#5-2020. So Far Away. 52 Ancestors in a Year

5-2020. So Far Away.  

My husband paternal side of his family came to the United States from Russia.  They were classified as “Germans from Russia”.  It is an interesting culture and heritage to learn more about since it isn’t taught in history classes.  Germans were invited to Russia, promised a land of “milk and honey” by Catherine the Great in the 1760’s.  They were also promised that they would not have to serve in the Russian military.  Upon arriving in Russia, things that were promised were not, but the Germans worked to survive—although many died the first few years.  Survival was tough and because of a work ethic; they survived and prospered.   Their first homes might have been a cave dug into the side of the hill.  Manufacturing their own equipment to farm created a legacy of farming, thriftiness, and survival.  Their life began to change after Catherine the Great died and the new rulers began to conscript the German men into the military.    There were many factors that caused the Germans to leave their families and the homeland that they knew, to emigrate to a “better place”.  Many came to the United States but many also left for other countries.

Leroy’s grandmother’s family, the Grosskopf’s came from Frank, Russia; or known as  Medeveditskii Krestovyi Buyerak.  Frank was located on the east bank of the Medveditsa River, on the western edge of the Saratov Province of the Lower Volga area.

The Gabel’s came from Warenburg, Russia, or known as Privalnaja, Privalnaya.  Warenburg was on the east side of the Volga River.

(You can Google the locations!)

Leroy’s great grandparents came in 1907 and 1911.  One family came through New York and one family through Philadelphia.  The Gabel’s came through Nebraska but apparently the Grosskopf’s came right to the Billings, Montana area. Leroy’s grandparents married in Huntley in 1920.

As was common with many Germans from Russia families, little knowledge of the life in Russia was passed down to their children or grandchildren.  It seemed like they never wanted to talk about the life they left.  Since the younger people of the German colonies were the ones that left, few traveled with family bibles or documentation of their history.  It is known that they had to have paperwork to leave  Russia as well as paperwork to enter the United States,  but I have yet to discover that type of paperwork in the family.

Researching the families in Russian, So Far Away, is definitely a challenge.  As one might expect, records are difficult to find; if they survived.  Many records have been filmed but are limited to certain areas of Russia.  Working with the Germans from Russia organization; “American Historical Society of Germans from Russia”, I have received great information.  Finding census records to trace a family have been helpful and even a baptism record confirming a birth date was located.  But those records are difficult to obtain.  And read or translate.  Some are in Russian, some in German. 

If only I could find original records in the possession of family…..