Frequently
Asked
Questions
1.
How
can
I
start
researching
my
German-Russian
family?
2.
What
is
the
correct
spelling
of
my
family's
name?
3.
When
and
why
did
German
Russians
go
to
Russia?
4.
When
and
why
did
the
German
Russians
leave
Russia?
5.
Where
did
the
German
Russians
settle
in
the
Americas?
6.
Where
is
village
xyz
on
a
current
map
of
Russia?
7.
Why
were
there
so
many
Germans
in
Poland?
8.
What
connections
do
German
Russians
have
to
Prussia?
9.
Why
didn't
my
grandparents
talk
about
their
German-Russian
heritage?
10.
Why
did
my
relatives
speak
German
instead
of
Russian?
11.
What
books
will
help
me
research
my
German
Russian
heritage?
12.
What
happened
to
the
Germans
living
in
the
Soviet
Union
prior
to
and
during
World
War
II?
13.
How
do
I
get
in
contact
with
my
relatives
who
stayed
in
Russia?
How
do
I
find
if
I
even
have
any
relatives
there?
14.
Is/Are
the
German-Russian
village(s)
still
there
and
can
I
visit
them?
15.
Are
there
tours
to
Russia
to
the
place(s)
where
my
ancestors
lived?
16.
What
other
research
tools
for
German
Russians
are
available
to
me
on-line?
17.
How
do
I
get
a
hold
of
familial
records
in
Russia?
18.
Where
did
my
ancestors
come
from
in
Germany?
19.
How
do
I
become
a
member
of
AHSGR
and
what
does
membership
mean?
20.
What
is
a
village
coordinator?
21.
What
census
lists
are
available
for
research?
22.
Why
isn't
this
information
available
from
the
Russian
Archives
now?
23.
Are
there
any
Germans
still
living
in
Russia
and
if
so
where?
24.
What
is
the
basic
German
genealogical
vocabulary?
1.
How
can
I
start
researching
my
German-Russian
family?
Beginners
should
do
two
things
when
beginning
to
research
one's
family:
interview
relatives
and
read
a
book
on
performing
genealogical
research.
It
is
very
important
to
talk
to
your
relatives
while
they
are
still
living,
as
they
know
more
about
your
family
than
any
other
source.
Check
out
a
comprehensive
book
on
genealogy
research
from
the
library
to
give
yourself
a
basis
for
your
research
and
to
familiarize
yourself
with
the
various
documents
used
in
genealogical
research.
Gather
all
information
you
already
have
from
various
sources.
If
you
use
a
computer,
you
may
wish
to
purchase
genealogical
software
to
aid
in
organizing
your
information.
There
are
many
on-line
sites
that
can
be
helpful
in
researching
your
family
history
as
well.
AHSGR's
homepage
address
is
http://www.ahsgr.org/.
Document
all
sources
you
utilize,
as
this
helps
you
to
direct
your
research
more
efficiently.
Keep
in
mind
a
general
rule
of
genealogy
is
to
go
from
the
known
to
the
unknown
and
not
the
other
way
around.
Begin
your
research
with
yourself
and
the
family
history
that
you
know
of
or
can
obtain
from
living
relatives.
Use
the
family
Bible,
census
or
birth
records
to
fill
gaps
you
may
have
in
your
family
tree.
Attempt
to
find
out
when
your
relatives
immigrated
to
the
Americas
and
where
they
lived
in
Russia
before
you
seek
to
obtain
information
from
Russia.
Another
general
rule
is
to
do
as
much
research
locally
as
possible.
Use
your
local
LDS
Family
History
Center,
library,
interlibrary
loan,
genealogical
society,
etc.,
to
their
fullest
extent
before
you
write
or
travel
to
distant
archives
or
churches.
It
is
usually
cheaper
and
often
more
efficient,
and
it
will
make
subsequent
research
more
productive.
2.
What
is
the
correct
spelling
of
my
family's
name?
It
is
often
very
difficult
to
determine
the
original
spelling
of
a
surname
or
first
name,
for
a
number
of
reasons.
If
one
is
researching
Russian
records,
oftentimes
the
German
surname
of
an
individual
was
recorded
by
a
Russian
official
in
the
Cyrillic
alphabet.
