Journal of the

Winter 1998 Volume 21. No. 4

American Historical Society of Germans from Russia

Editor

JO ANN KUHR AHSGR Headquarters, Lincoln, Nebraska

Editorial Board

On the cover: Wearing a traditional Russian fur hat, en-tertainer John Denver stands outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, 1984. He was one of the first American recording artists to be allowed to do a public concert in the former USSR. John Denver used this photo for a Christmas card that he sent out to friends and relatives. (Picture by Norman Gershman. Courtesy of Abe and Sammy Deutschendorf.)

IRMGARD HEDM ELLINGSON Bukovina Society, Ellis, K.S ARTHUR E.FLEGEL Certified Genealogist, Menio Park, CA ADAM GIESINGER University of Manitoba, Canada, emeritus NANCY BERNHARDT HOLLAND Trinity College, Burlington, VT WILLIAM KEEL University of Kansas, Lawrence

PETER J.KLASSEN California State University, Fresno TIMOTHY KLOBERDANZ North Dakota State University, Fargo GEORGE KUFELDT Anderson University, Indiana, emeritus CHRIS LOVETT Emporia State University, Kansas LEONAPFEIFER Fort Hays State University, Kansas, emeritus

The Journal of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia is published quarterly by AHSGR. Members of the Society receive a quarterly Journal and Newsletter. Members qualify for discounts on material available for purchase from AHSGR. Membership categories are: Individual, $50; Family, $50; Contributing. $75; Sustaining. $100; Life, $750. Memberships are based on a calendar year, due each January I. Dues in excess of $50 may be tax-deductible as allowed by law. Applications for membership should be sent to AHSGR, 631 D Street, Lincoln, NE 68502-1199.

The Journal welcomes the submission of articles, essays, family histories, anecdotes, folklore, book reviews, and items regarding all aspects of the lives of Germans in/from Russia. All submissions are subject to review by the Editorial Board. Manuscripts should be typed double spaced with endnotes. Computer fan-fold paper should be separated before mailing. If written on computer, please include a diskette containing a copy of the computer file. We can accept IBM-compatible ASCII or WordPerfect™ files. Our style guide is The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed. revised (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993).

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Gifts to the Society may be designated for specific purposes such as promoting the work of the Aussiedler Project gathering information from German-Russian emigrants recently arrived in Germany, the AHSGR/CIS Project for purchasing documents from the Russian archives, or supporting the Society's library or genealogical work; gifts may also be designated for use where most needed. All contributions help further the goals of AHSGR: to gather, preserve, and make available for research material pertaining to the history of Germans from Russia.

For information and to make contributions, contact the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 631 D Street, Lincoln, NE 68502-1199. Telephone: (402) 474-3363. Fax: (402) 474-7229. E-mail: ahsgr@aol.com. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

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American Historical Society of Germans from Russia 631 D Street • Lincoln, NE 68502-1199- Phone 402-474-3363 • Fax 402-474-7229 • E-mail ahsgr@aol.coin

© Copyright 1998 by the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. ISSN

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CONTENTS

A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO JOHN DENVER...............................…………...................................................... ii

HENRY JOHN DEUTSCHENDORF, JR.: THE WORLD KNEW HIM AS JOHN DENVER

Timothy J. Kloberdanz......................................................................................................................... 1

MEMORIES OF MY NEPHEW JOHN DENVER Rep. Abe Deutschendorf..................................................................................................................... 6

AN ARDUOUS JOURNEY: THE 1760s ROAD TO THE VOLGA Brent Alan Mai.................................................................................................................................. 8

ESCAPE TO FREEDOM Karl Hoffmann.................................................................................................................................... 13

WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE: DISCOVERIES IN RECENTLY ACQUIRED MATERIAL FROM THE RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN ARCHIVES

Richard Rye ....................................................................................................................................... 17

PASSENGER SHIP LIST Compiledby Attyn R. Brosz............................................................................................................... 21

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE AHSGR LIBRARY Compiled by Jan Tract Roth, AHSGR Librarian.............................................................................. 27

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO JOHN DENVER

On June 19,1998, a special "Memorial Tribute to John Denver" was held at the AHSGR Convention in Wichita, Kansas. Several members of John Denver's family were in attendance, including his mother, Erma Deutschcndorfof Aurora, Colorado. John Denver's cousin. Jerry Deutschcndorf, played the piano and sang several of John Denver's songs. An uncle and aunt of John Denver, Dave and Arva Deutschendorf, were members of a singing trio that also performed. AHSGR Foundation Board member Dr. Timothy J. Kloberdanz and Oklahoma State Representative Abe Deutschcndorf both spoke, and their presentations follow. Toward the conclusion of the hour-long memorial tribute, the approximately six hundred people in attendance stood and sang four verses of "Amazing Grace." The crowd also joined in the soulful singing of "Gott isl die Liehe, " a German hymn that is very dear to the Deutschendorfs, just as it is to so many other German-Russian families.

Erma Deiilschcndorf, John Denver's mother, poses wirh Dr. Timo-ihvJ. Kloberdanz. AHSGR Convention, Wchila. Kfiiwifi. June f998

Dr. Timothy Kloberdanz (left) with Rep Ahe Deulschendorf and his wife Sammy. AHSGR Convention, Wichita, Kansas June i99K

Jerry Deiitfscheiulorf and bin famous cousin, John Denver. Jerry is the son of Abe and Sammy Deittuchendorf. He performed at the AHSGR Memorial Tribute in tVichitci and sang several .'iong.'i in John 'i memoiv.

HENRY JOHN DEUTSCHENDORF, JR.: THE WORLD KNEW HIM AS JOHN DENVER Timothy J. Kloberdanz

The mere sound of his voice is recognizable to millions of people. The numerous songs he composed are known throughout the United States and even far, far abroad. Indeed, the whole world knew him as John Denver.

But the world lost John Denver on October 12, 1997, when he perished in a tragic plane accident off the California Coast. For us in AHSGR, the great irony is this: only two days previous, there was a board meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska, and a number of us talked about John Denver and how great it would be to have him perform at the 1998 convention in Wichita or perhaps at another AHSGR. event. We knew he was "one of us," and we knew his songs and music spoke to so many of our people.

Like most Americans, we would not hear of the October 12 tragedy until a day or two later. And like most Americans, we were stunned and saddened by the news. As a private healing ritual, many of us took out one of his albums or tapes and listened to his songs once again. And then we felt a little better. Music, especially powerful music, has that effect. It has a soothing and a timeless quality.

As many of you know, I grew up in Colorado, as did my wife Rosalinda, and we were married in Denver in the mid 1970s— when John Denver was at the height of his popularity. Many in my generation identified with him and his idealism and his music. At that time, the youthful John Denver was as much a symbol of Colorado and the American West as the majestic Rocky Mountains.

The really amazing thing about that time period is that, for once, my parents and I agreed on what was good music! Although there was a generation gap, the music of John Denver helped bring us together and to remind young and old that we were not really that different. In other words, there was hope. And hope is just what we needed.

Although John Denver remained popular until the time of his death, it was in the 1970s that he soared to mile-high stardom. Observers of American popular culture have noted that while Elvis symbolized the 1950s, and the Beatles dominated the 1960s, John Denver came to epitomize the 1970s. He was not only a dynamic

performer but a gifted songwriter. In fact, he enjoyed his first success with the now classic song "Leaving on a Jet Plane." That song, written more than three decades ago, continues to be extremely popular. Even the 1998 motion picture, "Armageddon" (starring Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck) includes a rather humorous scene where several would-be astronauts spontaneously perform "Leaving on a Jet Plane" before being hurled into outer space to battle a mighty asteroid.

Other popular tunes that John Denver performed and made famous include: "Rocky Mountain High," "Take Me Home, Country Roads," "Annie's Song," "Follow Me," "Sunshine on My Shoulders," and many others. John Denver would eventually earn 14 gold and 8 platinum albums. His "Greatest Hits" album would soar to sales of more than 20 million and become one of the top-selling musical albums for RCA Records.'

John Denver also was a humanitarian and an environmental activist who championed a number of causes about which he felt strongly. And through it all he remained committed to his close friends and to his family—including his three children, Zak, Anna Kate, and Jesse Belle.

John Denver with his three children (left to right: Anna Kate. Jesse Belle, and Zak. Photo courtesy of Abe and Sammy Deiifschenclorf

Dr. Timothy J, Kloherdanz is an Associate Professor of Sociology-Anthropology (it North Dakota State University in Fargo. ND. He is ajrequenf and popular contrihulor to the AHSGR Journal. He has served on the AHSGR Foundation Board since 1995.

