This newsletter is sent to over 125 Krasna researchers like you around the world.  We are calling on all of you at this time for your kind and generous help. We really need your help now!  Would you please consider helping us now?

For the past 15 years or so, we have been searching for the original church books for Krasna for the years 1838-1917.  We have about run out of places to look for them. However, we have received word from MITEK of Moscow, Russia, that they can get for us copies of extractions from the “Tiraspol Consistory” group of church records.  (See also the following paragraph.)  MITEK can get us copies of the extractions for Krasna for the years 1861 –1922.  These extractions are part of what is referred to as the “Tiraspol Consistory” group of documents, records which the respective Catholic parishes in South Russia had to submit to the Tiraspol Roman Catholic Diocesan office in Tiraspol, (Ukraine) Russia.  These records are records of births, marriages and deaths in the South Russian parishes, including Krasna.  MITEK would get us extractions from the records, which pertain to Krasna.  Now that we have this “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to purchase copies of these 1861-1922 extractions, we need your financial help more than ever.  These records in the Saratov State Archive, although they are not the actual church books for Krasna, are as close as we may ever come to finding church records for Krasna for these years.  So, here is where your important help is needed!  In order to get these extractions, we need to raise $9,000.00 U.S. funds to pay for the 56 years of vital records.  (See also following paragraph.)  I fear that if we do not raise this money now to purchase these extractions, that we may not again gain access to these records.  All of you know of the unstable situations in some sections of the world.  If we do not take this opportunity to purchase these invaluable records, we do not know when, if ever, another opportunity to get these invaluable records will come along. Would you please give your financial help to purchase these extractions?  We will need your financial help by about August or September 2003.  The Krasna Research Fund is about depleted.  The money, which is left in it, will be needed for translation of these extractions, once we get them.  We are begging you for your financial help at this time.  There are about 125 of you who receive this newsletter.  If each of you could give $75.00, and hopefully more, to help, we could raise enough money to purchase these extractions.  If some of you cannot give your help, would you keep all of us in your prayers as we try to raise enough money to purchase these invaluable extractions?  You and future generations of Krasna researchers will have eternal gratitude.  Every dollar you give will be used to purchase these extractions.  Please make your check or money order payable to Ted and send it to his address below.        

 

Since you received the last newsletter, we have received copies of extractions from these Tiraspol Consistory church books. We have received extractions for the years 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, and 1916.  They have been translated and are giving us much needed “new” information and data.  Children, parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents are being found in them about whom we knew little or nothing before.  We make this new material part of the “Krasna Master Census, 1814-1940” database.  This database contains the names and genealogical data of all people born in, married in and/or died in Krasna, Emmental, Karamurat, and several villages in the Dobrudscha region of Romania, which had Roman Catholic churches.

As you read the last newsletter, it had to become readily apparent that nearly the entire newsletter was taken up with items related to the Internet and computers.  For you readers who do not have computers, please accept my apologies for making the newsletter so heavily weighted with computer matters.  Three years ago I swore I would never have one of those darned things in my home.  Now when I get up in the morning, the second thing I do is turn on the computer.  I won’t say what the first thing is!  As you, who have computers, know, there are good things and bad things about computers.  For those of you who do not have computers, let me say that this machine has allowed us to more quickly communicate and more thoroughly search for much needed records, all the better to help you with your research.  

