User:Justinehresman/Karmanova

Neudorf was founded in 1809 and settled in the spring of 1810 by 100 German families immigrating primarily from Württemberg and Alsace. Alexander I, Czar of Russia, grandson of Catherine the Great, also a German, invited the settlers to establish colonies in the region. These Germans are now referred to as "Germans from Russia".

Founding
Some settlers arrived in 1808 and lived in the Liebental District until the spring of 1809, possibly in Gregoriopol. The Glückstal 1848 Chronicle says that the Aussiedler were settled in Neudorf in January of 1810.

The settlers received a total of 91,424 rubles from the Imperial Crown for subsistence, settlement and seed (51,580 rubles for sustenance, 36,484 rubles for settlement, and 3,360 rubles for the purchase of seed). Most of the settlers were day laborers and craftsmen, so the value of their possessions was estimated at only 500 rubles.

The Crown constructed 100 houses of stamped earth to accommodate the families, consisting of 490 individuals. The stone quarries were ten to twelve versts away, near the Dniestr River, and by 1848 most of the stamped-earth homes had been replaced by larger stone buildings. An additional 64 homes had also been built, and stone walls and trees lined the streets. Councilor Rosenkampf rejected the name Neustadt proposed by the colonists in favor of Neudorf. By 1915, the village had three main streets, one side street and several connecting alleys. Low-lying parts of the village had become uninhabitable by then, damaged by standing water after rains.

Of the original 100 families – 259 males and 231 females – 28 families came from Württemberg, 37 from Alsace, 7 from the Rhine Palatinate, 11 from Baden, 2 from Saxony, 3 from Prussia, 11 from Hungary and 1 [sic, 2] from Warsaw [Duchy of Warsaw, Posen Province; arrived in 1814]. Thus, Neudorf was at least one-half Franconian. They traveled to South Russia without leaders. Eight more families arrived from Prussia in 1814, and three more from Galicia in 1815. By 1848 the population had increased to 208 families – 657 males and 589 females – despite the exodus of families to Grusinia in 1816 and Hoffnungstal, Bessarabia, in 1836-36. In 1915 the village still had 100 farmsteads, each with 60 dessiatines of land, but contained 301 farmyards in all (201 without land, beyond the farmyard) housing 1,896 individuals – 935 males and 961 females [Glückstal-1915].

Name
When naming the new colony, Councilor Rosenhampf commented on the beautiful setting and said, "We are not going to build a city, but only a village. It shall be called Neudorf."

Geography & Features
When the German colonists arrived in the spring of 1810, they found 3 isolated farms (Khutors/chutors), three wells and one dessiatine (approx. 2.7 acres) of vineyards on the steppe. The colony owns 5,810 dessiatines of land, consisting of hills, mounds,valleys, and a few level tracts.

The settlement is located in the Tschernenko valley, or locally known as the Karamanova valley, which begins two versts north of the colony of Bergdorf and runs into the Dniester valley near the village of Grigoriopol about 15 versts to the southwest. The distance to Tiraspol is 45 versts and 250 versts to Kherson/Cherson. It is located about 70 km. northwest of Odessa, Ukraine, the region settled by German colonists. To the east it borders on the estate Parkanovka, to the south lie Thomanov and Shippki. On the west lies the colony of Glueckstal and to the north Rehmanovka and Bergdorf. Its 5,810 dessiatines of crown land were bordered by the Parkanovka estate on the east, the villages of Thomanov and Shippki on the south, Glückstal lands on the west, and Rehmanovka and Bergdorf to the north. The land owned had not increased by 1859, however the Odessa Kalender [OdKal] gives 7,195 dessiatines in 1896, and 7,196 in 1907,while the 1915 article in the Odessa Kalender [Glückstal-1915] gives 6,214 of crown land and 928 purchased land, for a total of 7,142 dessiatines.

