Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta

The Guardianship Committee of Foreign Settlers in South Russia

Compiled March 2002 by Tim Janzen & Tatyana Makarenko

1807

File 288. File concerning the collection of 44 rubles from the Jew Marko Donajewski who was indebted to Mennonite Jacob Wiens for drinks and other property that he took from Mr. Wiens. About a claim from the Mennonite Jacob Wiens against the merchant Marko Donajewski for non-payment of the debt.

1. Petition from the innkeeper J. Wiens about collecting the debt from the merchant Mr. Donaevsky.
2. Reports from the Chortitza Colony District Mayor, Mr. Siemens; correspondence from the Guardianship Office with the Ekaterinoslav City Police, the Ekaterinoslav City Magistrate, and the Ekaterinoslav Province Government regarding this case.

These documents are written in both Russian and German.
5 Jul 1807 to 29 Nov 1809. 42 pages. 68 frames.

File 289. File concerning the retrieval of a silver watch from Paul Nikolaevich Allexev that he had borrowed from the Mennonite Johann Regier and 18 rubles, 48 kopecks, which he had borrowed from the Mennonite Jacob Wiens. Information about the claims of the Mennonites, Mr. Regier and Mr. Wiens, against Officer Paul Nikolaevich Allexev for the non-payment of his debts.

1. Petition from the watchmaker, Mr. Regier, and J. Wiens about collecting the watch and the money from Officer Alekseev.
2. Correspondence from the Guardianship Office with the Ekaterinoslav City Police and the Novomoskovsk Local Court regarding this matter.

These documents are written in both Russian and German.
4 Mar 1807 to 16 Mar 1808. 21 pages. 36 frames

File 302. Statistical information about the number of colonists who arrived from foreign countries to Russia in 1806. Reports from the inspectors of the colonies about conditions in these colonies in 1807.

1. Reports from inspectors of the colonies and statistical lists containing the number of colonists as well as the number of births and deaths during 1807 (monthly) in the following colonies: Swedish (Klosterdorf, Muehlhausendorf, Schlangendorf, and the Old Swedish Sloboda, Schwedendorf), Crimea (Freudental, Rosenthal, Heilbrunn, Sudak, Baltachokrak), Chortitza, Mennonite Molotschna (Halbstadt, Muntau, Schoenau, Fischau, Lindenau, Lichtenau, Blumstein, Muensterberg, Altonau, Schoensee, Petershagen, Tiegenhagen, Ohrloff, Tiege, Blumenort, Rosenort), Molotschna Colony District (Neudorf, Rosenthal, Prischib, Hoffental, Nassau, Weinau, Wasserau), Smolensk (September), Odessa Settlement (Odessa, Grigoriopol, Liebental Colonies, Katarjina, Kubanka, Gross and Klein Buyalik, Ternovka, Ingulskaya), Danzig, Josephstal, Jamburg, Kronsgarten (April-July), Parkansk (January-February, October-November), and Jewish-Israelites (October-December).
2. Summary statistics of the births and deaths in the Molotschna Colony in September, 1807; in the Mennonite Molotschna Colony villages (Halbstadt, Muntau, Schoenau, Fischau, Lichtenau, Muensterberg, and Altonau) in October 1807; and in the Molotschna Colony villages (Halbstadt, Muntau, Schoenau, Fischau, Lichtenau, Muensterberg, Lindenau, Tiege, Blumenort, Tiegenhagen, Schoensee, Blumstein, and Rosental) in November, 1807.
3. Report from Mr. Gsell to the Guardianship Office containing information about the number of colonists who arrived in Russia from foreign countries in 1806.
4. Report concerning Johann Martens, Maria Peters, and Johann Peters who immigrated from Prussia to the Chortitza Colony in 1806, staying in Kronsgarten with Peter Klassen (frames 248, 249).
5. Report and list from the Inspector of the Crimean Colonies, Mr. Gastfer, concerning the outlay for the settlement and the needs of colonists who had recently arrived.
6. Statistical lists that were made by the Guardianship Office for the Ministry of Internal Affairs from May to August, 1807, and for all of 1807. Statistical lists containing the total number of colonists in New Russia, the number of births and deaths, the number of families, females and males, and the number of colonists who arrived and left. There is information about German, Swedish, Bulgarian, Greek, Slav-Serbian, Moldavian, Rhenish, English, and Jewish colonists, Mennonites, and Smolensk peasants.

These documents are written in both Russian and German.
This file has been damaged by mold. Pages from 1 to 22 are missing.
5 Feb 1807 to 27 Feb 1808. 458 pages. 651 frames.

