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MARGARET MAE HEART, DAUGHTER OF FRANCIS JOHN BEFORT AND DARLENE ANN HAMMERSMITH, MOTHER OF ERNEST EUGENE HEART AND MICHAEL JEREMIAH HEART301 W. 10TH ST., APT # 2HAYS, KANSAS 67601WEB PAGE http://www.geocities.com/margaret_heart2003http://www.geocit
ies.com/heartm_2000Daughter of Francis John BEFORT and Darlene Ann HAMMERSMITH, BORN 9-24-1959Our forefathers who left Germany to go to Russia to make a better life for themselves and their children. It is dedicated as well to our brave forefathers who left Russia to make a better life for themselves and their children in the United States. It is especially dedicated to those of our relatives who stayed in Russia and endured over fifty years exiled in prison work camps for their crime of being of German ancestry.ForwardMany books and papers about other Volga German families and their descendants, have been published over the last fifty years, and are treasured documents for not only the serious researcher, but also those with a passing interest as well. This book is one the descendants of one Befort family that left Germany to go to Russia.While every effort has been made in this compilation to provide accurate and complete information, endeavors to aquire additional facts and details from both the United States and European sources continue. Any ommission of person (s), places, or events that deserve inclusion berein is purely unintentional.MUNJORFOUNDEDAUGUST, 1876JOHANN BERG KONRADLEIKER JOSEPH SCHREIBVOGEL ELIZABETH BITTEL HERL DECHANTAGNES FISHER LEIKERANTON SCHUMACHERMARGARET KRANNAWITTER LEIKERGEORG SCHUMACHERANNA DECHANTMICHAEL LEIKERKATHERINE BOOS LEIKERBARBARA DECHANT SCUMACHERNIKOLAS EBERLEEVA GOETZ EBERLENIKOLAUS LEIKERANNA MARIA SCHMELZER LEIKERHEINRICH FERDINAND SCHUMACHERNICHOLAS LEIKERJOSEPH ENGELANNA KATHARINA STARCK SCHUMACHERJOHANNES GOETZ, SR.ANNA MARGARETHA RIEDEL GOETZPETER LEIKERANNA ELIZABETHA UNREIN LEIKERJOHANN HEINRICH SCHUMACHERMARIA ANNA DEPPERSCHMIDT SCHUMACHERROSALIA GASTEZKA LEIKERJOHANNES GOETZ, JR.KATHARINA THERE GOETZANDREAS MUELLERKATHARINA WENDLER EXNER SCHUMACHERMICHAEL GOETZMARIA BAUMANN GOETZHEINRICH MUELLERMARIA MUXSTADT MUELLERJOHANN PETER STOECKLEINMAGDALENA MARGARETHA SCHNEIDER STOECKLEINPETER STOECKLEINANNA KATHARINA ALBERT STOECKLEINJOHANN HERLKATHARINA ELIZABTHA WENDLER HERLPETER ROHRANTON WASINGER SR.MARIA EXLIZABETHA HERTLEIN WASINGERANTON WASINGER, SR.MARIA ELIZABETHA HERTLEIN WASINGERHEINRICH LEIKERMARY KATHARINA BEFORT LEIKERHEINRICH RUDERANNA DOROTHEA WASINGER RUDERJOHANN WASINGERDOROTHEA HERKLOTZ WASINGERJOHANN LEIKERELIZABETH GERBER LEIKERSTANISLAUS RUDERELIZABETHA SCHUMACHER RUDERANTON SCHNEIDERKATHARINA SCHNEIDERJOHANN JOSEPH (DICKE) LEIKERANNA ELIZABETHA DECHANT LEIKERJOHANN JOSEPH (SCHWARZE) LEIKERAGNES DECHANT LEIKERThe founders of MUNJOR were part of the largest single expedition of Unsere Leute to emigrate from Russia. Under the leadership of Bathasar BRUNGARDT 108 families left Saratov by train on July 8, 1876. Their body consisted of departures from Herzog, Obermonjou, Louis, Graf, Wittman, Marienthal, Schoenchen, and Gattung. The group separated at Eydtkuhnen, with the MUNJOR founders among these electing to sail via the Hamburg-American line. Arriving in New York, they then proceeded by train to Herzog. After remaining there several days, they repaired to a site on Big Creek a short distance north of the present village of MUNJOR. Some two months later they moved to the present townsite in Section 25, Town ship 14, Range 18 in Wheatland Township.On November 1, 1876 an additional group came to MUNJOR. They had emigrated from Saratov on September 30 and sailed from Hamburg-American line. This body consisted of the following familiesANTON BEFORTANNA KATHARINACHILDRENROSAKONRAD BEFORTANNA MARGARETHACHILDRENPETER, PAULINAMICHAEL GRAFCHRISTIAN HERTELJOHANNES KLAUSMARIACHILDRENJOHANNES, MARGARETHAJOHANN JAKON LEIKERMARGARETHACHILDRENJOSEPH, KATHERINEJAKOB PFANNENSTIELIn late July or early August, 1878 the following small group of families settled in MUNJOR:GERHARD BEFORTELIZABETHACHILDRENAMALIA, ALEXANDER, KATHARINA, JOHANNESANTON DECHANTCHILDREN(4 IN FAMILY)KARL DECHANTKATHARINACHILDRENMARIA, KATHARINA, ANTONJAKOB ENGEL(6 IN FAMILY)PETER KLAUSKATHARINACHILDRENANTON, ALEXANDER, KASPER, JOHANNES, JOSEPH, GEORGJOHANNES PFANNESTIELELIZABETHACHILDRENJOHAN JAKOB, ROSA, MARGARETHAKONRAD RUPPANNA EVACHILDRENANNA MARGARETHA, KATHARINA, AMALIA, JOHANNES, BARBARA, ANNA-MARIAJOHANNES STOECKLEINKATHARINACHILDRENALEXANDER, AUGUST, RAYMUNG, JOSEPHTwo weeks later came:ANTON GABELANNA KATHARINACHILDRENKATHARINA, ANTON, SEBASTIAN, HELENAJOHANNES GABELKATHARINAThe last group of early MUNJOR settlers were part of the Joseph Linenberger party which left Herzog and Marienthal, Russia on August 20, 1878. Landing in New York on the “Leipzig” of the North-German Lloyd line, they traveled cross-country by train and arrived in Victoria on September 15, 1878. They were part of the last large body to immigrate to Ellis County and consisted of the following families:ANTON DENNINGKATHARINACHILDRENGEORG, JOHANNES, ANNA, BARBARA, MARIANNAADAM ERNESTANNACHILDRENNIKOLAUS, FRANCISKA, MARGARETHA, KATHARINA, ELIZABETHA, KATHARINAJOHANNES ERNSTKATHARINACHILDRENMARGARETHAJOSEPH GASSMANKATHARINACHILDRENJOSEPH, SIMON, PETER KONRAD, ANNA, ELIZABETHAANDREAS KORBEEVACHILDRENDAVID, KATHARINA, NIKOLAUS, JOSEPH, MICHAEL, JOHANNES, MARGARETHA, BARBARA, MARIANNAPETER PFANNENSTIELKATHARINACHILDRENMATHIAS, ELIZABETHA, JOHANNES, KATHARINA, PETER, NIKOLAUS, ADAM, PETER, MARTINThe MUNJOR settlers were poor people, as were most of the Volga-Germans in the other local settlements. Their first residences were simple sod house.In 1876 they purchased Section 25 and organized MUNJOR Land Company. This creation lacked legal status and was succeeded by a corporate entity, the MUNJOR land and Grazing Company, which was chartered about October 11, 1882 at the suggestions of John Schyler, an advisor and benefactor for the early MUNJOR pioneers. Part of the section was surveyed by G.R. Wolf for the town site. Each lot owner was a member of the grazing use by all members. The charter provided for a 50-year life, a five-man board of directors with a president, secretary, and treasurer. The original capitalization called for $10,000 divided into 200 shares of $50 each. No interest in the company land holdings could be mortgaged, sold, or transferred without the consent of two-thirds of the membership.From the beginning this corporate creation experienced serious difficulties. The southern half of the section was sold on August 15, 1888. Controversy became so intense it pilled over into court litigation. In January, 1899 deeds were issued for the town lots only. This company’s internal conflicts split the community into two major factions. Peace was restored only after its dissolution.The founders wasted little time in arrangements for church services. They also prayed around a homemade cross under the open sky, but as early as 1877 succeeded in erecting a small 20 x 40 foot frame structure for church use. Rev. Fr. Valentine Sommereisen said mass in this building once a month. The Capuchins came in 1878 and have been in charge of the parish since then. Within a few years the parish added 16 feet to the original church. In 1889 this structure was replaced by the present stone church building.TRADITIONS OBERMONJOUr in RUSSIA was founded in 1766. It was located on the valley side of the Volga, the first village north of Katherinestaadt. According to an account by Victor LEIKER, a New Jersey Journalist and a native of MUNJOR, Kansas in the AHSGR Work Paper No., 5, Feborn 1972, the town in RUSSIA was named after a Frenchman named MUNJOR, a land agent for Catherine the Great. Eventually the town had a population of 3,000. Mr. LEIKER says that a young OBERMONJOUr lad who survived Siberia and was able to visit the Volga a few years ago, wrote his uncle in Germany as follows: "I could not even