Tuesday, June 12, 2007

The highway slices right through the center of the tiny Kansas town of Liebenthal. Blink your eyes and you are through it. Still, a convention tour came to Liebenthal, to showcase beautiful St. Joseph¹s Catholic Church and rectory. This was the first settlement of our German Russian ancestors and showcased the sacrifices they made to build a fitting and impressively huge church and priest¹s residence. Also the tour encased the cemetery and a town business: Pat¹s Beef Jerky. Many people were impressed that this small town operation produced and marketed the beef jerky.

Tuesday was a day filled with business meetings for the various Society Boards and day two of new registration, as well as two full day tours.

Tour #2 was the Hays Museums Tour, which included the Ellis County Historical Society Museum, which is solely devoted to Ellis County¹s entire rich and colorful heritage, from the days of Indians, forts and saloons on through pioneer German-Volga settlements, tools and customs. The on to the Stone Gallery and an opportunity to meet the artist, Pete Felten, know for numerous statues and carving made form native limestone rocks quarried

locally. Bob Pfeifer, Liebenthal, recalls a time Pete was quarrying

rocks, blocking the road he was trying to get a combine through. The tour¹s last stop was historic Fort Hays, which still boasts some of the original buildings and artifacts. The tour included a luncheon buffet featuring some local German ethnic favorites, wedding roast beef and chicken and noodles.

Back to our Church tour which also included St. Anthony¹s Catholic Church in Schoenchen, just four miles from Liebenthal as well as St. Francis Catholic Church and cemetery in Munjor, Kansas.

Vendors were in full swing now and the Country Store and Book Store are humming with activity.

This second day wound down with a fun evening at Whiskey Creek Restaurant.

Leonard Schoenberger, local convention chair, welcomed the large number of volunteers, guests and friends as he began the evening with an opening prayer remembering those who strive to keep alive our heritage and beloved customs. My dinner partners were all strangers at first but delightful for dinner conversation. Norma and Larry Schenkel from Lincoln, Nebraska and locals Joseph and Agnes Werth, Francis and Velma Giebler.

After our meal, we were entertained with humor and music. Celly Schumacher told a few hilarious jokes and Galen Schmidtberger wowed the crowed with accordion and clarinet as he played patriotic and favorite Germans songs.

All in all it was a great day and left all with anticipation of what is yet to come.

Judy Hoffman
Sunflower Chapter Secretary
Hays, Ks.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Day three of the convention has kicked it up a few notches with a beehive of activity. The first tour today was to the East to take in Ellis, Ks., with an array of history to offer. The Railroad Museum, Chrysler Boyhood Home, 2 Historic Churches and antique shops were the destination of 35 people on board.

The Agricultural Tour delved into regional research on cattle and crop production and the Lazy H Ranch, which shared their research to produce the best Angus genetics. Willard and Doris Evans were anxious to take this in, as they are farmers from Almira, Wa., and are very interested in local agriculture. This is the first tour they ever took at a convention. Agnes said it was certainly worthwhile and they were very impressed with all they saw and heard.

Let¹s step behind the scenes a moment and observe what is helping make this convention run so smoothly. Seems like everywhere I went, from opening day, one fellow has been busy wearing many ³hats² as he busies himself wherever help is needed. I asked him why he just seemed to be ³Mr. Handyman². He is Edward Babitzke from Tucson, Az. And has attended enough conventions to know where help is needed most. People like Ed are such a blessing.

There was a big surge in registration just before the scheduled talk by Bishop Werth. (Bishop Werth was not able to attend the convention because of health problems, but his Vicar General and Brother, Fr. Klemens, made the

trip.) A quick glance at the computer tally, ably managed by our computer ³wiz² Kristen Ball, indicated 489 registered by approximately 2pm. Good work, Kristen! She¹s from Dodge City, Ks.

While waiting for Bishop Werth¹s replacement speakers, Andrew and Joyce Kronwnberger from Spicer, Mn. Spoke to me about their journey here and their family research. Their drive here came through Salina, Ks., where they picked up more family members to attend this convention. Andrew has researched their family genealogy back to 1719 and has high praise for the help he received from AHSGR to research his book that he titled, ³I Found My Family².

Fr. Klemens Werth, brother of Bishop Werth and Fr. Tony Corcoran spoke about the history of the Germans in Russia. Fr. Tony has been a missionary in Novosibirsk since 1997. We learned more about the persecution, the exile, labor camps and starvation that decimated the German population in Russia.

The capacity crowd was focused on every word as we relived once more the sacrifices and sufferings of our ancestors. Fr. Werth¹s father was 7 years old when his family was exiled in winter to Siberia. Families dug holes in the earth and covered them with branches and clay for shelter. Two thirds of the refugees died from hunger and disease. Fr. Klemens remarked that everyone has suffered in Russia ­ not just the Germans. When allowed to immigrate back to Germany in the 50¹s, 2 1Ž2 million returned to live in their homeland. About 600,000 Germans remained in Russia. Fr. Tony left us with this thought to ponder: ³What does our heritage mean to us? Today? Do we believe there is a calling to fulfill as a German-Russian?

Michael Boss ­ Western Kansas artist is a historian as well. As he explained some of his paintings, he pointed out their place in history.

