INDEX. Stuttgart---An Information Center for Germans from Russia Fred Grosskopf's Hobby Fresno State College Library Bibliography...

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2 INDEX President's Letter Stuttgart---An Information Center for Germans from Russia... 1 Fred Grosskopf's Hobby Fresno State College Library Bibliography Archives Hoover Institute Library Bibliography Guidelines for Yearbook List of Members Greeley Public Library Archives Times, IMPORTANT!!!!! The World Conference on Records at Salt Lake City. Utah, August 15, 1969, will be reported on by Mrs. Gerda S. Walker and Ruth Stoll at the Windsor Membership Meeting August 15. The map on the cover page is taken from "Der Deutsche im Auslande -Banat-" by Professor Josef Mischbach. On the back cover is a map taken from "Grunau und die Mariupoler Kolonien" by Jakob Stach. Our thanks to those concerned.

3 Fellow Members: AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF GERMANS FROM RUSSIA 1004 A Ninth Ave. P. 0. Box 749, Greeley, Colorado, July 29, 1969 Work Paper No. 2 was made possible by the contributions of Mrs. Emma Schwabenland Haynes, Arthur E. Flegel, Mrs. Gerda S. Walker, and Esther Fromm. Ruth Stoli assumed the task of completing the work paper. She cut the mimeograph stencils on the Flegel bibliography. Esther Fromm, Chairman of the Bibliography Committee, listed the books which have been received by the Greeley Public Library on loan from our society and cut the stencil on the list of books deposited. Reverend Elmer T. Wilhelm did the offset on Mrs. Haynes' article and his daughter, Yvonne Wilhelm, helped her father prepare the plates and helped assemble the work paper. Our office staff helped, too. Mrs. Gerda S. Walker has worked untold hours as membership chairman. I estimate that she has sent out over 2,000 membership letters, She has been appointed chairman of the Genealogy Committee. Mrs. Rachel Amen is now membership chairman, We need your help in expanding membership. We have enclosed membership application cards and membership solicitation letters. Please mail these to your friends and relatives, if possible. Jerry Lehr has agreed to serve as Chairman of the Finance Committee. He needs the help of each one of us. William P. Urbach is Chairman of the By-Laws Committee assisted by Daniel Walker. Tenative by-laws have been written and will go to the committee for study and later adoption. Mrs. Haynes is working with Dr. Karl Stumpp, president of the comparable organization in Germany, which she so well describes in her article. Through her efforts we obtained invaluable books from Dr. Stumpp and Dekan Schwab. The rare and most valuable books are Bauer, Beratz, Bonwetsch and Riffel (see page 38). These are being zeroxed. The zerox copies and the other books will be available on inter-library loan through your local library from the Greeley Public Library. These books are in German and can be of value to you only if you read German well. Each of these books should be translated to English. Who will volunteer? Dr. Stumpp is working on a new edition of his bibliography. Mrs. Haynes is acting as a liaison to Dr. Stumpp. We urge you to send Esther Fromm, librarian, Greeley Public Library, Greeley, Colorado, 80631, all references relating to Germans from Russia, Include books, magazine articles, theses, newspaper articles, family biographies, letters from Russia, pictures and other materials. i

4 Material from the members has made the work papers possible. We have now established an economical offset reproduction method through Rev. Elmer T. Wilhelm. We seek contributions for future work papers and the yearbook. We urge each member to prepare articles for publication. It will save reproduction costs if you will prepare clear-cut copies. The material presented should be clearly typed. Sharp, dark letters reproduce well. The light, blurry letters and erasures will not reproduce well. Do not let this suggestion keep you from doing whatever you can. Any material-typed, handwritten, German, English and even Russian-is earnestly solicited and appreciated. The yearbook guidelines have not yet been established. We solicit your suggestions. John H. Werner, Vice-president, has suggested guidelines (see page 28). Read them carefully and contribute your own ideas. It was suggested that the Publications Committee include members who have researched, written or published on the subject of Germans from Russia. Pending the establishment of the Publications Committee, Ruth Stoll has agreed to receive, review and summarize the materials. If you are willing to serve on the Publications Committee, write her at 2150 South Avenue A, Greenwood Village #28, Yuma, Arizona, The Board is recommending that you undertake the formation of local, county or state chapters of our society. We need to have your help in locating material from our elderly people. Our senior citizens in most cases must dispose of their books and other items as they find it necessary to join a retirement community. At death many things must be disposed of. Contact your local pastor and ask him to advise the relatives of those who pass on of our deep desire to preserve our heritage and of the opportunity they have of contributing to the accumulation of materials for an eventual archive for Germans from Russia in memory of their families. By action of the Board of Directors at a meeting July 28, 1969, the time for becoming a charter member was extended to December.31, The target date for the yearbook was set at June 30, The fiscal year for the society, however, will end July 3l, Mail your dues for to American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, Box 749 Greeley, Colorado, A general membership meeting will be held at Faith United Church, 2nd and Elm Streets, Windsor, Colorado, August 15, 1969, at 7:30 p.m. The program will include the St. Paul's Congregational Church Orchestra of Greeley, Colorado, a presentation by Henry J. Dietz of a traditional wedding invitation (Hochzeitseinladungen) and color slides on a trip to Russia by Mr. and Mrs. David J. Miller. Very truly yours, David J. Miller, President ii

