Merry Christmas to All

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Interesting Maps

I love other people's maps. I like seeing what they're doing and what tools they use. Periodically I share some of the maps that have caught my eye. It's been a while, so here's a list of some interesting maps that I've appreciated and think you might enjoy. All have been added to the Maps page (if you only bookmark one page on this site, it should be the Maps page) at the bottom under the category Other Map Projects.

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Eastern Armenia Churches and Their Records
Camille Andrus has put together a Google MyMap of towns in Armenia in the former Russian Empire with churches and then grouped them by denomination and district (uyezd). Each town includes the name of the place as it was in the Russian Empire, the district, the denomination, a link to the church records at FamilySearch and the coordinates for the place.  Many also have a link to the entry in the online version of the Spiski Naselennykh Mest Rossiiskoi Imperii (gazetteer of Imperial Russia circa 1880). I like that there are active links in the entries that take you to your next steps in your research journey. This map is currently being updated.

Eastern Armenia Churches and Their Records

Maps of the 2019 Volga German Tours
Custom tours of the Volga colonies have been led by Brent Mai and and Mila Koretnikov since 2016. This year, Sergej Koretnikov's maps of the Volga German Tours had a nice surprise: markers for the locations of former buildings and other landmarks in the colonies that were visited on the tour. I had heard he was planning on something like this using a handheld GPS to record the locations, but this is the first time I'd seen the resulting maps. So instead of just one pin for Yagodnaya Polyana, there are six – one for each of the following landmarks: the old cemetery, the German school, the new cemetery, the old German school, the old mill and the site of the church. This is a great way to include historical context to modern maps. Although I wish the coordinates were included in the information for each so that they can be used with other maps, I think what he's doing this is a really great idea. I hope those who do research on individual colonies will consider creating similar maps with markers on sites where known buildings, farmsteads and other landmarks once stood. The real value of GPS is the precision that you can apply and say "this stood exactly here."

There are three tour maps, all made with Google MyMaps. The screenshots below are in satellite mode, but the default maps were in plain map mode. You can switch the view mode by going to the bottom of the legend on the left and clicking the little map.

Volga German Tour A, June 9-10, 2019: Yagodnaya Polyana, Pobochnaya, Kutter, Huck, Norka, Kolb, Frank.

Volga German Tour B, June 18, 2019: Bangert, Stahl-am-Tarlyk, Kukkus, Warenburg, Seelman.

Volga German Tour C, August 3, 2019: Friedendeld, Ährenfeld, Reinwald, Krasnoyar.

Germans from Russia Settlements Worldwide
Justin Ehresman has been working on a map that plots every place that Germans from Russia lived, from their origins in the Germanic states, to the generations who lived in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union, to their migrations worldwide up to the present day. Although still in progress, you can clearly see how far and wide the descendants of Germans from Russia have migrated since the mid-1700s, including some surprises – Africa!

This map is made with the mapping service ZeeMaps.

Germans from Russia Settlements Worldwide

Historic Place Map of Germans from Russia and Eastern Europe Settlement Locations
This map is by Otto Riehl using data provided by Dennis Bender. These two have been working together for a while now on a list of places that has become a part of the Historic Genealogical Gazetteer (GOV), a part of the even larger site of everything-German-genealogy, CompGen (Verein für Computergenealogie). There is a lot going on with this map, and while it's not the easiest to navigate, it's worth spending some time on it. You can browse to locations if you know where your'e going, but ideally, the site's instructions suggest that you search the spreadsheets first, find the colony, then click on the map link to take you directly to it. From the icon on the map, click on other icons to link to more information, view the entry in GOV, or view the place on historic maps (external sites). There is a lot of good colony information in here. Well worth your time.

This map is hosted on the site Historic Place, which uses OpenStreetMap as its mapping service.

Historic Place Map of Germans from Russia and Eastern Europe Settlement Locations

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Survey Closing December 31st

The year is winding down, and so is the Germans from Russia in America Survey. It will close at midnight on December 31, 2019. If you have contributed, my deepest thanks for sharing your family's stories and locations in the U.S. The time you put into answering the survey has enriched the project in ways I'd never imagined. 

