Part Four - On the River to Kherson and Odessa - by co-Cruise Leader, Rudy P. Friesen
It was 7:00 p.m., time for supper and time for our ship to set sail, after five very eventful days in the land of our forefathers. But there would be ample opportunity to relive these memories, because after supper we again gathered in the lounge on the upper deck for a time of sharing. There had been so many experiences and it seemed important to share some of them while they were still fresh memories. We began by singing "We Praise Thee, O'God". Various tour members then volunteered to share their stories, starting with the older members, those who left Russia in the 1920's.
John Epp, Winnipeg, was born in Petrowka in 1909 where his father had a flour mill. When the Communists wanted to execute his father, many friends came to warn him. He had often given flour to people including to the wives of soldiers. The family moved to Slaviansk for six years but returned to Petrowka where they sold sunflower seed oil. In 1929 they received their visas to emigrate. His father gave him the family's money to carry. He packed it in a canvas pouch that his mother sewed for him and when they were ready to board the train, he climbed underneath the railroad car and attached the pouch with strong wire to the underside. When they arrived in Canada they were able to buy a chicken farm with this money.
Now on this trip he had been able to revisit Petrowka, with his son Ernest, where they were able to find the location of his father's mill and house, although the buildings no longer exist. They had spent several days in the area, staying overnight in a local sanitorium.
Henry J. Toews, East Petersburg, Pennsylvania, was born in 1911. His father had a business in Gnadenfeld, also one in Stulnevo which he sold. His father was put in jail. He went to school in Hamberg, then back to Gnadenfeld where he remembered one teacher in particular, Mr. Kasdorf.
Machno stayed at their place overnight on his way to Roumania. "Give me 100 young Mennonites....." he had said. When they left Russia, they travelled from Lichtenau to Sevastopol to Batun to Constantinople. They suffered through diptheria and malaria. They brought some money with them, making their coins into buttons.
On this trip he had been able to find the house in Gnadenfeld that his father and uncle had built. He had also found where his Uncle John had lived at the corner and had been able to take some walnuts from his walnut trees.
Arthur Rempel, Wall Walla, Washington, was born on the estate (Khutor) Marienskaya, approximately 100 miles north of the Molotschna Colony. His father had become the manager of this 6000 acre estate which was owned by Heinrich Klassen. After his family left Marienskaya, they moved in with the Dirks family in Gnadenfeld, where Arthur attended school. After his parents passed away, he and his younger siblings emigrated to America. His uncle, Wilhelm Neufeld, California, sold some farm land to help the needy in Russia. He and his wife spent about six months in Ukraine helping the needy with food and clothing after which they helped Arthur, his younger siblings, and some other relatives to America.
Together with his two nieces, Dora Giesbrecht, Winnipeg, and Elvira Voth, Toronto, and his nephew, Paul Klassen, Elm Creek, Manitoba, on this trip, he was able to visit the estate where he was born. People nowadays refer to it as Klasseno, although virtually no trace is left of it. He was also able to visit Gnadenfeld to see the school he had attended.
A men's group then sang a hymn, after which the sharing continued, by those who remembered the 1930's and 40's.
Mary Bergen grew up in Nieder-Chortitza. She lived through the collectivization and talked about the Schwienstyast (pig wedding). In 1938 her father had been imprisoned, but was later released.
When the war started in 1941 and the German Army came, they were able to farm privately for about one year. In 1943, when she was 17 years old, they left and ended up in Yugoslavia. In 1945 they arrived in Holland and 2½ years later they went to Canada.
Her brother had visited Zaporoshye last year and had found her childhood friend, Zena. Now she had been able to spend four wonderful days with Zena. They had visited her former home. It seemed smaller now. There was only one thing they had not accomplished, and that was to see the prison where her father had been.
Kornie Ens, Winnipeg, was born in Neuendorf, one of six children. His father was taken in 1937. He went to Neuendorf twice during our stay in Zaporoshye. The first time he was able to find his family home but there was no one home. When he had returned this morning, he had found the people at home and was able to go inside. The rooms were all as he remembered them. Even their family clock was still on the wall in the Kleine Stube, exactly where they had left it. He had difficulty describing his feelings.