5 STUTTGART - AN INFORMATION CENTER FOR GERMANS FROM RUSSIA by Emma Schwabenland Haynes The "American Historical Society of Germans from Russia" is still such a new organization, that many of our members may be unfamiliar with the tremendous wealth of material that is available in Stuttgart, Germany, on the history of Russian Germans. For this reason I should like to describe three organizations that can be of great help to any American doing research on this subject. 1. Institute für Auslandsbeziehungen Charlottenplatz 17 7 Stuttgart, Germany 2. Heimatortskartei für Ostumsiedler Stafflenbergstrasse 66 7 Stuttgart-Ost, Germany 3. Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland Diemershalde 48 7 Stuttgart-Ost, Germany The "Institut für Auslandsbezlehungen" (a cultural center for the promotion of foreign relations, with an attached library) is housed in an attractive group of buildings in downtown Stuttgart. Fräulein Gertrud Kuhn, the chief librarian, and her assistant, Fräulein Elvira Pflüger, are both most helpful and kind. Furthermore, they speak English. The library contains 200,000 volumes and subscribes to 4,400 periodicals and newspapers. But what makes it particularly interesting for our purposes is that its collection of volumes on Russian-German history is one of the largest in the entire western world. The Institut's history goes back to January 1917, when it came into existence as a "Museum und Institut zur Kunde des Auslandsdeutschtums und zur Förderung deutscher Interessen im Ausland." For quite obvious reasons this ponderous title was shortly thereafter changed to "Deutsches Auslands-Institut." The primary purpose of the organization was to serve as a cultural medium and as an archive for books and periodicals dealing with the life of Germans in foreign countries of the world. During the 1944 bombing of Stuttgart, when the entire central part of the city was destroyed, the Auslands-Institut also suffered great damage, and all of its documentary material was lost. The books and periodicals, however, had been placed in storage elsewhere and were saved. With the end of the war these volumes were seized by US occupation authorities as enemy property and shipped in 1946 to the Library of 1.

6 Congress, Washington D.C. There they remained for ten years. Back In Germany the Auslands-Institut was re-organized in 1951 as the "Institute für Auslandsbeziehungen." As its revised name indicates, it no longer deals specifically with Germans in foreign lands. It now has the larger goal of promoting cultural relations with all foreign countries including the developing nations of the world. In 1957 the library building was reconstructed with money obtained from the sale of real estate bequeathed by Herr Alexander Rave, a citizen of Hamburg and a former patron of the Auslands-Institut. In that same year, the volumes of the library, which had been returned by the United States in thousands of boxes, were brought to the new Institut and its present attractive home on Charlottenplatz. Within the limits of this paper it is impossible for me to give more than an inkling of the wealth of material which the library contains. In going through the card catalogue I found the names of practically all Russian-German historians. For the Volga Germans there are the books of Bauer, Beratz, Bonwetsch, Dinges, Esselborn, Harder, König, Langhans-Ratzeburg, Löbsack, Peppler, Reimesch, Schleuning and Sinner.* The Black Sea Germans are described by such authors as Leibbrandt, Lindemann, Schlrmunsky, Stack and Stumpp. Other authors Include Auhagen, Bassler, Brendel, Goetz, Matthaei and Parigi. Mennonite colonies were discussed in the books of Epp, Friesen, Rempel and Unruh. Russian-German settlements in South America were described by Riffel, and additional books told the history of the Baltic Germans, the Volhynien Germans, the Germans of the Caucasus and the Germans of Siberia. One whole section was devoted to religious literature which included the WOLGA GESANGBUCH. On another shelf I found the historical novels of Josef Ponten, Samuel Keller and Hildegarde Plievier. There were three books written by Americans: G.G. Wenzlaff, DRIFT, A STORY OF OLD UKRAINE; the German translation of George Eisenach's PIETISM AND THE RUSSIAN GERMANS IN THE UNITED STATES; and Adolph Schock's IN QUEST OF FREE LAND. Fräulein Kuhn, the librarian, told me that she had also ordered Amy Toepfer's CONQUERING THE WIND and was trying to purchase Charles Smith's THE COMING OF THE RUSSIAN MENNONITES. She asked me to send her the addresses of Monslgnor Aberle and Dr. A. Becker, so that she could acquire their recent publications as well. I asked Fräulein Kuhn if she could give me an estimate *The exact titles of the books written by the authors mentioned above can be found in a bibliography prepared by Dr. Karl Stumpp which I shall mention later. 2.

7 of how many books connected with Russian-German history the library contains. She was most hesitant to do this, because, as she pointed out, the books were placed in different sections of the stacks according to subject matter. However, after making a cursory investigation, we concluded that there must be at least three hundred. I also asked Fräulein Kuhn about the cost of sending Xerox copies of these books to American scholars. She answered that the library has no facilities for doing this work and would have to send the material to a commercial firm. She estimated that a two hundred page book would cost approximately $15.00, provided that two pages could be Xeroxed together. Although I was tremendously impressed by the book collection of the library, I am inclined to believe that its periodical material is even more unusual. There are relatively few bound newspapers, but the Russian section of the library has three hundred bound volumes of magazines and one hundred forty "Kalenders" which resemble 19th century American almanacs. Approximately three-fourths of these periodicals are of Russian-German origin. The oldest of the periodicals were printed in Russia before the year During this period the most popular magazine among the Volga Germans was a monthly paper entitled "Der Friedensbote" published in Talowka (Beideck) near Saratov. With the exception of just a few missing numbers, the Institut possesses the complete files of this magazine for the years Among the Black Sea Germans one of the most popular publications was the "Haus-und- Land-Wirthschafts Kalender" of Odessa. And again, with just a few exceptions, the complete files for the years 1881 until 1915 can be found. A third periodical is the "Deutscher Volkskalender für Stadt und Land", Odessa, which contains valuable articles by the respected Black Sea historian, Father Konrad Keller. The Institut has in its files copies of this periodical for the years 1912, 1913 and These are just three of the many early publications. In the years immediately after World War I, refugees from the Volga and the Black Sea areas of Russia began to publish newspapers and magazines in Germany. Examples of this type are the newspaper "Der Wolgadeutsche", Berlin, , and the monthly "Wolgadeutsche Monatshefte", Berlin, Another periodical is "Deutscher Post aus dem Osten", Berlin, and All three of these publications, as well as many others, are on the shelves of the Institut. Back in the Soviet Union itself, government-controlled periodicals were being printed for the German-speaking citizens of the Soviet Union. In this category the library possesses the "Wolgadeutsche Scbulblatt" published in Pokrowsk from