If you haven't contributed and would still like to, please go to http://bit.ly/surveyGRinUSA.

To learn more about the project visit https://america.germansfromrussiasettlementlocations.org/

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Giving Tuesday

I'm often asked if there is a way to donate to the Germans from Russia Settlement Locations project. I've been thinking about this lately, and I have a modest proposal.

This project is fun for me. If I was not enjoying myself, I would not be doing it. Anything that comes out of the research that others find useful is just my way of paying it forward year round. #GivingTuesday is a day where people all over the world come together to do good and give back.

So, if you like what the Germans from Russia Settlement Locations project does...and it's helped you with your research or understanding of the role of Germans from Russia in history...and you really want to give, please consider paying it forward by donating to the genealogy society, historical society or university of your choice.  

All of your favorite GR organizations have costs associated with their work that I do not. The cost of running my site is minuscule, and the time I put into the writing and research doesn’t have to be justified to anyone in order to be funded. Not so in the case with the universities, state historical societies or genealogy societies. You could really help out these organizations that rely outside funding. Since I use all of them as sources, you helping them is helping me.

Consider the following possible ways to give and the impact you could make: 

• Organizations that take items such as personal papers, books, photos, objects, textiles, etc., not only have to hire staff to process the items into the donation, they also have to purchase out of their own funds the archival storage materials for preservation and conservation. Your donation could help offset these costs and keep those treasures protected for generations to come.
• Having a web presence is important to any organization. Many don't have the technical skills within them to run their own websites and have to outsource the cost of running and maintaining their web presence. Your donation or volunteering your expertise could help offset these costs.
• For years, some organizations have committed to spending money on purchasing church records from Russian and Ukrainian archives so they can transcribe and translate them and make them available to researchers. Your donation or volunteering your expertise with transcribing and translation could help offset these costs.
• Genealogy societies thrive on memberships. Join a genealogy society or buy a membership for someone who is just getting started with their family tree. There are many Eastern European and Germans from Russia societies to choose from – some may even be local to you. Most come with newsletters/journals, access to members-only information, including previously researched pedigrees, webinars, maps (yay!), and discounts on books and other research materials. Your membership or donation could help these organizations with the good work that they do and help someone just starting their genealogy journey.
• Donating your written family history along with your GEDCOM can enrich the genealogy collection of any organization or research group. Consider donating it to several places, not just those that are a part of a genealogy society, but also those that make the information available for free, including university and local public libraries.  
• Volunteer. One of the most rewarding ways to give back is contributing to ongoing research that others can use. If you make yourself available to an organization, they will find a way to use your own unique talents. 

As I've always said to anyone who has contributed information to this project, every little bit helps.

Thanks for all of your support over the years. 

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Family Story Map: Schnaidt Familienreisen

Dakota Territory 1872 from the map  Schnaidt Family Travel.

Earlier this summer, Tom Schnaidt contacted me about finding some old maps. He wanted to put together a map showing his Schnaidt family's journey from their German ancestral villages in Württemberg, to their ancestral villages in South Russia, and finally to the town in the Dakota Territory that his ancestors would help found. I mentioned several possible maps from different time periods, but no one map had everything he wanted on it.

I offered to make him a custom map using Google My Maps if he would allow me to use his research and my experience putting together his map to write a tutorial. I've been wanting to write something like this for some time to encourage more people to tell their own family stories on maps. He agreed.

A section from Karl Stumpp's map "Countries of Origin, Migration Routes and Areas of Settlement (1763-1861) of the Volga and Black Sea Germans in the Mother Colonies" (ASHGR map #5) with blue stars indicating points along the migration paths that the Schnaidt-Wanner family may have crossed on their journey from Württemberg to Russia in 1805. 

