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 Stahl 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 10)
The orphan children in the village were also well cared for… Some men took the children and taught them a trade an din this way made money for himself. For example, if the man taught a boy carpentry, this boy learned by doing, and any furniture he produced was the property of the teacher who in turn sold the wares. (MY NOTES: David Ehlenberger was a very skilled carpenter and woodworker, as is my father, George Brooks.)
…Not only was there mutual aid within the village but there was also cooperation between the villages of the county. Three men in each village were appointed to calculate the worth of each homestead in the village. These figures were then reported to the county officials who in turn assessed each village according to the worth of their homesteads. This money was kept as an insurance for the county (mutual insurance). Then in case of a fire, storm, or any other sort destructing element, the county relied upon this money to pay for the losses. This was the only means of this sort for protecting the property of the village people.
When we consider the instinct of self-preservation which is a part of every person’s make-up, it is not at all difficult to understand why the people took the precautions they seem to have taken.
(CHAPTER IV, THE HOME)
The average homestead in Frank covered an area of a quarter of a block, the homes being built on the corners facing the wide street. Most of the houses were built of wood but there were also others made of stone or brick. Some of the stone houses have stood for over a hundred years without crumbling. Of course, the wood used for frame work, not strong enough to stand up under the war and tear, had to be replaced from time to time. This framework probably had to be changed every twenty or twenty-vie years.
The average house included a porch, a Krielitz (inside porch), the Kuche (kitchen), and two large living rooms, the attic and the cellar. When the occupants living in the house multiplied to such a degree that it was impossible for them all to live in two rooms, a third room was usually built on the house which was occupied by the head of the family and what unmarried children he happened to have. When the family grew too large to live in three rooms, the father had to find a home for his oldest son and his family, unless the son was able to look out for himself. Sometimes the father built his son’s house in the garden instead of buying a new lot. In this way the family was kept together and the father was still head of the family, the son taking orders from him. If the son moved outside his father’s homestead, he became head of his family.
…The outdoor porch was used to gather for gossiping during the summer evenings. The Krielitz was an inner porch in which was kept a barrel of fresh water which was used for cooking and drinking purposes. Sometimes the stairs leading up the attic were found in this little hallway, though they may have been on the outside as were the stairs leading to the cellar. During the winter, the Krielitz grew so cold that the family was forced to move the barrel of water into the living room in order to keep it from freezing. In the Kuche the cooking was done during the winter time. Here was a stove, an oven, a fireplace, the doors for the stoves of the living room and also the drafts of smoke holes. The ceiling slanted upward, and directly in the center was an opening out of which escaped the smoke and steam escaping from the fire and food being cooked. This hole was never closed unless someone climbed on the roof and stuffed it with straw. Sometimes this cruel method of revenge was used by some spiteful persons, or maybe some young boys in trying to be ornery closed the outlet. If this was done, and the fire was built in any of the stoves, the house immediately filled with smoke and everyone was forced out of the rooms until the hole in the roof was again opened.
(To be continued…)
Friday, February 27, 2009
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…)
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…)
The village Frank (5)
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 Stahl 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 8)
When anyone wished to leave for America or any other country, it was necessary for him to go to Saratof for a permit. Upon receiving his permit, he bought a passport. He sold all his personal belongings, also his home, pocketed the money and his responsibilities to the community were ended.
This was not the case when a person moved out of the village into another village of Russia. He went to the Mayer and received a permit which permitted him to move. The Mayor made sure that this person had no debts to pay and if he had, he could not leave unless he had made some sort of an agreement for paying this debt. Even though the man did move to another village he still retained al the rights of a home citizen. He also paid his share of the taxes which was two or three Rubles. (One Ruble was worth forty-seven cents in American money, while Kopek was money which was numbered according to what is was worth).
When it was time for the village to redivide the land among the male citizens, those men who had moved out of the village came back for their share of land. If he had any boys who were born in the village to which he moved, he reported the number born to the council and these boys also received an equal share of land.
This redivision of land took place about every twelve years or sooner, but they were never made in less than five year intervals. When it was time to redivide the land, every able male met at the court house to draw lots. Each male in the village received an equal share of the land. If a baby boy was born the day before redistribution of the land, he received as much land as any other male, but the baby boy born the day after came a little too late for his share and was obliged to wait for the next redistribution.
The Mayor also submitted permits for those wishing to be married for those wishing to go to a big city such as Moscow. On the permit which allows the person to go to Moscow was written the following information: name, home village, destination, date of leaving village, expected date of return, reason for going to Moscow, and other personal data. This made it easier for the village when he finally got to Moscow. After he had showed the permit to the Mayor of the city, he was not looked upon with suspicion.
For each male in the village a certain amount of grain had to be put into the Magazien each year. This grain was then used in cases of emergency such as a famine or in case a very poor family needed food.
All the mail coming into the village or leaving the village went through the hands of the authorities at Saratof. The mailman, who was employed by the state, came to Frank about once a week. No one ever thought of sending a letter to a person living in the same village as he himself lived, since the news could be carried personally much sooner than by mail. There were also no newspapers. If there had been, they would have probably closed up within a month’s time since news was carried by mouth faster than any press could print on paper.
(To be continued...)
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 Stahl 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 8)
When anyone wished to leave for America or any other country, it was necessary for him to go to Saratof for a permit. Upon receiving his permit, he bought a passport. He sold all his personal belongings, also his home, pocketed the money and his responsibilities to the community were ended.
This was not the case when a person moved out of the village into another village of Russia. He went to the Mayer and received a permit which permitted him to move. The Mayor made sure that this person had no debts to pay and if he had, he could not leave unless he had made some sort of an agreement for paying this debt. Even though the man did move to another village he still retained al the rights of a home citizen. He also paid his share of the taxes which was two or three Rubles. (One Ruble was worth forty-seven cents in American money, while Kopek was money which was numbered according to what is was worth).
When it was time for the village to redivide the land among the male citizens, those men who had moved out of the village came back for their share of land. If he had any boys who were born in the village to which he moved, he reported the number born to the council and these boys also received an equal share of land.
This redivision of land took place about every twelve years or sooner, but they were never made in less than five year intervals. When it was time to redivide the land, every able male met at the court house to draw lots. Each male in the village received an equal share of the land. If a baby boy was born the day before redistribution of the land, he received as much land as any other male, but the baby boy born the day after came a little too late for his share and was obliged to wait for the next redistribution.
The Mayor also submitted permits for those wishing to be married for those wishing to go to a big city such as Moscow. On the permit which allows the person to go to Moscow was written the following information: name, home village, destination, date of leaving village, expected date of return, reason for going to Moscow, and other personal data. This made it easier for the village when he finally got to Moscow. After he had showed the permit to the Mayor of the city, he was not looked upon with suspicion.
For each male in the village a certain amount of grain had to be put into the Magazien each year. This grain was then used in cases of emergency such as a famine or in case a very poor family needed food.
All the mail coming into the village or leaving the village went through the hands of the authorities at Saratof. The mailman, who was employed by the state, came to Frank about once a week. No one ever thought of sending a letter to a person living in the same village as he himself lived, since the news could be carried personally much sooner than by mail. There were also no newspapers. If there had been, they would have probably closed up within a month’s time since news was carried by mouth faster than any press could print on paper.
(To be continued...)
The village Frank (4)
The Village Frank Newsletter
Volume 22, Number 2
Spring 1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
FRANK – A village Community in Russia
By M. Magdalene Lebsack
(MY NOTES: I owe a great deal of gratitude to Sherrie for the many years of dedication she has put into researching the Frank and Brunnental Volga Germans as well as many other villages and families. She has laid the groundwork for all of us and continues to help those searching their family ties. I am deeply indebted to her for her generosity.
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.)
(Excerpted)
(Page 10)
Also near the river, covering an area of about four blocks, was the Mark (fair grounds). Here, each year about the time of Kerb, wares of all kinds were sold. The weekly markets were held in the streets surrounding the churchyard.
The cemetery was not in the churchyard as would be expected but instead we find it located on the east end of town. The old one was on the west side. Each grave was marked by a wooden cross with the name of the dead person, the date of his birth, and the date of his death written on the cross bar. It is believed that there was one time a cemetery on the west side of town. During the process of playing on the western slope, the children dug up old bones and relics of human beings.
