Coming off our road trip to the Germans from Russia convention in Pierre, SD leaves a jumble of memories that tends to mix with the following days. From the convention, a joke sticks with me. One of the members was moving to Texas. The MC called him to the front for a presentation and said, “You know there are tornadoes in Texas, and we want to give you a little something to protect yourself. Here’s a package of wieners. Keep them in your pocket. That way the dogs will find you first.”
Claiming German from Russia heritage however is a serious matter to a member. In my case, one grandmother suffered the indignities of life in Russia until her parents made the decision to come to America. My wife’s background includes all four grandparents who came to find a better life. Every member of GR points to similar circumstances and wants to honor their ancestors by keeping the memories alive. Resources have been developed to uncover this information.
Journey to the Homeland tours led by Michael M. Miller are a fertile resource for getting in touch with the past. He has led over 20 trips to their ancestral homes in Russia. Miller is director and bibliographer of NDSU’s Germans from Russia Heritage Collection and plays a big hand in the production of numerous Prairie Public Television documentary series.
South Dakota’s Cultural Heritage Center hosts a large archive department that serves as a depository of the state’s history. They process so much material that they draw on inmates from the South Dakota Women’s Prison to help. One lady worked at a computer wearing an orange shirt with the word “inmate” printed in large letters on her back. Their museum is not as large or extensive as North Dakota’s in Bismarck; they display something very unique - the La Verendrye lead plate on which was inscribed proof of their visit to the area in 1742. A group of boys playing on a hillside in 1913 found it sticking out of the dirt. They took it to their local newspaper where the editor recognized it as having some significance and turned it over to the state historian. Fortunately the printer didn’t melt it down to convert into printer’s type.
Immigrants from Russia brought seeds with them, and in one session titled German/Russian Garden, an interesting point came out. These imported seeds were original stock, not hybrids. The presenter had been making a practice of donating seeds of this quality to a depository whose role was to protect and insure their preservation. He expressed disappointment because the facility’s manager recently gave the Monsanto Company access to their vaults. He now fears for what might become of them. My wife purchased a packet of his seeds, a variety called Butzen melon. We’ll report if we have success next year.
Besides talking about seeds, the number and variety of sessions keep a conventioneer’s daily schedule filled. To name a few - Growing Up German from Russia in America, Historic Newspapers, DNA, Researching Your Genealogy in Russian Archives, various cooking demos, various ancestral locations in Russia in today’s world, and more. Coffee breaks always featured varieties of everyone’s German favorite, kuchen.
It is legitimate to ask what’s the big deal about Germans from Russia. German farmers were offered enticements to come to Russia by Czarina Catherine the Great thereby raising the quality of farming. Included in her promise to them were free land, religious freedom, self-administration of community and schools, exemption from Russian military service, and loans and tax exemptions.
They came in good faith and multiplied, especially in the rich farmlands. From the original 75,000 immigrants their numbers grew to 3000 colonies totaling 1.8 million people by 1900. But a new czar, Alexander II, decided these prosperous folk needed Russification whereby Catherine’s privileges were rescinded and a cruel disrespect of them began. Then Russian governments started suffering upheaval and the Germans started to look for escape from starvation and mistreatment. The U. S. became one outlet with its Homestead Act. Again, they came in good faith and have multiplied as witnessed by many communities in North Dakota with predominant German-Russian populations. Descendants choose to keep the history alive, thus giving a reason for this convention. Next year Fargo will host, and interested people should know the organization always welcomes new members.
A bit more about Pierre, their population is only about 14 thousand. With its small size, a visitor can’t help but notice scattered throughout the city the Trail of Governors consisting of life size bronze statues of each of their past state governors. In the year 2012 thirty statues were commissioned with plans to continue creating a new one for future governors. No other state honors past governors this way.
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