Disaster

Week 9

While my family like all families has survived floods and droughts, I think the most significant disaster the family faced was a combination of several really bad things happening in quick succession, not all natural either....

Conrad Keuhn and his wife Elizabetha,  Johann George Hix along with his wife Gertraut, Claudius and Anna Bernhart, Johann Rothe and Cecilia, Johann and Frederika Fuchs, Johann and Anna Frick, Johann and Katarina Kirschbaum.  These are the names of my ancestors who immigrated to Russia in response to Catherine the Great offering land and freedom.  These are just a few of the people who became "Germans from Russia".  (Just a side note here, can you see the whole same name thing going on?) 

Keep in mind that there is no country of Germany in the 1600 and 1700's, there are collections of city/states each with their own rulers (princes, barons etc.).  The Holy Roman Empire rules them early in this period and by the end of the 1700's the Austro-Hungarian and Prussian Empires are coming to the front.

In 1618 the 30 years war (actually a series of wars) began and it ended in 1648.  Chroniclers of the time estimate that around one half to two thirds of the German population died during this time.  Those who were not killed in the fighting starved or succumbed to plague and pestilence. This was the time of the writing of the Grimm's Fairy Tales, which were quite grim before Disney got hold of them.  This was also the peak of the 'Little Ice Age' that held Europe for about 300 years.  Rivers froze and the growing season was short. There was another war in the area that is now Germany at the end of the 1600's that resulted in a 'scorched earth' sort of effect inside the German borders. The 'Nine Years War', which had different names in other places (French and Indian War in America) happened 1754-1763 adding even more hardship to the lives of the average people.

In 1681 William Penn took his mostly German colonists to America, it would be another 80 years before my family decided they too needed to leave. 

Catherine the Great, Czarina of Russia, did not think much of the farmers/peasantry of Russia.  She was much more impressed with the industriousness, neatness and skill of her native German farmers and she had a dream of making the Volga River the breadbasket of Russia.  In 1763 she offered the new colonists free land, exemption from taxes, religious freedom and exemption from military service.  They came by the thousands, they found hardship initially but in the end they did make the Volga River valley the breadbasket of Russia and had a relatively good life until the late 1800's when they began to see the precursors of the revolutions to come.

They immigrated again to America this time.  I am glad they did.  Sometimes disasters lead to good things!

Second Information Dump

(January 16, 2014 original date posted to website)

Today I am adding something for the Kiehn side.  It is not very often I find a paper trail on this side of the family and I get real excited when it happens!  This is a Naturalization declaration of intent to become a citizen for George F Kiehn.  This is from the state of Washington and he was living in Ritzville where his son Fred Kiehn (who will become Grandad Kiehn to me) is born. 

Some interesting things about this document - it lists the ship he says he came to this country on and where he came in at and the date he got here.  I have looked and not been able to find this ship but - hope springs eternal!  Another interesting thing to me is that he 'made his mark' which tends to indicate an inability to write ones own name due to either Illiteracy or physical infirmity.  He is also required to describe himself - he is 5'6" tall, weighs 140 pounds and has light hair and gray eyes.  This document was signed in 1909.  These documents are step one in becoming a naturalized citizen.








This is the last transfer of information I think - like I mentioned it became obvious fairly soon that the web page wasn't going to satisfy my need to add stuff and 'talk' - no surprise there!  :) The other thing I realized that I would be missing is the chance to have a real conversation with anyone who came along as a relative 'as yet unmet', which is of course a real hope.  So if you stumble across or are a relative that I have known all my life let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions or requests.