The village Frank (6)

The Village Frank Newsletter
Volume 22, Number 3
Summer 1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor

FRANK--- A Village Community In Russia
By M. Magdalene Lebsack

(MY NOTES: As with previous entries, I wish to give special thanks to Sherrie for all her work in making this possible. She recognized the need to preserve our history early enough to capture valuable information while many of our ancestors from Brunnental were still living—that otherwise might have been lost forever.

This is an excellent description of Frank, continued from the previous post. Frank is the village from which most Brunnentalers originated. According to David Ehlenberger’s family bible, both his father, Jacob Oehlenberger, and his wife Katherine’s father, Johannes Wagner, were born in “Chrisdowou Buerack, Frank” also known as Medweditskij Krestowoj Bujerak.)

(Excerpts)
(Page 9)

(CHAPTER III, MUTUAL AID)
…A woman during childbirth was always fortunate in having plenty of women near her to aid in housework and cooking. The neighbor women took turns in the cooking the meals, cleaning the house, laundering the clothes, and other work about the home. During the time of confinement, they made special feasts for her. There was not a physician in Frank, so the people chose a woman whom they thought would be able to help the mother during the birth of her child. This woman had no actual training or experience and many times the people objected. This often resulted in a serious matter. During any sort of slight illness, the neighbors would come in and offer to help by telling what was done for similar cases in the past. Then they put the patient in bed for a good sweat. Many of the people would not take medicine; they put their trust in their God. The neighbors cooked a special food and brought it to the sick person. If a doctor was absolutely necessary, he had to be called from Saratof. If it was necessary for the patient to be taken to a hospital, he had to be transferred to Saratof. During the winter months, the trip had to be made by sled which was a very uncomfortable and dangerous ride. At least two persons accompanied the patient, but the winters were so very cold that only by a miracle did the patient get to the hospital alive.

The men were also very cooperative whenever opportunity afforded itself. They took turns at watching for fires from the lookout. One man was on duty for one night and another watched during day. A shift was made every twelve hours. Twice a year someone inspected the houses to insure against the breaking out of fires. If a fire was discovered, a man ran to the schoolhouse and rang the fire bell. All the people came to the scene of the fire prepared to do all they could to extinguish it.

…The men also took turns as night watchmen. These watchmen looked for thieves, men as well as wolves. Each family was required to do its share of watching. If there were no men in the family, the mother either got a substitute or went herself. If she had a child to care for, she strapped it on her back and took it along. The watchman walked up and down the street and as he passed the window of each house, he knocked on it with a club and called out, “Nacht Wacht” (night watch) so that the people were assured of his being on duty. If the watchman caught any thieves or prowlers, he put in an alarm and the whole village was aroused. This usually caused so much excitement that no one slept any more during that night.

When a dam needed to be built or streets and bridges needed repairing, the men of the village took time off to make these repairs. They also worked together in digging wells to supply drinking water.

The people even cooperated with the swine, cattle, sheep, and horse herders. Each family drove its own cattle to the side street where they were gathered together by the herders and taken to the pastures. As the herders walked along the street gathering together the cattle, they cracked their whips and blew their horns so that the people knew they were coming and could get their cattle out. The cows were the first to be gathered together, then came the calves, then the swine. The horses and sheep remained in the fields all summer; those who wanted them before the summer was over had to go to the fields and drive them in. The herders were paid by the people, each family paying so much grain per animal. As for the geese, the people owning them had to take care of them. There were no hired geese herders.

(To be continued…)