Selma Pauls, Winnipeg, shared how her husband Frank had lived in Einlage until 1943. Now they had been able to visit with his 80 year old sister, Maria, living in Zaporoshye, as well as his brother's children. They had grown to love them. The relatives had provided great hospitality and a lot of food. They were joyful and generous, despite the great difficulties. Frank and Selma had brought them two suitcases full of clothing as well as a wheelchair for Frank's sister. Another moving experience for them was visiting the gravesite of Frank's brother, Wilhelm.
It was now only a few hours after they had taken an emotional Abschied from their relatives. The relatives had said good-bye with flowers, gifts and tears.
Henry Janzen, Winnipeg, was born in Rosengart. There was no church in Rosengart but he remembered attended church in the Kino. He also remembered the war and how the front moved back and forth through the village. It was hell. He lost three uncles in the war, one in a Russian uniform and two in German uniforms. When the family left in 1943, they went to Odessa and from there travelled west to Germany and then to Canada.
He had now been able to visit Rosengart. The family home was no longer there. It had recently been demolished. But the school that he had attended was still there.
The men's group sang a closing hymn, "Wehrlos und Verlassen", bringing the evening of sharing to an end.
SUNDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 1996 - KHERSON
Breakfast was at 8:00 a.m. The ship had not made as much headway overnight as planned, due to high winds. We finally went through the last lock at about 10:30 a.m. Since we were still some distance from Kherson, the city tour had to be cancelled. So an impromptu church service was held, with several hymns, reading of Scriptures, and several songs by the choir.
A geneology workshop was then held with the three genealogists from Fresno, Alan Peters, Jeff Wall, and Jay Hubert. They talked about geneology in general and looking for family records which are usually found in the old family bibles. They also talked about some of the computer programs that have been developed for Mennonite genealogy.
Alan Peters who first got involved in genealogy some 40 years ago, when he was a teenager, explained the need for developing a system for making geneological information more available and the importance of a central computer that all people could access. He went on to explain how this need had led the California Mennonite Historical Society to develop a project that they call GRANDMA - Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry. It is a geneological database available on CD-ROM. The first volume, which is now available, has some 135,000 Mennonite names. The goal of this project is to develop a complete record of all Russian Mennonites.
Their presentation was enlightening and they responded to numerous questions from those in attendance. In his closing remarks, Walter Unger noted that "genealogy is what will commemorate this cruise".
We were still some distance from Kherson. So arrangements were made for the passengers to tour the Captain's Bridge. The Captain was busy driving the ship, so his assistant responded to questions. The ship was built in Rostock, Germany in 1983. It is 130 m. long and 57½ m. wide, and is driven by three 1,000 H.P. motors. The length of the voyage from Kiev to Odessa is 1,000 km.
Eventually we docked at Kherson and immediately transferred to a smaller ferry boat that took us down the river into the delta area. We were to be treated to an outdoor picnic in one of the fishing villages. We soon arrived at the village of Kuzminki where we were invited into several private yards where tables had been set up under straw thatched roofs. This was more than a picnic, as the local ladies had prepared numerous dishes. Some of them were familiar to us - holupchi, kotletten etc., although many were made of fish. None the less, they were all very tasty. The hostesses were very gracious, insisting that since we had not eaten enough, we take some fresh apples and grapes along with us.
Before returning to the ferry boat we had an opportunity to buy some local souvenirs at a craft sale set up along the way. Soon we were back on board the Glushkov and a short time later we set sail for the overnight trip across the Black Sea to Odessa. Since we were going to be crossing open sea, the mandatory lifeboat drill was held.
After supper we again gathered in the lounge on the upper deck to continue with the sharing of experiences that had started the evening before.
Helen Kornelsen, from Watrous, Saskatchewan, and for many years a missionary in India, talked about how her family had left their village of Alexandrovka, Kuzmitsky Settlement in 1929. They left at night, taking the train to Moscow, and then to Germany where her brother was born and two sisters died. On this trip she had been within a few miles of the village where she was born. But she had not been able to find it.
Paul Klassen, Elm Creek, Manitoba, read a story from 1928 about his Uncle Nikolai Klassen, and how they had stayed in Odessa for 8 months, at a cost of 200,000 Rubles. From there they had taken the train to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Estonia, Stettin (Germany) and then Berlin.