File 307. File concerning an announcement by the Alexandrovsk Local Court to Mennonites from the Chortitza Colony with an offer to come into the court in order to get lumber that had been stolen by a villager, Mr. Kolesnikov.

1. Correspondence from the Guardianship Office with the Alexandrovsk Local Court and the Alexandrovsk City Police about the punishment of Mr. Kolesnikov and about the return of the lumber.
2. Reports from the Chortitza District Office about receiving this stolen lumber.

These documents are written in both Russian and German.
13 Feb 1807 to 10 Sep 1807. 7 pages. 13 frames.

File 312. File concerning the voluntary donation from the Belowesch, Danzig, and Swedish colonists and the Ekaterinoslav Mennonites to the Territorial Army.

1. A report written by the Belowesch District Office about the collection of the voluntary donation of Belowesch colonists to the Territorial Army.
2. An order written by the Commissar of the Borzensk District, Mr. Vieridarsky, about the collection, registration, and retention of the donations. A letter of advice from the Commissar of the Borzensk District, Mr. Vieridarsky, to the Minister of Internal Affairs about the voluntary donation of the Belowesch colonists to the Territorial Army.
3. Reports written by the Inspectors of the Swedish, Jamburg, Kronsgarten, Rybalsk, and Josephstal Colonies containing information about the amounts of the donations.
4. Lists naming the donors from the Swedish, Danzig, Josephstal, and Rybalsk Colonies containing information about the amount of the donations, the number of weapons, and the type of weapons.
5. Reports written by the Danzig District Office and the Chortitza District Office about the voluntary donations. A list of 50 donors from the Chortitza Colony (frames 53-56) and a list of donors from Kronsgarten (frames 84, 85) are included.
6. Lists naming the donors from the Belowesch Colonies.
7. A declaration written by settlers of Ekaterinoslav, namely Johann Regier, Johann Wieler, Peter Loewen, and Johann Wiens containing information about the amounts of the monetary donations, the number of weapons, and type of weapons (includes the print of a personal seal with the initials "J. R." and the inscription "Uhrmacher").
8. Correspondence about the acceptance of the money and weapons (for storage) from the settlers of the Swedish Colony, Karl Terzman and Simon Matson.
9. A report written by the Inspector of the Molotschna Colonies, Baron Ikskul, about the death of District Mayor Kircher; about an election for this position by his assistant, Mr. Bergmiller and about the election of the Assistant Peter Herbershagen.
10. Correspondence between the Guardianship Office and the Inspector of the Molotschna Colonies, Baron Ikskul, about the search for the lost money (a donation to the Territorial Army) that was given by the colonists to Mayor Kircher and about the embezzlement of this money by Mr. Kircher on his estate. A petition from Maria Kircher, the widow of Mayor Kircher, to the Guardianship Office to grant an allowance for her. The satisfaction that was given by the Guardianship Office to the widow Maria Kircher. The Guardianship Office came to a decision to reward Mayor Kircher for his work on the settlement of the colonists to cover the money he spent. Notes from the journal of the Guardianship Office on the same subject.
11. A report written by the Elder of the Radichev Colony about the refusal of Radichev Mennonites to make a donation to the Territorial Army because of their religious beliefs. The letter of advice from the Guardianship Office to the Minister of Internal Affairs about that.
12. A letter of advice from the Government of the Kherson Province to the Guardianship Office about 840 rubles in donations from Bulgarian colonists from Ternovka.
13. Correspondence about the purchase of the house of retired Brigadier D. Nani as a donation to the Territorial Army.

These documents are written in both Russian and German.
9 Mar 1807 to 29 Dec 1808. 90 pages. 148 frames.

File 349. File concerning the rewarding of successful proprietors with decorations.

