Why go to Russia?
I am often asked by Norka researchers "Why did my ancestors go to Russia?" It was certainly a question I asked myself for many years. I was never really satisfied with the rote answers provided in most of the well-known German-Russian history books.
First of all, it is impossible to categorize all German-Russians in a single group. In reality, there are different groups of ethnic Germans (e.g. Volga Germans, Black Sea Germans, Mennonites, Baltic Germans). These groups lived under different economic circumstances, left their homelands at different time periods for different reasons, and under different offerings from the Russian government. Not all German-Russians migrated under the provisions of Catherine the Great's Manifesto. Migration under different programs and different Tsar's continued to the 1860s.
Similarly, not all Volga Germans came from the same parts of Western Europe. People living in Sweden or France would likely have had different reasons to leave than someone migrating from Saxony, Baden-Württemberg or Hessen-Kassel.
I wanted to understand the specific reasons that prompted those that settled in Norka in 1767. We now know where most of these people had lived before departing for Russia. The vast majority lived in either the county of Isenburg or the principality of Hessen-Kassel. These facts are based upon the Kulberg ship arrival lists made in 1766 and the 1767 census taken in Norka after their arrival.
Let's look at some of the standard reasons for migration and see if rationale holds up for those that settled in Norka.
1. The impacts of the Thirty Years War. This reason seems improbable given that that war ended in 1648, about 120 years before the colonists began migrating to the lower Volga. Would something that happened 120 years ago cause you to move? I think not.
2. The impacts of the Seven Years War (1756-1763). There is certainly truth to this reason, but it depends on where you lived. If your ancestors lived in Hessen-Kassel, they were directly aligned with Britain and Prussia in the fight with France. Some of the battles were fought in the northern parts of principality. Many Hessian men were conscripted and served as auxiliaries to the main combatants. One of my ancestors, Conrad Schreiber, was one such example. He served in the Prinz Georg regiment. I can see how he may have come home from the war and told his son, "Wilhelm, you don't ever want to be part of something like this. Get out while you can!"
If your ancestor was from the county of Isenburg, it was a different story. Isenburg was not involved in the Seven Year's War and there were no battles in this area. I can't say that there were no impacts, Hessen-Kassel was a neighbor, but the war doesn't seem to have been a major reason for migration from this area. Many, many people who settled in Norka came from the county of Isenburg.
3. A desire for religious freedom. For some people this was likely true. Fabian Zubia Schultheis makes a compelling argument that members of Herrnhutter Brüdergemeine (Moravians) began migrating to Russia as a result of of being expelled from Isenburg in 1753. The Moravians founded the Russian colony of Sarepta which would have a major impact on the beliefs people in Norka, but that would come later.
Based on the fact that most people freely agreed to settle in colonies of the same faith they practiced in their homelands (Reformed, Lutheran or Catholic), the argument that religious freedom was a major impact seems to be an exaggeration.
4. Free land. The Kulberg and 1767 census lists show that many people were not farmers in their homelands. There were stone masons, stocking makers, blacksmiths, school teachers and many other occupations. I mean no offense to farmers, to whom I am continually grateful, but I can't imagine that all of these folks had a strong desire to abandon their money making professions to plow virgin farmland in a remote part of the world. For those who wanted land and desired to be farmers, this part of the Manifesto was certainly persuasive, especially combined with freedom from taxation for 10 years.
So what was happening in these areas that would cause people to pick up and travel thousands of miles to place they knew almost nothing about?
1. Some people were probably drawn to the exclusion from military service offered by Catherine's Manifesto. If you were from Hessen-Kassel, this was probably a real draw.
2. Catherine's Manifesto implied that craftsman could set up shop anywhere they chose to in Russia. I suspect that many of the craftsman saw this as an opportunity and would have liked to settle in the larger cities (St. Petersburg or Moscow) where there would be ample customers for their services. When they got to Russia, they found out this was not really an option. Kulberg was responsible for firmly telling everyone that they were going to the lower Volga and would become farmers. There was no way back.
3. Lack of opportunity and freedom in class based system. In the 1760s, you belonged to a ruler. As a subject, your opportunities and freedoms were very limited. You had no vote when taxes were raised. When the ruler requisitioned grain or your services, you obliged or faced the consequences. You could not move from your village without permission. I can easily imagine that many wanted to flee this rigid system to live in the promised self-governing communities. The Russian government ruled from afar, but left much of the community management up to the people.
4. Let's be honest, our people were duped to some extent. Russian and private recruiters (who were paid by the head) painted the settlement areas as utopias, not mostly barren steppes. At the time, there was no Google Maps with satellite views to check things out ahead of time. They really didn't know where they were going and believed the promises too much.
