Grossliebental District Odessa Newsletter - GRHS Home Page

A publication for those who have a genealogical interest in the 

Grossliebental District of Odessa, South Russia. 

Volume 2 Issue 2 March 2003 

Grossliebental 

District Villages 

(Those in bold are first villages.) 

Alexanderfeld (E), Alexanderhilf (E), 

Annental (E), Berg, Berlin, Blumenfeld (C), 

Bohensky (E), Buhojewka (E), Burkunowa (E), 

Businova (E), Chabolat (E), Eigenfeld (E), 

Franzfeld (C& E), Freidorf, Freudental (E), 

Gnadenfeld (E), Grossliebental (E), 

Güldendorf (E), Guss, Helenental (E), 

Johannesfeld (E), Josefstal (C), Kamyshovo, 

Karlsthal (E), Klein Liebental (C), 

Krassna (C), Lamsaki, Lichtenfeld (E), 

Lustdorf (E), Mariental (C), Martsianovka, 

Neuburg (E), Neu Freudental (E), 

Neu Liebental (C), Neu Lustdorf (E), 

Neu Peterstal (E), Neusatz (E), 

Neu Schampoly, Odessa (E), Paulstal (E), 

Peterstal (E), Renski, Rosenfeld (E), Scharova, 

Shedevri, Schönfeld (E), Schuttowa (E), 

Sokolovo, Sophiental (E), Wilhelmstahl (E), 

Wygoda (E). 

(This list in not all inclusive. If you have 

additions, please provide to the lead editor.) 

(E)=Evangelical (C)=Catholic 

Inside This Issue page 

Tracing Ancestors from Hungary 

to the Village of Alexanderhilf 1 

Tscherwenkaer Familien 2 

Kleinliebentaler Repression List 3 

History in Old Letters 4 

Lenintal Plat Map 5 

Sod House on Geigle Homestead 6 

Vision for a Chapter 8 

GDO AA Team 9 

Grossliebental District 

Odessa Newsletter 

Tracing Ancestors from Hungary to the 

Village of Alexanderhilf 

By Gayla Ohlhauser Gray 

I began the Tracing Ancestors from Hungary to Russia series with the 

March 2002 issue of this newsletter. The first article discussed the three 

phases of German migration to Hungary, included a map of the Hungarian 

settlements by Germans, and included information on how to find additional 

data on many of the Hungarian villages that our ancestors settled. The March 

2002 issue focused specifically on Germans who migrated from Hungary to 

the village of Neuburg, the July 2002 issue on Germans from Hungary to 

Peterstal, and the November 2002 issue on Germans from Hungary to 

Freudental. This issue focuses on Germans from Hungary to the village of 

Alexanderhilf with surnames including: 

BENDER, Johann and Peter 

BERG, Johan, Martin and Adam 

BI(E)BER, Jakob 

HUTTER, Michael and Peter 

KLEIN, Philipp and Reinhard 

KONIG, Hans and Georg 

KOENIG, Margaraethe 

KUHN, Simon 

LANG, Thomas 

LAUTENSCHLAGER, Georg, Jakob, Johann and Heinrich 

MOHR, Peter 

MOOR, Philipp 

NEUBAUER, Christian and Georg 

NEUFER(T), Georg and Konrad 

SCHLAFMANN, Philipp, Katharina, Georg and Margaretha 

UHL, Johann Friedrich 

The URL http://www.ieway.com/richa883/gdo/newsletters/ 

newsletters.htm contains many more details on these families. Select 

Page 1 

(Continued on page 9)

Newsletter Line-up 

Lead Editor: Gayla Gray 

Assistant Editors: Dale Wahl, 

Karen Abel, Darla McNeel, and 

Dr. Ralph Wiseman 

Village Coordinators 

Klein Liebental 

Doris Dickenson 

14125 Janice Dr. 

Guerneville, CA 95446 

dmdickenson@juno.com 

Alexanderhilf, Freudental and 

Neu Freudental 

Gayla Gray 

1344 W. Musket Way 

Chandler, AZ 85248 

gaylagray@msn.com 

Grossliebental 

Jim Helfenstein 

7576 SW Oleson Rd. #E5 

Portland, OR 97223 

jimscastle@attbi.com 

Peterstal 

Karen Hoffman 

1369 Burris Drive 

El Cajon, CA 92019-3574 

GENKH@aol.com 

Klein-Liebental 

Peter Mock Jr. 