The
dialect
spoken
by
the
Germans
in
Russia
also
provides
for
variations
of
spellings
in
both
German
and
Russian.
When
taking
the
English
transliteration
of
these
German
or
Russian
spellings,
more
changes
commonly
occur
and,
of
course,
when
individuals
came
to
the
United
States
names
were
written
as
understood
by
the
immigration
official.
In
researching
ancestors'
first
names,
it
is
also
helpful
to
consider
the
second
name
as
well
as
nicknames
and
alternate
spellings,
as
many
families
gave
the
same
first
name
to
more
than
one
son
or
daughter.
3.
When
and
why
did
Germans
go
to
Russia?
Although
Germany
was
not
unified
as
a
nation
until
1871,
the
German
principalities
and
kingdoms
have
historically
shared
an
inextricable
link
with
Russia.
For
centuries
Germans
have
lived
within
the
borders
of
Russia.
The
Germans
were
especially
prominent
in
the
Baltic
States
where
they
were
the
landowners.
During
the
time
of
Peter
the
Great,
many
Germans
were
appointed
to
government
advisory
positions.
However,
under
Elizabeth
I,
government
positions
were
purged
of
their
foreign,
primarily
German,
officers.
On
December
4,
1762,
Catherine
the
Great
issued
a
Manifesto
inviting
Western
Europeans
to
settle
in
Russia.
However,
it
was
her
second
Manifesto
of
July
22,
1763,
which
offered
transportation
to
Russia,
religious
and
political
autonomy,
and
land
that
incited
many
Western
Europeans,
mostly
Germans,
to
migrate
to
Russia.
This
Manifesto
was
issued
after
the
end
of
the
Seven
Years'
War
in
which
German
peasants
suffered
many
losses.
Conditions
among
the
German
people
were
very
unstable.
At
that
time,
the
area
that
is
now
Germany
was
a
conglomeration
of
more
than
300
principalities
and
dukedoms
which
frequently
changed
hands,
and
therefore
religions,
as
well.
Many
German
peasants,
seeking
a
way
to
practice
their
chosen
religion
and
to
improve
their
social
standing,
accepted
the
offer
to
settle
in
Russia.
The
first
wave
of
migration
occurred
in
the
Volga
River
region
beginning
in
1764.
By
the
late
1760s
some
isolated
settlements
were
already
founded
in
South
Russia.
Hutterites
first
settled
in
Russia
in
1770
and
Mennonites
began
to
settle
in
Russia
by
1789.
In
1803,
Alexander
I
reissued
the
Manifesto
of
Catherine
II,
prompting
another
wave
of
migration,
primarily
into
South
Russia.
By
the
mid-nineteenth
century
the
areas
of
Volhynia,
Crimea,
and
the
Caucasus
were
being
settled
by
Germans.
Beginning
in
the
late
nineteenth
century
and
continuing
into
the
first
decade
of
this
century,
settlements
were
being
founded
by
Germans
in
Siberia.
At
the
end
of
the
nineteenth
century
Russia
had
a
population
of
approximately
1.8
million
Germans
See
our
store
or
our
Books
page
for
a
listing
of
books
available
for
sale
or
a
comprehensive
list
of
books
on
this
subject.
4.
When
and
why
did
the
German
Russians
leave
Russia?
When
Alexander
II
revoked
the
privileges
offered
to
the
Germans
who
had
settled
in
Russia
more
than
a
century
earlier,
such
as
exemption
from
military
service,
the
emigration
of
the
Germans
from
Russia
to
the
Americas
began.
1872
was
the
beginning
of
a
large
wave
of
emigration
of
Germans
from
Russia
as
a
result
of
the
social
conditions
in
Russia.
There
was
a
growing
sentiment
of
hostility
towards
foreigners,
particularly
Germans,
and
a
policy
of
Russification
was
adopted
to
make
the
populations
in
the
empire
more
Russian.
Later
emigrants
left
Russia
due
to
worsening
living
conditions,
caused
by
war
and
famine.
See
our
store
or
our
Books
page
for
a
listing
of
books
available
for
sale
or
a
comprehensive
list
of
books
on
this
subject.
5.
Where
did
the
German
Russians
settle
in
the
Americas?
