← Back Published on

The Teichroebs go to Chortitza 1788-1805

pdf of article

The Teichroebs Go to Chortitza

Copyright 2025 by Barry Teichroeb. All rights reserved. www.mooserungenealogy.com

Introduction

The Teichroeb family name is quite uncommon among the Mennonite settlers in Ukraine who emigrated from Prussia during the main settlement period of 1788 to 1805. The purpose of this article is to capture a complete picture of those people and to identify the individuals and families who settled in the Mennonite Colony of Chortitza during this period and the years that followed. I will refer primarily to the most accessible records of the Mennonite migration, relying on the data published by B. H. Unruh, Peter Rempel, Glenn H. Penner, Henry Schapansky, and Karl Stumpp, along with other census records that are available.

Four Teichroeb Patriarchs

Four male heads of Teichroeb families appear in immigration and census records for the settlement period under consideration. There is speculation that the four men could be brothers, but this the lack of concrete information makes this uncertain. One of the brothers, Peter (1751) appears in the Molotschna settlement with the patronym “Michael”. This indicates his father’s name was Michael.

The four patriarchs are: Michael (about 1740 or 1746 – about 1803); Johann (about 1744 – 1801); Abraham (about 1740 – before 1795); and Peter (about 1751 – 1828).

There is a record of one woman born around 1730, Katharina Teichroeb, who may have been related to the four men listed above. She married a man named Ens, and her son Peter was born around 1753 in Krebsfeld. Krebsfeld is a common origination for Teichroeb family members. It is possible that Katharina was a sister of the four men, or a young aunt. She moved to Molotschna in 1804 and was living with her son [1].

[A] Michael Teichroeb

There is conflicting evidence about when Michael was born. Records in the Deutsches Auslands-Institut, Berlin Document Center, National Archives and Records Administration specify his age was 50 years in 1796, suggesting a birth year of 1746 [2]. However, he had a son, Peter, born around 1761, indicating Michael was born around 1740 or earlier [3].

Peter (1761) was the first son of Michael. The name of Peter’s mother is not known. According to his baptism record Peter was from the village of Krebsfeld, implying that his father also lived there. Peter moved to Chortitza in 1789, settling in Neuenburg. He lived there until 1815 when he relocated to Burwalde [4].

Michael may also have had a daughter with this unnamed wife. There is a record of a woman named Anna Teichroeb (1769), baptised in the Heubuden Church in 1790. Henry Schapansky has also made this connection. Anna married Peter Wiebe. The couple emigrated to Molotschna in 1803 [5].

Michael’s first wife died around 1774. He married Helena Dyck that year. Helena bore twins in 1778, Gertruda and Kornelius. A record in 1796 of Michael’s application to emigrate lists Kornelius, but not Gertruda. She might have already been married and living separately from the family, or deceased. In either case, there is no record showing that she moved to Ukraine. Kornelius also does not seem to have emigrated, there being no record to show that he ever moved to Ukraine [6].

Helena died immediately after the birth of the twins. Michael married once again, this time to Aganetha Dyck. Aganetha and Michael had eight children, the eldest dying as a youngster. Peter Rempel lists the other children, along with Aganetha, in the emigration records for 1803. These children were: Johann (1784); Heinrich (1786); Daniel (1789); Aganetha (1791); Agatha (1793); David (1797); and Isaac (1799). Michael died before the family emigrated, but the rest of the family went to Molotschna as a group [7].

All the children of Michael and Aganetha that moved to Molotschna remained there, except for Daniel (1789). He moved to Chortitza in 1813 [8].

In 1813 Daniel (1789) was married to Maria, the widow of Bernhard Krahn. He subsequently took over the Krahn farm in Burwalde. In 1815 Daniel’s half brother, Peter (1761), moved to Burwalde, the two siblings becoming neighbours. Daniel and Maria had no children. When Maria died, Daniel married Anna Wolf (1806), born in Chortitza to settlers who had arrived in 1789, Johann Wolf and Anna Peters. Daniel and Anna had one child, Daniel (1835), born in Schoenhorst, where the family lived [9]. In 1847 Daniel (1789) was still living in Schoenhorst according to the Chortitza Colony Householder List for 1847 [10]. Daniel (1789) died in 1857, following which his son Daniel (1835) took over the farm, listed as the head of the household in the 1859 List of Chortitza Colony Householders [11].

[B] Abraham Teichroeb

Abraham Teichroeb (before 1740) moved to Chortitza in 1789. He was the sole member of his household [12]. Abraham is in the 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia, living in Krebsfeld. At that time, his household included his wife and two daughters [13]. According to the Grandma Database one of these daughters was Anna, who married Johann Wiebe in Elbing in 1810. It seems unlikely she and her husband emigrated to Chortitza. Abraham is also associated with a son who was born in 1776 and died as a newborn [14].

