1869 Kuban Colony Census

State Archives of the Odessa Region, Odessa, Ukraine

Records of the Guardianship Committee for Foreign Settlers in Southern Russia
Fund 6, Inventory 5, File 278

Initially translated from Russian by Nikolai Penner in February 2004
Nikolai Penner’s translation was financially sponsored by Glenn Penner
Edited in March 2004 by Tim Janzen, Portland, Oregon

Explanatory comments by Tim Janzen: 

This document provides information about a group of 67 families who were living in the Kuban Colony in the Caucasus Region in South Russia as of February 29, 1869.  All of the people included on the list were Mennonite Brethren.  Most of the people on this list were from the Molotschna Colony, but some were also from the Chortitza Colony.  Those people from the Molotschna Colony are found in the first portion of the list and those people from the Chortitza Colony are found in the last portion of the list.  The document is found among a large collection of documents pertaining to the Mennonite Brethren in File 278.  The list is found on pages 635 to 643 in the original file and may be found on frames 1102 through 1119 on the microfilm of this file.

All of the families from the Molotschna Colony who are found in this list with the exception of Aganetha Schmidt and her son Johann Penner’s family who are the 55th family in this list are also found in the 1864 List of Families Intending to Settle in the Kuban Colony.  None of the families from the Chortitza Colony who are the 56th through 67th families in this list are found in the 1864 List of Families Intending to Settle in the Kuban Colony.

In this translation the names of the Mennonites and the locations have been translated into their most common form.  Ages that appear in parentheses in the translation have been crossed through in the original document.  This was done because the person had either married and thus was no longer living in the family or because the person had died.  The ages of people who had died are their ages at the time of their death.  The villages mentioned in the column where the settlers names are found are the villages they were living in prior to moving to the Kuban Colony in 1863 or shortly thereafter.  Information that has been placed in brackets does not appear in the original but has been added for clarification.  A question mark has been placed where selected words or phrases are difficult to read in the original.  The comment for Johann Friesen, age 15, in family #57 has not yet been entirely translated.

The original document from which this translation was made may be found on microfilm at the following archives:  the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Fresno, California; the Center for Mennonite Studies, Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kansas; the Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia, Abbotsford, British Columbia; and the Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Alex Voth provided helpful suggestions for the improvement of this translation.

 

Page 635            copy

 

Register of the Molotschna colonists who are settled in Zelenchuk region, who possess lands of 65 dessiatines [175.5 acres] per family and who have to be excluded from their former colony of residence.

 

 

Grandma Number Family Number Molotschna Region, Berdyansk District, Taurida Province Age Number of people in household Location where listed in the most recent census (1858 Census) Comments
males females

 

  Village of Rudnerweide          
2504 1. Benjamin Becker 35 Waldheim #25
  his wife Anna 22
  son Heinrich 4 Born in the Caucasus
  daughter Anna 2 Born in the Caucasus
  his mother Mrs. Wedel 66
  his sister Maria 26 6
 
2517 2. Jacob Becker 41 Waldheim #22
  his wife Margaretha 30
  his sons:  Jacob 4 Born in the Caucasus
  Franz 1 4 Born in the Caucasus
 
11895 3. Abraham Regier 41 Rudnerweide #40
  his wife Anna (40) She died in 1868
  his sons:  Abraham 15
                  Jacob 7
  his daughters:  Anna 19
           Helena 9 5
               
3166 4. Sara Block (28) Franzthal #12 Married to Abraham Eitzen (family #26)
  Katharina Block (24) Married to Peter Buller (family #19)
  Maria Block 23 Married in the Caucasus
  her husband Gerhard Gaede 23 Liebenau #14
  daughter Agatha 1 3 Born in the Caucasus
 
  Village of Franzthal
  5. Peter Siemens (30) He died in 1865
  his wife Renatha 26
  son Kornelius 5 Born in the Caucasus
  daughter Anna 4 3 Born in the Caucasus
 
  Village of Ladekopp
51872 6. David Klassen 62 Sparrau #44
  his wife Helena 61
  son Johann 24
  daughter Aganetha 26 4
 
  7. Abraham Peters 43 Blumenort #14
  his wife  Katharina 37
  sons:      Abraham 10
                 Jacob 1 Born in the Caucasus
  daughter Aganetha 12 5
 
