Volhynia
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Regional Research > Remaining Europe > Volhynia
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[edit] General Information
This section covers the province of Volhynia of the former Russian Empire. Today it comprises northwestern Ukraine from slightly west of Kiev to the border with Poland. Ukraine has converted it into three provinces, Volyn, Rivne, and Zhitomir. You may see references to Russian Volhynia, Polish Volhynia or Ukrainian Volhynia. These terms typically apply only for the period between the two World Wars when the territory was split between Poland and Russia.
[edit] Description of the Research Area
Thousands of Germans lived in Volhynia during the 19th century. Most were of the Lutheran (Evangelical) faith but there were also Mennonites, Baptists, and Moravian Brethern in the region. Unlike other parts of Russia where the Germans settled in larger towns, here they were spread widely through the region in over 1400 villages.
[edit] History
Early German settlement was sporadic in Volhynia. One of the first colonies was at Koretz in 1783. A few Mennonite agricultural villages were established just after 1800 in the southern part but most of them moved on to the Black Sea region within a few decades. The first permanent settlement at Annette came in 1816 but significant migration into Volhynia did not occur until the 1830s. The migration to Volhynia occurred under vastly different circumstances than that to other parts of the Russian empire. Polish landlords who had retained land after the Russian occupation were looking for qualified farmers to develop and farm their land. No special priviliges were extended to these immigrants except for that which could be provided by the local nobility. It was the shortage of land in their old homes that drove most of the Germans into this region. By 1860, there were only about 5000 in 35 small villages. Then, with the abolition of serfdom in 1861 and the failed Polish Insurrection of 1863, Germans began to flood into this area. By 1871, there were over 28,000 and by the turn of the century, over 200,000 lived in Volhynia. Most of them had come from Poland with a minority from Wuerttemberg, Pomerania, East Prussia, Silesia, and Galicia.
[edit] Genealogical and Historical Societies
[edit] Genealogical Societies
The Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe SGGEE serves those with German ancestry in Volhynia and Russian Poland. You can click on the German flag to see a portion of the site in German. With its narrow focus, it should be considered as the primary English language resource for info about Germans from Volhynia. A free mailing list is available at this site.
Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft ostdeutscher Familienforscher e.V. AGoFF of course serves many Germans with East European origins including Volhynia.
The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia AHSGR has for many years tried to include Volhynia as part of its broad based coverage in Russia but most of its resources are focused on the Volga River region.
The Germans from Russia Heritage Society GRHS focuses its research on the Black Sea and Bessarabian regions but also has some resources for Volhynia.
[edit] Historical and other Societies
The Historical Society for Germans from Poland and Volhynia operates a small but well featured library in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Contact information can be found on the SGGEE website noted above.
The Wolhynier Umsiedlermuseum supports the cultural and historical aspects of Germans from Volhynia.
The people who operate and use the Wolhynien website are technically not a society but they should be. This is a high quality site which includes most everything you could possible want to know about Volhynian German genealogy.
An important source of information for Baptist Germans of Volhynia (again, not a society) is Volhynia. This site also includes important information for Germans who migrated out of the area at or during WW II in the form of the EWZ records.
Numerous Mennonite resources can be readily found with a GOOGLE search for that term but a good starting point is Mennonite Index.
Similarly numerous Jewish genaealogical resources can be found with a GOOGLE search but the best starting point is JewishGen.
[edit] Genealogical and Historical Records
[edit] Church Records
The Bishop's office copy of the St. Petersburg Consistory of the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church has been extracted. These extractions (which roughly cover 1835-1885) are available at the Odessa3 site.
Other church records are available on microfilm and lists can be found on the SGGEE and Wolhynien websites noted above.
[edit] Civil Registration Records
The EWZ files are an important resource for research for those whose family was displaced prior to or during WW II. They can also provide valuable info by way of those families who remained behind during earlier migrations. Good instructions for using and researching these files can be found at the Volhynia site referenced above.
[edit] Other records
[edit] Villages and Maps
[edit] Village lists
[edit] Maps
A good variety of village lists and maps (or links to same) can be found on the SGGEE and Wolhynien websites referenced above.
[edit] Bibliography and Literature
[edit] Literature in English
[edit] Archives and Libraries
[edit] Germany
[edit] Russia
[edit] Miscellaneous
[edit] Professional Researchers
[edit] Customs
[edit] Emigrations
[edit] Languages
[edit] Calendar
Russia adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1918, February 14 followed February 1.
