Jerry Amen,
Chapter President
847 S. Home Ave.
Oak Park, IL
60304-1015
708-386-2238
Stametzil@yahoo.com
Purpose
Officers
Membership
Calendar
Library
Newsletter
Genealogy
Publications
Our
AHSGR
Chapter's
Purpose
Our
Chapter's
purpose
is
to
bring
together
people
interested
in
the
history
of
Germans
from
Russia.
Through
a
better
understanding
and
appreciation
of
our
culture
and
heritage,
we
will
promote
the
preservation
of
our
history
for
generations
yet
to
come.
Our
Chapter
was
formed
in
1978
in
order
to
reach
out
to
those
Germans
from
Russia
who
live
in
Northern
Illinois.
Many
chapter
members
today
represent
ancestral
connections
to
the
major
German-Russian
settlement
areas
in
metropolitan
Chicago
of
such
neighborhoods
and
suburbs
as:
Jefferson
Park,
Riverdale,
Dolton,
Maywood,
Melrose
Park,
Bellwood
and
Aurora.
However,
the
Chapter
has
a
good
percentage
of
members
who
have
background
from
other
settlement
areas
in
the
Midwest.
The
Chapter
encourages
historical
interest
and
genealogical
research
as
well
as
to
come
together
in
good
fellowship
at
our
meetings
throughout
the
year.
Officers
Committee
Chairs
- Librarian
Tom
Rohr
- Membership
Maggie
Hein
5902
W.
Midway
Park
Chicago,
IL.
60644
1-773-261-2181
may5902@earthlink.net
- Newsletter
Jerry
Amen
&
Keith
Weigel
- Social
Dave
&
Margaret
Aul
George
&
Shirley
Dorn
Membership
Information
Chapter
membership
is
$7
per
individual
and
$14
per
family
and
includes
our
quarterly
NIC
Newsletter.
Please
print
out
the
MEMBERSHIP
FORM
and
mail
your
remittance
to
the
address
below
or
bring
it
to
a
chapter
meeting!
Mail
To:
Maggie
Hein
5902
W.
Midway
Park
Chicago,
IL.
60644
1-773-261-2181
may5902@earthlink.net
Chapter
Calendar
13
Apr. (Sun) 2:00
p.m.
To be announced
7
Jun
(Sat)
10:00
a.m.
30Th
Anniversary
Party
and
Slide
Show
from
Chapter
Picture
Albums
14
Sept.
(Sun)
2:00
p.m.
"The
Mystery
of
Jefferson
Park".
Open
Presentation
&
Discussion
of
Who,
Where,
Why,
did
so
many
Germans
from
Russia
come
to
this
area
of
Chicago
and
in
such
a
short
time
period,
1910-1914.
12
Oct.
(Sun)
2:00
p.m.
Slide
Show
of
Member
Tom
Rohr's
visit
to
Russia
6
Dec
(Sat)
10:00
a.m.
Christmas
Party
&
Fundraiser
Unless
otherwise noted
all meetings are
held at St. Paul
Lutheran Church,
1025 Lake St.
(Rte. 20), Melrose
Park from 2 to 5
PM.
Chapter
Library
We
have
a
large
collection
of
German-Russian
books,
maps,
AHSGR
Journals
and
Clues,
and
other
genealogical
resource
books
available
to
our
membership.
The
Library
is
usually
open
at
Chapter
meetings
at
1:30
p.m.
prior
to
the
opening
of
the
meeting.
Members
may
check
out
and
return
books
at
this
time.
Chapter
Newsletter
Our
"NIC
NEWS"
is
published
quarterly
for
chapter
members.
The
$7.00
fee
for
chapter
membership
covers
the
cost
of
our
Newsletters.
So
please
join
us
if
you
want
to
hear
and
see
what's
going
on
in
Northern
Illinois
among
Germans
from
Russia.Genealogy
Several
of
the
members
who
are
active
in
their
own
personal
research
provide
expertise
within
the
Chapter
to
those
who
wish
to
explore
German-Russian
research.
An
extensive
effort
at
this
time
is
being
made
to
find
German-Russians
in
Northern
Illinois
and
to
encourage
them
to
"do
genealogy"
for
their
own
families.
For
anyone
wishing
information
regarding
former
German-Russians
who
may
have
lived
in
the
various
known
German-Russian
settlements
please
contact
the
chapter.
Two
of
our
Chapter
members
have
recently
written
and
published
family
genealogy
books
that
may
be
of
interest
to
others.
"The
Volga
Germans",
Vol.
1,
with
emphasis
on
Krasnoyar,
Chicago
-
and
everywhere,
says
George.
The
book
provides
stories
and
history
of
the
George
Valko
family.
He
has
assembled
a
great
collection
of
Volga
information,
using
a
wide
variety
of
sources,
relating
the
stories
of
those
Volga
Germans
who
lived
along
the
Karaman
River,
emigrated
to
Chicago,
Illinois
and
Sheboygan,
Wisconsin
and
of
those
who
were
deported
to
Siberia
in
1941.