Johannes-Palm Str. 9 89079 

Ulm GERMANY 

pmulm@hotmail.com 

Güldendorf 

Curt Renz 

1218 Wheeler St. 

Ames, IA 50010-4267 

RWheelerst@aol.com 

Berlin/Neu Berlin and Karlsthal 

Dale Wahl 

7370 Grevena Ave NE 

Bremerton WA 98311-4046 

dwahl@telebyte.com 

Alexanderhilf, Grossliebental, Neuburg, 

and Peterstal 

Elli Wise 

105 Meadowview Drive 

Frankfort, KY 40601-4017 

efilou792@aol.com 

Freudental, Helenental and 

Neu Freudental 

Dr. Ralph Wiseman 

1006 East 58th Street 

Tacoma WA 98404 

RJDJ4@Earthlink.net 

Grossliebental District Odessa Newsletter - Volume 2 Issue 2: March 2003 


Tscherwenkaer Familien 

1785-1944 

By Angela Hefner and Reviewed by Karen Abel 

Early last year I was able to borrow a copy of Angela Hefner’s selfpublished 

book Tscherwenka, Batschka, 1785-1944, Tscherwenkaer 

Familien. In it she details the results of her research into the origins of 

Tscherwenka families. I copied the pages of interest to me in my research 

of ancestors who had settled in Tscherwenka before moving on to South 

Russia. Part of what I copied was Ms. Hefner’s introduction. As it is 

written in German, Bob Berger and Betty Lang very generously answered 

my plea for help in translating it. Once it was translated, I was able to see 

that this introduction was a document that other German-Russian 

researchers would be interested in reading. Ms. Hefner very graciously 

gave her permission for the translation to be published. You can now find 

it online at: 

http://pixel.cs.vt.edu/library/villages/link/tscher.txt 

This document will be of particular interest to those with ancestors 

from Tscherwenka and other villages in Hungary. There is specific 

information on residents of and life in Tscherwenka. Ms. Hefner also 

details the method of assignment of settlers to particular villages in 

Hungary and the reasons why so many of them eventually left Hungary to 

go to South Russia. 

But there is also information that will appeal to any German-Russian 

researcher. Ms. Hefner discusses why Germans left their homeland and 

provides an excellent description of the journey from Germany to 

Hungary (which in many ways parallels the journey to South Russia). 

Included with the introduction are two lists: (1) the first list of 

Tscherwenka inhabitants from July 14, 1790, and (2) a December 31, 

1802, liquidations list (for loan repayment). These may be of some help to 

those researching Tscherwanker ancestors. 

Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the entire book and cannot do 

look-ups of specific families. As it is now out of print, I would be most 

interested in hearing from anyone who has a complete copy of the book. 

The Beresan, Bessarabia, Brunnental, Grossliebental, Hoffnungstal 

Bessarabia, and Hoffnungstal Odessa newsletters have been 

updated on the pixel. Check them out as you never know where you 

might find your ancestors. 

http://pixel.cs.vt.edu/library/newsletters/

1. GRETZ, Theodor 

2. GRETZ, A. 

3. GRETZ 

4. SCHNURR, Valentin 

5. GRAD, Kaspar 

6. MOSER, Peter 

7. MOSER, J. 

8. WALDMANN, Anton 

9. STEIER, Pius 

10. HERZOG, Franz 

11. KLAUS, Benhard 

12. KEHL, Nikodemus 

13. KOCHER, Kaspar 

14. KOCHER, Georg 

15. MALSAM, Nikolaus 

16. WOLF, Alexander 

17. WOLF, Georg (father) 

18. WOLF, Georg (son) 

19. SCHNEIDER, Nikolaus 

20. *FIX, Leonhard 

21. MOOK, Erasimus 

22. HÄUSER, Johannes 

23. IMBERY, Johannes 

24. DIERINGER, Georg 

25. DIEHL, Franz 

26. GÖTZ, Kaspar 

27. EBERLE, Johannes 

28. KLEIN, Peter 

29. DEK, Peter 

30. RETNER, Joseph 

31. FIX, Nikodemus 

32. FIX, Franz 


Kleinliebentaler Repression List 

(1937-1938) 