A little farther east of the new cemetery, on the slopes of Muhl Berg was the community slaughter grounds.
The wells from which some of the drinking water was taken were four feet square and from fifteen to twenty feet deep. There were several of these wells on the north end of town.
The Frucht Garden were on all sides of the village except the river side. They were plots of land used for cleaning the grain. Some people built sheds on these places in which they stored their agricultural tools. Beyond the Frucht Garden were the fields.
There were several roads leading from Frank to the other villages. The Stein Weg leading from the northeast side of town went to the Russian villages off to the northeast. Then on the east side was the road which lead over Stein Weg Berg to Kolb, while on the north side was the road to Walter. The road to Frank Chutor began after crossing the bridge which went over the Medwediza river. This road was very rough and wound in and out between the trees. It was quite an uncomfortable ride to and from Frank Chutor, but after considering the roads of the other villages, those of Frank were quite well cared for.
…None of these villages were nearly as well organized as was that of Frank. About the years 1890 and 1892 there were ten thousand inhabitants of Frank and most of them could trace their ancestors back to the very first settlers.
(MY NOTES: The next chapter in this article is “CHAPTER II, GOVERNMENT” which I will not include at this time, but may include it in the future.)
Volume 22, Number 2
Spring 1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
FRANK – A village Community in Russia
By M. Magdalene Lebsack
(MY NOTES: I owe a great deal of gratitude to Sherrie for the many years of dedication she has put into researching the Frank and Brunnental Volga Germans as well as many other villages and families. She has laid the groundwork for all of us and continues to help those searching their family ties. I am deeply indebted to her for her generosity.
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.)
(Excerpted)
(Page 10)
Also near the river, covering an area of about four blocks, was the Mark (fair grounds). Here, each year about the time of Kerb, wares of all kinds were sold. The weekly markets were held in the streets surrounding the churchyard.
The cemetery was not in the churchyard as would be expected but instead we find it located on the east end of town. The old one was on the west side. Each grave was marked by a wooden cross with the name of the dead person, the date of his birth, and the date of his death written on the cross bar. It is believed that there was one time a cemetery on the west side of town. During the process of playing on the western slope, the children dug up old bones and relics of human beings.
A little farther east of the new cemetery, on the slopes of Muhl Berg was the community slaughter grounds.
The wells from which some of the drinking water was taken were four feet square and from fifteen to twenty feet deep. There were several of these wells on the north end of town.
The Frucht Garden were on all sides of the village except the river side. They were plots of land used for cleaning the grain. Some people built sheds on these places in which they stored their agricultural tools. Beyond the Frucht Garden were the fields.
There were several roads leading from Frank to the other villages. The Stein Weg leading from the northeast side of town went to the Russian villages off to the northeast. Then on the east side was the road which lead over Stein Weg Berg to Kolb, while on the north side was the road to Walter. The road to Frank Chutor began after crossing the bridge which went over the Medwediza river. This road was very rough and wound in and out between the trees. It was quite an uncomfortable ride to and from Frank Chutor, but after considering the roads of the other villages, those of Frank were quite well cared for.
…None of these villages were nearly as well organized as was that of Frank. About the years 1890 and 1892 there were ten thousand inhabitants of Frank and most of them could trace their ancestors back to the very first settlers.
(MY NOTES: The next chapter in this article is “CHAPTER II, GOVERNMENT” which I will not include at this time, but may include it in the future.)
The village Frank (3)
The Village Frank Newsletter
Volume 22, Number 2
Spring 1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
FRANK – A village Community in Russia
By M. Magdalene Lebsack
(MY NOTES: I owe a great deal of gratitude to Sherrie for the many years of dedication she has put into researching the Frank and Brunnental Volga Germans as well as many other villages and families. She has laid the groundwork for all of us and continues to help those searching their family ties. I am deeply indebted to her for her generosity.
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.)
(Excerpted)
(Page 9)
The village church was located at the end of the widest street on the river side of town. The blocks on the north and south sides of the church were but half the normal area of the average blocks. The church, which was the only one in the village, was built of pine wood and had two towers projecting from the top; the front tower was the largest and contained three bells. Surrounding the church was a beautiful lawn which was bordered by shrubbery and trees, the whole yard being enclosed by a white picket fence of pine wood. It is said that the biggest tower of the church could be seen five miles away.
Diagonally northeast of the church was the two-story schoolhouse, containing six rooms, where six hundred children were instructed at one time. The half block directly north of the church was the property upon which the parsonage was built. This was an eight-room brick structure setting directly in the center of the space it occupied. Tall poplars surrounded the house and beyond these was a big orchard which contained apple trees, cherry trees, damson plum trees, and others. Across the street west of the church was the nine-room brick Kreis Ampt (county court house) next to which stood the Budka (jail) which was nothing more than a mere shack. Next to the Budka was the brick post office. The village courthouse was about four blocks east of the church and next to it was the fire station. In the fire station three water wagons, from six to nine horses, and three or four hoses and carts. Along with the fire station was a high tower which was used as a lookout for fires.
(Page 10)
The schoolmaster lived in the brick house located in half of the half block south of the church. The rest of the space was taken up by the two-story cedar-wood prayer house which was used instead of the church during the winter months.
There were two flour mills, one on each side of the dam. The mill on the east side belonged to the community while the other was privately owned. It seems that this was the second community mill. There were also several privately owned oil mills. The one near the church was not used during the later years due to the fact that the earth broke away because of the continuous overflow of the river.
There were several stores in the village, most of them being located in the district around the church. This part of the town was known as the business district. Of course, there were also stores located in different parts of the village, and some people had stores in the front rooms of their homes, instead of building a separate building. These stores sold dry goods, sugar, tea, coffee, and spices; things that the people could not themselves produce. The Magzien (community store house) was located about a block north of the new cemetery. Here was stored the grain which was used in case of emergency.
The five or six blacksmiths located down near the village were privately owned. The reason for their being near the river was probably for protection against fires. Since hot fires were used in the shops, there was much more chance for fire breaking out and because no other buildings were near the blacksmith, there was not much chance for fire spreading over the whole village.
The brick yards were also private concerns. There was but one brick yard until about 1903. This brick yard was located on the northwest side of town and covered an area of about two blocks. About 1903 a new brick yard was built on the north east side of town. Both these yards belonged to one family. Near this latter brick yard was a big apple orchard. We find similar orchards located all around the edge of the village. Even though the people had orchards in their back yards, only enough fruit was raised there to supply for the immediate needs of the family. One of the biggest orchards in the town was down near the end of the river just where it turned west. Here were planted non other than apple trees, and during the ripening season, the trees were literally loaded with big juicy apples, which had to be guarded day and night if the owner expected to have any to store for winter use.
(To be continued…)
Volume 22, Number 2
Spring 1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
FRANK – A village Community in Russia
By M. Magdalene Lebsack
(MY NOTES: I owe a great deal of gratitude to Sherrie for the many years of dedication she has put into researching the Frank and Brunnental Volga Germans as well as many other villages and families. She has laid the groundwork for all of us and continues to help those searching their family ties. I am deeply indebted to her for her generosity.
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.)
(Excerpted)
(Page 9)
The village church was located at the end of the widest street on the river side of town. The blocks on the north and south sides of the church were but half the normal area of the average blocks. The church, which was the only one in the village, was built of pine wood and had two towers projecting from the top; the front tower was the largest and contained three bells. Surrounding the church was a beautiful lawn which was bordered by shrubbery and trees, the whole yard being enclosed by a white picket fence of pine wood. It is said that the biggest tower of the church could be seen five miles away.
Diagonally northeast of the church was the two-story schoolhouse, containing six rooms, where six hundred children were instructed at one time. The half block directly north of the church was the property upon which the parsonage was built. This was an eight-room brick structure setting directly in the center of the space it occupied. Tall poplars surrounded the house and beyond these was a big orchard which contained apple trees, cherry trees, damson plum trees, and others. Across the street west of the church was the nine-room brick Kreis Ampt (county court house) next to which stood the Budka (jail) which was nothing more than a mere shack. Next to the Budka was the brick post office. The village courthouse was about four blocks east of the church and next to it was the fire station. In the fire station three water wagons, from six to nine horses, and three or four hoses and carts. Along with the fire station was a high tower which was used as a lookout for fires.