find where our village had been. It is as though nature has returned the land to the plains as they once were, without a tree, or a smokestack or a road or even a rusty pipe marking the village we loved so much."In 1876 the following families founded MUNJOR in Kansas. BEFORT; BINDER; DECHANT; DOEFLER; Eberle; ENGEL; Gabel; Graf; GROSS; Herl; HERTEL; Klaus; Korbe; KRANNAWITTER; Lieker; PFANNENSTIEL; Miller; Riedel; ROHR; Ruder; Rupp; SCHUMACHER; Schreibvogel; Stoecklein; Unrein; Urban; Wasinger; Yunker; GOETZ.Not all of the founders of MUNJOR, Kansas came from Obermounjour in RUSSIA. Some came from Wittman, Schoenchen, Marienthal, and Herzog on the Volga. The Grabbe family came directly from Germany.Peter LEIKER of OBERMONJOUr was ONE of the FIVE explorers who came to America in 1876 to look for a suitable place to settle.When the settlers arrived, they were for the most part poor, and the first order of business was to build shelters for their families, which were house constructed from sod and tree saplings from Big Creek. In 1926 a model sod house was built on the campus of Ft. Hays College to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coming of the German-RUSSIAns to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS. A lady from the east who stopped to see the sod house remarked, "Oh my Goodness, how could anyONE develop in a thing like this?" Joe Linenberger of Victoria a man 6' 3" tall and weighing about 225 lbs. overheard the remark and said,” Lady I am a specimen that grew up in ONE of these sod houses and I could crush every bONE in your body with ONE hanDIED: Contrary to what was said, these houses were fairly comfortable. The floor was bare, and in ONE of the rooms was a large stove used for baking and cooking. The interior of the house was whitewashed, and the entire house kept neat and clean.On of the most noted characteristics about MUNJOR in America was its find church choir. Clemens Wasinger and his son Paul were directors for over 50 years. Nick J. PFANNENSTIEL whom many considered the finest TENor in ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, led the singers. He retired in Hays and in 1956, Nick and this writer compiled a book of approximately 150 German-RUSSIAn folk songs.MUNJOR was another ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS town that was proud of its fine baseball teams through the years. There were many fine players, but let it suffice here to say that many felt John Riedel and Martin LEIKER could both have been professional ball players had they been given the opportunity.Nick J. PFANNENSTIEL, Joe BORN PFANNENSTIEL (604 E. 15th.) had fine race horses, and did much harness racing at county fairs and other events.Today, many of the best citizens of ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS originate from this quaint little village located 6 miles southeast of Hays on the banks of Big Creek. TRADITIONS OBERMONJOUr in RUSSIA was founded in 1766. It was located on the valley side of the Volga, the first village north of Katherinestaadt. According to an account by Victor LEIKER, a New Jersey Journalist and a native of MUNJOR, Kansas in the AHSGR Work Paper No., 5, Feborn 1972, the town in RUSSIA was named after a Frenchman named MUNJOR, a land agent for Catherine the Great. Eventually the town had a population of 3,000. Mr. LEIKER says that a young OBERMONJOUr lad who survived Siberia and was able to visit the Volga a few years ago, wrote his uncle in Germany as follows: "I could not even find where our village had been. It is as though nature has returned the land to the plains as they once were, without a tree, or a smokestack or a road or even a rusty pipe marking the village we loved so much."In 1876 the following families founded MUNJOR in Kansas. BEFORT; BINDER; DECHANT; DOEFLER; Eberle; ENGEL; Gabel; Graf; GROSS; Herl; HERTEL; Klaus; Korbe; KRANNAWITTER; Lieker; PFANNENSTIEL; Miller; Riedel; ROHR; Ruder; Rupp; SCHUMACHER; Schreibvogel; Stoecklein; Unrein; Urban; Wasinger; Yunker; GOETZ.Not all of the founders of MUNJOR, Kansas came from Obermounjour in RUSSIA. Some came from Wittman, Schoenchen, Marienthal, and Herzog on the Volga. The Grabbe family came directly from Germany.Peter LEIKER of OBERMONJOUr was ONE of the FIVE explorers who came to America in 1876 to look for a suitable place to settle.When the settlers arrived, they were for the most part poor, and the first order of business was to build shelters for their families, which were house constructed from sod and tree saplings from Big Creek. In 1926 a model sod house was built on the campus of Ft. Hays College to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coming of the German-RUSSIAns to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS. A lady from the east who stopped to see the sod house remarked, "Oh my Goodness, how could anyONE develop in a thing like this?" Joe Linenberger of Victoria a man 6' 3" tall and weighing about 225 lbs. overheard the remark and said,” Lady I am a specimen that grew up in ONE of these sod houses and I could crush every bONE in your body with ONE hanDIED: Contrary to what was said, these houses were fairly comfortable. The floor was bare, and in ONE of the rooms was a large stove used for baking and cooking. The interior of the house was whitewashed, and the entire house kept neat and clean.On of the most noted characteristics about MUNJOR in America was its find church choir. Clemens Wasinger and his son Paul were directors for over 50 years. Nick J. PFANNENSTIEL whom many considered the finest TENor in ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, led the singers. He retired in Hays and in 1956, Nick and this writer compiled a book of approximately 150 German-RUSSIAn folk songs.MUNJOR was another ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS town that was proud of its fine baseball teams through the years. There were many fine players, but let it suffice here to say that many felt John Riedel and Martin LEIKER could both have been professional ball players had they been given the opportunity.Nick J. PFANNENSTIEL, Joe BORN PFANNENSTIEL (604 E. 15th.) had fine race horses, and did much harness racing at county fairs and other events.Today, many of the best citizens of ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS originate from this quaint little village located 6 miles southeast of Hays on the banks of Big Creek. This book is the end result of years of research into the origin and dispersal of the KRANNAWITTER family. This INTRODUCTION contains a brief description of the TWELVE chapters and TWO final sections of this book.Within each chapter, in the even that any information was obtained from published material or from correspondence with official agencies, the particular source is citeDIED Much of the data used in this genealogical report was also taken from personal letters and family records; these sources, too, are duly citeDIED All of the sources used to compile this book, including those not specifically cited within the chapters, aware recorded in the bibliographic list at the end of the book.The author wishes to express her sincere gratitude to all the people who made this report possible. Any omissions or mistakes are uninTENtional. Special care has been given to citing all the people responsible for the compilation of this work.The members of the KRANNAWITTER, KRONEWITTer/Kronwitter/KRONEWITT/Kranewitter families that came to America from the Volga-German colonies in RUSSIA were among thousands of ethnic Germans from RUSSIA who emigrated in search of freedom from 1875 up to the time of the RUSSIAn Revolution. The variant spellings of the KRANNAWITTER surname evolved as family members who had moved to different parts of North and South America gradually lost contact with each other.In the earliest RUSSIAn records, the name was spelled KRANNAWITTER. All the American spellings that eventually developed differed slightly from this original version. Later in