USA > Kansas > Ellis County > German-Russian settlements in Ellis County, Kansas > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
46
Reprinted from Kansas Historical Collections, Vol. XI.
GERMAN-RUSSIAN SETTLEMENTS IN ELLIS COUNTY, KANSAS.
Written by the Rev. FRANCIS S. LAING, O. M. Cap., ' for the Kansas State Historical Society.
C ATHARINE II of Russia is known in history as an energetic ruler, who endeavored to improve her land and people. One means she employed with success for this purpose was to invite colonists to Russia. A summary invitation of this nature was issued December 4, 1762. The following year, July 22, 1763, a more detailed statement followed. Article 6, section 1, of
REV. ADOLPH WIBBERT, Oshkosh, Wis. The first priest in the Colonies.
PETER LEIKER, MUNJOR, KAN. Only survivor of the explorers of 1874.
this so-called "manifest," guaranteed to all such foreigners forming colo- nies in hitherto unsettled districts of Russia free exercise of religion, allow- ing them to build churches and bell towers, but no monasteries, to have priests, etc. These colonists should for thirty years be free from all taxes, levies and land service; 2 they were further exempted from military duty
NOTE 1 .- Born February 6, 1880, in Cumberland, Md .; made classical studies in Herman, Pa .; entered the Capuchin Order July, 1897; studied philosophy and theology in Cumberland, Md., was ordained June, 1903; since January, 1904, has been teaching in monastery at Victoria, Kan.
NOTE 2 .- Article 6, section 2; the manifest of Catharine II, was reprinted at Hays, Kan., in 1882, from a copy secured in Denver of an immigrant (J. Schlyer); from this print the details regarding the manifest are taken. The manifest is also printed in Bauer, Geschichte der deutschen Ansiedler an der Wolga, pp. 10-15.
2
Kansas State Historical Society.
for an indefinite period.3 In the same year Capt. J. G. von Kotzer, as im- perial commissary, assisted by Messrs. Florentin and Psanu, all Germans by birth, were sent to Frankfurt to invite Germans to settle in Russia. They succeeded in inducing some 8000 families (about 25,000 persons) from Hessia, Saxony, Alsatia, Baden, Wuertemberg, Bavaria, Tyrol, Switzerland 4 and the Palatinate5 to emigrate. As rendezvous Rosslau 6 near Dessau on the Elbe was designated. From this place the colonists proceeded to and embarked at Hamburg.7 Landing in Kronstadt they proceeded to Oranien- baum, where they were met and welcomed by Catharine II. After a brief stay they continued their journey to Moskau and Petrowski, where they wintered. In the spring of 1764 they moved southward toward Saratow, settling on both sides of the Wolga, some as far south as the Black Sea. 8 Other colonists followed till 1768. One hundred and four colonies were founded, 59 on the so-called meadow (eastern) and 45 on the so-called moun- tain (western) side of the Wolga, 9 at a cost to the government of 5,899,813. rubles. 10
The homes of the settlers in Ellis county were: Katharinenstadt (popu- larly called Baronsk, because founded in 1765 by Baron de Beauregard ), Boregard (founded 1766), Obermonjour (founded 1766), Zug (Gattung, founded 1767), Luzern (Roemler, founded 1767), Schoenchen (Paninskoje, founded . 1767), Solothurn (Wittmann, founded 1767), all lying on the east bank of the Wolga, north of Saratow; Rohleder ( Raskaty, founded 1766), Graf (Kruto- gorowka, founded 1764), Herzog (Susly, founded 1764), Mariental (Pfannen- stiel or Tonkoschurowka, founded 1766), Louis (Otrogowka, founded 1766), lying north and south of the great Karamann, which flows from the south into the Wolga west of Katharinenstadt; Liebenthal (founded 1859 from the other colonies), south of the great Karamann; Neu-Obermonjour (founded 1859), 10 werst 11 south of Liebenthal, Marienburg (founded 1860), 68 werst. northeast of Liebenthal. All these colonies were on the meadow side. On the mountain side lay Kamenka (founded 1764), 110 werst southwest of Saratow, Pfeifer (Gniluska, founded 1766), 7 werst southwest of Kamenka, Rothamel12 (Pamnatnaja, founded 1767), about 25 werst northwest of Ka- menka, Semenowka (founded 1766), 15 werst southwest of Pfeifer.