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

John Denver's life and music became so much a part of American culture that some of his songs still evoke special memories and events in our own lives. Many of us in AHSGR, for example, can remember the first time we heard John Denver's song "Matthew." I certainly remember; it was back in 1974. Besides liking the song right away, I had a hunch that the young singer in the wirc-rim glasses might be "one of us"—someone who knew intimately the Great Plains and who traced his ancestry to the Germans from Russia. The way John Denver described the Kansas farmer Matthew and the lyrica! references to the Kansas "summer skies" and "windy Kansas wheatfields" made me wonder.3

In 1976, when AHSGR held its convention in Denver, Colorado, a number of us hoped we could get John Denver to appear at the opening session and sing just a song or two. But we did not have the right connections or any inside information. A family member has since told me one of the secrets for getting backstage after a John Denver concert: just say to the stern-faced security men guarding the doors, "I can spell Deutschendorf," and the doors would open!

Now the big question many of you may be asking yourselves is: Did John Denver know he was a descendant of the Germans from Russia and was he proud of his heritage? His autobiography, Take Me Home (published in 1994) provides us with some answers. Early in the book, John Denver informs readers that the first Deutschendorfs in Oklahoma were Germans from Russia, immigrants who eventually settled around Bessie, Oklahoma. In his book, John shares some fascinating family folklore, and he describes the early Deutschendorfs as "a pretty impressive band of people .,. [who] worked for themselves the entire four seasons, and they worked hard."4 The pride in his family background and ethnic heritage seems quite evident.

Although John Denver was a German-Russian American of the third generation, he did not entirely escape the hurtful experiences that older family members sometimes had to endure. In 1957 he and his parents moved to the Deep South. When John was only thirteen years old, he enrolled in a new school in Montgomery, Alabama, but the experience was far from pleasant. He later recalled:

Deem Deufschendorf, John Denver's German-Russian uncle, who inspired the song "Matthew. " Picture taken in Corn, Oklahoma, in fhe /ale 1950s. Photo courtesy of Abe and Sammy Deutschendorf.

I checked with a fellow AHSGR board member at the time, Raymond Wiebe of Hillsboro, Kansas. Ray did a little research, and he confirmed my suspicions. John Denver was indeed of German-Russian ancestry, and his real name was Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. The name is pronounced in various ways by family members today, usually "Dutchen-dorf but sometimes "Deutschen-dorf." Most of you know that the name "Deutschendorf literally means "German village." How appropriate—especially for those of us in this organization who delve into the history of many a German village in Russia. For those of you who are wondering why John Denver changed his name from Deutschendorf to Denver (and it wasn't his idea), just try to imagine a long name like "Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr." on a record label or an album cover!3

I know it didn't help my frame of mind that on the first day of school my homeroom teacher, who taught civics, interestingly enough, asked if I was an American citizen. Obviously, Deutschendorf didn't sound the right note to her. Oh God, was I embarrassed. And angry, too, that I had to explain the situation. ... I knew the school was used to itinerants coming through. But I was still offended. Offended, embarrassed, and intimidated all at the same time.5

John Denver also was dismayed to leam that this same Montgomery school not only questioned ethnic-Americans with long, foreign-sounding names but it actively practiced segregation against African-Americans. "Segregation," John Denver wrote, "went against everything in my education that meant something to me. Living in the thick of it was a grim prospect.'"' Such race-

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

based exclusion also went against everything his German-Russian elders back in Oklahoma had taught him. After all, his grandparents "had the open values of the frontier: You didn't judge a man by the color of his skin."7

According to available records, John Denver's Deutschendorf ancestors emigrated from Kuckuck (Thiensdorf), West Prussia, and settled in South Russia." Eventually, the Deutschendorfs made their home in the Ekaterinoslav region before moving again to the North Caucasus. The North Caucasus was an exciting and ethnically diverse area, where Black Sea Germans and Volga Germans were thrust together under difficult circumstances.9

Although of the Evangelical persuasion, the early Deutschendorfs made their home in the Mennonite colony of Wohldemfurst (also known as Velikoknyazhesk), on the Kuban River.'0 It was from this same North Caucasus village that John Denver's grandfather, John Henry Deutschendorf, immigrated to the United States in the fall of 1913. John Henry Deutschendorf was only eighteen years old at the time he left Russia and started a new life in America. He settled in Washita County, Oklahoma, where he met his future wife, Anna Koop (daughter of Heinrich and Elizabeth [Janzen] Koop). Anna's people also were Germans from Russia, with ties to Mennonite colonies in the Molochna region. John Henry Deutschendorf and Anna Koop married and had twelve children. The second oldest child. Henry John Deutschendorf (born April 12, 1920), was John Denver's father. He was referred to as "Dutch" or "Hank" by those who knew him.

The Deutschendorf family in Oklahoma was dealt a severe blow when the patriarch of the family, John Henry Deutschendorf, suddenly died of a ruptured appendix in October 1943. He was only forty-eight years old at the time. It was now up to his wife, Anna Deutschendorf, to run the farm and singlehandedly raise their many children. An astute and sensitively attuned family chronicler remembers Anna Deutschendorf in this fashion:

The years of drought, the depression and many mouths to feed gave her a challenge that few would have been able to face. But Anna put on her working gloves and went into the cotton patch followed by her children. She was a leader with determination and spirit. Sometimes she carried a saw, sometimes a hoe and always, despite the hardships of each day and the uncertainty of the future, she carried the shield of faith and the full armor of God. Standing firm in the face of misfortune and heartache, she raised a great family, scattered now across the nation, all good

citizens and hard workers no matter their station in life. All other sons and daughters inherited a legacy of faith and learned the dignity of hard work worth more than silver and more precious than gold. All coming from the hands and heart of a woman who would not accept defeat. Her faith settled in heaven and her feet planted firmly on the ground, this courageous woman, through the example of her life, continues, even after her death, to affect and influence the lives of her children over each succeeding generation. No family could ask for a richer heritage."

John Denver poses with his grandmother Anna (Koop) Deütscheildorj in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Gott ist die Liebe was her favorite song. andshe would often sing if (if family get-togethers and reunion.',. Photo courtesy of Abe and Sammy Deüttschendorf.

Did this rich German-Russian heritage of John Denver's play a part in the making of one of America's most popular performers and songwriters? We may never know the answer to this question. But we do know that John Denver traced his ancestry to the Germans from Russia, and he was not afraid to tell the whole world about it in his autobiography. Moreover, he celebrated his people's "salt of the earth" heritage and rural values in countless songs that millions could relate to and enjoy for generations to come.

And so it is indeed fitting and appropriate that we in AHSGR hold this memorial tribute to honor Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.—a popular performer and songwriter whom the world knew as John Denver.

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

We are especially honored that so many of John Denver's family members are with us today, including his mother Erma Deutschendorf, his Uncle Abe and Aunt Sammy Deutschendorf, his Uncle Dave and Aunt Arva Deutschendorf, his cousins Jerry and Cindy Deutschendorf, and many others. Their cooperation and participation have been tremendous.

As a token of our deep appreciation, we in AHSGR want the Deutschendorfs to know that John Denver's name will occupy a prominent place when our German-Russian pioneer family monument is dedicated in Lincoln, Nebraska, in October 1998. Inscribed bricks will be placed all around the limestone statue. One of those bricks, which bears a musical symbol, includes this inscription;

JOHN DENVER 1943—1997

The visitors who stop by AHSGR headquarters each year and view the pioneer family monument and the bricks will see the names of many, many German-Russian people. Among them will be the names of immigrants, homesteaders, sugar beet growers, wheat farmers, business people, ministers, teachers, physicians, writers, and a host of others. Amidst so many names, the AHSGR visitors surely will see the brick that bears John Denver's name. And then they will know that Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.— the famous entertainer whom the whole world knew as John Denver—was "one of us" and that we proudly claim him as one of our own.

NOTES

1. See, e.g., the biographical sketch inside the dust jacket of John Denver's Take Me Home: An Autobiography. (New York: Harmony Books, 1994).

2. The song "Matthew" actually was inspired by John Denver's German-Russian uncle, Dean Deutschendorf. He and John Denver worked closely together on a wheat-harvesting crew. Sometime later, the youthful Dean Deutschendorf was killed in an automobile accident. The words and music for the song "Matthew" appear in An Evening with John Denver, ed. by Milton Okun (Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co., Inc.), 1975, pp. 28-32.

3. Denver, Take Me Home, pp. 43-44.

4. Ibid, pp. 2-4. John Denver describes his Deutschendorf grandparents as "Germans from the Volga River," But it is doubtful if his ancestors were indeed Volga Germans. Confusion may have resulted because the Deutschendorfs lived in close proximity to Volga Germans both in Russia (North Caucasus) and later in western Oklahoma (Washita County).

5. Denver, Take Me Home, p. 18. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid, p. 6. 8. This information was provided by Abe and Sammy

Deutschendorf, John Denver's uncle and aunt. 9. See, e.g., C. P. Toews, Heinrich Friesen, and Arnold

Dyck, The Kuban Settlement, trans. by Herbert Giesbrecht (Winnipeg, Canada: CMBC Publications, 1989).