413902 8. Peter Martens 55 Ladekopp #35
  his wife Renatha (50) She died in 1865
  his second wife Elizabeth 26 Daughter of Johann Pankratz (family #31)
  his sons:  Peter 25
  Jacob 24
  Johann 21
  Kornelius 13
  Abraham 11 Blind
                  Heinrich 10
  David 1 9 Born in the Caucasus
 
  9. Johann Klassen 54 Ladekopp #34
  his wife Maria 49
  his sons:    Abraham 24 Mentally disabled
     Johann 16
      Peter 4
  daughters:  Maria 19
      Renatha 14 7
 
  10. Katharina Reimer (29) Ladekopp #31 She died in 1866
  her brother Jacob 25
  his wife Helena 18 Daughter of Heinrich Krause from the Ekaterinoslav Province (family #61)
 
62964 11. Abraham Isaak 58 Lichtfelde #28
  his sons:     Jacob 18
      Johann 16
  daughters:  Anna (29) She died
      Helena (27) Married to Jacob Schmidt from the Ekaterinoslav Province (family #61)
      Katharina 12
  his married son
  Abraham Isaak 24
  his wife  Justina 31 Formerly a Buller with family #19
  daughter Maria 1 7 Born in the Caucasus
 
  Village of Liebenau
283353 12. Simon Harms 39 Schardau #37
  his wife     Agatha 35
  sons:          Heinrich (9) He died in 1865
     Simon 3 Born in the Caucasus
  daughters:  Anna 9    
     Maria 6 5    
     
9236 13. Klaas Hiebert 34 Muensterberg #13  
  his wife Katharina 27 2   Formerly a Klassen, from the Mennonite district in the Saratov Province
     
2539 14. Peter Nickel 43 Sparrau #49  
  his wife     Sara 40    
  sons:          Peter 16    
                    Heinrich 13    
     Abraham 4    
     Jacob 1   Born in the Caucasus
  daughters:  Anna 18    
     Sara 11    
     
36531 15. Peter Gaede 27 Liebenau #14  
  his wife Helena 29    
  his sons:  Heinrich 5   Born in the Caucasus
  Peter 4   Born in the Caucasus
  David 1   Born in the Caucasus
  daughter Agatha 1 6   Born in the Caucasus
     
29088 16. Heinrich Nickel 49 Rudnerweide #30  
  his wife      Katharina 47    
  daughters:  Katharina 11    
     Aganetha 8    
     
12411 17. Johann Klassen 47 Sparrau #44  
  his wife Katharina 40    
  sons:          Jacob 16    
     David 12    
  daughters:  Maria 7    
     Aganetha 4    
     Katharina (2) 6   She died
     
102944 18. Kornelius Reimer 45 Schoensee #41  
  his wife Gertruda (30)   She died in 1867
  his second wife Anna 22   Born to a Mr. Wiebe; she was a stepdaughter of Abraham Toews of Fuerstenau in the Taurida Province
  his sons:  Abraham 7    
  Peter 4 4    
     
  Village of Liebenau    
3341 19. Peter Buller 25 Liebenau #2  
  his wife Katharina 24   Formerly a Block with family #4
  son             David 3   Born in the Caucasus
  daughter     Katharina 1   Born in the Caucasus
  his brother Gerhard    
  his sisters:  Helena (27)   She died in 1867
      Justina (31)   Married to Abraham Isaak (family #11)
      Eva 23 5   Married to Johann Neufeld (family #42)
     
  Village of Elisabeththal    
2311 20. Franz Klassen 59 Rudnerweide #51  
  his wife Margaretha 69 2    
     
2306 21. Abraham Wiens 38 Elisabeththal #18  
  his wife Maria 35    
  sons:       Abraham 8    
                 Johann 7    
                 Franz 6    
                 Gerhard 5   Born in the Caucasus
                 Kornelius 3   Born in the Caucasus
                 Jacob 1   Born in the Caucasus
  daughter Margaretha 10 9    
     
2305 22. Kornelius Wiens 41 Elisabeththal #18  
  his wife Sara 34    
  his sons:  Franz 9    
  Kornelius 7    
  daughter  Anna     11 5    
     
