Halbstadt 3

The translation of the Halbstadt Gemeindebericht moves forward, with a paragraph or more added each week. For the translation and the original German of the document, see here.

The paragraph on which this post will comment consists of a single sentence:

These immigrants did not have specific leaders, but two from among them—Klaas Wiens, later a settler in the village Altonau, and David Hiebert, a settler in the village Lindenau—more or less held the rudder in their hands.

By way of recap, thus far the community report has explained why the West Prussian Mennonites wished to relocate (the Prussian king Frederick William III had issued a decree limiting their ability to purchase land), reminded readers that a large number of Mennonites had emigrated to New Russia (Chortitza) already in 1789, and stated in summary fashion that a significant number (over three hundred families), which included the original founders of Halbstadt, made the trek to New Russia in 1803 and 1804. We pick up the story at that point.

These immigrants. The reference is to the more than three hundred families who emigrated in 1803 and 1804.

did not have specific leaders. This comment probably hints at a difference between the 1789 migration and this one. In 1789, the Mennonites who left West Prussia and eventually settled in Chortitza were led by Jakob Höppner and Johann Bartsch, who had toured and surveyed potential settlement spots before the move. The 1803 and 1804 migration, by contrast, did not have such recognized leaders.

Klaas Wiens. The German original contains an error here, since it reads “Klaas und Wiens” (Klaas and Wiens). The individual in view is not, however, in any doubt. Klaas Klaas Wiens (GM 47057) was born 16 February 1768 and died 31 December 1820. He was an original settler of Altonau and the first Oberschulz (district mayor) of the Molotschna colony. See further the GAMEO article on him here.

David Hiebert. This is presumably David Jacob Hiebert (GM 266749), who was born 12 December 1774 and died 14 January 1852. According to the 1806 census (see here), he and his family resided in Lindenau Wirtschaft 15. The census also reports that the family owned five horses, fourteen cattle, and ten pigs; their farm and household equipment included a plow, two harrows, two wagons, and a spinning wheel. On 21 May 1818, David Hiebert and his wife Agatha were privileged to host Tsar Alexander I in their home (see Entz 1970).

held the rudder in their hands. The community report offers a nice visual to characterize the informal leadership of these two men: they guided the entire group of travelers (which was certainly divided into a substantial number of smaller groups of families of varying sizes) as one guides a boat, steering it toward its destination.

This section of the report offers a general description of how the future Halbstadt settlers made it from West Prussia all the way to Molotschna. Before the report narrates the settlers’ arrival at their new home, however, it will recount some good fortune that they experienced along the way.

Work Cited

Entz, J. E. 1970. “A Diamond Ring from the Czar.” Mennonite Life 25:185–86. Available online here.