This past winter I spent many hours at my local library making paper copies of news items from the Staats Anzeiger newspaper, a newspaper, which was published in German in North Dakota, USA, during the first half of the last century.  I made copies of well over 850 such items, letters to the editor, correspondent’s reports, and the like.   Sybille and Ambrose Leinz are translating items at their leisure.  Ambrose, who was born in Krasna, has found that his great-uncle Isidor Leinz was a regular correspondent.  These news items have proven to be another invaluable research tool.  In them we find much “new” information and data about the residents of Krasna, Emmental, Karamurat, Colelia, Gross-Mandschapunar, and other villages in Bessarbia and Romania.  We also find a lively correspondence between these residents with former residents living not only in North Dakota, USA, Saskatchewan, Canada, but also in Brazil and Argentina.  We are finding more information about these former residents living in Brazil and Argentina than we had ever hoped to find.  They present a fascinating look into the daily life of these, our cousins and ancestors.  If any of you who would like to help translate some of these newspaper items, please contact Ted or Rosemary.  Their addresses can be found at the end of this newsletter.  After all of the items have been translated, they will be placed on computer disc and be made available on disc for a nominal cost.  Paper copies will be placed in the Krasna Library.

Well, this old German Russian is slowly getting into the computer age!  For those of you who have access to the Internet, we now have a web site for The Krasna Project.  It can be found at the URL (Whatever that means!) at

  http://www.14ushop.com/krasna

A friend of mine is letting us “piggyback” our web site onto his web site.  We owe him a debt of gratitude.  We hope the site meets with your approval.  Of course we would welcome any criticisms, suggestions, or compliments about the site.  We would like to remind those of you who have Internet access that the site is still a work in progress. 

The Germans from Russia Heritage Collection at North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA, will soon publish an English translation of the book Ostdeutsches Schicksal am Schwarzen Meer (East German Fate by the Black Sea) by Father Doctor Johannes Florian Müller.  Ted hired a professional translator to translate the book into English and the GRHC has graciously agreed to publish the translation.  This book is an absolute must for anyone who has ties to Krasna, Emmental and Karamurat.  Fr. Dr. Müller, who was born in Karamurat, had the foresight to gather as much information and data as he could about these villages and their German residents.  His book contains one of the most comprehensive and thoroughly researched histories of Krasna, Emmental and Karamurat.  The book will be available from the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection in the near future.

A special thank you is in order to Faustina “Deana” (Dirk) Chandler.  She has input all of the English translations of the 120+ newspaper articles, which I found in the Eureka/Dakota Rundschau newspaper.  This was a huge task for Deana.  These articles cover the years 1917 through 1932.  They are available on 3½-inch floppy disc at the nominal cost of $5.00 U.S. funds.  The program in which they have been input is Microsoft Word.  If you would like a copy of the disc, please contact us.  Paper copies are in The Krasna Library.  We must also thank Paul Wingenbach of Germany for providing The Krasna Library with a copy of these same German newspaper articles in Roman letters.  He transliterated the Gothic letters into Roman letters for ease of reading the German.  We continue to owe Paul a debt of gratitude for working closely with us to gather and preserve the heritage and history of Krasna and its people. 

For the past 15 years we have been trying to determine from where in Germany the majority of the original settlers of Krasna originated.  We have not had very much success, but we have found some very valuable clues about their origins in Germany.  We are including here the results of our 15-year efforts.  If you can add to our work, please contact us.

Surname            Possible Source in Germany            Source(s) for Information

IHLI                Unterbeuren, Rastatt-Baden The Emigration from Germany

                                                                                    to Russia, 1763-1862 by Karl

                                                                                    Stumpp

KREIS            Erdmannshausen/                              Ostdeutsches Schicksal am

                        Ludwigsburg                                       Schwarzen Meer by Johannes

                                                                                    Florian Müller, p. 519; Otto

                                                                                    Götz of Germany

MÜLLER            Gerlingen, Stuttgart, Bavaria            Ostdeutsches Schicksal am

                                                                                    Schwarzen Meer by Johannes

                                                                                    Florian Müller, pp. 522-523

SCHREIBER            Wingen, Alsace                                 The German Colonies in South

                                                                                    Russia, 1804-1904 by Konrad

                                                                                    Keller, p. 23

KELLER            Obersteinbach, Alsace             The German Colonies in South

                                                                                    Russia, 1804-1904 by Konrad

                                                                                    Keller, p. 100

KUHN            Neuhaus, Baden-Baden             Ostdeutsches Schicksal am

                                                                                    Schwarzen Meer by Johannes

                                                                                    Florian Müller, p. 520

MENGES            Osthofen by Worms                          Ostdeutsches Schicksal am

