Alexanderwohl 10

In our effort to re-create the list of Alexanderwohl’s original settlers, thus far we have identified four of the founders of Alexanderwohl 1–5; three of these four families emigrated from the Przechovka church in West Prussia/Poland, which accounted for the majority of Alexanderwohl’s residents. 

As we continue to document who Alexanderwohl’s earliest settlers were, we also want to note when each family settled in the village and from where they came. We do so not merely as a historical curiosity but also so that perhaps we can gain a sense of whether or not the twenty-two families who settled in 1821 came in a single large group or a number of smaller groups. We will also, of course, continue to note especially any Bullers we encounter.

Wirtschaft 6

The 1835 census lists only one name for Alexanderwohl 6:

Unrau, Peter Johann (b. ca.1785) 

As noted earlier (Anna Unrau in Wirtschaft 1), Unrau was a fairly common last name in Przechovka church. Couple that with Peter Unrau’s age in 1821 (thirty-six), and we have a likely candidate for the original settler of this plot.

Other evidence points in the same direction. GRANDMA indicates that this Peter Unrau (GM 60318) was born in 1786 and identifies him as a resident of Alexanderwohl 6. A 20 July 1819 visa reports that Peter was a Mennonite from Przechovka who emigrated along with his wife and two daughters (Rempel 2007, 136). Indeed, Peter, who was married to Helena Harpart at that time (his first wife died), had two daughters in 1819. 

A Russian settlement record fills in the picture somewhat:

Peter Unrau (Петр Унрау), whose family consists of 1 male and 3 females. Settled in Russia in the year 1819. They wished to settle at their own expense. They had with them 600 rubles cash, furniture valued at 204 rubles 20 kopeks, 1 wagon, 2 horses and 2 head of cattle; wagon, horse or head of cattle cost 245 rubles. (Rempel 2007, 154) 

GRANDMA comments further that the Peter Unrau family came from the village of Dworzysko (or Dworzisko), which as far as I know is an unidentified small village in the Przechovka area (note that Glenn Penner does not provide coordinates for this village at the list here). Peter’s association with the Przechovka church is further confirmed by his listing in the church book: PCB 1229. His wife Helena Harpart (GM: 37902) is also listed: PCB 1338. (As an interesting sidebar, the Harpart family is reported to have been Jewish. See a 23andMe blog post by Tim Janzen plus a comment mentioning Helena here.)

It seems fairly certain that Peter Unrau and Helena Harpart were Alexanderwohl 6’s original settlers. Perhaps more important, all the evidence we have indicates that they settled in 1819, not in 1821. This raises the question about the “official” version of the founding of the village. As we saw earlier, the Waldheim Gemeindebericht (community report) contained demonstrable errors. It may be that the Alexanderwohl report likewise contains mistakes. It is too soon to decide at this point, but if other early settlers entered Russia before 1821, we may need to question the assumed founding date of the village.

Wirtschaft 7

Identifying the settler of this plot is not so straightforward, since the 1835 census lists three residents:

Somerfeld, Heinrich Heinrich (b. ca.1815)
Leonhard, Johann Johann (b. ca.1815)
Voth, David Bernhard (b. ca.1793) 

By now we know the clues to look for: date of birth and surname. Clearly, the first two individuals were too young to be the original settlers (six years of age in 1821), whereas the third person would seem a promising possibility, since he was twenty-eight years old. Further, the surname Voth was common in the Przechovka church, which further buttresses the case that he might be an Alexanderwohl founder.

GRANDMA knows a little more about the family but also seems to contain a mistake. First, David Bernhard Voth (GM 60325) is said to have been married to a woman named Helena whose surname is unknown. They are reported to have had three daughters and two sons, all but the oldest (Helena) having been born after the move to Alexanderwohl. The mistake relates to the number of children in 1820.

A 17 August 1820 visa issued by the Russian General Consulate in Danzig reports:

David Vodt from Przechowko, his wife Helena 26 (b. ca. 1794), son David 22 [sic: 2] (b. ca. 1817 …1818), daughter Helena 6 months (b. ca. February 1804 [sic: 1820]). Passport from Marienwerder issued on July 11, 1820. (Rempel 2007, 172)

This seems to be a solid match with the family listed in GRANDMA, except that the database lacks the couple’s firstborn son named David. The settlement report supports and supplements this conclusion.

