The De Veers Go To Russia (1795-1803)

The De Veers Go To Russia

Copyright 2022 By Barry Teichroeb. All Rights Reserved.

The intent of this article is to offer a concise outline of the De Veer family members who made the journey to settle in Russia with reference to the most accessible sources of immigration and census records. Thus, I am using the secondary data published by Karl Stumpp, B. H. Unruh, and Peter Rempel rather than much less accessible primary sources. For this article they are assumed to be comprehensive. The scope of this analysis is the male line of the de Veer family.

The brothers from Czattkau

Stumpp lists a Johann from Czattkau in the Heubuden Church Congregation migrating to Russia in 1803 (p. 178). Stumpp also lists a Cornelius of Heubuden, born 22 December 1785, moving to Russia in 1804 (p. 199). Unruh lists a Johann from Czattkau, born around 1775, moving to Molotschna in 1803 accompanied by his brother Cornelius, born 22 December 1785 (p. 183). He also lists a Johann from Czattkau, born around 1776, living in Schoenau, Molotschna in 1808 with sons Johann, born around 1805 and Cornelius, born around 1808 (p. 157). Finally, Unruh lists a Johann living in Schoenau in 1813 in the vital record describing the birth of a daughter (p. 171). Rempel lists a Johann born around 1776 moving to Russia in 1803 accompanied by his brother Cornelius born around 1786 (p. 57).

All these entries refer to the same two individuals, Johann and Cornelius, brothers from Czattkau in the Heubuden Church Congregation, who emigrated in 1803 and settled in Molotschna around 1804.

Stumpp lists a Cornelius, born 1785, who came to Russia in 1804 from Krebsfeld and has a wife and stepsons Peter, born 1789, and Heinrich, born 1801 (p. 172). Unruh lists a Cornelius, born 1785, who came to Russia around 1805 and in 1808 lived in Blumenort, Molotschna, with a wife and stepsons Peter, born 1798, and Heinrich, born 1801 (p. 125). These must refer to the same Cornelius and one of the entries must contain an error in the birth year of stepson Peter. The wife in question had come to Russia in 1803 and become widowed. According to a note in the Grandma Database for #60783 she and her husband were from Krebsfeld, thus accounting for the place of origin mentioned by Stumpp and Unruh. It appears logical to conclude this Cornelius is one of the brothers from Czattkau.

Stumpp then lists a Cornel from Kalthof in the Heubuden Church Congregation moving to Russia in 1804 with sons Johann, born about 1805 and Cornelius, born around 1809 (p. 178). Cornel is not mentioned in either Rempel or Unruh. The children listed by Stumpp bear a striking resemblance to the children belonging to Johann in Unruh’s entry listed above (p. 157). Perhaps Stumpp’s entry for Cornel has the individual’s name transcribed incorrectly and it should be Johann, the brother of Cornelius. The caveat is that Kalthof and Czattkau, while belonging to the same church congregation, are some 15 kilometers apart.

Benjamin De Veer and his family

Unruh lists a Benjamin, born about 1739, in Neuendorf, Chortitza in 1795 with sons Jacob, born 1780, and Cornelius, born 1784 (p. 43). He lists Benjamin, born 1735, in Neuendorf in 1802 and having been there since the 1793 census, with son Cornelius, born 1784 (pp. 19, 23, 54, 61, 118). He lists Benjamin, born 1733, in Neuendorf in 1808 living with his son Jacob, born 1780, now the head of the household (p. 80). Jacob has a son Jacob, born 1807-1808. Unruh then lists Benjamin, born 1733, living in Neu-Osterwick with his son Jacob, born 1781, the head of the household (p. 103). Now Jacob has sons Isaac, born 1810, and Jacob, born 1813. Rempel lists Benjamin in Neuendorf in 1797 and 1806 (p. 30) and mentions Benjamin in connection with his son Cornelius, living in Nieder Chortitza in 1806; Benjamin had moved there in 1789 (p. 36). Unruh lists Cornelius, born 1785, in Nieder Chortitza in 1814 (p. 99).

All these entries refer to a single individual named Benjamin, born sometime between 1733 and 1739, with sons Jacob, born around 1780, and Cornelius, born around 1784.

Stumpp lists a Jacob, born 1780, coming from Krebsfeld and living in Neuendorf with a son Jacob, born 1807; Jacob was in Russia as early as 1795 (p. 199). Rempel lists a Jacob living in Neuendorf in 1806 (p. 35). Unruh lists a Jacob, born about 1781, living in Neuendorf in 1802 and 1803 (pp. 24, 53, 58).

These entries refer to Benjamin’s son Jacob, described above.

The baptism record for the Rosenort Church Congregation lists the baptism of two of Benjamin’s children, Isaac, and Anna, in 1785 in Klein Mausdorf, a village adjacent to Krebsfeld. Unruh lists Isaac living in Rosental, Chortitza in 1802 (pp. 52, 57). Rempel lists Isaac in Nieder Chortitza in 1803, but originally living in Rosental in 1795 before swapping farms (pp. 37, 42, 53). Unruh lists Isaac in Nieder Chortitza in 1814 (p. 99).

It appears all these entries listing Isaac refer to the same individual, Benjamin’s son.

Sources

Enns, Edward, Bert Friesen, Marianne Janzen, and Alf Redekopp. B. H. Unruh's Research on Mennonite Migration to Russia 1787-1895 - A Translation from Part 2 of Benjamin Heinrich Unruh's Die niederlandisch-niederdeutschen Hintergrunde der mennonitischen Ostwanderungen im 16., 18. und 19. Jahrhundert (Selbstverlag: Karlruhe, 1955). Winnipeg, Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society, 2018.

Goertz, Adalbert. Mennonite Baptisms in Rosenort, West Prussia: 1782-1795. Winnipeg. Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society. www.mmhs.org.

Rempel, Peter. Mennonite Migration to Russia, 1788-1828. Winnipeg, Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society, 2000.

Stumpp, Karl. The Emigration from Germany To Russia in the Years 1763 – 1862. Lincoln, Nebraska, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1973.

Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry. California Mennonite Historical Society, www.grandmaonline.org.