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Location: Volga > Archives > Letters
Engels Archives
Part 1: Letter and part of
report from Engels Archives by Mrs. Elizabeth M Yerina.
Your communications have been received, for this we thank you from our heart.
Our archive was visited by Mr. Ken Stugart, who in detail, has closely
familiarized himself with the situation here at hand, and who also kindly
rendered such practical help, as agreeing to be the intermediary in
channeling funds.
** We are grateful to the General Consulate of Germany, at whose expense
the archive roof has been re-covered.
** We are sincerely grateful to the head of ZAO Volga-Development, Mr
Dieter Geier and to Sofia Decker, for organizing Sponsorship help.
** Thanks to Lotter Dick, the world learned about our archive and its plight.
((vbm: Presumably Dick was the newspaper reporter to bring the plight of
the archives to world attention by first running the article in a German
newspaper in 1998. I know we discussed it on the Gr-Heritage List but as a
group we did nothing....until now.)
** We have received essential help from Mr. Gerhard Lang (of Germany, one
of our list members) and Mrs. Roggatz. The donations were used to
improvement the hygenio-santitation and repairing the heating system in the archive.
All, who visited our archive for 1999 - 2000, could be convinced, that
sponsorship funds are used for the essential needs of the archives.
After a visit to our archives by high-ranking visitors (Mr. Welt from
government of Germany, Mr. Mikhailov of Russia) it became possible for us
to obtain part-funding for the design of a new archive building.
The construction of the new building has been incorporated into the
"Presidential" program.
At the moment, much leaves to be desired at the archives:
For example: most essential needs are for a:
1) modern computer
2) printer
for establishing a Catalogue of the "Archive Collections"
and for connection to the computer mail
and entry into Internet, is necessary.
3) Also the Xerox-copying machine is completely out of operation,
and without it functioning, the researchers' work is being complicated.
Our address is below, and you may write to us not only in Russian,
but also in English and German languages, as an interpreter is working
TEMPORARILY in our archives.
Our address is:
413100 Engels
Saratov Province (Gubernia)
Lenin Square, 13,
Branch of GASO
translated and sent through by Vera Beljakova-Miller, via e-mail,
via G. Lange
Part 2 of the "Report" by Mrs. Elizabeth M. Yerina,
head of the Engels Archives.
Brief history Engels Archive.
The history of this branch of the State Archive of Saratov Province,
in the town of Engels, attracts much attention in the research
circles of historians/academics from many countries.
It is precisely this Archive in Engels, which stores the main bulk of the
documentation dealing the history of the Germans on the Volga, from the
moment of their arrival to settle in 1764-1767 and up to their eviction in
1941.
Reacting to the appeal Russia's Empress Ekterina (Catherine) II, contained
in the manifestoes of 1762 and 1763, appealing to settlers to
arrive, many thousands of the new immigrants responded -
from various places in Europe and the then-fragmented
* Germany (Giessen, Hessen, Baden, Thyre, Saxony, Holstein, Mainz),
* Austria,
* France,
* Holland,
* Denmark,
* Sweden and
* other states
Despite initial difficulties, in period from 1764 to 1768,
106 colonies were established, with a population of 25,600 persons.
By overcoming difficulties in the first years of residing on Volga,
where one had to build new villages on open land, plough the virgin soil,
and struggle against the onslaughts of local tribes, the colonists
managed to achieve great success as early as by the end of the XVIII
century and the beginning of the XIX century.
This territory had become the most prosperous one in economic terms along
the Volga and in the Volga region.
In middle of the XIX century, small groups of Mennonites from Prussia also
settled on the Volga, in order to avoid military conscription (in their own
country) based on their faith.
They established 9 colonies in the post-Volga steppes (vbm: ie beyond the
Volga riverside area, further inland into the steppe region)
At this time, there were now 170 German colonies, and at the turn of the
20th century there were 190 colonies with a population of 407,500
Germans.
German colonists contributed a significant part towards the economic and
cultural development of the Russian State. On the Volga, new trades and
crafts appeared, the earth had begun to give good harvests. All this is
confirmed in the preserved documents.
* 20-24 of October 1918 in Rovno (Seelman) the 2-nd Congress of Sovdep
(?Soviet Deputies) of the German Colonies was held.
At this congress, based on the a decree issued by the Soviet of National
Commissars "For the German Colonies on the Volga", it was proclaimed to
form the "The Province's Labour Commune of Volga-Germans".
* June 22 1922: by the decree VTzIK "About the changes in structure the
Labour Commune of the Province of Volga-Germans", the area had become
surrounded by and/or incorporated with the town of Pokrovsk, (renamed
Engels in 1931) and neighbouring Russian, Ukrainian, Estonian and Tartar
villages - which either bordered it or were incorporated with this area.
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* In August 1923, the Provincial Archive for the Volga-German Area was
founded - and the collection of documents began to be accumulated.
