Pfeifer (Gnilushka), Russia was founded on the right bank of the Ilava River on June 15, 1767 with 104 families, 179 males and 149 females, 328 souls.  Pfeifer was established as a Roman Catholic colony. 

From 1860-1864, 23 families resettled to daughter colonies in the Samara Province.  Between 1877 and 1886, 64 families immigrated to South America.

Pfeifer became an independent Catholic parish in 1871.

Population of the Village (courtesy of Center for Volga German Studies - Portland, Oregon)

YEAR	Households	Total	Male	Female
1767	104	328	179	149
1769		312
1772		393
1788	89	507	270	237
1798	94	591	297	294
1816	123	825	427	398
1834	193	1,518	799	719
1850	229	2,250	1,134	1,116
1857	230	2,322	1,179	1,143
1859	230	2,345	1,199	1.146
1887	357	2,617	1,265	1,352
1891	348	3,566	1,781	1,785
1894	349	3,785	1,913	1,872
1897		2,847*
1904
1911		3,104
1912		4,870?
1920		3,422
1922		1,904
1926		2,437**
1931		2,821

* of whom 2,841 were German.
** of whom 2,434 were German.

According to researcher, Dr. Igor Pleve, he lists those first settlers in his book "Einwanderung in das Wolgagebeit, 1764-1767, Band 2" as:

FIRST SETTLERS LIST - HEADS of FAMILIES:

AMREIN, ARNOLD, BECHTEL, BEHR, BOEHM, BRANDT, BREIT,  BRENDEL, BRILL, BURGARDT, DAHR, DECHANT, DEIBELE, DESCH, DIESER,  DINKEL, DOEPPEL, DITTMAIER, DRESCHER, DRESER, EBERLE, ECKERMANN,  ECKLER, EHLEIN, ERICHSHAUSER. ETZEL, FISCHER, FRANK, GUTH,  HALDER, HAPPEL, HEFNER, HEILMAN, HEIM, HEIN, HEINRICH, HEISS, HERR, HERRMANN, HOLTZMEISTER, IFFLAND, INNES, JAEGER, JAKOB,  KAPPES, KEBERLE, KEBERLEIN, KELBERMATER, KELLER, KIRCHNER,  KISNER, KLAUSNER, KLEBENSPIES, KONRAD, KRENTZ, KUEHN,  LAMBRECHT, LETH, LINDER, LUTZ, MALADE, MEHN, MENSING, NAHM, NAUMANN, NICKLING, PFEIFER, PHILIPP, RECHER, REDER, REISER, RIESCH, ROTH, RUBTESCHL, SCHAEFER, SCHETZEL, SCHIMMER,  SCHMAL, SCHMERHT, SCHMIDT, SCHOENFELD, SCHUBERT, SCHWED,  SCHWINDT, SOMMER, SOUFFLE, SPAHN, STEGMAN, STRANK,  STRECKER, STREMEL, STREMER, STUMPFNAGEL, SUPPES, THEKE,  THOME, UHLRICH, WACHMEISTER, WAGNER, WALLER, WEIGAND, WEIGEL, ZENTGRAF, ZIEGLER

1798 HEADS of FAMILIES:  

ALLENDORF, ALLES, AMEREIN, AMREIN, ARNOLD, BACHMANN, BAUER, BAUMTROG, BEFORT, BEILMAN, BERATZ, BITZ, BOEHM, BOHM, BRANDT, BREDER, BREIT, BREITINGER, BURGARDT, BUSCH, CHEVALIER,  DAHLFUSS, DAIBEL, DAR, DECHANT, DESCH, DIEHL, DINGER,  DITTHORN, DOMME, DRANEK, DRESER, EAKES, EBERLE, ECKERMANN, ECKLER,  EHLEIN, EMERT, ETZEL, FALKENSTEIN, FEIT, FISCHER, FRANK,FUSS,  GEBHARDT, GELL, GERHARDT, GETTIG, GETTE, GOEBEL, GOMAN, GRENZ, GRO, GUTH, HECHT, HAFNER, HEFNER, HEIL, HEILMANN, HEIM, HEIN,  HEINRICH, HERMAALLENDORF, ALLES, MEREIALLENDORF, ALLES,  AMEREIN, AMREIN, ARNOLD, BACHMANN, BAUER, BAUMTROG, BEFORT, BEILMAN, BERATZ, BITZ, BOEHM, BOHM, BRANDT, BREDER, BREIT,  BREITINGER, BURGARDT, BUSCH, CHEVALIER, DAHLFUSS, DAIBEL,   DAR, DECHANT, DESCH, DIEHL, DINGER, DITTHORN, DOMME, DRANEK,  DRESER, EAKES, EBERLE, ECKERMANN, ECKLER, EHLEIN, EMERT,  ETZEL, FALKENSTEIN, FEIT, FISCHER, FRANK, FUSS, GEBHARDT, GELL,  GERHARDT, GETTIG, GETTE, GOEBEL, GOMAN, GRENZ, GROH, GUTH,  HECHT, HAFNER, HEFNER, HEIL, HEILMANN, HEIM, HEIN, HEINRICH,  HERMAN, HERR, HERRLEIN, HILDMANN, HIRSCHFELD, HOFFMANN,  HOLZMEISTER, IFFLAND, IKERS, JAEGER, JAKOB, KAEBERLEIN,  KANABIS, KASHIN, KAUFMANN, KEBERLE, KELBERMATER, KELLER, KIPPES, KIRCHNER, KISNER, KLEBENSPIES, KOCH, KOLLNER,  KONRADI, KRENEP, KRENTZ, KRENZ, LAMBRECHT, LEHL, LEOPOLD, LINDER, LUTZ, MAIER, MECHTER, MEDER, MEIER, MELCHIOR, MEM, MENSING,  MENSINGER, MERKEL, MOHR, MUELLER, NAHM, NAMM, NAUMAN, NOVAK, OBERST, OFELSIN, PFEIFER, RADER, RAHNER, REICHEBORN, REICHERT, REINERT, REISCH, RITTER, ROSE, ROSSMAN, RUDOLF, SANDER, SAUER, SCHAEFER, SCHETSLER, SCHIMMEL, SCHIRMER, SCHMAL, SCHMIDT, SCHNEIDER, SCHOENFELD, SCHOESSLER, SCHRIER, SCHUBERT, SCHWAB, SCHWED, SCHWINDT, SEEWALD, SEIBERT,  SAIDER, SIEGAL, SIEBEN, SIEBERT, SOMMER, SPAHN, SPEIER,  STADELMANN, STEGMAN, STETZEL, STRACK, STRECKER,  STREITENBERGER, STUMPFNAGEL, SUPPES, THOME, ULRICH, VOGT, VOLMER, WACHMEISTER, WAGNER, WEHRBACH, WEIGAND, WEIGEL,  WENZEL, WETZEL, WINTER, WINZETTEL, ZEISLER, ZENTGRAF,, ZIEGLER