8 and "Revolution und Kultur", Pokrowsk, At the present time, files are being kept of "Neues Leben" which has been appearing in Moscow since Current publications in Germany Include the monthly "Volk auf dem Weg" and the annual "Heimatbuch" published by the "Landsmannschaff der Deutschen aus Russland." After seeing the tremendously Interesting material in Stuttgart, I began to wonder if files exist anywhere in the United States of such former German-language newspapers as the "Dakota Freie Presse" which, according to Professor George Rath, began publication as early as Other important newspapers would be the "California Vorwärts" of Fresno and the "Welt Post" of Lincoln, Nebraska. I also wondered about the periodicals sponsored by various Russian- German religious groups. For example, does any library possess the complete files, beginning with 1897, of the "Illustrierter Kirchenbote-Kalender" which was published formerly for members of the German Congregational Church? But most of all I wondered if there is a single library in the United States or Canada which has a collection of volumes on Russian Germanhistory comparable to that of the "Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen." Dr. Stumpp tells me that the following Institutions order his "Heimatbücher." 1. Bethel College Historical Library, N. Newton, Kansas 2. Mennonite Historical Library, Goshen, Indiana 3. "Der Bote", Rosthern, Sask., Canada 4. The University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada 5. OSB Assumption Abbey, Richardton, North Dakota 6. Williams College Library, Williamstown, Mass. 7. Ohio State University Library, Columbus, Ohio 8. The Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif. 9. Genealogical Society, 80 N. Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 10. Peter Publications, N. 16th Street, Omaha 10, Neb. This list seems to confirm what I have long suspected: that the Mennonltes from Russia have always shown an Interest in their past history, and, I might add, a feeling of pride in their past history, which other Russian-Germans could well emulate. For that reason the Mennonite libraries in Newton, Kansas; Goshen, Indiana; Waterloo, Ontario; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, must possess very extensive collections of material on Russian-German history. Two other possibilities are the Library of Congress and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. The latter library has specialized in the wars and revolutions of the 20th century and has an astounding amount of documentary material on the Soviet Union. For example, the entire records of the American Relief Administration in which detailed accounts are given of the famine in Volga German villages, are to be found at Stanford University. Every member of the American Historical Society of Germans 4.

9 from Russia, both in the United States and in Canada, needs to help in searching the libraries of our two nations to see what books are already on hand and to encourage the purchase of those books which are still available. A special effort should be made to develop collections in the university libraries of such states as North and South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado in which the largest number of Russian-Germans live. Perhaps in another year's time we shall have a list of the ten North American libraries which possess the largest number of volumes on Russian-German history. And then we shall know whether any of these libraries really does have a collection comparable to that of the "Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen." The second organization I should like to describe is the "Heimatortskartel für Ostumsiedler" (Homeland Registry Office for re-settlers from the East). It is doubtful whether any period of history has seen such tragic dispersals of people as has our own. The story begins after World War I with the exodus of the White Russians from their communized homeland. It still continues today in the refugee camps of the Near East and of Asia. But it reached its peak during and immediately after World War II when whole races of peoples were deported by Hitler and Stalin; when the words "Auschwitz" and "displaced person" became part of our vocabulary, and when fifteen million Germans were expelled from their homes in such places as East Prussia, Silesia, and the Sudetenland into the bombed-out cities of truncated Germany. This story of misery, horror and heartbreak also includes the German-speaking people of eastern Europe. To a certain extent the Volhynien Germans of eastern Poland, the Bessarablan Germans and the Baltic Germans were the more fortunate. When their homelands became part of the Soviet Union through the infamous Hitler-Stalin Pact of 1939, the stipulation was made by Hitler that all German inhabitants of these areas were to be repatriated to German-controlled districts. The exodus took place in an orderly carefully-planned manner with the assistance of the German army. People were allowed to bring with them their furniture, clothing, personal possessions, farm implements, etc., and they were granted German citizenship. During the closing year of the war, as the Russian army advanced westward, these three groups were pushed forward into Germany and were subjected to the general misery of the post-war period. But, interestingly enough, they were not arrested or deported by the Russians, and their right to remain in Germany was not questioned. The story of the Germans in the Crimea, along the Volga, in the Caucasus and in the Ukraine is quite different. Between August and October 1941, just a few months after Hitler's invasion of Russia, the first three groups were deported by Stalin 5.

