Alexanderwohl 21

We are nearing the end of our attempt to identify Alexanderwohl’s founders. Of course, after all is said and done we should reflect on what we actually mean by the word founders or comparable terms such as original settlers. All in good time; for now we have two more Wirtschaften to cover.

Wirtschaft 29

The census lists only one family and one head of household for Alexanderwohl 29:

Schmidt, Andreas Peter (b. ca.1777)

Considering his surname (well-attested in Przechovka), age (a young adult when Alexanderwohl was founded), and the fact that no one else is listed for the plot, we can reasonably suggest that Andreas Schmidt was a founding settler. Emigration records confirm the proposal, particularly a visa issued, like so many others, on 17 August 1820:

Andreas Schmidt from Konopath, his wife 38 (b. ca. 1782), son Heinrich 12 (b. ca. 1808), Andreas 3 (b. ca. 1817), daughter Helena 5 (b. ca. 1815), Anna 1 (b. ca. 1819). Passport from Marienwerder issued on July 11, 1820. (Rempel 2007, 172)

The settlement report completes the picture:

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)

Andreas (GM: 13309) and his wife Anna Ratzlaff (GM: 13312), who for some reason is not named on the visa, are entered into the Przechovka church book: 834 and 110, respectively. The couple thus represent another case of Alexanderwohl being founded primarily by former Przechovka members. 

Wirtschaft 30

The final Wirtschaft in the village presents a more complicated situation, since the index lists six different heads of household for this single plot. To muddy the waters further, the index misses one person listed on the back of the page, who has been supplied as number seven in this list:

Ratzlaff, Jakob Heinrich (b. ca. –)
Buller, Peter Peter (b. ca.1807)
Buller, Heinrich Peter (b. ca.1811)
Dahl, Heinrich Paul (b. ca.1793)
Unrau, David David (b. ca.1775)
Unrau, David David (b. ca.1809)
Pauls, Peter Heinrich (b. ca. –)

Fortunately, the census itself presents a somewhat clearer picture. The first David David Unrau listed is entered as the head of household, and the census then lists his son David David Unrau 2 and his stepsons Peter Peter Buller and Heinrich Peter Buller. Three more individuals follow: Jacob Heinrich Ratzlaff (more below); Heinrich Paul Dahl, who apparently first lived at Alexanderwohl 30 before he moved in 1830 to Alexanderthal 4; and Peter Heinrich Pauls, who lived at this plot before relocating to Schardau 23 in 1826.

Although seven possible candidates are listed, only two need be considered seriously: David David Unrau the elder and Jacob Heinrich Ratzlaff. Both are listed in the immigration records, with visas issued on the same day as so many others: 17 August 1820. (Actually, there are three David Unraus listed for that day; the names of the wife and children and especially David’s father David help us know which is the one associated with Alexanderwohl 30.)

David Unrau from Konopath, his wife Sarah 40 (b. ca. 1780), step-sons Peter Buller 12 (b. ca. 1808), Heinrich [Buller] 8 (b. ca. 1812), Jacob [Buller] 6 (b. ca. 1814), son David 10 (b. ca. 1810), step-daughters Helena Buller 20 (b. ca. 1800), Maria [Buller] 16 (b. ca. 1804), daughter Elisabeth 5 (b. ca. 1815), father David Unrau 60 (b. ca. 1760). Passport from Marienwerder issued on July 11, 1820.  (Rempel 2007, 172)

Jacob Ratzlaff from Groudowko, his wife Sarah 60 (b. ca. 1760). Passport from Marienwerder issued on July 11, 1820. (Rempel 2007, 173)

Unrau is also recorded as settling in Molotschna colony: 

David Unrau (Давид Унрау), whose family consists of 5 males and 4 females. Settled in Russia in the year 1820. They had no cash. They brought possessions valued at 250 rubles, 25 kopeks, 1 wagon, no horses and no cattle; wagon, horse or head of cattle cost 50 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, 177)

It is conceivable that Ratzlaff is also listed in the settlement records, but only if one can explain how the husband and wife on the visa above became one male and two females in the following report:

Jakob Ratzlaff (Якоб Рацлав), whose family consists of 1 male and 2 females. Settled in Russia in the year 1820. They had no cash. They brought possessions valued at 408 rubles, 70 kopeks, 1 wagon, 2 horses, 3 head of cattle; wagon, horse or head of cattle cost 420 rubles. The local administration suggested providing financial aid for building a house and establishing the household at a sum of 589 rubles. (Rempel 2007, 176).

Although we know of no other Jacob Ratzlaff who emigrated to Molotschna in 1820, it seems most likely that the settlement report refers to someone other than the Jacob Ratzlaff of the visa above, a second Jacob Ratzlaff for whom we have no emigration record (passport or visa).

Why is this the best explanation? Notice that both settlement reports record a government loan of 589 rubles for establishing a household. Only one of those loans could have been used for Alexanderwohl 30. Since we know beyond doubt that David David Unrau received a loan to establish a household in 1820, and since the census report that David David Unrau lived in Alexanderwohl 30 but nowhere else in Molotschna, we can conclude with a high degree of probability that David David Unrau was the founding settler of Alexanderwohl 30 in late 1820 to early 1821.

It is possible that Jacob Heinrich Ratzlaff lived with the Unrau family for a few years, although we do not know that for certain. All we really do know is that Ratzlaff was associated with Wirtschaft 30 in some way and that he passed away, according to the census, in 1822.

Before we leave Unrau and Alexanderwohl 30, we should take note of the fact that Bullers also lived at this Wirtschaft. David Unrau had two stepsons named Peter Buller and Heinrich Buller (the Jacob listed was more likely his own biological son) and two stepdaughters named Helena Buller and Maria Buller. These were the children of his fourth (apparently) wife, Sarah/Sarcke Schmidt, whose first husband had been Peter Peter Buller (the last one in the middle column, PCB 379).

Here we have four more Bullers among the earliest settlers of Alexanderwohl, ranging in age from eight to twenty. If time and patience permit, we may devote a post to listing all of the settlers with direct Buller connections at the founding of Alexanderwohl. For now, however, we end by entering David David Unrau as the original settler of Alexanderwohl 30. The formal list of landowners in the new village is as complete as we can make it—although there are other residents who deserve to be mentioned and identified as best we can.

Wirtschaft	Settler	GM	Notes
1	Martin Jacob Kornelsen Anna Unrau	33801 32780	PCB: 1250; emigrated 1820 first husband: David Buller
2	Heinrich Peter Block	29475	settlement year: 1823
3	?????
4	Peter Jacob Voth	268847	Przechovka; emigrated 1820
5	Heinrich David Schmidt Maricke Buller	32966 32967	PCB 1345; emigrated 1819 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; Benjamin Heinrich Buller son-in-law
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
21	Peter Christian Dalke	3506	Konopath but not PCB; emigrated 1821
22	Peter Benjamin Frey	35807	PCB 1351; emigrated 1819
23	Johann Peter Schroeder	60432	Schönsee church; emigrated 1820
24	Andreas Jakob Nachtigal	42259	PCB 661; emigrated 1820
25	?????
26	Heinrich Jakob Buller	32901	PCB 393; emigrated 1820
27	Peter Benjamin Wedel Elizabeth Buller	32275 32950	PCB: 1328; emigrated 1820 PCB: 1332; emigrated 1820
28	Peter Heinrich Voth	13295	PCB: 1171; emigrated 1820 first wife: Eva Buller (PCB 1224)
29	Andreas Peter Schmidt	13309	PCB: 834; emigrated 1820
30	David David Unrau	13309	PCB: 1030; emigrated 1820 Buller stepchildren

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.