10. When John Denver's grandfather, John Deutschendorf, filed a declaration of intention in Cordell, Oklahoma (1924), he indicated his last foreign residence in Russia was "Welekoknashefck" [Velikoknyazhesk]. Also, see Delbert D. Amen and Susan K. Amen's "U.S. Citizenship Declarations of Intent Filed by Germans from Russia in Washita County, Oklahoma, I907-1935," in Clues 1981 [Part II], pp. 47-53.

11. Courtesy of Abe and Sammy Deutschendorf. Anna (Koop) Deutschendorf was born August 8,1901 and passed away December 26, 1985.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many individuals helped make the AHSGR Memorial Tribute to John Denver possible. It simply would not have happened without the active participation and support of so many members of John Denver's family. These gracious individuals include Erma Deutschendorf (John Denver's mother), Abe Deutschendorf and his wife Sammy, as well as their son Jerry; and Dave and Arva Deutschendorf. Appreciation also is extended to members of the AHSGR Folklore Committee and the AHSGR International Foundation. A number of individuals deserve special mention: Roger White, Al Schmidt, Julic Thiessen, Kevin Rupp, and Edwin Pfannenstiel (who were among those who performed at the Tribute); Rosalinda Appelhans Kloberdanz (who assisted in countless ways and who offered non-stop encouragement); Dr. Wilmer Harms, Elizabeth Barker, and Marianne Wheeler (who helped get the ball rolling); and Kathy Schultz, Rick Rye, Kris Ball, Jerry Braun, Betty Koop, Lillian Larwig, and Harold Heinrichs (who each contributed in a very special way). Thank you, everyone!

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

John Denver 5

The old Deiitschcwioi-f family farmslL'ad, easi ofCordell, Oklahoma. This is where John Denver s paternal grandparents. John Henry and Anna Detiihchendorf. lived. Photo courtesy of Dave and Arva Deiitschendorf

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

Deiilschendorf family members, all .wns of John Henry and Anna Deutschendorf: John Denver s father, Hank, stands in the hack row, third from the right. (Photo courtesy of Abe and Sammy Deutschendorf.)

MEMORIES OF MY NEPHEW JOHN DENVER Rep. Abe Deutschendorf

While we Deutschendorfs were waiting to come into the ballroom this morning, someone out in the hall asked, "Which one is the politician?" (Laughter) You know, that reminds me of this guy who called and asked, "Is this the city gas works?" And the fellow who answered said, "No, this is the mayor." "Well," the caller said, "I didn't miss it by far, did I?" (Laughter)

We have heard some great music and some great singing, and in a little while we are going to hear some more. I was working on a paint crew one time, and I started singing, and one of the men stopped me and said: "Abe, I am not a doctor, but if you just point to where you hurt, I will try to give you an examination!" (Laughter)

And now, some words about my super nephew. Henry John Deutschendorf—John Denver. When John sang a song, you could understand all the words, and that is because his mother insisted on his pronouncing the words correctly and not doing like a lot of other singers. So we have Erma, John's mother, to thank for that.

John had a nickname in his early years—"Jitterbug." He had boundless energy! And like so many children, he loved to perform. His mom and dad encouraged this for they took an incredible amount of home movie footage of John. I think they have enough film to do a full-hour piece on John performing at a very early age.

You all know John Denver most famously as a singer. But like his father (my oldest brother) and like his grandfather (my father), John also was a great storyteller. We don't have time to go into that but we do have a home video of John telling quite a bear story. He was the kind of guy who, when you were in his presence, could hold you spellbound with a story. It's a real talent, and I don't think a person can develop that. My dad had that gin and my brother, who was John's father, also had that gift. Yes, John Denver had the gift as well; he was a born storyteller.

John was the greatest live audience entertainer, I think, that the world has ever known. There are some great super stars today, but I don't think anybody could hold a candle to John Denver's concerts. I saw him a number of times perform before an audience of fifteen to twenty thousand people, and he absolutely held them in his hand. I think that's because of John's great desire to establish rapport with his audience and also because he sang from the heart.

Oklahoma Slate Representative Abe Deutschendorf shared memo-ries of his nephew, John Denver, at the convention in Wichita. The text was transcribed by Dr. Timothy J. Kloberdanz and was edited by Abe \- son. Jerry Deutschendorf,

Let me tell you a little story about how John established rapport with an audience. (John told us about this at one of our family get-togethers.) He memorized a verse of "Annie's Song" in Russian, and when he sang that verse at a concert over in Russia one time, he just blew the audience away. They went bananas! They really seemed to appreciate how he had taken the trouble to sing a portion of that song in Russian. Yes, John was a great live audience performer.

John Denver and Annie Marlell married in June 1967. It was she who inspired one of John Denver's most famous tunes. "Annie's Song. " Photo courtesy of Dave and Arva Deutschendorf.

John also was one of our greatest songwriters, and he was also a great proponent and a great spokesman for peace. His songwriting covers such a wide, wide range. The gamut of his songs and themes was truly incredible, as we have already heard here this morning.

John had deep feelings for family, and he and his parents took comfort and pleasure in the fact that everyone—young and old—enjoyed John's music. At his concerts, there were always children present, teenagers, young couples, grandma-types. Everybody enjoyed his music.

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

Yes, John had deep feelings for people and also for his family. Let me tell you one story that illustrates this. It is about something that deeply touched me. We were at my brother Paul's house one Friday, right after Thanksgiving. John had brought along his guitar, and we were all singing and having a great time. Grandma Deutschendorf, my mother, was there, and this was only a few months before she passed away. She was also having a great time, but then the time came for my brother Paul, John, and me to take her back to the nursing home. When we got there, we wheeled her into her room. John got down on his knees and took Grandma Deutschendorf s hands and held them up to his face and he said: "Grandma Deutschendorf, I can't come back for Christmas, but I wish you the happiest and most peace-filled Christmas this year." And I thought this was so touching. And it meant so much to my mother who loved him deeply. Yes, John cared deeply about his family.

John cared deeply about world hunger. He was the first big-name entertainer to do world-hunger concerts. And he did them in several foreign countries as well.

As I mentioned earlier, John cared deeply about world peace. And he cared deeply about protecting our environment—our streams, our lakes, our rivers. I would like to close on this note for that is where you and I both come into the picture. John is gone. But his music is not gone. Nor arc his ideals or that great zeal of his.

There was a time when his songs were most popular, but I think his zeal and his ideals were only beginning to escalate then. They were only beginning to be set into motion. Many leaders around the world eventually started to get the message about the environment, and they began to think seriously about the future.

John Denver cared deeply about protecting the environment—this incredible place that God has given us. That's where you and I come into the picture. Listen to John's music and listen to the things he says in the video "John Denver: A Portrait." He talks about the songs that he wrote, and he talks about protecting the environment.

So if you haven't given much thought to it, you might want to think about how important the environment is to us all. This wonderful world belongs to us, but we need to pass it on to our kids. And what kind of a world will we pass on to our children?! I

Thank you.

John Denver's great-grandparents, Heinnch and Elizabeth nee Janzen) Koop. Thev were Germans from Russia with ties to Mennonite colony's in the Molochiw region of South Russia. Photo courtesy of Dave and Arva Deutscliendorf.

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

An Arduous Journey: The 1760s Road to the Volga Brent Alan Mai

A little over a year ago, my family and I packed up all of our earthly possessions and moved to our new house. It was a tremendous effort; boxes everywhere, all those moving company folks running around trying to decide what to carry out to the moving van next, unloading the refrigerator and freezer, disconnecting the vital appliances, running off to the title company to sign all the paperwork with our builder. . . . Then, of course, there was making sure that the moving guys got all our stuff in the right rooms at the new house, taking the door off the freezer so that it would fit down the basement stairs (and putting the door back on again—evidently not part of the moving company's contract with us), unpacking all those boxes, putting the pictures on the wall. . . . Those of you who have moved even once know how much of a hassle it can be. And this time my family and I moved a whole three blocks and around the comer!

Now imagine making arrangements to move all your family's worldly possessions. But this time you do not have any boxes (at least not cardboard ones), no moving company to help you, and no real estate agent to act on your behalf when both selling your present home (if you even have one) and buying the new one. In fact, you can carry most, if not all, of what you own on your back or in a small valise because it is the spring of 1766, and you have decided to leave your recently war-ravaged German homeland and head to what seems like the promised land— Russia. There you will be given a house and a farm and a chance to make something out of our life, free from the threats of religiously driven wars conducted in the fields near your village; wars that are financed by exorbitant taxes, and the constant threat of military conscription. For those of us whose ancestors settled the original Volga German colonies, this was the reality of the day.

The journey from Germany to Russia, however, is not the subject of the discussion today. Rather, the topic of what happened to them once they arrived in Russia will be investigated. Most of these German emigrants first arrived aboard ships in the Russian port at Kronstadt. Here they disembarked from the Hanseatic or English ships upon which they had crossed the Baltic Sea. The colonists were next transported to Oranienbaum, a short distance west of St. Petersburg (today part of the St. Petersburg metropolitan area) where they were put up in temporary housing.'