10 to Arctic slave labor camps or to the barren steppes of Soviet Asia. Similar plans had been made for the Germans of the Ukraine, but in most cases this was prevented by the rapid advance of the German army. After the German retreat began in 1943, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian Germans decided to leave their homes rather than to submit again to Stalin's brand of Russian communism. Their number was increased by several thousand Russian German soldiers, including some from the Volga, who had been taken prisoner in the opening months of the war. These soldiers also wished to remain in Germany. Dr. Stumpp estimates that there were approximately 350,000 persons in this combined group when the war ended in Of this number, about 100,000 managed to remain in western Germany or were able to hide their true identity by means of false papers. The other 250,000 were gathered together along railroad tracks; packed into freight cars; and then sent on the interminably long journey to Asia or to the Arctic. Neither in 1941 in 1945 was any attempt made to keep families together. Instead, a husband might be sent in one direction, his wife to a different place, and the grown children to a third. There was at first no easy way for families to get in touch with one another. It could only be done through Russian friends who might still be living in such places as Saratov or Odessa, or through relatives in North and South America. This usually took a very long time. In his autobiography, MEIN LEBEN HAT EIN ZIEL, the Volga German pastor Johannes Schleuning tells, for example, that after a period of eighteen years, he was able to discover through relatives in North America the addresses of his three sisters in the Soviet Union. During the first post-war years, the German Red Cross, as well as the leaders of the Protestant and Catholic churches, did what they could to help the various refugee groups in western Germany, but the task was so great that in the early 1950'a twelve "Heimatortskartel" offices were established for such people as the Sileslan Germans, the Sudeten Germans, the Baltic Germans, Germans from East and West Prussia, from Poland, from Pomerania, etc. The "Heimatortskartei für Ostumsiedler", in which we are interested, includes not only Russian- Germans, but also those from the Bessarabian and Dobruja areas of Romania and a few from Bulgaria. Every "Heimatortskartei" has two primary functions: to serve as a place of registration for the refugees, and to help relatives get in touch with one another. However, in the case of the Russian-Germans, many of them were so terrified of being deported to the Soviet Union, that it wasn't until Konrad Adenauer visited Moscow in 1955 and established more normal diplomatic relations between the two countries that they were willing to admit they had been born in Russia. Immediately after Adenauer's visit, the address of the "Hei- 6

11 matortskartei für Ostumsiedler" began to circulate among the Germans of the Soviet Union, and during the following years as many as two hundred letters per day would arrive In Stuttgart from people asking for help in the location of missing relatives. Fräulein Schaaf, the secretary of the organization, told of two sisters who had been deported to Kazakhstan in They had lived for many years in towns that were not too far apart, but neither sister knew where the other one was, until both women happened to write to Stuttgart for information on relatives whom they thought might be living in Germany. As of March l969, the files of the "Helmatortskartei für Ostumsiedler" contained the names of 80,000 Germans living either In Germany or in the Soviet Union. This figure includes the names of those people for whom a search was requested, as well as the names of Russian and Romanian Germans now living in Germany who came to the Ortskartei to establish their identity and thus be able to obtain passports, marriage licenses, old age pensions, etc. The files of the Ortskartei resemble a library card catalogue, and a dual system is used. In one collection the last names are arranged in alphabetical order according to phonetic sound. Fräulein Schaaf explained that sometimes two close relatives might spell their name differently i.e. Kinzel or Künzel; Miller or Müller; Diehl, Diel, Düll etc. A second card is placed under the name of the village in which the person was born. On a recent visit to the Stuttgart Ortskartei, I asked to be shown the file on the Volga German village of Straub. There were nine cards: five of them registration cards of people born in Straub and now living in Germany, and four with the names of people who were being sought by relatives in the Soviet Union. As of now, only one of these four persons has been located. I asked Fräulein Schaaf if this was typical of other villages, and she gave an affirmative answer. The names of missing people are printed in the monthly paper "Volk auf dem Weg" published by the "Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland", but if the person sought does not subscribe to the paper, or does not hear about the search from somebody else, he cannot be found. Furthermore, this particular person may now be dead. Fräulein Schaaf also told that the Moscow paper "Neues Leben" runs a similar missing persons column. These names were formerly copied and kept on file in Stuttgart, but the practice has been discontinued be cause of insufficient secretarial help in the Ortskartei office. Occasionally a Russian-German living in Germany also comes for help in trying to locate a relative in the Soviet Union. For the past ten years the Russian Red Cross has been cooperating in a search such as this, and it sometimes does happen that families are put in communication with one another. But a great deal of patience is needed until an answer from the Soviet Union is forthcoming. I might also tell that two years ago, when I visited the 7

