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History > Resources > Die Welt-Post Letters

Die Welt-Post Letters

Die Welt-Post (The World-Post) was a German language newspaper established initially in Lincoln, Nebraska, and later published in Omaha, Nebraska.  Die Welt-Post was read by many Volga German families in the United States and Canada.
Die Welt-Post Banner
Many editions of Die Welt-Post were microfilmed and held by the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) in Lincoln, NE. The newspaper articles were indexed by Samuel D. Sinner in his booklet Letters from Hell, published by AHSGR in 2000.  To obtain the original articles, one must buy Sinner's Index and then order the individual articles.  The articles are indexed by village, not by surname.

Sinner's research shows that between 1915 and 1949, approximately one million ethnic Germans died in Russia and the Soviet Union. During each of these decades, the Soviet authorities were responsible for the deaths of about one-fourth to one-third of the entire ethnic-German population. In Letters from Hell, Sinner discusses what was known outside of the Soviet Union about the genocide, how the non-communist world overlooked what was occurring, and how this horrible nightmare became a forgotten past.

Many letters were written between family and friends living in Norka and North America during the famines of the 1920's and 1930's famines in Russia. Several letters are explicitly related to the colony of Norka and the heroic relief work performed by native Norkan George Repp, who helped save thousands from starvation.

Nearly all of the letters listed below were written by people living in Norka or those who had migrated to North America from Norka.

Letters published in 1916

Letter to Die Welt-Post from Johann Georg Stärkel in Hillsboro, Kansas, published May 11, 1916

Letter from Jacob Weidenkeller in Norka to Wilhelm Weidenkeller in Lincoln, published August 17, 1916

Letters published in 1921


Letters published in 1922

Letter from Jakob Deines to Wilhelm Deines, published January 12, 1922

Letter from Rev. Wacker to Mrs. George Repp, published January 12, 1922

Letter from Peter M. to Conrad Schleucher, published January 12, 1922

Letter from Johannes and Konrad Blum to David and Katharina Blum, published February 2, 1922

Letter from Rev. Wacker to the Volga Relief Society in Portland, Oregon, published February 2, 1922

Letter from Rev. Wacker to the Volga Relief Society in Portland, Oregon, published February 9, 1922

Letter from Father Adam Bellendir to Mrs. George Repp, published February 9, 1922

Letter from Johann Georg and Katharina Feuerstein to Ludwig Schwindt and Philipp Scheidemann in Hastings, Nebraska, published March 2, 1922

Letter from George Repp to John W. Miller in Portland, Oregon, published April 6, 1922

Letter from Rev. Wacker to Rev. Kaiser in Weatherford, Oklahoma, published April 20, 1922

Letter from Rev. Wacker to Die Welt-Post readers, published April 27, 1922

Letter from Georg Lehl to his daughter Mrs. Katherine Koch in Fort Morgan, Colorado, published July 6, 1922

Letter from Rev. Wacker forwarding a letter from Elisabeth Aschenbrenner and Johannes Aschenbrenner to Konrad Koehler in Greeley, Colorado, published July 6, 1922

Letter from Rev. Wacker to the Volga Relief Society in Portland, Oregon, published August 24, 1922

Letter from Georg Feuerstein to William Feuerstein in Grand Island, Nebraska, published November 16, 1922

Letter from Rev. Wacker to the National Lutheran Council, published December 21, 1922

Original letters published in 1922

Letters published in 1923

Letter from Rev. Wacker to the Volga Relief Society in Portland, Oregon, published January 11, 1923

Letter regarding George Repp from the American Relief Administration, published March 15, 1923

Letter from Peter, Heinrich and Georg Lehl to Konrad and Katherine Koch in Fort Morgan, Colorado, published April 19, 1923

Letter from Georg and Anna Katharina Feuerstein to Peter Staerkel in Havelock, Nebraska, published May 3, 1923

Letter from the National Lutheran Council, published May 10, 1923

Letter from P. Sinner to the American Volga Relief Society in Lincoln, Nebraska, published May 10, 1923

Letter to Johannes Schnell in Ramona, Kansas from family in Norka, published May 17, 1923