(Page 10)
The schoolmaster lived in the brick house located in half of the half block south of the church. The rest of the space was taken up by the two-story cedar-wood prayer house which was used instead of the church during the winter months.
There were two flour mills, one on each side of the dam. The mill on the east side belonged to the community while the other was privately owned. It seems that this was the second community mill. There were also several privately owned oil mills. The one near the church was not used during the later years due to the fact that the earth broke away because of the continuous overflow of the river.
There were several stores in the village, most of them being located in the district around the church. This part of the town was known as the business district. Of course, there were also stores located in different parts of the village, and some people had stores in the front rooms of their homes, instead of building a separate building. These stores sold dry goods, sugar, tea, coffee, and spices; things that the people could not themselves produce. The Magzien (community store house) was located about a block north of the new cemetery. Here was stored the grain which was used in case of emergency.
The five or six blacksmiths located down near the village were privately owned. The reason for their being near the river was probably for protection against fires. Since hot fires were used in the shops, there was much more chance for fire breaking out and because no other buildings were near the blacksmith, there was not much chance for fire spreading over the whole village.
The brick yards were also private concerns. There was but one brick yard until about 1903. This brick yard was located on the northwest side of town and covered an area of about two blocks. About 1903 a new brick yard was built on the north east side of town. Both these yards belonged to one family. Near this latter brick yard was a big apple orchard. We find similar orchards located all around the edge of the village. Even though the people had orchards in their back yards, only enough fruit was raised there to supply for the immediate needs of the family. One of the biggest orchards in the town was down near the end of the river just where it turned west. Here were planted non other than apple trees, and during the ripening season, the trees were literally loaded with big juicy apples, which had to be guarded day and night if the owner expected to have any to store for winter use.
(To be continued…)
The village Frank (2)
The Village Frank Newsletter
Volume 22, Number 2
Spring 1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
FRANK – A village Community in Russia
By M. Magdalene Lebsack
(MY NOTES: I owe a great deal of gratitude to Sherrie for the many years of dedication she has put into researching the Frank and Brunnental Volga Germans as well as many other villages and families. She has laid the groundwork for all of us and continues to help those searching their family ties. I am deeply indebted to her for her generosity.
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.)
(Excerpted)
(Page 9)
The fields were located on the hillsides and in the lower places between the hills; in fact, they were everywhere where it was at all possible to do any sort of agricultural work. One plot was called a Sotnick. Each Sotnick was divided into four Desedien and Desedien was divided into five or more strips. The strips were not all the same size, but most of them were about seventy feet wide and three hundred and fifty feet long. In some instances these were further divided into strips two and three-four acres of land.
The meadow and pasture lands were located along the river and ditches. The cattle also fed upon the fallow land which was that land which had been used for agricultural purposes for two years and was at the time lying idle. The Born-Wiese was the meadow land which gave clear water with digging. This land was located upon the southeast side of the town. If the men were in the meadow and grew thirsty, all that was necessary for them to do to quench their thirst was scratch the earth with their hands and then lie on their faces. During the first years in which Frank was being populated, it is believed that there was a mill located here on the Born-Wiese which was run by water power; but after the land had drained to such a great extent, the mill was moved to another site.
About one-third of the land in the Colony was forest and of the remainder, one-tenth was pasture and meadow. There was much forest land which was private property but there was also that which belonged to the community. In the hills and along the Medwediza River were the forests.
The river varied in width. At the mill dam, it was four blocks wide, while at the bridge it was but one block wide. The bridge was about four hundred feet long and about sixteen feet wide, while the bridges crossing the ditch on the north and east sides were only about one hundred feet long and fourteen feet wide.
When the ice melted in the spring, the river rose so high that the blacksmith shops located along the banks became full of water and the men were not able to carry on their work. The ground, three Werst on either side of the river “swam” with water. At such a time, all the ditches had quite a little water in them.
During the winter, it was soo [sic] terribly cold that the people were either forced keep a fire in their animal sheds or bring the young and weaker animals into the house, if they wished to keep them from freezing. If anyone wished to look out of the window, he had to breathe a little peaking hole on the glass in order to be able to see through it.
That part of Frank upon which the homes were built was from twenty-five to thirty feet higher than the level of the river. The village seems to have been planned very carefully. The blocks which were longer ran north and south, and were approximately three hundred and thirty-six feet long and two hundred and ten feet wide (336’ x 210’). The streets were of two widths, the wide and the narrow streets. Through the center of the village running east and west was the widest street of the whole village; this being about seventy-feet in width. A few blocks north was another wide street. This street and two others located on the south end of town were about sixty feet wide. These four streets were the only wide street which went east and west through the village. The narrow streets were only twenty feet wide.
(To be continued…)
Volume 22, Number 2
Spring 1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
FRANK – A village Community in Russia
By M. Magdalene Lebsack
(MY NOTES: I owe a great deal of gratitude to Sherrie for the many years of dedication she has put into researching the Frank and Brunnental Volga Germans as well as many other villages and families. She has laid the groundwork for all of us and continues to help those searching their family ties. I am deeply indebted to her for her generosity.
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.)
(Excerpted)
(Page 9)
The fields were located on the hillsides and in the lower places between the hills; in fact, they were everywhere where it was at all possible to do any sort of agricultural work. One plot was called a Sotnick. Each Sotnick was divided into four Desedien and Desedien was divided into five or more strips. The strips were not all the same size, but most of them were about seventy feet wide and three hundred and fifty feet long. In some instances these were further divided into strips two and three-four acres of land.
The meadow and pasture lands were located along the river and ditches. The cattle also fed upon the fallow land which was that land which had been used for agricultural purposes for two years and was at the time lying idle. The Born-Wiese was the meadow land which gave clear water with digging. This land was located upon the southeast side of the town. If the men were in the meadow and grew thirsty, all that was necessary for them to do to quench their thirst was scratch the earth with their hands and then lie on their faces. During the first years in which Frank was being populated, it is believed that there was a mill located here on the Born-Wiese which was run by water power; but after the land had drained to such a great extent, the mill was moved to another site.
About one-third of the land in the Colony was forest and of the remainder, one-tenth was pasture and meadow. There was much forest land which was private property but there was also that which belonged to the community. In the hills and along the Medwediza River were the forests.
The river varied in width. At the mill dam, it was four blocks wide, while at the bridge it was but one block wide. The bridge was about four hundred feet long and about sixteen feet wide, while the bridges crossing the ditch on the north and east sides were only about one hundred feet long and fourteen feet wide.
When the ice melted in the spring, the river rose so high that the blacksmith shops located along the banks became full of water and the men were not able to carry on their work. The ground, three Werst on either side of the river “swam” with water. At such a time, all the ditches had quite a little water in them.
During the winter, it was soo [sic] terribly cold that the people were either forced keep a fire in their animal sheds or bring the young and weaker animals into the house, if they wished to keep them from freezing. If anyone wished to look out of the window, he had to breathe a little peaking hole on the glass in order to be able to see through it.
That part of Frank upon which the homes were built was from twenty-five to thirty feet higher than the level of the river. The village seems to have been planned very carefully. The blocks which were longer ran north and south, and were approximately three hundred and thirty-six feet long and two hundred and ten feet wide (336’ x 210’). The streets were of two widths, the wide and the narrow streets. Through the center of the village running east and west was the widest street of the whole village; this being about seventy-feet in width. A few blocks north was another wide street. This street and two others located on the south end of town were about sixty feet wide. These four streets were the only wide street which went east and west through the village. The narrow streets were only twenty feet wide.
(To be continued…)
The village Frank (1)
The Village Frank Newsletter
Volume 22, Number 2
Spring 1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
FRANK – A village Community in Russia
By M. Magdalene Lebsack
(MY NOTES: I owe a great deal of gratitude to Sherrie for the many years of dedication she has put into researching the Frank and Brunnental Volga Germans as well as many other villages and families. She has laid the groundwork for all of us and continues to help those searching their family ties. I am deeply indebted to her for her generosity.
