TRIP REPORT

April 17, 1997

I arrived in Kiev at 1:30 pm on April 7, 1997, where I was met at the airport by the tour agency representative and by Vladislav Soshnikov, of RAGAS. Vladislav and I had previously made arrangements to meet in Kiev, where he had secured appointments for me with the central archive authorities and with the central oversight committee of the Ukrainian archives. He proved an invaluable resource. We arrived at the hotel at about 2:30, which made it too late to meet anyone at the archives, so we went there the first thing the morning of the 8th. Vladislav introduced me to the head of the research division of the Central State Historical Archive, who gave me a full tour and explanation of the archive's facilities

Central State Archive, Kiev

It is indeed an education to walk into a Ukrainian archive and find that there is more material on a particular subject (in this case, German colonists) than one could have imagined. Equally educating were the comments made by the archive workers, who gave me a quick lesson in reading censuses, church registry books (there are 7 German church registry books for Lutheran churches in or near Kiev, for the period from the 1860's to 1915), and the general status of foreigners in Russia before 1915. The archivists were quick to point out that there were many more Germans in Russia than just colonists. They stated that, in fact, that colonists made up less than half the Germans in Ukraine. A quick perusal of one of the church registry books demonstrated the extensive interaction between "German colonists" and "residents of foreign citizenship."

The archive workers are most pleasant and cooperative. After receiving my official pass to the archive, I spent most of the morning looking through the card catalog which is extensive, and easily accessible to those who read Russian and Ukrainian. From my examination of the sections on "colonists" and "Germany", several collections [fondy], I learned that there are many very interesting files, such as:

Fond 59, op. 1, delo 6443, 15 sheets. 25 April - 30 August 1771, passport for pastor Wilde from Saratov, who is visiting German colonists, and his comments and reports. This file clearly demonstrates that there was extensive early contact between the two areas.

Fond 442, op. 784, delo 1, 68 sheets. 1833 - 1837. File on those German colonists displaced by the Polish revolt, who were exiled to Prussia and who then went to America.

Fond 442 is very interesting in many respects, because it is the records of the military governor of the Kiev, Zhitomir, and Podolia provinces, and dates from the early 1850s through the 1870s. It contains large numbers of police surveillance files and reports on foreign residents, including tickets for foreigners leaving the country in several periods, exit passports, lists of Germans and colonists entering and leaving the country in several periods, requests to settle on state lands in Volhynia, those colonists and Germans returning from the Saratov region after the Polish revolt, colonists and Germans accused of anti-government activity (from areas throughout Ukraine and Bessarabia), Germans of Volhynia who refused Russian citizenship, lists of Germans who were refused entry to Russia, and many other reports. There are quite often very personal details about drinking habits, sexual activity, political affiliations, lists of colonists and foreigners attending union meetings, "anti-government agitation," where to get a good German meal, etc. These surveillance officers were nothing, if not thorough. There are also requests for establishment of a colony in the south-east region, "near the border."

There is a fascinating file, No. 317, from 1893, regarding the closure of a photography shop in Rovno, owned by colonist Martwig/Hartwig, who was taking photographs too near the border, and was also engaged in making

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pornographic post cards. Other files contain the weekly reports of colonists passing through customs in Volhynia in 1835. One file, No. 1932, contains 791 sheets, giving colonists names and points of origin.

Also, the following files from other collections are of particular interest:

Fond 493, op. 1, delo 90, 572 sheets, 1874-1884. List of German colonists holding land under special rights in the Ostrog district. We have virtually no information on German colonists in this area in South-West Ukraine.

Fond 707, op. 210, delo 89 (sheets not specified). The school records of the German colonists' school at Dunaevtsy, Podolia, March 17, 1890 - April 5, 1905. This includes listings of the names of all the students and their parents names.

Fond 1153, op. 1, delo 116, 13 sheets. April 5 - June 4, 1913. File on the attempts of German colonists to excavate land on the shore of the Prut River, Bessarabia, to establish a colony there

Fond 707, op. 296, delo 68, part H. 152 sheets, 1896. Complete description of the German Baptist colony of Novaya, Zhitomir district, Volhynia.