Tin's article is based on a presentation made at the 1998 AHSGR convention in Wichita. Kansas. Prof. Mai is an Assistant Professor of Library Science at Purdue University.

After completing the necessary paperwork in Oranienbaum, .the emigrant families were crowded onto small ships and taken to St. Petersburg itself. While docked in St. Petersburg, the emigrants were not given living ac-commodations in the city but remained on the ships during their stay in the capital, which could last as long as three weeks. At this point, each group of colonists was assigned to a military officer who was to protect them and lead them all the way to the settlement sites. After leaving St. Petersburg, the flotilla proceeded up the Neva River, through the Schlüsselburg Canal to Lake Ladoga, and up the Volkhov River to Novgorod. Here the sick people among the group disembarked and remained for the winter. Those remaining healthy continued by ship a little farther up the river, eventually disembarking to begin the journey overland to Torshok, at that time the northerly most navigable point on the upper Volga River,3

Women and children were crowded onto transport wagons piled with baggage. Most of the men had to walk. Several colonist groups did not reach Torshok until October when the weather was already cold. Although they were provided with warm sheepskin coats, some of the travelers became ill due to cold and hunger, and many of them died along the way and were buried on the roadside. As long as winter had not fully set in, the colonists kept travelling. A few got as far as Kostroma, where ice formation on the river forced them to stop. Some of the latter groups were surprised by winter while still sailing up the Volkhov River. These groups were taken by sleigh to Belosersk until winter quarters could be provided for them in nearby K-yrilov, Those who had remained in Oranienbaum until late in the summer were taken by covered sleigh to Petrovsk in the province of Saratov and remained there until spring,3

Most of the colonist groups, however, found their jour-ney interrupted at Torshok. There they quartered with Rus-sian peasants in the villages nearby. The following spring, when the river was navigable once again, the colonists continued their trek by ship from Torshok down the Volga to Saratov. According to Beratz, in 1767 there must have been a shortage of ships to accommodate all the emigrants leaving Torshok. Some of them went by land to Kassimov and sailed down the Oka River to the Volga; yet others went down the Tvertsa River.4

But the journey down the Volga was far from a holiday cruise. Damage to ships caused long and unpleasant delays. A large number of adults and children died along this part of the journey as well. When this happened, the ships stopped at the river bank, a grave was dug for the

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

deceased, relatives hastily erected a rough-hewn cross above it, and then they scurried back to the ship so that the journey could continue. Beratz mentions that burial of the dead was hastened by a fear of robbers who were often hiding in the dense forests along the Volga.5 June 10................ Graf

Eventually, the ships loaded with colonists, their be- June 14................ Louis longings, and supplies reached Saratov, the city closest to June 14................ Rohleder the designated settlement areas. Those colonists who ar- June 16................ Mariental rived in Saratov as early as March, namely those who June 27............. ICatharinenstadt founded Ober-Monjou on 5 March 1767, were probably July 1 .................. Moor among a group that made the whole journey from the bor- July 7 .................. Messer der city in sleighs. Those colonists who were to be settled July 9 .......... Stahl am Karaman on the right bank of the Volga (the Bergseite) were taken July 14................. Herzog by wagon to the settlement sites. Those who were to be July 15................. Reinhard settled on the left bank of the river (the Wiesenseite) were July 18................. Degolt taken by boat across to the village Pokrovsk lying oppo- July 18................. Schuck site Saratov. The German colonists called it Kosakenstadt July 18 …………..Vollmer (Cossacktown) since the majority of its inhabitants were July 20................. Bauer Cossacks" July 21…………Dönhof This has been a very brief recount of the journey from July 27……..Rosenheim Oranienbaum to the German colonies along the Russian August 1 ………Shäfer Volga. For a more detailed account of thisJourney, consult August 2.............. Chasselois The German Colonies on the Lower Volga by Gottlleb August 27............ Beauregard Beratz (pages 44-57) and From Catherine to Khrushchev August 28 …Merkel by Adam Giesinger (pages 10-11). September 8…….Schuiz

As part of the CIS Research Project, the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia has acquired 1767 copies of nine of the transport lists of these early German March 5............... Ober-Monjou colonists. These lists comprise part of Fond 383, Opis 1 in May 12................ Dinkel the Central State Archive of Ancient Acts in Moscow. They May 12 ................ (Celler" cover the years 1766 and 1767, but the exact dates of each May 12 ............... Leitsinger'" transport are not indicated on the documents themselves. May 12................ Preuss There are a total of 7,501 individuals mentioned on the May 12................ Straub nine transport lists. The nine transport leaders are (in the May 12 ................ Warenburg order they appear in the documents): May 13 ................ Kolb

May 14................ Hildmann May 14................ Leichtling

Immigrant May 16................ Frank Total Numbers May 16................ Hussenbach

Lt. von Ditmar7 884 1-884 May 25................ Göbel Lt.vonDitmar 1081 885-1965 June 7.................. Boisroux Lt. von Ditmar 1048 1966-3013 June 7.................. Kaneau Lt. Shchirokov 898 3014-3911 June 7................ Nieder-Monjou Lt. von Dücker 1109 3912-5020 June 7.................. Orlovskoye Lt. von Ditmar 266 5021-5286 June 7.................. Paulskoye Lt. D. von Oldenburg 995 5287-6281 June 12………… Meinhard Lt. von Ditmar 519 6282-6800 June 15................ Pfeifer Lt. Shchirokov 701 6801-7501 June 20................ Luzem Total 7501 June 24................ Semenovka

June 26................ Brabander June 26................ Kukkus

Although the lists themselves do not mention the route July 1 .................. Bangert each transport took, it is believed that they were among July 1 .................. Dehler those that arrived in Saratov by ship during 1766 and 1767. July 1 .................. Dietel

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The following 89 colonres, listed in order of their founding, were established during these two years;

1766

July I .................. Grimm July 1 .................. Huck July 5 .................. Jost July8 .................. Kutter July 8 .................. Schwab July 12................. Laub July 13................. Näb July 13.....„..„......Urbach July 14................. Hummel July 14................. Reinwald July 15................. Seetmann July 20................. Krasnoyar July 20................. Kautz August 3.............. Zurich August 3.............. Bettinger August 3.............. Cäsarsfeld" August 3.............. Emestinendorf August 3.............. Kind August 3.............. Philippsfeld August 3................. Kind August 3.............. Philippsfeld August 3.............. Schönchen August 3.............. Susannental August 3.............. Wittmann August 7.............. Kratzke August 10............ Köhler August 10............ Zug August 13 ............ Stahl am Tarlyk August 13............ Schaffhausen August 15............ Hockerberg August 15............ Norka August 16............ Muller August 18............ Kraft August 19............ Lauwe August 20............ Base! August 20............ Biberstein August 20............ Seewald August 21............ Rothammcl August 24............ Steplian August 25............ Walter September 11 ...... Hölzel September 16 ...... Dreispitz September 16 ...... Yagodnaya Polyana

What personal data elements are provided on the transport list? In his article12 about tracing places of origins in Germany in the Summer 1998 issue of the AHSGR Journal, David Schmidt also mentions the following categories of information contained in the transport lists:

given name surname (no maiden name, except in a few cases)

relationship to the "head of the household" whether or not they are one of the group leaders gender

age (for children and those who are single) religious affiliation (Lutheran, Catholic, or Reformed) whether or not they were born during the transport period whether or not they died during the transport period comments about hospitalization or whereabouts (if missing from the transport) a few occupations

As for the personal and surnames, they arc written on the transport lists in German using a combination of Latin and Gothic scripts. During transcription, the spellings of both the surname and the given name have been left as they are on the original document. There are seemingly endless spelling variations, particularly among given names. For example, Gertrude is listed in the following variations: Gertrud, Gertruda, Gertraud, Gertraut, Gertrauth, Gertruta, Gertruth, Gertrutha, and Gertrudt. Given names are also often abbreviated in any number of ways. For example, Elisabeth appears in the following full and abbreviated variations: Elisabeth, Elisabetha, Elisabet, Elis., Elisabt., Elisab., and Elisi.

For those with common surnames, knowing the family's religious affiliation can help to determine whether one Schmidt family is yours or not. The total number of colonists by faith follows. As is the case with many such tallying efforts of the time, the totals given on the transport lists themselves do not add up to the correct number.

Total According Actual to List's tally Total

Lutheran 4,201 4,209 Catholic 2,267 2,261 Reformed 1,013 1,018 Not Specified 13 13 Not Counted 7

Both Beratz and Giesinger mention that people fell ill during the journey from Oranienbaum to Saratov. These transport lists give the names of 20 people who were left in hospitals along the way. It also lists 44 people who were "absent" from the transport at one time or another and 3 people who were actually tallied as deserters. As another point of interest, there were 8 widowers among the group and 105 widows.