The research for the map is entirely Tom's. It started with one page of information and a rough timeline. Together we worked through how it would look, what to include, and what would be better served on his Schnaidt Family Journey website . In addition to names, places, and events, there are several travel routes noted. The routes shown were taken from both modern and historic maps and follow overland roads, riverboat routes on the Danube River, railroad lines from Russia to Germany and from New York City to Yankton through Sandusky, Ohio. It also includes travel by ship over the Atlantic Ocean to Castle Garden in New York's Battery Park.

The resulting mapis a visual story of the Schnaidt family's 200+ years of migration to three countries. Originating in Unterjesingen near Tübingen in the Kingdom of Württemberg, the family is documented in this location back to 1558. In 1805, the family immigrated to the Glückstal colonies in South Russia where they were among the very early German arrivals in the Black Sea area. In 1873, they left Russia for America. Destination: and establish long-running businesses there. Dakota Territory . Again, they were among the very first Germans from Russia to arrive in America and in the Dakotas. The Schnaidt family would initially settle among the historic townships in what would eventually become southeastern South Dakota and would go on to help settle the town of Menno

Red lines: The possible early 1805 immigration route to Russia. Orange lines: The possible late 1805 immigration route To Russia. Yellow lines: The railroad line from Odessa to Hamburg. 

I think Tom's map is a great example of how to visualize one family's migration history, and it will serve as a good example for my forthcoming tutorial on how to make Google Maps that are more than a collection of places.

Interesting note: When we started out, I was pleased to be working on a family history I knew little about because there wouldn't be anything personal about the data that would skew how I approached mapping it. It was just data. But as we got into the project and started talking more, I suspected Tom and I were related. At one point, I filled in the gaps of my family tree back to my Schnaidt 5th great-grandparents only to find out that the names in my tree were on the map that I was making for Tom. So there you go.

My thanks go out to Tom for patiently waiting for my schedule to free up to work with him on this and for providing more than enough information to make a pretty awesome map .

If you have any questions or are descended from the Schnaidt family from Kassel in the Glückstal district and want to know more, you can contact him at tomschnaidt@aol.com

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Road Trip: In Search of German-Russian America

The old Schilling farm, nine miles north, 2 miles west of Bowdle, South Dakota. July 29, 2019.

“A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.”

John Steinbeck

Travels with Charley: In Search of America

There is something intrinsically romantic about the American road trip. It is, in many ways, a rite of passage, one we may repeat multiple times over the course of our lives – the first to see what’s there, then again to see what’s changed, and again to see what’s still there, and maybe one last time just to remember. 

At the age of just three months old, I went on my first road trip. I’ve had itchy feet ever since. 

Before I married a few years ago, I made countless solo trips in every direction from wherever I lived for no apparent reason whatsoever. I am and always have been a terrible tourist. I never map out my driving route and have been known to just turn onto whatever road looks interesting. (My husband has stories about this.) I never eat at restaurants with gift shops attached. I never buy souvenirs and never take the pictures that are expected of a well-known place. There is, in fact, little evidence I’ve ever been anywhere at all. Even when I have to be somewhere, going there and coming back is always more interesting than being there. The journey is my destination. Always has been. 

So when a short trip to the Germans from Russia Heritage Society convention in Fargo planned earlier this year became a two week road trip to include the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia convention in Lincoln, I was more than up for it. 

Since my latest research is about where immigrant Germans from Russia and their descendants lived in America, I thought it might be interesting to record how many of those places I encountered along the way from my starting point in southern Arizona. I left the path of our trip up to my husband, asking only that we avoid interstates unless necessary and that he take whatever roads look interesting. While I have covered a lot of this area on my own, this was his first time in some of the upper mid-western states. (I once drove him across the prairie in South Dakota to a family reunion, but he was on cold meds the whole time. Still, somehow, he has fond memories of Spearfish and thought we should move there. It was the Ny-Quil talking.)  Aside from a few turn-by-turn directions I gave him on one day and a few stops for suppers with cousins along the way, the route we took was what he wanted to see. We had to work around the Sturgis bike rally that was just getting started as we were beginning to head home, otherwise there would've been more Wyoming and Utah.