The
first
settlers
came
to
the
Midwest
of
the
United
States
Illinois,
Nebraska,
Kansas,
and
the
Dakotas
as
this
region
resembled
the
areas
they
had
left
behind
in
Russia.
These
immigrants
spread
out
to
settle
in
Colorado,
Montana,
Idaho,
Washington,
Oregon,
California,
Oklahoma
and
Texas.
Immigration
to
Canada,
Brazil
and
Argentina
quickly
followed.
Many
who
immigrated
to
South
America
had
first
attempted
to
settle
in
North
America
but
were
turned
away
due
to
disease.
6.
Where
is
village
xyz
on
a
current
map
of
Russia?
Many
German
villages
no
longer
appear
on
present-day
maps
of
Russia,
as
most
were
destroyed
as
a
result
of
the
1941
deportation
of
the
German
populations
in
Russia
to
work
camps
in
Siberia
and
Middle
Asia.
Those
villages
that
were
not
destroyed
either
deteriorated
with
time
or
were
resettled
by
non-German
populations.
Due
to
the
many
changes
that
have
taken
place
in
Russia
this
century,
these
villages
seldom
appear
as
they
did
when
inhabited
by
their
German
populations.
However,
we
have
a
number
of
maps
and
map
indexes
which
indicate
the
German
settlements
in
Russia
and
their
(former)
location,
as
well
as
a
number
of
maps
for
specific
villages
that
depict
the
village
layout,
occasionally
listing
surnames
of
former
inhabitants.
See
our
maps
available
for
purchase.
7.
Why
were
there
so
many
Germans
in
Poland?
People
of
Germanic
origins
lived
throughout
the
regions
which
are
now
Poland
and
the
Baltic
States.
A
large
part
of
Poland
was
once
within
Prussia's
boundaries,
and
until
the
end
of
World
War
II,
the
eastern
border
of
German
lands
extended
much
farther
than
this
border
today.
Germans
settled
the
former
Polish
area
of
Volhynia
heavily
from
the
mid-nineteenth
to
mid-twentieth
centuries,
largely
due
to
the
Russian
abolition
of
serfdom
and
the
second
Polish
Insurrection.
8.
What
connections
do
German
Russians
have
to
Prussia?
Prussia
was
initially
inhabited
by
Slavic
tribes
and
later
settled
by
Germanic
tribes.
These
tribes
in
turn
were
conquered
by
the
Teutonic
Order,
which
brought
Christianity
to
the
region.
Prussia
at
one
time
was
incorporated
into
Poland
but
was
never
part
of
Russia.
Prussia
grew
significantly
in
influence
and
power
under
the
leadership
of
Frederick
the
Great
in
the
eighteenth
century.
The
regions
enclosed
by
Prussia's
boundaries
under
Frederick's
rule
included
Brandenburg,
Pomerania,
Silesia,
Danzig,
West
and
East
Prussia.
The
Prussian
Prime
Minister,
Otto
von
Bismarck,
implemented
the
unification
of
the
German
states
following
Prussia's
victory
in
the
Franco-Prussian
War
in
1871,
establishing
the
German
Empire.
The
Mennonites
who
settled
in
the
Black
Sea
region
of
Russia
emigrated
from
West
Prussia.
Following
Germany's
defeat
in
World
War
I,
the
Danzig
Corridor
of
Prussia
was
granted
to
Poland,
thus
dividing
Prussia.
After
World
War
II,
most
of
the
lands
that
were
once
within
the
borders
of
Prussia
were
granted
to
Poland.
AHSGR
has
some
resources
for
researching
emigrants
from
Prussia
to
Russia.
We
do
not
have
resources
for
researching
those
who
emigrated
directly
from
Prussia
to
North
America
or
elsewhere.
If
you
are
interested
in
receiving
more
information
on
groups
that
emigrated
directly
from
Prussia,
contact
the
sites
or
organizations
listed
below:
Germanic
Genealogy
Society
Or
e-mail
Polish
Genealogy
Society
at:
pgsamerica@aol.com.
9.
Why
didn't
my
grandparents
talk
about
their
German-Russian
heritage?
During
World
War
I
and
World
War
II
there
was
a
great
deal
of
animosity
towards
German
immigrants
and
German-speaking
immigrants
in
this
country.
