Marriages Prior To Emigration
After the publication of Catherine's Manifesto in 1763, Russian officials began recruiting potential colonists in Western Europe and organizing them at gathering places such as Büdingen, Germany. The Russian government preferred families and married couples but allowed single men to become colonists. Marriage for singles was strongly encouraged before departure. Historical records show that between February 24, 1766, and July 8, 1766, 375 marriages occurred in Büdingen’s Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church - built in 1367). This group included several couples that settled in Norka over a year later.
The lists are commonly referred to as the Büdingen Marriage Lists, but the original document is titled “Copuliert Russische Colonisten” or Marriages of Russian Colonists.
The lists are commonly referred to as the Büdingen Marriage Lists, but the original document is titled “Copuliert Russische Colonisten” or Marriages of Russian Colonists.
View of the Marienkirche in Büdingen, Germany where several couples from Norka were married in 1766. Source: Wikimedia Commons - Von Sven Teschke - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 2.0 de.
Among the married couples who would settle in Norka were:
Ernst Wilhelm Müller and Anna Maria Eberling married on March 13, 1766, at the Lutheran Church in Büdingen.
Johan Heinrich Alt and Anna Gerdaut Vogel, from the Schwarzenfels district, married on April 21, 1766, in Büdingen.
Johann Peter Kaiser, from Keffenroth, married Katharina Weinberger on April 28, 1766, in Büdingen.
Daniel Weigandt married Anna Maria Hildebrandt on April 23, 1766, in Büdingen.
Wilhelm Becker (an alias for Wilhelm Schreiber) from Ronshausen in the district of Rothenburg married Anna Eva Mortiz from Sterckels on May 7, 1766, in Büdingen.
Johann Heinrich Hassenpflug married Anna Regina Schmidt from Altenschlirff on May 5, 1766.
Ernst Wilhelm Müller and Anna Maria Eberling married on March 13, 1766, at the Lutheran Church in Büdingen.
Johan Heinrich Alt and Anna Gerdaut Vogel, from the Schwarzenfels district, married on April 21, 1766, in Büdingen.
Johann Peter Kaiser, from Keffenroth, married Katharina Weinberger on April 28, 1766, in Büdingen.
Daniel Weigandt married Anna Maria Hildebrandt on April 23, 1766, in Büdingen.
Wilhelm Becker (an alias for Wilhelm Schreiber) from Ronshausen in the district of Rothenburg married Anna Eva Mortiz from Sterckels on May 7, 1766, in Büdingen.
Johann Heinrich Hassenpflug married Anna Regina Schmidt from Altenschlirff on May 5, 1766.
Interior of the Marienkirche in Büdingen where the marriages of the colonists took place in 1766. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
At least two other marriages occurred in Lübeck, the port of departure for the colonists beginning the voyage to Russia.
St. Jacob's Church in Lübeck. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Those married in Lübeck include:
Johannes Henries Fischer married Johanna Maria Leonhardt on June 19, 1766, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Lübeck.
Johann Ludwig Fink, from Hessen-Darmstadt, married Anna Catherina Göbel on May 21, 1766, at St. Jacob's Lutheran Church in Lübeck.
Johann Hohnstein and Anna Maria Reichert, married in the French Reformed Church of Lübeck on August 13, 1766.
Johann Caspar Schleuning and Elisabeth Göbel, married at the home of Pastor Brunn of St. Jacobi Church on July 11, 1766.
Johannes Henries Fischer married Johanna Maria Leonhardt on June 19, 1766, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Lübeck.
Johann Ludwig Fink, from Hessen-Darmstadt, married Anna Catherina Göbel on May 21, 1766, at St. Jacob's Lutheran Church in Lübeck.
Johann Hohnstein and Anna Maria Reichert, married in the French Reformed Church of Lübeck on August 13, 1766.
Johann Caspar Schleuning and Elisabeth Göbel, married at the home of Pastor Brunn of St. Jacobi Church on July 11, 1766.
Sources
Decker, Klaus-Peter. Büdingen Als Sammelplatz Der Auswanderung an Die Wolga 1766. Büdingen: Geschichtswerkstatt Büdingen, 2009. Print.
Mai, Brent Alan, and Dona B. Reeves-Marquardt. German Migration to the Russian Volga (1764-1767): Origins and Destinations. Lincoln, Neb.: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 2003. Print.
Images of the original Büdingen marriage records can be viewed on FamilySearch Microfilm #1197023.
Images of the original Lübeck marriage records can be viewed on FamilySearch Microfilms #326271, #326156, #326254, #326121, #326169, #102364593.
Mai, Brent Alan, and Dona B. Reeves-Marquardt. German Migration to the Russian Volga (1764-1767): Origins and Destinations. Lincoln, Neb.: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 2003. Print.
Images of the original Büdingen marriage records can be viewed on FamilySearch Microfilm #1197023.
Images of the original Lübeck marriage records can be viewed on FamilySearch Microfilms #326271, #326156, #326254, #326121, #326169, #102364593.
Last updated October 17, 2025