This is an excellent description of Frank, 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 8)
…This village was called Frank by the inhabitants and it was considered as one of the most beautiful and well organized villages in the southwestern part of Russia. The magnificent Medwediza River and the beautiful ash, birch, pine, and linden forests which surrounded the village presented a picturesque and wonderful sight in the summer months. The village lay in a level valley with hills on the east, north, and south sides, and on the west was the rippling Medwediza which lay about twenty-five feet lower than the village proper.
Across the river about a half mile was a little lake which was about one block wide and two blocks long. This body of water which marked the old course of the river, was private property and not used by the villages. All around the lake were forest which were owned by the same man; in fact, all the land on the west side of the river was the property of one family. The forests which were used by the villagers were on the east side of the river, on the north, south, and east sides of town.
A ditch which used to be filled with water began up in Klees Berg and wound north and then west until it reached the Medwediza. This ditch had small branches which flowed down between the other hills. During the dry season there was no water in these ditches, but after a heavy rain or when the snow melted in the spring, the water flowed into the ditch and was carried into the river. Also on the south end of the village was a ditch extending back from the river into the town about three blocks. This ditch or gully was about twenty-five feet deep and sloped up gradually at the east end until it reached the level of the town. At times the water rose in this ditch to the height of six feet.
The hills on the north, east, and south sides of the village, although one continuous hill, was called by three names. That portion on the north side was called Walter Berg. This Berg was the dividing line between Walter and Frank. On the east side of the village was the Muhl Berg, which was the dividing line between Kolb and Frank. Then on the south side was the Klees Berg, which received its name because of the amount of clover which grew all over it.
(To be continued…)
Volume 22, Number 2
Spring 1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
FRANK – A village Community in Russia
By M. Magdalene Lebsack
(MY NOTES: I owe a great deal of gratitude to Sherrie for the many years of dedication she has put into researching the Frank and Brunnental Volga Germans as well as many other villages and families. She has laid the groundwork for all of us and continues to help those searching their family ties. I am deeply indebted to her for her generosity.
This is an excellent description of Frank, 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 8)
…This village was called Frank by the inhabitants and it was considered as one of the most beautiful and well organized villages in the southwestern part of Russia. The magnificent Medwediza River and the beautiful ash, birch, pine, and linden forests which surrounded the village presented a picturesque and wonderful sight in the summer months. The village lay in a level valley with hills on the east, north, and south sides, and on the west was the rippling Medwediza which lay about twenty-five feet lower than the village proper.
Across the river about a half mile was a little lake which was about one block wide and two blocks long. This body of water which marked the old course of the river, was private property and not used by the villages. All around the lake were forest which were owned by the same man; in fact, all the land on the west side of the river was the property of one family. The forests which were used by the villagers were on the east side of the river, on the north, south, and east sides of town.
A ditch which used to be filled with water began up in Klees Berg and wound north and then west until it reached the Medwediza. This ditch had small branches which flowed down between the other hills. During the dry season there was no water in these ditches, but after a heavy rain or when the snow melted in the spring, the water flowed into the ditch and was carried into the river. Also on the south end of the village was a ditch extending back from the river into the town about three blocks. This ditch or gully was about twenty-five feet deep and sloped up gradually at the east end until it reached the level of the town. At times the water rose in this ditch to the height of six feet.
The hills on the north, east, and south sides of the village, although one continuous hill, was called by three names. That portion on the north side was called Walter Berg. This Berg was the dividing line between Walter and Frank. On the east side of the village was the Muhl Berg, which was the dividing line between Kolb and Frank. Then on the south side was the Klees Berg, which received its name because of the amount of clover which grew all over it.
(To be continued…)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Visit to Brunnental, 1992 (1)
The Village Frank Newsletter
Volume 22, Number 1
Winter 1992/1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
Casey Haas Visits The Village of Brunnental – Summer 1992
(Excerpts)
(Page 9)
“…It was my wife’s family that came from Brunnental. She was born Gloria Becker. George Friedrich Becker (b. 30 Jul 1875) was her grandfather and Katherine Elizabeth Melcher 9b. 15 Feb 1877) was her grandmother. Her father was August Becker (b. 5 May 1911).
“Our trip to Brunnental lasted two days and one night. We stayed with a Heinrich Hartung family of German/Russians. He was a wonderful host and fed us well. We ate four meals a day, and three of those were served with vodka. We ate such things as noodle soups and we had fish for breakfast.
“Mr. Hartung was born in Brunnental in about 1934 and was 7 years old in 1941 when his family was deported, along with all the other residents of the village, to Kazakhstan. They returned to Brunnental in 1976 along with 15 other German families. They are preparing to emigrate to Germany, as soon as they are allowed to. They knew the Becker family…
“The conditions in Brunnental are very much as we have heard about in the other villages--- they do have electricity, but no running water. There are no paved streets and no indoor plumbing. There is one store in town (a room about 15 feet by 20 feet) where they sell sacks of potatoes and loaves of bread (not wrapped) and sugar (which is being rationed at 1 kilo per month). There is very little food to be purchased and almost everyone has a garden and raises their own food--- the main occupation is farming.
“Brunnental is located on the east side of the Volga River about 30-40 miles from the river itself. It is also about 90 miles from Saratov. The roads from Saratov were very poor and rough.
(Page 10)
“The are near Brunnental looks like the plains--- there are very few trees left--- the land has been cleared as far as the eye can see. We did find a few of the apple gardens on the outskirts of town.
“There are no mills left, but the dam is still there. It has 12 gates and operating gears, but the rods are missing to operate it. There are planks laying across the top and I walked across--- this is called the Bisjuk River --sp?) and it is only 30-40 feet wide, but then spreads to 100 feet behind the dam.
“There are a few cars in town, but nowhere to get gas. One of the strangest sights is the amount of modern farm equipment, sitting out in fields, that is broken down--- they are unable to get parts to fix it, so it just sits there.”
(Continued later)
Volume 22, Number 1
Winter 1992/1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
Casey Haas Visits The Village of Brunnental – Summer 1992
(Excerpts)
(Page 9)
“…It was my wife’s family that came from Brunnental. She was born Gloria Becker. George Friedrich Becker (b. 30 Jul 1875) was her grandfather and Katherine Elizabeth Melcher 9b. 15 Feb 1877) was her grandmother. Her father was August Becker (b. 5 May 1911).
“Our trip to Brunnental lasted two days and one night. We stayed with a Heinrich Hartung family of German/Russians. He was a wonderful host and fed us well. We ate four meals a day, and three of those were served with vodka. We ate such things as noodle soups and we had fish for breakfast.
“Mr. Hartung was born in Brunnental in about 1934 and was 7 years old in 1941 when his family was deported, along with all the other residents of the village, to Kazakhstan. They returned to Brunnental in 1976 along with 15 other German families. They are preparing to emigrate to Germany, as soon as they are allowed to. They knew the Becker family…
“The conditions in Brunnental are very much as we have heard about in the other villages--- they do have electricity, but no running water. There are no paved streets and no indoor plumbing. There is one store in town (a room about 15 feet by 20 feet) where they sell sacks of potatoes and loaves of bread (not wrapped) and sugar (which is being rationed at 1 kilo per month). There is very little food to be purchased and almost everyone has a garden and raises their own food--- the main occupation is farming.
“Brunnental is located on the east side of the Volga River about 30-40 miles from the river itself. It is also about 90 miles from Saratov. The roads from Saratov were very poor and rough.
(Page 10)
“The are near Brunnental looks like the plains--- there are very few trees left--- the land has been cleared as far as the eye can see. We did find a few of the apple gardens on the outskirts of town.
“There are no mills left, but the dam is still there. It has 12 gates and operating gears, but the rods are missing to operate it. There are planks laying across the top and I walked across--- this is called the Bisjuk River --sp?) and it is only 30-40 feet wide, but then spreads to 100 feet behind the dam.
“There are a few cars in town, but nowhere to get gas. One of the strangest sights is the amount of modern farm equipment, sitting out in fields, that is broken down--- they are unable to get parts to fix it, so it just sits there.”
(Continued later)
Families From FRANK
The Village Frank Newsletter
Volume 22, Number 1
Winter 1992/1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
Did Your Family Come From The Village of FRANK??
