Pfeifer, Kansas
Est. August 21 [24], 1876

Founders

 

Andreas Desch Katharina Oberst (Heil) Desch	Johannes Meder
George Etzel	Johannes Schlieter Katharina Ulrich (Basgall) Schlieter
Anton Holzmeister Anna Magalena Dinkel Holzmeister	Georg Schmidt Elizabetha Keener Schmidt
Kaspar Holmeister Barbara Suppes Holzmeister	Johannes Schmidt Elizabetha Amrein Schmidt
Martin Holzmeister Elizabetha Heims Holzmeister	Joseph Schmidt Anna Maria Jacob Schmidt
Andreas Jacob Anna Maria Roth Jacob	Jakob Schoenfeldt Barbara Gerken Schoenfeldt
Anna Maria Jacob	Georg Seitz Anna Maria Seitz
Gottlieb Jacob Anna Maria Mueller Jacob	Kaspar Seitz Anna M. Sack Seitz
Joseph Jacob Margaretha Schmidt Jacob	Mathias Vogel Christina Schulmeister Vogel
Matthew Jacob Katharina Keberlein Jacob
Michael Jacob Magdalena Heim Jacob

The settlement of Pfeifer is located approximately ten miles south of Victoria on the south bank of the Smoky Hill River.  The founders  were among the first of Unsere Leute to leave Russia.  They were part of the larger body which entrained at at Saratov on June 23, 1876.  Taking the Bremen route, they arrived in Topeka July 23.  They came to Hays either August 20 or 23 and on the following day settled on Section 25, Township 15, Range 17 in Freedom Township,  The members of four of the families which emigrated from Russia at the time delayed a while before settling in the new Pfeifer.  They were Johannes Breit and Valentine Schoenfeldt who came in February, 1878, Peter Breit who settled there in December, 1878 and George Dome who came in 1879.

The founding families included the following additional children:

Anton Holzmeister, a daughter named Magdalena: Gottlieb Jacob, seven children named Katharina, Adam, George, Johannes, Johannes Peter, Barbara, and Elizabetha; George Schmidt, four children named Anna Margaretha, Elizabetha, Barbara, and Magdalena; Johannes Schlieter, three children, being Johannes, Anna Margaretha, and Appolonia; and Mathias Vogel, two children named Julia and Katharina.  Four other families from Pfeifer had actually emigrated earlier, being a part of the first group which left Saratov on October 22, 1875.  They came to the United States on the Ohio, arriving in Baltimore November 23, 1875 with the founders of Liebenthal, Catharine, and Herzog.  On November 28, 1875 they came to Topeka but remained there until 1876 when a larger contingent from the west side of the Volga (either the July 23, 1876 Topeka arrivals who settled Pfeifer August 21 or 24, of those who seettled there in late September, 1876) reached Kansas.  Except for Joseph Stroemel, they were:

Michael & Katharina Meder
Christopher Stegman
Mathias Urban

Joseph Stroemel reportedly left Topeka with the Herzog group and helped in its founding on April 8, 1876, after which he removed to Pfeifer in 1877.

A small body of emigrants from Rothammel left Saratov on July 24, 1876 and settled in Pfeifer.  The following came directly without stop-offs"

Martin M. Applehans
Johannes J. & Elizabetha Basgall - Appolonia, Christina
Joseph & Elizabetha Basgall - Jakob, Joseph

The following delayed in Ohio, visiting Martin Basgall who had gone there in October, 1875 and did not settle in Pfeifer until late September, 1876:

Elizabetha Basgall (Widow) - Katharina, Christina, Johannes, Jakob, Barbara
Johannes & Elizabetha Basgall - Appolonia, Joseph, Elizabetha
Joseph Basgall (Elizabetha's son) - 2 in family

Another portion of the group remained in Ohio until about August, 1877 before settling in Pfeifer.  They were:

Martin Applehans - 7 in the family
Johannes (son of Johannes J.) & Katharina Basgall
Alois Hartman

In October 1877 an additional group from Pfeifer and Kamenka on the Bergseite of the Volga left Saratov and came to the U.S. via Hamburg, arriving in Pfeifer on November 14, 1877.  This group of settlers consisted of the following:

George Burgardt - Stepson of Georg Urban
Jakob Burgardt - Stepson of Georg Urban
Johannes Ingenthrone - Georg, Joseph, Johannes, Anna
Johannes & Magdalena Keberlein - Ignatz, Georg, Katherine
Jakob & Katharina Kisner - Jakob, Barbara
Kasper & Marianna Kisner
Adam & Katharina Stegman - Kaspar, Barbara, Katharina
Mathias & Marianna Stegman - Peter Aloysius
Anton & Christina Stroemel - Katharina
Anton Jr. & Christina Stroemel - Johannes
Johannes & Theresia Stroemel
Anna Maria Urban (Widow) - Georg, Anna Margaretha
Georg Urban - Georg, Anna Margaretha
Georg & Anna Maria Urban - Johannes, Andreas, Anna Margaretha, Anna Maria
Jakob & Katharina Urban
Joseph & Anna Elizabetha Urban - Joseph, Johannes
Michael & Anna Margaretha Urban - Adam, Margaretha, Joseph, Michael
Stephan & Maria Eva Urban - Joseph, Adam, Jakob, Anna Maria

The following additional families are listed in the Golden Jubilee Edition as having settled in Pfeifer in 1877:

Adam & Anna Margaretha Stegman
Georg & Marianna Stegman
Peter A. & Elizabetha Stegman - Jakob, Johannes, Georg, Michael, Christ

The year 1878 saw the waning of the large immigration to Ellis County by Volga-Germans.  Before it ended, the Pfeifer settlement contained 41families with 171 persons.

The Final of those groups to settle in Pfeifer came there on June 20, 1878 from Kamenka, Russia.  They consisted of the following families:

Andreas & Magdalena Bahl - Barbara, Katharina, Anna, Magdalena
Peter & Marianna Roth - Peter, Michael, Johannes
George & Elizabetha Schaefer
Katharina Schaefer - Barbara, Elizabetha, Joseph, Andreas

The Jakob Lang, Sr. family traveled with this group but settled in Herzog.

Research Materials
Available

The Cross in the Valley
1886-1976
Pfeifer, Ks.
Fr. John M. Poell

Holy Cross Parish
Family Register
of
Pfeifer, Kansas
1995
by: Rosemary Larson

Unsere Leute 100
Official Centennial
History of the Volga
German Setetlements
in Ellis & Rush Counties 1876-1976