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In 1763 Catherine the Great of Russia issued her second Manifesto inviting German colonists into her county. She promised freedom of religion, immunity from all taxes, draft exemption and land possession "for eternal time." Catherine's careful scheme to convince the impoverished German masses to emigrate to Russia involved the establishment of numerous recruiting offices. Leaflets were distributed enticing citizens to leave for Russia. Transportation costs were paid by the Russian Crown, and emphasis was put on the desirability of colonist with families. Thousands of emigrants gathered in Budingen, Hesse Germany in the summer of 1766 before beginning the long trip to the Volga River Valley where eventually 104 colonies were established. They traveled for over a year through the harsh environment, wintering in Russian homes to reach the steppes of Russia. On August 28, 1767 the Russian Cossack officer told the German colonist this was there home, some 400 southeast of Moscow and 50 miles from Saratov, the capitol of the province. Without houses or trees, this was not the paradise they had envisioned.
This was the beginning of Yagodnaya Polyana (Yagoda) or Berry Meadow.
Eighty families made up of 269 souls, of the Lutheran faith were the
founders of Yagodnaya Polyana. The youngest, Anna Margarethe Morasch
was just 8 days old. The colony would be built with only rough-hewn
tools and determination. A Russian peasant taught the inexperienced
Germans how to make earth houses, which were simply big holes in the
ground covered with lumber from the wagons. That first winter Germans
ate all the seed wheat they had brought to plant and large packs of
marauding wolves added to the frightful conditions. The infant mortality
rate was unusually high during that first year. After the spring floods
forced them out of the dugouts, provisions were brought which included
agricultural implements and saws. Until 1775 the population of Volga
region declined due to the harsh conditions. Luckily, Yagodnaya was
located far enough north to avoid the devastation of many villages by
Pugachev, a mentally deranged Cossack and the Kirghiz, native tribes.
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