(Excerpts)
(Page 2)
(This information is a reprint from AHSGR-Clues 1972-Part 1)
FRANK- (Russian name: Medveditskij or Medwedizkoi Krestowoj Bujerak), present name is Medweditza, (see Work Paper #23, p. 3). Kanton: Frank, Wolost: Frank. Established May 16, 1767, 115 families, 525 settlers. Lutheran Colony on the Bergseite, located in the A-4 quadrant in Stumpp map #6. As given by Mr. Carl Eckhardt, Hastings, Nebraska in Die Welt Post,, 19 Oct. 1939.
(MY NOTES: This is in no way a complete list. The following represents known family names only. I will add to this as necessary.)
74. Wagner
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON FRANK
Surnames found in Frank, Russia. Based on list given by Mr. Fred Grosskopf of Greely, Colorado in 1968.
4. Bath, Bott
14. Elenberger
63. *Wagner
65. Webber, Weber
*Fred Grosskopf thought these families came from Saxony.
(Excerpts)
(Page 4)
“…The exciting news is that one afternoon, a Mr. Batt, formerly from FRANK and now residing in Germany presented me with an outstanding map of FRANK. It identifies every resident of FRANK from 1767 to 1941 by name and location. The map is very professional. I believe that Mr. Batt was an engineer at one time. I have sent the map to Lincoln to have it reproduced and made available for sale to the AHSGR membership. It was the request of Mr. Batt-- who would not take any money for the map—to have it made available to our AHSGR membership….”
…this village map (Map #55) is now available from AHSGR in Lincoln, NE... Please write to: AHSGR, 631 D. Street, Lincoln, NE. 69502-1199.
According to the AHSGR Newsletter, the #55 FRANK Village Map was drawn by Heinrich Batt of Germany, and it shows who was living in each homestead as of August 1941. The newsletter goes on to say that this new map is much more thorough than the other FRANK Map #19 which depicted the village at the turn of the century.
Volume 22, Number 1
Winter 1992/1993
Sherrie Stahl, editor
Did Your Family Come From The Village of FRANK??
(Excerpts)
(Page 2)
(This information is a reprint from AHSGR-Clues 1972-Part 1)
FRANK- (Russian name: Medveditskij or Medwedizkoi Krestowoj Bujerak), present name is Medweditza, (see Work Paper #23, p. 3). Kanton: Frank, Wolost: Frank. Established May 16, 1767, 115 families, 525 settlers. Lutheran Colony on the Bergseite, located in the A-4 quadrant in Stumpp map #6. As given by Mr. Carl Eckhardt, Hastings, Nebraska in Die Welt Post,, 19 Oct. 1939.
(MY NOTES: This is in no way a complete list. The following represents known family names only. I will add to this as necessary.)
74. Wagner
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON FRANK
Surnames found in Frank, Russia. Based on list given by Mr. Fred Grosskopf of Greely, Colorado in 1968.
4. Bath, Bott
14. Elenberger
63. *Wagner
65. Webber, Weber
*Fred Grosskopf thought these families came from Saxony.
(Excerpts)
(Page 4)
“…The exciting news is that one afternoon, a Mr. Batt, formerly from FRANK and now residing in Germany presented me with an outstanding map of FRANK. It identifies every resident of FRANK from 1767 to 1941 by name and location. The map is very professional. I believe that Mr. Batt was an engineer at one time. I have sent the map to Lincoln to have it reproduced and made available for sale to the AHSGR membership. It was the request of Mr. Batt-- who would not take any money for the map—to have it made available to our AHSGR membership….”
…this village map (Map #55) is now available from AHSGR in Lincoln, NE... Please write to: AHSGR, 631 D. Street, Lincoln, NE. 69502-1199.
According to the AHSGR Newsletter, the #55 FRANK Village Map was drawn by Heinrich Batt of Germany, and it shows who was living in each homestead as of August 1941. The newsletter goes on to say that this new map is much more thorough than the other FRANK Map #19 which depicted the village at the turn of the century.
Kansas and Oregon Volga Germans
The Village Frank Newsletter
Volume 21, Number 3
Fall 1992
Sherrie Stahl, editor
Can Your Help Us Do Research In Your Geographical Area?
(Excerpts)
(Page 2)
COLORADO & KANSAS: …The beet industry developed swiftly and with it the expansion into the South Platte River Valley of northeastern Colorado. A sugar refinery in Loveland was built in 1901, another in Eaton and in 1902 one in Windsor. Others were erected later in Greely, Brighton, Longmont, Fort Collins, and in 1905, in Sterling, Colorado. Loveland in the South Platte Valley had the oldest settlement. In May, 1901 some twenty families, most of them originating in Frank, Russia, came here from McCook, Nebraska. Others arrived from Denver, Sutton and Hastings. Even in 1930 Volga Germans from Frank represented most of the population in Loveland and also in Greeley, Colorado….
(Page 3)
WASHINGTON, OREGON AND CALIFORNIA: The first Volga Germans reached the west coast as early as 1881. Several Frankers were part of the wagon train that left Sutton, and Culbertson and headed west to Ritzville, Washington. In 1888 to 1890 Portland, Oregon received an influx of immigrants from Frank and Brunnental. Another large migration took place in 1907, and another in 1912. (MY NOTES: David and Katherine Ehlenberger first arrived in 1907.)
(Excerpted from the 1923 poem, “A Mournful Song on Brunnental” by Elias Hergert, as translated by Marie Trupp Kreiger.)
(Page 8)
I believe I have listed all
I do not find anymore
Of our dear Brunnental
Only one more, JACOB LEHR.
Now I remember as I end this
That is my in-law, with
JOHN ELENBERGER for spite
Make no further complaint….
Volume 21, Number 3
Fall 1992
Sherrie Stahl, editor
Can Your Help Us Do Research In Your Geographical Area?
(Excerpts)
(Page 2)
COLORADO & KANSAS: …The beet industry developed swiftly and with it the expansion into the South Platte River Valley of northeastern Colorado. A sugar refinery in Loveland was built in 1901, another in Eaton and in 1902 one in Windsor. Others were erected later in Greely, Brighton, Longmont, Fort Collins, and in 1905, in Sterling, Colorado. Loveland in the South Platte Valley had the oldest settlement. In May, 1901 some twenty families, most of them originating in Frank, Russia, came here from McCook, Nebraska. Others arrived from Denver, Sutton and Hastings. Even in 1930 Volga Germans from Frank represented most of the population in Loveland and also in Greeley, Colorado….
(Page 3)
WASHINGTON, OREGON AND CALIFORNIA: The first Volga Germans reached the west coast as early as 1881. Several Frankers were part of the wagon train that left Sutton, and Culbertson and headed west to Ritzville, Washington. In 1888 to 1890 Portland, Oregon received an influx of immigrants from Frank and Brunnental. Another large migration took place in 1907, and another in 1912. (MY NOTES: David and Katherine Ehlenberger first arrived in 1907.)
(Excerpted from the 1923 poem, “A Mournful Song on Brunnental” by Elias Hergert, as translated by Marie Trupp Kreiger.)
(Page 8)
I believe I have listed all
I do not find anymore
Of our dear Brunnental
Only one more, JACOB LEHR.
Now I remember as I end this
That is my in-law, with
JOHN ELENBERGER for spite
Make no further complaint….
Escape From Russia
ESCAPE FROM STARVING RUSSIA
By Edward John Amend
Source unknown—possibly AHSGR
(MY NOTES: I have included excerpts from this story because it represents the fate of many Russia Germans after the Bolsheviks took control. It may also represent the fate of those Ehlenbergers and other relatives who stayed behind, rather than emigrate to America.)
(Excerpts)
(Page 17)
My knowledge of the conditions in Soviet Russia is based on the fact that I was a native-born Russian subject and personally experienced the revolution and the first hectic years of Communist rule. I was born in one of the German colonies in the Volga region, received most of my education in Russian schools and served in the Czarist army during the world war. For three years after the war I taught school in a rural community and then in 1921, at the age of twenty-three, left the country.
Whatever may have been the various difficulties at the outbreak of the revolution and during the first years of the new regime, the fact that I was a German, my education and the comparative security I enjoyed as a Soviet employee should have made it easier for me to endure the general hardships in Russia. But when the famine invaded our district, it spared no one except, of course, the privileged members of the ruling party. To save myself from starvation, I seized an opportunity that offered itself to escape from the land of my birth.