First of all, it is impossible to categorize all German-Russians in a single group. In reality, there are different groups of ethnic Germans (e.g. Volga Germans, Black Sea Germans, Mennonites, Baltic Germans). These groups lived under different economic circumstances, left their homelands at different time periods for different reasons, and under different offerings from the Russian government. Not all German-Russians migrated under the provisions of Catherine the Great's Manifesto. Migration under different programs and different Tsar's continued to the 1860s.
Similarly, not all Volga Germans came from the same parts of Western Europe. People living in Sweden or France would likely have had different reasons to leave than someone migrating from Saxony, Baden-Württemberg or Hessen-Kassel.
I wanted to understand the specific reasons that prompted those that settled in Norka in 1767. We now know where most of these people had lived before departing for Russia. The vast majority lived in either the county of Isenburg or the principality of Hessen-Kassel. These facts are based upon the Kulberg ship arrival lists made in 1766 and the 1767 census taken in Norka after their arrival.
Let's look at some of the standard reasons for migration and see if rationale holds up for those that settled in Norka.
1. The impacts of the Thirty Years War. This reason seems improbable given that that war ended in 1648, about 120 years before the colonists began migrating to the lower Volga. Would something that happened 120 years ago cause you to move? I think not.
2. The impacts of the Seven Years War (1756-1763). There is certainly truth to this reason, but it depends on where you lived. If your ancestors lived in Hessen-Kassel, they were directly aligned with Britain and Prussia in the fight with France. Some of the battles were fought in the northern parts of principality. Many Hessian men were conscripted and served as auxiliaries to the main combatants. One of my ancestors, Conrad Schreiber, was one such example. He served in the Prinz Georg regiment. I can see how he may have come home from the war and told his son, "Wilhelm, you don't ever want to be part of something like this. Get out while you can!"
If your ancestor was from the county of Isenburg, it was a different story. Isenburg was not involved in the Seven Year's War and there were no battles in this area. I can't say that there were no impacts, Hessen-Kassel was a neighbor, but the war doesn't seem to have been a major reason for migration from this area. Many, many people who settled in Norka came from the county of Isenburg.
3. A desire for religious freedom. For some people this was likely true. Fabian Zubia Schultheis makes a compelling argument that members of Herrnhutter Brüdergemeine (Moravians) began migrating to Russia as a result of of being expelled from Isenburg in 1753. The Moravians founded the Russian colony of Sarepta which would have a major impact on the beliefs people in Norka, but that would come later.
Based on the fact that most people freely agreed to settle in colonies of the same faith they practiced in their homelands (Reformed, Lutheran or Catholic), the argument that religious freedom was a major impact seems to be an exaggeration.
4. Free land. The Kulberg and 1767 census lists show that many people were not farmers in their homelands. There were stone masons, stocking makers, blacksmiths, school teachers and many other occupations. I mean no offense to farmers, to whom I am continually grateful, but I can't imagine that all of these folks had a strong desire to abandon their money making professions to plow virgin farmland in a remote part of the world. For those who wanted land and desired to be farmers, this part of the Manifesto was certainly persuasive, especially combined with freedom from taxation for 10 years.
So what was happening in these areas that would cause people to pick up and travel thousands of miles to place they knew almost nothing about?
1. Some people were probably drawn to the exclusion from military service offered by Catherine's Manifesto. If you were from Hessen-Kassel, this was probably a real draw.
2. Catherine's Manifesto implied that craftsman could set up shop anywhere they chose to in Russia. I suspect that many of the craftsman saw this as an opportunity and would have liked to settle in the larger cities (St. Petersburg or Moscow) where there would be ample customers for their services. When they got to Russia, they found out this was not really an option. Kulberg was responsible for firmly telling everyone that they were going to the lower Volga and would become farmers. There was no way back.
3. Lack of opportunity and freedom in class based system. In the 1760s, you belonged to a ruler. As a subject, your opportunities and freedoms were very limited. You had no vote when taxes were raised. When the ruler requisitioned grain or your services, you obliged or faced the consequences. You could not move from your village without permission. I can easily imagine that many wanted to flee this rigid system to live in the promised self-governing communities. The Russian government ruled from afar, but left much of the community management up to the people.
4. Let's be honest, our people were duped to some extent. Russian and private recruiters (who were paid by the head) painted the settlement areas as utopias, not mostly barren steppes. At the time, there was no Google Maps with satellite views to check things out ahead of time. They really didn't know where they were going and believed the promises too much.
Sources
Written by Steve Schreiber.
Last updated 2 May 2020.