It was a busy day in the Volga on this day, 7 June 1767, where five Lutheran Volga Mother colonies were founded: Boisroux, Kaneau, Nieder-Monjou, Orlovskaya and Paulskaya.
All were founded by Baron Ferdinand de Canneau de Beauregard, who had agreement with Catherine the Great to act as her director of settlement. The terms of the agreement included a promise that he would he would recruit and settle 4,000 colonists in return for a loan to cover transportation costs along with three percent of the settlement area for his own business. In addition, he was to receive an interest-free loan of 350 rubles for the settlement of each 100 colonist families. He was only able to recruit 2,000 colonists, after which Catherine, disappointed in his performance, terminated his contract. Several villages were named for Canneau de Beauregard and his family: Kaneau, and Beauregard were named after himself; Katharinenstadt, Ernestinendorf (Beckersdorf) and Philippsfeld after his children; Susannental named for his wife; Nieder-Monjou after his assistant.
In total, 1,407 colonists were settled into 349 households in these five colonies in 1767.
Village
|
Households
| Population in 1767 | ||
| Total | Male | Female | ||
| Boisroux | 97* | 281 | 152 | 129 |
| Kaneau | 87 | 283 | 140 | 143 |
| Nieder-Monjou | 88 | 279 | 143 | 136 |
| Orlovskaya | 87 | 284 | 151 | 133 |
| Paulskaya | 87 | 280 | 144 | 136 |
| Total | 349 | 1407 | 730 | 677 |
| *An additional 81 households were included in the 1767 census of Boisroux who were destined to be settled in other colonies the following year. | ||||
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| Boisroux, currently known as Borodaevka, Saratov, Russia |
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| Kaneau, currently known as Pervaya Andreyevka, Saratov, Russia. Named after Baron Ferdinand de Canneau de Beauregard. |
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| Nieder-Monjou, currently known as Bobrovka, Saratov, Russia. Named for Otto Friedrich von Monjou, Canneau de Beauregard's assistant. |
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| Orlovskaya, currently known as Orlovskoye, Saratov, Russia |
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| Paulskaya, currently known as Pavlovka, Saratov, Russia. Named for Catherine the Great's son and heir apparent, Paul. |
Learn More:
2017 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Mother colonies along the Volga River. There are many events throughout the year to commemorate the anniversary, and the Germans from
Russia Settlement Locations project joins in the celebration of this rich Volga German heritage.
The German immigrants that came to the Volga region were among first colonists to take up Catherine the Great on her manifesto. They came from Hesse, the Rhineland, the Palatinate and Württemberg. They are also among the most well researched and documented groups of German colonists in Russia. Thus far, the Volga Mother colonies settled between 1764 and 1767 are the only colonies that have precise dates they were settled.
For more historical and current events related to Germans from Russia, see our calendar page or link to our public Google calendar.
The German immigrants that came to the Volga region were among first colonists to take up Catherine the Great on her manifesto. They came from Hesse, the Rhineland, the Palatinate and Württemberg. They are also among the most well researched and documented groups of German colonists in Russia. Thus far, the Volga Mother colonies settled between 1764 and 1767 are the only colonies that have precise dates they were settled.
For more historical and current events related to Germans from Russia, see our calendar page or link to our public Google calendar.
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