this introduction, more atTENtion will be given to the subject of the dispersal of this family and different spellings that ensueDIED For the make of simplicity, in this report the surname will be referred to generically as KRANNAWITTER unless a specific family with an alternative spelling is being discusseDIEDEvidence seems to indicate, although not incontrovertibly, that the KRANNAWITTER family that migrated to the Volga colonies of RUSSIA originated in Wiesbach, a small German village in lowered Bavaria situated about 50 miles northeast of Munich. (See figure 29.) Chapter ONE of this book, WIESBACH, LOWER BAVARIA< GERMANY; THE PROBABLE PLACE OF ORIGIN OF THE VOLGA-GERMAN IMMIGRANT JOHANNES KRANNEWITTER (1731-EA. 1782), ANALYZES THE RESEARCH that led to this TENtative conclusion (Pleve 1998).According to records contained in Catholic parish archives in Germany, Adam Kronawitter and his wife Anna _______-were parents of Michael Gronawitter (the surname was spelled differently even in the same baptismal entry.), baptized 3 MAY, 1731, at the church serving the parish of Obertrennbach, where Weisbach was locateDIED The entry stated that Adam Kronawitter was a dragONEt in the army (presumably the Bavarian army) and had been statiONEd at Mitterfels, a town about 40 miles north of Weisbach and about 20 miles east of the city of Regensburg (Mai (Dr. Paul) 1998). The Catholic archives referred to aware the only sauce of records of so early date in Germany.Johannes Krannewitter was the name of the man who migrated from Germany to RUSSIA, as listed in the roster of the original settlers of the Volga-German colony of OBERMONJOU, where he settled in 1767. Upon arrival at the colony on AUGUST, 1767, he stated that he was 36 years of age, that he was a Catholic, that he was from Weisbach (Germany), and that he was a baker by trade. Anna _______-, his wife, was 29 years of age (Pleve 1998).The author corresponded with the directors of the diocesan archives that house Catholic parish records were the only records kept in these towns in the early years. The only Weisbach that had records of any KRANNAWITTER (or any other similar spelling of that surname) families living in close proximity was the village mentiONEd above.Michael Gronawitter, baptized in 1731--according to records in Weisbach, Lower Bavaria--would have been 36 in 1767, as Johannes Krannewitter indicated that he was when he settled in OBERMONJOU in 1767. In German naming practice at the time of Johannes Krannewitter's migration, men were ofTEN given TWO names and would refer to themselves in official documents by either or both of these names. It is highly plausible that Johannes and Michael were ONE and the same. Johannes Michael was a common given-name combination. Since the Catholic Church in OBERMONJOU available for that early a date, it is impossible to verify this claim using those sources (Pleve 1999). Only circumstantial evidence can be used to provide further support for the assumption that Johannes and Michael was the same person. Particularlyrelevant is the fact that the information about Johannes Krannewiter's place or origin was extracted from the list of the first settlers of OBERMONJOU (PLeve 1998). The place of origin was extracted from the list of the first settlers of OBERMONJOU (Pleve 1998). The place of origin named in this source is by and large more specific and more reliable than that listed in the other principal source of information about the early German migrants to the Volga colonies; the Ivan Kuhlberg records, which were ship passenger lists prepared in 1766 when the first-settlers list is usually the place of birth, which makes it easier to find a connection in Germany (Schmidt 1998).At any rate, thanks to early RUSSIAn census records an unbroken line can be traced from Johannes and Anna Krannewitter to most of the families descended from theMARRIED Dr. Igor Pleve, who is on the faculty of Saratov State University and is an expert in Volga-German research, and the American Historical Society of Germans from RUSSIA (AHSGR) based in Lincoln, Nebraska, have been instrumental in providing information drawn from these early censuses. The AHSGR has published 1798 census data for OBERMONJOU and for the other Volga-German colonies (Rye 1995; Pleve 1998). Chapter TWO of this book, EARLY VOLGA-GERMAN RECORDS USED IN THIS GENEOLOGICAL REPORT, focuses on FOUR early sources that were referred to during the research process; and it summarizes the information taken from these records. Later censuses, or "revision lists" of earlier enumerations, were taken in the years 1816, 1834, and 1850 (Mai (Brent) 1998; Pleve 1998; Rye 1995; LEIKER 1999; Rupp 1999). From this RUSSIAn data and from death, census, church, family, and other records of family members who later moved to America, pedigree charts have been made fro THREE related OBERMONJOU families; KRANNAWITTER, DECHANT, and BRULL; these charts are included in Chapter TWO (See figures 1, 2, and 3).A genealogical profile of KRANNAWITTER families living in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, RUSSIA, Kazakhstan, and Germany who aware descended from Johannes and Anna Elizabeta Krannewitter is contained in CHAPTER THREE,,AN ELEVEN-GENERATION REGISTER OF SOME OF THE DESCENDANTS OF JOHANNES AND ANNA ELISABETA (SATTLER) KRANNEWITTER. This chapter consists of a computer-generated report of ELEVEN generations. All the sources used to compile this data aware included in the bibliographic list. Many of the families are traced through only a few generations.Before discussing any more of the conTENt of the book, the author would like to present an abbreviated history of the Volga German colonies and in this way provide a historical backdrop for the benefit of the reader. The information which follows was taken from TWO excellent books writTEN about the Volga-German colonies: Wir Wollen Deutsche Bleiben, by George J. Walters, 1982; and The German Colonies on the Lower Volga, by Gottlieb Beratz, 1914, translated by Leona W. Pfeifer, Lavern J. Ripley, and Dona Reeves-Marquardt, edited by Adam Giesinger, all of whom worked in cooperation with the AHSGR (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).The ancestors of the Volga Germans were among an estimated 27, 000 Western Europeans, primarily Germans, who migrated to RUSSIA from 1764 to 1767 upon the invitation of the RUSSIAn empress Catherine II, better known as Catherine the Great. The Catholic settlement of OBERMONJOU, which was the home of all the KRANNAWITTER families that later migrated to America, was ONE of 104 Mother Colonies--32 Catholic and 72 Protestant--established by these immigrants on both sides of the lower Volga River.OBERMONJOU was ONE of 27 colonies founded in 1766 and 1767 by Chevailer Caneau de Beauregard, a native of Switzerland who directed a French company employed by the RUSSIAn government to recruit colonists. The subdivision in which these 27 colonies were located was called the Fief de Catherine. OBERMONJOU, which was named for the French recruiting agent Otto de MUNJOR, was founded 5 MARCH, 1767, by 82 families, including 160 males and 139 females, for a total of 299 (Stump 1978). OBERMONJOU was located about 40 miles northeast of the city of Sartov and was situated on the east side, or Wiesenseite (meadow side), of the Volga River. (See figure 30.) The west side of the Volga River was known as the Bergseite (hilly side) (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).To temp the war-weary farmers, merchants, artisans, and soldiers of Germany and other European countries, Catherine the Great--a German herself--issued official edicts that offered free communal land, paid travel expenses, freedom of religion (as long as the people were Christians), freedom of self-government, and the opportunity to carry on ONE's particulate trade (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).Upon arrival in Oranienbaum, a seaport near St. Petersburg, RUSSIA, the colonists--after