For days, the view from the passenger window like a flip book went back and forth between ranch land and farm land. I recalled years ago driving my 103-year-old grandfather out to his farm in early September to have a last look at it. He tapped the window with his papery-skinned hand somewhere along the way and said with some concern, “That corn is ripe.” As the descendant of farmers going back nearly 300 years, I naturally pay attention to crops. The purple tinge of an alfalfa field always makes me happy, and I’ll roll down a window to try to get a whiff of it. As we drove along, I noted how many farms had bet on corn versus soybeans this year, what shape of bales the hay were in, how few wheat fields there were compared to my last trip, how the sunflowers weren’t in bloom yet (was it too early or was something delaying it?), how the only sugar beet fields I saw were right outside Alliance, Nebraska, and once we were back in southern New Mexico, saw that harvest had begun in the chile fields along the Rio Grande valley.

As I went off in search of America – German-Russian America – I forgot to ask myself what exactly I was looking for? What does it look like anymore? It’s easy to project our Germans from Russia past onto rural areas and farm and ranch lands because it's easy to overly romanticize rural life. But what about driving between Fort Collins and Colorado Springs? Some farms and ranches still there, yes, but downtown Denver does not scream “Germans from Russia settled here,” although a lot of them did. This is a reminder, perhaps, that while much of our ancestral history is rooted in agriculture, not all of it is. Also a reminder, while many of our ancestors settled in the heart of we commonly think of as American German-Russian country (however you define that), not all of them did. 

I am ever in awe of the part of history that our ancestors took part. You and I are results of their choices to leave Germany to go to Russia and to leave Russia and go to the United States. I am humbled by that thought. Our immigrant ancestors contributed to the diversity and fabric of America, and they helped define what America would become at a time when it was expanding and there were frontiers still to be settled. As their descendants, we’re following suit with our lives, our families, our jobs, our contributions to all that is America. Did I find German-Russian America? Yes, I think so. And not surprisingly, it is America.

So, after two weeks on the road – 4,155 miles, 10 states, 73 places with German-Russian ties, one runza , one bowl of knoephla soup, one fleischkuechle, two pieces of kuchen (apple and rhubarb), one box of family stuff (German prayer books, hymnals, negatives, slides, etc.), one pocketful of pilfered hollyhock seeds from an undisclosed location, and 40 pounds of Hatch green chile – I am finally home. The house is back in order. The cats have forgiven me. The sourdough starter has been fed, and the chile pods have been roasted and packed away in the freezer for the year, well ahead of schedule.

The list below is of all the places in the order of their appearance (duplicates removed) that I visited or went through on this trip where there is German-Russian immigrants and their descendants lived. I came in close proximity to many others, but because I didn’t go to them or through them, they are not on this list. They will be on the map that is in progress.

Unfortunately, I could not take every road and go to every place where German Russians lived. I will leave that to a travel writer who wants a really, really big assignment.  

