Rachel Heinze was only about six years old when her family left Dreispitz Khutor, located 10 miles east ofKamyshin. She is next to youngest of 12 children born to George Heinze, b. 21 May 1870 in Dreispitz, d. 4 Apr1964 in Sheboygan, Wis, and Anna Elizabeth Schuckmann, b. 21 June 1872 in Old Weimar, d. 25 Feb 1949,Sheboygan, Wis. Her father’s parents were Reinhart (Johann) Heinze, b. abt 1850 and Katharine Herbel. Hermother’s parents were Heinrich Schuckmann and Anna Elizabeth Heffel.
I was born January 25, 1915 in Dreispitz Khutor. I do remember that Dreispitz did not have a church in 1921. Worship services were held in the school building by the teacher. The streets were just dirt. The well for waterwas in the middle of town. Our house was a corner house. The street next to our house went to the cemetery. TheHeffels and Barnharts were our neighbors. The Wasenmillers lived across the street. Our grain house was outsidethe yard in front of the house. At the end of the street there was a "gossip bench" where the old men would sit andgossip.
Our father made shoes for the family. Mother and my sisters sewed, knit, and spun their own yarn. Dadbutchered, worked in wood, set broken bones, treated sprains and farmed. When our parents visited neighbors, wesisters, Emilie and Otilia, and Gottfried would bring out some long wide board from the shed, also a log to putunder the board in the center and make a teeter totter. One stood on one end and one on the other and jumped upand down. If the board went sideways, it was called "cutting bread". Toys were unheard of in our house.
In the winter of 1920 or 1921, we left Dreispitz Khutor on wagons pulled by oxen. As we got to Kamyshin theoxen were butchered for meat for the trip. We had 14 mouths to feed, our family plus Alexander Ladner whocame with us. He left for Canada at Frankfurt on the Oder, never to be heard from again. Alex was the son of themidwife in Dreispitz.
As we got to Minsk, we looked for a place for our large family to live, and found a small house empty, with thedoor sealed. Someone in the family broke the seal, and we went in to clean the place. Dad set up a small stove andput the stove pipe through the window. This heated the place, and at the same time made warm water for cleaning. After it was clean, the police came and threw us out. We found out it was a place for dead bodies to be kept, like amorgue in the winter months.
My older sisters went looking for another place to live and found an old abandoned bakery. There we made ourhome for one year, sleeping on wooden pallets. Dad took me with him to the train station where he checked everyday. We saw a lot of sick people lying on the floor. Some were dead. Malaria was bad at that time. As we leftMinsk, I remember our small stove got set up on the cattle car, benches on the sides. Mother took along some flourto make pancakes. As soon as the train stopped, my brother Gottfried would sell the pancakes along side of thetrain, using what little Russian he could speak.
Coming to Poland, we children went to a large hall where a giant ball was tossed on our heads. All childrenjumped up and down to hit that ball. That was the exercise for being cooped up for so long. When we got toFrankfurt on the Oder, the men with the boys, and the women with the girls were put in army bath houses toshower. A lot of giggling was going on. Women used wash cloths to cover. Our clothes were fumigated for lice. The barracks were set up to sleep. Blankets were hung to separate families. Mother got very sick and a horsedrawn wagon took her to a hospital where she had a gallbladder operation. Three of the sisters got jobs workingfor doctors Rothermel and Grunewals, the doctors who performed the surgery. Sister Leah got sick and ended up inthe same hospital.
My sisters, Emilie, Otilia, and Emma and I, and my brother Gottfried got some clothes. The shoes were too smalland my feet were forced into them. I remember crying. Some of us children were sent by train to Angerburg to anorphanage where we went to school, all in the same building. The older girls sewed soles on our stockings, as wenever saw our shoes for a year. Brother Gottfried was on the fifth floor and we were on the fourth. Emilie andOttilia worked in the kitchen and did laundry. After our handkerchiefs were washed, they put salt in one corner,pepper in another and sugar in a third because we did not get that at the table. After one year, Emma got sick, sodad got angry and asked Emma and me to return to Frankfort on the Oder.