Source: Erinnerungen an die deutschen Kolonien des Grosslientaler Rayons bei Odessa 

by Eduard Mack 


33. FIX, Leonhard 

34. FIXEL, Ignatz 

35. KLAUS, Jakob 

36. NIEDER, A. 

37. GÖTZ, Peter 

38. HARTMANN, B. 

39. HARTMANN, J. 

40. DANIEL, J. 

41. SCHNEIDER, A. 

42. WILHELM, P. 

43. HÄUSER, Regina 

44. GRETZ, Ida 

45. WOLF, Magdalena 

46. MOOK, Magdalena 

47. MOOK, Theresia 

48. KOCHER, Ida 

49. HÄUSER, Magdalena 

50. BAUMANN, Matilda 

51. DIERINGER, Theresia 

52. GÖTZ, Helena 

53. KLEIN, A. 

54. MALSAM, W. 

55. MALSAM 

56. MOSER 

57. WAGNER, Georg 

58. HUBER, Albert 

59. DESCHNER, Joseph 

* For FIX/VIX - See Hoffnungstal Bessarabia 

newsletter 8-3, Dec 02, page 10, for birth of Lorenz 

FIX * 29 Apr 1795.

Klein-Freudental 

28 December 1931 

Esteemed Staats-Anzeiger! 


History in Old Letters 

Reprinted from Heritage Review 24: 4, December 1994 with Permission 

Today I want to write and send something to the dear 

newspaper that comes from such a long distance, for I 

have many friends and acquaintances in America, none of 

whom write about themselves to this newspaper. I have 

been reading this newspaper for a whole year and 

whenever I come in possession of a new number, I 

quickly scan it looking for an account by a former 

resident of Alt-Freudental. But up to now my searching 

has been in vain, and so for that reason I want to send a 

brief account. 

I once lived in Freudental but now live in Neu- 

Freudental. Neu-Freudental was founded four years ago, 

about 70 wersts (one werst = 0.67 miles) distance from 

Alt-Freudental. There are 45 families, all young, former 

citizens from the old village who settled here. 

Wheat harvest in our village was poor. Barley and 

oats yielded somewhat better but still not very good 

yields. Corn, potatoes, sugarbeets, sunflowers, and 

melons yielded very well. The weather is wintry here and 

it has been cold since 20 November. It is rare that we 

have such cold weather in November as we have had. 

The soil has large cracks in it, so large that a flat hand 

can easily be put into them. We also have had snow 

several times. 

Now I want to write something about my life. I am 

65 years old. In my life I have lived through more 

unpleasantness than through good times. I have been a 

widower for thirteen years. My wife’s maiden name was 

Entzi; she was the daughter of Johannes. Her passing was 

a blow to me to be left without a wife. And when I reflect 

on my life, I can only say that it has been precious as well 

as troublesome and laborious. Often the following verse 

comes to mind: 

What has been my entire condition, Was ist mein ganzes Wesen, 

From the time of my youth on, Von meiner Jugend an, 

But toil and need. Als Müh und Not gewesen, 


As long as I can remember Solang ich denken kann 

I have had on numerous mornings, Hab ich so manchen Morge, 

And on many dear nights, So manche liebe Nacht, 

With worry and with sorrow, Mit Kimmer und mit Sorgen, 

Conveyed these to my heart. Des Herzens zugebracht. 

And now when I glance towards the future, my wish 

is: Lord, grant a blessed end from all our miseries 

(distress). 

Now I want to inform my former village people from 

Freudental living across the ocean who passed away in 

Freudental during the past year. Daniel Oster 78 years; 

Gottlob Abel 77 years; and his widow Magdalena 

Rothenberger nee Klinger 60 years. Those from 

Freudental who died but were no longer living in 

Freudental were: Lukas Ohlhäuser 79 years; Lukas has 

two brothers in America Friedrich and Jakob Ohlhäuser 

who are my uncles. Others who died were Christian 

Stolz and his wife Katharina nee Losing both 72 years; 

Johannes Heitzmann 67 years; Johann Himmrich and his 

wife Regina nee Moser both 61 years; Johann Oster the 

former neighbor of Jakob Kresz 64 years. He too has two 

brothers in America namely Wilhelm and Jakob (Oster). 