Hella Banman, Osler, Saskatchewan, talked about how she had visited the village of Osterwick, where her family had come from. She had been able to find her mother's house, directly across the street from the Schulz Factory. She was able to see the inside of it. It made her proud of our heritage. The house was built in 1898.
Several other tour members briefly shared the highlights of their experiences. But the most moving story was the one told by John Froese, St. Catherines, Ontario. His reason for going on this trip was to find out what had happened to his father. So the first day in Zaporoshye he went to the local KGB office to enquire. He was told that they would find out for him the information that he requested and let him know.
The next day he and his wife visited with her aunt and family and the following day they went to the village of Schöneberg where he was born. Unfortunately they could not find his home.
Then on the fourth day, Friday, the KGB contacted him and made an appointment for 11:20 a.m. At the agreed to time, two KGB agents arrived by car at the ship. They had the documents that he had requested. The documents indicated that Ivan Ivanovich Froese had been apprehended for anti- Soviet activities and sentenced to be shot. He had been executed on November 5, 1942, a month after his arrest. In 1966 he had been exonerated. The agents gave him the documents and expressed their condolences. Although it was a sad and emotional experience for John, he had achieved his goal.
The evening ended with John Toews singing a Russian song, to the surprise of his family, another story telling session by Glenna Janzen, and a tribute to Walter Unger on the occassion of his 60th birthday.
MONDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 1996 - ODESSA
Breakfast was at 8:00 a.m. Soon thereafter we docked in Odessa, the pearl of the Ukraine. A large Cunard cruise ship was also docked there it seemed to dwarf everything around it including our Glushkov and even the recently built passenger terminal building.
We Boarded the waiting buses to go on a city tour. Odessa was founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great. Today it is a cosmopolitan city with a population of over 1 million. Our first stop was at Richelieu Square, located at the top of the Potemkin Steps. At the centre of the square is a monument to Duke de Richelieu, the first governor of Odessa, and later the Prime Minister of France.
From here we walked along Primorsky Boulevard, a long promenade that runs parallel to the shoreline. At the end of the promenade is another statue, a monument to Alexander Pushkin who visited Odessa in 1823. The monument was erected in 1888. Nearby was an English cannon dating from the Crimean War.
We continued on past the world famous Odessa Opera House. It holds 1600 people and is almost identical to the one in Vienna, except that the interior is said to be even more ornate. Our tour guide also pointed out an adjacent building, built around 1900, which had been the home of the first publisher in Odessa.
Our next stop was the Assumption Cathedral, a functioning Russian Orthodox church built in 1856. It's bell tower is 56 m high.
Our last stop of the morning tour was at the Archeological Museum where we saw various displays of ancient artifacts dating back to the Greeks, the Scythians, and the Romans. The highlight of this museum is a small room with a display of old coins, including some from Scythian times. This display was recently featured in National Geographic.
From here our buses took us back to the ship for lunch. The afternoon was free of any scheduled events so that people could go walking, shopping, and so on. Many of the passengers did just that. Some went to look for the outdoor market. Others went to the opera. A few even went to visit relatives. I chose to stay on board and rest for awhile, since I had caught a cold and it was now getting worse.
After a short rest, I too went walking. Odessa is really quite a beautiful city and walking around cities is one of my favourite pastimes. I noticed some changes from the year before. There were now even more street vendors and small shops selling various products. Most things are available. Even western magazines, from women's fashions to automobiles, are now available, all printed into Russian.
After my Stadtbummel, I returned to the ship. Irmgard Baerg from Winnipeg, one of our tour members, and a well known musician presented a piano concert. Then it was time for the traditional Captain's Dinner, a buffet with a vast array of delicious food. After supper we again gathered in the lounge on the upper deck to hear the chamber orchestra from Lviv, the three ladies that had entertained us the first evening in Kiev. Although that was only 10 days ago, it seemed so much longer, because we had experienced so much since then.
TUESDAY, 1 OCTOBER 1996 - ODESSA
This was to be the last full day of the cruise. Arrangements had again been made this year to display a selection of documents from the Peter J. Braun archival collection at the Odessa Literary Museum. This archival collection had been discovered in the Odessa Region State Archives in 1990.
The plan was to take one bus-load of tour members at a time to the museum, so that the presentations and documents could be better appreciated. Several of us who were to be involved in the presentation went to the museum early, to ensure that everything was in order.