Abraham settled in the village of Schoenhorst. He died before the compilation of the 1795 revision list.

[C] Peter Teichroeb

Peter Michael Teichroeb (about 1751) moved to Molotschna in 1803. Other household members were his wife, Anna, and their sons Peter and Abraham. In the same group of travellers was Peter’s eldest son, Heinrich (1777) with his family, and Peter’s daughter Helena Neufeld (1779) with her family [15]. Heinrich (1777) settled in Molotschna, whereas Helena (1779) and her family got as far as Chortitza and settled there [16].

Peter (about 1751) died in Molotschna in 1828. His sons remained in Molotschna until at least 1835 according to the Revision List of 1835 [17]. Daughter Helena (1779) and her family moved to Molotschna in 1820 [18].

[D] Johann Teichroeb

Johann Teichroeb (about 1744) and his first wife, Margaretha Wiebe (1736) are in the 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia, living in Krebsfeld. At that time, their household included one son and one daughter. These children were Margaretha (1773-1841) and Heinrich (1776). It is not certain when Johann’s first wife died but based on the age gap to the next child, it was before 1784. Johann next married Katharina (1762). The family moved to Chortitza in 1789 and settled in Schoenhorst. Johann died in 1801. Katharina remarried and remained in Schoenhorst [19].

Johann’s daughter Margaretha (1773-1841) married Peter Rempel (1759-1821). They lived in Schoenhorst between 1795 and 1797, after which they moved to Chortitza village. After 1811 the moved to Osterwick [20].

Johann’s son Heinrich (1776) had his own farm in Schoenhorst from 1801. The Shoenhorst Church Registry provides a record of his children born up to 1847. Heinrich appears in the Schoenhorst householder list compiled in 1847. Heinrich’s son Heinrich (1809) might have been the other Heinrich Teichroeb listed a householder in Schoenhorst in 1847 [21].

Johann’s son Johann (1784) died in the Chortitza settlement in 1806. He was living in Schoenhorst with his mother and stepfather at the time [22]. Based on available records it does not appear that Johann (1784) had children.

Johann’s daughter Katharina (1791) married Jacob Harder around 1812. They lived in Osterwick in the Chortitza settlement. They were still living in Osterwick as late as 1847 in accordance with the householder list for that year [23].

Johann’s son Peter (1794) farmed in Schoenhorst in 1815 and 1816. In 1825 he relocated to the village of Wernersdorf in the Molotschna settlement, where he and his family remained [24].

Johann’s son Jacob (1797) may have spent his entire life in the Chortitza settlement. This is not certain, but he lived there throughout the main census periods up to 1816. In addition, there is a Jacob Teichroeb mentioned in the 1847 householder list. He also appears in the Schoenhorst Church Registry with his wife Katharina Neudorf. The registry lists two children born in Schoenhorst, one in 1826 and one in 1841 [25].

Johann’s son Abraham (1801) lived in the Chortitza settlement, but he did not farm independently through the census period ending in 1816; he would have been too young. He is a farm hand on other people’s farms during the 1814-1816 census periods. His last known residence was Osterwick in 1822, when his son Abraham was born [26].

One Other Teichroeb in Chortitza

The 1822 Vital Records for the Chortitza settlement list a man named Wilhelm Teichroeb living in the village of Osterwick. The entry concerns a daughter born that year [27]. There are no immigration records mentioning Wilhelm, nor are there any references to him in any available Chortitza census records. His family origin is uncertain. It is curious that Johann Teichroeb’s children Margaretha (1773), Katharina (1791), and Abraham (1801) also lived in Osterwick around 1822.

Notes

[1] B. H. Unruh, Die niederlandisch-niederdeutschen Hintergrunde der Mennonitischen Ostwanderungen im 16., 18., und 19. Jahrhundert (Heinrich Schneider, Karlsruhe, 1955), p. 186.

[2] See Deutsches Auslands-Institut, Berlin Document Center, National Archives and Records Administration, page 789, https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/mf%20mss%20261/pages/789.php.

[3] The Elbing-Ellerwald Baptism records for 1778-1795 list Peter Teichroeb, son of Michael Teichroeb, being baptised in 1781. Usually this would indicate Peter was born around 1761. See the entry in 1781 at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/prussia/Elbing-Ellerwald_Baptisms_1778-1795d.htm.

[4] See Glenn H. Penner, The First Mennonite Settlers in the Chortitza Settlement, at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/First_Mennonite_Settlers_in_Chortitza.pdf. Census records found at mennonitegenealogy.com show the villages where Peter lived through 1816. Peter’s baptism record is found in Elbing-Ellerwald Baptisms 1778-1795 compiled by Glenn H. Penner at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/prussia/Elbing-Ellerwald_Baptisms_1778-1795a.htm.