…Before Bolshevism appeared on the scene, the life in our little village was peaceful. It was true that during the war there was a shortage of many of the necessities that were abundant prior to its outbreak, but at least we always had more than enough to eat. Our community was located in one of the most fertile sections of the country, and our people were relatively well off even during the four years of war. With the advent of Communism, however, the entire picture changed. After the overthrow of the Czarist regime, rumors of the Kerensky revolution reached our out-of-the-way community, but our life was not materially disturbed. Even the subsequent change in government hardly affected us. But during the fall of 1918, after just a few months of Bolshevik rule, terrible events soon made our existence almost unbearable.
In the winter of 1919-1920 famine swept over the country for the first time. At that point it was predominantly the city population that suffered. In spite of the new government’s urgent orders, accompanied finally by violent threats to compel the peasants to deliver their farm produce, the farmers openly ignored both orders and threats and refused to part with their grain. The main reason for this non-compliance with government orders was the fact that the peasants were offered ridiculously low prices, hardly enough to pay for their seed. “Let them come and get it”, was the sullen grumble of every farmer. And that is exactly what the government did: it sent out detachments of the Red Army into every town, village and hamlet, who collected at gun-point all the grain they could find, paying the peasants nothing at all for it. Under the existing conditions, this desperate step was necessary not only to save the people in the cities, but, above all, to save the new government itself, for Communism then was supported chiefly by the city population.
(Page 18)
…During the winter of 1920-1921, however, the situation was reversed. This time it was the turn of the peasants to starve, while the people in the cities were amply provided for by the government. Early in the fall of 1920, the Bolsheviks, taught by their experience of the previous eyar, sent out their collecting agents with strict orders to take from the peasants all the farm produce they had, including vegetables and fruits. All the grain and other edibles were collected at the nearest city, where regular distribution was made to the city workers and Soviet officials, while the farmers, relying on the promises of the collectors, waiting impatiently for their just shares, which never arrived. Famine spread quickly over the poverty-stricken countryside. To save their lives the farmers had to butcher their last cows and sheep, and after these were gone, their horses also had to be sacrificed. Throughout that long, dreary, and exceptionally cold winter, we existed on a diet that consisted exclusively of meat and, what was worse, meat which had to be prepared without salt. Like salt, many other necessities of life were lacking; items such as sugar, soap, matches and kerosene were unobtainable by the people in the villages…
By Edward John Amend
Source unknown—possibly AHSGR
(MY NOTES: I have included excerpts from this story because it represents the fate of many Russia Germans after the Bolsheviks took control. It may also represent the fate of those Ehlenbergers and other relatives who stayed behind, rather than emigrate to America.)
(Excerpts)
(Page 17)
My knowledge of the conditions in Soviet Russia is based on the fact that I was a native-born Russian subject and personally experienced the revolution and the first hectic years of Communist rule. I was born in one of the German colonies in the Volga region, received most of my education in Russian schools and served in the Czarist army during the world war. For three years after the war I taught school in a rural community and then in 1921, at the age of twenty-three, left the country.
Whatever may have been the various difficulties at the outbreak of the revolution and during the first years of the new regime, the fact that I was a German, my education and the comparative security I enjoyed as a Soviet employee should have made it easier for me to endure the general hardships in Russia. But when the famine invaded our district, it spared no one except, of course, the privileged members of the ruling party. To save myself from starvation, I seized an opportunity that offered itself to escape from the land of my birth.
…Before Bolshevism appeared on the scene, the life in our little village was peaceful. It was true that during the war there was a shortage of many of the necessities that were abundant prior to its outbreak, but at least we always had more than enough to eat. Our community was located in one of the most fertile sections of the country, and our people were relatively well off even during the four years of war. With the advent of Communism, however, the entire picture changed. After the overthrow of the Czarist regime, rumors of the Kerensky revolution reached our out-of-the-way community, but our life was not materially disturbed. Even the subsequent change in government hardly affected us. But during the fall of 1918, after just a few months of Bolshevik rule, terrible events soon made our existence almost unbearable.
In the winter of 1919-1920 famine swept over the country for the first time. At that point it was predominantly the city population that suffered. In spite of the new government’s urgent orders, accompanied finally by violent threats to compel the peasants to deliver their farm produce, the farmers openly ignored both orders and threats and refused to part with their grain. The main reason for this non-compliance with government orders was the fact that the peasants were offered ridiculously low prices, hardly enough to pay for their seed. “Let them come and get it”, was the sullen grumble of every farmer. And that is exactly what the government did: it sent out detachments of the Red Army into every town, village and hamlet, who collected at gun-point all the grain they could find, paying the peasants nothing at all for it. Under the existing conditions, this desperate step was necessary not only to save the people in the cities, but, above all, to save the new government itself, for Communism then was supported chiefly by the city population.
(Page 18)
…During the winter of 1920-1921, however, the situation was reversed. This time it was the turn of the peasants to starve, while the people in the cities were amply provided for by the government. Early in the fall of 1920, the Bolsheviks, taught by their experience of the previous eyar, sent out their collecting agents with strict orders to take from the peasants all the farm produce they had, including vegetables and fruits. All the grain and other edibles were collected at the nearest city, where regular distribution was made to the city workers and Soviet officials, while the farmers, relying on the promises of the collectors, waiting impatiently for their just shares, which never arrived. Famine spread quickly over the poverty-stricken countryside. To save their lives the farmers had to butcher their last cows and sheep, and after these were gone, their horses also had to be sacrificed. Throughout that long, dreary, and exceptionally cold winter, we existed on a diet that consisted exclusively of meat and, what was worse, meat which had to be prepared without salt. Like salt, many other necessities of life were lacking; items such as sugar, soap, matches and kerosene were unobtainable by the people in the villages…
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
A Mother's Quest For A Better Life
AHSGR, Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 1986
A Mother’s Quest For A Better Life
By Harold D. Kauffman
(Excerpts)
(Page 34)
Heeding the invitation of a former German princess, Catherine the Great, who had assumed the throne of the Tsar, they fled poverty and the greedy dukes who conscripted their young men and sold them as mercenaries to the highest bidder. Their homes and small fields had been destroyed repeatedly by the ravages of European wars, and the legions who had bled upon them were made up of their sons.
Knowing the desperation of her countrymen, Catherine appealed not only to their land hunger but also promised freedom of religion and language, financial aid and transportation costs, a tax-free existence for years, and above all, freedom from military conscription in perpetuity. Although some came from other parts of Europe, 27,000 had set out from Germany, abandoning whole villages and frightening their dukes into banning further emigration.
Among these Rhenish and Saxon settlers had been the ancestors of Maria Dorothea and Martin Gruenwald who had helped to found the village that lay southwest of Saratov on the Medveditsa River. The Russians called it Medveditskoi-Krestovoi-Buerak, but the German settlers knew it by the name of its first mayor—Frank.
In 1871 their families had taken them at age 13 to new lands on the east side of the Volga River where they joined a new colony—Krijovar, or as it was known to the German residents: Brunnental, Spring Valley.
(Page 35)
…The lives of the young people followed the seasons. A short period of hard work during the brief Russian summers was followed by the severe winters. Situated in an area that was open to both east and west, the colonists found themselves living in a mixed culture. Although Brunnental was staunchly Lutheran, near it were Roman Catholic, Mennonite and Reformed villages. Interspersed were Orthodox villages of Russians.
Each summer Muslim tradesmen and artisans would come form the area around the Caspian Sea, and it was at Martin’s home that they often stayed while in Brunnental. The settlers realized that the camel was probably well suited to their land, and soon the tall dromedary joined the horses and oxen of their tradition. Camels would eat the Russian thistle and thrive, and so these were gathered in the summer while tender and piled on shed roofs where they provided fodder for the camel in winter.
The broad, splayed hooves of the camels made them sure-footed in the snow, and their wool grew thick and luxurious in the winter cold. In the spring this provided the housewife with a rich crop of wool for spinning into soft, warm garments and blankets.
…As early as 1871 (MY NOTES: 5 years before David Ehlenberger’s birth), the privileges granted by Catherine the Great were revoked. A new interpretation of “perpetuity” was accepted and, after one hundred years, the final blow came in 1874 with the conscription of young men from the German villages for a five-year peiord of military duty.