The following died in Wygoda: Christian Heizmann 

76 years; Christian Moser and his wife Elizabeth nee 

Abel both 56 years old. 

The oldest male residents now live in the lower part 

of the village. These are: Johann Renschler, Michael 

Ohlhäuser, and the glazier Heiner. Upper village 

residents are Jakob Bohlender, Jakob Pfaff near the 

pond, Johann Lorenz, and Wilhelm Dick. 

Now that I related the most important news about my 

old village, I hope this will spur someone into writing 

about what is happening over there. Especially my 

nephew Johann Beckerson son of Friedrich—it has been 

three years since you last wrote a letter to me. At the 

time he was in Ruff, Washington, where he probably still 

lives today. I hope I will hear from him through this 

newspaper. 



Lenintal Plat Map 

Source: Erinnerungen an die deutschen Kolonien des 

Grossliebentaler Rayons bei Odessa by Eduard Mack 

Page 5

The Jakob Geigle 

family came to the United 

States in 1884 from 

Helenenthal, South Russia and 

spent the winter in Menno, 

Dakota territory with a sister, 

Katharine. In May of 1885 the 

Geigle's and brothers and 

sisters of Katherine took the 

train to Ispwich and then by 

wagon went to their new home 

in Campbell county. There 

they built a combination sod 

house and barn on their 

preempt claim (Township 

125 N - Range 75 W) SW 

Grossliebental District Odessa Newsletter - Volume 2 Issue 2: March2003 

quarter of Section 10. This 

farm was located near a lake 

as this was source of water for drinking and for their 

livestock. They filed claim to NW quarter of Section 15 as 

their tree claim and began in 1890 to build new farm as 

their homestead. The house you see in the picture began in 

1890 and was completed by 1893. The sod house was 50 

feet long and 20 feet wide and the walls were 12 feet high 

and 18" thick. The walls were of poured mud mixed with 

straw. The house was divided equally into 3 rooms. Center 

of the house was the kitchen and to the west was bedroom 

and to the east master bedroom and living room combined. 

The house had one window on the north side, located in 

center of kitchen and two small windows on south side next 

to entrance about 4 feet off the floor. What you see in the 

picture is west and south side of house. The west section 

had only 2 large windows and this room was a bedroom for 

the children. In this room was a Russian bake oven with 

door to oven built into wall of kitchen. It is not known 

when this oven was removed. The door was still there when 

I lived on the farm. The east room of the house had 3 large 

windows, 2 on the south side and 1 to east. The house was 

nice and cozy in winter and nice and cool in summer. The 

Sod House on Geigle Homestead 

Submitted by Herbert Geigle 


exterior of the house was 

covered with wood 

siding and roof was of 

wood shingles. There 

were two chimneys. The 

entrance was built of 

wood and was used in 

the winter time for 

overshoes and heavy 

coats, etc. Next to 

entrance was a cistern 

where rain water was 

collected. This was used 

to cool milk, butter, and 

cream which was needed 

by family for meals. 

Jacob Geigle sold this 

farm to Erwin Rau in 

1947. Erwin lived in this house for several years. 

Sometime in early 1950's the house was torn down. The 

cyclone 

cellar was located on the east side of house. A dugout of 

about 6 feet was with cement wall and Hebrew roof with 

cement sides to lead to entrance of cellar. 

There was an air shaft on top of the roof. The roof was 

covered with dirt. The floor was of dirt covered with sand. 

Carrots, beets, potatoes would be stored here and did not 

sprout until summer months. All canned vegetables, fruit, 

meat, lard, and eggs and cream was kept here in the cool 

cellar. I hated to go down there in summer time as there 

were salamanders and sometimes a snake. During summer 

months we would spend time there when a storm raged 

above us. This cellar was also covered up when the house 

was torn down. The sod summer kitchen was torn down 

long before my time. My Aunt Carrie would talk about it 

as this was the place they did all the baking, cooking, 

making of soap, canning, ironing, and washing of clothes. 

