NORKA
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    • Catherine's Manifesto 1763
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      • Ship Transport 1766
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    • 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)
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    • Famine 1891-1892
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      • Christoph H Bonwetsch
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People > Photo Identification

Photo Identification

Help us reunite these people with their families. There's nothing more precious than a photo of a family member.

Please contact us if you have information about the photos shown below or if you have photos to contribute.

The images in the gallery below are photos of people and families believed to be from Norka or Kolb. The photographs are part of a collection held by Lois Klaus (Portland, Oregon) and were contributed to this website by Lynn Huber. It is likely that these photos originally belonged to Lois's father, Jacob Klaus, and are family members who remained in Russia.

Click on the thumbnail to view a larger image. Place your cursor over the thumbnail to see any known information.

The images in the gallery below are from various sources and represent people with known connections to Norka.

​Click on the thumbnail to view a larger image. Place your cursor over the thumbnail to see a pop-up with any known information.
Shown in the center of this group of Russian soldiers is Heinrich Reich, born 14 Apr 1867 in Norka. Source: Ruben Reich. Can you identify anyone else?
Unknown Norka family. This photo was presented to Steve Schreiber in 20006 when he visited Norka. It was found hidden under the stairs of a home in Norka, probably in 1941 during the deportation.
Two unknown woman, possibly members of the Schreiber family from Norka. This photo was in the collection of Marie Katherine Schreiber Baker.

About Old Photos

Early photography often portrays serious and somber people. This wasn't because they were less happy than we are today. The many reasons range from poor dental health to long camera exposure times, which require stillness. Smiling people in photos were thought to be associated with undesirable behaviors. 

From the mid-1800s to the early 20th Century, it was common in Europe and America to take and display postmortem photographs. They were often used to convey information about a family to those living far away and are part of many family collections. Attitudes changed after World War 1, and these photographs became less common.

Sources

Fabry, Merrill, "Now You Know: Why Do People Always Look So Serious in Old Photos?" Time Magazine (Online), 28 Nov 2016. Accessed 8 April 2025.

"​People in the Victorian era frequently took photos of the dead." History Facts (Online). Accessed 8 April 2025.


Last updated April 8, 2025
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