Johann Heinrich and Anna Sibilla Betz
Johann Heinrich Betz (the son of Johann Martin and Anna Margaretha Betz) was baptized in Wenings on October 12, 1731. Anna Sibilla Krumm (the daughter of Johannes and Elisabeth Krumm) was baptized in Wenings on July 17, 1732. The couple married on March 24, 1756. The baptisms of three children are recorded in the Wenings parish records: Johanna Elisabetha, born November 23 and baptized November 25, 1759; Johanna Maria, born May 10, and baptized May 16, 1762; and Johann Conrad, born September 21, baptized September 25, 1764.
Entry in the Wenings (Gedern) parish records showing the marriage of Johann Heinrich and Anna Sibilla Betz. Courtesy of Maggie Hein.
In 1766, Johann Heinrich and Anna Sibilla decided to accept the offer described in Catherine's Manifesto and migrate to Russia. The nearby town of Büdingen was one of the primary places of recruitment and a gathering point for people wishing to become colonists in Russia.
The entire family sailed with other colonists from the north German port of Lübeck aboard a Lübeck ship under the command of Johann Schkott and arrived in Oranienbaum, Russia on August 29, 1766.
Over a year later, Johann Heinrich, Anna Sibilla, and their daughter Johanna Elisabetha were among the founders who arrived in Norka on August 15, 1767 and are recorded there on the 1767 Census as Household No. 184. Their two youngest children must have died at some point on the journey to Norka.
The entire family sailed with other colonists from the north German port of Lübeck aboard a Lübeck ship under the command of Johann Schkott and arrived in Oranienbaum, Russia on August 29, 1766.
Over a year later, Johann Heinrich, Anna Sibilla, and their daughter Johanna Elisabetha were among the founders who arrived in Norka on August 15, 1767 and are recorded there on the 1767 Census as Household No. 184. Their two youngest children must have died at some point on the journey to Norka.
Sources
Hein, Maggie. The Volga Germans website (6 Aug 2020).
Pleve, I. R. Lists of Colonists to Russia in 1766: Reports by Ivan Kulberg. Saratov, Russia: Saratov State Technical U, 2010. Print.
Pleve, Igor. Einwanderung in Das Wolgagebiet 1764-1767 Kolonien Laub-Preuss. Gottingen: Nordost-Institut, 2005. Print.
Pleve, I. R. Lists of Colonists to Russia in 1766: Reports by Ivan Kulberg. Saratov, Russia: Saratov State Technical U, 2010. Print.
Pleve, Igor. Einwanderung in Das Wolgagebiet 1764-1767 Kolonien Laub-Preuss. Gottingen: Nordost-Institut, 2005. Print.
Last updated August 6, 2020.