                                                                                    Schwarzen Meer by Johannes

                                                                                    Florian Müller, p. 521

SCHÄFER            Hanweiler, Waiblingen                 Ostdeutsches Schicksal am

                                                                                    Schwarzen Meer by Johannes

                                                                                    Florian Müller, p. 533

HAAG            Flehingen by Karlsruhe                   Michael Haag of Germany; Josef

                                                                                    Hoffart of Germany

ENGEL            Hatzenbuhl                                         Michael Engel of Germany via

                                                                                    Jolenta Masterson of Washington,

                                                                                    USA

LÖB                Püttlingen, Saarbrücken               Quellen zur Deutschen

                                                                                    Siedlungeschichte in

                                                                                    Südostouropa by Wilhelm and

                                                                                    Kallbrenner, p. 198; Alois

                                                                                    Speicher of Germany; Otto Götz

                                                                                    of Germany

SPEICHER            Püttlingen, Saarbrücken               Quellen zur Deutschen

                                                                                    Siedlungeschichte in

                                                                                    Südostouropa by Wilhelm and

                                                                                    Kallbrenner, p. 198; Alois

                                                                                    Speicher of Germany; Otto Götz

                                                                                    of Germany

BALDUS            Püttlingen, Saarbrücken               Quellen zur Deutschen

                                                                                    Siedlungeschichte in

                                                                                    Südostouropa by Wilhelm and

                                                                                    Kallbrenner, p. 198

BALDUS            Bidingen, Wiesbaden                  Fond 6, Inventory 1, File 2613,

                                                                                    Odessa State Archive, Odessa,

                                                                                    Ukraine

HARSCHE            Königshofen, Untertaunus                Quellen zur Deutschen

                                                                                    Siedlungeschichte in

                                                                                    Südostouropa by Wilhelm and

                                                                                    Kallbrenner, p. 166

KAHL             Bectolsheim, Oppenheim                 Quellen zur Deutschen

                                                                                    Siedlungeschichte in

                                                                                    Südostouropa by Wilhelm and

                                                                                    Kallbrenner, p. 172

WOLF            Oberweier, Rastatt                           The Emigration from Germany

                                                                                    to Russia, 1763-1862 by Karl

                                                                                    Stumpp, pp. 490 & 603

GROSS            Massenbachhausen                           Krasna, the Wellspring by Ted J. 

                                                                                    Becker, Corinne D. Becker &

                                                                                    Carol J. Becker, p. 18

STEIERT            Neeweiler, Lauterburg, Alsace The Emigration from Germany

                                                                                    to Russia, 1763-1862 by Karl

                                                                                    Stumpp, pp. 453, 529 & 606

TERNES            Dedingen, Luxemburg/                Alois Speicher of Germany;

                        Tetingen, Esch Canton

GÖTZ             Oberbaldingen, Baden                         Otto Götz of Germany; Frohlich,

                        and/or Soufflenheim,             Helbling, Stocke, Götz by Dianne

                        Bischweiler                                         (Frohlich) Hopfauf; Josef Hoffart

                                                                                    of Germany

BACH-            Wössingen or Mühlberg,                   The Emigration from Germany

  MEIER            Karlsruhe, Bavaria and/or              to Russia 1763-1862 by Karl

                        Rott am Inn, Bavaria                       Stumpp, p. 605; Ostdeutsches

                                                                                    Schicksal am Schwarzen Meer by

                                                                                    Johannes Florian Müller, p. 513

            Apparently the following surnames may be of Polish ancestry:  PLOTZKI; RUSCHEINSKI; TSCHISCHMAK; GEDAK; BOGOLOFSKI; KOSOLOWSKI; WUITSCHIK; BONAKOWSKI; BRUSCHSINSKI; GANSKY.