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People > Stories > The Peculiar Story of Heinrich Nagel

The Peculiar Story of Heinrich Nagel

​Heinrich was born in 1852. His mother was Katharina Heiser (also spelled Häuser). Katharina was born July 2, 1832 in the colony of Bettinger and confirmed in Norka in 1847. Heinrich's biological father is unknown and the relationship with Katharina appears to have been short.

In 1854, Katharina married Jacob Nagel. Jacob was born July 3, 1832 in Norka. In 1855, Katharina, Jacob and Heinrich moved to the colony of Warenburg on the Wiesenseite. By 1865, the family had relocated to the daughter colony of Brunnental.

The 1870-1884 Brunnental Communion Register describes Heinrich as the "illegitimate son" ("deren Unehelicher Sohn") of Katharina and Jacob. Heinrich's birth location is listed as Saratov and his birth year is given as 1852. This is not an exact date, which is unusual in the Communion Registers according to Maggie Hein. There is a phrase written after Heinrich's birth year: "ist griechisch ruscher Confession". This phrase roughly translates to "is of the Greek Russian faith".  
Picture
Russian Orthodox church in Saratov, Russia. Heinrich may have been baptized here.
This is a peculiar story because very few Volga Germans are known to have been members of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is likely that Heinrich's biological father was Russian Orthodox. Katharina may have initially consented to Heinrich's baptism in the Orthodox faith when he was an infant. However, his Orthodox baptism seems to have created complications during his teenage years. Given that Heinrich was Orthodox, he may not have been legally considered a "colonist". As a result, he may not have been eligible for the legal benefits provided under Catherine the Great's Manifesto (land allocation, exemption from the military, etc.).

Further evidence of Heinrich's story is found in the Russian State Historical Archives located in St. Petersburg. The archive holds a document titled "Case on the conversion from the Russian Orthodox to the Evangelical Reformed confession of Heinrich Heiser, Norka resident." 

The case file shows that in March 1867, Katharina petitioned the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Office of the Department of Religious Affairs of Foreign Confessions requesting permission for her son Heinrich to be released from the Russian Orthodox faith so he could practice the Evangelical Reformed faith of his colony. The appeal states that Heinrich lives with his German relatives, does not understand the Russian language, and has never been taught the dogmas of the Russian Orthodox creed. At the time, those baptized as Russian Orthodox were required by law to remain members of the church. The report states: "Article 47 of Volume 14 of the Holy Law of the 1857 edition prohibits those born into the Orthodox faith, as well as those converting to it from other faiths, from departing from it and from taking a different faith, even if it is a Christian one."

Apparently, there was no flexibility in the law. A letter from the Ministry dated March 21, 1867 denies Katharina's request and orders her to provide reimbursement for 1 Ruble and 40 kopeks in silver, covering the cost of two sheets of paper and postage stamps. 

Another letter, dated March 31, 1867, was sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the high prosecutor of the Russian Orthodox Holy Synod. This letter ordered the Holy Synod to provide instruction to Heinrich in the Orthodoxy. Whether or not Heinrich actually received his instruction may remain a mystery forever.

There is nothing more written about Heinrich in the Brunnental Communion Register - no date of death, no notation about moving, and no information about marriage.  

If you know anything more about Heinrich, please contact us.

Sources

Written by Steve Schreiber, June 2019.

Hein, Maggie. Brunnental Communion Register 1870-1884, Book No.1

Case on the conversion from Russian Orthodox to Evangelical Reformed confession of Heinrich Heiser, Norka resident. 1868-1871. Russian State Historical Archives, Zanevskii Prospekt, 36, St. Petersburg, 195112. (F.821, Op. 5, d. 242).
Last updated June 13, 2019.
Copyright © 2002-2023 Steven H. Schreiber
  • Home
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    • 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 >
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        • Arcola, Saskatchewan
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    • Famine 1891-1892
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    • 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
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    • Confirmation
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    • Weddings
    • Funerals and Burials
  • Religion
    • Planning and History >
      • Norka Reformed Church 1767-1864
      • 1909 Norka Parish Report
    • Pastors >
      • Johann Heinrich Fuchs
      • Johann Georg Herwig
      • Johannes Baptista 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 >
      • 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
    • Related Links