1. Offer from the Kherson Military Governor, the Duke de Richelieu, to the Guardianship Office about the necessity to find the best from the Bulgarian and German colonists in order to reward them for their diligence and economic progress.
2. Report from the Inspector of the Crimean Colonies, Mr. Gastfer, about preferentially rewarding the District Mayor of the Swiss Colony, Johann Rinner, and George Wulcho of the Bulgarian Kishlav Colony.
3. Report from the Inspector of the Molotschna Colonies, Mr. Ikskul, about preferentially rewarding the colonist Johann Krechman of the Montal Colony and the Mennonite Heinrich Enns of Lichtenau.
4. Report from the Inspector of the Josephstal Colonies, Mr. Develdeev, about his preference to reward Johann Jers (Iers) and Abraham Hiebert of the Josephstal Colony, Georg Klass and Laurence Bleiher of the Jamburg Colony, Christian Brock of the Rybalsk Colony, and Isaak and Johann Klassen of Kronsgarten.
5. Report from the Inspector of the Swedish Colonies, Mr. Dalke, about preferentially rewarding Simon Manzon and Michael Urinzon of the Swedish Colony and Christopher Kovalsky of New Schlangendorf.
6. Reports from the Chortitza District Office about an election of the foremen Johann Wiebe and Dietrich Neufeld of Insel Chortitza; about an election of the Mayor of the Radichev Colony, Mr. Waldner; about an election of the manager by the Hutterite Brotherhood, Jacob Johann Hofer.
7. Correspondence from the Guardianship Office with the Belowesch District Office regarding the execution of the order from the Guardianship Office to choose of the best colonists.
8. List of the best proprietors from Kaltschinowka, Belowesch, Rundewiese, Kleinwerder, Grosswerder, Kreschtschatik, and the town of Belowesch.
9. List of colonists who were recommended for a decoration including above mentioned names as well as Heinrich Bombah of Rundewiese and the Mayor of Belowesch, Wilhelm Saipel.
10. Orders from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Guardianship Office about the necessity to cut down the list of colonists, "to leave in the list only those who have moral principles in the family life" (copy). The order from the Minister of Internal Affairs A. B. Kurakin to the Duke de Richelieu on the same subject (copy).

These documents are written in both Russian and German.
3 Nov 1807 to 1 Aug 1808. 26 pages. 45 frames.

File 356. File concerning the issuance of passports during 1807.

1. Correspondence from the Guardianship Office with inspectors and district offices about the issuance of temporary passports to Mennonites and colonists for trips on personal business. Petitions from the colonists including Diedrich Tiessen, David Woelke, Jacob Wiens of Ekaterinoslav, Wilhelm Siemens of Kronsgarten, Wilhelm Martens, Nathaniel Eytzen, Peter Friesen, Peter Nickel of Kronsweide, Joseph Nowitzky, Gerhard Willems, Heinrich Dyck, Franz Berg and Peter Braun from Neuendorf, and Berend Friesen.
2. Reports written by the Inspector of the Josephstal Colonies, Mr. Develdeev, with the petitions to issue passports to Wilhelm Siemens of Kronsgarten, Franz Balman of Kronsgarten, Johann Buller of the Jamburg Colony, Johann Klassen, Jacob Bartel Meusen, David Schroeder, Zacharias Weichert (all from Kronsgarten), and David Kuhn of the Josephstal Colony.
3. Report written by the Josephstal District Office with the petitions to issue passports to 12 colonists: Bartel Klein, Georg Zimmer, Jacob, Joseph, and Johann Thonhauser, Johann Eigenseher, Joseph Schwender, Heinrich Zeiger, Lorenz Budgan, Joseph Beitler, Philip Pfeifer, and Jacob Regel.
4. Report written by the Danzig Village Government about the passport for Jacob Wurmeneher.
5. Reports written by the Chortitza District Office about the issuance of passports to Jacob Wiens of Ekaterinoslav, David Woelk, Nathaniel Goerz of Schoenwiese, Wilhelm Martens of Schoenwiese, Dietrich Tiessen of Ekaterinoslav, Peter Friesen of Ekaterinoslav, Joseph Nowitzky, Gerhard Willems, Heinrich Dyck, Franz Berg of Neuendorf, and Peter Braun of Neuendorf; about the receipt of the passports of P. Friesen, Peter Nickel, Jacob Eyding, and H. Dyck.
6. Reports written by the Inspector of the Crimean Colonies, Mr. Gastfer, about the passport for the Greek colonist Nickolaus Efimov of Baltachokrak and the Belowesch District Office about the passport for Conrad Krantz of the town of Belowesch.
7. Passports of Peter Diordnev, Stoncho Ivanov, Angel Ivanov of Ternovka, J. Wurmeneher of Danzig (includes the seal of the Guardianship Office), and P. Nickel of Kronsweide (includes the seal of the government of the province of New Russia).
8. Ticket written in 1800 that was given to J. Buller (includes the seal of the manager of the New Russia Foreign Colonies, I. Brigonzi).

These documents are written in both Russian and German.
This file is damaged by mold.
8 Jul 1805 to 21 Jan 1808. 85 pages. 117 frames.

© 2002 Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta
Last Updated 23 Mar 2002

General Queries/Comments: Contact MHSA