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History > Marriages​​​​ Prior To Emigration

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 the time of 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.
Marienkirche in Büdingen
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. 
Interior of the Marienkirche in Büdingen.
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
St. Jacob's Church in Lübeck. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Those married in Lübeck included:

​Johannes Henries Fischer married Johanna Maria Leonhardt on June 19, 1766, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Lübeck.

Johan Ludwig Fink, from Hessen-Darmstadt, married Anna Catherina Goebel on May 21, 1766, at St. Jacob's Lutheran Church in Lübeck.

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.

The Büdingen marriages records can be viewed on Family History Library Microfilm #1197023.

The Lübeck marriage records can be viewed on Family History Library Microfilms #326271, #326156, #326254, #326121, #326169.
Last updated November 19, 2023
Copyright © 2002-2025 Steven H. Schreiber
  • Home
    • About
    • Reviews
    • Contact
  • People
    • Founders
    • Personal Histories
    • Notable Norkans
    • Stories
    • Photo Identification
    • Photo Gallery
  • Community
    • 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