12 "Heimatorskartei" for the first time, I asked if my own maiden name of Schwabenland appeared in any of the files. I was given the Frankfurt address of a woman whose maiden name had been Schwabenland, but who had come to Germany in 1940 from Riga, Latvia. I neglected going to see her for over a year because I couldn't imagine that we were related. But when I finally did look her up, we discovered to our mutual amazement that we were second cousins. The woman explained that she had married a German from Riga in 1921 and had lived with him in Latvia until the Baltic Germans were repatriated. She herself had given her name to the Ortskartei in an attempt to locate her Volga German brothers and sisters in the Soviet Union Just a few doors from the "Heimatortskartei für Ostumsiedler" are the business offices of the "Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland" (The Society of Germans from Russia). The history of this organization goes back indirectly to the years immediately after World War I when thousands of Russian-Germans fled to Germany to escape the terrors of the Communist Civil War. Some of these refugees later emigrated to North and South America. On the whole, however, the better educated and wealthier families remained in Germany. As early as March, 1919, a General Conference of Germans from Russia met in Stuttgart and organized a "Zentralkomitee der Deutschen aus Rusaland." Berlin became the headquarters of the new organization, and from 1923 to 1955 a monthly periodical was published under the title, "Deutsches Leben in Russland." This publication was banned by the Gestapo on September 6, All Russian-German activities then came under the control of the National Socialist Party. As I have stated. World War II brought in its wake a second flood of refugees from the Soviet Union to Germany. Of the 100,000 persons who managed to escape forced repatriation by the Russians, approximately 25,000 emigrated to the United States or Canada. The other 75,000 remained in Germany. All of these people were in desperate need of help. Leaders of the Evangelical, Catholic, Mennonite and Baptist churches were doing what they could, but the necessity of a united effort was felt, and in October,1950; an organization called "Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Ostumsiedler" came into being in Stuttgart. Several years later the name was changed to "Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland." Three men played a particularly important role in the history of this organization; 1. Pastor Heinrich Roemmich who was instrumental in arranging the 1950 meeting. At first he served as Chairman of the organization, but in 1957 he took over the task of "Bundessprecher" or National Spokesman. He continued to hold this office until his 80th birthday in From 1951 until his death in 1961, a Volga German pastor from Neu Norka by the name of Johannes Schleuning played a very 8

13 active role in the Landsmannschaft. At various times he held the offices of Chairman and of National Spokesman. 3. Dr. Karl Stumpp can be called the very heart and soul of the organization. In December,1951, he became editor of the monthly paper "Volk auf dem Weg" and between the years 1954 and 1966 he was also responsible for the publication of the annual "Heimatbuch." At the present time he holds the office of National Spokesman. Both Dr. Stumpp and Pastor Roemmich were born in the Black Sea area of Russia. One of the first tasks facing the leaders of the new organization was to acquire for their Russian-German countrymen the same old age pensions and "Lastenausgleich" that had been accorded other groups of German refugees. The word "Lastenausglelch" can be translated as "Equalization of Burdens." The German government in Bonn felt that at least a small financial compensation should be paid to those Germans who had been expelled from their homes. In order to obtain similar rights for Russian-Germans, a long five-year battle began through the ministries of the West German government. Finally in 1955 the Bundestag amended paragraph 131 of its Constitution in such a way that Russian-German refugees would be treated on an equal basis with other groups. The winning of this privilege coincided with Adenauer's visit to Moscow, and it is from this time on, that the membership of the Landsmannschaft began to increase markedly. As of March, l969, four thousand people belong to the organization. All of the members live in Germany with the exception of two hundred fifty-eight, who are primarily in the United States and Canada. Membership dues are $4.00 per year and this entitles one to receive the monthly paper "Volk auf dem Weg." The organization has eighty-five local chapters which belong to eight district groups: Bavaria, Baden-Württenberg, Hesse, Westphalia, the Palatinate, Saxony, Hamburg and Berlin. Meetings of the local organization usually take place in a "Gasthaus", a local inn, with the more active groups coming together once a month, and other organizations once in two months or perhaps even less frequently. At the present time the most important officials, in addition to Dr. Stumpp, are: Herr Nikolaus Wilhelm, National Chairman of the organization; Oberstudienrat Joseph Schnurr, the very capable Editor of Publications; Herr Siegfried Grotke, Business Manager; and Frau Maria Geibel, Secretary. Here in Germany I should imagine that at least 80% of the membership consists of Germans from the Black Sea area. The remaining 20% would be divided between the Volga and the Volhynien Germans, with a very few from the Caucasus. The Bessarabian Germans, on the other hand, consider themselves "Germans from Romania" rather than "Germans from Russia." For that reason they have formed a separate organization which sponsors a "Museum der Bessarabian Deutsche" at Florlanstrasse 18 in Stuttgart. 9

14 As far as religion is concerned, both Catholics and. Protestants work together in perfect harmony. In fact, "Volk auf dem Weg" must have set some kind of record in ecumenical understanding. From the very start of its publication it has included four pages of religious news: two dealing with Roman Catholic affairs and two with news of Protestant churches. At meetings of the local chapters, one of the most important topics of conversation is the exchange of information on the whereabouts of friends and relatives in the Soviet Union, and an exchange of advice on how to acquire and fill out the necessary forms by which these relatives might be allowed to immigrate to Germany. The form itself, which is called a "wysow", must be sent to the relative in Russia who then carries it to the local communist office. In most cases the first application is refused, but six months later a second application can be presented. On page nineteen of the "Heimatbuch" for 1966 the story is told of one woman who kept presenting "wysows" over and over again, for a period of five years, until she was finally granted permission to join her relatives in the West. Emigration to Germany has proceeded in the following manner: Soviet Germans * Most of these people, called "Helmkehrer" by the Landsmannschaft, are elderly parents who have reached retirement age. A cynic might explain that this is probably the only reason why they are allowed to leave, but it sometimes happens, in an almost capricious manner, that a young man or woman will also be given permission to emigrate. The readjustment problems that aged emigrants face when they arrive from the relatively primitive collective farms of Kazakhstan to the bright lights, the traffic and the urban living of a city such as Frankfurt or Stuttgart can easily be imagined. Sometimes the emigrant never does learn to feel at ease. I even heard of one woman who had returned to the Soviet Union. But in the majority of cases it isn't too difficult to become accustomed to such modern conveniences as supermarkets and central heating. Other Soviet Germans have been coming to Germany on visits. Here again a great deal of red tape is involved, and the requests are usually denied, but, without any logical explanation, certain people do receive permission to visit their relatives. However, It was impossible for me to obtain any figures on their number. Since these visitors plan to return to the Soviet Union, they try to arrive as quietly as possible, and they prefer that no * Figures given to me by Dr. Karl Stumpp 10