By now some of the families had left Frankfurt for the USA. We got to go to school in Frankfort. On 28 April1924, we got our papers to go to Buelkau, Germany. We shared a farm house with an older lady who had fourrooms. We had one bedroom with cement floor and no carpet, and a kitchen with a brick floor for seven of us. Here we lived until 1930 before coming to Sheboygan, Wis, USA.
Many years after my parents died, we got a letter from my niece, Tamara, my oldest brother’s daughter. She toldus my brother George had died of hunger. A nephew here had a brother who died in a cave at the age of 19 nearthe village of Baranof. Their mother lived to 82 years of age. Her maiden name was Otilia Fritzler. My cousin,Reinhart Heinze was married to her sister Maria Fritzler. Uncle David Heinze married Marikathrin Feil, and hissister Marikathrina Heinze married Andreas Feil, as I was told by Sam Heinze, Uncle David Heinze’s greatgrandson who now lives in Germany. My sister Emily lived in Dorrance Kansas for many years. My sister, Otilia now lives in Germany. My Uncle David Heinze’s grandson Sam and family came to Germanyabout 1991. Sam Heinze said he never had it so good in his whole life as he has it now. I have a lot of old letters which my brother, Gorge, sent to us. As I read them now, Iknow that my parents were homesick. Dad thought of returning to Russia, but mother would nothear of it. She wanted my brother to come to Germany.
Mother could read but not write. It was hard when a letter came and she could notanswer it. We children showed mom how to write. She tried to write to the girls in the USA butthe tears hit the paper and it got so messy, she could not read it. Many years passed after bothparents and many sisters and all brothers had died. We got a letter from my niece, Tamara, myoldest brother's daughter. She told us my brother George had died of hunger. A nephew herehad a brother who died in a cave in at the age of l9 near the village of Baranof. Their motherlived to 82 years of age. Her maiden name was Otilia Fritzler. My cousin, Reinhart Heinze wasmarried to her sister, Maria Fritzler. We had double relation. Uncle David Heinze marriedMarikathrin Feil, and his sister, Marikathrina Heinze, married Andreas Feil, as I was told by SamHeinze, Uncle David Heinze's great grandson who now lives in Germany.
As I go through my AHSGR Journals (Spring of l982, vol 5, #1), our names are listedfrom page 24 & 25, # 147-159. Again in the l988 Spring issue, I find my brother, Alex, underHeinze, also Alexander Ladner on page 36.
As I was still small, many think I do not remember all of this, but I talked with my sisteron the phone in Germany. She verified this and told me I was right. I have a large phone bill toprove it!
My sister, Emily Heinze Sula lived in Dorrance, KS for many years. My dad's uncle,David Herbel, was killed while delivering milk to the dairy as he crossed a railroad track. I havebeen told there is another David Herbel, but don't know how he may be related.
I am now working on my Schuckmann ancestry, and have some letters from Argentinasentto me by my cousin before he died. I do not know what became of Mr. Bickelhaupt. I was toldthat Dr. Valentin Rothermel died in Chicago right after the war. His wife was trapped in Germanyand did not get back from a visit in time to see him alive. My sister, Otilia, now lives in Germany. Our oldest brother's son and family arrived inHanover, Germany, on 20 July to stay. My Uncle David Heinze's grandson, Sam Heinze andfamily came to Germany about l99l. They are in St. Augus in Germany. We had a nice visitwith them in l992. Sam Heinze said he never had it so good in his whole life as he has it now. Alex, his son, has learned welding and just bought his own apartment. Waldemir, his youngerson, learned to make dentures. His Russian wife learned German in school in Germany and nowworks in a nursing home caring for the elderly. A daughter of Sam's came last year with herfamily.
Yours truly,
Rachel Heinze Schroeder