Many
states
passed
legislation
restricting
the
use
of
the
German
language
as
a
measure
to
curtail
the
influence
of
their
German
populations.
Either
forcibly
or
voluntarily,
many
German-speaking
citizens
restricted
or
concealed
their
"Germanness."
After
World
War
II
came
the
Red
Scare,
and
although
most
of
the
German-Russian
immigrants
entered
this
country
before
the
Bolshevik
Revolution
and
implementation
of
Communism,
the
fact
that
they
were
from
Russia
was
reason
enough
for
antagonism
to
be
brought
against
them.
Many
German-Russian
families
found
it
easier
to
conceal
their
origins
rather
than
endure
the
prejudices
that
a
large
part
of
society
held
towards
their
language,
culture
and
country.
As
a
result,
many
descendants
of
Germans
from
Russia
are
learning,
late
in
life,
of
their
heritage
and
origins.
10.
Why
did
my
relatives
speak
German
instead
of
Russian?
One
of
the
provisions
of
the
Manifesto
issued
by
Catherine
the
Great
in
1763
was
that
the
colonists
would
be
able
to
maintain
their
German
language
and
culture,
as
well
as
their
own
schools
and
churches.
Thus,
until
the
twentieth
century,
when
an
active
policy
of
"Russification"
was
adopted,
the
German
colonists
spoke
primarily,
oftentimes
exclusively,
German.
The
dialect
spoken
by
the
various
groups
of
Germans
in
Russia
is
an
interesting
subject
as
these
dialects
are
very
distinct
from
the
dialects
now
spoken
in
Germany.
When
the
German
colonists
immigrated
to
Russia,
their
language
was
not
subject
to
the
same
influences
as
other
German
speakers
and
was
more
or
less
isolated,
resulting
in
a
dialect
that
has
survived
for
more
than
200
years.
11.What
books
will
help
me
research
my
German-Russian
heritage?
There
are
a
number
of
books
covering
a
number
of
topics
concerning
the
history
and
culture
of
Germans
from
Russia.
For
a
comprehensive
and
detailed
history
concerning
all
groups
of
Germans
in
Russia,
From
Catherine
to
Khurschev
by
Adam
Giesinger
is
suggested.
The
Emigration
from
Germany
to
Russia
in
the
Years
1763
to
1862
by
Karl
Stumpp
also
gives
pertinent
historical
information
and
documents
regarding
the
settlement
of
Russia
by
German
colonists.
This
text
also
provides
original
settler
lists,
primarily
for
the
Black
Sea
regions,
and
revision
(census)
lists.
These
books
are
also
available
for
purchase
in
diskette
form
and
are
available
through
the
interlibrary
loan
service
at
your
local
public
library.
These
are
just
two
of
many
informative
books
available
to
researchers.
Our
Annotated
Bibliography
of
books
provides
you
with
information
on
more
books.
AHSGR
houses
the
largest
library
collection
of
German-Russian
materials
in
this
country.
See
our
Store
for
a
list
of
books
available
for
purchase
for
more
information
pertaining
to
your
subject
of
interest.
12.
What
happened
to
the
Germans
living
in
the
Soviet
Union
prior
to
and
during
World
War
II?
On
August
12,
1939,
Stalin
and
Hitler
signed
a
non-aggression
pact.
As
a
result
of
this,
Germans
living
in
Bessarabia,
Bukovina,
Dobruja,
Galicia
and
Polish
Volhynia
were
repatriated
to
Germany.
They
were
first
settled
in
the
western
part
of
Poland,
but
as
the
German
Army
retreated,
they
moved
farther
westward
into
western
Germany.
Because
of
the
earlier
agreement
and
the
fact
that
they
had
German
citizenship,
they
were
not
forced
back
to
the
Soviet
Union
at
the
end
of
the
war.
Beginning
with
the
Crimean
Germans
on
August
20,
1941,
Germans
living
in
areas
not
overrun
by
the
German
Army
were
deported
to
Siberia
and
the
Asiatic
Republics.
There
they
were
sent
to
labor
camps
and
kept
under
close
supervision
until
1956.
