Translated By: Missionary Allen E. Konrad Kulm Community Homeland Book Translator: Allen E. Konrad Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Kulm P.O. Box 205 26 June, 2005 Rowley, Iowa 52329 TRANSLATOR'S FORWARD The following is a translation of the German book Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Kulm, H.G. Gachet & Company, Langen Bez. Frankfurt/Main. This English translation was printed in serial form in the Germans from Russia Heritage Society [GRHS] journal Heritage Review. The serialized form can be located in the following issues from 1983-1985…Vol. 13:4 (pp 3-23); Vol. 14:2 (pp 19-36); Vol. 14:3 (pp 52-60); Vol. 14:4 (pp 33-43); Vol. 15:2 (pp 30-43) and Vol. 15:3 (pp 23-35). Of the 284 pages of this German book, I translated the first 224 pages. At that point, I stopped translating for the GRHS Journal because, beginning with page 225, the book goes on with pages and pages of lists of names and some paragraphs pertaining to the 150th Anniversary celebration of the Kulm, Bessarabia people. It was my feeling that I didn't think that Heritage Review would want to fill its pages with lists of names when there might be many other articles of interest to the readers. I was mistaken. Mr. Armand Bauer, of the GRHS, felt the information was significant and took the initiative to translate and include pages 225-237 in the serialized printing. In re-typing the original series for digital formatting in 2004-2005, some revisions were made to what I considered to be awkward translations. Some items, not translated for Heritage Review, have been included in this book, along with the long list of people who departed Kulm in 1940, which makes up pages 237-284 in the original German version. What follows is a complete translation of the book: Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Kulm. –by translator: Allen E. Konrad * * * * * * * * * * On 13 August, 1970, the City Council of Kulm, North Dakota received a visitor from West Germany by the name of Wilhelm Weiss. Mr. Weiss presented the Council with a German book entitled Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Kulm. A special page was added to the inside front cover of the book which reads: This Homeland Book of the Community Kulm, Bessarabia, Russia (now Soviet Union) is presented to the administrators of the city Kulm, North Dakota in United States of America as an everlasting memorial to your founding Fathers, many of whom emigrated from Kulm in erstwhile Czarist Bessarabia, to be active in the establishment of Kulm, North Dakota in 1892. Bessarabia, a part of Roumania between the years 1918 and 1940, was occupied by the Soviet Union on June 29, 1940. Following an arrangement between Berlin and Moscow, all German speaking people from this region were resettled in Germany during October of 1940; whereupon, the community of Kulm, Bessarabia ceased to exist. To the town Kulm in North Dakota and her residendts (sic), a wish for continued success and prosperous future is hereby extended. May they be spared a destiny such as that suffered by their antecedents. Kulm Community Homeland Book 2 Translator: Allen E. Konrad Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Kulm P.O. Box 205 26 June, 2005 Rowley, Iowa 52329 USA TABLE OF CONTENTS [for the English Translation] Translator's Forward - - - - - - - - - 002 Original Forward - - - - - - - - - 005 Our Co-workers - - - - - - - - - 005 The Establishment of the Village of Kulm - - - - - - 007 The Administration - - - - - - - - - 011 District of Kulm and Neighboring Districts - - - - - - 018 Community Report of 1848 - - - - - - - - 019 Tarutino Parish Report 1862, 1867 and 1909 - - - - - - 021 Church and School Life in Kulm - - - - - - - 026 The Brotherhood - - - - - - - - - 034 Biographical Sketches of Deserving Personalities from Kulm - - - 038 A Report Concerning Health Care - - - - - - - 047 Craftsmen and Craft Occupations - - - - - - - 049 Christmas and New Year in Our Old Homeland - - - - - 055 The Last Christmas Celebration with Distribution of Children's Gifts - - 057 Kulm Youth in the Course of a Year - - - - - - - 058 Contribution to the Homeland Book - - - - - - - 061 The Kulm Dialect - - - - - - - - - 065 The Mustering of Recruits - - - - - - - - 067 Romanian Military Service - - - - - - - - 068 Cultivation and Grain Growing - - - - - - - 068 A Year's Review of Agriculture and Grape Growing - - - - - 070 Processing Flax and Hemp - - - - - - - - 075 Grain Selling and Prices - - - - - - - - 076 The Farmyard - - - - - - - - - - 077 Wells and Springs - - - - - - - - - 077 Materials for Burning - - - - - - - - - 078 Sheep Breeding - - - - - - - - - 079 The Purchase of a Karakul Ram - - - - - - - 080 About Bad Harvest, Grasshoppers, Cattle Disease and Water Shortage - - 081 Oak Forest of Kulm - - - - - - - - - 081 The Parson's Tomb - - - - - - - - - 082 Fishing in