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Location: Volga > Archives > Friends of the Archives
Friends of the Volga Archives
In the early summer of 2000,
Vera Beljakova-Miller started an appeal on the German Volga mail list
for donations for the Engels archives as a gesture of
goodwill and friendship towards the archives, and in order to ensure that
they are as well looked after as possible.
"Inventories, cataloguing and identifying the documents are very important
to posterity and preservation. That will enable researchers to
carry on writing history books by studying the archives.
We are thinking altruistically and in terms of history of our people in the
long term.
For this reason we invented the term "Friends of the Engels Archives"
under the wing of the German-Volga mail list. We are "Friends of the Engel
Archives" and want to show goodwill."
Ken Stugart became our treasurer and collected donations from members of
the German Volga mail list to take with him on his trip to Russia in the summer of
2000.
Ken Stugart's trip to the Engels and Saratov Archives
On the eighth evening in Russia we boarded the train to Saratov which is the
capitol of Saratov Oblast. We stayed in Saratov for 5 days visiting a cousin,
Victor Stuckert, who returned from Kazakhstan in 1983 and is now working
at the German Consulate in Saratov. My cousin and his lovely wife met us at
the train station, after the hugs and kisses and many tears they took us to
the Volga Hotel on German street. The first evening, we were invited to attend
a party cruise on the Volga by the Consulate General of the German Republic
in Saratov. This party lasted 4 hours and was a going away
party for a lady that has worked at the Consulate for many years and was being
transferred to Finland. It was a gala event, many food items, drinks and a band.
Both Bonnie (my wife) and I were treated as we have never been treated before, everyone
wanted to meet Victor's uncle from America, ( I'm
actually his cousin, but who argues). We met everyone of any importance in
Saratov, director of the TV station there, director of the Archives of Engels,
professors of the university and all the staff of
the Consulate and many more. We just had a plain old good time.
Victor Stuckert, Elizabeth Yerina, Ken Stugart, Bonnie Stugart
on a
cruise on the Volga River, photo taken by Ken Stugart
The next day we visited the archives in Engels where after meeting with the
lovely Mrs. Elisabeth Yerina, the director. We discussed her needs, which
was a computer, printer and copy machine. I promised I would ask for additional
donations on the German Volga mail list to obtain those items, I did buy the
computer later and additional donations came later also. She let me
video the historical books and documents in the storage area.
This was very dear to me and then she took us to the Saratov Archives where
she showed me the census
book for my village and I found my great great grandfather's family as it
was recorded in 1834. The feeling I had cannot be put into words.
I am going to Saratov for the third time, in May, 2002 and I have a good
relationship with the Director at the Saratov Archives. The last time I was
there he told me he was inventorying all the materials and was going to seal many
of the bad books and the Yagodnaya Polyana census for 1834 was on the list. I asked him how
much it would take to restore it, after a little checking he quoted about
1,500 Rubles. I gave him a 100 dollar bill and asked him to restore my ancestral village book.
His eyes got as big as saucers and he wanted to know why I would do that. I
told him it should be preserved for future generations, just because I got
what I wanted out of it did not mean I did not care. He gave me a receipt
and a letter with the Archive seal on it stating this would be done by Jan
of 2002, which it was plus a couple of smaller books as well.
I would be happy, no delighted, to take any funds the
German Volga mail list
subscribers would like to
donate and present it to him in May, 2002. I would give him a list of people that
donated, the village they are descendant from, I would then e-mail everyone
a copy of the receipt and letter from him. I think there was at the time,
about 12 additional books on the sealing list. I can guarantee the money would be
used for restoration of books because I feel I can trust the Director. Also
the people that work there are so polite and helpful, I was amazed of their
interest of the German people, they have a collection of many newspapers,
small books, mostly from the church, bibles and hymn books.
by Ken Stugart
Elizabeth M. Yerina's letters ->>
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©2006 Patrice Miller patrice@webbitt.com
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