As mentioned earlier, the hardships of the journey took their toll on the colonists. The death rate among those in-cluded on the transport lists was astounding. Of the 7,501 people listed, 1,264 (16.9%) of them died from various causes between Oranienbaum and Saratov. Entire families died enroute. Of the 163 children born enroute, 66 of them died before reaching Saratov. These children are

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AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

listed on the transports, however, indicating that these lists were made upon or after the colonists' arrival in Saratov. Taking into account those who were left behind in hospitals, absent from the transports for some unknown reason, or outright deserters, approximately 6,200 people reached the Volga German settlement area in 1766 or 1767 on the 9 transports included in this fist.

There are 112 group leaders listed, of whom 9 (8%) died enroute. If you were a group leader, you evidently were only half as likely to die enroute!

Akaman, Johann* (Luth.) Albert, Joh. David (Luth.) Altenhoff, Justus (Luth.) Amon, Hans* (Cath.) Anschutz, Johann Heinr. (Ref,) Asmus, Georg (Luth.) Bating, Ludwig (Cath.) Bauer, Joh. (Luth.) Becker, Joh. Jacob (Luth.) Bieberstein (von), August (Luth.) Bimer, Friderich (Luth.) Boch, Christian* (Cath.) Bonn, Christian (Luth.) Bottinger, Carl Christ. (Luth.) Braun, (not given) (Luth.) Braus, Joh. (Cath.) Brenner, Paulus* (Cath.) Burmester, Ernst (Luth.) Busch, Heinrich (Luth.) Buttner, Johann (Luth.) Carstens, Joh. Heinrich (Luth.) Daudrich, (not given) (Luth.) Deines, Joh. George (Luth.) Ebert, Johann Peter (Ref.) Ehrler, Balthasar (Cath.) Ekardt, Paul (Luth.)_ Erffurt, Carl (Luth.) Erhart, Sigm. Lud. (Luth.) Fahr, Fried. (Luth.) Pels, Joh. Ulrich(Luth.) Felsing, Jacob (Luth.) Fischer, Andreas (Luth.) Fling, Joh. Caspar (Luth.) Giesan, Joh. Fried. (Luth.) Gotz, Michael (Luth.) Grebing, Joh. Wilh. (Luth.) Hasselbach, George* (Luth.) Helm, Gottfried (Luth.) Herbel, Conrad (Luth.) Hermann, Joh. Heinr. (Luth.) Hiltmaz, Johan Ad. (Cath.) Hoffmann, Johann (Luth.) Hohfelder, Ignatius (Luth.) Jung, Wilhelm (Luth.)

Junge, Johann (Ref.) Jütte, August (Luth.) Kauerhof, Carl Mart. (Luth.) Kayser, Johannes (Luth.) Kind, Aug. Christoph (Luth.) Knoch, Bernhard* (Luth.) Koch, Gottfrid (Luth.) Kohler, Christoph (Ref.) Kohler, Johann Adam (Luth.) Konig, Andreas (Luth.) Konig, Christian (Luth.) Kramer, Hem. (Cath.) Kratz, Johann (Luth.) Krcntzer, Joseph (Cath.) Kreutzer, Johannes (Luth.) Laube, Johann (Luth.) Lauffer, Johann George (Ref.) Lemp, Christian (Luth.) Liphard, Christoph (Ref.) Lohr, Joh. Gottl. (Luth.) Manger, Wilhelm Hein. (Ref.) Mansfeld, Johann* (Luth.) Mauch, Georg Balthasar (Luth.) Meyer, Michel (Luth.) Michaelis, Fertinand (Luth.) Miniger, Conr. Wilh. (Luth.) Muller, Andres (Ref.) Muller, Georg. Willh.* (Luth.) Müller, Nicolas (Luth.) Muller, Jacob (Ref.) Müller, Wilhelm (Cath.) Muller, (not given) (Luth.) Neurath, Joh. Heinrich (Ref.) Pauly, Joh. Georg (Luth.) Pfeiffer, Joh. G. (Luth.) Pfoerner, George (Ref.) Pipenbrinck, Johan (Luth.) Reichert, Joh. Heinr. (Luth.) Reimer, Conrad (Luth.) Rempe, Conrad (Luth,) Rodiger, Johannes (Ref.) Rohleder, Gottl. (Luth.) Rost, Johannes (Cath.) Roth, Joh. Casp (Luth.) Rothe, Johann Samuel (Luth.) Rumler, Michael (Luth.) Schaffer, Georg Peter (Luth.) Schlidcr, Peter* (Luth.) Schneider, Nicolas Schneider, J. Heinr. (Luth.) Schreitinuller, Joh. Georg (Luth.) Schultz, Nicolaus (Luth.) Schwartz, Ludew. (Luth.) Seyb, Johannes (Cath.) Staab, Johann (Cath.) Stadt, Joh. Mich. (Cath.)

12 An Arduous Journey Thoringen, Joh. Siegmund (Luth.) Trautmann, Caspar (Cath.) Ulrich, Johann (Ref.) Wagner, Johann Adam (Ref,) Wagner, Sebastian (Cath.) Wasen, Christoph (Ref.) Weber, Peter (Cath.) Wegner, Lud. (Ref.) Weiss, Johannes (Luth.) Weiss, Benedictus (Cath.) Wettermann, Joh. Christ. (Luth.) Winckelmann (von), Carl (Cath) *died enroute

Among these group leaders, the following surnames are found among the names by which the colonies themselves became known over the years (with the spellings as listed on the transport lists):

Bieberstein Ekardt Fischer Kind Kohler Kratz" Laube Michaelis14 Müller (6) Pfeiffer Rohleder Schaffer

Among the other surnames listed on the transports one also finds names by which colonies were called (spellings as listed on the transport lists). These may not be the individuals after whom colonies were named, because insufficient evidence exists at this time to determine such a correlation.

A copy of the complete transport list is available for purchase from the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. Each individual listed on it is indexed.

My personal thanks are extended to Jo Ann Kuhr and Rick Rye for their assistance with the transcription and translation of these records.

Notes 1Beratz, Gottlieb, The German Colonies on the Lower Volga: Their Origin and Early Development (Lincoln, NE: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1991); p. 44; Giesinger, Adam, From Catherine to Khrushchev: The Story of Russia s Germans (Lincoln, NE: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1981):p. 10. 2 Beratz, pp. 50-51; Giesinger, p. II. ' 3 Beratz, p. 51-52; Giesinger. p. 11. 4 Beratz, p. 51,54. 5 Beratz, p. 55. 6Beratz, p.55. 7 Also spelled Dittmar at various times on the transport documents. 8 Chasselois was destroyed by the Kirghiz in 1774. 9Keller was destroyed by the Kirghiz in 1774. 10Leitsinger was destroyed by the Kirghiz in 1774. 11Cäsarsfeld was destroyed by the Kirghiz in 1774. 12 Schmidt, David F. "The Hourglass: Using Russian and German Records to Trace Places of Origin in Germany." Journal of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia2t:2 (Summer I998): 1-2. l3 Basel was at one time known by the name of Kratz. 14 Schaffhausen was at one time known by the name of Michaelis.

ERRATA On page 19 of the fall issue of the AHSGR Jour-nal, we inadvertently misspelled the names of the popular games Banock and Durack. We apologize to Rosalinda Kloberdanz, Chair of the AHSGR Folklore/Linguistics Committee, her hard-working committee members, and all AHSGR members who enjoy these games.

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

Bauer Doehler Franck Hertzog Jost Kolb Kraft Marienthal Merckell Mohr Schilling Schultz Schwab Schwed Stahl Stephan Walter

13

ESCAPE TO FREEDOM Kari Hoffmann

First I would like to tell you a little about my family and my childhood village in South Russia. I was born in 1930 in Friedrichsfeld, which is now called Rosdol. It is a small village near Halbstadt, which lies northeast of Odessa in the region Germans called Molochna.

My father was very musical and put on plays in Friedrichsfeld and neighboring towns. My mother was in charge of the playhouse in Friedrichsfeld, and I was their love child. I lived with my mother, but I was given my father's name, Hoffmann. My mother's name was Kuhler, and her married name was Regel.

As a child I grew up with many half brothers and sisters with whom I played in the carefree days before the war. I remember that we all made homemade ice skates out of wood and pieces of iron, with which we charged up and down the frozen creek all winter.

I was in school the last year the German language was allowed to be taught. One of my schoolmates. Harry Frye, was the son of the mayor, Hugo Frye. In 1936 his father had received the Order of Lenin in the biggest celebration our town ever had. It was given to him because Friedrichsfeld had a tremendous harvest. But in 1941 when the Bolsheviks came into town, they took all of the men from ages 15 to 55 years old away to the North Ural work camps, Harry's father, too, was taken just like all of the rest. After the war I wanted to tell his story, and started to write a book about him. I was afraid that he might suffer if he was still alive, so I stopped writing. Over the years I was hoping he was still alive.

Stuttgart Bundestreffen in 1996

The break for me in learning about my friend came at the Stuttgart Bundestreffen in 1996, where I met people from Friedrichsfeld. I found out my friend Harry was still alive and in Germany. I have now written to him, and we hope to meet again someday.