David Voth (Давид Фот), whose family consists of 2 males and 2 females. Settled in Russia in the year 1820. They had with them 685 rubles cash, possessions valued at 410 rubles, 30 kopeks, 1 wagon, 2 horses, 3 head of cattle; wagon, horse or head of cattle cost 433 rubles. Settled at their own expense. (Rempel 2007, 177)

Before we conclude that Voth was the original settler at Alexanderwohl 7, we should spend a moment exploring the other two individuals listed for that plot. The story behind Heinrich Heinrich Somerfeld and Johann Johann Leonhard is more difficult to trace. Heinrich emigrated with his grandfather David Sommerfeld from Insel Kueche (in the Marienwerder district, approximately 30 miles northeast of Przechovka) to Molotschna in September 1820. Also among the party was a “nursing child,” four-year-old Johann Leonhard (Rempel 2007, 173; see also 176–77). Because the grandfather is not listed in the census, we do not know where the family settled. Also unclear is why they are listed at Alexanderwohl 7.

In light of all the evidence, it appears safest to conclude that David and Helena Voth were the original settlers of Alexanderwohl 7. Although they are not listed in the Przechovka church book, they were presumably members of that congregation, thus a part of the large movement of Przechovka members to Molotschna colony in late 1820.

Wirtschaft 8

Once again the 1835 census lists only one name for the Wirtschaft:

Goerz, Peter Franz (b. ca.1797)

The age seems right for settlement (twenty-four in 1821), but the surname Goerz is not a Przechovka name. The notes to the census (referenced in GRANDMA) indicate further that Peter Goerz (GM 819683) was not among the earliest Alexanderwohl settlers. In fact, he emigrated to Russia in 1819 and then settled in Grossweide. He moved to Alexanderwohl seven years later, in 1826. This leaves us to conclude either that Peter Goerz took over Alexanderwohl 8 from its original owner, just five or so years after the original owner had settled, or that Alexanderwohl 8 was not immediately settled in 1821 and that Goerz was its first settler, even though he was not among the earliest founders of the village. The latter option is a (remote) possibility, but we will not be able to offer a final conclusion until we have worked through the entire village.

One final interesting observation before we wrap up this post. Peter Goerz was married to a woman named Elisabeth Sommerfeld (GM 60334). If that last name sounds familiar, it is because we just encountered it in relation to Alexanderwohl 7, where we could not explain why Heinrich Somerfeld and Johann Leonhard were listed alongside David Voth. There may be a simple explanation.

According to GRANDMA, Elisabeth Sommerfeld (the spelling with mm rather than m seems to be correct) was Heinrich’s aunt. Unexpectedly, a Johann Leonhardt Sommerfeld is listed as her younger brother. We will take a brief detour to learn more about young Sommerfeld in a separate post; for now it will suffice to explain his presence on the 1835 census.

It seems more than coincidental that Heinrich Somerfeld and Johann Leonhard were listed as residing at Alexanderwohl 7, where there is no known connection, while their aunt and possibly sister lived at Alexanderwohl 8. This smells of a clerical error. The boys were supposed to be listed on the line for Alexanderwohl 8 but ended up on line 7 instead. I would be interested to know if the microfilm of the original census offers any evidence for this suggestion; perhaps it is time to look into getting a copy to consult.

***

Three more Wirtschaften, with two confirmed settlers—both from Przechovka. The only surprise in this group is that Alexanderwohl 6 was settled earlier than expected: in 1819 or 1820, not in 1821. Did other early settlers arrive before the “official” year of the founding of the village. Only time—and further research—will tell.

Alexanderwohl’s Original Settlers

Wirtschaft	Settler	GM Number	Notes
1	Martin Jacob Kornelsen	33801	PCB: 1250
	Anna Unrau	32780	first husband: David Buller
2	Heinrich Peter Block	29475	settlement year: 1823
3	?????
4	Peter Jacob Voth	268847	PCB ???
5	Heinrich David Schmidt	32966	PCB 1345
	Maricke Buller	32967	PCB 1355
6	Peter Johann Unrau	60318	PCB 1229; emigrated 1819
7	David Bernhard Voth	60325	Przechovka
8	?? Peter Franz Goerz	819683	to Alexanderwohl in 1826

  

Work Cited

Rempel. Peter. 2007. Mennonite Migration to Russia, 1788–1828. Edited by Alfred H. Redekopp and Richard D. Thiessen. Winnepeg: Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society.