Fond 59, op. 1, delo 4963, 23 sheets, June 6 - September 7, 1767. Germans and other foreigners invited to be colonists in Ukraine, or "New Russia."

All these files can be easily researched, but it is not yet possible to have them photocopied or microfilmed. The Central Historical Archive of Ukraine has only one small copy machine, and it is exclusively "for staff usage." They are more than willing, however, to have someone sit and hand‑copy the material, for a fee, of course. One of the archivists showed me a report she was working on, extracting material on a Schultz family from the German church registers. She did all the extraction work by hand, then she would type a report on an elderly Macintosh.

Some of the microfilm equipment I was shown was donated by the LDS church, and was extremely old. The archivists indicated the films they had obtained from this equipment were of substandard quality. They also have other microfilm equipment, which appeared to have been manufactured in East Germany, but supplies for this equipment are almost impossible to obtain (lights, spares, etc.), so it is rarely used. They are in serious need of new equipment.

I had time to review the card catalog for only the two sections mentioned above. A cursory examination of the listings in the sections on land usage revealed untold wealth. These are the files who indicated who owned or farmed what land, how and to whom the village land allocation was made, etc. There are extensive lists of landowners, renters, hired hands, requests for permission to build houses, barns, stables, where to plant trees, anything to do with how the land was used. More time needs to be spent in evaluating the land use records.

A note on censuses and church registry books

The archivists were very quick to point out that the church registry books and censuses are inadequate for either genealogical or historical research. The purpose of the census was primarily for establishing a tax base and for determining land allocation. If a particular foreigner or colonist was not a land holder or farmer, or otherwise held no title to land, he/she may not have been listed in the census. If he/she was, they might have been listed not as colonists, but as meshchanye [middle class], member of a guild, or some other such category. This is particularly true in the 1858 census. And as stated above, not all Germans (or other foreigners) were classified as colonists. While the censuses are good starring points, they are not comprehensive. In fact, the archivists maintained that there were more "residents of foreign citizenship" than there were colonists. They felt this was true in the Volga region as well. This

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clearly explains why some people are not found on census lists.

Census records for the Kiev oblast are not held at the Central Historical Archive in Kiev, but in the oblast [region] archive. The director of this archive will permit absolutely no genealogical research, only very limited historical research by "recognized" scholars, and absolutely no photocopying. Because this particular archive is an agency of local government, the Central Historical Archive does not have any influence here, and the State Archive Committee is reticent to interfere. The director is an elderly woman who is extremely protective of "her" archive.

Church registry books, or "metrical books" tend to be quite sketchy. Many are not available, and those available are often fragmented or for only certain years. It was only in the 1860s that churches were officially required to keep such register. Many of these church registers have been lost, through various historical processes. For example, only seven volumes of church registers exist for all the Lutheran churches in the Kiev region, and these are for only 1869 through 1915. They are wonderful books, listing both "residents of foreign birth" and colonists. They are clear, and easy to read, but they cannot be photocopied. Many church registers actually exist, but are in the hands of the Agency for Registration of Civil Acts, or ZAGS. These offices do not release information to genealogists. If you can prove you are a direct descendant, you do have the possibility of obtaining such things as copies of birth certificates, death certificates, etc., but only after lengthy examination and completion of several official forms.

The ZAGS offices retain civil records for a nominal period of 70 years, before the records are turned over to the archives, but there is some "flexibility" in determining the dates of the 70 year period. One interpretation commonly held in the Zhitomir ZAGS is that they can retain a record for 70 years after the death of the individual listed in the last entry, rather than 70 years after the entry was made. This brings up a fascinating possibility, which is explained in the section on the Zhitomir archive.