At the time of settlement, there were about 500 dessiatines of wooded valleys consisting of oak, ash, linden, alder, apple and pear trees among others, albeit most were merely shrubs and bushes.

set on the Russian steepe, a country of rolling plaines

He recalls that Neudorf only had three streets and remembers exactly that the northwest side of town had between 12 and 14 houses. He recalls that this area was called tail street because it was longer than the other two streets of Neudorf. He remembers that the town had a Luthern church and a school house which stood on the tail street. On another street was the Reformed church which was also used as a school house. John Dockte/s formal education was meager by his own admission. He states: "As far as a public school student I didn't learn much." He remembersthat most of theschooltime wastaken up with teaching of the bible and that school sessions ran for a brief four months so as not to interfere with the planting or the harvest. However, also by his own writings we learn that he read many books and newspapers and kept himself well informed of the events of the day. And, as he states on many occasions was a deep lhinker analysing every situation. He stated on one occasion: "As the train rolled on I laid on a bench and thought over the jigsaw of life and what had taken place, one here, once there and, where this brings us to only the Lord knows."

The country side around Neudorf, where John Dockterwas born, was harsh and tough country. Many immigrants from various German, French, and other European countries had traveled to settle in the area. As for the land itself he states: "The surrounding communities were so overgrown with weeds that it looked like a wilderness. When the farmers went to their smallfields with their wagons they had to turn the tongue of the wagon back towards their homes in order to remember the right direction back. "The crops of the timewere planted by hand, strewn out to growas it was tossed. Horses or oxen were used to pull wagons and for transportation. He recalls the owners of some of the land and remarks: "THe owners of most of the land in south Russia were owned by Polish people, although the Polish government did not exist at this time.The Poles knewwhich wasthe bestacreage and claimed that as their own. They also owned better farm equipment and used mostly horses instead of oxen." Thirty acres of land was a large farm and families of up to twelve people or more made livings off the small acreages. The Dockter "dorf" where John learned to farm, work and live was 1% miles wide by three miles long. He recalls many neighbors names and friends and vividly recalls the harshness of trying to make a living in the area. "We lived in this area tor 17 years. As winter came, the feed and hay had to be brought in from the fields." This seems like an easy task but with grain sacked and transportation by oxen through very rough terrain the job surely must have been a monumental one. Since some of the fields were always away from the living quarters one lived in the fields for the entire week and did not go back and forth to the home quarters. Each spring preparation was made for this annual event of living in the f ields. John Dockter recalls: "This was in the year 189O and in the spring of that yearthe family, cattle and most of the belongings had to be gathered up to move out to the seeding acreage. All this involved alot of hard work. Living places had to be prepared plus barns and walls for protection (he does not state what the walls protected them f rom, by other accounts of that time the walls were used mainly for protection from wild animals, drifting sand and tumble weeds along with stray cattle and horses) and buildings had to be made out of clay and straw. We had no fences so we had a big problem with horses walking away and walking on seeded ground." Religion & Superstition: The Russians and Russian/Germans were a superstitious people, believing in many strange works, hexes, spells, etc. John Dockterrecalls a couple of those beliefs in his writings: "small meat portions surelywould not have caused anyappendicitis" and "they r;laimed there was a bad spirit that scared the horses. But even the old Russian women tried to remedy the problem with witching but it wouldn't help." T He writes many times of the crops and weather: "ln 1890 the crops were fairly good although the winter wheat had some rlamage, but we were not able to take care of our expenses, so a numbers of cows had to be sold to meet the expenses. ln 1892 lhere was a complete failure, even feed for the cattle was in short supply and owners of the land didn't have grace nor pity with the people." The rent money had to be paid at a specific'day. Although he r;tates that: "The relationship between neighbors was very good." lle also recalls the harsh dealings with land owners, Jews and government officialsw whcih were alyays on the bribe. He recalls after the crop failure of 1892:"everything had to be mortgaged,all f or one and one for all with 49% interest forthey (Jews) knew their schemes.