NOTE 3 .- Article 6, section 7: The expression employed, "na vyak," had several meanings : an indefinite period, 100, 500 years. forever ( B. Brungardt, J. Schaefer ); tradition interprets it. to mean 100 years.
NOTE 4 .- Schaab in St. Joseph's Blatt, vol. XXI, n. 41.
NOTE 5 .- Weiss, J. B., Weltgeschichte, vol. XII, 4th ed. (Graz. 1899), p. 460, 461.
NOTE 6 .- Schaab, l. c. n. 35: The manifest (in 1766) mentions Rosslau as rendezvous. A. Schneider (Historisch-politische Blaetter, vol. CXV, p. 418) designates as such Regensburg.
NOTE 7 .- Schaab, l. c. n. 41: This agrees with tradition as known to B. Brungardt; accord- ing to A. Schneider (I. c.) they embarked at Luebeck.
NOTE 8 .- A. Schneider, I. c .; others wintered in Torschok, Twer, Kostroma and Kolomna. ( Bauer, p. 20).
NOTE 9 .- Schaab, l. c. n. 41: These numbers differ slightly from those given in n. 35 and 48. A. Walter (10a), gives the number of colonies as 163.
NOTE 10. - Schaab, l. c. n. 48 : In all, 100,000 Germans emigrated to Russia ; others emigrated from France, Poland and Sweden ( Weiss, Weltgeschichte, l. c.).
NOTE 11 .- Werst = 3500 feet.
NOTE 12. - These details are taken for the most part from Deutscher Volkskalender, Odessa. 1909, and Volksfreundkalender. Saratow. 1910. A map of the colonies (printed at Saratow, 1910) was kindly lent by Jos. Linnenberger. The German names of the colonies are those of the first
3
German-Russian Settlements in Ellis County.
NICHOLAS AND CATHARINE DREILING, First settlers of Herzog, 1875.
The immediate cause of the emigration was the military law of January 13, 1874,13 which subjected all colonists to military service. Factors in its introduction had been jealousy of the Russian neighbors, owing particularly to the drain in the Crimean war, lack of caution on the part of the colonists, who had been led to sign a document inimical to their liberty.14 The colo- nists were averse to military service, because, during the six years, it was almost impossible for Catholic soldiers to fulfill even their Easter duty of receiving the sacraments; only members of the Greek church could rise to an officer's rank; treatment left much to be desired. 15
In June, 1871, an edict had limited the period of exemption from military service to ten years, with the provision that, as to furnishing recruits, the
Vorsteher (equivalent to mayor), as Rothamel, or of the Vorsteher of 1774, up to which time the name had changed with Vorsteher, the then prevailing names becoming fixed by usage of the comptoir officials (Schaab, l. c. n. 43); or of the first settler or of the village in Germany from which the settlers came (A. Schneider, l. c.); the Russian names date from February, 12, 1768, when they were sanctioned by the Russian government at request of the Saratow comptoir ·(Schaab, l. c. n. 41).
NOTE 13 .- This date is given in Brockhaus, Konversations lexicon, 13 ed., vol. XIV (1886). p. 29. NOTE 14 .- e. g., in Katharinenstadt, June 4, 1871. (A. Walter, 11b).
NOTE 15 .- A. Walter, 13a.