a difficult land and sea journey from recruiting points in Germany--received the first of many setbacks they would encounter. They were informed by the RUSSIAn Commissar Ivan Kuhlberg, who served as Catherine's official spokesman to the settlers that they would all have to become farmers, regardless of Catherine and her immediate successors. These pan-Slavic circles had grown suspicious and envious of the prosperous Volga Germans, who lost the liberty to rule themselves, to instruct their children in the German language, and to avoid conscription into the RUSSIAn army. The abrogation of these concessions prompted the Volga Germans to take advantage of an escape clause in the second of Catherine's TWO manifestos of invitations: the right to quit RUSSIA at any time after paying a tax on profits made in the empire. ONE of the destinations this time, after careful consideration and exploration by a group of scouts appointed by the colonists, was North America--specifically the fertile Great Plains of the U.S. Others chose to migrate to South America, where they settled in Brazil and Argentina (Walters 1982).Typical of the movement was the settlement of Ellis and Rush counties in Kansas, where between THREE and FOUR thousand Catholic Volga Germans eventually locateDIED They founded the settlements of Herzog (Victoria), MUNJOR, Katherinestadt, (Catherine), Liebenthal, Schoenchen, and Pfeifer (Walters 1982).Several KRANNAWITTER families and individuals from OBERMONJOU are known to have migrated to America. The following paragraphs detail the dates of their arrivals, their ultimate destinations, and the different spellings of the surname they utilizeDIED The number in superscript between the immigrant's given name and surname indicate the number of his or her generation of descent from Johannes Krannewitter, the original Volga-German settler. The parentheses after the immigrant's surname enclose a complete list of the names and generation numbers of each of his or herKRANNAWITTER ancestors leading up to Johannes Krannewitter. This is same pattern will be used throughout this book--except when the type must be single-spaced, in which event brackets will enclose the number of the generation of descent. Chapter THREE, entitled AN ELEVEN-GENERATION REGISTER OF SOME OF THE DESCENDANTS OF JAHANNES KRANNEWITTER AND ANNA ELIZABETA SATTLER, contains a complete description of each KRANNAWITTER immigrant's family.Brothers Johannes and Raymond KRANNAWITTER both move to the U.S. albeit at different times. Johannes came to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, Kansas as single man in 1876. ONE of the original settlers of MUNJOR, Kansas, he later MARRIED Helen LEIKER. Raymond came to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS 1901 with his second wife Mary Krapp, son John KRANNAWITTER (who was Raymond's son by his first wife Maria Catherine DECHANT--John is the author's grandfather), and daughters Julia and Rosa KRONEWITTer (who were the oldest children of Raymond and Mary). Later, another daughter, Katherine KRONEWITTer, and a son, Joseph KRONEWITTer, were BORN in the U.S. Joseph and his sisters spelled their name KRONEWITTer, as do their descendants today. Raymond's brother Johannes and his family migrated to the U.S. in 1901, they spent a short time in ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, Kansas; then they, too, moved to New Mexico where Raymond worked with his brother. In 1907, Raymond and his family moved back to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS and settled near Schoenchen. Many years later, ONE of Johannes' sons, Michael KRANNAWITTER, also moved back to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS and settled near Severin, located about FIVE miles northwest of Catherine.StoriesThe rest of Johannes' children remained in New Mexico, but he and his wife also eventually returned to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS where they settled in Hays, the county seat (Pleve 1998; KRANNAWITTER (Michael J. 1993.)Margareta KRANNAWITTER, widow of Johann LEIKER, moved to MUNJOR, ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, with her children in 1876. Her son, Peter LEIKER, was ONE of the FIVE scouts sent in 1874 by the Catholic Volga-German colonies to explore the possibilities of establishing settlements in the central plains of the U.S. (Pleve 1998; LEIKER (Victor C. 1976.)Magdalena Younger, widow of Franz Krannewitter, accompanied her daughter Barbara Krannewitter and Barbara's husband John Pfannnensteil to MUNJOR, Kansas, by 1880. Franz was the brother of Johannes Krannewitter who was the father of Johannes and Raymond KRANNAWITTER, discussed above. (Pleve 1998; Meyer 1976).Maria Elizabeth Krannewitter (KRONEWITTer) was the sister of Franz and Johannes mentiONEd in the paragraph above. She and her husband John ROHR also moved to MUNJOR by 1880 (Pleve 1998; Meyer 1976).In 1878, brothers Michael and Joseph Kranewitter--who were brothers of the U.S. immigrants Johannes and Raymond KRANNAWITTER discussed above--migrated to the province of Entrée Rios, Argentina, with their adoptive parents Joseph and Catalina (Unrein) Wendler. They were among the founders of the Volga-German settlement of Marienthal (Valle Maria), located about 25 miles south of the city of Parana (Wendler 1990; Kranewitter (Vicente) 1990). RaphaelKranewitter--who was probably the brother of Johannes, Raymond, Michael, and Joseph--remained in RUSSIA. His descendents are profiled in Chapter FIVE (Dreher Katharina) 1995).Adam Kranewitter and his family moved to Valle Maria, Argentina, in 1878. They were also among the founders of that settlement (Pleve 1998; Kranewitter (Vincent) 1990.Johannes "Weisse" Kranewitter and his wife Margaretha C. LEIKER migrated to Valle Maria in 1880. John Conrad Kranewitter and his family also migrated to Brazil in 1877 and then to Valle Maria in 1880 (PLeve 1998; Kranewitter (Vicente 1990).Raymond KRONEWITT moved first to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, Kansas, in 1902, and later to the Peace River valley of Alberta, Canada, in 1913. Raymond's aunt Anna Maria Krannewitter and her husband John BOOS and their children migrated to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS in 1892. Raymond KRONEWITT's first cousins Peter and Frank Kronwitter moved to the U.S.--Peter in 1903 and Frank in 1904. Peter and his wife Dorothea BOOS returned to RUSSIA in 1924 and died there. ONE of their daughters Anna Kron (e)witter and her husband John DECHANT moved to the Peace River valley of Alberta in 1915. Peter's brother Frank Kronwitter and his family settled in Pueblo, Colorado. (See Chapter FIVE). (Pleve 1998; Krapp; 1986; DECHANT 1987).Present-day descendants of the FIVE KRANNAWITTER/Kron(e)witter families who migrated to North America, the SIX Kranewitter families who migrated to South America and TWO of the Kranewitter families stayed in RUSSIA are listed in Chapters FOUR and FIVE.Chapter FOUR, current listings of related Volga-German families and individuals, as well as the many U.S. families that have variant spellings of the surname and do not have an obvious connection to the Volga-German families. The families are ranked according to the frequency of appearance of each particular spelling in the U.S. telephONE directories or in other U.S. indexes. Also discussed are the areas in the U.S. where there are high concentrations of these families. Various immigration records, the social security Death index, and listings found on the internet were also used to compile this data.Chapter FIVE, A FOCUS On RELATED KRONEWITT FAMILIES LIVING IN CANADA AND ON RELATED KRAANEWITTER FAMILIES LIVING IN ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN, AND GERMANY, provides up-to-date listings of the KRONEWITT families in Canada, Kranewitter families in Argentina, and Kranewitter families who chose to remain in what later became the Soviet Union. The information for the American KRONEWITT