Thus far we have examined the first paragraph of the 1848 Franztal community report, which offered the basic facts about the 1820 founding of the village. We pick up with the second paragraph, which provides more details about that process. As before, we begin with a translation (the German original appears at the end of the post), then follow with commentary.
The steppe, which was given to the immigrants by the high crown and allocated by the then head of the district and tenant of the same Johann Cornies and measured in their presence, was completely empty. Only a few nomads grazed their herds here in the summertime. In order to have the colony established in the middle of the plot, the settlers chose a place located in the same depression where the colony Grossweide is located. This depression, however, was quite small and barely noticeable. Finding themselves in a Prussian lowland, the settlers immediately dug a hole in the ground to find water. But, in fact, they were quite wrong. The deeper they dug, the harder and drier the soil became, until at a depth of 52 feet they stopped the laborious digging and, after six weeks, moved their colony to the River Iushanle. But even here it seemed impossible to reach the water through the hard rock, and it had to be brought from the river. As the village was arranged in two rows, this discomfort was felt especially in the upper row, and there was a great deal of indignation, until at last Chief Justice Fadeyev appeared to inspect the newly established colony and had it arranged in a row along the river.
steppe. The English word steppe is cognate to German Steppe, and both convey the sense of treeless prairie or grassland. As we learned in The Russian Steppe series (begin here), the term describes well the land of the Molotschna colony before the Mennonites settled it. Crucial to the term’s meaning in this context is the fact that Franztal was founded on unplowed, uncultivated prairie.
allocated. The German is difficult here, and the word translated “allocated” would more normally be rendered “instructed.” In this context, however, the meaning seems to be that the Russian government—a monarchy, so “the high crown—granted a certain amount of land to the immigrants and then commissioned Johann Cornies to allocate the actual plot.
head of the district … Johann Cornies. The community report apparently misidentifies Cornies as head of the district (Gebietsvorsteher); Cornies was certainly Molotschna’s leading citizen and the leaseholder of vast stretches of Molotschna, but he did not hold an official position that could be labeled district head. Rather, the term Gebietsvorsteher presumably refers to the district mayor (Oberschulz; so Woltner 1941, 132 n. 4). Peter Toews served in that position at the time of Franztal’s founding (see here).
tenant of the same. The Gemeindebericht is on firmer ground in identifying Cornies as the primary tenant of Molotschna colony. As we noted earlier (here), Cornies leased 9,500 acres in Molotschna in 1812 and renewed the lease annually at least into the 1830s. There is no evidence that Cornies leased the land on which Franztal was founded; not only was his rented land farther west in the colony, but the community report makes no mention of him grazing his sheep or horse herds in this area.
tenant of the same. The Gemeindebericht is on firmer ground in identifying Cornies as the primary tenant of Molotschna colony. As we noted earlier (here), Cornies leased 9,500 acres in Molotschna in 1812 and renewed the lease annually at least into the 1830s. There is no evidence that Cornies leased the land on which Franztal was founded; not only was his rented land farther west in the colony, but the community report makes no mention of him grazing his sheep or horse herds in this area.
measured in their presence. The measuring ensured that the village received its rightful allotment of land for the number of Wirtschaften in the village. Here the agent is clear: Cornies measured the land. The note at the end of the the previous post cites Woltner’s report that Franztal had been allotted 1,560 dessiatines, which is equivalent to 4,211 acres, or roughly 6.5 square miles (Woltner (1941, 132 n. 3). The 1,560-figure is consistent with a village of twenty-four Wirtschaften of 65 dessiatines each.
completely empty. Only a few nomads grazed their herds here in the summertime. The area in which Franztal was established had not previously been settled, either by earlier Mennonite settlers or anyone else. However, the land was used as summertime pasture by “a few” nomads. These nomads were, of course, the Nogai. The Alexanderwohl Gemeindebericht also mentioned the Nogai (here), which gives some indication of the significant role that the Nogai played in the Mennonite historical memory. Their primary occupation involved livestock: sheep, cattle, and horses. According to John R. Staples, “In 1824 the average Nogai household had nine horses, twenty-six head of cattle, and twenty-two sheep” (2003, 54).