4
Kansas State Historical Society.
laws ruling colonists should continue in force only till the publication of a general law on military duty. 16 In this period of ten years colonists might. emigrate to other countries without forfeiture of any property. This was not generally known. It was emphasized in a peculiar way during a term of court at Novousensk. Balthasar Brungardt, one of the jurors who had been schreiber (secretary) of Herzog for nine years, and whose attention had been called to the paragraph in the colonialostaw (law book) by a mirovoj (secretary), entered into a bet with a Mr. Kraft, who denied the liberty to emigrate, both leaving the decision to the procuror (state's at- torney) on the morrow. In the presence of several hundred colonists the procurer affirmed the right of emigrating.
It was largely this occurrence which led to a meeting of about 3000 colo- nists at Herzog in the spring of 1874. Balthasar Brungardt was one of the speakers. His knowledge of the geographical subject he had drawn from a geography imported from Germany, and from Professor Stelling, who. taught history and geography in the seminar (college) at Saratow during Brungardt's college days, 1860-'64, being at the same time official of the comptoir. Stelling was born on the Pacific (his father, a native of Cour -. land, washed gold in California), and delighted to speak of America. In his discourse Mr. Brungardt spoke of Brazil and Nebraska as desirable places for new homes, giving preference to the latter place because colder.
A result of this meeting was the election of five delegates, who, at the expense of their respective communities, were to investigate Nebraska, with a view of settling there. 17 The delegates were B. Brungardt (Herzog), Peter Leiker (Obermonjour), Jacob Ritter (Luzern), Peter Stoecklein (Zug), Anton Wasinger (Schoenchen). Mr. Brungardt declining, his place was taken by Nicholas Schamne (Graf). They convened in Obermonjour and proceeded by way of Katharinenstadt, Saratow, Warschau and Berlin to Hamburg. Here they were assisted by Mr. Weinberg. Mr. Jos. Koelble, a so-called Vertrauensmann (man of trust), befriended them in Castle Garden. After remaining two days as guests of Mr. Schneider they continued their journey through Buffalo, Chicago (remaining one day), Omaha and Lincoln to Sut- ton, Clay county, Nebraska, where they remained one day on the farm of Mr. Grosshans, 18 examining the land. Messrs. Leiker, Stoecklein and Wa- singer took about one pound of soil, some prairie grass and bluestem (?) grass, and some paper money to Russia, and each explorer some literature descriptive of the land.19 The sojourn on American soil was ten days. Their report was favorable, and subsequently four of the five emigrated. 20
Toward the end of December, 1874, two other explorers, Joseph Exner, of Obermonjour. and Jacob Bissing, of Katharinenstadt, were sent on a like mission. They came to Topeka and proceeded over the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad to Larned, in Pawnee county. They spent about a week in Kansas, and returning to their homes reported unfavorably, thus deterring quite a number from emigrating. 21
NOTE 16 .- Chamber's Encyclopedia, American Additions, vol. III (1882), p. 617.
NOTE 17 .- B. Brungardt.
NOTE 18 .- Perhaps not the real name.
NOTE 19 .- The Walter family in Katharinenstadt received such a book of Anton Wasinger (A. Walter).
NOTE 20 .- Peter Leiker, the only survivor of the five explorers.
NOTE 21 .- Messrs. A. Walter, N. Leiker, A. Pfannenstiel.
R20W
R 19₦
ROOKS
COUNTY
R.17H.
Turkville P.O.
saline
1
· Wiics P.O
S
C
1
N
HAMILTON
N
1
T.12.5
& Hyacinth
.
BUCKE
Y
E
CATHERINE
CO.
L
S
Creet
Ellis
Catherine
Tas.
Region
TREGO
BIG Branch of State Nermal
CREEK Hays Cyty
1
Day Walker
Kandas
istAte
ancuTure
Victorą
T. 145.
Hunjor
VICTORIA
4 Antonino
8
Smoky Hill
LOSOKOUT
WHEATLAND
SMÓ KY/ H
77
F)
REEDOM
Hill B
Smety
Scheenchen
Pfeifer
+ = Schco/s.