"ln 1892 it was a poor year again and feed was short, but spring (:ame early and we still practiced seeding by hand. Everything was hungry. Even the birds had to be chased away from the seeded lields so they wouldn't eat the seeded grain. Easter was early that year and we were done seeding by that time. We even had a few Iraskets of straw left. On Good Friday it began to snow and blew as in the middle of winter, it lasted on thru Sunday. The cattle were in the barn but nothing was there for them to eat. The roofs of the lrarns were made of straw so that was used forfeed. On Monday it lregan to thaw and the cattle could be turned out for finding their Iced. About two weeks later a strong east wind stirred up so much rJust that the people said among themselves all is going to be lost. Ihe Lord was gracious and opened the windows of heaven and let it rain. Again we were blessed with a good crop so that we could pay all our debts. This was a wonderful year of harvest. On Mondays we could go to the acreage and stay until Saturday Ire.fore we would go back to the Dorf. Being there was no elevators Itr those days everything had to be bagged and hauled in and wt:ighed."

ln the year 1 894 he recalls that many renters began to sell out and give up their leases and began the migration to the United States or back to their original homelands. He does not state if the migration was due to the difficult living conditions, the impending upheavel among the Russian people or some other reason. But by 1896 most if not all of the immigrants who had settled in the land had moved on.

There were many nationalities of people living in the area. He recalls best however the Jews. "For years, as long as I can remember a Jew bought our wheat, some even in the straw. lt was hauled to the yard where it was threshed and the chaff was f illed in bags and if a Jew filled a sack then it was really f illed." He recalls: "The Jews in Russia were more lawful than in America for they always carried their shawl and prayer book along. I remember on Friday as I was driving a Jewish landlord to his home from the acreage he wanted to be home before his Sabboth began. He was in the rear seat and kept calling to me, Johann drive, drive, and showed nervousness like as if at Egypt when Pharaoh was after them."

He recalls more vividly another incident which is one of great interest but unfortunately he does not dwellon it in detail: "On one afternoon about 5 o'clock the weather was quiet and clear, but all of a sudden we heard a great thunder roll for a few seconds. The 'thunder'had been heard hundreds of miles away.The unbelieving Jews claimed to have found a great big rock lateron, on which was written when the world will come to an end. After this great noise we also had an earth tremor." John Dockter spoke vividly in his memories many times of Russian hardships. He not only mentions it when he writes about his own life but recalls it in his writings forthe Dakota Free Press. ln referring to a letter he once received from Germany saying how bad it was he states: "lt is almost as bad as it was in Russia." The letter from Germany recalled that a farmer had to give up his last seven chickens to pay off a $1.5O court cost. When all the transactionswere done the farmerwas minus hischickensand still in dutch to the courts for $9.0O. He references this to Russian life again: "Things are alot different in Russia, the f ive year plan has to be reinforced, even if people are starving, the law is the law. The twentieth century Bolshevists invented a better method: work the people hard, give them a starvation diet and they die on their own that's why I again promote a petition against the official acknowledgement of the Soviets."

On another occasion he writes about a letter he received from some friends and relatives in Russia. His reading the letter notes that: "The letter contains muclr writing but only very little is said."I le notesthat everystatementwasfollowed bythree dotswhich he look to rnean do not write again as all mail is censored and rcprisals are many. He recalls receiving information from a relative rrr Russia in which the lady's husband starved to death. And recalls tlre leter to state: 'owe are healthy, but many of us have died. As far as religous services are concerned, all are dead and gone. (hristmas and New Year's passed without ceremony. The church r:; closed, no more meetings. Our Pastor has been sent far away." lhe letter was dated Feb. 1936, Russia.

After 1895 and 1 986 most of the people were gone from Neudorf.

