Acknowledgement: Writings from the "Gross Family History" by Brother Placid Alois Gross, Assumption Abbey, Richardton, ND., 1970. (April 2002 revision)
Our ancestors are usually called German-Russian, but in reality they are not Russians at all but only Germans who lived on Russian soil for about 100 years. In all the years they lived in Russia, they kept their German dialect, their customs in food and clothes. They kept their German names and did not intermarry with the Russian people.
Among the reasons the Russian government invited people from other countries, particularly from Germany, was to cultivate vast areas of untilled land and introduce agriculture. The German farmers would serve as a model for the Russian peasants who were not skilled at agriculture. Likewise, the colonists would provide a protection wall against enemy invaders from the south and southeast.
The basis for the organized settlement of foreigners, especially Germans, was provided by the Manifesto of the Empress Catherine II on July 22, 1763. A large number of people went to Russia at this time. The Russian government was so pleased with their work that Alexander I repeated the invitation on February 20, 1804. The second large migration took place from 1804 to 1817.
The points of greatest interest in the Manifesto were: unhindered and free practice of religion; freedom from military service for all time; free land (each family received about 160 acres and would be able to buy more); and many tax exemptions.
The Russian government stated in the Manifesto of 1804 that it would accept only skilled farmers and craftsmen, and that land grants would be granted only to married family men. They also had to possess a certain amount of property or cash.
It is easy to see why so many people left their homeland to go to some far-off, strange country. In Germany, the populace suffered from political suppression. Western Europe was at war, and young men had to serve in the military. There was economic distress, crop failures and famine, tax burdens, and scarcity of land. They were overpopulated and needed "lebensraum" (room to live).
The German colonists worked hard and enjoyed life in this new and fertile land of southern Russia. They lived in villages called "dorfer".
The "dorf" was laid out with a wide, straight road, with neat rows of houses on each side. Each house had a big yard in back for the barns and animals. The pasture for the horses, cows, pigs, and geese was shared in common. The church, school, and administration buildings, as well as the well for water, were located in the center of the "dorf." Each family had its own cropland out in the country. During harvest time, the entire family often camped in their field all week while they all helped with the work.
Under these flourishing conditions, the population also increased rapidly. From about 300 original "dorfer", they increased and spread out to over 3,000 villages by 1914. In only 140 years, the population of Germans in Russia increased by 700%.
Everything was going well for the German colonists, but the Russian government was weakening. On June 4, 1871, under Alexander II, the colonist's code of rights was taken away. The hardest felt blow was that they now had to serve in the army. Land was becoming scarce and very expensive. In general, conditions worsened, and the jealousy of the Russians gradually turned into open hatred for the prosperous Germans.
As early as 1915, the German people were persecuted. From now through World War II, many were sent to Siberia in cattle boxcars, while others were simply shot to death. Crop failures and famines were brought about by the communist government. Most of the once prosperous "dorfer" were wiped out by famine, murder, or deportation to Siberia. During World War II, all of the German people (relatives-our people) that were living in South Russia had to leave everything (all their property and money) and try to get to safety in Germany. They were caught in snow storms, rain, and mud. Bridges across rivers were destroyed by bombs. Bombs fell near everyone and even on the wagons, and the food supply ran out. They were on the road for about seven months, and many people died. About 350,000 eventually reached Germany. Then Germany lost the war, and 250,000 of these people (our people) were hauled to Siberia in cattle boxcars. Here they worked as slaves, where many starved and froze to death.
Mrs. Magdalena Gross(1), daughter-in-law of Felix Gross, is one of the refugees who, with her four children, lived through the ordeal and can tell about it. Her husband, Peter Gross, was one of the victims who was taken out of his home in 1937 in the middle of the night and shipped off to Siberia, where he died in March of 1938.
None of our Gross relatives are left in Mannheim now. The names of these once beautiful "dorfer" were changed and the land taken by the communists. Under communist rule, it is impossible to do any research in this area. Furthermore, all German books, records, and evidence have been destroyed. Since 1989, records have been becoming available.
NOTE: This short sketch is in no way meant to be a documentary source for the history of our ancestors. It is only a very brief outline. This was not intended to give the entire history but only a vague idea of why and how so many people got to Russia and, later, the Americas. There are several good books available about the Germans in Russia. However, much of my information was gathered by talking and visiting with old people who migrated from Russia. Two valuable, factual, and interesting books on the subject of German-Russians are The German-Russians by Karl Stumpp, translated into English by Professor Joseph S. Height and From the Steppes to the Prairies by Msg. George P. Aberle. In recent years, there have been many other good books available.