Just when we thought we were finished with this series, another interesting piece of evidence came to mind: the 1847 list of voters for Waldheim (extracted by Glenn Penner). This document does not fundamentally alter our reconstruction of the events surrounding the exodus from Waldheim, but it nuances how we understand the timing of what took place.
If you recall, only landowners in Molotschna were entitled to vote in local elections; those who did not own a Wirtschaft could not vote. The document Glenn provides (here) includes the Waldheim residents (i.e., landowners) who cast votes in 1847 and 1851. The first list is of most interest to us, given the timing of events surrounding the departure from Molotschna: in 1845 a number of families declared their intent to return to Volhynia; in 1848 members of that group (plus a few extras) traveled north and founded the village of Heinrichsdorf in the southern area of Volhynia. Obviously, the 1847 list falls squarely within that time frame, after the decision to depart but before the actual departure.
Comparing that list with the list of known landowners who departed Waldheim is enlightening.
Landowners Who Left Waldheim in 1848
| Samuel Boese | David Koehn | Tobias Schultz |
| Jacob Buller | David Nachtigal | Michael Teske |
| Benjamin Buller the elder | Jacob Pankratz | Benjamin Unruh |
| Johann Ewert | Benjamin Ratzlaff | Cornelius? Unruh |
| Jacob Klassen | Benjamin Ratzlaff | Johann Worbel |
| David Koehn | Andreas Schmidt |
Waldheim Voters (Landowners) in 1847
| Gerhard Born | David Koehn | Peter Sperling |
| Cornelius Boschman | Jacob Loewen | Franz Steingart |
| Cornelius Braun | Dirk Martens | Gottlieb Straus |
| David Dirks | Andreas Nachtigal | Christian Teske |
| Heinrich Dirks | Benjamin Nachtigal | Benjamin Voth |
| Johann Dirksen | Jacob Nachtigal | Heinrich Voth |
| David Driedger | Peter Pankratz | Heinrich Warkentin |
| Dirk Dyck | Johann Penner | Benjamin Wedel |
| Isaac Friesen | Benjamin Ratzlaff | Cornelius Wedel |
| Martin Friesen | Abraham Richert | Cornelius Wedel |
| Jacob Huebert | Andreas Richert | Johann Wedel |
| Peter Huebert | Jacob Richert | Jacob Wiens |
| Gerhard Jost | Christian Schlabbach | |
| Jacob Klassen | Peter Schmidt |
Of the seventeen names of landowners leaving Waldheim in 1848, only three appear on the voter list for 1847: Jacob Klassen, David Koehn, and Benjamin Ratzlaff. Given the commonness of all of these names, we cannot be certain that each repeated name on the two lists refers to the same person, but we will assume so until proven otherwise.
The main conclusion to draw from this is that, by mid- to late 1847 (since the voter list was recorded in September of that year; see here), most of the landowners who in 1845 decided to leave and then actually left in 1848 were no longer landowners. Whether they sold their plots or had to turn back their plots to the village for reassignment to new owners, by mid- to late 1847 these founding fathers of Waldheim no longer held title to their original Wirtschaften.
Presumably, then, at least six months before the group departed, most of its members were landless. Given the usual agricultural cycle, it may have been even longer than that. Generally farmers do not sell or give up land with crops still standing in the field. In all likelihood, then, the land transfer took place before spring crops were planted, which would mean that the Waldheim group were landless and presumably dependent on day labor and cottage industry to earn a living for over a year. Where they lived (unless I am mistaken, specific houses were tied to ownership of a plot) is even a greater mystery. Perhaps they joined the group of renters who lived on the outskirts of most Molotschna villages.
Many details will probably remain unknown to us, but what we can know is that the Waldheim group who left—including our ancestor Benjamin Buller the elder, father of David, father of Peter D, father of Peter P, father of Grandpa Chris—were landless for at least six months and more probably a year before they finally made the journey north to found the village of Heinrichsdorf. Clearly, the return to Volhynia was not a simple matter of packing up and leaving; it apparently involved both significant delay and substantial sacrifice—even before the journey north ever began.
***
Although it does not relate directly to the question at hand in this series, it will be interesting also to compare the 1847 voter list with the original settler list here. One wonders how many original settlers who were not part of the Waldheim exodus remained in the village at the end of its first decade.
The main conclusion to draw from this is that, by mid- to late 1847 (since the voter list was recorded in September of that year; see here), most of the landowners who in 1845 decided to leave and then actually left in 1848 were no longer landowners. Whether they sold their plots or had to turn back their plots to the village for reassignment to new owners, by mid- to late 1847 these founding fathers of Waldheim no longer held title to their original Wirtschaften.
Presumably, then, at least six months before the group departed, most of its members were landless. Given the usual agricultural cycle, it may have been even longer than that. Generally farmers do not sell or give up land with crops still standing in the field. In all likelihood, then, the land transfer took place before spring crops were planted, which would mean that the Waldheim group were landless and presumably dependent on day labor and cottage industry to earn a living for over a year. Where they lived (unless I am mistaken, specific houses were tied to ownership of a plot) is even a greater mystery. Perhaps they joined the group of renters who lived on the outskirts of most Molotschna villages.
Many details will probably remain unknown to us, but what we can know is that the Waldheim group who left—including our ancestor Benjamin Buller the elder, father of David, father of Peter D, father of Peter P, father of Grandpa Chris—were landless for at least six months and more probably a year before they finally made the journey north to found the village of Heinrichsdorf. Clearly, the return to Volhynia was not a simple matter of packing up and leaving; it apparently involved both significant delay and substantial sacrifice—even before the journey north ever began.
***
Although it does not relate directly to the question at hand in this series, it will be interesting also to compare the 1847 voter list with the original settler list here. One wonders how many original settlers who were not part of the Waldheim exodus remained in the village at the end of its first decade.
No comments:
Post a Comment