These
deported
Germans
were
from
the
area
east
of
the
Dnieper
River,
the
Volga
Region
(September
1941),
the
South
Caucasus
(October
1941),
and
Leningrad
(now
Petersburg,
March
1942).
Germans
living
in
the
cities
were
also
deported
to
labor
camps.
The
Germans
living
in
the
area
of
the
southern
Soviet
Union
which
was
overrun
by
the
German
Army
retreated
with
the
German
Army
as
they
were
losing
the
war.
At
the
end
of
the
war,
approximately
300,000
of
these
people
were
in
Germany;
200,000
of
them
were
forcibly
repatriated
to
the
Soviet
Union,
where
they
joined
the
other
Soviet
Germans
in
labor
camps.
A
Light
in
the
Darkness
is
a
video
presentation
depicting
the
plight
of
these
Germans
at
this
time.
For
information
on
obtaining
this
video,
please
visit
our
online
Store
or
the
Interlibrary
Loan
page.
13.
How
do
I
get
in
contact
with
my
relatives
who
stayed
in
Russia?
How
do
I
find
if
I
even
have
any
relatives
there?
Many
people
have
had
great
success
by
putting
notices
in
a
German-language
newspaper
in
Russia
as
well
in
a
German-Russian
publication
called
Volk
auf
dem
Weg
published
by
the
Landsmannschaft
der
Deutschen
aus
Russland
(Society
of
Germans
from
Russia)
based
in
Stuttgart,
Germany.
Ask
them
to
put
a
notice
in
their
publication
requesting
"people
with
any
knowledge
of
the
ABC
family
from
the
XYZ
village"
to
contact
you.
The
editor
of
Volk
auf
dem
Weg
is
fluent
in
English
and
will
be
able
to
translate
your
request
for
you.
Include
at
least
three
International
Postal
Coupons
in
order
that
they
may
notify
you
of
any
charges.
The
pertinent
addresses
are:
Volk
auf
dem
Weg
Landsmannschaft
der
Deutschen
aus
Russland
Raitelsbergstrasse
49
70188
Stuttgart,
Germany;
Neues
Leben
Bumashny
Proyesd
14,
GSP-4
Moscow,
101461
Russia
14.
Is/Are
the
German-Russian
village(s)
still
there
and
can
I
visit
them?
There
are
still
villages
in
Russia
that
have
ethnic
German
populations.
These
villages
are
located
in
the
Black
Sea
and
Volga
regions,
Siberia
and
Middle
Asia.
Before
traveling
to
Russia
expecting
to
visit
a
specific
village,
you
will
want
to
research
the
present
status
of
that
village.
Contacting
the
tour
coordinators
listed
in
question
14
may
help
determine
the
village's
accessibility.
15.
Are
there
tours
to
Russia
to
the
place(s)
where
my
ancestors
lived?
For
information
on
tours
to
the
Volga
and
Black
Sea
region,
contact
John
Klein
824
S.
16th
Street
Lincoln,
NE
68508
Tel:
(402)
475-7932
Fax:
(402)
434-5379
For
information
on
tours
the
Black
Sea
region,
contact
Michael
Miller
at:
North
Dakota
State
University
P.O.
Box
5599
Fargo,
ND
58105-5599
Tel:
(701)
231-8416
Fax:
(701)
231-7138
mmmiller@badlands.nodak.edu
As
many
of
the
German
villages
were
destroyed
or
deserted
following
the
1941
deportation
of
Germans
to
Siberia
and
Middle
Asia,
the
village
inhabitants
now
are
typically
non-German,
although
many
ethnic
Germans
within
Russia
are
relocating
to
the
original
settlements
of
their
ancestors.
16.
What
other
research
tools
for
German
Russians
are
available
to
me
on-line?
AHSGR's
homepage
provides
information
about
the
GER-RUS
&
GER-RUS2
Listserves
and
the
Odessa
Digital
Library,
as
well
as
the
chapters
of
AHSGR
that
maintain
their
own
homepages.
You
might
also
want
to
check
out
the
German
Russian
Heritage
Society
Homepage.
17.
How
do
I
obtain
familial
records
in
Russia?
Independent
researchers
in
Russia,
who
may
also
be
contacted
to
obtain
information
from
Russia,
primarily
from
the
Volga
region.