PUSH CO
Om A Rất. Del, 1010
MAP OF ELLIS COUNTY, KANSAS, SHOWING GERMAN-RUSSIAN SETTLEMENTS.
OUT775na
HERZOG
WALKER
PLEASANT HILL
Vincent
7.15 S.
· Enmer &m
River
8
1
٩٠
5
German-Russian Settlements in Ellis County.
With the five explorers mentioned above went Anton Kaeberlein, of Pfeifer, and others as far as New York. Their destination was Arkansas. 22 On his return, A. Kaeberlein reported that the land pleased him, but not the custom of living on farms instead of living in villages. 23 In the fall of 1874 Mr. Schwabauer, of Denhof, together with about four other families, emi- grated to Arkansas. A letter in which he wrote favorably of his new home was repeatedly read in public, e. g., by Jacob Lang at a meeting of the citizens of Kamenka and Pfeifer, at the latter place in September, 1875, 24 and consulted by all who thought of emigrating, being looked upon as oracular. 25
The first draft of soldiers in the colonies precipitated matters. On November 24, 1874, four were drafted in Herzog;26 on December 11 twenty- one were drafted in Katharinenstadt. 27 The formalities required of emi- grants were a release from the town authorities on a two-thirds vote of the Gemeinde (made up of the heads of families), from the Kreisamt, and, finally, a pass from the governor. 28
The first to undertake the long journey were Justus Bissing29 (7), Frederic Karlin (4), his sons Peter Karlin (3) and Jacob Karlin (3), Frederic Koerner (10). On October 10/22, 1875, these left Katharinenstadt. In Saratow they were joined by Jacob Lang, Joseph Stremel, Michael Meder (2) and Mathias Urban of Kamenka and Christopher Stegmann of Pfeifer. Leaving Saratow, October 11/23 they arrived in Berlin on the fourth day. 30 They were followed on October 12/24 by a larger body of colonists: Andrew Billinger (3), Alois Dreiling (7), Anton Dreiling (8), Nicholas Dreiling (7, with two stepsons, Hammerschmidt, 9), Nicholas Dreiling (surnamed the small, 5), John Goetz (7), John Kreutzer (2), Michael Rome (2), John Sander (7), Michael Storm (6), John Van der Dunkt (2), Ignatius Vonfeld (2), Ignatius Weigel (4), all of Herzog; Jacob Arnholt (5), of Boregard; Jos. Braun (5), Franz Weber (11), of Liebenthal; John Geist (5), John Jacob Geist (5), William Geist (4), of Obermonjour; Anton Herrmann (5), of Mariental; Peter Quint (7), of Louis;31 Henry Bieker (6), John Bieker (7), John Jos. Bieker (7), Nicholas Bieker (9), William Bieker (6), Frank Waldschmidt (7), Philip Wolf (7), John Zimmermann (2), all of Neu-Obermonjour; Paul Dinges, of Marienburg; Jacob Beil (4), Peter Beil (3), Martin Goetz (2), Jacob Herrmann (8), John Herrmann (5), Peter Herrmann (3), Adam Kreutzer (6), John Kreutzer (2), John Lechleiter (5), Michael Lechleiter (3), John Schaefer (5), John Peter Schaefer (3), Peter Schaefer (3), Joseph Schoenberger (4), all of Liebenthal; and John Bollig (2) of Graf. 32 They had chosen as guide Nicholas Schamne,
NOTE 22 .- J. Stremel.
NOTE 23 .- J. Breit.
NOTE 24 .- J. Lang.
NOTE 25 .- J. Stremel.
NOTE 26 .- Linnenberger, I, p. 132.
NOTE 27 .- A. Walter. 12b.
NOTE 28 .- Linnenberger, I, pp. 134. 135.