and Kranewitter descendents came from Internet directories. The information for the RUSSIAn Kranewitter descendants came from private correspondence. These RUSSIAn families underwent terrible ordeals to attain their present positions. Between 1876 and 1914, around 200,000 Volga Germans migrated to Siberia, the U.S. Canada, and countries in South America.The number of Volga Germans that remained in what later became the Volga German Republic increased to around 600,000 in 1914. In 1912, the population of OBERMONJOU had reached 2,882. By 1926, it had fallen to 2,157, due largely to a deadly famine that had swept through the Volga colonies, which were already devastated by crop failures in 1920 and 1921. The previous disastrous effects of WWI and the resulting civil strife and anti-German sentiment added to the misfortunes of the German settlers. The tyrannical policies of Josef Stalin--brutally enforced by his communist cohorts, another widespread famine in 1932, the con script ion of the young men of the towns into the Soviet army, and the banishment of property holders to prison camps all contributed to the steady decline of OBERMONJOU and the other Volga-German towns. The final blow came during WWII when the German army was approaching the Volga region. Stalin, fearing collaboration of the Volga Germans with the enemy, ordered the banishment of the entire population in AUGUST, 1941, along with the abrogation of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the Volga Germans, which had been established in 1924. Some 390,000 Volga Germans, which had been established in 1924. Some 390,000 Volga Germans were resettled in Siberia and Kazakhstan (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).Among those people resettled were several Kranewitter families. The author has contacted TWO descendants of these families: Vladimir Kranewitter and Katherine Dreher. Their story and the story of other relatives still living in RUSSIA and Kazakhstan aware recounted in Chapter 5, A FOCUS ON RELATED KRONEWITT FAMILIES LIVING IN CANADA AND ON RELATED KRANEWITTER FAMILIES LIVING IN ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN, AND GERMANY. Now that the RUSSIAn Government has eased restrictions on the German minority, more are trickling back to the former Volga German Republic near Savator. However, because the RUSSIAn economic situation is so bleak at the present time, many others are filling out the countless forms and submitting the endless documents necessary to immigrate to Germany. Katharina Dreher, mentiONEd above, and her family have joined the thousands of Volga Germans who have returned to their motherlanDIED Chapter SIX, OTHER FAMILIES WITH VARIANT SPELLINGS OF THE KRANNAWITTER SURNAME LIVING IN EURAOPE AND SOUTH AMERICA, contains statistics on the hundreds of families scattered throughout Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Paraguay who have different versions of the surname KRANNAWITTER. These families and individuals are not obviously related to the Krannewitter couple that settled in OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, in 1767, Any concentration of families with a similar spelling of the surname is noteDIED Sources for this information were also telephONE directories found on the internet. Chapter SEVEN, A TRIBUTE TO WILFRED W. KRANNAWITTER (1924-1970), RADIOMAN SECOND CLASS, U.S.S. SARASOTA APA 204, WWII, IS A MEMORIAL to the author's father. Wilfred W. ("Willie") KRANNAWITTER served in the south Pacific at the end of WWII. His ship, the Attack Transport U.S.S. Sarasota APA 204, took part in the battle of WWII-- the Battle of Okinawa. This chapter includes an itinerary of all the ports of call and war-time duties of the Sarasota. Also included are photographs, a history of the Sarasota's post-war activities, and an artistic rendition of the ship itself. After the war, Wilfred bought land and went into farming and stock rising. He later fought a personal battle against the neurological disease Guillain-Barre Syndrome for 17 years before it claimed his life in 1970. (See figures 22-24).CHAPTER EIGHT, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF TWELVE NOTED KRANNAWITTER, KRANEWITTER, KRONEWITT, AND KRONA WITTER INDIVIDUALS IN THE U.S., CANADA, ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, AUSTRIA, GERMANY, AND AUSTRIA, contains information about the lives of EIGHT notable Volga-German relatives: THREE descended from the KRONEWITT family that migrated to Argentina, and ONE descended from ONE of the Kranewitter families that remained in RUSSIA. FOUR unrelated but equally distinguished individuals are also treated: THREE with the surname Kranewitter and ONE with the surname KrONEawitter.Chapter NINE, ETYMOLOGY REFERENCES AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS IN EURAOPE AND THE U.S. THAT RELATE TO THE SURNAME KRANNAWITTER, includes entries taken from THREE etymological dictionaries that deal with surnames. FOUR geographical locations are also described: the hamlet of Kanawitt in Upper Bavaria, Germany: the mountain peak Kranabitsattel in the Hollengebirge mountains of Upper Austria, Austria; the airport Innsbruck-KranebitTEN near Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria, and KRONEWETTER Township in Narathon County, Wisconsin. Chapter TEN, THE KRANEWITTER COAT-OF-ARMS, AWARDED TO THE TYROLEAN COUSINS HANS AND WOLFGANG KRANEWITTER IN 1630, relates the story of the cousins Hans Kranewitter and Wolfgang Kranebitter who received a coat-of-arms in recognition of service rendered to the Austrian crown in its struggle in the neighboring Engadin region in SwitzerlanDIED The Kranewitter coat-of-arms was obtained in 1950 by Richard MARRIED KRANNAWITTER (1909-1991) while he was in Germany with the judge Advocate office at the end of WWII. The relationship between the original Volga-German settler Johannes Krannewitter and the cousins Hans and Wolfgang Kranewitter is unknown. Chapter 11, MAPS PF FORMER AND PRESENT PLACES OF RESIDENCE OF KRANNAWITTER FAMILIES IN GERMANY, RUSSIA, THE U.S., CANADA, AND ARGENTINA, includes 13 maps displaying the former and current homes of Krannewitter/Kranewitter/KRANNAWITTER/KRONEWITTer/KRONEWITT families in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. These maps, which are taken from a variety of sources, show the historical migration of the family from the original home in Germany, to the lower Volga River valley of RUSSIA, to other parts of the former Soviet Union, and to the colonies centered in ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, Kansas; entrée Rios, Argentina; and Alberta, Canada. (See figures 29-35.)Chapter TWELVE, PHOTOGRGRAPHS OF KRANNAWITTER DESCENDANTS IN THE U.S., CANADA, ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, GERMANY, contains photographs of some of the KRANNAWITTER/KRONEWITT/Kranewitter families and individuals that migrated from the Volga-German colonies to the U.S., Canada, and Argentina. Other photographs are of descendants of these same families living in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and RUSSIA. (See figures 36-58).The BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST is an alphabetical arrangement of every source used to compile this book. The list includes books, booklets, Magazine articles, Internet Websites, death records, published and unpublished family histories, private correspondence, census, and other records.The last section of this book is a surname index which consists of an alphabetical list of the surname KRANNAWITTER have already been discussed in this introduction. The reader will notice that in many instances in this book there are also several spellings for certain given names--for example, Catherine, Catharine, Catharina, Katharina, Catalina, etc. The reason for this is that each given name is presented as it was spelled in the record that it was extracted from, as are the surnames.To make matters worse, from 1773 to 1775 Emyliano Pugachev and