[5] Anna’s baptism record is found in the Heubuden Church records at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/prussia/Heubuden_Baptisms_1770-1799.htm; Anna’s marriage in 1796 to Peter Wiebe is found in Heubuden Church records at https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/cong_321/heubuden%20church%20book%20transcription.pdf. For the association to Michael Teichroeb see Henry Schapansky, Mennonite Migrations and The Old Colony (Rosenort MB, Henry Schapansky, 2006), p. 593. Peter Rempel records the migration to Molotschna in Peter Rempel, Mennonite Migration to Russia, 1788-1828 (Winnipeg, Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society, 2000), p. 60.

[6] The marriage record for Michael and Helena is found in John D. Thiessen’s transcription of Heubuden Mennonite Church Book 1773-1815 at https://mla.bethelks.edu/metadata/cong_321.php. The birth records for Gertruda and Kornelius are there. The emigration application listing Michael and his family is found in Deutsches Auslands-Institut, Berlin Document Center, National Archives and Records Administration, located at https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/mf%20mss%20261/pages/789.php.

[7] Peter Rempel, p. 63.

[8] Unruh p. 332 records Daniel’s move to Chortitza and the death of Michael’s daughter Aganetha. The Molotschna Revision List for 1835 lists the other brothers, still in Molotschna at that date; it is found at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/Molotschna_Mennonite_Settlement_Census_1835.pdf, transcribed by Glenn H. Penner. This revision list also has the record for Michael’s daughter Agatha, who had married Aron Peters and remained in Molotschna.

[9] Barry Teichroeb, “Teichroeb Ancestry: Poland – Russia – Canada”, https://www.mooserungenealogy.com/articles/teichroeb-ancestry-poland-russia-canada/.

[10] Chortitza Colony Householder List for 1847: https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/Chortitza_1847.htm.

[11] 1859 List of Chortitza Colony Householders: https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/1859_Chortitza_Original.htm.

[12] Glenn H. Penner, The First Mennonite Settlers in the Settlement of Chortitza.

[13] See Glenn H. Penner’s compilation of The Complete 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/prussia/1776_West_Prussia_Census.pdf.

[14] See the Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry at https://grandmaonline.org, #199345.

[15] Peter Rempel, p. 67. It is not certain that Helena (Teichroeb) Neufeld was a daughter of Peter Michael Teichroeb, but the fact that she and her family were travelling in the same group as the households of Peter (about 1751) and Heinrich (1777) suggests strongly that this was the case.

[16] Heinrich Teichroeb (1777) appears in the Molotschna census records in Blumstein as early as 1805: see the Molotschna Mennonite Settlement Census for October 1805 compiled by Glenn H. Penner at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/Molotschna_Mennonite_Settlement_Census_October_1805.pdf.

Helena (Teichroeb) Neufeld (1779) appears in Chortitza census records in Schoenhorst as early as 1807: see the 1807 Chortitza Census compiled by Tim Janzen and Richard Thiessen at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/Chortitza_Mennonite_Settlement_Census_November_1807.pdf.

[17] See The 1835 Revision List of the Molotschna Mennonite Settlement compiled by Glenn H. Penner at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/Molotschna_Mennonite_Settlement_Census_1835.pdf.

[18] The evidence that the family moved around 1820 is based on information in the Grandma Database (cited above) #14772 saying that the youngest son was born in Molotschna in 1820. Helena and her husband are not in the 1835 census and therefore this assertion is uncertain.

[19] The Complete 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia has been cited above; for the emigration to Chortitza see Glenn H. Penner, The First Mennonite Settlers in the Chortitza Settlement, cited above; Johann’s death is recorded in Tim Janzen’s compilation, Chortitza Colony Vital Records, at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/vital.htm; Chortitza settlement census records indicate Katharina remained in Schoenhorst until her death after the census of 1810; these records can be viewed at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/.

[20] See the Chortitza settlement census records at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/.

[21] Heinrich Teichroeb appears throughout the census records cited above and The Chortitza Colony Householder List for 1847 also cited above.

[22] The Chortitza Colony Vital Records cited above include Johann Teichroeb’s death in 1806.

[23] Jacob Harder appears in the village of Chortitza in 1811 with a young daughter, but no wife. In 1813 Katharina Teichroeb appears with him as his wife, living in Osterwick; see the Chortitza settlement census records cited above; The Chortitza Colony Householder List for 1847, cited above.

[24] See the Chortitza settlement census records for 1815 and 1816, cited above, and the 1835 Molotschna census also cited above.

[25] Jacob Teichroeb appears throughout the census records cited above and The Chortitza Colony Householder List for 1847 also cited above.

[26] Abraham Teichroeb appears throughout the census records cited above. The birth of his son is listed in Tim Janzen’s compilation of the Chortitza Colony Vital records: September – December 1822 at https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/Chortitza_Colony_Vital_Records_1822.pdf.

[27] See Chortitza Colony Vital records: September – December 1822 cited above.