His
Chicago
area
covers
the
neighborhoods
of
Jefferson
Park
and
surrounding
area.
Many
photographs,
maps
and
charts
are
included.
The
author
spent
ten
years
corresponding
with
Volga
Germans
in
Germany
and
Russia
enabling
him
to
obtain
first
hand
experiences
as
these
Volga
Germans
who
were
deported
from
the
Volga
to
the
Trudarmee
in
Siberia.
Contact
George
Valko
if
interested
in
this
book.
Address
325
W.
Belden,
Chicago,
IL
60614-3817
or
see
his
website:
http://www.georgevalko.com/ .
For
those
with
Volhynia
interest,
Gary
and
Virginia
Less
have
published
an
extensive
history
of
the
ancestors
and
descendants
of
Gary's
g-grandparents,
Johann
and
Julianna
(Vogel)
Bergstraesser.
The
book
is
called
"The
Wandering
Bergstraesser
Clan".
This
family
of
13
children
lived
in
Russia
Poland
near
Lodz
before
immigrating
into
Volhynia
in
the
early
1870's
to
settle.
Several
of
their
children
and
their
families
then
immigrated
to
the
U.S.
and
Canada,
while
some
who
stayed
experienced
the
1915
deportation
of
Germans
from
Volhynia
to
Siberia.
Many,
many
stories
of
their
hardships
and
experiences
of
the
terror
of
Stalin
are
shared
along
with
photographs,
maps
and
historical
information.
Ancestral
research
enabled
the
authors
to
trace
the
family
and
add
historical
facts
of
their
original
homeland
in
Germany.
Some
Useful
Chicago
and
Illinois
Genealogy
Links
We
have
also
added
some
key
links
to
web
sites
that
would
be
helpful
to
you
for
your
research
in
Illinois.
Be
sure
to
explore
them
for
additional
links
to
other
sites
as
well.
Chicago
Genealogy
site:
http://www.chicagogenealogy.org/
Illinois
State
Genealogy
site
(lists
Genealogy/Historical
Societies
throughout
the
state):
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilsgs/index.html
Secretary
of
State
of
IL
Marriage
&
Death
indexes
(these
indexes
are
surname
searchable):
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/idphdeathindex.html
Chapter
Publications
UNSER
LEUTE:
SETTLERS
IN
NORTHERN
ILLINOIS
-
now
in
its
3rd
printing
Eighty-nine
pages
with
386
different
Surnames
of
Germans
from
Russia.
Extracted
from
the
churches
in
the
Volga
German
communities
in
the
Townships
of
Jefferson,
Proviso
and
Thornton
in
Cook
County,
Illinois.
While
the
amount
of
information
available
from
the
church
records
varies,
many
entries
include
birth
and
death
dates,
names
of
children,
other
relatives,
birth
place,
emigration
date,
and
burial
location.
Churches
researched
include:
- Calvary
United
Methodist
Church
(Second
United
Brethren
Church),
Chicago
- Eden
Evangelical
Lutheran
United
Church
of
Christ,
Chicago
- Peace
United
Church
of
Christ,
Bellwood
- St.
John
Lutheran
Church,
Bellwood
- St.
John
Lutheran
Church,
Lansing
- St.
Paul
Lutheran
Church,
Dolton
- St.
Paul
Lutheran
Church,
Melrose
Park
- St.
Paul
Lutheran
Church,
Thornton
- Zion
Evangelical
Lutheran
Church,
Bellwood
Germans
From
Russia
Death
Extractions,
Years
1914-1995,
from
the
John
V.
May
Funeral
Home,
Chicago,
IL.
Award
recognition
for
this
publication
has
been
given
by
the
Illinois
Association
of
Museums,
Springfield,
Illinois.
This
publication
contains
an
alphabetical
listing
of
1125
Germans
from
Russia,
extracted
from
ledgers
of
the
John
V.
May
Funeral
Home.
Included
are
surname,
first
name,
birthplace,
birth
and
death
dates,
spouse
information,
last
known
address,
relatives
(if
known),
church
attended,
and
place
of
final
internment.
Also
given
is
a
listing
of
major
area
cemetery
locations,
and
the
names
and
addresses
of
churches
attended
by
Germans
from
Russia
in
the
Jefferson
Park
area
of
Chicago.
Each
of
the
above
books
is
priced
at
$15.
The
price
includes
postage/handling.
Make
check
payable
to:
Northern
Illinois
Chapter
AHSGR
Send
requests
for
copies
to:
Keith
Wiegel
374
Northgate
Road
Lindhurst,
IL
60046
e-mail:
KW77026@aol.com
Chapter
members
have
also
extracted
names
of
German-Russians
from
the
1920
US
Federal
Census
of
the
GR
communities
in
the
Chicago
area.
The
extractions
from
Film
#338
which
includes
the
Jefferson
Park
neighborhood,
Cook
County
Ward
27,
has
been
completed.
The
extractions
|
American
Historical Society of Germans From Russia