Map of the trip

Road Trip through German-Russian Country (July 23 - August 6, 2019)
Place	German-Russian Origins
Oro Valley, Arizona	2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Glückstal, Kassel and Straßburg.
Tucson, Arizona	2nd and 4th generation descendants of Black Sea Germans from the Bessarabien colonies of Arzis and Plotzk and the Liebental colonies of Alexanderhilf and Grossliebental.
Lordsburg, New Mexico	Immigrant Volga Germans from the colony of Norka with ties to Oklahoma and Kansas.
Camp Cody, New Mexico (defunct)	Likely immigrant and 1st generation descendants of Black Sea Germans who served in the National Guard during WWI from North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa.
Las Cruces, New Mexico	3rd, 4th and 5th generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Mannheim, Glückstal, Grossliebental, Kassel and Strassburg .
Santa Rosa, New Mexico	2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Glückstal, Kassel and Straßburg.
Dalhart, Texas	Immigrant Black Sea Mennonites
Liberal, Kansas	2nd generation descendants of Volga Protestants from the colony of Erlenbach.
Dodge City, Kansas	Volga Protestants and Catholics from the colonies of Kukkus and Herzog and Reibensdorf on the Don.
Spearville, Kansas	Volga Catholics from Rothammel
Kinsley, Kansas	Volga Protestants
Pawnee Rock, Kansas	Volga Protestants from the colony of Dietel.
Great Bend, Kansas	Volga Protestants from the colonies of Ährenfeld, Kratzke, Holstein, Eckheim, Dietel, Blumenfeld (am Belaya Kuba)
Concordia, Kansas	Volga Protestants from the colony of Obermonjou.
Lincoln, Nebraska	Immigrant and 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation descendants of Germans from Russia from the following areas: Black Sea Protestants from the Bessarabien colonies of Arzis and Teplitz and the Liebental colonies of Alexanderhilf, Grossliebental; Volga Protestants from the colonies of Anton, Balzer, Beideck, Dietel, Frank, Galka, Grimm, Huck, Hussenbach, Kautz, Kratzke, Kukkus, Laub, Merkel, Norka, Saratov, Schaffer, and Walter; Volhynian Protestants from the colonies of Mydzk, Stanislawowska and Zhytomyr; and Lublin (Poland).
Fremont, Nebraska	3rd generation descendants of Volga Protestants from the colony of Beideck.
Sioux City, Iowa	3rd generation descendants from Volga Protestants from the colony of Walter.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota	1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation Germans from Russia from the following areas: Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Leipzig (Bessarabia), Kleinliebental (Liebental district), Selz (Kutschurgan); Volga Protestants from the colonies of Schontal and Saratov; Volga Mennonites; and Volhynian Protestants from the colonies of Stanislawowska and Zhytomyr.
Brookings, South Dakota	5th generation descendants from Black Sea Protestants from the colony of Landau.
Volga, South Dakota	There seems like there ought to be Germans from Russia here. There's even a Samara Avenue there. But there is no evidence that Volga Germans lived in Volga, South Dakota.
De Smet, South Dakota	Immigrant and 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from Bessarabia, Volga Protestants from the colonies of Schontal and Saratov, and Volhynian Protestants from Zhytomyr and Stanislowowka.
Huron, South Dakota	Immigrant Black Sea Mennonites and 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics from the colony of Strassburg.
Redfield, South Dakota	Immigrant Volga Protestants from the colony of Frank and 2nd generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from the colony of Kassel.
Aberdeen, South Dakota	Immigrant and 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Germans from Russia from the following areas: Black Sea Catholics Elsass, Grossliebental, Kandel, Kleinliebental, Liebental, Selz, Strassburg; Black Sea Protestant colonies of Bergdorf, Glückstal, Kassel, Odessa and the Bessarabien colony of Teplitz; Volga Catholics from the colony of Mariental by way of Valle María (Entre Rios, Argentina).
Mina, South Dakota	Black Sea Catholics from the Kutschurgan colony of Kandel.
Ipswitch, South Dakota	Immigrant Black Sea Catholics from the Kutschurgan colonies of Baden, Kandel, Mannheim and Selz
Bowdle, South Dakota	Immigrant and 1st and 2nd generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the following colonies: Neudorf, Glückstal, Kassel, Heilbrun, Worms, Hoffnungstal, Odessa, Elsass, Kandel, Mannheim and Strassburg
