die andere Leute", are the beneficiaries of a growing historical treasure. A special thanks is due those who author publications about Unsere Leute. They give so much of themselves. Their work is a pipeline to an increasingly informed public. Through them we plead our cause and prove our heritage. We are deeply indebted to Lawrence Weigel, Helen Hall, Emma Haynes, Adam Giesinger, Arthur Flegel, Joseph Height, Mela Meisner Lindsay, Leona Pfeifer, Tim KIoberdanz, Amy Toepfer, Agnes Dreiling and the many others not named specifically who know in their hearts they have furthered the cause. There are other noteworthy roles such as the planning and production of an international convention. Martha Issinghoff and her people deserve our sincere thanks. This has been an outstanding convention worthy of AHSGR. From early childhood many of us listened awestruck as our fathers and mothers recounted the legends of Unsere Leute. Particularly enjoyable were stories flavored with the exploits of ancestors from whom we were descended. We should be elated that others can now enjoy the same vicarious thrills; that they now understand this dream chased 'round the world. History underscores that Unsere Leute sought the same Camelot as did that martyred young president. Freedom was the common denominator. Dedication was unswerving. They supported one another through the worst of times with a humble persistence that insisted: . , 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world. Some work of noble note may yet be done . Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and never to yield. At this juncture I beg your indulgence. My two small grandsons, Brian and Scott, are here tonight. Join with me in a collective remembrance as we recount for them - as well as their cousins, Kim and Jeff -stories heard at my father's knee. Much will be familiar; some may differ from your family legends, but a single theme runs through them all. They mirror our common heritage. Think back to 1762. Our ancestors were peasant farmers living in central Europe. Life was miserable; synonymous with slavery. The Seven Years War had ended but Frederick the Great plotted another. Compulsory military service seemed never-ending. Discontent pervaded the land. Then opportunity knocked in the person of Catherine