The
Russian
Archive
Records
service
is
another
available
resource.
Researchers
are
also
encouraged
to
contact
their
Village
Coordinator
for
other
options
that
may
be
available
to
them.
For
more
information
on
these
services
for
Russian
archival
research,
contact
AHSGR
via
email
or
visit
the
Russian
Archive
Records
web
site.
18.
Where
did
my
ancestors
come
from
in
Germany?
This
is
the
question
most
genealogy
researchers
of
German
Russians
seek
to
answer.
The
Emigration
from
Germany
to
Russia,
by
Karl
Stumpp,
provides
original
settler
lists
for
many
villages
in
the
Black
Sea
region,
which
list
the
origins
of
the
settlers
in
many
cases.
A
few
original
settler
lists
are
also
available
for
the
Volga
region
in
this
book.
See
our
Store
or
our
Books
page
for
information
on
purchasing
this
book,
which
is
also
available
on
diskette
and
through
the
interlibrary
loan
service
at
your
local
public
library.
Many
of
the
German
settlers
in
Russia
were
from
then
regions
of
Hesse,
Baden,
Wuerttemberg,
the
Palatinate,
and
other
southern
regions
of
what
is
now
Germany.
Most
of
the
Mennonites
who
settled
in
Russia
were
from
West
Prussia,
now
part
of
Poland.
19.
How
do
I
become
a
member
of
AHSGR
and
what
does
membership
mean?
To
become
a
member,
see
our
Membership
page
to
access
the
membership
enrollment
forms.
Membership
is
$50
annually
and
provides
you
with
quarterly
issues
of
the
Journal
of
the
American
Historical
Society
of
Germans
from
Russia,
the
Newsletter
of
AHSGR,
and
an
annual
edition
of
Clues,
which
contains
the
Surname
Exchange,
a
genealogical
index.
Membership
also
provides
you
with
translation
services,
purchases
of
books
or
maps,
reduced
registration
rate
at
our
annual
convention,
and
access
to
our
archival
information
and
assistance
with
genealogy
and
historical
research.
Our
library
is
available
to
everyone
through
the
interlibrary
loan
service
at
your
local
public
library.
Membership
in
AHSGR
also
makes
you
a
part
of
a
worldwide
network
of
researchers
of
varying
disciplines
and
a
variety
of
people
interested
in
learning
about
and
sharing
information
on
the
German
Russians.
20.
What
is
a
village
coordinator?
Village
Coordinators
(VCs)
are
current
members
of
AHSGR
who
volunteer
to
correspond
with
others
interested
in
the
ancestral
villages
they
are
researching.
This
provides
a
network
of
researchers
who
can
share
information,
thus
enhancing
everyone's
knowledge
of
the
German
communities
in
Russia.
Many
VCs
work
together
and
in
groups
to
obtain
information
from
Russia
and
many
also
publish
their
own
newsletters,
compile
databases,
and
maintain
web
sites.
See
our
Village
Coordinators
page
for
a
listing
of
AHSGR
Village
Coordinators,
their
postal
addresses
and
email
addresses.
21.
What
census
lists
are
available
for
research?
The
1775
and
1798
census
lists
for
many
villages
in
the
Volga
region
are
available
for
purchase
from
AHSGR.
A
list
of
these
available
census
lists
may
be
found
on
our
Census
page.
AHSGR
also
possesses
microfilms
of
the
1834
census
for
the
Volga
villages
of
Basel,
Orlovskaya,
Paulskaya,
Pobochnya,
Schwed,
Straub,
Yagodnaya
Polyana,
Zuerich
and
Zug,
which
we
are
able
to
research
by
individual
family.
Copies
and
translations
of
these
lists
are
not
permitted
per
the
agreement
with
the
archive.
The
census
lists
for
the
nineteenth
century
are
not
available
in
full
due
to
the
conditions
of
the
Russian
Archives
that
house
them.
These
archives
must
contend
with
a
variety
of
economic
challenges,
and
because
of
this,
obtaining
information
can
be
very
difficult
at
best.
Some
individuals
utilize
a
research
contact
in
Russia
to
research
such
records
that
are
not
yet
available
outside
of
Russia.
See
question
17
for
more
information
on
such
contacts.
22.