In order to have the colony established in the middle of the plot. The word colony, as explained before, refers to the village proper. Thus, the meaning of this introductory clause is that the residents wished to locate their village in the middle of the plot of land, the 1,560 dessiatines that Cornies had measured out. Presumably this reflected a desire to keep the distance between home and field as short as possible.
completely empty. Only a few nomads grazed their herds here in the summertime. The area in which Franztal was established had not previously been settled, either by earlier Mennonite settlers or anyone else. However, the land was used as summertime pasture by “a few” nomads. These nomads were, of course, the Nogai. The Alexanderwohl Gemeindebericht also mentioned the Nogai (here), which gives some indication of the significant role that the Nogai played in the Mennonite historical memory. Their primary occupation involved livestock: sheep, cattle, and horses. According to John R. Staples, “In 1824 the average Nogai household had nine horses, twenty-six head of cattle, and twenty-two sheep” (2003, 54).
In order to have the colony established in the middle of the plot. The word colony, as explained before, refers to the village proper. Thus, the meaning of this introductory clause is that the residents wished to locate their village in the middle of the plot of land, the 1,560 dessiatines that Cornies had measured out. Presumably this reflected a desire to keep the distance between home and field as short as possible.
the settlers chose a place. Given the preceding clause, it seems that this “place” was for the location of the village, not the associated farmland.
located in the same depression where … Grossweide is located. The meaning of the words is clear, but our knowledge of the topography of the area is deficient. The map below shows the location of Franztal and Grossweide to the northwest. The location of Franztal’s allotted land is not known, but it was presumably to the north or the west of Franztal’s final location. The reference to the depression in which Grossweide was located ensures that Franztal’s land was north of the River Iushanle (also known as Jushanlee or Yushanlee).
Prussian lowland. The meaning of this reference is not immediately clear, but the following context may provide a hint. It seems that the depression reminded the settlers of their previous home along the Vistula in Prussia (formerly Poland). Based on their experience of similar terrain in Prussia, they expected to dig a well in the depression that would provide the village’s water needs. According to the report, “they were quite wrong. The deeper they dug, the harder and drier the soil became, until at a depth of 52 feet they stopped the laborious digging.”
Like the Franztal settlers, we will stop at this point. Of course, you know the rest of the story from the translation above. However, the final sentences of the paragraph deserve careful attention, which will be provided in the following post.
Works Cited
Staples, John R. 2003. Cross-Cultural Encounters on the Ukrainian Steppe: Settling the Molochna Basin, 1783–1861. Tsarist and Soviet Mennonite Studies. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
German Original
Die Steppe, welche den Einwanderern von der hohen Krone geschenkt und dem damaligen Gebietsvorsteher und Pächter derselben Johann Kornies angewiesen und in ihrem Beisein abgemessen wurde, war ganz leer. Nur einige Nomaden weideten hier zur Sommerzeit ihre Herden. Um die zu gründende Kolonie in der Mitte des Planes zu haben, wählten die Ansiedler einen Platz, welcher in der gleichen Vertiefung liegt, wo die Kolonie Großweide sich befindet. Diese Vertiefung war aber hier nur sehr gering und kaum bemerkbar. Sich in einer preußischen Niederung wähnend, gruben die Ansiedler sofort ein Loch in die Erde, um Wasser zu finden. Doch da hatten sie sich sehr getäuscht. Je tiefer sie gruben, desto härter und trockener wurde die Erde, bis sie in einer Tiefe von 8½ Faden das mühsame Graben einstellten und nach sechswöchentlichem Aufenthalt ihre Kolonie an den Fluß Juschanlee verlegten. Aber auch hier schien es unmöglich, durch den harten Fels bis auf's Wasser zu gelangen, und dasselbe mußte aus dem Flusse herbeigeschafft werden. Da das Dorf zweireihig angelegt war, so empfand diese Unbequemlichkeit namentlich die obere Reihe und es entstand lauter Unwille, bis endlich der Oberrichter Fadejew zur Besichtigung der neu angelegten Kolonie erschien und sie dem Fluß entlang einreihig anlegen ließ.
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