NOTE 29 .- Name lists are arranged alphabetically; the number in ( ) designates the number of members in the family; at times these numbers include several families, in which case they formed one household; absence of a number denotes that the persons were single. Some Chris- tian names are Englished.
NOTE 30 .- A. Walter; Ath. Karlin, pp. 3-4; in the winter of 1874-'75 the Karlin family had sold their horses, 15, at 30 to 70 rubles, wagon for 50 rubles, etc.
NOTE 31 .- J. Linnenberger, II, pp. 1-5; J. Lang, Ath. Karlin and others.
NOTE 32 .- The details regarding Schoenchen I owe to Frederic Graf, Karl Herrglotz, Jacob Monsch, John Werth, sr., John Peter Werth; those regarding Liebenthal to Henry Depper- schmidt, Jacob Herrmann, jr., John E. Herrmann.
6
Kansas State Historical Society.
St. Joraphy Chege, Hays, Kansas.
ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE, HAYS, KAN.
one of the explorers of 1874, and arrived in Bremen by way of Tambow, Koslow, Grjasi, Orel, Smolensk, Witebsk, Wershbolow, Eydtkuhnen, and Berlin, 33 before the first party, who had been forced to wait four days on a ship, had left. They all took passage in the steamship Ohio of the North- German Lloyd, November 2, and after a rough voyage of twenty-one days landed in Baltimore November 23, 34 1875.
At Baltimore Nicholas Schamne made an agreement with C. B. Schmidt, of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. In his company they went to Topeka, 35 arriving November 28.36 For three days all remained in the vacant King bridge building (now a part of the Santa Fe railroad shops), meantime seeking a home. Most of the arrivals rented houses in North Topeka and devoted themselves to various occupations, on railroads, farms, etc. The first trip in search of land was made under direction of C. B. Schmidt as far west as Great Bend and Larned. 37 The price of land ( five dollars per acre) and want of locations adapted to the establishment of colonies, because few homesteads could be had, deterred the settlers. On their return to Topeka A. Roedelheimer, of the Kansas Pacific, spoke of the advantageous land his company could offer, and later made three trips with the men as far west as Hays and Ellis. The first land shown was near Hog Back, but this pleased so little that the men determined to return to Russia. Thereupon they were shown land near Catharine and on the Smoky Hill river, and
NOTE 33 .- This route was taken by all subsequent parties.
NOTE 34 .- Ath. Karlin, supplemented by communication of C. F. Hanna, deputy collector at Baltimore, through kindness of W. Stanton.
NOTE 35 .- Jos. Stremel is followed in the above; it is but one of many explanations of how the German-Russians came to Kansas.
NOTE 36 .- Ath. Karlin, p. 6.
NOTE 37 .- Nich. Schamne accompanied the men to Larned (J. Herrmann) and, considering his task as completed, returned to Russia, where he was questioned by many (J. Linnenberger, I, pp. 144-145).
7
German-Russian Settlements in Ellis County.
finally that on which Herzog now stands. This land was cheap ($2 to $2.50 per acre) and adapted to forming colonies. 38
On February 21, 1876, fourteen families of those named above (the last of the list excepting the Lechleiter and Peter Schaefer and John Peter Schaefer families and including the Waldschmidt family) came to Hays, and on the day following moved to the present site of Liebenthal, 39 section 21, township 16, range 18 west, in Rush county. On March 1, 1876, the families from Katharinenstadt ( Bissing, Karlin, Koerner) arrived in Hays. They rented Krueger's store and remained there one month and seven days. Each morning they drove to their future home (where Catharine now stands), and worked at constructing their houses of lumber which they hauled from Hays. April 8 they moved to their new dwellings. 40 Four delegates representing the immigrants from Herzog had originally chosen land near Hog Back. This choice did not meet the approval of the men who later inspected it. 41 The final choice was section 1, township 14 south range 17 west.