Soon the first group arrived. Tour member, Abraham Friesen, a grand nephew of Peter Braun, gave an introduction to the collection. Peter Braun, a teacher in Halbstadt, had been charged by the Molotschna Colony to establish an archive. He spent several years travelling from village to village, collecting documents. Before immigrated to Germany in 1924, he arranged for this collection to be stored at the Maria Taubstummenschule in Tiege. In 1929 it was carted off by Soviet troops and was thought to have been be destroyed. Before coming on the cruise, Abraham had met with Peter Braun's daughters in Germany.
The group was then taken on a tour of the display, led by Lilia Belousova from the Odessa Archives, who had arranged the exhibit. She provided a description of the various documents. Some of the documents had been exhibited the previous year, but there were also some new ones, including: Record of donations to the Maria Taubstummenschule and other financial documents, 1900-1904, in Russian on the left hand pages and in German on the right hand pages. Donations were from churches, schools, and individuals. A coloured plan of the village of Johannesruh, a Hutterite village named after Johann Cornies. It was drawn by H. Janzen and was entitled: "Projekt zur Dorfsanlage der im Melitopolschen Kreis neuzugründenden Kolonie Johannesruh". The scale was indicated as "Maaszstab zu 100 Faden auf einen Engl. Zoll". A drawing (perspective sketch) of the village of Gronau, a German Lutheran village established under Johann Cornies' control. Correspondence between Johann Cornies and his son Johann as well as a document indicating that the son received an award at the Melitopol Cattle Exhibition.
A drawing of a binder invented by Heinrich Balzer in 1839 (the great-great-grandfather of tour member John Balzer, from Inman, Kansas). A school book with a coloured Fraktur drawing, belonging to Jacob Wiens, dated 31 März 1837. Yearly marks of students at the Halbstadt Zentralschule, 1876. Lehrpläne, Alexanderwohl, 1902, P. Braun. Original settlers in the village of Altonau:18 Juni 1804: Class Wiensz, Franz Klaassen, Aron Wiebe, Peter Dyck, Isaac Friesen; 19 Juni 1804: Johann Warkentin (my ancestor), Aron Warkentin; also list of settlers for Muensterberg and Fischau. Manuscript of 1839 describing the excavation of an old grave - a Scythian burial mound.
After all the groups had toured the exhibit, I went with Wilmer Harms to look for a government souvenir store. We then walked back to the ship for a late lunch.
It was a free afternoon again. The tour members from Winnipeg, including several former Winnipeggers, gathered on the upper deck for group photos. I then walked downtown again to look for some souvenirs. After buying a traditional Ukrainian top (blouse) for my granddaughter, and a few other Ukrainian crafts from street vendors, I continued to walk around the city, eventually arriving at the Philharmonic Hall (the former Stock Exchange building). Here we attended a folk concert which had been arranged for our tour group.
We returned to the ship by bus for 8:00 p.m. supper. We then gathered one last time in the lounge on the upper deck, to express our thankfulness to God for this wonderful experience. It was clear that the cruise had again exceeded everyone's expectations. The 155 members of the tour had become a closely knit Mennonite community. Special thanks were extended to Marina and Walter Unger, who had again done a superb job of planning the cruise.
Paul Toews also took the opportunity to talk about the situation at the Odessa Archives. Although we had had the opportunity to see a few of the documents from the Braun collection, he pointed out that there are 3,000 files in that collection with a total of 150,000 pages. Furthermore there are another 14,000 files from the Board of Guardians (Fürsorgekommittee) records. Yet there is no proper inventory of this material.
Also, Lilia Belousova had advised him that the government had no more money to pay the workers in the archives including herself. Paul therefore asked the tour members whether there was any interest in providing some funding so that the important work of cataloguing these documents could start. They were very supportive. A collection plate was passed around and over $1500 was collected. This allowed Paul to meet with Lilia the next morning to negotiate arrangements for a pilot project. Lilia will prepare a detailed inventory of 1000 select files, including a description of the files' contents, identifying document titles, subjects, locations, inclusive dates, key participants and the number of file pages. This inventory will be provided in English and Russian and in a form that can be published.
On this high note the evening came to an end. It was time to return to our rooms and to pack our suitcases, since this would be our last night on the Glushkov.
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