Alexanderwohl 17

We continue to work our way through Alexanderwohl, wondering what interesting life stories we will glimpse in the next Wirtschaften. 

Wirtschaft 19

The census lists two individuals with the same surname for Alexanderwohl 19:

Reimer, Heinrich Peter (b. ca.1807)
Reimer, Peter Johann (b. ca.1786)

The correspondence between the younger one’s middle name (Peter) and the older one’s first name hints strongly that the two are father and son, and the text of the census and GRANDMA (46418 for Peter; 60410 for Heinrich) confirm that that is the case. 

The more interesting facts of the matter are that Reimer is not a name typically associated with the Przechovka church. In fact, I do not recall any other Mennonites with that surname listed in the church book. That the Reimers present a different situation is confirmed by the census note that Peter emigrated to Molotschna in 1804, that is, more than fifteen years prior to the establishment of Alexanderwohl. 

The census also lists Peter Reimer at Lichtenau 28, one of the original Molotschna villages, along with a comment that he moved to Alexanderwohl in 1822. What led him to move to a new village is unknown, although it is possible that he resided, but did not own, Lichtenau 28, which would provide a clear rationale for his move: to secure his own Wirtschaft.

Whatever his motivation for moving to Alexanderwohl, Peter Reimer was, in fact, a founding settler of that village, the first resident of Wirtschaft 19. As has happened several times during this exercise, the 1848 Gemeindebericht (community report) is found to present an oversimplified version of the village’s history. Alexanderwohl was settled largely by members of the Prussian/Polish Przechovka church, but not exclusively so, as one might infer from a casual reading of the report. Peter Reimer and family were an exception to the rule. 

Interestingly, Peter did not spend the rest of his days in Alexanderwohl but moved on to Gnadenheim in 1843 and, if the family history recorded in GRANDMA is correct, moved to Halbstadt after that and then to Pordenau, where he died in 1862.

Wirtschaft 20

Three men of roughly the same age are listed in the index to the 1835 census:

Koehn, Jakob Heinrich (b. ca.1795)
Brauer, Erdman Erdman (b. ca.1792)
Schmidt, Andreas David (b. ca.1788)

Only Schmidt is a last name represented in the Przechovka church, and, in fact, the census lists Andreas as the head of household for Alexanderwohl 20; the other two individuals were “accepted into the household,” a phrase of uncertain meaning that we have encountered before.

The census also indicates that Andreas Schmidt (GM 43155; PCB 1272) emigrated to Molotschna in 1819, so probably with the earliest and largest group from Przechovka. The emigration records offer support for that hypothesis:

Andreas (Andre) Schmidt Farmer from Przechovka with his wife, 2 sons, his mother. Passport from Marienwerder issued on July 5, 1819.  (Rempel 2007, 137)

The ages of the children and the mention of his mother accord with the facts that we have, including that his father died in 1812, which explains why Andreas Schmidt’s mother accompanied him as part of his family. 

We are not certain Andreas can be identified in the Russian settlement records, although the following report does accord with his situation:

Andreas Schmidt (Андреас Шмидт), whose family consists of 3 males and 3 females. Settled in Russia in the year 1820. They had no cash. They brought possessions valued at 304 rubles, 5 kopeks, 1 wagon, no horses and no cattle; wagon, horse or head of cattle cost 70 rubles. The local administration suggested providing financial aid for the purchase of 2 horses, 2 head of cattle at a sum of 210 rubles, and also for building a house and establishing the household, at a sum of 589 rubles. (Rempel 2007, 176)

If you are paying close attention, you may wonder how the husband, wife, two sons, and mother suddenly became three males and three females. According to GRANDMA, Andreas and his wife Helena welcomed their first daughter on 9 November 1819, that is, after the visa was issued but before they were settled. Worth nothing also is that Helena made the 900-mile journey during the last months of her pregnancy.

Andreas was not the only member of his immediate family to settle in Alexanderwohl (thanks to John Richert for the tip). We already encountered his younger brothers Heinrich (Wirtschaft 5 here) and Jacob (Wirschaft 18 here). Both brothers were judged to be founding settlers of Alexanderwohl, and Andreas joins them as one of the village’s original settlers.

Wirtschaft	Settler	GM Number	Notes
1	Martin Jacob Kornelsen	33801	PCB: 1250; emigrated 1820
	Anna Unrau	32780	first husband: David Buller
2	Heinrich Peter Block	29475	settlement year: 1823
3	?????
4	Peter Jacob Voth	268847	PCB ???; emigrated 1820
5	Heinrich David Schmidt	32966	PCB 1345; emigrated 1819
	Maricke Buller	32967	PCB 1355
6	Peter Johann Unrau	60318	PCB 1229; emigrated 1819
7	David Bernhard Voth	60325	Przechovka; emigrated 1820
8	?? Peter Franz Goerz	819683	to Alexanderwohl in 1826
9	Jacob Peter Buller	318737	PCB 377; emigrated 1820
10	David Johann Unrau	87011	PCB 987; emigrated 1820
11	Heinrich Isaak Schroeder	14829	Schönsee church; emigrated 1820
12	Jacob Jacob Pankratz	43123	PCB 727; emigrated 1820
13	?????
14	Heinrich Peter Unrau	86839	PCB 1149; emigrated 1819
15	Jacob Jacob Buller	5587	PCB 1139; emigrated 1819; settled 1822
16	Johann Peter Ratzlaff	60394	Przechovka; son-in-law to Benjamin Heinrich Buller
17	Heinrich Jacob Schmidt	50991	Przechovka; emigrated 1822
18	Jacob David Schmidt	32895	PCB 1302; emigrated 1819
19	Peter Johann Reimer	46418	emigrated in 1804; settled 1822
20	Andreas David Schmidt	43155	PCB 1272; emigrated 1819

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.