April 8, twenty-three families (mentioned first in the list above) came to Victoria and erected their first dwellings on the east bank of Victoria creek, a little west of the present town. 42
June 11/23, 1876,43 a large body from the southwestern colonies, occupy- ing three cars, left Saratow. These were: Andrew Desch (4), George Etzel (2), Anton Holzmeister (6), Gottlieb Jacobs (11), Joseph Jacobs (3), Mathew Jacobs (2), Michael Jacobs (2), George Schmidt (6), John Schmidt (4), Joseph Schmidt (2), Jacob Schoenfeld (3), all of Pfeifer, Russia; John Meder (2), John Schlieter (5), Matthias Vogel (4), all of Kamenka; George Seitz (3), Casper Seitz, of Semenowka; John Breit, Valentine Schoenfeld (5), Peter Breit (3), and George Dome (7), all of Pfeifer. The following day, June 12/24, a party from Katherinenstadt followed in two cars: John Karlin (5), Karl Koerner (4), Frederic Meis (2), Mrs. Meis (widow, 8), Andrew Schmidt (2), Jacob Schmidt (5), John Schmidt (3), Peter Schmidt (4), Mrs. Schueler (widow, 3), Mrs. A. Schuetz (widow, 7), Henry Staab (5), Karl Staab (5), August Walter (5), Frederic Walter (8), Jacob Walter (4), Jacob Welz (3). On the 13/25th they overtook the first party and con- tinued on together to Orel; here the latter party left in advance of the former, but were overtaken at Eydtkuhnen. George Schmidt and John Meder here attached themselves to those of Katharinenstadt and went with them by Hamburg, 44 arriving in Hays, Kan., July 2645 and in Catharine the day following. The others took the Bremen route, arriving in Topeka July
NOTE 38 .- J. Stremel and others. The manner of testing the land employed by the settlers was to spade up the ground and to masticate a little of the soil to discover whether it "tasted after grain" (J. Stremel).
NOTE 39 .- The details regarding Liebenthal are added because organically woven with those of the colonies in Ellis county. Liebenthal is in Big Timber township, Rush county, three miles south of the south line of Ellis county.
NOTE 40 .- A. Karlin, pp. 8-9.
NOTE 41 .- J. Lang.
NOTE 42 .- J. Linnenberger, II, 15, 16.
NOTE 43 .- These dates are given by A. Walter; those given by men of Pfeifer differ by three days: June 14/26, etc.
NOTE 44 .- They received many kindnesses at the hands of the representatives of the St. Raphaels Verein: Messrs. TheodoreMeynberg and Alexander Schroeder in Hamburg, Jos. Koelble in New York (A. Walter).
NOTE 45 .- Their advent is recorded in the Ellis County Star, vol. I, n. 17.
8
Kansas State Historical Society.
23. Some of the same party (not mentioned above), partly from the vil- lages of Koehler and Hildmann, never left Topeka. Thirteen of the families, the first mentioned above, went to Hays August 20 (or 23), and the following day to the vicinity of Pfeifer, settling on section 25 in Freedom township. George Schmidt and John Meder joined them, while John Breit and V. Schoenfeld came in February, 1878, Peter Breit Decem- ber, 1878, George Dome in 1879.
Parochial School House, Catharine, Ellis County.
The largest single expedition was that which set out shortly after Mr. B. Brungardt had undertaken to secure passes for 108 families at eighteen rubles; after some delays, and some gifts to the governor, all were secured but four; these latter were refused because the persons had drawn red bal- lots and were held for recruits. A petition to the war department and one to the minister of war were fruitless. As a last resort a telegram was sent to the czar and arrangements made to delay the answer so that it would reach the colony only after all had passed the Russian border. The whole party occupied seventeen coaches on leaving Saratow, June 26/ July 8. At Duenaburg they were joined by a party of Mennonites, who occupied ten coaches. 46 The larger body separated at Eydtkuhnen. Some of the first arrivals had complained in letters of treatment on board the ship of the North-German Lloyd, and had advised their friends who contemplated em- igration to take another route. Because of this Mr. Weinberg, as agent of the Hamburg-American line, prevailed on some to go by Hamburg; this route was taken by those who settled in Munjor, Schoenchen and Lieben- thal. 47 The others arranged for transportation to New York at thirty-eight rubles, with an agent of Johanning & Behmer of the North-German Lloyd,
NOTE 46. - B. Brungardt.