Why
isn't
this
information
available
from
the
Russian
Archives
now?
Due
to
the
many
changes
that
have
taken
place
in
Russia
this
century,
obtaining
information
from
Russian
archives
is
a
difficult
task
for
a
variety
of
reasons.
Presently,
the
archivists
in
Russia
work
with
little
or
no
pay.
The
archives
have
extremely
limited
resources,
often
having
only
one
photocopier
or
computer,
which
may
or
may
not
actually
function.
Many
archives
charge
very
high
prices
for
obtaining
records
or
utilizing
their
services,
due
to
the
instability
of
the
economy.
For
these
reasons,
AHSGR
seeks
to
establish
and
maintain
amicable
and
mutually
beneficial
relations
with
the
Russian
archives
in
order
to
obtain
as
much
information
pertinent
to
the
German
populations
in
Russia
as
possible.
Some
individuals
utilize
a
research
contact
in
Russia
to
research
such
records
that
are
not
yet
available
outside
of
Russia.
See
question
17
for
more
information
on
such
contacts.
23.
Are
there
any
Germans
still
living
in
Russia
and
if
so
where?
There
are
many
Germans
living
in
Russia,
however,
these
people,
although
ethnically
German,
are
more
assimilated
into
Russian
culture
than
in
previous
centuries.
Many
of
these
Germans,
with
the
exception
of
the
older
generations,
no
longer
speak
German
and
do
not
live
in
the
Black
Sea
or
Volga
regions,
which
were
once
heavily
populated
by
Germans,
rather
they
are
dispersed
throughout
Russia.
Germany
is
granting
citizenship
to
ethnic
Germans
from
Russia
and
provides
them
with
the
social
assistance
needed
in
relocating
to
Germany,
including
housing,
stipends,
and
language
instruction.
24.
What
is
the
basic
German
genealogical
vocabulary?
| birth |
geburt |
| born |
geboren,
geb |
| baptism |
taufe |
| baptized |
getauft,
get |
| marriage |
heirat,
hochzeit,
trauung,
vermaehlung |
| marry |
heiraten,
verheiraten,
verh.,
vermaehlen,
verm.,
trauen,
getr |
| death |
tod |
| died |
gestorben,
verstorben,
gest |
| burial |
beerdigung,
begraebnis |
| buried |
beerdigt,
beerd.,
begraben,
begr |
| father,
mother |
vater,
mutter |
| parents |
eltern |
| husband |
mann,
ehemann,
gatte,
ehegatte |
| wife |
frau,
ehefrau,
gattin,
ehegattin |
| married
couple |
ehepaar |
| son,
daughter |
sohn,
tochter |
| child |
kind |
| brother,
sister |
bruder,
schwester |
| siblings |
geschwister |
| uncle,
aunt |
onkel,
tante |
| cousin |
cousin,
cousine
(often
times
vetter,
halbbruder
or
halbschwester
in
German-Russiandialect |
| grandfather |
grossvater |
| great-grandfather |
urgrossvater |
| great-great-grandfather |
ururgrossvater |
| grandson |
enkel |
| granddaughter |
enkelin |
| nephew,
niece |
neffe,
nichte |
| sponsor/godparent |
gevatter,
gev.,
pate,
patin |
| day
of
the
week |
wochentag |
| days
of
the
week |
Sonntag,
Montag,
Dienstag,
Mittwoch,
Donnerstag,
Freitag,
Samstag
(Sonnabend) |
| month |
monat |
| months |
Januar,
Februar,
Marz,
April,
Mai,
Juni,
Juli,
August,
September,
Oktober,
November,
Dezember |
| year |
jahr |
| date |
datum |
| place |
ort |
| residence |
wohnort |
| village |
dorf |
| community/congregation |
gemeinde |
| city |
stadt |
| county |
kreis |
| duchy |
herzogtum |
| grand
duchy |
grossherzogtum |
| principality |
fuerstentum |
| kingdom |
koenigreich |
Sources
utilized
in
compiling
these
questions:
German
Genealogy
FAQs
On-line
by
Jim
Eggert
From
Catherine
to
Khrushchev
by
Adam
Giesinger
Collaborations
among
AHSGR
Research
Staff
|
American
Historical Society of Germans From Russia