his followers staged a rebellion against Catherine. They also encouraged the Kirghiz to stage a rebellion of their own. InTENsifying raids against the German settlements. Large areas of the Volga colonists were devastateDIED Some of Pugachev's followers, including about 100 Germans recruited from other Volga colonies, entered the town of Katherinenstadt, where they harassed and robbed the inhabitants of horses and guns. Katherinenstadt, the largest of the Volga colonists on the Wiesenseite, was only about FIVE miles southwest of OBERMONJOU. Amid all these tragedies, men totally unaccustomed to the rigors of farming were forced to learn that trade. Crop failures in the early years added to the colonists' desperation (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).After TWO generations of colonists had lived and died, conditions for the German settlers along the lower Volga slowly began to improve. They eventually prevailed and prospereDIED As the original Mother Colonies became too crowded, Daughter Colonies were establisheDIED Fortunately, the colony of OBERMONJOU was never attacked by Kirghiz or by Pugachev's rebels. In 1767, 299 people (82 families) had founded OBERMONJOU. TWO years later, the population was 324 (91 families). By 1798, when the first comprehensive census of OBERMONJOU was taken, the population had grown to 429. Through the 19th century, the population steadily increased as living conditions improveDIED But the good times were soon to end (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).The number of Volga Germans that remained in what later became the Volga German Republic increased to around 600,000 in 1914. In 1912, the population of OBERMONJOU had reached 2,882. By 1926, it had fallen to 2,157, due largely to a deadly famine that had swept through the Volga colonies, which were already devastated by crop failures in 1920 and 1921. The previous disastrous effects of WWI and the resulting civil strife and anti-German sentiment added to the misfortunes of the German settlers. The tyrannical policies of Josef Stalin--brutally enforced by his communist cohorts, another widespread famine in 1932, the con script ion of the young men of the towns into the Soviet army, and the banishment of property holders to prison camps all contributed to the steady decline of OBERMONJOU and the other Volga-German towns. The final blow came during WWII when the German army was approaching the Volga region. Stalin, fearing collaboration of the Volga Germans with the enemy, ordered the banishment of the entire population in AUGUST, 1941, along with the abrogation of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the Volga Germans, which had been established in 1924. Some 390,000 Volga Germans, which had been established in 1924. Some 390,000 Volga Germans were resettled in Siberia and Kazakhstan (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).Among those people resettled were several Kranewitter families. The author has contacted TWO descendants of these families: Vladimir Kranewitter and Katherine Dreher. Their story and the story of other relatives still living in RUSSIA and Kazakhstan aware recounted in Chapter 5, A FOCUS ON RELATED KRONEWITT FAMILIES LIVING IN CANADA AND ON RELATED KRANEWITTER FAMILIES LIVING IN ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN, AND GERMANY. Now that the RUSSIAn Government has eased restrictions on the German minority, more are trickling back to the former Volga German Republic near Savator. However, because the RUSSIAn economic situation is so bleak at the present time, many others are filling out the countless forms and submitting the endless documents necessary to immigrate to Germany. Katharina Dreher, mentiONEd above, and her family have joined the thousands of Volga Germans who have returned to their motherlanDIED Chapter SIX, OTHER FAMILIES WITH VARIANT SPELLINGS OF THE KRANNAWITTER SURNAME LIVING IN EURAOPE AND SOUTH AMERICA, contains statistics on the hundreds of families scattered throughout Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Paraguay who have different versions of the surname KRANNAWITTER. These families and individuals are not obviously related to the Krannewitter couple that settled in OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, in 1767, Any concentration of families with a similar spelling of the surname is noteDIED Sources for this information were also telephONE directories found on the internet. Chapter SEVEN, A TRIBUTE TO WILFRED W. KRANNAWITTER (1924-1970), RADIOMAN SECOND CLASS, U.S.S. SARASOTA APA 204, WWII, IS A MEMORIAL to the author's father. Wilfred W. ("Willie") KRANNAWITTER served in the south Pacific at the end of WWII. His ship, the Attack Transport U.S.S. Sarasota APA 204, took part in the battle of WWII-- the Battle of Okinawa. This chapter includes an itinerary of all the ports of call and war-time duties of the Sarasota. Also included are photographs, a history of the Sarasota's post-war activities, and an artistic rendition of the ship itself. After the war, Wilfred bought land and went into farming and stock rising. He later fought a personal battle against the neurological disease Guillain-Barre Syndrome for 17 years before it claimed his life in 1970. CHAPTER EIGHT, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF TWELVE NOTED KRANNAWITTER, KRANEWITTER, KRONEWITT, AND KRONA WITTER INDIVIDUALS IN THE U.S., CANADA, ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, AUSTRIA, GERMANY, AND AUSTRIA, contains information about the lives of EIGHT notable Volga-German relatives: THREE descended from the KRONEWITT family that migrated to Argentina, and ONE descended from ONE of the Kranewitter families that remained in RUSSIA. FOUR unrelated but equally distinguished individuals are also treated: THREE with the surname Kranewitter and ONE with the surname KrONEawitter.Chapter NINE, ETYMOLOGY REFERENCES AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS IN EURAOPE AND THE U.S. THAT RELATE TO THE SURNAME KRANNAWITTER, includes entries taken from THREE etymological dictionaries that deal with surnames. FOUR geographical locations are also described: the hamlet of Kanawitt in Upper Bavaria, Germany: the mountain peak Kranabitsattel in the Hollengebirge mountains of Upper Austria, Austria; the airport Innsbruck-KranebitTEN near Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria, and KRONEWETTER Township in Marathon County, Wisconsin. Chapter TEN, THE KRANEWITTER COAT-OF-ARMS, AWARDED TO THE TYROLEAN COUSINS HANS AND WOLFGANG KRANEWITTER IN 1630, relates the story of the cousins Hans Kranewitter and Wolfgang Kranebitter who received a coat-of-arms in recognition of service rendered to the Austrian crown in its struggle in the neighboring Engadin region in SwitzerlanDIED The Kranewitter coat-of-arms was obtained in 1950 by Richard MARRIED KRANNAWITTER (1909-1991) while he was in Germany with the judge Advocate office at the end of WWII. The relationship between the original Volga-German settler Johannes Krannewitter and the cousins Hans and Wolfgang Kranewitter is unknown. Chapter 11, MAPS PF FORMER AND PRESENT PLACES OF RESIDENCE OF KRANNAWITTER FAMILIES IN GERMANY, RUSSIA, THE U.S., CANADA, AND ARGENTINA, includes 13 maps displaying the former and current homes of Krannewitter/Kranewitter/KRANNAWITTER/KRONEWITTer/KRONEWITT families in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. These maps, which are taken from a variety of sources, show the historical migration of the family from the original home in Germany, to the lower Volga River valley of RUSSIA, to other parts of the former Soviet Union, and to the colonies centered in ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, Kansas; entrée Rios, Argentina; and Alberta, Canada.Chapter TWELVE, PHOTOGRGRAPHS OF KRANNAWITTER DESCENDANTS IN THE U.S., CANADA, ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, GERMANY, contains photographs of some of the KRANNAWITTER/KRONEWITT/Kranewitter