CENTRAL ARCHIVE DIRECTORATE OF UKRAINE

Vladislav Soshnikov made an appointment for me to meet with the committee which oversees the archives of Ukraine. While control has been turned over to local archives in Russia, Ukraine still retains central control. The Chief of the Department of Information, Dr. Georgii Volodimirovich Papakin, who is one of the most influential members of the archival directorate, and he spent much time explaining the Ukrainian archival system and comparing it to the current Russian system. While he sets policies about who can research in an archive, what archival materials will be accessible, and the general administration of the archive, he does not get involved in the financial aspects. That is all negotiated locally, due to varying conditions in each of the archives. He explained that the law specifies that only whole fondy cannot be copied or duplicated, but entire dela, or files, can be copied. The only restriction is that many materials are in such poor condition that they cannot be photocopied or microfilmed. In such cases, archival workers can be commissioned to hand‑copy or extract material. Dr. Papakin has extensive contacts and training in all aspects of archival affairs, and has written a number of articles for Avotaynu, the Jewish Genealogical Society public ation. His desk is a forest of documents, correspondence, and matters such as ours. He explained that the problems we have had in many of the archives have been caused by Dr. Alfred Eisfeld, who has convinced them not to sell copies of material to AHSGR. One of the archive workers indicated quite strongly that she considers Dr. Eisfeld and Dr., Pleve as prime examples of the korruptsia [corruption] that is besetting the archives of Russia and Ukraine today. They skim off the top, set outrageous prices, and do not pay the archives what they are due. While they may be legitimate scholars, they are thought of as parasites.

Dr. Papakin also expressed concern over the publication of archival materials. He is extremely sensitive about having anything published without approval from the central archives. He is expressing the usual Russian and Ukrainian fear that this material will be sold for large amounts of money, but the archives will not receive its due. He is very concerned that much of the "priceless heritage of Russia" will be sold on the open market. Of course, he is happy to

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discuss negotiations for copyright licensing and fees.

The Department of Information of the Central State Historical Archive is the agency which accepts orders and requests for information. They have hard currency accounts, so can accept payment and mail out the materials. Due to the limited number of available workers, orders can take some time to process. They try to reply within three month, with at least a partial reply. Several of the archive workers can speak, read, and write in English, so there is no problem in communication.

Throughout Ukraine and Russia, genealogy is somewhat suspect. It is something that the archives have not yet come to terms with, but they are getting better, as they realize it is a source of income. However, it is still easier to get work done when it is in an "historical" context.

ODESSA ARCHIVE

The situation in the Odessa archives was discussed at length. The archive is beset with internal political struggles, some caused by Dr. Eisfeld, but most caused by themselves. Officially, the archive is closed to "commercial entities" such as RAGAS, but individuals have been allowed to do personal research by private arrangement. Dr. Papakin explained that there is considerable debate in archive circles in Ukraine and Russia regarding the activities of "commercial" firms. Their legal systems have yet to define the responsibilities government entities such as archives have toward commercial firms. The Odessa archive was scheduled to be closed for inventory for quite some time, because their guidebooks and inventory sheets were originally prepared in 1941. About two years ago, it was discovered that a researcher had stolen two (2) small files, so this was used as an excuse to close the archive. The archival workers, then totaling about 27, did not want to spend all their lives lifting and carting each individual file, so many of them quit. The archive is currently understaffed, and struggling to complete their inventory. They still do not have any sort of adequate inventory or listing of what has been stolen from 1941 until now. It is estimated that it may take another year before the process is complete. Dr. Papakin was quite embarrassed by the whole situation, and very apologetic. He encouraged us to maintain contact with the archive, and indicated that there is hope.

ZHITOMIR OBLAST ARCHIVE

The Zhitomir archive is one of the nicest in Russia or Ukraine. The building was constructed in the late 1980s, and is quite convenient. It is staffed (but understaffed) by some of the nicest, most competent people. They are eager to cooperate, and will provide any service within their power. But they do not have a hard currency account, so payment for services must be in local currency, in place. This is a very common situation in Russian and Ukrainian archives.