Also as a result of going to the Bundestreffen, I now have found several other survivors from my home village. First, from a copy of Voik aufdem Weg which I got from Margaret Freeman, I found a request written by a woman named Ema Matern Engel who was looking for her father taken away in 1936. Even though I didn't know anything about her father, since she was from my town I contacted her. I arranged to meet her at the Bundestreffen, so I knew

This was presented at the 1997 AHSGR convention in San Jose, California. Mr. Hoffmann lives in Harbor Cily, California.

there would be at least the two of us there. As it turned out, there were several people there from Friedrichsfeld, some of whom I had known as a child. I don't know if I will ever recover from the experience of meeting the man who had been with my father in prison camp and helped bury him. He was able to tell me that my father died in 1944 in a trudarmiya prison in Solikomsk, Perm District, North Ural.

As a result of the Bundestreffen, I located a cousin who lives nearby in Germany who has started to write to me. This first cousin, referred me to another cousin, Selma, who still lives in Kazakhstan, and we are now writing and exchanging pictures. And all this because I found the Germans from Russia, found out about the Bundestreffen, and dared to attend. I cannot believe how full my life has become with all these contacts. And Maria, my wife, no longer teases me about coming from a place that exists only behind the moon!

1941

It seemed like out of nowhere the war started, with Hitler attacking the Russians. This was when Stalin ordered all of the men to be taken away. I remember the Red Army trucks coming into town and hauling all of the men to the railway station.

Immediately after that, Stalin enforced his order to transport all of the German people left in the colonies to places like Siberia and Kazakhstan. I remember trucks coming into town again and soldiers going house to house and loading the remaining old men, women, and children onto trucks to be sent to Kazakhstan.

My mother said we were going to hide; we were not leaving. With about eight others we went to a large house on the other side of the creek bed and climbed up into the attic. We could look out of the tiny dormer window and see the Red Army marching by in the street below.

By morning, we saw different soldiers carrying flags with swastikas, and my mother said she could hear them speaking German. We went out and spoke to them, saying, "£7 mia sin auch Dajtsche."

We found out we were being liberated from Communism. The soldiers had so-called, Gebirgsjdger (a military mountain righting unit) caps with the Edelweiss flower on the side. They were mostly Austrians and Bavarians.

About a week later the German SS took over the German colony area with the headquarters in Halbstadt. Because of the rapid advances, the German Army had time

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

to liberate some Germans from other colonies. Those liberated were sent to the region of Halbstadt, and Friedrichsfeld had some new Germans—including many German men—who needed to live there. Life seemed more normal, even though there was no school because we had no teachers. By 1942 the SS tried to bring German schooling to us.

During this period I remember a big event in Halbstadt where all of the Germans stood for a parade for the high German officials visiting. We were given Swastika flags to wave as the open Merccdes Benz cars drove by. And of course movie cameras were rolling. In charge of the SS in Halbstadt was Obersturmfuhrer Frank. Soon the law of the German Reich took all German-Russian men into the Waffen SS. This meant that men who had just arrived were taken away to serve the German Reich. So once again, all women and children were left by themselves. (By the same law all of the men in the German colonies of Rumania, Hungary, Banat, and other places, were taken, mostly into the SS.)

Evacuation After the Battle of Stalingrad

In 1943 when the Germans lost the battle of Stalingrad and General Paulus surrendered to the Soviets, the SS arrived in our town and gave the order to evacuate to the Reich. We left Friedrichsfeld with horses and carts, and our journey started. At 13 years of age, I was in charge of a team of horses and a wagon. In the wagon I had, there were about six women and two babies. After six weeks of traveling, we had a short rest period in a Russian town. Once again the SS ordered us to continue the journey. We were close to the Polish border by the time we stopped again. The Red Army was advancing also toward Poland. The escape with horses and carts was apparently too slow, and the SS gave orders for us to be transported by train to Poland, In Warsaw we had to be deloused, and through the SS we received our German citizenship papers. The SS shipped the people in our town, who had been able to stay together until this time, in all different directions. My mother, who was incapacitated, and I were sent with about 15 people to a place called Wartheland or Wartegau [Warta River area] on the German border with Poland near Posen. Our stay there was not a long time either. The Red Army was once again advancing toward Poland and Germany. With horses and wagons given by the town we were living in, we escaped toward Germany, Our place was about 15 kilometers from the Elbe River. We finally felt safe, but it was not to be.

After a few months in the town attending German school in 1945, with the war almost over, German soldiers by the thousands passed through in the direction of the Elbe River. The reason was that the soldiers did not want

to fall into Soviet hands but, instead, wanted to be captured by the Americans or English. I remember the SS coming in an open Merccdes Benz and going up into the church tower to observe the area with binoculars. After coming down again, they immediately left with great speed.

We children were, of course, curious and went to the edge of the town. About ten men in German uniforms came toward us. They asked us in German if there were German soldiers in the town. After we told them no, they gave a sign. and soldiers came out from all directions— like out of the ground. I could hear them speaking Russian, and I could see the Hammer and Sickle on their caps. So here were the Soviets.

They went on through the town, but about a day later came more Soviet troops, and they behaved like animals. The Americans had stopped at the Elbe River and by agreement were waiting for the Soviets. Berlin was allowed to be captured by the Soviets, Hitler had committed suicide with Eva Braun, and in the month of May the German Reich was destroyed.

The allies divided Germany according to the Agreement of Yalta, and a new era for the German nation began. The western allies were building a new Germany with the Marshall Plan. In the meantime the Soviets took all people born in the Soviet Union and sent them back to the Soviet Union. The mayor in the German village where I lived, did not make a report that I was born in Russia. Therefore I lived in East Germany until 1948. After a new mayor came in, he reported to the Russians that my mother and I had been born in Russia.

The East German police notified me that I had to report to the Russian commandant's office. He told me to return to the fatherland, the Soviet Union. He wrote the order that I would be shipped from Camp 226 in Brandenburg to the Soviet Union. I said I would get my belongings and get ready for the trip.

I left the office, and on the street somebody tapped me on the shoulder. As I turned around, I saw it was a Russian officer. He asked me where I was going, t told him I was going to get some of my things and return to the Soviet Union. He looked at me very sadly, and said, "Boy, don't return to the Soviet Union. Escape to the West."

I said, "No, no, I will return to Russia," because I thought it might be a trap. An escape would have been very easy, if I could have reached Berlin. However, the East German police had given orders that if a person traveled over thirty kilometers, he had to have a police permit. Of course I could not obtain this. I immediately went to the railroad station and took a train to Wittenberge on the Elbe River.

As I came out of the train In Wittenberge, I was the first out and just missed being checked by the border

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police. \ approached the Elbe River where there were people with boats. I asked if they would take me across, but they said river police would stop them. But 1 had to cross in order to reach West Germany. I was in front of the bridge and saw that Volkspo Hzei stood there controlling it.

An elderly lady came by. I approached her and asked if she could help me get over the bridge. She looked at me and said, "You want to go to the West?"

I said, "Yes." She said she would manage, adding, "I cross the bridge

every day to get grass for my rabbits, and you are my nephew visiting me and helping me." As we stood in front of the Volkspolizei one of the policemen greeted her with a smile. She replied, "[ have my nephew with me."

"Oh that is good," he said, and let us go over the bridge. As we came to the end of the bridge, there were again more police, but they did not ask any questions.

After they were gone, she described the area and told me how to get to West Germany. I came to a small town and looked for the Gasthaus [inn]. In the Gasthaus were some people who also wanted to go to West Germany. In total we were about eight people wanting to go over the border. They discussed whether to escape at night or in the daytime. We decided to try in the daytime. All of a sudden, the owner said, "Everyone go into the dance hall and close the door." The police were coining. East German police officers came in, drank some beer, and left again; the coast was clear.

By late afternoon we started toward the border. It was farmland and forests. A farmer was cutting grass with a scythe. One of the people asked if he knew the border. He said, "Of course, 1 was born here." They all told him they would give him money and jewelry if he would lead us to West Germany. He agreed.

As we walked through the forest, we made a short stop. He told us that the border was about 500 meters distant. I had taken off my watch already to give him, but he said to wait until we arrived in West Germany. Suddenly he said, "Let's go." Everyone started to go with him, except me because I had an uneasy feeling. After they were away, about thirty yards ahead of me, he called to me, "Come on." However, I still waited. Then a thought came into my mind, that they would make it and I wouldn't. "You better go," I said to myself. As I started to go, I saw Russians with rifles in the distance. Immediately, I started to run back. And I ran and ran. Completely exhausted, I fell down, and the greenery of the forest covered me. Next I heard the Russians speaking to these people and heard them being beaten and crying. I was so scared I passed out.

After I came to, it was night and raining heavily. I stood up wondering what to do. 1 started toward the border on my own. All of a sudden I could hear voices and some kind of accordion music. I was hearing Russians in a tent.