1816/1834 HEADS of FAMILIES:

Adam, Allendorf, Alles, Amrein, Arnold, Bahl, Baron, Baumgartner, Berberich, Bitz, Blattner, Breit, Burgard, Burgart, Busch, Degand (Dechant), Deibel, Desch, Dittmeier, Doerr, Dregeser, Eberle, Eberlein, Eckerman, Etzel, Franz, Gebhardt, Goette, Groh, Gumler, Guth, Hefner, Heil, Heim, Helbert, Herman, Herr, Hirschfeld, Hohlman, Holzmeister, Ickes, Jakob, Keberlein, Kelbermarter, Keller, Kippes, Kirchner, Kisner, Klebenspies, Konradi, Krenz, Lambrecht, Lell, Lutz, Meier, Mesinger, Miller, Nahm, Novak, Oberst, Pfeifer, Roeser, Roeder, Rolheiser, Rudolf, Sander, Schaefer, Schirmer, Schmidt, Schoenfeld, Schwed, Schwind, Seitz, Sieben, Sommer, Spahn, Stahl, Stegman, Strack, Suppes, Thome, Volmer, Wachtmeister, Wagner, Weigand, Weigel, Wiesner, Zentgraf, Ziegler

1850 HEADS of FAMILIES:

Ackerman, Adam, Allendorf, Alles, Altmeier, Aman, Amrein, Andes, Bach, Bachman, Bahl, Barberin, Baron, Basgall, Bauer, Bauman, Baumgartner, Beihner, Beratz, Berberich, Berg, Berger, Bettenheiser, Bitz, Blattner, Bock, Bohn, Bollak, Braun, Breit, Bretz, Burgard, Busch, Degand, Deiloff, Desch, Dieser, Dietzel, Dittmeier, Dome, Drinak, Dukard, Dukwes, Dumler, Eberle, Edelman, Etzel, Feser, Fischer, Franz, Freiberger, Fuchs, Gebhard, Geisler. Gerber, Geringer, Gerk, Gittlein, Goette, Goldman, Gottfried, Greif, Haas, Haberkorn, Habig, Hartman, Hartwig, Hefner, Heil, Heim, Heiss, Helbert, Hergenreter, Herlinger, Herman, Herr, Hirschfeld, Hohl, Holzmeister, Ickes, Inhof, Ivanova, Jakob, Jost, Kaufman, Kaul, Keberle, Keberlein, Kelbermater, Keller, Kemerer, Kerb, Kihn, Kippes, Kisner, Klebenspies, Klein, Kloster, Klug, Kneip, Konrad, Kramer, Krenz, Kress, Lambrecht, Lieder, Lohman, Maibar, Mast, Mauer, Meier, Meisner, Mellinger, Mesinger, Mildenberger, Mollmelder,  Naab, Novak, Oberst, Petrova, Puhl, Regner, Reichenbach, Reisch, Resch, Roeser, Reiger, Roeder, Rolheiser, Rosenbach, Roth, Rothamel, Rubin, Saks, Schaab, Schaefer, Schechtel, Schermer, Schiebelbein, Schiller, Schmidt, Schneider, Schnetiger, Schoenfeld, Schulmeister, Schwab, Schwind, Sewald, Shroh, Siebenhaar, Siebert, Sommer, Spahn, Spetter, Stang, Stegman, Stieb, Streitenberger, Stremel, Stewinski, Stroh, Suppes, Theke, Treu, Trilon?, Urban, Viet, Wachtmeister, Wagner, Walkmut, Weigand, Weigel, Weinbender, Weingard, Werbach, Zengraf, Ziegler, Zorn.

1857 Index of Surnames from Census:

SOURCES:
 * **Die Kirchen und Das Religiose Leben Der Russlanddeutsche, Joseph Schnurr