Maria Dorothea’s eldest son was among those called up in 1901, and upon his return in 1905, he told of the disaster of the Japanese war and of the uprising he had witnessed while on duty in Kiev. As the new head of the family, he convinced his mother that the time had come for emigration. Early in 1907 the second son and his bride departed for Kansas and then Nebraska, preparing for the family to follow the next year.
(MY NOTES: Why is this relevant? David Ehlenberger fought in this same war, and also emigrated in 1907. Additionally, I remember my grandmother [David’s daughter] mention that they stopped to visit relatives in Kansas/Nebraska while en route to Oregon from the east coast on their return from Russia in January of 1914.
Also interesting, is that this story refers to a “David” who was Maria Dorothea’s cousin, who helped her across the frozen plains when her husband died. He saved her life. I have come across very few “David”s in my research of Brunnental, other than this story and my great-grandfather.)
(Page 36)
As the hot summer days wore on, another danger reappeared: cholera raged across the Russian countryside. Anna, Maria Dorothea’s daughter-in-law, began to fear for the lives of her three sons, her own life and loved ones. Adamantly she pleaded that they leave immediately, that winter would be too late.
In concert with relatives and friends, including David, the faithful cousin (MY NOTES: this would eliminate him from being David Ehlenberger because David Ehlenberger emigrated in May, 1907 on the Umbria. There could still be a connection, however.), the widow made arrangements, selling unharvested crops and other possessions for a pittance. In late August thirteen people set out by rail on the first leg of their trip to America.
Conditions on the train were crude. Benches ran down each side of the car; above these were shelves for baggage, and in the aisles lay the large bags and bundles of the emigrants upon which many sat and slept. Lice infested everyone. On the third day, Anna, the daughter-in-law, her guard momentarily lowered, purchased some fresh fruit from a peasant along the route. Within three days she was seized by the horrible disease she so feared.
The entire Brunnental party was put off the train at a small Ukrainian town and lodged in the station. Anna was placed in a rail car on the siding, and her husband and another young man cared for her. On the second day the three were taken by freight car to the nearest city. Upon arrival, they were placed in quarantine on a siding, and the young mother died.
…Once reunited, the party continued to Libau, where on Oct. 7, 1907, they were to embark upon the Russian East Asiatic Steamship Co.’s vessel, Estonia. Twenty days later they arrived in New York after a stormy North Atlantic voyage, during which the barrels of salted meat spilled, spoiling most of the dry staples. Upon arrival at Ellis Island, smallpox was discovered on the ship, and all its passengers were quarantined on a neighboring island for several days.
(Page 38)
…Maria Dorothea had grieved for her missing daughter for years. First came the hardships of World War I, followed by communist Revolution which raged back and forth across the German colonies for several years, both sides wreaking retribution upon the detested Germans.
Surviving this era and the starvation years of 1920 and 1921, Anna Margaret’s husband was executed or deported as a kulak, and his considerable property was confiscated. Another period of deprivation followed in 1928 through 1932 during the first five-year plan when Stalin’s forced collectivization of farm land resulted in another severe famine…
A Mother’s Quest For A Better Life
By Harold D. Kauffman
(Excerpts)
(Page 34)
Heeding the invitation of a former German princess, Catherine the Great, who had assumed the throne of the Tsar, they fled poverty and the greedy dukes who conscripted their young men and sold them as mercenaries to the highest bidder. Their homes and small fields had been destroyed repeatedly by the ravages of European wars, and the legions who had bled upon them were made up of their sons.
Knowing the desperation of her countrymen, Catherine appealed not only to their land hunger but also promised freedom of religion and language, financial aid and transportation costs, a tax-free existence for years, and above all, freedom from military conscription in perpetuity. Although some came from other parts of Europe, 27,000 had set out from Germany, abandoning whole villages and frightening their dukes into banning further emigration.
Among these Rhenish and Saxon settlers had been the ancestors of Maria Dorothea and Martin Gruenwald who had helped to found the village that lay southwest of Saratov on the Medveditsa River. The Russians called it Medveditskoi-Krestovoi-Buerak, but the German settlers knew it by the name of its first mayor—Frank.
In 1871 their families had taken them at age 13 to new lands on the east side of the Volga River where they joined a new colony—Krijovar, or as it was known to the German residents: Brunnental, Spring Valley.
(Page 35)
…The lives of the young people followed the seasons. A short period of hard work during the brief Russian summers was followed by the severe winters. Situated in an area that was open to both east and west, the colonists found themselves living in a mixed culture. Although Brunnental was staunchly Lutheran, near it were Roman Catholic, Mennonite and Reformed villages. Interspersed were Orthodox villages of Russians.
Each summer Muslim tradesmen and artisans would come form the area around the Caspian Sea, and it was at Martin’s home that they often stayed while in Brunnental. The settlers realized that the camel was probably well suited to their land, and soon the tall dromedary joined the horses and oxen of their tradition. Camels would eat the Russian thistle and thrive, and so these were gathered in the summer while tender and piled on shed roofs where they provided fodder for the camel in winter.
The broad, splayed hooves of the camels made them sure-footed in the snow, and their wool grew thick and luxurious in the winter cold. In the spring this provided the housewife with a rich crop of wool for spinning into soft, warm garments and blankets.
…As early as 1871 (MY NOTES: 5 years before David Ehlenberger’s birth), the privileges granted by Catherine the Great were revoked. A new interpretation of “perpetuity” was accepted and, after one hundred years, the final blow came in 1874 with the conscription of young men from the German villages for a five-year peiord of military duty.
Maria Dorothea’s eldest son was among those called up in 1901, and upon his return in 1905, he told of the disaster of the Japanese war and of the uprising he had witnessed while on duty in Kiev. As the new head of the family, he convinced his mother that the time had come for emigration. Early in 1907 the second son and his bride departed for Kansas and then Nebraska, preparing for the family to follow the next year.
(MY NOTES: Why is this relevant? David Ehlenberger fought in this same war, and also emigrated in 1907. Additionally, I remember my grandmother [David’s daughter] mention that they stopped to visit relatives in Kansas/Nebraska while en route to Oregon from the east coast on their return from Russia in January of 1914.
Also interesting, is that this story refers to a “David” who was Maria Dorothea’s cousin, who helped her across the frozen plains when her husband died. He saved her life. I have come across very few “David”s in my research of Brunnental, other than this story and my great-grandfather.)
(Page 36)
As the hot summer days wore on, another danger reappeared: cholera raged across the Russian countryside. Anna, Maria Dorothea’s daughter-in-law, began to fear for the lives of her three sons, her own life and loved ones. Adamantly she pleaded that they leave immediately, that winter would be too late.
In concert with relatives and friends, including David, the faithful cousin (MY NOTES: this would eliminate him from being David Ehlenberger because David Ehlenberger emigrated in May, 1907 on the Umbria. There could still be a connection, however.), the widow made arrangements, selling unharvested crops and other possessions for a pittance. In late August thirteen people set out by rail on the first leg of their trip to America.
Conditions on the train were crude. Benches ran down each side of the car; above these were shelves for baggage, and in the aisles lay the large bags and bundles of the emigrants upon which many sat and slept. Lice infested everyone. On the third day, Anna, the daughter-in-law, her guard momentarily lowered, purchased some fresh fruit from a peasant along the route. Within three days she was seized by the horrible disease she so feared.
The entire Brunnental party was put off the train at a small Ukrainian town and lodged in the station. Anna was placed in a rail car on the siding, and her husband and another young man cared for her. On the second day the three were taken by freight car to the nearest city. Upon arrival, they were placed in quarantine on a siding, and the young mother died.
…Once reunited, the party continued to Libau, where on Oct. 7, 1907, they were to embark upon the Russian East Asiatic Steamship Co.’s vessel, Estonia. Twenty days later they arrived in New York after a stormy North Atlantic voyage, during which the barrels of salted meat spilled, spoiling most of the dry staples. Upon arrival at Ellis Island, smallpox was discovered on the ship, and all its passengers were quarantined on a neighboring island for several days.
(Page 38)
…Maria Dorothea had grieved for her missing daughter for years. First came the hardships of World War I, followed by communist Revolution which raged back and forth across the German colonies for several years, both sides wreaking retribution upon the detested Germans.
