Map Update — Southwest Krai

Overdue on a few additions to the provinces of the former Southwest Krai, I decided to do some clean up at the same time. 

The Southwest Krai was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until Poland was partitioned in the late 1700s. Today the former region crosses the Ukrainian oblasts of Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Rivne, Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zhytomyr with a small number in Odesa and Mykolaiv and in Transnistria, Moldova.

One update is returning to the historical spelling of “Kiev” for the ancestral province. That was the spelling then. The current is “Kyiv” and is used in the current name of the city and of the oblast in Ukraine. The content of this project is being presented as historical documentation to aid in the understanding of the history of German from Russia when they lived in Russia. This means using historical place names and spellings. 

The other update that accounts for so many colonies being touched this time is shortening the Ukrainian and Russian Wikipedia URLs. 

For details on what colonies have been added or updated, see the Change Log. The Sources have also been updated with the addition of the very interesting “Polish Tactical Map of Western Ukraine 1924-1939” from EtoMesto. I will need to spend more time with it when I have a moment. 

The following maps have been updated: 

Kiev Province

Podolia Province

Volhynia Province

Southwest Krai

Germans from Russia Settlement Locations (big map)

Map updates will be on hold for a couple of months as I get ready for convention season this summer. I will be presenting virtually at AHSGR and FEEFHS. 

More to come. 

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Last updated 21 April 2025

Treffen Tuesday: Storytelling Through Objects

I am presenting at the next Treffen Tuesday on April 29th.

This presentation will explore storytelling through the “eyes” of the treasured objects our Germans from Russia ancestors brought with them and left behind for their descendants. Part show-and-tell. Part how-to. Part what-if.

Treffen Tuesday is a free Zoom event hosted by the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia the last Tuesday of every month. Register here to join in.

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Last updated 8 April 2025

AHSGR 2025 Convention

The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) has posted its 2025 convention program and registration link.

“Preserving Our Heritage” is the theme. Instead of concurrent speakers for each time slot to pick and choose from, attendees will attend panels of speakers on the subjects of Germany, Russia, or America, followed by a roundtable discussion among the attendees and speakers. 

I will be presenting as a part of the Russia panel. This will be my fourth time presenting at the AHSGR convention. 

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Last updated 2 April 2025