The text of this page was begun on 20 June 2001 -- rak.
The Lutheran colony of Schilling was found on 1 August 1766 by the Russian government. Its Russian names were Sosnovka or Sosnowka and Gnilyshika. Its official population figures are: 189 (in 1769), 207 (1773), 532 (1788), 626 (1798), 851 (1816), 1295 (1834), 1839 (1850), 1966 (1857), 1992 (1860), 2098 (1886), 2686 (1891), 2588 (1894), 3351 (1897), 3068 (1904), 3388 (1910), 3564 (1912) and 1617 (1926) {Mai, vol.I, p.26}.
For the exact location of Schilling, click on the Saratov Area Map.
In 1798 it was described as ...
" ...located in the Saratov Province, Kamynshin region, beside the Volga River, on the Bergseite. It is 60 versta [a verst is slightly more than a kilometer] away from the city of Saratov; from the district center of Kamyshin 132; from the neighboring colony of Beideck 8; from the boat landing 6. As Lutherans the colonists belong to the parish of Beideck, where they have a pastor, but there is also a church building here in Schilling. Their young are taught scripture and religion by a schoolmaster under the supervision of the pastor, in a school building (Mai, vol.I,p.198)."
"The villagers used mostly fallen twigs for heating and cook mostly with dung fuel. They have an insufficiency of tillable land. They have no useful hay fields and cannot grow flax and hemp. They live in mediocre conditions. All are active farmers who use horses to plow the fields. Some also specialize as: six cobblers, two blacksmiths, seven weavers, one wheelwright, one tailor and one cabinet maker. They are diligent workers. Their buildings all are old and mostly decrepit. All houses are built of wood and are fenced with wicker. Vegetable gardens are nearby, but they do not maintain orchards or apiaries. There are six flourmills. The crops grown are only fair. Each summer a considerable portion of the grain is devoured by gophers. They have newly constructed grains storage in a suitable location storing rye, wheat and oats (Mai, vol.I, pp.198-99)."
KRAUS
32. Wilhelm Christoph (1778-aft.1834)
16. Johann Peter (1808-aft.1858)
8. David (12 May 1843-19 Feb.1922)
This is the village in which my KRAUS ancestors lived the longest while in Russia.
As we saw in the page on Doenhof, Burghardt KRAUS's widow, Anna Margareta (DEINES) (KRAUS) (SCHULTZ) HELMUT moved here with her third husband, Andreas HELMUT and five half-siblings to her son, my ancestor, Wilhelm Christoph KRAUS prior to 1798, and were listed in the 1798 census here.
In 1998, I had a KRAUS Family Chart done by Prof. Igor Pleve. Information from that chart is labeled (KFC) in the following.
Wilhelm Christoph KRAUS married Christina Elisabeth ROTH (KFC). Based on the birth of their eldest known child, this must have taken place about 1805.
Piecing together data from KFC and translations done for cousin Connie Armstrong in 2001 by Prof. Pleve) we have this couples' children, all born in Schilling, as:
Johann Friedrich b. 14 June 1806, Johann Peter b. 9 Jan. 1808, Johannes b. 1 Sept. 1809, Peter Konrad b. 22 Oct. 1812, Margaretha Elisabeta b. 8 Nov. 1813, Johann Wilhelm b. 18 February 1816, Jacob b. 21 March 1818, Elisabeta Katarina b. 4 Nov. 1821, Heinrch Konrad b. 19 April 1824, and Johann Friedrich b. 5 December 1826.
All of the precise birth dates come from KFC, so the Beideck parish registers must still exist and Pleve must have had access to them.
I do not know what happened to the daughters. Both J. Friedrich, P. Konrad, J. Wilhelm and Jakob all died young. Johannes married Katarina Barbara Lindt about 1836 and so far as I know they and at least five of their sons stayed in Schilling. Johann Peter (my great great grandfather), Heinrich Konrad and their wives and children moved in 1854 to Alexandertal.
NAGEL
17. Maria Dorothea (1808-aft.1858)
Johann Peter married Maria Dorothea Nagel about 1828 and Heinrich Konrad married Katarina Margaretha STOEHR about 1849. STOEHR is a Balzer name and NAGEL is a Norka name.
ROTH
33. Kristina Elisabeta (1784-aft.1834) m. (abt.1805) Wilhelm Christoph KRAUS.
66. Laurentius (1754-aft.1798)
132. Johann Wilhelm (1710-1770)
In the 1798 Schilling census (Mai, vol.2, p.889) in household #2, next door to Wilhelm's mom and half-siblings we have: Laurentius ROTH 44, wife Wilhelmina Elisabeth (WALTER) 32 and four of their children including Christina Elisabeth 14, the eldest.
In the 1775 Schilling census (AHSGR trans. and pub.), in household #56, we have ROTH, Johann Wilhelm 25 and his wife and sons. Nearby in household #60, we have NEIN, Johannes 21.5, his wife Juliana 20, and her brother and sister, Lorenz ROSS [sic for ROTH?] 20.5 and Anna Maria 16.5. In other households, other ROTH ages are: 34 and 29. It would seem that the parents of kids, now 34, 29, 20.5 and 16.5 had recently died.
The KFC has Laurentius' parents names as Johann Wilhelm b. abt. 1710 and Maria b. about 1715, Lutheran farmer from Isenberg arriving 4 July 1766 in Oranienbaum aboard the ship "Love and Unity". It has the parents dying about 1770.
WALTER
67. Wilhelmina Elisabeth (1766/68-aft.1798) m. Laurentius ROTH.
134. Johann Georg (1724-bef.1798)
In the 1775 Schilling census (AHSGR trans. and pub.), in household 73, we have: WALTER, Johann Georg 43, wife Anna Elisabeta 39, son Christoph 4.5 and daughter Elizabeta 6.5. The latter must be W. Elisabeth ...
UNKNOWN
133. Maria (1715-1770) m. Johann Wilhelm ROTH.
135. Anna Elisabeth (1734-aft.1798) m. Johann Georg WALTER.
I don't have any idea of these womans' origins. If you can help please e-mail me at [email protected].
DEINES
65. Anna Margaretha (1755/59-aft.1798)
Widow of Johann Burghardt KRAUS and of Joachim SCHULZ, wife of Andreas HELMUT in 1798; moved here from Doenhof.
HELMUT
Half-siblings of {32} Wilhelm Christoph KRAUS were listed in household #3 of the 1798 Schilling census (Mai, vol.2, p.889): Phillip Peter 6 and Elisabeth 1, with their parents Andreas HELMUT 36 and {65} Margaretha (DEINES) 43.
SCHULZ
Half-siblings of {32} Wilhelm Christoph KRAUS were listed in household #3 of the 1798 Schilling census (Mai, vol.2, p.889): children of deceased father Joachim SCHULZ, Anna Maria 18, Johann Friedrich 15, and Johann Peter 11, with step-father Andreas HELMUT 36 and mother {65} Margaretha (DEINES) 43.
For a report on my visit to Schilling, click on Schilling 2001.
For much more on Schilling, go to Village Coordinator Gary Martens' web site at http://www.wathenadesigns.com/Schilling/
To get to other ancestral villages, click on them.