15 mention be made of them in publications. The West German government has been very generous in its treatment of both groups of people. No emigrant is allowed to leave the Soviet Union with any money, but upon his arrival in Germany he is entitled to German restitution rights based upon the amount of property he left behind, and if he is over sixty-five, he immediately starts drawing a German old-age pension dependent upon such factors as his job in the Soviet Union, years of work, physical disabilities, etc. Even those Soviet Germans who come on visits are given three hundred German marks for small personal expenses while they are in Germany. In all of the local clubs of the Landsmannschaft, the biggest social event of the year is an annual Christmas party. I attended such a festive occasion in Frankfurt last December. As a native American whose grandparents had come to the United States eighty-three years ago, it was for me both a fascinating and a moving experience to talk to people who had been born in Russia during the early years of the communist revolution, and who had lived through the famines and the deportations about which I had previously known only from history books. I was also able to meet the honored guests of the evening: an elderly couple, who, with their twenty-year-old daughter, had arrived in Frankfurt just two months previously from one of the Asiatic sections of the Soviet Union. At my table were three Volga German men who had been born in the Soviet Union. I asked if they had been able to locate their deported relatives. A man from Seelmann told me that he had tried for over twenty years but had now given up all hopes of doing so. A man from one of the Catholic villages on the eastern bank of the Volga answered that his father had visited him in Germany during the preceding year. The third man, who came from Katharinenstadt, told that after much effort he had found his sister. They began corresponding regularly. Then he made the mistake of writing sarcastically, "I see by the newspapers that the Volga Germans have been rehabilitated. But I didn't read that you will be allowed to return to your homes or that you will receive financial compensation for the property you had to leave behind." From that time on, he has received no mail from his sister. Everyone sitting at the table told me to warn Russian- Germans in the United States to be extremely careful whenever they send a letter to the Soviet Union. For those members of our American Historical Society of Germans from Russia who can read German, I would suggest that they subscribe to the monthly paper "Volk auf dem Weg" and that they purchase the annual "Heimatbuch" of the "Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland." These books cost $

16 each and are available for the years 1954 and for 1957 through Americans who are of Volga German descent will find the 1960 book particularly valuable. In It are the names and place of origin in Germany of approximately 1,500 Volga Germans who left Germany for Russia between the years The same type of information, only in far greater detail, is shown for Black Sea Germans in the books for the years inclusive. The 1963 Heimatbuch contains Interesting maps showing the location of Russian-German settlements In North and South America; the 1966 book has first-hand reports on the deportation of the various Russian-German groups during and after World War II, and the combined issue of has outstanding articles on both the Volga and the Black Sea Germans. It even includes a report written by our own Professor Height! I should also like to mention the valuable bibliography compiled by Dr. Karl Stumpp in 1958 under the title, "Das Schriftum uber das Deutschtum in Russland." This pamphlet is an absolute necessity for any serious student of Russian-German history. In it Dr. Stumpp lists 515 books and 970 magazine articles on the subject of Germans from Russia. In many cases he also tells in what German libraries this material can be found. This pamphlet is still available for purchase and can be obtained for the price of $1.00 by writing to the Landsmannschaft office. The Stuttgart Landsmannschaft also possesses an archive consisting of two hundred volumes connected with Russian-German history; a collection of one thousand three hundred pictures Illustrating Russian German life and classified under such headings as: "Villages," "Houses," "Churches," Schools," "Agriculture," Industry," etc.; a collection of five hundred slides, thirty-five of which have been arranged with an accompanying text for use at meetings of the local clubs; a collection of exhibit material consisting of graphs, charts, models of villages, etc.; and finally, a collection of tape recordings of Russian-German folk songs and religious songs; tapes illustrating the dialects of different Russian-German villages, tapes of German radio programs which dealt with Russian-German history, and tapes on which one hears the voices of recent emigrants to Germany as they tell of life in Soviet Asia today. In this connection I must point out that the business office of the Landsmannschaft has only one full-time secretary and a part-time business manager, and that there are no facilities for making copies of the material in the archive. However, any of our members who come to Stuttgart are welcome to visit the archive and to have copies made at their own expense, provided that they personally assume responsibility for the document involved while it is in their possession. 12

