American Historical Society of Germans from Russia

 

The EWGS program for the upcoming May 2nd meeting will feature Richard Scheuerman teaching us about the Germans who migrated from Russia to America and specifically to the western states of America and western provinces of Canada.

If your ancestry includes these folks, you surely will not want to miss this program. And even if you don't have this lineage, learning about any facet of American history is fascinating and worthwhile.

Who were these Germans from Russia? They were people from Germanic states who settled in Russia at the invitation of Catherine the Great, Czarina of Russia, who promised the colonists many enticements. They were to keep their own religion, have their own government, in their own language, would be given loans for building homes and buying livestock. Catharine also promised exemption from military service forever. 

By 1768, some 23,000 German farmers had settled along the central Volga River region in 104 villages. By 1914, the German population along the Volga had grown to 668 villages. Under Alexander II's reign, 1855-1881, things changed for the worse for these Germanic peoples. 

Significant social change threatened the German way of life in Russia. Exemptions were eliminated and civil unrest brought chaos and hardship. The result was a movement of German Russians to the Americas. Most did not emigrate. Those choosing to stay suffered through the revolution (1914) and under Soviet policies. Theirs is a sad story. 

The story of what it means to be a "German from Russia" is epic with many twists, turns, tragedies and triumphs. The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia has been passionate since its start in 1968 about sharing what they know. Their library and research center has an extensive collection of resources to help patrons learn about the history, folklore, genealogy and ethnic heritage of these German Russian peoples. 

Where did the eastern Washington town names of Odessa and Blue Stem originate? Guess! 

For more information, click to their website, www.ahsgr.org