Benjamin Buller 7

Having thoroughly dissected the first document posted by Mennonite researchers (thanks to Glenn Penner for that), we are ready to turn to the second one: “Mennonites Who Transferred from Volhynia to Waldheim and Were Assigned Land in 1839” (here; thanks to Steve Fast for translating and posting this source). I encourage you to open that file in a separate tab or browser window.

The first document was from 1833, and it listed the names of heads of household in three Volhynian villages (Ostrowka, Wolla, and Doschidorf) who wished to emigrate to Molotschna colony. The document under examination now was six years later, from 1839. Another difference worth noting is that the 1833 document was compiled in Volhynia; this one was composed after those Mennonites listed in 1833 had moved to the village of Waldheim in Molotschna and who were to be assigned their Wirtschaft (land-holding) of 65 dissiatines (ca. 175 acres).

The 1839 list includes the names of thirteen heads of households (copying directly from Steve Fast’s list):

1. Jacob Aron Klas [Klassen]
2. Peter Johann Schmidt
3. David Jacob Kohn
4. David David Kohn? [or Kol"]
5. Tobias David Dirks
6. Johann Heinrich Ewert
7. Benjamin Benjamin Buller [possibly Busher]
8. Peter Jacob Pankratz
9. Benjamin Cornelius Wedel
10. Cornelius Cornelius Wedel
11. Cornelius Cornelius Wedel
12. Heinrich Johann Dirks
13. David Heinrich Dirks

Each person is located within Waldheim. For example, number 11 is reported “at no. 55 with family of his father Cornelius Cornelius Wedel.” Benjamin Benjamin Buller is simply “at no. 45.” These are not Wirtschaft numbers (of which there were only forty at that time) but rather some other identifying designation, perhaps merely a census number assigned to the family.

Each of these thirteen was to receive the promised 65 dissiatines and then to be “burdened” with the land assessment from the beginning of 1840.

We will return to this document again in the future, but for now we want to focus, obviously, on the seventh person listed: Benjamin Benjamin Buller. The question that naturally arises is whether this is our ancestor Benjamin, father of David Buller. What do you think?

Work Cited

Mennonites Who Transferred from Volhynia to Waldheim and Were Assigned Land in 1839. Odessa State Archives Fond 6, Inventory 1 File 4889. Translated by Steve Fast. Available online here.