Letter from Georg Kaiser to Henry Kaiser in Hastings, Nebraska, published May 17, 1923

Letter from Jacob Volz to G. J. Schmidt, Secretary of the American Volga Relief Society, published May 24, 1923

Letter from Johannes Blum to Carl Krieger in Hastings, Nebraska, published August 23, 1923

Letter from Margaretha Weber to Johannes Schnell in Ramona, Kansas, published October 11, 1923

Letter from Rev. Wacker to Die Welt-Post, published November 15, 1923

Letter from Rev. Wacker to Mr. Jacob Volz, published November 15, 1923

Letter from the Norka Distribution Committee to Die Welt-Post, published December 27, 1923

Letters published in 1924

Letter from Jacob Deines to Jacob J. Stroh in Lincoln, Nebraska, published February 28, 1924

Letter from the Weber family to the Johannes Schnell family in Kansas, published February 28, 1924

Letters from Georg and Heinrich Weidenkeller to Johannes and Barbara Dick in Charleston, Washington, published March 13, 1924

Letter from Rev. Wacker to George H. Miller (Mueller) in Portland, Oregon, published March 20, 1924

Letter from Maria Traudt to George H. Miller (Mueller) in Portland, Oregon, published March 20, 1924

Letter from Ludwig Kaiser to Katherinlies Bihn and family, published March 20, 1924

Letter from Heinrich Schwabauer to Jacob Volz, published April 3, 1924

Letter from Georg Kaiser to Heinrich and Johannes Kaiser in Hastings, Nebraska, published April 3, 1924

Letter from Carl Fritzler to Die Welt-Post, published April 10, 1924

Letter from Pastor Kluck to Jacob Volz, published April 10, 1924

Letter to Die Welt-Post from Konrad Burbach in Hillrose, Colorado, published April 10, 1924

Letter from Rev. Wacker to Jacob Volz, published April 17, 1924

Letter reporting actions of the Norka village council, published April 24, 1924

Letter from Wilhelm Bartholomae to Pastor and Mrs. Hagelganz in Portland, Oregon, published May 1, 1924

Letter from Peter Krieger in Norka to Nikolaus Krieger in Portland, Oregon, published May 1, 1924 
​
Letter from Konrad Wuerz to Die Welt-Post, published May 22, 1924

Letter from Johannes Oelenberger to Johannes Doell, published June 5, 1924

Letters from Heinrich and Christina Burbach and Heinrich Aschenbrenner to Mr. George Hoffman, Hastings, Nebraska, published June 19, 1924

Letter from Peter, Heinrich, and Georg Lehl to Konrad and Katherine Koch in Fort Morgan, Colorado, published June 26, 1924

Letters published in 1925

Letter to Die Welt-Post from Georg Weidenkeller in Norka, published November 26, 1925

Letters published in 1926

Letter to Die Welt-Post from George Holzer in Burtonsville, Alberta, Canada, published March 4, 1926

Letter to Die Welt-Post from George Holzer in Burtonsville, Alberta, Canada, published September 20, 1926

Letter to Die Welt-Post from George Holzer in Burtonsville, Alberta, Canada, published October 21, 1926

Letters published in 1927

Letter to Die Welt-Post from George Holzer in Calgary, published September 8, 1927

Letters published in 1928

Letter to Die Welt-Post from Conrad Miller in Stony Plain, published March 29, 1928

Letter to Die Welt-Post from Ludwig Miller in Portland, Oregon, published on August 2, 1928

Letters published in 1929

Letter to Die Welt-Post from George Weidenkeller in Norka, published April 25, 1929

Letter to Die Welt-Post from George Holzer (Helzer) in Castor, Alberta, published May 2, 1929

Letter to Die Welt-Post from Conrad Bott in Norka, published May 16, 1929

Letter to Die Welt-Post from Jacob Weidenkeller in Norka, published November 14, 1929

Letters published in 1931 and 1932

Letter to Johannes Schnell in Ramona, Kansas, published September 1, 1932

Letter from Heinrich and Katharina Hahn to Johannes Brehm, published March 4, 1933