Surviving this era and the starvation years of 1920 and 1921, Anna Margaret’s husband was executed or deported as a kulak, and his considerable property was confiscated. Another period of deprivation followed in 1928 through 1932 during the first five-year plan when Stalin’s forced collectivization of farm land resulted in another severe famine…
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Researching Russia-German Names
AHSGR, Clues, 1986 Edition—Part 2
Genealogy – Special Problems For The Advanced Researcher
By Arthur E. Flegel
(Excerpts)
(Page 24)
…Another significant aspect of names is the contraction of given names. This custom that was taken along to Russia was very common to the regions where our ancestors originated in Germany. As a matter of fact, during the ancestral period of history we are researching, it was custom to give children double names, which were later shortened or altered according to the whim of family members.
All male members of a given family might begin with the Christian name, “John” (Johann) followed by the second name which was the primary one, such as: Johann Conrad, Johann Jakob, Johann Georg, etc. However, that person would never be called Johann. Instead, within the family circles, he would be referred to as Conrad or Jakob or Georg, etc., which could be confusing for the novice researcher. The contraction of the name Johann Georg to Hanjerg was another common occurrence. Should a young man be named Johannes, he would normall not have a second name and would be called either Johannes or Johann.
In the case of women, the combination names normally included an Anna or Maria such as Anna Elisabeth, Anna Margaretha, Maria Katherine, Maria Elisabetha, etc. From time to time, I receive ancestral charts indicating someone’s great-grandmother as being named “Alice.” This is definitely an error, for the name “Alice” was unheard of among our ancestors. In fact, the name was Anna Elisabeth, which having been shortened to “Annalies,” eventually became “A’lies” and was then translated “Alice.” Anna Margaretha could become “Anna-grete,” with further corruption to “Amagrete.” Maria Elisabetha commonly became “Marilies” or “Maralies.”
Another curious custom was the practice of identifying the feminine gender by adding an “in” to the woman’s maiden name, thus for Schmidt, “Schmidtin,” or for Gross, “Grossin” or for "Weberin for Weber" etc. This could lead to the entry of an incorrect surname in the researcher’s records. Unelss special attention is given to these peculiarities, frustrating research problems can develop. But, let us always remember that these customs are very definitely a part of our valued heritage. They were not uniquely German from Russia, but instead had originated in the Rhineland, Hesse, and Palatinate regions of Germany from whence they were taken into Russia and eventually brought along to the Western World…
Genealogy – Special Problems For The Advanced Researcher
By Arthur E. Flegel
(Excerpts)
(Page 24)
…Another significant aspect of names is the contraction of given names. This custom that was taken along to Russia was very common to the regions where our ancestors originated in Germany. As a matter of fact, during the ancestral period of history we are researching, it was custom to give children double names, which were later shortened or altered according to the whim of family members.
All male members of a given family might begin with the Christian name, “John” (Johann) followed by the second name which was the primary one, such as: Johann Conrad, Johann Jakob, Johann Georg, etc. However, that person would never be called Johann. Instead, within the family circles, he would be referred to as Conrad or Jakob or Georg, etc., which could be confusing for the novice researcher. The contraction of the name Johann Georg to Hanjerg was another common occurrence. Should a young man be named Johannes, he would normall not have a second name and would be called either Johannes or Johann.
In the case of women, the combination names normally included an Anna or Maria such as Anna Elisabeth, Anna Margaretha, Maria Katherine, Maria Elisabetha, etc. From time to time, I receive ancestral charts indicating someone’s great-grandmother as being named “Alice.” This is definitely an error, for the name “Alice” was unheard of among our ancestors. In fact, the name was Anna Elisabeth, which having been shortened to “Annalies,” eventually became “A’lies” and was then translated “Alice.” Anna Margaretha could become “Anna-grete,” with further corruption to “Amagrete.” Maria Elisabetha commonly became “Marilies” or “Maralies.”
Another curious custom was the practice of identifying the feminine gender by adding an “in” to the woman’s maiden name, thus for Schmidt, “Schmidtin,” or for Gross, “Grossin” or for "Weberin for Weber" etc. This could lead to the entry of an incorrect surname in the researcher’s records. Unelss special attention is given to these peculiarities, frustrating research problems can develop. But, let us always remember that these customs are very definitely a part of our valued heritage. They were not uniquely German from Russia, but instead had originated in the Rhineland, Hesse, and Palatinate regions of Germany from whence they were taken into Russia and eventually brought along to the Western World…
Büdingen, Germany 1766 Document
AHSGR, Vol. 3, No. 1, Spring 1980
A Document of 1766 Found in Büdingen, Germany
By Emma Schwabenland Haynes
(Excerpts)
(Page 1)
In Work Paper No. 9 for October 1972 on page 50, I described a very interesting document dated October 30, 1766 which is in the library of Büdingen Castle east of Frankfurt, Germany. During the past year several people have written to ask for further details of this historic paper, which lists the names of twenty-five heads of families who left Germany for the Volga.
Since not all members of AHSGR possess early issues of our publications, may I repeat that Büdingen was the most important “Sammelplatz” or gathering place of those Germans who wanted to emigrate to Russia in the late eighteenth century. The town was headquarters for a Russian commissioner named Facius who moved to Büdingen after being expelled from Frankfurt. Numerous edicts had been passed by the rules of south-western Germany prohibiting emigration. But in spite of their efforts, it is presumed that approximately 27,000 people left for the Volga after 1763.
The Russian government preferred that stable citizens settle in their domains, and for that reason 375 marriages took place in the Protestant church of Büdingen between February and July of 1766. In 1971, shortly after our Society was organized, I made a trip to Büdingen to look at these marriage lists…
At the same time, I also went to the castle of Büdingen, which is used as a home by members of the family. They have hired a full time archivist, Frau Dr. Reimers, to take care of the manuscripts and books belonging to the castle. I asked Dr. Reimers for documents and other material going back to the year 1766 when hordes of would-be emigrants converged on the city. To my great disappointment she said that nothing remained except five pages listing the citizens of Düdelsheim and Rohrbach who had left for Russia.(1) At my request she made a copy of the document, three pages of which are reproduced in this issue of the Journal.
At the top of the first page… may be roughly translated as, “A report most respectfully submitted to the highly esteemed government chancery of the Count of Ysenburg- Büdingen.”
The document then goes on to say that all of the subjects who left the country for Russia have sold their goods and peroperty and have paid the necessary taxes, with the exception of:
(MY NOTES: The following is the complete list given.)
1. Johann Stephan Claus, who has given everything to his step-son, Johann Henrich Menges, on condition that if he arrives safely in Russia, his step-son will pay off his debts.
2. Andreas Klink. His parents have recently died and their estate is still not settled…
3. Johann Peter Claus, who went to Russia as an unmarried traveling artisan, has given his share of the family property to his brother Johannes to be used until he returns home again or writes that his part should be sold.
4. Conrad Raab has sold his possessions but this will scarcely pay for all of his debts.
5. Johann Henrich Scheyd with his wife made so many debts through disorderly living that he could hardly repay them. In a few years he would have had to go begging or else become a shepherd’s servant at the home of his father-in-law Hohnstein. He would not have been good either for his master or for the community. At his departure he turned over all his goods to his brother, Johann Adam Scheyd to pay the interest which must be met before other payments are made….
(MY NOTES: The following is NOT a complete list given. I have listed only names that may or may not be directly related.)
From ROHRBACH: All were citizens.
Casper Weber’s widow
(Page 2)
…I was very excited to discover that thirteen of the families from Düdelsheim and three form Rohrbach were listed as settling in Balzer.(5) There names and dates of arrival as given by Merkel follow:
From ROHRBACH:
Anna Margareta Weber [presumably of Casper Weber]
August 8, 1767.
NOTES:
(1) Both Düdelsheim and Rohrbach belonged to the “Grafschaft” or earldom of Isenburg- Budingen.
(4) For a complete list of those people who settled in Balzer see Hattie Plum Williams, The Czar’s Germans, published by AH”SGR in 1975, pages 102-105.
(5) My article in 1972 was based upon Jacob Volz's booklet which is not completely accurate.
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