  Village of Elisabeththal    
  23. Martin Mierau 41 Waldheim #73  
  his wife Maria (40)   She died in 1865
  his second wife Florentina 27   Formerly of Prussian nationality
  his sons:     Johann (5)   He died in 1864
      Franz (4)   He died in 1864
      Martin (1)   He died in 1864
  daughters:  Margaretha (13)   She died in 1864
     Anna 12 3    
     
  Village of Marienthal    
3424 24. Dietrich Klassen 30 Sparrau #44  
  his wife Maria (24)   She died in 1867
  his second wife Elizabeth 24   Born to a Mr. Wall; she was a stepdaughter of Jacob Siemens of the village of Elisabeththal
     
3422 25. Dietrich Klassen 59 Sparrau #44  
  his wife Justina 45    
  his sons:    Isbrand 27    
     Johann 23    
     Jacob 20    
  daughters:  Justina 16    
     Anna 15    
     Katharina 12    
     Maria 7 9    
     
  Village of Blumstein    
3391 26. Abraham Eitzen 39 Lindenau #20  
  his wife Sara 28   Formerly a Block with family #4
  his sons:  Johann 10    
  Abraham 8    
  Daniel 6    
  daughter Katharina 12 5    
     
     
6192 27. Daniel Eitzen 36 Lindenau #20  
  his wife Katharina 30    
  his sons:    Abraham 10    
     Daniel 1   Born in the Caucasus
  daughters:  Anna 8    
     Katharina 6 6    
     
  Village of Schardau    
35563 28. Heinrich Flaming 40 Marienthal #15  
  his wife Katharina 37    
  his sons:     Johann 10    
      Heinrich (4)   He died in 1866
  daughters:  Katharina 14    
      Maria 4    
      Elizabeth 1   Born in the Caucasus
     
111491 29. Peter Stobbe 38 Schardau #14  
  his wife Maria 34    
  his sons:    Peter 6    
     Johann 3    
  daughters:  Maria 8    
     Helena 1   Born in the Caucasus
     
132531 30. Widow Katharina Schmidt 62 Schardau #11  
  her sons:  Abraham 19    
  daughter Katharina (23)   Married in the Mennonite district in Poland
  married son Heinrich 24    
  his wife Katharina 34 4    
       
  Village of Gnadenfeld    
27717 31. Johann Pankratz 53 Gnadenfeld #39  
  his wife Maria 50    
  his sons:    David 15    
     Heinrich 12    
     Johann 11    
  daughters:  Anna (30)   Married to Peter Block (family #38)
     Elizabeth (26)   Married to Peter Martens (family #8)
     Susanna (23)   Married to Franz Wall (family #36)
     Katharina 20    
     Gertruda 8 7    
     
Son of 57156 32. Bernhard Penner 30     Gnadenfeld #2  
    his wife Agatha   19     Daughter of Heinrich Neufeld from the Ekaterinoslav Province (family #56)
    daughter Maria   1     Born in the Caucasus
               
    Village of Wernersdorf          
Wife of 54070 33. Widow of Johann Hiebert   49   Wernersdorf #1  
    sons:  Abraham 29        
              Johann 8   3    
     
54220 34. Kornelius Kornelsen 64 Wernersdorf #21  
  his wife Katharina 54    
  his stepsons:  Johann Dick 21    
    Abraham Loewen 18    
  stepdaughter:  Elizabeth Loewen 13 5    
     
  Village of Waldheim    
33915 35. David Dirksen 39 Lichtenau #22  
  his wife Katharina 24    
  his sons:    Abraham 6    
     David 1   Born in the Caucasus
  daughters:  Maria 12    
     Helena 10    
     Carolina 9 7    
     
Son of 44162 36. Franz Wall 29 Blumenort #9  
  his wife Susanna 23   Daughter of Johann Pankratz (family #31)
  his son Johann 1   Born in the Caucasus
  daughter Maria 2   Born in the Caucasus
         
3369 37 Friedrich Strauss 28 Waldheim #59  
  his wife Aganetha 31    
  his sons:  Johann 6    
  Friedrich (1)   He died
  Friedrich 1   Born in the Caucasus
     
    Village of Landskrone    
399985 38. Peter Block 27 Landskrone #24  
  his wife Anna 30   Daughter of Johann Pankratz (family #31)
  his son Peter (2)   He died in 1868
  daughter Anna 1   Born in the Caucasus
     
89989 39. Kornelius Penner 31 Landskrone #18  
  his wife Anna 26    
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