The present owner of this farm is Alan Rau, son of Erwin. 

This picture was taken in either 1940 or 1942 when the sons and 

daughters of Jacob and Katharine (Sieler) Geigle met at the 

homestead for a family reunion. The farm is located 11 miles north 

of Java, South Dakota. The homestead is located in the NE quarter 

of Section 15 of Blessing township in Campbell county. Front row 

left to right: Carrie Hirning of Burt, North Dakota; Alvina Schaefer 

of Tripp, South Dakota; and Rosina Borth of Gackle, North 

Dakota. Standing is Adam Geigle of Pollock, South Dakota and 

Jacob Geigle who resided on the home place. Missing from the 

picture is Katherina Huether of Hollywood, California. 



Last year a few of us put our heads together hoping to 

start a new chapter offering features that we had found 

lacking elsewhere. 

When I first found an interest in exploring my 

ancestry, I wasted a lot of time by self-directing my 

efforts, and had missed the opportunity to get help and 

guidance from others. I was unaware of all of the 

resources available until much later. Needless to say, I 

was very discouraged with my lack of progress and had 

lost interest for a period of time. 

It was several years before my interest had 

reawakened, although the stimulus and chronology of this 

awakening evades me. This is when I first began learning 

of some of the resources that were available, and 

coincidentally began making a few contacts. 

This is when it became obvious that it would be to my 

advantage to get involved with one or more support 

groups. I then joined two national organizations and two 

local chapters, but still hadn’t found what I was looking 

for. 

Luckily, in the process I had met several others 

sharing the same basic discontent. And this then, is when 

we put our heads together. 

We were eager for a chapter that provided an 

emphasis on research which until now, had been sadly 

lacking. And with a hunger for a dynamic research 

oriented environment, we began discussing many ideas. 

From our discussion came a vision of a chapter that 

encouraged and actively assisted those who were 

researching their family history. To accomplish this we 

had to create the type of environment that focused its 

discussion on the many resources available, what to look 

for, how to retrieve, verify, and document the 

information. And finally, how to compile and produce a 

family book. 

With these features in mind, we set out to become a 

chapter that would actually help its members in search of 

their ancestry. This would require good communication, a 

lot of interactive voluntary help, and a library that didn’t 

close its doors. This may all sound good but it will require 

Vision for a Chapter 

By James Helfenstein 


imagination and creativity in order to develop a program 

that will provide the services that our members hope for, 

and still have a structure that stimulates cooperative 

activity without requiring constant effort to keep it 

moving. I hope that we are not asking too much. 

Thankfully we were granted a charter with GRHS, for 

our new chapter, giving us the opportunity to either 

succeed or fail in this goal. So far we have had four 

chapter meetings on a bimonthly basis, all of which were 

designed to aid the member in their pursuits. 

For our first meeting we held a book seminar. We 

brought most of our hard copy publications and assisted 

the members in their research. The next three meetings 

were engaged in a three-part seminar on how to produce a 

family book. This may seem like we had put the cart 

before the horse, but it provided a format to discuss the 

types of information, documentation, and photos that can 

be included. Additionally we had demonstrated the 

various software packages and their features that are 

available, and finally addressed the types and approximate 

cost of the different book designs. 

Admittedly, if I were to create a book today, it would 

consist of two covers and about three blank pages. I am 

joking of course, but though I couldn’t put a viable book 

together yet, I have a vision of what it will look like and 

of the material that I will include within it. 

Although we have scheduled activities for the next 

three meetings, it is about time that we exercise additional 

creativity and consider some new approaches that we can 

incorporate into our program. 

I think that it is time to put our heads together again. 

When we contemplate the future, and how our chapter 

will complement the lives of our members, we must ask, 

“how can we be of the most value to them?” 

As we review the previous meetings, we find that we 

have had one meeting directed to the specific needs of 

the member and three meetings with a classroom 

setting. These programs have all been extremely 


(Continued from page 7) 


successful, and we can expect the next three scheduled 

presentations to be of equal quality. All of the topics that 

we have scheduled had rated high in the results of the 

survey conducted last year. 