NOTE 47 .- C. Herrglotz.
9
German-Russian Settlements in Ellis County.
and to the number of 1454 souls took passage on the "Mosel." In Castle Garden various offers of transportation were made ranging from $18 to $22. These were refused, and finally an agreement made for sixteen rubles (the ruble had then a rating of seventy-two cents) per passenger. The Men- nonites went to Nebraska. 48 The others were: Peter Braun, Peter Andrew Braun (3), Andrew Brungardt, sr. (8), Balthasar Brungardt (5), Franz Brun- gardt, sr. (8), Franz Brungardt (2), John Peter Brungardt, Peter Brun- gardt (6), Peter Brungardt (9), Alois Dening (8), Michael Dening (6), An- drew Dinkel, George Dinkel (4), John Peter Dinkel (5), Michael Dreiling, sr. (3), Anton M. Dreiling (5), Franz M. Dreiling (4), Michael M. Dreiling (4), Peter M. Dreiling (3), John Dreiling, Elizabeth Dreiling, Paulina Dreiling, John Frank, Joseph Kapp, Adam Knoll (5), Michael Kuhn, sr. (4), John Kuhn, sr. (3), Andrew Kuhn (4), John Kuhn (3), Michael Kuhn (10), Michael Kuhn, jr. (3), Anton Mermis (6), Michael Pfeifer, sr. (13), Adam Riedel (11), Martin Riedel (5), Michael Riedel (3), Peter Rome (3), Ignaz Sander (7), Frederic Schamber (5), Andrew Scheck, sr. (3), Andrew Scheck (8), Michael Schmidtberger, John Vonfeld (14), John Wasinger (7), John Wind- holz, Michael Weigel (10), John Wittmann (8), Peter Wittmann (3), Martin Yunker (8), Peter Yunker (4), all of Herzog, Russia; John Leiker (7), Anton Rupp (8), Caspar Rupp (6), Jacob Rupp (4), of Obermonjour, Russia; Jo- seph Graf, sr. (5), Martin Quint (8), Michael Quint (8), of Louis, Russia; Henry Gerber, of Graf, Russia. 49 All these, excepting Peter Yunker, who remained in Topeka till 1877, made their home in Herzog, arriving in Vic- toria August 3, 1876. 50 51
By way of Hamburg-New York came meanwhile the founders of Munjor. These were Jacob Engel, John Berg (5), Franz Leiker (4), Henry Leiker (4), Jacob Leiker (4), Joseph Leiker (7), Joseph Leiker (3), Konrad Leiker (3), Michael Leiker (4), Nicholas Leiker (4), Peter Leiker (6), all of Obermonjour, Russia; John Dechant (4), John Herl (6), Henry Miller (2), Henry Ruder (7), Stanislaus Ruder (3), Joseph Schreibvogel, Anton Schu- macher (5), George Schumacher (3), Henry Schumacher (4), Catharine Schumacher (widow, 5), all of Wittman, Russia ; Nicholas Eberle (6), Peter Gross (5), Matthias Rohr (6), Peter Rohr (4), of Mariental; Anton Wasinger (8), Anton Wasinger, jr. (4), of Schoenchen; Anton Schneider (5), Peter Stoecklein (7), of Gattung ; John Goetz (6), of Herzog.52 For several days these families remained in Herzog, and then moved to a place on Big creek, north of the present site of Munjor. After two months' stay at this place they removed to section 25, in Wheatland township, where Mun- jor now stands. 53
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.