Letter from Wilhelm Keller to Rev. Wagner in Denver, Colorado, published October 18, 1933
Last updated December 7, 2023
Copyright © 2002-2025 Steven H. Schreiber
  • Home
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    • Village Life
    • Entertainment
    • Agriculture
    • Climate
    • Homesites
    • Geographical Description
    • Government
    • Social Structure
    • Health
    • Education
    • A Land of Ethnic Diversity
    • Cottage Industries >
      • Sarpinka
      • Mills
    • Language
    • Population
    • Military Service
    • Crime and Punishment
  • History
    • Timeline
    • Origins of the Colonists
    • Catherine's Manifesto 1763
    • Why go to Russia?
    • Recruitment 1766
    • Planning 1764-1766
    • Marriages Prior To Emigration 1766
    • Voyage to Russia 1766 >
      • Ship Transport 1766
    • Journey 1766-1767
    • Founding of Norka 1767
    • Early Years 1767-1769
    • Norka 1769
    • Pallas Report 1773
    • Pugachev Raid 1774
    • Norka 1775
    • Norka 1798
    • Norka 1811
    • Napoleons Soldiers
    • Norka 1834
    • Daughter Colonies 1850s >
      • Neu-Norka
      • Oberdorf
      • Brunnental
      • Rosenfeld (am Jeruslan)
      • Neu Hussenbach (Gaschon)
    • Privileges Lost 1871-1874
    • Immigration 1875-1924 >
      • To the United States >
        • Colorado
        • Ft Collins Colorado
        • Globeville Colorado
        • Mason City, Iowa
        • Culbertson, Nebraska
        • Lincoln, Nebraska
        • Sutton, Nebraska
        • Burlington, Oklahoma
        • Weatherford, Oklahoma
        • Canby, Oregon
        • Portland, Oregon
      • To Canada >
        • Duffield, Alberta
        • Ponoka, Alberta
        • Spruce Grove, Alberta
        • Stony Plain, Alberta
        • Vegreville, Alberta
        • Arcola, Saskatchewan
      • To Germany
      • To South America
    • Famine 1891-1892
    • Norka 1898
    • War & Turnoil 1904-1906
    • World War 1914-1918
    • Revolution & War 1917-1922
    • Soviet Rule 1918-1941
    • Famine 1921-1924
    • Famine 1932-1933
    • The Great Terror 1936-1938
    • Deportation 1941
    • Repression 1941-1956
    • Cultural Loss 1957-2006
    • A Culture in Peril
    • Recent Times
  • Traditions
    • Food and Drink
    • Clothing
    • Holidays >
      • New Year
      • Fastnacht
      • Lent
      • Easter
      • Ascension Day
      • Pentecost
      • Founder's Day
      • Harvest Festival
      • Jahrmarkt
      • Christmas
      • Anniversaries & Birthdays
    • Crafts
    • Games
    • Folk Medicine
    • Superstitions
    • Nicknames
    • Folk Music
    • Church Music
    • Funerals and Burials
  • Religion
    • Planning and History >
      • Norka Reformed Church 1767-1864
      • 1909 Norka Parish Report
    • Pastors >
      • Johann Heinrich Fuchs
      • Johann Georg Herwig
      • Johann Baptist Cattaneo
      • Lukas Cattaneo
      • Emanuel Grunauer
      • Friedrich Börner
      • Christian Gottlieb Hegele
      • Christoph H Bonwetsch
      • Gottlieb N Bonwetsch
      • Wilhelm Staerkel
      • Woldemar Sibbul
      • David Weigum
      • Friedrich Alexander Wacker
      • Emil Pfeiffer
    • Church Practices >
      • Baptism
      • Confirmation
      • Weddings
      • Communion
      • Prayers
      • Parochial Certificates
    • Church Buildings
    • Church Organs
    • Bell Tower
    • Brethren Movement
  • Resources
    • Family Research
    • Research Resources >
      • Arrival Records 1766
      • Descendant Charts
      • German EWZ Records
      • Soviet Gulag Records
    • Maps
    • Glossary
    • Bibliography
    • Periodicals >
      • Die Welt-Post Letters
      • Sonntagsblatt der Omaha Tribune
    • Related Links