Eventually, however, we will be faced with the 

dilemma of offering something new. And in doing so, we 

should first focus on the immediate needs of our 

members and try to assist them as they research their 

heritage. We should try to devise a program that is 

sensitive to their individual needs and flexible enough to 

respond accordingly. 

Hopefully as a general rule, we can avoid long tedious 

discussions of topics that don’t relate to individual needs. 

Speaking for myself as a retiree, I can assure you that I 

have attended innumerable meetings during my career, 

and can identify those that were dreaded by all. One must 

look around the room and focus on the eyes. When 

people resist blinking for fear that the eyes won’t open 

again, you can be assured that they would not be there if 

they had the flimsiest of excuses. 

We should consider providing the high quality lectures 

interspersed with working seminars where the members 

would actively work on their genealogy. 

The seminars can take several forms. The first that 

comes to mind would be similar to our first meeting 

where members each researched their own genealogy 

having help available from those of us that had 

volunteered. 

Another viable option is to provide a computer 

seminar with a computer for each member, each 

computer having access to the internet. We have had 

experience with this format just prior to the formation of 

our chapter. It was a resounding success. Although the 

members began their quest on an individual basis, it soon 

became evident that they were beginning to work 

together supporting each other’s efforts. This is the type 

of energy that we should provide a fertile environment 

for, so that it may grow. 

It is time to address some new ideas. How can we 

create interest groups that will draw the members into 

them and induce cooperative activity? When studying the 


list of villages being researched, it becomes evident that 

our membership falls into five regional groups. If these 

members begin working together at a seminar, will this 

stimulate them to work together between meetings to 

accomplish common goals? Will they help bootstrap each 

other along the way? Human nature suggests yes. 

We have created a “Virtual Library” that would be very 

valuable for this type of group activity. Keep in mind that 

its doors never close. 

In review of the survey taken last year, we find that the 

highest interest, by far, shared by the member’s was 

“Archive Acquisitions and Records Retrieval.” In 

response to these results our next meeting will focus on 

German translation. We hope to inspire the members to 

assist GRHS in their daunting task of translating the many 

records already in their possession. Who knows how much 

information, related to our personal interest, may be 

hiding untranslated and unindexed but well within reach? 

We must realize that our most valuable assets are our 

individual members and we should never forget to thank 

them for their participation. Should achievement awards 

be presented to the members as they make notable 

progress in their family research? Why not show our 

gratitude when they offer assistance with the archive 

records? 

As we put our heads together we should be able to 

develop many more ideas to make participation in our 

chapter more and more interesting to the members. And if 

we are successful, we will have changed our chapter from 

one that pushes its services to the user, to one in which the 

user pulls the services to the chapter. Then we will truly 

be there to serve. 

Let’s Continue the Vision. 

The Genealogical Research Support Group (GRSG) is a 

local chapter and also a “virtual chapter”. GRSG provides 

seminars and workshops in the Portland, Oregon area as well as 

research support to many GRHS members who live in areas 

where there is no local GRHS chapter. If you are interested in 

genealogy research, have a computer or access to the Internet, 

you might consider joining the GRSG chapter. To learn more 

about the GRSG chapter go to: 

http://www.grhs.com/grsg/index.html



I like very much to read the Staats-Anzeiger but there 

is only one copy that comes to our small village, and 

there are many more who want to read it. So it happens 

that I don’t get to see them all. By the time I want to 

borrow it someone else has already done so. (Hopefully 

you will find a friend who will pay for your 

subscription—Editor). Maybe one of my friends will be 

so good to send me a copy, and I want to thank him in 

advance if he will have it sent. I can’t afford to buy the 

paper, for I am without property and am impoverished. 

After searching I found an account in the Staats- 

Anzeiger about Jakob Christmann, and this pleased me 

very much. But I would like to know if this Jakob 

Christmann is the same person with whom I went to 

school. We were not only the same age but also born on 

the same day. 

The Christmas holidays provided for only meager 

gifts at our place this year, because Knecht Rupert on 

Pelznickel (a form of Santa Claus), as he is called where 

we live, has a very large rayon (territory). By the time he 

gets to us his big bag was empty and we had to be happy 

about the fact that we even got something. 

I am closing, greetings to all friends here and over 

there and the magicians. 