Hosmer, South Dakota	Immigrant and 1st and 2nd generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Glückstal, Kassel, Neudorf, others from Crimea, and the Kutschurgan colonies of Elsass, Kandel and Strassburg.
Eureka, South Dakota	Immigrant Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the from districts of Glückstal, Hoffnungstal, Liebental, Bessarabia, Crimea, Kutschurgan, among others including the following colonies: Güldendorf, Kassel, Glückstal, Hoffnungstal, Bergdorf, Arzis, Plotzk, Tepliz, Franzfeld, Alt-Danzig, Neu-Freudental, Neu-Lustdorf, Neuburg, Peterstal, Josephstal, Selz, Strassburg, Mannheim, Baden and Kandel.
Herreid, South Dakota	Immigrant Black Sea Catholics and Protestants.
Strasburg, North Dakota	Immigrant, 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics from the colonies of Strassburg, Baden, Selz, Kandel, Elsass, Franzfeld, Josefstal, Klein-Liebental, and from Crimea.
Linton, North Dakota	Immigrant and first generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics from the Bessarabien colony of Krasna, the Kutschurgan colony of Strassburg, and Protestants from the Liebental colony of Neu-Freudental.
Temvik, North Dakota	Immigrant Black Sea Protestants.
Hazelton, North Dakota	Immigrant and 1st and 2nd generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from the Kassel, Grossliebental, Peterstal, Güldendorf.
Moffit, North Dakota	Immigrant Black Sea Catholics
Bismarck, North Dakota	Immigrant and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the following colonies: Kronental; Neudorf (Glückstal district by way of Bavaria, Germany); Leipzig, Teplitz, Plotzk, Alt Posttal, Akkermann (all Bessarabia); Crimean colony of Heilbrunn; Beresan colonies of Landau, Karlsruhe, Speier; Grossliebental; Kutschurgan colonies of Mannheim, Baden, Kandel and Selz. Also Volhynian Protestants from the colony of Glückstal, and Vistula Protestants for the colony of Gustennien (Gostynin).
Driscoll, North Dakota	1st and 2nd generation descendants of Volhynian Protestants.
Steele, North Dakota	1st, 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Volhynian Protestants.
Dawson, North Dakota	Immigrant Black Sea Protestants from the Bessarabien colony of Friedenstal.
Tappen, North Dakota	Immigrant and 1st generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from Glückstal and Bessarabia.
Jamestown, North Dakota	Immigrant and 1st generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Strassburg, Kronental, Neudorf and Kassel; Volhynian Protestants from the colony of Glückstal; and Vistula Protestants form the colony of Gustennien (Gostynin).
Valley City, North Dakota	5th generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from the colony of Heilbrunn (Crimea).
Fargo, North Dakota	1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation descendants of Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the Bessarabien colonies of Krasna and Leipzig, Kassel (Glückstal district), Kandel (Kutschurgan district), Kronental.
Sisseton, South Dakota	Immigrant and 1st generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from the Bessarabien colony of Dennewitz.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota	1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation Germans from Russia from the following areas: Black Sea Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Glückstal and Kassel (Glückstal district), Leipzig (Bessarabia), Kleinliebental (Liebental district), Selz (Kutschurgan); Volga Protestants from the colonies of Schontal and Saratov; Volhynian Protestants from the colonies of Stanislowowka and Zhytomyr.
Mitchell, South Dakota	2nd generation Volga Protestants from the colonies of Schontal and Saratov.
Stickney, South Dakota	1st and 2nd generation descendants of Volga Protestants from the colonies of Schontal and Saratov.
Corsica, South Dakota	1st generation descendants of German Russians with connections to Tripp, South Dakota.
Winner, South Dakota	Black Sea Protestants
Carter, South Dakota	Black Sea Protestants
Martin, South Dakota	Black Sea Protestants from colonies in Dobrudscha.
Gordon, Nebraska	2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from the Beresan colony of Rohrbach and Volga Protestants from the colony of Norka.
Rushville, Nebraska	2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Black Sea and Volga Protestants from the colonies of Rohrbach (Beresan district) and Norka.