17 I should also like to mention that although the secretary of the Landsmanschaft would have no difficulty reading a short English letter sending money for the purchase of a "Heimatbuch", neither she nor the secretary in the office of the "Heimatortskartei" is very fluent in English. Our members would be doing them a great favor by writing in German. In case a letter has to be written in English, please make use of a typewriter. Another person who has difficulty with the English language is Dr. Karl Stumpp. He recently showed me a rather frightening stack of mail, much in English, which he had received in the previous two weeks from Volga Germans in the United States asking him to trace their ancestry back to Germany. Dr. Stumpp is a dedicated scholar who wants very much to help everyone who writes to him, but, first, he is unable to read English, and second, most of his research has been done on the subject of the Black Sea Germans. I therefore suggest, that instead of writing to him, all Volga Germans interested in this subject simply buy the 1960 "Heimatbuch." The names listed there will not answer all of your questions, because there is usually nothing to indicate in what Volga German village these emigrants settled. Furthermore, at least 27,000 people left Germany for the Volga in the 1760's, and this list gives just a fraction of that number. But these are the only names Dr. Stumpp has been able to find so far in existing German records, and there is nothing else that he can tell you. * Those of our members who are interested in genealogy might appreciate hearing that between August 4 and 9, 1969, a world-wide genealogical conference will be held in Salt Lake City. Information on the Conference may be obtained by writing to: World Conference on Records Planning Coordinator 79 South State Street Sixth Floor Salt Lake City, Utah Two hundred world-famous genealogists have been invited to either give lectures or send papers to the meeting. Included in this number was Dr. Stumpp who was asked to come to Salt Lake City and give a report on his genealogical investigation of the Black Sea Germans. Dr. Stumpp felt obligated to decline the invitation because of his inability to speak English, but he suggested that Professor George Rath (State College, Peru, Nebraska),who has also done a great deal of research on Russian-Germans, be asked to take his place. The conference registration fee is $44.00 per person ($22.00 for accompanying husband or wife) provided that the reservation be made before July 1st. Perhaps at least one member of our Society could attend the meetings and then write a report for a future edition of a Newsletter. *The names of additional Volga Germans are known to us from the church books of Büdingen, Lübeck and Rosslau where many Volga Germans were married before leaving for Russia. But in most cases, the place of birth of these couples is not given. 13

18 One of our members, Mr. Fred Grosskopf of Fort Morgan, Colorado, has a most interesting and rewarding hobby. He is kept busy locating long-lost friends and relatives in the United States for their relatives in the USSR. He also translates the letters for those who need help and generously addresses envelopes in Russian so that they can reply. Despite his 76 years, Mr. Grospkopf carries on an extensive correspondence with friends who might have knowledge of the persons for whom he is searching. His efforts have united a number of relatives and friends who are now writing to each other. Mr. and Mrs. Grosskopf moved to Fort Morgan from Denver after his retirement. Mrs. Grosskopf keeps their home sparkling and enjoys baking that delicious Rokkabrot and Rivvelkuche while Mr. Grosskopf maintains a lively interest in his family history and his birthplace, Frankera Kuhtor and Frank where he was educated. At the April meeting of the AHSGR in Loveland he gave an interesting little talk about the Frank of his day. In 1923 when he was 19 Mr. Grosskopf left for the United States. He said he "traveled light" and with his good command of the Russian language he was able to make his way out of the country. Mr. Grosskopf then told what present-day Frank is like. His nephew, Alexander Grosskopf, lives there now after he was pensioned. Oil has been found there and the town has become industrialized. Two and three story apartment buildings have gone up to house the oil-field workers. A fire burned down about a third of the towns old wooden houses back in 1933,, but new homes have replaced them. There are still a few of the old brick homes and buildings still in use. Most of the people of Frank had been resettled in Frunse, Kirgiakaja, and just north of the China border. A number of families have returned, after they retired, but they find the housing situation acute. The old friends get together for visits and they hold weekly religious services in one of the members home. They enjoy exchanging family pictures and letters with their relatives in the United States. One request for help in finding relatives came from the wife of Karl Stroh who is neighbor to Alexander Grosskopf in Frank. She is Minna Muller, daughter of Kristian Muller (Samuels) of Schaffhausen. Kristian Muller's sister was married to Unterberg Johannes of Biberstein and they came to the United States about If anyone should know about this family please contact Mr. Grosskopf. Frau Karl Stroh, geborne Muller, Tochter von Kristian Muller, der Samuels von Schaffhausen, suchte dem Kristian Muller seine Schwester. Sie war verheiratet mit Unterberg Johannes von Biberstein. Die sollten in 1913 nach Aaerika gewandert sein. Wen jemand etwas weis von diesen familie last es mich wissen, bitte. Mr. Fred Grosskopf 509 W. Kiowa Ave. Fort Morgan, Colo Submitted by Mrs. Gerda S. Walker, Director and Membership Chairman 14.

19 "These thirty-seven books and pamphlets were donated by me to Fresno State Library in April, Most of the books had been bought in Germany between the years 1930 and I knew that they were now out of print, and I wanted to make them available to scholars interested in the subject of Germans from Russia. I chose Fresno State College because my father's relatives had emigrated from Russia to Fresno in 1895, and my father, The Rev. J. C. Schwabenland, was living there at the time." EMMA SCHWABENLAND HAYNES DONATION TO FRESNO STATE COLLEGE LIBRARY Ashley, North Dakota. Ashley's Golden Jubilee, Ballensky, J. J. Die Südrussland Deutschen. Kurze Geschichte.32 S. Saint Louis, Mo. Westlich Post Publishing Co., 1925 Die Wolga-Deutschen an der unteren Wolga und in Nord Amerika. The Colorado Herold Publishing Co., Denver, Colorado, 1924 Beratz, Gottlieb. Die Deutschen Kolonien an der unteren Wolga. Berlin, Verlag der Wolgadeutschen Bauern, 1923 Bonwetsche, Gerhard W. T. Geschichte der deutschenkplonien an der Wolga Stuttgart, J. Engelhorn Nachf., Brüder in Not? Sowjetdeutsche Berichten. Moskau, Verlagesgenossenschaft ausländischer Arbeiter in der UdSSR, California Vorwärts (Fresno) v. 11, no May 1932, Zehnjährige Jubilaums Ausgabe. Deutsche Ausland-Institut, Stuttgart. Jahrbuch des Deutschen AuslandInstituts zur Wanderungsforschung und Sippenkunde. Bd. 4. Der Wanderweg der Russlanddeutschen, 1939 Eureka, South Dakota. Golden Jubilee Organization. Eureka, Festschrift zum funfundzwanzigjährigen Jubiläum der Evang. Luth. Zions Gemeinde zu Windsor, Colorado, Friedensbode, H. Glünther, Talofka, Russia. Friedensbode Kalender, J. Günther, Talofka, Russia. Golden Jubilee of_ the German Russian Settlements of Ellis and Rush Counties, Kansas, Hays, Kansas, Ellis County News, 1926 Harder, Hans. Das Dorf an der Wolga. Stuttgart, Götz, Karl. Brüder über dem Meer. Engelhorns, Stuttgart. Haynes, Emma D. (Schwabenland). A History of the Volga Relief Society. A. E. Kern & CO., Portland, Oregon, 1941 German-Russians on the Volga and in the United States, Thesis (M.A.) University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado Kloss, Heinz, Russlanddeutsche in den Vereinigten Staaten. Sonderabdruck aus Petermanns Geographischen Mitteilungen, 1931, Hefte 7/8. Kroeker, Abraham. Bilder aus Sowjet-Russland. Striegau, Urban,

