Annotated Inventory
of the Cases Handled by the Saratov Office of Foreign Settlers
Edited by I.R. Pleve
Translated into
English by Dr. Mila Koretnikova
English Editing by
Prof. Brent Mai
1723-1868
The inventory consists of the captions and information on the
date and number of pages of the lost cases handled by the Saratov office of
foreign settlers. The inventory contains short but very valuable precise
information on the life of the German colonies, on the relations between
colonies, their relationship with the surrounding settlements and the state, on
the personal life of the colonists.
The compilers are hopeful that this publication will be
interesting for historians and helpful for researchers who could derive a more
truthful picture of historical events by collating the laconic information of
the captions and the information in the fully-preserved documents.
An example of particular interest to me is case number 5830,
page 209. Case of the drowned colonist, Heinrich Weiderspahn, from the colony of
Walter, date July 28, 1826. It is noted that the case contained 9 pages.
I recommend this publication to anyone with research
interest in the Volga area. Keep in mind
the colonists moved frequently, I noted mention of the Caucasus which
was no surprise.
The villages are numerous; many chapter members will locate
families. I see names such as Dellos,
Herdt, Stark, Gebel, etc. Orphans are
mentioned surprisingly often; keep in mind the death may only be that of the
father, not both parents.
Permission was required for numerous activities, such as
building a barn, relocating, and prohibition to sell certain merchandise. Deaths from drowning were frequent, summer and winter.
When I first started reading this material I noticed the
village of Katharinenstadt mentioned often. I was hoping to locate the surname
of Herdt, which would answer some long overdue questions.
The book was purchased at the AHSGR bookstore and is
available for $20.00.
Dee Hert
Chapter Membership and Activities Ch
air
