Those who are trying to trace their ancestry though the early years of the village of Waldheim in the Molotschna colony face several problems. The village was founded just after the 1835 census. Those who founded Waldheim around 1836–39 came from areas in Volhynia for which we have no pre-1836 church records and very few other records of genealogical use. The available records for Waldheim such as voter lists and school records were only started after over half the population packed up and returned to Volhynia and founded the village of Heinrichsdorf (1845).
This paragraph summarizes the situation well: due to the timing of Waldheim’s founding (after the 1835 Molotschna census), the lack of early records from Volhynia (from where the Waldheim settlers came), and the move of the greater part of the population back to Volhynia from Waldheim in Molotschna colony, records of who lived where and when are scarce and sketchy.
Nevertheless, some records have been transcribed that begin to shine light not only on the broader Volhynia–Waldheim–Volhynia migrations but also on the individual Mennonites who participated in those moves—which included members of our family.
We begin with the first document linked from the PDF: Glenn Penner’s translation of a “List of Mennonites Wishing to Leave Volhynia and Settle with Their Brethren in the Tauridian Governorate, 1833” (here; I encourage you to open the linked file in a new tab or window so you can see all that it contains).
The significance of the title becomes a bit clearer once we define one of its terms. The term Tauridian Governorate refers to the province of Taurida within the Russian Empire (both Taurida and Volhynia were governorates, what we would call provinces today). The location of Taurida (see below) tells us at a glance the significance of this place.
Taurida is the area below the red line, including the Crimean peninsula. As you can see, Taurida encompassed the Molotschna colony, which was located inland north of the Sea of Azov on the east side of the map (red X). What this means, then, is that the 1833 document lists those Mennonites in Volhynia who wanted to move nearly 500 miles southeast to Molotschna instead.
B efore we turn to the actual list, we should stop for a moment to think about the dates. The list was compiled in 1833, and Waldheim was founded in 1836 by Volhynian settlers. Clearly, the move from Volhynia to Waldheim was not a spur-of-the-moment act. It was in the works for at least three years (probably more) and no doubt involved securing permission from the government to move, disposing of whatever obligations (land leases?) and property could not be taken with the colonists, and making all those preparations necessary for a relocation of this magnitude. For the time being, all we need to note is that this move was not based on a whim.
But the list is the real center of attention. In it we find the names of thirty-nine Mennonites who had expressed a desire to move from Volhynia to Molotschna: nineteen of them were tenants on the land of Michael Bischkowsky in the Lutzki region in the colony (or village) Ostrowka, sixteen of Ignatz Bischkowsky in the Lutzki region in the colony Wolla, and four of Prince Joseph Ljubomirsky in the colony Doschidorf. These thirty-nine families comprised 276 adults and children (an average of 7.1 persons per family).
Obviously, if you are looking at the list, number 10 of the Ostrowka group jumps out:
10
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Benjamin Buller
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5
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6
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11
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Landwirth (landowner/farmer)
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This Benjamin Buller, as will become clear later on, was almost certainly our ancestor, the father of David Buller, the grandfather of Peter D, the great-grandfather of Peter P, and so on. So, what do we learn about Benjamin from this list?
1. Unlike some others in the group, who earned a living as a shepherd, clock maker, wood-lathe operator, wagon maker, or linen weaver, Benjamin was a farmer.
2. Benjamin and his family were among the tenants of Michael Bischkowsky in the Lutzki region in the village Ostrowka.
3. Benjamin was one of the tenants who still enjoyed his tax-free years.
4. Benjamin’s family included five males and six females.
All that seems relatively straightforward, but several key questions remain unanswered.
1. The last we knew (the 1819/1820 census), Benjamin rented his land from a Polish noble named Waclav Borejko and lived near the village of Zofyovka (summarized here, but see also here, here, here, and here). Why is he now located at a different village renting land from a different person?
2. Why had some of the Mennonites been paying taxes since 1818 but Benjamin still enjoyed a tax-free status as of 1833? How many years would a new tenant enjoy freedom from taxation, and what might this tell us about when Benjamin began renting Bischkowsky’s land?
3. In 1819/1820 the family included four males (Benjamin, David, Dominik, nephew David) and one female (Helena). In 1833 the family included five males and six females. Who were they?
Each question will be taken up in turn in the posts that follow, and we may even devote a post or two to examining the list as a whole. For now, we can begin to construct a timeline of datable events in our family history, so we do not lose sight of the bigger picture while we work our way through all the minutiae that lies ahead. We will add to this timeline as we are able.
Year
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Person(s)
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Event
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1817
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Benjamin and family (4)
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emigrated from Prussia to Volhynia
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1818
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David Benjamin
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birth on 25 January
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1819/1820
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Benjamin, Helena, David,
Dominik, nephew David |
listed on census living at Zofyovka, Rovno, Volhynia
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????
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Benjamin and family (?)
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moved from Zofyovka to Ostrowka, Lutsk, Volhynia
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1833
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Benjamin and family (11)
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expressed desire to emigrate from Ostrowka to Molotschna colony
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