Kulm - - - - - - - - - 083 A Wolf Hunt in Kulm - - - - - - - - - 084 Money Circulation - - - - - - - - - 086 Women's Society, Women and Girls Activities in Earlier Times, and Dowry - 086 The Wedding - - - - - - - - - - 087 The First of May in Our Old Homeland - - - - - - 093 The Egg Game - - - - - - - - - 094 Snowstorms - - - - - - - - - - 094 Ball Games and Sledding - - - - - - - - 095 Concerning Horse Tending - - - - - - - - 096 About Our Horses and Horse Thievery - - - - - - 096 Kulm Community Homeland Book 3 Translator: Allen E. Konrad Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Kulm P.O. Box 205 26 June, 2005 Rowley, Iowa 52329 USA An Example of a Robbery - - - - - - - - 098 Peculiar Misfortune - - - - - - - - - 099 Kulm Events - - - - - - - - - - 100 An Experience - - - - - - - - - - 101 A Kulm Hermit - - - - - - - - - 103 Resettlement and Settlement - - - - - - - - 104 Our Flight in January, 1945 - - - - - - - - 111 An Account of My Captivity and About Kulm - - - - - 115 Someone From Kulm Made it- - - - - - - - 120 Evaluation of the Questionnaire - - - - - - - 125 About Big Fellows Stealing Wine - - - - - - - 129 Romanian Self-Respect - - - - - - - - 130 Hey Skinny, Take a Seat - - - - - - - - 131 On the Lighter Side - - - - - - - - - 131 A Funny New Year Greeting - - - - - - - - 132 Superstition - - - - - - - - - - 132 Kulm's 150th Jubilee (List of Soldiers Who Died) - - - - - 133 The Work Committee - - - - - - - - - 151 List of Emigrants - - - - - - - - - 152 List of the Resettled from Kulm in 1940 - - - - - - 155 Kulm Community Homeland Book 4 Translator: Allen E. Konrad Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Kulm P.O. Box 205 26 June, 2005 Rowley, Iowa 52329 USA ORIGINAL FORWARD During and after the 150th Anniversary celebration of the Kulm community, various individuals expressed the desire, to somehow record the presentations and speeches for posterity. After lengthy deliberation, the Jubilee Celebration Committee came to the conclusion that the desires could be best realized through the publication of a homeland book of the Kulm community. Willing and skilled writers were sought who diligently collected. It was not the intention to only gather and repeat what many, but, sorry to say, not all Kulm folks at Kornwestheim, experienced. We also took into consideration the many people who would be unable to participate and that, in such a lively and aspiring village as Kulm, over the course of 150 years, endlessly more things happened then one could offer in one Jubilee, and that our life and our tasks did not come to an end with the Resettlement. We had the sacred duty to preserve and pass on our genuine things of value…our diligence, our unity in good and bad days, our on the alert national consciousness— all without prejudice toward other people, our simple living faith. The Co-worker Committee brought together material from the whole of our 150 years of history and from every sphere of our lives, serious and light-hearted, about how life in our prairie home once was. Of course, not everything could be printed, or the book would have become too bulky and too expensive. Unfortunately, much of the work had to be edited, reworked, or shortened. It took a lot of work and lots of deliberation. We really hope that our work was not in vain and that what we have to offer you in the homeland book might be acceptable and provide much joy! The person reminisces a lot. No power in the world can steal one image which we carry in the heart. We ought not to forget our homeland. There, where we now live and where things at the present may be going quite good, we ought to live as natives and conscious, in thankfulness, that we are preserved from a much more terrible fate. Above all, however, we do not want to forget that an eternal homeland is waiting for us. With the best of wishes, so says the last Kulm sexton- teacher. --by David Treichel on behalf of the Work Committee OUR CO-WORKERS Some of our co-workers stand out in the work they did, being introduced by their personal record. The other co-workers are: Daniel Wölfle, community notary in Kulm (1918-1940) who performed all the clerical work. Johann Roloff, secretarial assistant until 1915 and toward the end, merchant until Resettlement. Johannes Böttcher, mayor of Kulm (1938-1940). Theophil Weiß, extraordinarily industrious in the gathering of materials. Gotthilf Vogel, the only one to return to the old homeland after the gathering. Wilhelm Eckert, teacher carried out the entire first revision. Emil Selcho, gathered the material for the trade and industry. Dr. Otto Hintz, one of the genuine Kulm folks involved in building the high school, today medical practitioner—chiropractor specialist, and financial supporter. Elise Widmer, provided worthwhile information concerning the life of women and girls. Kulm Community Homeland Book 5 Translator: