Below, Ron Brott and Sharon White, who both put in many hours serving as Village Coordinators for AHSGR.
Monday, August 3, 2015
More Pics From Billings
Our Intermountain Chapter president, Dee Hert, with her husband, Darrell.
Alton and Eleanor Sissell are new members of our chapter, and serve as staff at the LDS Family History Library is Salt Lake City, Utah.
Kenneth and Annette Reynolds, chapter and AHSGR members.
Below, Ron Brott and Sharon White, who both put in many hours serving as Village Coordinators for AHSGR.
Below, Ron Brott and Sharon White, who both put in many hours serving as Village Coordinators for AHSGR.
Congratulations, Pat and Shirley Ansley
August Meeting 2015
You are invited to attend the Intermountain Chapter meeting where you will hear from those persons attending the recent AHSGR Convention in Billings, Montana.
Saturday, August 8
Sandy Library, 18100 Petunia (1300 South), Sandy, Utah
10:15 AM
Feel free to come a bit early as they often allow early access to the room. Remember, only bottled water allowed.
AHSGR Convention, Billings, Montana
What a wonderful convention. It is always great to reconnect with people who share a common love for ancestors and our heritage. As you can tell, there was plenty to keep us busy. Even if you don't polka, it's fun to listen to the music and watch others share their talent. As always, the Intermountain Chapter had an awesome basket for the Silent Auction. Thanks Billings!
Consider These Resources
Here is a description of a series of books that might aid you in locating the parish where a person's ancestors could
have attended church before emigrating to Russia and where some records might exist about them. This reference is from a posting on GER-VOLGA by Jerry Goertzen, 21 Nov 2010.
In his message Jerry wrote, "I usually use the German Guides to Parish Registers, by Kevan Hansen. This was a series of books of all the German Kingdoms, etc. that show the Districts, Kreis and the Church Parishes for the different religions. They also show the villages that belong to each Parish. The series has completed 33 of the proposed 55 Volumes."
These books may be ordered from several sources including (some of the volumes) from Amazon. Jerry suggested ordering from Family Roots Publishing, http://www.
GERMAN MAP GUIDES
"A primary FRPC focus is on the publication of the Map Guide to German Parish Registers. This series stands currently at fifty and will reach fifty-five. Volume 50 - Map Guide to German Parish Registers, Pomerania II, is now
shipping. Please note that In addition to the Map Guides, we now distribute a large number of Germanic genealogy-related guides printed by other publishers, posted under the category of Foreign - Germany."
"The volumes are available in SLC at the Family History Center. I'm pretty sure they cannot be obtained via inter-library loan or from your local Family History library (when I last tried the answer was no). I used several of the volumes when I was in SLC for the AHSGR convention and found them useful for what I wanted (something to help me focus my search for my own family records). The volume titled Grandduchy of Hessen (Map Guide to German Parish Registers, Volume 1)" Paperback - 2004 was very useful ($34.95 + shipping from Amazon.) They use to only be available in hardback for about $90 so paperback is a welcome change."
have attended church before emigrating to Russia and where some records might exist about them. This reference is from a posting on GER-VOLGA by Jerry Goertzen, 21 Nov 2010.
In his message Jerry wrote, "I usually use the German Guides to Parish Registers, by Kevan Hansen. This was a series of books of all the German Kingdoms, etc. that show the Districts, Kreis and the Church Parishes for the different religions. They also show the villages that belong to each Parish. The series has completed 33 of the proposed 55 Volumes."
These books may be ordered from several sources including (some of the volumes) from Amazon. Jerry suggested ordering from Family Roots Publishing, http://www.
GERMAN MAP GUIDES
"A primary FRPC focus is on the publication of the Map Guide to German Parish Registers. This series stands currently at fifty and will reach fifty-five. Volume 50 - Map Guide to German Parish Registers, Pomerania II, is now
shipping. Please note that In addition to the Map Guides, we now distribute a large number of Germanic genealogy-related guides printed by other publishers, posted under the category of Foreign - Germany."
"The volumes are available in SLC at the Family History Center. I'm pretty sure they cannot be obtained via inter-library loan or from your local Family History library (when I last tried the answer was no). I used several of the volumes when I was in SLC for the AHSGR convention and found them useful for what I wanted (something to help me focus my search for my own family records). The volume titled Grandduchy of Hessen (Map Guide to German Parish Registers, Volume 1)" Paperback - 2004 was very useful ($34.95 + shipping from Amazon.) They use to only be available in hardback for about $90 so paperback is a welcome change."
Thursday, July 9, 2015
German Lands, Past and Present
The following information is not only interesting but you may
find it helpful conducting German research.
The information was taken from the book, The German Research
Companion, by S. Riemer, R. Minert, and J. Anderson.
Chronology of Events in German History
1000-100 B.C.: The
Germani tribes occupy the lands from the Baltic Sea to the Danube River, and
from the Rhine to the Order River.
9 B.C.- 9 A.D. The
Romans move eastward to the Elbe River. In 9 A.D. they withdraw to the Rhine.
481-511: The
king of the Franks, Clovis, establishes the Frankish Empire.
768-814: Charlemagne
(Karl der Grobe) rules what is to become the Holy Roman Empire.
800: Charlemagne
crowned in Rome as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
843: Treaty
of Verdun; empire divided among Charlemagne's three grandsons; Charles the Bold
– West Franks; Louis the German – East Franks, (nucleus of the future German
state); Lothar – Middle Kingdom (Alsace-Lorraine)
919-1024: German
tribes unified.
925: Lorraine
becomes a German duchy.
936-973: Otto
I rules.
962: Otto
I crowned (Holy Roman) Emperor in Rome, founding Holy Roman Empire of the
German Nation, lasting until 1806.
1000-1500: Jewish
expulsions: from German areas (1000-1350), from Hungary (1300's), and from
Austria (1400's).
1096: Beginning
of first Crusade
1123-24: Plague
sweeps France and Germany.
1141-81: “Saxons”
(mostly Franks) invited to settle in Transylvania to defend Hungary's eastern
border.
1152-90: Reign
of Frederick I (Barbarossa), of the Hobenstaufen dynasty, who converts the
Slavs to Christianity. Age of chivalry.
1190: Teutonic
Order founded.
1200: Early
Gothic period begins (Rheims, Cologne, constructed).
1241: Hanseatic League formed.
1273-1806: Hapsburg
dynasty begins; ends with abolition of Holy Roman Empire by Napoleon in 1806.
1348-65: More
than 25 million Europeans die in the Bubonic plague.
1356: The
Golden Bull, an ecclesiastic document, laid down rules for election of the
king, to be elected in Frankfurt and crowned in Aachen.
1417: Frederick
of Nurnberg of Hohenzollern family appointed Elector of Brandenburg.
1440: In
Mainz, Johann Gutenberg invents the art of printing with moveable type.
1500: Surnames
are in common use throughout German territories of Europe by 1500.
1517: Protestant
Reformation begins; Luther said to have fastened 95 theses on Wittenberg church
door. First significant non-Catholic religions among Germanic people.
1518-23: Ulrich
Zwingli begins Reformation in Switzerland, leading to formation of Reformed
(Calvinist) Church.
1520: Anabaptist
movement develops in Switzerland and Germany.
1521: Luther’s
arrest by Charles V, for Diet of Worms. Luther translates New Testament into
German, devising new written form of German.
1524-26: Peasants
Revolt. Peasants influenced by Luther's teachings rise up against their feudal
overlords and 5,000 peasants are massacred.
1524: Protestant
church records begin in Nurnberg.
1530: Augsburg
Confession (creed) adopted by Lutherans.
1534: A
standardized German language is established with the publication of the Old
Testament in Luther's translation of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into
vernacular German.
1536: Menno
Simons leaves the Church and begins “Mennonite” preaching.
1541: Reformation
introduced in Switzerland by John Calvin.
1545: Catholic
Counter-Reformation begins.
1555:
Peace of Augsburg: Doctrine of cuius regio, eius religion adopted,
meaning that the religion of the prince determined the religion (Catholic or
Lutheran) of his subjects.
1556: Palatinate
becomes Lutheran.
1562: Wars
of Religion in France between Catholics and French Calvinists (Huguenots, of
French “Reformed” faith).
1563: The
rulings of the Catholic Council of Trent require priests to include more detail (principally the names of
sponsors and witnesses) in the baptism and marriage records they are already
keeping.
1568: Protestants
in the Spanish Netherlands, including Belgium, are persecuted by the Duke of
Alva. Waloon Calvinists flee, especially
to the Palatinate, Hessen, and Brandenburg; Dutch Flemish-Frisian Mennonites
flee to Danzig area.
1583: Gregorian
calendar is adopted by most Catholic countries of Europe – by Prussia in 1612,
by most Protestant countries in 1700, by Great Britain in 1752, and by Russia
in 1917.
1598: In
France, Edict of Nantes gives Huguenots political and some religious rights in
some places.
1618-48: Thirty
Years War devastates Holy Roman Empire. France emerges as Europe's leading
power. Some records are burned. Population drops from 20 million to 13 million.
1622: Pfalz
suffers great destruction in the war. January 1 declared as beginning of the
year(previously began March 25).
1633: Outbreak
of plague in Bavaria.
1639-60: Grain
crisis in Europe.
1648: Peace
of Westphalia ends Thirty Years War. Holy Roman Empire dissolved. France gets
Alsace-Lorraine. By this time, there are 350 different German states.
Switzerland officially recognized as independent from the Holy Roman Empire.
Reformed Church members granted same rights as those Lutherans had been granted
almost 100 years earlier.
1650: Essentially
all Catholic and Protestant churches are keeping vital records in the
German-language territories of Europe.
1652: Famine
in Lorraine and surrounding lands.
1653: Germans
from Heidelberg introduce vineyards and wine making to America.
1654: Spain
occupies Palatinate.
1671-77: William
Penn first visits Germany to propagate Quaker faith.
1681: William
Penn founds Pennsylvania.
1683: First
permanent German settlement in the United States is founded at Germantown,
Pennsylvania. Encouraged by American Quaker William Penn, Franz Daniel
Pastorius organizes the immigration of 13 Mennonite families from Krefeld, beginning
German group immigration to North America.
1685: King
Louis XIV of France revokes the Edict of Nantes (see 1598). Persecution and
forcible conversion of Huguenots (French Protestants) causes flight to
Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Bititian, and North America. Friedrich Wilhelm, the Great Elector, helps
many immigrants to Brandenburg.
1687-97: Invasion
of France into the Palatinate.
1689-97: War
of the League of Augsburg results in French burning down many towns in the
Palatinate and mass flight of the population.
1694: Johann
Kelpius leads a group of German mystics to America and forms a brotherhood on
Wissahickon Creek near Philadelphia.
1700: The
last German Protestant areas finally switch to the Gregorian calendar.
1701: Frederick
III, elector of Brandenburg, renames his duchy the Kingdom of Prussia, and he
becomes King Frederick I.
1701-14: War
of Spanish Succession; Palatines leave for England.
1708: Joshua
Kocherthal brings 61 Protestant emigrants from Rhenish Palatinate to America.
1709: Thousands
more of the Palatine Germans, fleeing destruction caused by the invading
French, emigrate to the Hudson River Valley and Pennsylvania. Large numbers of emigrants, called Palatines
(Pfalzer), leave the Pfalz region of Germany for England and America.
1710: A
group of German and Swiss immigrants settle New Bern, North Carolina.
1710-11: First
relatively large-scale immigration of Swiss and Palatines to American colonies.
1711: An
estimated 500,000 die of plague in Austria and German areas.
1714: Christopher
von Graffenried brings miners from Siegen, Westphalia to Virginia to work
Governor Spotswood's iron mines.
1719: Peter
Becker brings the first German Baptist “Dunkers” to Germantown. The sect's
founder, Alexander Mack, comes to America with another group ten years later.
1727: The
German population of Pennsylvania numbers around 20,000.
1727: Beginning
of Philadelphia port records.
1722: Austria-Hungarian
monarchs begin inviting Germans to settle parts of their empire.
1730: Beginning
of community at Ephrata (Pennsylvania)
1731-38: Expulsion
of Salzburg Protestants, some of whom come to America, most going to East
Prussia and other European areas.
1732: Benjamin
Franklin publishes the first German language newspaper in America, the Philadelphische
Zeitung.
1732: Conrad
Beissel, a Seventh Day Dunker from the Palatinate, founds the Ephrata Cloisters
near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
1733: Members
of the Schwenkfelder sect from Silesia settle in Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania.
1734: Refugees
from Salzburg arrive in Savannah, Georgia.
1736: The
Herrnhuters, or Moravians, found their first settlement, in Georgia, under the
leadership of August Gottlieb Spangenberg.
1740-86: Under
Frederick II of Prussia(Frederick the Great), Prussia becomes a great power.
1740-48: War
of Austrian Succession between Prussia and Austria; Prussia wins new
territories, thus becoming a major European power.
1742: Silesia
becomes part of Prussia in the war with Austria.
1742: Nikolaus
Lugwig, Count of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf, founds the Moravian settlement of
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
1743: Christopher
Saur of Philadelphia prints a German-language Bible; the first complete Bible
published in America.
1748: George
Washington first encounters German immigrants in the Shenandoah Valley.
1749: Settlement
of New Germantown(Braintree), Massachusetts.
1749-53: Peak
of Germanic immigration to colonial America, mostly from near the Rhine Valley
about 1750.
1750: Beginning
of Pennsylvania-German emigration to North Carolina. Also, the first Germans arrive in Nova
Scotia.
1753: Europeans
found the town of Lunenburg, to become the most important ship-building center
of Nova Scotia. Moravians begin settlement on the Wachovia tract, North
Carolina.
1754: The
Schwenkfelder sect of Pennsylvania establishes the first Sunday School in
America.
1755: Beginning
of French and Indian War.
1756-63: Germans
play a significant role in fighting the French in the French and Indian War.
1756-63: Seven
Years War. An Anglo-Prussian alliance faces off against a coalition of Austria,
Saxony, France, and Russia. Prussia wins more territory and goes on to become a
great power.
1759: Michael
Hillegas opens America's first music store in Philadelphia
1763: Catherine
the Great begins inviting Germans to settle in Russia, granting them free land,
freedom from military service, and many other special privileges.
1764-67: Heavy
immigration of Germans to Volga River region in Russia.
1766: France
acquires Lorraine.
1771: Patronymic
naming system is to be abolished in Schleswig-Holstein.
1772-95: Partition
of Poland by Russia, Prussia, and Austria in three stages; 1772, 1793, and
1795. Poland disappears as an independent country until 1918.
1775-83: American
Revolution, with independence declared in 1776; 30,000 Hessian and other German
mercenaries fight for Great Britain. Thousands remain in United States and
Canada.
1776: Henry
Miller's Staatsbote is first American newspaper to print news of the
Declaration of Independence.
1778: General
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben takes over the training of the Continental Army.
1781: Palatine
emigration (since 1709) to U.S. Continues.
1781: Freedom
of Religion guaranteed in Austria, opening the way for immigration of
Protestants.
1781-1864: Feudalism
is phased out in northern Europe. Key dates: Austria (1781, again in 1848 after
being reinstituted); France (1789); Prussia (1807); all German territory (by
1848); Hungary (1853-54); Russia (1861); Russian Poland and Romania (1854).
1782-87: Heavy
German immigration to Danube region of southern Hungary, Galicia and Bukovina,
all recently acquired by Austria under Emperor Joseph II
1783: German
is decreed as the language of all church records in Austria (replacing Latin in
many cases).
1783: German
Loyalists settle in Upper Canada, where the town of Berlin (whose name was
changed to Kitchener during World War I) would become the center of a
predominately German area
1785-1844: Jews
required to adopt family names in all Austrian-ruled lands except Hungary (178587),
in France and Germany (1802-12), and in Russia and Poland (1844).
1786: German
Mennonites from Pennsylvania begin to emigrate to Ontario, more heavily
after 1807.
1789: Paris
mob storms Bastille; Declaration of Rights of Man and of Citizens is
published. French Revolution begins.
1789: Frederick
Augustus Muhlenberg becomes fist Speaker of United States House of
Representatives.
1789-1824: Heaviest
German immigration to Black Sea region of Russia (now Ukraine).
1789-1917: Jews
emancipated, being granted equality by law in France (1789), Prussia (1850);
Austria-Hungarian Empire (1867); Germany (1871); Switzerland (1874) and Russia
(1917)
1792: France
starts civil registration in German territories west of the Rhein.
1792: French
Republican Calendar begins, used 8-13 years in some areas.
1792-1815: Napoleonic
wars against revolutionary France by Prussia, Austria and other countries.
Napoleon forces end Holy Roman Empire in 1806. Hapsburg family continues to
rule Austria, but no longer influential in German lands. Rhenish Confederation
founded in 1806.
1794: Changing
of surnames is forbidden in Prussia.
1795: Franco-Prussian
War. Prussia defeated.
1798: Switzerland
declares neutrality.
1800: Industrial
Revolution underway.
Russian Calendar
This was submitted to me and covers a question that I've also had, so I thought it would be of use to many of you.
It concerns a question about the difference in dates in Russia vs. the US prior to the Russian Revolution.
Russia was still on the Julian Calendar until 1918. When Russia converted
to the Gregorian calendar, they skipped 13 days - one day it was the 31st of
January 1918, and the next day it was 14th of February 1918.
During the 1800s, the difference was 12 days. So, if it was 7 April 1874 in
Russia, it was 19 Apr 1874 here in the US and in Western Europe.
In the Frank baptism records, we see groups of baptisms occurring on the
same day, for example 12 infants being baptized on 17 Aug 1858, and 8
infants being baptized on 24 Aug 1858. If I look up what day of the week
that was, it is Tuesday. Initially I thought that's odd, why would they do
all of the baptisms on Tuesday? Then I realized that 17 Aug 1858 (Julian
Calendar) is actually 29 Aug 1858 (Gregorian calendar). 29 Aug 1858 was a
Sunday. That makes more sense.