Taken from NEUDORF, RUSSIA to the NORTH DAKOTA PLAINS with JOHANN DOCKTER)

Agriculture
Typical crops of the colonists were: Covering 50% of farm lands lying to the east was black humus, which is very productive and capable of withstanding much heat, so that even in the driest years it bears some grain and fodder. The other 50% of farm lands lying to south, west and north also had black humus but heavily mixed with sand. The crops here were good when there were frequent rains, but in times of drought all plants dried up. The crops that thrived best were winter rye, winter wheat, lentils, barley, maize, and potatoes. Other grains and vegetables were less productive, and flax fared poorly.

The most productive enterprise for the settlers has been the raising of livestock and the growing of grapes. In the frequent years of crop failure, these provided a good income. The fruit trees were less productive,for they generally survive only 15-20 years, since they were often damaged by various insects. In general, these trees were planted in order to beautify the colony and to satisfy the wishes of the colonial authorities.

Agriculture, etc. 1813 	- 	crop failure - only seed harvested 1814 	- 	crop failure - only seed harvested 1816 	- 	good crop 1818 	- 	good crop 1822 	- 	crop failure - only seed harvested 1823 	- 	crop failure - only seed harvested 1823-27 - 	grasshoppers 1828 	- 	livestock epidemic - 1,400 head of cattle died 1829 1829 	- 	hailstorm caused major damage 1831 	- 	smallpox epidemic - 	12 died of cholera 1833 	- 	crop failure, not even seed grain harvested 1834 	- 	crop failure, not even seed grain harvested - Welfare Comm. advanced seed & subsistence money - livestock epidemic - 400 head died - smallpox epidemic 1835 	- 	crop failure - only seed harvested 1837 	- 	measles - 	good crop 1838 	- 	good crop 1841 	- 	only double the seed harvested 1843 	- 	measles - 	plague of field mice - 10,120 killed within 4 months 1844 	- 	smallpox epidemic 1845 	- 	only double the seed harvested 1845-46 	- 	916 sheep died of disease 1846 	- 	villagers died from neural fever 1847 	- 	severe drought - 675 head of livestock perished of malnutrition 1848 	- 	severe frost on 25 April, damaged all fruit trees and vines – loss of 3,000 - 4,000 rubles

Ifrastructure
The colony had no stone quarries, but had to obtain its supply from near the Dniester, about 10 to 12 versts away. Most of the original houses of stamped earth have been replaced by larger stone buildings, and 64 additional dwellings were built by the colonists. Stone walls were built on the street side, and avenues of trees planted.

Demographics
There were originally 100 families (259 males and 231 females). Twenty-eight families came from Wuerttemberg, 37 from Alsace, 7 from the Palatinate (Pfalz), 11 from Baden, 2 from Saxony, 3 from Prussia, 11 from Hungary, and 1 from Warsaw. In 1814 eight more families came from Prussia and in 1815 3 families arrived from Galicia. The colony increased to 208 families (657 males and 589 females), not counting the families who moved to Grusinia and Bessarabia.

Leaders of the immigrant parties The settlers immigrated in 1808 and 1809 in smaller or larger groups, without leaders. Those who came in 1808 were billeted with the colonists of the Liebental district until the spring of 1809. All had immigrated at the request of His Majesty Czar Alexander I, in response to the promised privileges.

The settlers received the following sums from the Imperial Crown: For subsistence   51,580 rubles For settlement    36,484 rubles For seed           3,360 rubles Total             91,424 rubles

From their homeland, the colonists brought with them funds amounting only to 500 rubles as most of them were poor day laborers and craftsmen.

Some of the colonists were: Jacob Dockter b. 1812

Epidemics/Harsh Conditions
Since there were many among the early settlers who were not farmers but craftsmen and villagers unfamiliar with agriculture, it was no wonder that only a few could adapt themselves to the new conditions. A large number became discouraged because of mistakes, prejudices, sickness, and poverty and longed to return to the fatherland. Only after a period of experience, poverty, and misery did they finally learn to accept their fate.

Losses were suffered because of epidemics: in 1831, 1834 and 1844 through smallpox; in 1837 and 1843 many children died of measles; and in 1846 both young and old succumbed to a neural fever. In 1831 12 died of cholera.

From 1823 to 1827 locusts caused considerable damage to the gram fields and meadows. In 1829 a hailstorm passed through the colony destroying all crops in an area 5 versts by 2 versts. Neither fruit nor foliage was left on the vines and the trees; indeed a large portion of the trees were so damaged that they withered away. On the north side of the houses, all the windows were smashed.

The years 1833 and 1834 were oppressive, as not even seed grain was harvested and the Welfare Committee found it necessary to advance seed and subsistence money to the impoverished people. The livestock disease of 1828 destroyed 1,400 head of cattle and in 1844 a similar disease killed 400. In 1845 and 1846, 916 sheep were destroyed. The year 1843 was notable for the fact that so many field mice appeared that the colonists caught and killed 10,120 of them within four months.

Failed crops, where only the seed was harvested, occurred in 1813, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1832, and 1835. In 1841 and 1845 only double the seed was harvested. The productive years were 1816,1818,1837 and 1838. In general, the early years were more bountiful. This is probably due to the fact that the steppe was still virgin soil and was not plowed as frequently as later made necessary by the increased population. The year 1847 is unforgettable. Such a great drought prevailed all summer that the livestock lacked fodder and suffered want all through the winter, so that 675 head perished of malnutrition, despite the fact that the colonists had spent at least 3,000 silver rubles for feed. In 1848, such a severe frost fell on the night of April 25, that all the fruit trees and vines were damaged, and the colonists suffered a loss of 3,000 to 4,000 rubles.

The land to the east was good humus, while the rest of its land was humus heavily mixed with sand. Crops that thrived in 1848 were winter rye, winter wheat, lentils, barley, corn (raised for fodder), and potatoes. Other grains and vegetables were said to be less productive, and flax did poorly. The native woods were oak, ash, linden, alder, apple and pear. However, none were of significant size.

In February 1925, many children died in Neudorf as well as in neighboring Bergdorf from an unstated epidemic.

Community
A useful provision for the settlers is the common decision that any man suffering a loss from a fire was compensated by the collective contribution of the settlers, each being assessed according to his means. Similarly, whenever a villager broke a leg or suffered some other physical injury, every family paid its share for the cost of the doctor's services.

Religion
A Lutheran church was first built in Neudorf in 1829, being consecrated in 1830 and a new bell purchased. but by the 1860's it was in such poor condition it needed to be demolished. In the year 1865 a new church was built of stone at a cost of 8000 rubles, with the church supplying 1000 rubles and the Ministerium of the State Domain guaranteeing 1500 rubles. This church was renovated in 1908.(The Evangelical Church in Russia, a historical statistical treatise, taken from the St. Petersburg and Moscow Consistory. Published by J. Watfar, Ssadowaja 55, St. Petersburg, 1909. Available through the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, Lincoln, Nebraska. (Translated and presented in the Glückstal Colonies Research Association Newsletter, Vol. 7, No. 2, page 7.)

Through the use of an additional sum of 300 silver rubles obtained from communal crops, mayor Schauer also succeeded, in 1847, in embellishing the interior of the church. In 1848, the churchyard was surrounded by a stone wall and avenues of trees were planted. In fact, the community was indebted to him for the construction and embellishment of most of the community buildings. The communal grain storage depot, built in 1837, was most useful in aiding the poor people of the village.

Schnurr describes the Neudorf church as having a tall pointed spire, visible high above the houses of the community. Dedicated 16 October 1866 (built in 1865), the church could seat 500 people, but had room for 800. It replaced a prayer house used between 1825 and 1829. The interior of the church was described as simple but pleasing. There was a Rieger organ (two manual) from Jägerndorf, which cost 1800 rubles. The church plaza in Neudorf was beautifully situated with the cemetery behind the church and the church garden. Dr. Karl Stumpp records the Neudorf population in 1918 as 1,896 and in 1943 a population of 2, 401.(Volk auf dem Weg, and various Heimatbücher, Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Rußland e. V. Raitelsbergstraße 49, 70188 Stuttgart, Germany.)

[Mertens, p. 424] is correct in stating that Neudorf was a Protestant village, but he fails to note that it was the headquarters for a Reformed parish. Because Neudorf had a significant population of members of the Reformed faith, they were finally successful in receiving approval from the Crown to establish a Reformed Parish (including Kassel and Glückstal) on 4 January, 1861. In Neudorf a separate church and school building was constructed. The foundation of the building was laid in spring 1863, and it was completed by October 1864, with the prayer hall on the second floor and the school and teachers residence on the ground floor. The first church service was held 18 October 1864. The existence of double religious institutions was a constant source of conflict and a financial drain on the community, beginning with the construction of the Reformed church and school. Before 1915 there was a proposal for the construction of a new Lutheran school. The community fund at that time contained ca. 10,000 rubles, but in the vote of all the heads of households the two sides could not agree on an allocation for the school. An impasse was reached, and the funds were not approved. In 1915 the two schools had 365 students with five teachers.

The village of Neudorf was early associated with the Reformed Church. The Reformed Church and prayer house was located in the second main street, and was two stories tall. The Baptist school and prayer house was built in 1912 at a cost of 5000 rubles.

Pastors in Neudorf were (all from the registers of pastors of the Reformed faith): Wilhelm Brückner, 1862-1867; Gottfried Locher, 1870-1873; Friedrich Barnehl, 1899-1905. (Schnurr, Joseph (Compiler). Die Kirchen und das Religiöse Leben der Rußlanddeutschen, Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Rußland e. V. Raitelsbergstraße 49, 70188 Stuttgart, Germany. 1972. 560 pages. See Glückstal Colonies Research Association Newsletter, Volume 6, No. 2, page 2, for a full translation of the Glückstal parish information and individual biographies of the pastors serving the various parishes of the Glückstal Distsrict.)

Aldermen 1848: Job; Kercher Church schoolmaster: D. Mehlhaf

Education
A schoolmaster with mediocre knowledge was hired, but school attendance was very irregular until 1819, when the new chief mayor Stephan Weiss took office. Because of the absence of a preacher, the mayor instituted an annual final examination, after which diligent students were given awards, and the schoolmaster and parents encouraged this, so that school attendance became more regular.

In 1814 a schoolhouse was built by the community, and two bells purchased. But soon the building became too small to accommodate the churchgoers, and the settlers, encouraged by their mayor Michael Bollinger, decided to build a church. The foundation stone was laid in 1825 and the building constructed at a cost of 15,000 rubles, most of which was raised by the colonists themselves, but the Welfare Committee also contributed 1,377 rubles.

Soon the need of a larger school was felt, but the means were lacking until, in 1840, the newly elected mayor Johann Schauer decided that the needed capital could be obtained from community crops. In two years, enough money was raised, so that a new school could be built in 1842. His Excellency Councilor von Hahn donated 300 rubles to the project, and the old school was remodeled to house the schoolmaster.

Schoolteachers in Neudorf were Jakob Ritter (1884-1907) and J. Grossman (1908-1915), and the number of students varied from 200 to 356 in the years 1884-1915. Russian teachers and assistants included: Wilhelm Schmoll, Konstantin Pavlor, Chr. Eisenbarth, Georg Flemmer, Fed. Bussuk, Jakob Heer, G. Kamerer, Leonid Moschan, Anatoli Dollner, Nikolai Bakonsky, Julius Hellroth, Eduard Wernick, Th. Babenko, and C. Baran.(Volk auf dem Weg, and various Heimatbücher, Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Rußland e. V. Raitelsbergstraße 49, 70188 Stuttgart, Germany. Glückstal Colonies Research Association Newsletter, GCRA, 611 Esplanade, Redondo Beach, CA 90277-4130. Volumes 1-10. 1997 to present.)

After the Germans left the village in the late 1800's and early 1900's, the village was renamed Karmanova. None of the original German settlers remain today.

WWII
Thousands of the Germans from Russia were forced to flee their homes during World War II. They travelled on horseback in in wagons Germany via Poland. Some of them never made it. Some were captured and taken to work camps in Tajikistan or to the Ural region, left do work or die of tuberculosis. Those who were successful left Europe to relocate in North and South Dakota in the USA.

Politics
Mayor 1848: Schauer Village clerk 1848: Stroh

PRESENT DAY
Neudorf is known as Karamanovo (Карманова) today. The region is now part of a tiny country called the Trans-Dniester Republic.

Hauptstrasse is now October Street

Facts
Location: Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania Coordinates: 47° 15.1' N × 29° 30.1' E Size:  19,429 acres in 1918 Climate: moderate winters, warm summers Natural resources: lignite, phosphorites, gypsum Population 1810: 490 Population 1848: 1,246 Population 1914: 1,896 Population 1943: 2,401 Languages: Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect) Currency: the Moldovan leu (MLD) (plural lei) was introduced in late 1993 Capital: Chisinau

Sources Glückstal Colonies Research Association (GCRA) Back to the Past, Spilde, Tony. "Back to the Past." Bismarck Tribune, 21 January 2007 GLÜCKSTAL & MORE, 1993, Herb Poppke, Published by the Odessa Digital Library - 20 Nov 2001 http://pixel.cs.vt.edu/library/odessa.html Joseph S. Height's book "Homesteaders on the Steppe"



Progress of the village 1814 	- 	school house was built, and two church bells were purchased 1819 	- 	school attendance very irregular until this year, school teacher had mediocre knowledge - 	Chief mayor elected was Stephan Weiss - 	no preacher in the Glückstal parish 1825 	- 	foundation stone laid for prayer hall, encouraged by Mayor Michael Bollinger - 	Welfare Committee contributed 1,377 rubles, total cost 15,000 rubles 1830 	- 	prayer hall consecrated, new bell purchased 1837 	- 	communal grain storage depot built - used in aiding poor of the village 1840 	- 	new Mayor Johann Schauer leads project to raise money for new school building from community crops 1842 	- 	funds for new school were raised, and school constructed – Councilor von Hahn donated 300 rubles - 	old school remodeled to house the schoolmaster 1847 	- 	Mayor Schauer leads project to raise 300 silver rubles from communal crops to embellish the interior of the church 1848 	- 	village owns 5,810 dessiatines of land - 	crops that thrive best: winter rye, winter wheat, lentils, barley, corn (raised for animal feed and fodder), potatoes. Other grains & vegetables are less productive. Flax does poorly - 	raising of livestock & grapes have been most productive enterprises (helping in years of crop failures) - 	fruit trees not doing well, generally only survive 15-20 yrs. - insect damage common - 	most stamped earth homes now replaced by larger stone buildings (obtained 10-12 versts away, near the Dniester) - 	208 families (657 m; 589 f) - not counting departures to Grusinia (1818) & Bessarabia (ca.1834-1836) - 	64 additional homes built - 	stone walls built along street & trees planted - 	stone wall to be built this year around the church, and avenues of trees planted - 	communal policy exists that losses to fire are compensated by collective contributions of settlers, and medical expenses of physical injury are handled in the same way - 	schools have better schoolmasters, with regular attendance – much improved 1861 	- 	Neudorf Reformed Parish established with congregations and schools in Neudorf, Glückstal and Kassel 1862 	- 	1812 residents - 	stone Lutheran church - 	Lutheran school with 2 classes, and 227 students - 	6 versts from the parish headquarters of the Glückstal Lutheran parish 1863 	- 	foundation for the Reformed prayer hall & school was laid in the spring 1864 	- 	first service in the new Reformed prayer hall on 18 October – the prayer hall was on the second floor and the school and teacher’s residence were on the ground floor 1866 	- 	Lutheran prayer hall had been converted to a church, dedicated 16 Oct. 1866 – capacity of 800. ca. 1907 	- 	two-manual organ installed by Rieger Bros. of Jägendorf in the Lutheran Church at a cost of 1800 rubles. 1911 	- 	Konsumverein (community cooperative store) established - 	Odessa Kalender [OdKal] reports a fire, 28 Feb., 1910 at the Fr. Lippert residence 1912 	- 	Baptist prayer hall built, value of ca. 5,000 rubles. - 	Baptists referred to as a sectarian group, that includes some Adventists 1915 	- 	community fund of ca. 10,000 rubles - 	Lutheran church painted all white, surrounded by trees and shrubs - 	church garden behind it 	- 	cemetery behind garden - 	Lutheran school building - now insufficient - 	Reformed bell tower not far from the church/school - 	Reformed parsonage - 	conflict between religious groups causes difficulty in secular matters (because of joint shares in community funds) - 	new Lutheran school construction held up 	- 	Reformed congregation receives subsidy of 240 rubles annually from the Kreislandschafts-verwaltung (District Land Administration – located in Tiraspol) - 	Burial fund named Humanitas - 	Konsumverein named “Assistance” - 	2 businesses - 	1 beer hall - 	3 milk companies - 	2 steam mills - 	3 standard oil mills - 	1 cement brick/tile factory (Zementziegelei) - 	Handicrafters - who are also farmers

3 blacksmiths 5 carpenters 4 wagon builders 5 shoemakers 1 tailor 1 baker

- 	1154 horses - 	1191 cows - 	564 poultry - 	362 sheep - 	820 pigs

Bibliography:

[Glückstal-1915] – “Das Wolostgebiet Glückstal,” in Neuer Haus- und Landwirthschafts- Kalender für deutsche Aussiedler in südlicher Russland auf das Jahr 1915. Odessa: Druck und Verlag von L. Nitzsche, [1914], pp. 108–128. (English transl. in [Glückstal-2004, pp. 51-56; 68- 69; 86 & 96-97].)

[Height] – Height, Joseph S. Homesteaders on the Steppe: Cultural History of the Evangelical- Lutheran Colonies in the Region of Odessa, 1804-1945. Bismarck: North Dakota Historical Society of Germans from Russia [now the Germans from Russia Heritage Society], 1975.

[Leibbandt] – Leibbandt, Georg. Die deutschen Kolonien in Cherson und Bessarabien: Berichte der Gemeindeämter der lutherischen Kolonien in der ersten Hälfte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. Stuttgart: Ausland und Heimat Verlags-Aktiengesellschaft, 1926.

[Matthäi] – Matthäi, Friedrich. Die deutschen Ansiedelungen in Russland. Ihre Geschichte und ihre volkswirthschafltiche Bedeutung für die Vergangenheit und Zukunft. Leipzig: Hermann Fries, 1866.

[Mertens] – Mertens, Ulrich. Handbuch Russland-Deutsche: Ein Nachschlagewerk zur russland-deutschen und deutsch-russischen Geschichte und Kultur (mit Ortsverzeichnis ehemaliger Siedlungsgebiete). Darmstadt: Weihert-Druck GmbH, 2001.

[Neudorf-1848] – “Chronicle of Neudorf,” transl. by Joseph S. Height. – Copies of this translation are available in three sources: [Height, pp. 193-196]; [Glückstal-2004, pp. 83-85]; and at the website: www.Odessa3.org. – /Collections / Village Histories. The original German version can be found in [Leibbrandt, pp. 64-65].

[OdKal] – Neuer Haus- und Landwirthschafts- Kalender für deutsche Aussiedler in südlicher Russland auf das Jahr ... Odessa: Druck und Verlag von L. Nitzsche, [published 1863-1915].

Copyright: Homer Rudolf, 2009