20 Laing, Francis S. German-Russian Settlements in Ellis County, Kansas. Reprinted from Kansas Historical Collections, v. 11. Löbsack, Georg. Einsam Kämpft das Walgaland. Leipzig, Ponten, Josef. Rhein und Wolga. Stuttgart, Deutsche Verlagsamstalt, Wolga, Wolga. Ibid. Reimesch, Fritz H. Die deutschen Wolga-kolonien. Berlin, Riffel, Jakob. Die Russlanddeutschen insbesonders die Wolga-deutschnen am La Plata, Argentina, Schleuning, Johannes. Die deutschen Kolonien im Wolgagebiet. Berlin, Das Deutschtum in Sowjetrussland. Berlin, In Kampf und Todesnot. Schunemann, Georg. Das Lied der deutschen Kolonisten in Russland. München, 1923 Smith, C. Henry. Coming of the Russian Mennonites. Berne, Ind., Mennonite Book Concern, Spohr, W. Deutsche Brüder in Osten. Stumpp, Karl. Die deutschen Kolonien im Schwarzemeergebiet. Stuttgart, 1922 Sallett, Richard. Russlanddeutsche Siedlungen in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, German- American Historical Society of Illinois, Yearbook, University of Chicago Press, 1931 Volksfreund Kalender für das Jahr Saratow, "Energie," Volz, Jacob. Historical Review of the Balzerer. Lincoln, Neb., Boomers Advertising Service l938. Wenzlaff, Gustav G. Son of Colonia the Forgotten. Los Angeles, Cal., David H. Shol Co., Williams, Hattie Plum. Social Study of the Russian German. Lincoln, Neb., The following six references may also be found at Fresno State College Library: Eisenach, George John. Pietism and the Russian Germans in the United States. Berne, Ind., Berne Publishers, 1948 i.e Fresno (City) Free Evangelical Lutheran Cross Church., 70th Anniversary , and 75th Diamond Jubilee of Arrival of First Immigrants, , Dec.5-9, 1962, Fresno, Cal, 1962." Frodsham, Noel. A Study of the Russian Germans in Fresno County, California. Redlands, Cal, Thesis (M.A.) University of Redlands. Kroeker, Abraham. Jehova Hilft. Erweiterte Ausgabe von "Meine Flucht".. Mountain Lake, Minn. Selbstverlag, n.d. 16

21 Poten, Josef, Im Wolgaland. Stuttgart, Deutsche Veriagsanstalt, 1933 Der Wanderung der Russlanddeutschen. Stuttgart,W. Kohlhammer Mrs. Emma Schwabenland Haynes accomplished the impossible in starting our archives. She was able to secure gifts of books from Dr. Karl Stumpp, President of Die Landsmannshaft der Deutschen aus Russland, and books from Dekan August Schwab, retired pastor at Kassel, Germany. The books donated by Dekan Schwab included Bauer, Beratz, Bonwetsch, and Riffel. A portion of these books received have been delivered to the Greeley Public Library as a part of the society's collection on loan. Those received will be covered in a letter from Miss Esther Fromm listing them later in this work paper. Those books not yet received but in the process of being shipped, are listed following the Greeley Public Library letter. The society acknowledges the following gifts from our members: 1. A contour map of the Volga-German area and a picture of the church at Pfeiffer on the Volga from Charles R. Albrecht. 2. A translation of Conrad Keller The German Colonies in South Russia 1804 to 1904 from Dr. A. Becker. 3. Grandfather's Story and A Religious Genealogy by and from Helen L. Hall. 4. The Linenberger Genealogy by Amy Toepfer and Agnes C. Dreiling from Mrs. Toepfer. 5. A partial bedcover and a pair of pants for a giant, a large number of letters written to the Schmidt famiiy from Russia from Robert Schmidt. The letters have been photocopied by Arthur E. Flegel and will be translated by him. Also a group of family pictures that have been reproduced. 6. Our Parents Were Russian-German by and from William Urbach. The David J. Millers have assembled a collection which they will designate as The Jacob Miller Memorial Collection which consists of books on Russian-Germans, pamphlets and other materials. These will be loan deposit with the Greeley Public Library for check-out and interlibrary loan. 17