The current director of services in Zhitomir, Yedina Yakovlevna, is one of the most delightful and competent people I have met. She is enthusiastic about her work, well informed, and very well organized She has started a card file of German colonists's surnames, based upon inquiries. If a particular person has written or come to the archive with a request for information on a particular surname, she enters the information on a card, what information was found and where, and what were the results of the search. As a result, she has a wonderful quick‑reference system. She currently has more than 5,000 surnames so listed.

Again, there is a mind‑boggling amount of information available in this archive! They sat me down in the reading room with the inventory books, and let me look to my heart's content. Because time was limited, I didn't have the opportunity to examine as many files as I did in Kiev, but here is a totally brief and inadequate notation of some of the items I found:

Fond 61, op. 1:

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delo 543, List of foreigners and colonists taking the oath of citizenship. delo 732, 1909-1911, File on establishment of the German colonists "Evangelical Christian True Church of God."

Fond 183, op. 1 [one of the fondy of the land records] 1904-1919:

delo 12, File on those serving in the war with Japan.

Fond 70, op. 3, delo 4, 163 sheets. 1865. Information about those persons under police observation in the Volhynia province, including Germans.

Fond 70, op. 1, delo 70. The Chancellery of the Governor of Volhynia. This opis contains many files on passports issued to German colonists. The file on Wilhelm Warnecke, March 28 - April 25, 1861, contains 3 sheets, for example.

Fond 107. Land use records, 1867-1919, including registers of colonists.

Fond 109, op. 1

This fond contains many, many files regarding seized lands of German colonists from 1915-1919.

Fond 67, op. 2

Files 31 through 1085 in this collection are individual files noting property seized from German colonists, 1915 through 1919. Each file contains from 7 to 40 pages, with comprehensive inventory of property, location, names of colonists, etc. This is touched upon in the listings in the newspaper (Brent Mai has been preparing this listing for publication), but these are the detailed files.

Fond 58, op. 1

1840-1866. Volhynia Chamber of State Property. A large collection of files on property seized from German

colonists during the Polish revolts.

1858 CENSUS

The Zhitomir archive has the complete census for this district for this period, but because of its very poor condition, it cannot be photocopied or microfilmed. The archive will do individual research from the census, also. The staff is in the process of re-writing, indexing, and typing out the entire census, so access will improve. It will take much time, however.

LUTHERAN CHURCH REGISTRY BOOKS, ZHITOMIR

The local ZAGS office released 66 volumes of Zhitomir district Lutheran church parish registry books to the archive in January. These books have not been microfilmed by the LDS church, and they have not yet been inventoried or put on the reading shelves in the archive. Complete processing will be completed sometime in June, at which time AHSGR will be provided a listing of all the parishes and congregations present in these books. The archive provided me with photocopies of two pages from the Heimtal parish register, as an example. According to the workers in the Zhitomir archive, it is quite possible that the "missing" church registry books in other regions in both Ukraine and Russia are still held by the local ZAGS offices, so there is still hope that they may turn up from time to time.

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ABRUPT END TO THE TRIP

At 3:00 am on April 11, I awakened to the effects of a massive kidney infection, which has now been diagnosed as caused by a food-borne pathogen. I was taken to the American Medical Center in Kiev, and given the choice of remaining at their clinic for several days at a cost of $6,000 to $10,000, or return to Lincoln for treatment. In no case would I have been allowed to continue on. The travel agency was very caring and helpful in getting me back to the United States. They went above and beyond in their efforts to ensure that I was comfortable and received the best care. When it became obvious that I could not continue with the trip, Vladislav telephoned Mrs. Yerina at the Engels archive for me. Vladislav will give Mrs. Yerina the invitation to speak at the Wichita convention. She indicated she is looking forward to the event, and assures AHSGR that her presentation will be "the very most interesting."

SUMMARY

It is all there. Yes, there are holes, omissions, errors. Some files on some individuals are missing, and not everyone will find exactly what they want. But the archives are willing to provide information, within the structure of their current situation. The archives are woefully understaffed, underfed, and often in poor condition. But the people I met are helpful, knowledgeable, intelligent, and want to work. It is not easy to get material from the archive, primarily due to language. It is quite easy to gain access to the materials when you can read the language. There are physical and political reasons that some files and materials cannot be photocopied or microfilmed. There are great impediments placed by interfering individuals who appear to have some sort of selfish vested interest in preventing AHSGR from obtaining copies of records. Much of this appears to be profit‑motivated, but much of it is still a mystery.