families and individuals that migrated from the Volga-German colonies to the U.S., Canada, and Argentina. Other photographs are of descendants of these same families living in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and RUSSIA. The BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST is an alphabetical arrangement of every source used to compile this book. The list includes books, booklets, Magazine articles, Internet Websites, death records, published and unpublished family histories, private correspondence, census, and other records.The last section of this book is a surname index which consists of an alphabetical list of the surname KRANNAWITTER have already been discussed in this introduction. The reader will notice that in many instances in this book there are also several spellings for certain given names--for example, Catherine, Catharine, Catharina, Katharina, Catalina, etc. The reason for this is that each given name is presented as it was spelled in the record that it was extracted from, as are the surnames.Gerhard Krannewitter born 1827, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, MARRIED Mrs. Gerhard (Christina) Kranewitter, be. c 1830, RUSSIA, DIED RUSSIA. Gerhard died in OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. In the census Gerhard, 7, was listed at the house of parents Sebastian Krannewitter and Catherina (Brehm). In the 1850 OBERMONJOU census, Gerhard, 23, was listed with his wife Christina, 21. He is referred to in an 1878 letter from Anton BOOS to his son-in-law Adam Kranewitter of Valle Maria Argentina. Adam was Gerhard's brother.Children: Anna Margaret KRONEWITTer born 10 Aug 1856.Generation 1DESCENDANTS OF JOHANNES AND ANNA ELIZABETH (SATTLER) kRANNEWITTER, 1. Johannes Krannewitter born 1731, Weisbach, Germany, Occupation: Farmer, MARRIED c. 1766, Elizabeth Sattler, born c. 1738, Germany. Johannes DIED c. 1782, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. Johannes and Anna Elizabeth arrived in OBERMONJOU 8/3/1767. He listed his place of origin as Weisbash, Germany, and his occupation as baker. He stated that he was a Catholic. His youngest daughter Katherine was BORN in 1779. He was not listed in a register of OBERMONJOU residents compiled in 1785. This would indicate that he died sometime between 1779 and 1785. Elizabeta and Johannes died, she MARRIED Johannes Neulist. She and Johannes Neulist have no children of their own but adopted Christian Minrad (Meinrad), an orphan from Solothurn (Wittmann).Children: Margareta Krannewitter born 1768Gerhard Krannewitter born 1770Katherine Krannewitter born 1779, RUSSIA. When the 1798 census of OBERMONJOU was taken Katherine was living at the house of her mother Anna Elizabeth Sattler and stepfather Johannes Neulist.Second GenerationMargareta Krannewitter born 1768, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA MARRIED Josef and Margareta were living at the house of Josef's mother Anna Maria Hartman, 68, and her second husband Wilhelm Seib, 53. I t was noted in the census that Josef's father was Valentine Neuberger, deceaseDIEDChildrenMargareta Nurnberger born 1794, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA.Sebastian Krannewitter born 7/11/1800, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, Occupation: Farmer MARRIED Katherine Margareta Brehm, born c 1800 DIED 11/20/1873, RUSSIA. Sebastian died 7/11/1885, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. In the 1834 OBERMONJOU census Joseph, ONE month old, was listed with his parents, Sebastian and Catharina (SIS) Krannewitter. In the 1850 OBERMONJOU census, Joseph, 16, was again listed at his parent's house. In a letter writTEN 8/14/1878, from Anton BOOS to his son-in-law Adam Krannewitter of Valle Maria, Argentina, Anton stated that Joseph was fine but that Joseph's wife had died a few weeks previously. No children were referred to in the letter.Margaretha Krannewitter born 1839, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. In the 1850 OBERMONJOU census Maria margaretha, 11, was listed at the home of her parents Sebastian and Catherine Krannewitter. No further information is available.Peter Kronwitter born 1860, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA: Farmer MARRIED c. 1880 in OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, Maria Dorothea BOOS, born 1858, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA (daughter of Anton BOOS and Katherine Margaret Schreiner) DIED 15-Octo1934, Volga Colonies, RUSSIA. Peter died 2-Dec-1932, RUSSIA. Peter and his family moved to the U.S. in 1903. After living in the U.S. for 21 years Peter and his wife Maria Dorothea BOOS returned to OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. Finding living conditions too difficult Peter and his wife attempted to return to the U.S. but got only as far as the Black Sea when RUSSIAn soldiers caught up with them and took them back to OBERMONJOU. In 1931 Peter was imprisONEd and sent to Siberia. In 1932 he retuned to OBERMONJOU where he dieDIED Maria died of starvation a few years later. He spelled his last name "Kronwitter."Anna Margaret KRONEWITTer born 10 Aug 1856, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, MARRIED Conrad BEFORT DIED 12 Aug. 1914, MUNJOR, Ellis Cnty., K.S. Anna died 1 Aug 1923, MUNJOR, Ellis Cnty, KS. Anna Margaret KRONEWITTer BEFORT's death records list her father as Gerhard KRONEWITTer (sic) and her mother Christina, no maiden name was given. Anna Margaret and her husband Conrad BEFORT moved to the U.S. in 1876. Informant (Barbara STEINBOCK).I would like our family history to begin with my great grandparents. Conrad and Anna Margaretha (Kronnewitter) BEFORT, along with their TWO small children, Paula and Peter, emigrated from OBERMONJOUr, RUSSIA, situated along the Volga, north of Saratov.Leaving on SEPTEMBER 18, 1876, they arrived NOVEMBER 1, 1876. They landed in New York and immediately headed westwarDIED Conrad and Anna, along with other immigrants, settled in and founded what is now known as MUNJOR, Kansas. Upon their arrival (as this was open prairie) the first in order of things was to provide shelter. Their first home was built of sod cut from the prairie. After taking care of their immediate needs, and to survive the coming winter, the next most important thing was to build a place of worship.Their first church was built in 1877. They were strong in their Catholic faith, and their lives were centered on their religious training.Conrad and Anna were farmers and were active in their community and church. As the years passed, they eventually had a family of thirteen children. My grandfather, John C. BEFORT, was BORN in MUNJOR, FEBRUARY 18, 1890. He was the ninth child and youngest son.Conrad died AUGUST 12, 1914, survived by his wife and TEN children. Anna lived in her home in Hays, Kansas, for some years, and the remainder of her life with her son and daughter-in-law John and Barbara. John C. BEFORT, son of Conrad BEFORT and Anna Margaretha (Kronnawitter) BEFORT, was BORN on FEBRUARY 18, 1890. Barbara Steinbock, the daughter of Alois and Elizabeth Steinbeck, was a sister to triplets She was BORN on JUNE 3, 1893. On OCTOBER 24, 1911, they were MARRIED in MUNJOR, Kansas. They began their life together on a farm several miles west of MUNJOR. They remained there until 1920. During those years FIVE children were BORN to them; Josephine, 6/27/1912; Albina; 9/3/1913, Clarence, 8/4/1915; William, 2/2/1917; and Alex, 10/17/1919.In the year of 1920, John and Barbara sold their farm and purchased half a section of land half a mile north of Hyacinth, Kansas. The home, barn and other buildings had been built about THREE years earlier. TEN other children were BORN to them the following years; Elizabeth, OCTOBER 19, 1920; Agnes, 7/8/1922; Jane 5/3/1924; John Jr. 9/18/1925, Ester, 8/31/1926; Bernice, 4/24/1928; Irene, 12/13/1929 twins Alois and Conrad, 10/30/1931 and Francis 10/6/1933.John Jr. and Elizabeth died as infants. Alex was