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The First Settlers Lists

By Maggie Hein | March 16, 2021 | Russian Records

The 1767 Census, often called the "First Settlers List", is the primary source document for determining the origin locations of Volga German settlers.  

The information reported varies somewhat depending on the village you are looking at, but generally these lists include the following details about each family:
•    Names and ages of each family member
•    Religion
•    Profession of the head of the household
•    The town or region that they came from

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Where is Hanau?

By Maggie Hein | February 13, 2021 | German Origins

Where is Hanau?  That might seem like a silly question.  Anyone with a computer can search for "Hanau" and learn that it is a city in Germany, just east of Frankfurt.  "Hanau" might also refer to a region in Hessen that was formerly known as the County of Hanau.

But this is Volga German genealogy research, and it isn't always that simple.

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The Kulberg Lists

By Maggie Hein | January 31, 2021 | Russian Records

I will refer to the Kulberg Lists in many future blog posts, so I think it would be a good idea to explain what those Lists are and why they are important for Volga German genealogy research. 

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What do these four places have in common?

By Maggie Hein | January 15, 2021 | German Origins

What do these four places have in common?

  • Gebershein, Hanau 
  • Heckeberg, Hanau 
  • Höhenbergheim, Hanau 
  • Deckerbergheim, Hanau 

You will not find villages with these names on a map of Germany.  In spite of that fact, all four of these places appear in the published translations of the First Settler’s Lists.  “Gebershein" and “Heckeberg” are reported as origin locations on the Kolb First Settler’s List, and “Höhenbergheim” and “Deckerbergheim” are reported as origin locations on the Walter First Settler’s List. 

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