Alliance, Nebraska	Immigrant and 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Volga Protestants from the colonies of Frank, Grimm, Huck, Norka and Mueller.
Minatare, Nebraska	Volga Protestants from the colony of Norka.
Scottsbluff, Nebraska	Immigrant and subsequent generations of Volga Catholics and protestants from at at least the following colonies: Bauer, Beideck, Brunnental, Dietel, Dönhof, Erlenbach, Frank, Gnadenfeld, Huck, Hussenbach, Kautz, Kolb, Konstantinovka, Kraft, Kratzke, Kukkus, Merkel, Neu-Norka, Norka, Oberdorf, Rosenberg, Unterdorf, Walter, Wiesenmüller and Sarepta (Astrakhan).
Gering, Nebraska	Immigrant and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation descendants of Volga Protestants from the colonies of Frank, Huck, Kolb, Kukkas, Norka and Saratov. Some came from Fort Collins, Colorado to work in the sugar beet industry in Nebraska.
Cheyanne, Wyoming	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation descendants from the following areas (all Protestant): Bessarabien colony of Arzis; Black Sea colonies of Alexanderhilf, Grossliebental, Heilbrunn (Crimea); Volga colonies of Bauer, Frank, Grimm, Kolb, Norka, Saratov and Warenburg.
Fort Collins, Colorado	Immigrant and 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from the colonies of Alexanderhilf, Grossliebental, the Bessarabien colonies of Arzis and Plotzk; Volga Protestants from the colonies of Beideck, Dietel, Dreispitz, Erlenbach, Frank, Kautz, Kratzke, Merkel, Neu Messer, Norka, Oberdorf, Pobochnaya, Rosenberg, Shcherbakovka and Walter.
Timnath, Colorado	1st generation descendants of Volga Protestants from the colony of Walter.
Loveland, Colorado	Black Sea Protestants and Volga Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Frank, Hussenbach, Kratzke, Neu Messer, Ober-Monjou, Rosenberg and Walter.
Windsor, Colorado	Immigrant and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation descendants of Volga Germans from the colonies of Brunnenthal, Beideck, Dietel, Dreispitz, Dönhof, Erlenbach, Frank, Grimm, Holstein, Kratzke, Merkel, Messer, Norka, Oberdorf, Shcherbakovka and Sarepta (Astrakhan).
Greeley, Colorado	Immigrant and 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Volga Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Beideck, Frank, Hussenbach, Merkel, Messer, Moor, Norka, Oberdorf, Pobochnaya, Schöenfeld, Semenovka, Walter and Yagodnaya Polyana.
Longmont, Colorado	Immigrant and 1st generation descendants of Volga Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Dönhof, Norka, Pobotschnoje and Yagodnaya Polyana.
Thornton, Colorado	Immigrant and 3rd and 4th generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from the Liebental colony of Peterstal; 1st generation descendants of Volga Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Semenowka and Grimm.
Denver, Colorado	Immigrant and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation descendants of Germans from Russia from the following areas: Black Sea Protestants from the Bessarabien colonies of Alt-Posttal, Akkermann, Hoffnungstal, Teplitz; Black Sea Protestants from the colonies of Kronental, Alexanderhilf, Grossliebental, Peterstal, Karlsruhe (Beresan); Volga Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Beideck, Brunnental, Dietel, Dönhof, Frank, Grimm, Huck, Hussenbach, Kautz, Kolb, Kraft, Kratzke, Köhler, Merkel, Messer, Neu Messer, Nieder-Monjou, Norka, Pfeifer, Rothammel, Saratov, Urbach and Walter; and Volhynian Mennonites from Volyn.
Castle Rock, Colorado	4th generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from the Bessarabien colony of Arzis and the Liebental colonies of Alexanderhilf and Grossliebental and Volga Protestants from the colony of Norka.
Colorado Springs, Colorado	2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Volga Catholics and Protestants from the colonies of Beideck, Katharinental and Semenovka.
Pueblo, Colorado	Immigrant and 4th and 5th generation descendants of Volga Catholics and Protestants from the colony of Beideck (possibly others).
Santa Fe, New Mexico	3rd generation descendants of Black Sea Protestants from the colony of Grossliebental.
Agua Fria, New Mexico	Black Sea Germans with ties to Crosby, Texas.
Albuquerque, New Mexico	2nd, 3rd and 4th generation descendants from the following areas: Black Sea Protestants from the colonies of Glückstal, Alexanderhilf, Grossliebental; Bessarabien Protestants from the colony of Arzis; Volga Protestants from the colonies of Dönhof, Merkel, Moor and Norka.

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