I am pretty sure that when the calendar conversion happened, they didn't
skip any days of the week. In other words, if it was Sunday in Russia, it
was Sunday in Western Europe. I just can't find anything online that
specifically states that is the case.
Maggie Hein
Anton, Russia
Anton
Russian names are Antonow, Antonowka, Sewastjanowka, and Sebastjanowka. Anton was founded in 1764 by 270 Evangelical Lutheran
villagers on the bergseite side of the Volga area. Kanton is Balzer, Wolost Sosnowka. A map is available from AHSGR, ask for #6.
Bibliography material relating to
Anton:
Hier,
Edmund, “Russo German Place-Names in Russia and in No. America”
Bauer,
Gottlieb, “History of the German Settlers on the Volga”
Becker, Conrad,
“A Historical Study of the Social Background of the German Russians from the
Volga District in Russia Living in Northern Colorado”
Koch, Fred,
“The Volga Germans”
I have purchased numerous records, continuing
the research and adding data to my Excel program. A few EWZ records have been located and added
to the files.
Dee Hert
deeehert@gmail.com
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Family History Library Classes
Several members of the Intermountain Chapter were able to attend the classes held last week on Germans from Russia. We received background information on the history of these people and their movement from Germany to Russia, as well as from Russia to elsewhere in the world. We were given a list of web sites to help with researching. (I'll be adding some of the web sites on this blog shortly.) Books from AHSGR are now being scanned and digitized. These will be made available in about three months on the web. It is exciting that there is now a focus on our area of research. Hopefully other classes will be offered in the future.
Coming Up
The next chapter meeting will be on August 8th at 10:00 A.M.
Sandy City Library
Sandy City Library
10100 Petunia Way (1300 S)
Sandy, Utah
Water but no food is permitted.
Sandy, Utah
Water but no food is permitted.
Bill will talk about the Billings convention and board news.
Bring your empty ink cartridges for Shirley.
Remember to send news and articles to Pat and Shirley as well as Annette as often as possible.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Anton
Anton was the ancestral village of three of our
Intermountain chapter members: Dee Hert,
Darrell Weber, and Sharon White. Sharon’s
ancestor, Michael Johann, was the first mayor of Anton.
Anton was founded on 7 September 1764 by the
government. The population in 1764 was
270. The Russian name for Anton was
Sebastianowka. There are several
variations of the spelling.
Anton was a Lutheran colony, located on the Bergenseite
of the Volga. The first mayor of Anton was Michael Johann, a farmer,
from Kurpfalz, Oberamt, Lindenfels, Germany.
Michael Johann was born in 1736.
Michael Johann’s wife, Eva Margaretha, born in 1734, and five daughters
were with him on his journey to Anton. Anton was part of the Messer parish. In 1856 a new church was built in the Kontor
style of architecture (dictated by the Saratov Kontor, the office for
administrating the colonies). The former
church is still standing and is now being used as a community cultural building. In 1798 there were 54 families in Anton with a total
population of 356: 177 males and 179 females.
In 1834 there were 103 families and a total population of 988 (488 males
and 500 females). In 1857 there were 146
families with a total population of 1,690 (828 males and 862 females).
Mark this Date
Our next meeting will be June 13th, 10 AM at the Springville Community Presbyterian Church.
Address is: 245 South 200 East
Springville, UT
Everyone is to bring some kind snack.
We can take a quick break at noon.
Hope to see you there!
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Outstanding News!
The supervisor of the B-1 floor has arranged for the following classes at the Family History Library.
June 24, Wednesday
1:00 Researching Volga Germans
2:00 Researching South Russian Germans
- It is imperative that the classes are well attended.
Please make every effort to attend and bring family and friends. Future classes are being planned and this is an outstanding opportunity. Wear your GR shirts. Perhaps we will also locate new members. Maybe we can do some research after the classes; come prepared. The library collection is continually growing, perhaps there is a book or census records that could be helpful to your research
Monday, April 13, 2015
Coming Right Up
Next meeting, Saturday, April 18, at 1:00 p.m. at the Sandy Library.
Bring empty ink cartridges and pictures for Pat and Shirley.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Greetings
This is to remind you of our next meeting February 7, at 1:00 pm, at the
Sandy Library, 10100 Petunia Way, 1300 South, Sandy.
Each member come with thoughts regarding
fund raising projects and recruitment activities.
Bring empty ink cartridges for Shirley,
Action: Please let Dee know if you have subjects for the agenda or are presenting a program.
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