* In 1924, as a result of the establishment the new Volga-German autonomous
republic (ASSR NP), the archive fell into the ownership of the new republic
and
* in 1930 the "Archive" was allocated a grain barn / granary / grain
warehouse - from where it was to function !..and where it is still housed
in this building..
(vbm: no wonder there are leaking roofs and dicey sanitation plumbing
problems ! Please note - it was the automonous Volga-GR republic which
decided to house its archives in a Grain Barn!)
Being allocated this building, resulted in the foundation of the beginning
of a large archival operation. Archivists began to settle in and "master"
their new premises.
At first, this building was not heated (Volga has a similar climate to
Chicago). The walls were unplastered.
In the beginning, to enter this granary/warehouse/storehouse, the
archivists, historians and researchers had to climb up an old wooden ladder
and enter the granary through a loft!
(vbm: these people must have been really dedicated to history work under
such conditions).
Later, a working room was organized in the granary.
Under these difficult conditions, the employees of the archive proceeded to
work, saving the history of our special people.
The heaviest trials were suffered by the Archive and its employees, was
after the Decree of Presidium of the Supreme Body of the USSR of August 28,
1941 "Regarding the resettlement of the Germans living in the Volga region".
translated and sent through by Vera Beljakova-Miller, via e-mail, via G. Lange
LETTER of THANKS for Donation,
written to the "Friends of the Engels Archives" by Mrs Yerina
This letter is from Elizabeth Yerina
to thank the "Friends" for their gracious
contributions for the PC which was installed!
Letter was written in Russian to Vera Beljakova-Miller in So. Africa
and in German to Gerhard Lang in Germany.
Not only that, but Mrs Yerina told the German
Consul-General about us, "The Friends of the Engels
Archives" and the Consul-General also thanks us.
It appeared to be news to him for this small
(not so small any more) German Volga e-mail list collected
so much money and contributed one of the most essential
modern tools to the archive. It was a
ASUS pentium III 750 MHz Motherboard. It is equipped with
256 Meg of RAM, an IDE CD ROM, a 20 gig HD.
Mrs Yerina asked me to send the letter to the contributors,
whom I list below in alphabetical order.
As you see, the PC was ceremoniously
deliverd by the Consul-General in his car (that's big deal
in Russia) and Kenny Stugart's cousin, Victor - and they brought
with them a computer man to install it.
*******************
6th September, 2000
Dear Missies Beljakova,
I hadn't yet sent my letter of gratitude to you, Mr. Lang
and all the donators when Victor Stuckert brought us a new
computer from Moscow.
And Consul-General Mr. Wokalek not only brought it in the
consulate's car together with Victor Stuckert and a
computernik but also helped to install it.
I even lack words to express my feelings of deep gratitude
to the Ladies and Gentlemen of the the e-mail List (Ger-Volga
List), who are members of the "Society of the Friends of the Engels Archive".
Please extend deepest gratitude to:
Wayne Arendt,
Kris Ball,
Raynor Bohrer,
Cindy Brooks,
Sam Brungardt
J B Coats,
Elaine Davison,
Joseph Falkenstein,
Philip Freimann,
John Groh,
Rayna Koehler,
John Lauck,
Anthony Leiker,
Patrice Miller,
Daniel Schafer,
Jo Sisk,
Corlene Smith,
Rebecca Siekmeier,
Marlyn Randall Stout,
Kenneth Stugart, and
Richard Wacker.
Sincerely yours and very grateful,
Elizabeth Yerina
*******************
and here is a second thank you letter.
An: Gerhard Lang glang39122@eplus-online.de
and: Beljakova atacama@global.co.za
Dear mister Lang!
Dear madam Beljakova!
I thank you from the whole heart for such selfless help to our
archive. You can write me German, in Russian, as to you will be convenient for you.
Without any doubt, I must emphasize, that each donated dollar will go
only towards the needs of the Archive, and we shall give full the
report about the spending (we undertake full accounting practices).
On the 15th August 2000, our Archive was visited b) the General-Consul
of Germany Mr. Karl Vokalek.
We, the Archive, told him about your society "The Friends of the
Engels Archives" , about Mr Lange, about you (ie Vera Beljakova), Mr
Kenny Stugart, and the many other wonderful people who made it happen
and he was very pleased to hear ti and he is also grateful to all the
very good sponsors to whom he also extends.
Mrs Beljakova! Your letter as balm on my soul. As it is so pleasant to
understand, that the help, which you render, comes from the soul and is
directed on the saving of documental heritage of the Volga Germans.
I with pleasure I write thank You letter to the sponsors-donators
which can be translated into German and English.
I once again thank you, dear Sirs and Ladies, and God give you strong
health and all the blessing (kindness) in the world.
Elisabeth Yerina
P.S. I hope, that the first my letter and with the brief history of
archive sent through Mrs Sofia Decker has already been received by you.
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