1 walked way around them and finally saw a light in the distance. I went toward the light, thinking it was surely West German Approaching the light, I saw there was a bridge leading to it, and I knew I must cross it. Soon I was crawling over the bridge on all fours. Once on the other side, I got up and said to myself, "Now I am in West Germany." I walked through the town and there was an outside light on a building, and I read a sign, saying Grenzpolizei —border police. All of a sudden a shudder came over me and I thought maybe it was the East-German police, so I very quietly walked out of the town. Arriving at the cemetery, I saw a field next to it with haystacks in it. I hid under one of them and went to sleep.

When I awoke, I saw a boy turning the shocks and asked him if this was East Germany or West Germany. His reply was East Germany. 1 asked the boy if he knew the road to West Germany and could he help me go there. He said he did know the road, but he would have to take me to his parents to get permission. He added that I was too dirty to meet them, and he would bring me some clean clothes, which he did- His parents were very good to me and immediately gave me some food. They asked me no questions, but said only that their boy would take me to West Germany, and they made a plan.

There was a ditch with water which had fish in it. The boy and I went there, pretending we were only fishing as we walked along the bank. The boy said, "Be very calm, here come the Volkspolizei"

Two officers stopped and looked at us, and said, "Now boys, did you catch anything?"

We replied, "No, not yet." The police left, walking toward town.

After they were about fifty meters away from us, the boy told me, "Now we will run as fast as we can. We started running. One of the border policemen realized why we were running and hollered, "Stop, you Lausbuben^

In running I lost one shoe, and the boy said, "Come on, don't stop." All of a sudden, a policeman stood in front of us, and said, "Halt!" I froze, too scared to move a muscle.

The boy looked at me, and said, "Don't worry, this is the West-German police." Naturally, I took a breath of relief and felt that all of my burdens were removed. The policeman said to follow him to his office. The boy explained he was there only to help me across, and he needed to get back home. And so we parted, and [ gave him my watch as a remembrance because it was all I had.

After I made my statement with the reason for my escape at the West-German police station, they fed and clothed me and paid for a trip on the train to the refugee camp in Uelzen. The West Germans gave me the right and privilege to stay in West Germany, where 1 lived in the British zone for two years and worked as an unskilled

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

laborer, I then moved from the English zone to the French zone, where it was less crowded, and the opportunity for employment was better. There I started to work for a textile mill and met a beautiful girl, Maria. We fell in love and married in 1955.

However, the fear of being hunted by the Soviet Union stayed with me and led to my sincere wish to immigrate to the United States of America. Among the Germans, the saying was that the Russians would cross West Germany if a war came. Maria has her own life story, too, as she was a refugee girl from the Banat in Yugoslavia.

In 19551 applied to immigrate to the United States. In 1956 I received registered mail from the American Consul. With this letter I went to the church, held the letter, and said, "God, whatever decision is in here I shall obey Thy will." I opened the letter, and it contained the visa for the United States.

After one year of marriage, Maria and I departed from Germany to the United States of America. We left Bremerhaven, and after seasickness and 12 days on the boat, we saw the gracious lady, the Statue of Liberty, in the New York Harbor. With joyful tears we entered America. Our sponsors were the World Council of Churches in New York and the Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, California. Our life in America would be another book! We became American citizens, of course. My mother, whom, I had to leave in East Germany due to her illness, was not taken back to the Soviet Union but died a few years later in East Germany.

Our years in America have brought us a lovely daughter, Heidi, a fine son-in-law, Timothy, and two beautiful grandchildren, Joseph and Monica. For forty years America has been our home. After all, I left Russia after living there only 13 years, and left Germany at age 25, so most of my years are in America. We are Americans—but proud of our German-Russian ancestry.

Join us wfzere "the deer and the ante[ope pCay y atW(SWs30tfi

International.Convention JuCy 7-11

^arhJPCaza'H.oteC^f Convention Centre Casper Wyoming

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

17

WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE Discoveries in Recently Acquired Material from the Russian and Ukrainian Archives Richard Rye

The basis of my sermon to you today are taken from a variety of texts covering most of the areas of settlement of Germans in Russia and Ukraine. In fact, there is so much new material becoming available, it is a difficult choice.

Changing metaphors, from the vast smorgasbord now before us, we have for those of you from the Black Sea area, a sizeable section of 1858 census, titled Records of the Roman Catholic Colonies of the Kherson District, also contains records for some of the Protestant colonies. This material is now being worked on by volunteers at both AHSGR and GRHS. It includes Glückstal, Hoffnungstai, Neudorf, Kassel, Helenental, Neu-Freudental, Johannestal, Worms, Rohrbach, Waterloo, Speier, Landau, Katharinental, Karlsruhe, Suiz, Liebental, Grossliebental, and several others. Stay tuned for further announcements about its translation and availability.

We have extensive material procured from the Odessa archive by member Dale Lee Wahl and material on the Glückstal colonies procured by the GCRA [Glückstal Colonies Research Association], For example, we have information on Kubatzki's proposed soap factory in Bessarabia. No, he couldn't build it, because the bureaucrats wouldn't change his passport. All you colonists have to remain dirty!

And some of you have a slightly shaky claim to being German. From the records procured by Dale Wahl, we team that when Catharina Alquin married, her husband took the name of Johann Gregory. The marriage was approved by the civil authorities with the condition that spiritual authorities expressed no objection to the union of the Greek loannis Stambourekis and the German colonist Alquin. Now where do your roots go?

From these newly acquired records, we are finding that many, many of you people didn't stay put long enough to even sprout, much less take root. Of course, this was caused by poor planning on the part of the Russian bureaucrats. Most of the colonies in the Black Sea region were established without sufficient land, forcing colonists to move all over the region. For example, we have an extensive file on the requests for passports for colonists seeking work in other regions, even to the extent of cutting hay across the Bug River, because drought has caused extensive problems with feed for livestock.

Richard Rye is Translations Coordinator at AHSGR Headquarters in Lincoln, NE. He gave this brief analysis of recently acquired records at the AHSGR Convention in Wichita, Kansas. July 1998.

Also from the Odessa archive, but procured by RAGAS, we have the alphabetical list of members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Paul, Odessa. This list has been translated by member Ralph Ruff and has been sent to the committee for publication.

From the newly published guide to the Kontora files in the Dneptropetrovsk archive (we don’t have these files, just their descriptions). we find a file for September 1-December 2, 1802, the Kontora of Oversight of New Russian Foreign Settlers about Danzig colonists J. Burbach, J. and M. Buchholz, G. Friedrich, and G. Henrichson, who complain of abuse by Schultz J. Schmidt.

Another file, February 28, 1807 to February 6, 1808, contains 174 sheets about sowing of crops and farming in the Danzig, Crimean, Liebental, Swedish, Molochansk Mennonite colonies, the Bulgarian colonies of the K-herson province, and lists of the heads of households of the Crimean, Bulgarian, Molochansk Mennonite, and Danzig colonies; listings of marriages and deaths of Crimean, Molochansk colonists and Mennonites, Belovezh colonists.

And in 1807, foreigners A. Zergner, K. Petrushkin, and K. Gottlieb wanted to be listed as colonists in the Kherson province.

Or perhaps you are more interested in the establishment of schools (1808-1816) in the colony of Josephstal: Gottlieb Keinard and Friedrich Jaworsky seem to be spearheading this effort.

And there are the many and varied reports by the inspectors of the Swedish, Jewish, Bulgarian, Greek colonies regarding planting of trees, silkworm fanning, debts, number of trees in the Liebental and Kuchurgan colonies, and how many sheep were kept in various colonies.

Khortitsa, Hoffental, Montal, Neudorf, Rosental— let's build schools there. Blacksmith and Feodosia colonist Johann Kiebler wants to be listed in the community of Chokurchansk.

For the Jerry Springer set, there is the matter of the sentencing of Friedental colonist E. Wagner, convicted of poor maintenance of his household, drunkenness, and "severely abusing his wife." And in 1813, church elder Mehlmann complained about Grüntal pastor Sederholm.

File 384, October 22, 1802 to July 20, 1826, "File on the report of Develdeev, Inspector of the colony of Josephstal, on the examination of foreigner Kirchmann, for sending her to the mad house for healing." Shudder,

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

shudder—ever seen the inside of a nineteenth-century Russian mad house?

Or perhaps File 417, January 3—July 10, 1814, listing the quarantine lists for the colonies of Selz, Kandel, and Mannheim, the inhabitants of which have become ill with plague. In that same file, it is noted that colonist Philipp Schneider paid his debt to Franz Brittner, and Gottfried Schweinfort resolved his debt with Prince Meshehersky.

Or File 470, March 1816, the revision list of the colony of Worms, Berezan district.

Or maybe the one about Molochansk colonist Mellem stealing the cow of Elisavetgrad citizen Kushnirenko.

Or the one about Alt-Schwedendorf colonist Barbara Silin, who murdered her new-born child in 1818.