a veteran of World War II in the U.S. Army and saw action in Germany and France. He died in 10/1951. He was survived by his wife, Rose (Steinlein) BEFORT, and infant daughter, Gloria. Irene died 8/16/1965, at age 35, survived by her husband, Leroy Wilson and small son, David Conrad (twin son) died in 1947 at SEVENteen years of age. Francis died in a power line accident 8/22/1961. He was in the army from 1954-1955. He was age 27 when he passed away. He was survived by his wife Darlene (HAMMERSMITH) BEFORT and TWO small daughters, Rosemary, 4 and Margaret, twenty-THREE months old.John and Barbara worked long hours to provide for and rear their family. Barbara would begin her day at 4'oclock in the morning to do her baking, laundry, and help with outside morning chores, including milking cows and feeding animals. During harvest she was in the fields working along side the men. She was also a seamstress and made most of the children's clothing.Their children received their elementary education at Hyacinth in a ONE-room school, where all EIGHT grades were taught by ONE teacher. Simon GOETZ and Florence Ross were the teachers during those years. Their children walked to school most of the time as it was only about a mile away from home. However, other times, after a particularly heavy snow storm, the children looked forward to going to school in a ONE-horse open sleigh. John would bundle them up in a fur lap robe and don his buffalo fur coat and away they would go.They were members of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, also located at Hyacinth, where their children received their sacraments and spiritual training.John died at 43 years of age on JUNE 30, 1933. Barbara died at 48 years of age on JULY 1, 1941. They were survived by thirteen of their children.The Descendants of Heinrich & Kunigunde (DOEFLER) BEFORT Our forefathers who left Germany to go to RUSSIA to make a better life for themselves and their children. It is dedicated as well to our brave forefathers who left RUSSIA to makea better life for themselves and their children in the United States. It is especially dedicated to those of our relatives who stayed in RUSSIA and endured over fifty years exiled in prison work camps for their crime of being of German ancestry.ForwardMany books and papers about other Volga German families and their descendants, have been published over the last fifty years, and are treasured documents for not only the serious researcher, but also those with a passing interest as well. This book is ONE the descendants of ONE BEFORT family that leftGermany to go to RUSSIA.While every effort has been made in this compilation to provide accurate and complete information, endeavors to acquire additional facts and details from both the United States and European sources continue. Any omission of person (s), places, or events that deserve inclusion be rein is purely uninTENtional. The founders of MUNJOR were part of the largest single expedition of Unsere Leute to emigrate from RUSSIA. Under the leadershipof Balthazar Braggart 108 families left saratov by train on JULY 8, 1876. Their bodyconsisted of departures from Herzog, OBERMONJOU, Louis, Graf, Wittman, Marienthal, Schoenchen, and Gattung. The group separated at Eydtkunen, with the MUNJOR founders among those electing to sail via the Hamburg-American line. Arriving in New York, they then proceeded by train to Herzog. After remaining there several days, they repaired a site on Big Creek a short distance north of the present village of MUNJOR. Some TWO months later they moved to the present town site in Section 25, Township 14, Range 18 in Wheatland Township.On NOVEMBER 1, 1876 an additional group came to MUNJOR. They had emigrated fromSaratov on SEPTEMBER 30 and sailed from Hamburg on the "Gellert" of the Hamburg of the Hamburg-American line. This body consisted of the following families:Among them were Konrad BEFORT and his wifeAnna Margaretha and their children Peter, and Paullina.Beatrice Befort353-01-7869Born 17 Oct 1913Died 8 Jul 1989Residence 90504 Torrance, Los Angeles, CaClarence Befort510-12-0495Born: 4 Aug 1915Died: 15 Jun 1991Russell, KansasFrancis John Befort510-32-7380Born: 6 Oct 1933Died: Aug 22, 1961Residence: Hays, KansasJohn Befort512-38-1226Born: 17 Oct 1905Died: Nov 1978Residence: Hays, KansasMike Befort510-26-6722Born: 9 Oct 1928Died: 8 Nov 1996Residence: Hays, KansasMartha Befort514-16-3705Born: 9 Nov 1909Died: March 1973Residence: Hays, KansasPaul Befort511-22-9821Born: 27 Dec 1886Died: Dec 1962Philomena Befort515-48-9998Born: 24 Jul 1900Died: 23 Nov 1987Residence: Hays, KansasRosa Befort514-46-1975Born: 4 Mar 1882Died: Nov 1966Residence: Hays, KansasSarah Befort514-34-3791Born: 28 Aug 1905Died: Oct 1981Residence: Hays, Kansas Beforts SSDI Records, By Margaret Heart - Feb 23, 2001 View | Edit | Delete | Viewers | Reply to this itemBeatrice Befort353-01-7869Born 17 Oct 1913Died 8 Jul 1989Residence 90504 Torrance, Los Angeles, CaClarence Befort510-12-0495Born: 4 Aug 1915Died: 15 Jun 1991Russell, KansasFrancis John Befort510-32-7380Born: 6 Oct 1933Died: Aug 22, 1961Residence: Hays, KansasJohn Befort512-38-1226Born: 17 Oct 1905Died: Nov 1978Residence: Hays, KansasMike Befort510-26-6722Born: 9 Oct 1928Died: 8 Nov 1996Residence: Hays, KansasMartha Befort514-16-3705Born: 9 Nov 1909Died: March 1973Residence: Hays, KansasPaul Befort511-22-9821Born: 27 Dec 1886Died: Dec 1962Philomena Befort515-48-9998Born: 24 Jul 1900Died: 23 Nov 1987Residence: Hays, KansasRosa Befort514-46-1975Born: 4 Mar 1882Died: Nov 1966Residence: Hays, KansasSarah Befort514-34-3791Born: 28 Aug 1905Died: Oct 1981Residence: Hays, Kansas 12 Aug 1914 diedb. 4/15/1855Alois or Aloysius Steinbock and his wife, Elizabeth ( Geta ) Steinbock came to the USAfrom Germany about Nov. 1905. They brought with them a daughter, Barbara Steinbockwho was born June 3, 1893 who was 11 years old and Henry Steinbock who was born:date unknown. There was another child born to them in Russia who died there.They settled in Wamega, Kansas as Alois was a railroader.On November 3, 1906, his wife, Elizabeth gave birth to Triplets: two boys and a girl.Their names were Adam, Susanna and Joseph. Alois's wife, Elizabeth died on November16, 1906. Alois didn't have the means to care for the triplets and work, too, so he wantedthem to be adopted by Catholic families.Susanna was adopted by: George and Barbara Prockish and the boys still hadn't beenadopted. They were all baptized on November 5, 1906 at St. Bernards Church, Wamega,Kansas. Sponsors were: Adam Reichenborn, Mrs. George Gareis and Joseph Macht.Susanna got ill and died Feb. 28, 1907 at Wamega, Kans. Susanna and her Mother areburied on the same plot at the Wamega cemetery.NOTE: Aunt Jane Gottschalk looked up this information in 1995 and located the graveand put a tombstone there. I have certificates of births, Baptisms and newspaper articles of Elizabeth and Susanna on their death, and church records of the cemeteryplots all obtained from Aunt Jane Gottschalk, Hays, Kansas Then in 1907, Alois, Barbara and Henry headed west and there's where he met andmarried Agatha Wasinger Werth on Jan. 15, 1909. Barbara would have been 15 yearsold at this time. It has been said that Barbara was doing housekeeping for the Bahl's,possibly her stepmother's sister Annie Bahl and, as the story goes, there was a Werthin Schoenchen who was a matchmaker and got John C. Befort and Barbara Steinbockto marry on October 24, 1911 making her 18 years old.NOTE; I don't have much on Henry Steinbock. I do know he and his wife, Mary, had two daughters and lived in Chicage, Ill. I have the original photos of Henry and Maryand another one of Henry, Mary and the two girls. I also have the large oval picturesof Barbara and John C. Befort on their wedding day and one of Henry Steinbock. Iwould like to find the members down from Henry if anyone can help me obtain thisinformation. I was told he died in the 1960's
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