Staats-Anzeiger Friedrich Schatz 

9 February 1932 


Hungary to Alexanderhilf. This file is not large but 

contains 9 pages of data for the surnames above. If you 

do not have access to the Internet but would like 

information on a specific surname, send your request to: 

gaylagray@msn.com or 

Gayla Gray 


Chandler, AZ 85248 

with a self-addressed stamped envelope and she will 

print out the information for you. 

Again, special thanks to Shirley Gibbard who 

provided translations from the Stefan Stader books and 

assisted me with other translations. 


GDO Archives Acquisition Team 

By Gayla Ohlhauser Gray 

GRHS already has an Archives Acquisition (AA) 

committee that has been very successful in retrieving 

records from the archives in old Russia/Ukraine. Working 

with the GRHS AA committee are specific district or 

village teams (Beresan, Bessarabia, Crimea, and 

Hoffnungstal to name a few). Each team prioritizes the 

records they would like to gain copies of and solicits for 

funds (which are tax deductible when sent to the nonprofit 

GRHS) through their web site, newsletter and mail 

list. Once the teams have enough funds to secure the 

records they have prioritized, they present their list to the 

AA committee. The AA committee ensures that there is 

no duplication of efforts and makes contact with the 

archives to verify the availability of the records and 

negotiate the best price. Once the records are retrieved, a 

copy is held at GRHS and a copy is prepared for the team. 

It's the teams who coordinate with the GRHS 

Clearinghouse to translate and prepares the records for 

publishing/sharing. 

Until recently, GDO did not have an AA team. The 

following people have stepped up to the plate to support 

the GDO AA efforts: myself, James Helfenstein, Shirley 

Gibbard, Curt Renz, Betty Lang, and Anna Smith. 

There are many many GDO records available in the 

archives. These records are extremely important in 

helping us find and understand what life was like for our 

ancestors in Russia. The Freudental and Peterstal church 

books, the 1812 and 1858 census, and similar items are 

great examples of what is out there for us. 

As you all know, it costs money to retrieve records 

from the archives. If you would like to donate funds to 

help support the GDO AA records retrieval project, please 

send your check made out to: GRHS, 1125 West 

Turnpike Ave., Bismarck, North Dakota 58501. Send a 

note and mark on your check to make sure they know that 

the donation is for GDO AA. As soon as we start 

receiving funds, the GDO team can start prioritizing the 

records that we should go after. Thank you in advance for 

your support of the GDO AA Team Project.


Grossliebental District Odessa Newsletter 

This is the 2nd issue for the second year of 

publication. The next issue is scheduled for July 2003. 

Subscription rates are: 

USA: $4 per year 

Canada: $5 (only U.S. funds accepted) per year 

Checks/money orders (U.S. funds only) must be payable 

to: Gayla Gray 

Please send your check/money order to: 

Gayla Gray 


Chandler, AZ 85248-1931 

This newsletter is being published for those who 

have an interest in the villages of the Grossliebental 

District Odessa, South Russia. 

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This farm is over 100 years old and Alan and his 3 sons 

continue to farm there. Grandfather and Grandmother 

Johann Jakob & Katharine (Sieler) Geigle retired to 

Java in 1916. They lived on main street in a small house 

with barn and garden with some fruit trees. In 1923 

Katharine died and in 1933 Jakob became ill and came 

to stay with his son Jakob on the farm which he built. 

On June 1933 he died in the room in which he slept 

when he was on the farm. 

GRHS 2003 Convention 

If you have never attended a GRHS 

Convention, you are missing out on a lot. The 

conventions are inspiring, motivational, and 

educational. There is something there for everyone. 

You can partake in seminars, singing, dancing, 

cultural events, work on your research, and/or 

socialize with others who are of German Russian 

heritage. Who knows, you might meet a cousin 

there you didn’t now you had. 

Many of the Village Coordinators are available 

during the convention to support you with your 

research. And best of all, the complete GRHS 

library is right there at your fingertips. 

So Mark Your Calendar 

and Plan to Attend the 

33rd Annual GRHS Convention 

September 4—7, 2003 

Ramkota Inn 

Rapid City, South Dakota 

You’ll be glad you did!

Grossliebental District Odessa Newsletter - GRHS Home Page

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