Bullers in Deutsch-Wymysle 4

As mentioned previously, the Deutsch Wymysle church records contain three lists: a register of all those who moved to the area and joined the church, a register of all those who moved away from the area and thus left the church, and a complete (?) list of families who were part of the church.

We have already explored the first list, especially in relation to the Bullers it names (see here, here, and here), so today we turn to the second: the record of all those who left the Deutsch Wymysle area and thus the congregation there.

Nineteen people named Buller are included on that list of 220 Mennonites, conveniently arranged by family, which is how we will work through them all. The first list contains the Heinrich and Anna Penner Buller family, as follows:

Number (list 1)	Number (list 2)	Name	Date of  Birth	Birth Village	Residence
28	1	Buller, Heinrich	1808.08.17	Brenkenhoffswalde	Deutsch Zyck 32
29	2	———, Anna Penner	1818.11.27	Niszewka	———
	3	———, Peter	1841.04.20	Leonow	———
	4	———, Wilhelmine	1844.01.20	Deutsch Zyck	———
	5	———, Julianna	1845.09.29	———	———
	6	———, Kornelius	1949.09.04	———	———
	7	———, Wilhelm	1851.05.06	———	———
	8	———, Eva	1856.07.07	———	———
	9	———, Johann	1858.02.08	———	———

In terms of arrangement, notice that the first column cross-references the numbers in list 1 (Heinrich was number 28 there and Anna 29; see the scan here). Notice also that the last column (Wohin und wann ausgewandert = where and when they emigrated) is not reproduced in the table. Everything else is self-explanatory: name, when the person was born, where he or she was born, and where the person lived while in the Deutsch Wymysle congregation.

There is nothing striking in the list here, but several matters warrant mention. Heinrich was born in Brenkenhoffswalde (in the Neumark) and Anna in Niszewka (Neu Dessau), more than a hundred miles away (see the modern map here), so it is clear that they met and married in Deutsch Wymsyle. We can also tell that the couple first lived in Lenow, since their first child was born there, but then moved to Deutsch Zyck, the next village to the east (see the map here). In fact, we know which plot was theirs: Deutsch Zyck 32. This probably implies that the family were farmers, rather than workers in some craft or cottage industry.

The church records state that the entire family went to Russia in 1858—where in Russia we do not know. The GRANDMA database states that Wilhelmine married Peter Huebert from Elisabethal (in the southeast corner of Molotschna colony) but offers nothing more on any other family member. One wonders where in Molotschna the family settled, whether they left for North America in the 1870s, or whether their descendants remained in Russia (Ukraine) and went through the terrors of Soviet rule. For now, all we have are questions.

The next three names represent one couple and a single individual.

Number (list 1)	Number (list 2)	Name	Date of       Birth	Birth Village	Residence
17	10	Buller, Heinrich	1817.03.14	Brenkenhoffswalde	Deutsch Wymysle 13
94	11	———, Elisabeth Kliewer	1832.02.28	Sanskau	———
	12	Buller, Karl	1826.03.10	Deutsch Wymysle	Deutsch Wymysle

This Heinrich from Brenkenhoffswalde also met and married a woman whose family had moved to Deutsch Wymysle: Elisabeth Kliewer was born in Sanskau and thus was a member of the Montau-Gruppe church (see the map here). She was born in Sanskau in 1832, so her family must have come to the Deutsch Wymysle congregation much later than Heinrich’s family (more on that later).

Heinrich and Elisabeth emigrated to Gnadenfeld, Russia (Molotschna colony), which was a popular destination for many of the Neumark and Deutsch Wymysle groups. Eventually Gnadenfeld played a key role in the development of the Mennonite Brethren, which found its way to Deutsch Wymysle as well. It is curious that no date of emigration is provided for Heinrich and Elisabeth. More interesting than that is the report that they “kamen zurück,” came back. One wonders why they returned, as well as how many others moved back from Molotschna to Poland.

Our old friend Karl Buller (see here) was born in and lived in Deutsch Wymysle, but at some point (again, we know not when) he moved to Volhynia. We will certainly keep our eye out for him when we return to explore the Volhynia again.

The last Bullers appear much later in the register, since they were born around the same time as the children in the first Buller families recorded.

Number (list 1)	Number (list 2)	Name	Date of       Birth	Birth Village	Residence
	137	Buller, Peter	1861.12.26	Isabella	Deutsch Wymysle
	138	Buller, Emilie	1851.03.17	Wonsosz	?
	139	———, Anna	1855.01.06	Białe Błota	?
	140	———, Elisabeth	1857.08.23	Parowa Wonsosz	?
	141	———, Helene	1861.09.24	Deutsch Wymysle	?
	142	———, Julianna	1861.09.24	———	?
	143	Buller, Julianna verheiratet Görtz	1838.06.03	———	Leonow

The Bullers on each end are separate from the five in the middle, who are identified as Schwestern (sisters) in the vertical writing. Helene and Julianna are labeled further as Zwillinge (twins), which we can also see by them having the same birthday.

More important is the note that the five sisters “Zogen all nach de U.S.A.,” that is, all emigrated to the United States. Unfortunately, we know not where. There are to my knowledge no records of these sisters marrying, so one wonders if these five single Buller women emigrated to the U.S. and married once they arrived here. We learn from GRANDMA that their father Tobias died six months before the twins were born and their mother Petronella twelve years later, so these young women were probably accustomed to looking out for themselves to some extent. Maybe someday we will learn of more of their story.

Peter Buller (137) “emigrated” to Zyrardow, a Polish city 35 miles southeast of Deutsch Wymysle. I know of no Mennonite congregation nearby, so one might suspect that he changed denominations as a result of his move.

Finally, Julianna Buller Görtz (verh. = verheiratet, which means “married”) was born in Leonow and likewise emigrated to the United States. In this case GRANDMA supplies more information. Julianna married Heinrich Görtz from the Deutsch Kazun congregation (which explains why he is not listed in these church records), and together they emigrated to the U.S. in 1876, arriving 29 May 1876 in New York on the S.S. Celtic. Julianna died in April 1913 in Salt Creek, Oregon. Heinrich remarried the following year.

The bits and pieces that come to light from these records hint at stories that beg to be told: Heinrich and Anna Penner Buller went to Russia and vanished from the face of the earth (for now); Heinrich and Elisabeth Kliewer Buller likewise moved to Russian, then returned for reasons that we can only guess at; our old friend Karl moved to Volhynia, and he also remains a mystery for the time being; Peter Buller left Deutsch Wymysle for a Polish city and may have left the Mennonite church as well; five single sisters—orphans—emigrated together (and alone?) to the United States, where we hope they were absorbed into the larger Mennonite community and enjoyed the company of their own families; finally, Julianna Buller Görtz emigrated to the U.S. and lived out her days in the northwest—who knew there were Bullers in Oregon’s mountainous forests? None of these Bullers are our close relatives, but they are Bullers nonetheless, so their stories are also ours. Maybe someday we will be able to fill in the details and put together at least some of the pieces. Until then, we continue to look and to learn.