Many of you have expressed intense interest in the records, often referred to as "Bishop's Transcripts" of the Tiraspol Roman Catholic Consistory. I have just completed the translation of two of these illustrious records from the Landau parish. They were procured from the Ukrainian archives by RAGAS. Those of you who were at the San Jose convention can remember Dr. Pleve telling the members that he hoped he never saw those records again. I can only repeat his sentiments. I hope I never see these records again:

Only in the last entry for the year 1863, No. 236, December 30, do we leam that the priest's name was actually Fr. Adalbertus Donatus Kazimirovich Mitrowsky—or Medrowsky—or Metrowsky—or Midrowsky—or—?

Fr. Didak Sambor, of Polish and Lithuanian extraction, often wrote his first name as '•'•Dudak'" in Russian due to the fact he often mistakenly used the Polish "Y," which his scribe or clerk converted to the Russian "Y." Fr. Sambor also had a very strong tendency to use Polish terms, rather than Russian. For example Fr. Sambor often stated that many people died from, "odra" which in Russian can mean a bed. They died from a bed? In Polish, it means "smallpox." End of mystery.

But perhaps the most poignant entry in the Landau/ TiraspolrecordisNo.61.July 28, 1871, Elisabctha Gress, age 21 years, wife of Anton Gress and mother of daughter Isabelle, was unexpectedly struck by lightning. Unexpectedly?

As a parting shot at these Tiraspol Roman Catholic Consistory records, here is a statement made by Gerald Ortell in his Polish Parish Records of the Roman Catholic-Church, published by the Polish Genealogical Society of America:

Extreme caution must be used in relying upon the information in the transcript records. . . . In some cases, the entries were obviously copied on a monthly

basis. In others, the chore was left until the end of the year, often resulting in a very rushed hand. In addition, a busy priest servicing the birth, marriage, and death needs of five or six villages day in and day out often became confused and made mistakes in the original records.

After my brief experience with these records, I can heartily agree. Are these records accurate? Only time and comparison with other records will tell, but I try to avoid using the word "accurate" to describe the ones on which I have worked. And please don't ask me to read any more of them! I can't afford to purchase any more magnifying glasses.

From that same archive, we were also able to obtain the membership list of the Suiz Roman Catholic Church, July 21-October 29, 1924, as well as metrical extracts from the Russian Orthodox Church of the Protection, 1902-1907, which have to do with German colonists converting to Russian Orthodoxy.

At the Last Moment On May 29, 1998, we received a package of 81 microfiche,

procured from the Ukrainian archives for us by RAGAS. They are the full church records of the Roman Catholic Church in the city of Kherson for the years 1849 to 1905. We have only begun to process this mass of approximately 4000 pages of material, but it looks most promising. It will be shared with GRHS.

Volga Now We move now to the Volga region. While we as an

organization have had difficulty in obtaining large amounts of materials from the Volga region archives, I do have some wonderful things to share with you.

First, as a result of the contract we concluded with Dr. Pleve, we have recently received the first 200 applications for passports for those desiring to leave the Volga region and immigrate to America. This project, which encompasses those passport applications for the years 1875 - 1880, will ultimately contain some 3000 families. Extracts of these records are now available in the bookstore.

Second, thanks to Dr. Pleve, we now have in the AHSGR library two copies of Jacob Dietz's History of the Volga German Colonists. Jacob Dietz, one of the Volga-German colonies' favorite sons, wrote his history after the turn of the century. Born in 1864 in the colony of Kratzke, he had been a successful lawyer for 20 years in the Don region. In October 1905, he became a lawyer in the Saratov okmg court in Kamyshin. A popular and

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

respected citizen of the Volga region, he was elected as a deputy to the first State Duma, where he served fruitfully on several commissions and committees. As an activist for all oppressed people in Russia, he frequently came under the scrutiny of the authorities. After the Revolution, this situation continued.

Parts of the book dealing with the establishment of the colonies and the Pugachev rebellion were published in 1914 in the Saratov Listok^ but full publication was prevented by the coming of war and revolution. The manuscript passed through several Soviet government entities, such as the People's Commissariat of Education of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of Germans on the Volga, before finally ending up in the archive. Due to the efforts of our honored guest, Mrs. Elisabetha Yerina of the Engels archive. Dr. Igor Pleve of Saratov State University and Dr. Alfred Eisfeld, of Goettingen, Germany, this fine manuscript has finally become available. We are investigating the possibility of having it translated into English.

Third, some of you will recall that in San Jose, Dr. Pleve presented the society with the first volume of the Journal of the Saratov Kontora of Oversight of Foreigners, Vol. 1, 1774. This compilation of the "minutes of the meetings" of the oversight authorities presents a wealth of information about the bureaucratic functioning of colonial administration.

For those of you who wonder about the fate of most of the documents from the days of the first settlements, let me quote to you a paragraph from the introduction:

The largest part of the documents [of the Kontora] were destroyed in 1774. Retreating under pressure from government forces along the Volga to the south, detachments of the peasant army of 'Emelyan Pugachev occupied Saratov and passed through a significant part of the territory of the German colonies. In Saratov, all the documents of the Kontora of Oversight of Foreigners remaining in the city were destroyed, and part of the documents earlier evacuated from the city by water to Astrakhan sank in the Volga after the Kontora treasury was seized by peasants of the village of 'Sinenky.

Here are a few extracts from this wonderful, bureaucratic record:

Cases Heard at the Meeting on October 30-31,1774: Sebastian Behmer, Vorsteher of the colony of Dietel, sent a

memorandum to Sub-Lieutenant Sivkov, in which

he declared that because the colonists of his colony had not received flour, they are suffering severe need and small children of the colonists have perished from starvation. He requests flour be issued to the colonists for food. RESOLVED: send the report to the Expedition and report after the conclusion of the revision (census) currently in progress.

Master saddler Steinhetter, who owed money to Court Councillor von Tilling, had to pay to have his receipt of payment validated.

Colonist Martin Louis Deplasan has been removed from the list of colonists and was issued a passport by the Kazan Provincial Chancellery, after having received a confirming description from the Kontora.

Case Heard at the Meeting on November 2-3, 1774: Hussenbach colonist Jacob Sauerbach reported that on April

22, a fire destroyed his home and all his possessions. He was able, on his own, to build another home, up to the roof, but now has no more means to complete the home or prepare for wintering or farming. He therefore requests a loan. RESOLVED: refer the matter to the Expedition with a recommendation for the loan, and issue a report after the completion of the revision currently in process.

Cases Heard at the Meeting on November 5,1774: On October 4, 1774, in Beideck, the home of colonist Ernst

Kres [Gress] burned because the oven was left unattended. The husband had gone to the fields and the wife was visiting a woman who had recently given birth. RESOLVED: Colonist Kres [Gress] will be punished in the presence of the community. Orders will be issued to all colonists and oversight authorities that all ovens in the colonies will be put in proper order. Hereafter, if any colonist suffers loss due to a poor oven or because it is unattended, said colonists will be severely punished.

Conrad Morkel [?], Vorsteher of the colony of Huck, requests that colonist Anton Benner of that same colony be allowed to marry the widow of deceased colonist Bernhard Strub and take over her household. ORDERED: Colonist Benner will marry widow Strub and take over her household under the condition that Benner assume the state debt and obligations of Strub's first husband; notice of the foregoing to be sent in the German language to the Kreis Commissar, Sub-Lieutenant Schenne.

Case Heard at the Meeting on November 6, 1774: The Vorsteher listed below have petitioned the district

commissar for food and relief from attacks of the local Kirghiz Kaisak:

Krasnoyar: Casper Krausch

AHSGR Journal/Winter 1998

Jacob Merle Martin Kraft Johann Heinrich Kufeldt Gottlob Gorr Herman Heinrich Ahrens Gottlob Kraus Johann Gottfried Schultz

RESOLVED: The Vofsteher and their colonists listed above will be issued a ration of one month's rye flour from that held by Rotmistr Ogarev and flour held in the Pokrovsk Ukrainian quarter. Orders will be issued to Second Major Pil' to send a detachment often fusilliers under his command to protect the colonies.

Cases Heard at the Meeting on December 3,1774: Foreigner Johann Heinrich Reinenkampf requests

issuance to him of forage money for December 1, 1775 to next January 1. ORDERED: Inquire whether or not Reinenkampf may be issued this money and make a determination.

Foreigner Henrikus Base requests discharge and a passport for 29 days to Moscow, in order to investigate his debts and responsibilities, ORDERED: Issue Base a passport for that period, under such conditions that he appear at the Chancellery of Oversight of Foreigners, to Court Councillor Tikhmenev. If, after investigation, he is found to be free of debt, he may be excluded from the list of colonists.

An Apology Some of you may have noticed that I have not reported

on any information for you Germans from Volhynia. Yes, there is much to be done in this area. To your benefit, Vladislav Soshnikov is undertaking an examination of the records of those Germans from Volhynia who were "deported" to the Saratov and