The majority of the problems are simply because of internal conflicts and misunderstandings within the archives themselves. The archivists still do not have enough exposure to western thinking to comprehend why people are interested in genealogy or history. They have not yet achieved a state of mind which allows them to permit westerners access to what has for so many decades been off-limits. They still think that copies of their documents will be sold for high prices for publication, and the archive will not realize any financial benefit. They are still suspicious of westerners who do not speak their language. They have immensely serious problems with storage and preservation of materials. It is not uncommon for archival workers to pencil (and even pen) notes on original materials.

Why can't AHSGR get things from the archives? Let us consider the Zhitomir archive as an example. The building is of fairly new (mid 1980s construction), decent construction, of some 5 stories. The reading room is adequate, well lighted, with ample natural fight. Storage and shelving are somewhat crude, but adequate. Finding aids are reasonable, and accessible. The workers are well-trained and conscientious. And there are only about 7 available to do research. The remainder are involved in the administration of the archive. And with no hard currency account, the archive has difficulty in accepting payment or mailing out materials. Very often archives do not have any budget for envelopes or postage Similar situations exist throughout the archive systems of Russia and Ukraine.

The Central Historical Archive in Kiev is an exception, and is easy to work with, as long as you can tell them what to look for, and have the time to wait. Dr. Papakin stated strongly that the hard-currency situation for other archives is being carefully investigated, and he hopes for resolution within the next few years. He stressed that he is more than willing to handle requests from individuals themselves doing legitimate research, reputable agencies such as RAGAS, but not "commercial bandits" or disreputable scholars. He only asks patience and consideration. In both Russia and Ukraine, the archives prefer to work directly with researchers and cut out "middlepersons." As outlined above, however, contact with them can be complicated because of procedural problems and bureaucrats. But it is possible to work with them.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

AHSGR has access to Russian and Ukrainian records and must make a concerted effort to establish long‑term relationships with all the archives involved AHSGR must first of all make a firm commitment to obtaining copies of records. Without a firm sense of commitment, all efforts will be wasted. The materials are there in the archives and are accessible. Of course, this translates into money. There is a very simple reason some people are getting material out of the various archives: they are paying for it. They went directly to the archives, looked at the inventory lists and said, "This is what we want. How much is it?" And you can see the results yourselves.

Legitimate independent contractors such as RAGAS, Istok, and others can be utilized, but they are few, and their work is often slow and expensive. There are just too few workers, either private or archival, to do high-volume production of copies of records. Individual members who have the financial resources to travel to places of ancestral settlement can be used as couriers or messengers, provided they have the interests of AHSGR as a whole at heart. The greatest current impediment to obtaining copies of records are personal greed and self-aggrandizement, what I call the "I got mine" syndrome. So AHSGR must continue to correspond, in writing and by electronic mail where possible, directly with the archives. The archives crave this direct contact. They need this contact in order to survive, to preserve these documents. AHSGR must utilize its status as a non-profit, non-commercial entity in promoting contact with the archives. AHSGR must convince the archives that cooperation with the society will result in mutually beneficial long-term contact. The "I-got-mine" syndrome must be totally eliminated. AHSGR must maintain official, constant contact with the archives themselves, constantly reminding them that the society is not out to cheat the archives or steal materials. If support of honest agencies such as RAGAS can aid the society, then such support must continue and increase. If those partial to Dr. Pleve want to continue working with him, then they must share their rewards with the rest of the society.

Sharing, sharing in costs, sharing in rewards, is the only way any of this material can be obtained or preserved. This is just the beginning of the process. Will you allow it to continue, to grow, to develop? Will you make that commitment to truly preserving and perpetuating your unique heritage for your grandchildren, their great grandchildren?