Many of his paintings are of ancestral villages and churches in Russia as well as historic and rural sites in Kansas, which bear, striking resemblances to Russian counterparts.

Opening the evening ceremony was Leonard Schoenberger, co-chair of this convention. Carol Riffel, president of the Kansas Round-Up of Chapters spoke about the beauty and attributes of Kansas today ­ and the hardship and bravery of our ancestors who settled here. Her speech encouraged all to try to get a glimpse of the combines in harvest before leaving this area. Next a soldier from Old Fort Hays (Bob Wilhelm), in full uniform filled us in on life at the Fort. Followed up this bit of history, Buffalo Bill Cody strode to the podium, in full attire of the famous scout and buffalo hunter. Kirk Shapland as Buffalo Bill gave a fascinating, brief history of how he got his nickname and his work with Fort Hays.

A very touching and heart warming narrative of early settlement history and traditions followed. The skit and narrative were the creation of Leona Pfeifer. Her story followed the immigration from Germany to Russia to the settlements in our area today. Everyone was spellbound as pioneer men and women came forward in attire as their village names were mentioned. German songs were sung bys the villagers, accompanied by Galen Schmidtberger on the accordion. History came to life before our eyes. Especially touching was the funeral scene complete with the procession carrying a small wood coffin.

This scene strongly bespoke the depth of the faith, a touching portrayal of the source of strength and hope our forefather embraced. It left a profound impact on all who were there.

The evening ended with a feast of German sausage, homemade breads, kucha, sourkraut, and a generous variety of foods. Musical entertainment followed, beginning with a quartet (³One Voice²) from Ellis, Ks. They sang patriotic songs. Then the Joe Dolezal Polka Band provided music to dance byŠwhich also was a reminiscent of past weddings and local dance that many have enjoyed over the years.

Judy Hoffman
Sunflower Chapter Secretary
Hays, Ks.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

A gravestone in a photograph led Carol Sinner from Savannah, GA to Hays, Ks.

and the AHSGR Convention. It all began when her brother sent her a snapshot of her great-grandfather¹s headstone. She was able to read on the stone his place of birth: Norka, Russia. Then she got on the internet to learn more about Norka, and a link connected her to AHSGR. That¹s when she learned about the convention, signed up for membership and the convention. This is her first AHSGR convention. Her ancestors (Helzer) settled in Harvard, Nebraska in 1888.

Leona Pfeifer announced the official opening of the 38th annual convention. The color guard presented the flags of the U.S. and Canada and both National Anthems were sung. Then following a tribute to the large number of veterans present. Fr. Gilmary Tallman O.F.M.Cap. (yes, he¹s German

too!) invoked the opening prayer. Leona expressed gratitude for the support of the businesses and the local communities. Kevin Rupp also thanked the Kansas Chapters for their help. Next, the mayor of Hays, Troy Hickman, was happy to welcome the 530 people who registered for the convention. He commented ³Since I¹m married to a Weber from Ellis, this crowd just reminds me of Christmas dinner!² He presented Jerome Siebert, AHSGR President, with a Marshall¹s badge ­ in lieu of keys to the city.

Gary Shorman, Pres/CEO of Eagle Communications mentioned a favorite German saying from childhood days. His grandpa would often say, ³too soon old, too late smart². He challenged us to take and share with the next generation the wealth of history made available through AHSGR genealogy research. He was impressed with the passion this group has about their heritage.

The business meeting followed, chaired by Jerry Siebert. He pointed out that our international aspect is for all German-Russian, not just the Volga area. Our history goes through Russia. We need to get youth interested and appreciative of their heritage. Alton Sissell explained the current fund raising plan titled ³Step-Up². We are asked to Œstep-up¹ to the plate and go for the Home Run ­ the goal of $250,000.

The genealogy workshop was well attended and certainly provided a wide realm of advice on tracking down the relatives. Peggy Goertzen¹s talk on ŒThe Crimea Revisited¹ pointed out how an intrinsic characteristic of Russian-Germans was a willingness to migrate. Frank Jacobs explained how to track heritage through DNA. And Alton Sissell was just what beginners needed to hear on how to get started via the internet.

Life on the Kansas prairie. No money ­ no trees for homes.

Ingenuity and industriousness found ways for shelter. First the dug out, then the sod houses, and finally, the native stone homes. Norma Pipkin, dressed as an immigrant woman, spun a story of her great-great grandmother¹s family coming to America, starting anew, filled with faith and hope. We learned how customs from Russia were carried on here as she narrated certain customs and ³hochzeit² (wedding). She sprinkled her speech with a delightful mixture of German and English and spoke of traditional foods and preparations for a German wedding. It was truly authentic in every detail, and a joy to hear.

Village Night ­ a whole new experience for me. I enjoyed meeting new people whose family ties in America began where I grew up. I realized too late that I should have been better prepared with information my family has gathered on our family tree. Even so, as we talked, I learned more about what the genealogy department has to offer in our search for ancestry.

Thus ends day four of the convention.
Judy Hoffman, Secretary
Sunflower Chapter

Friday, June 15, 2007

They signed up for the convention because their son¹s ³boss² was scheduled to speak: Bishop Werth from Russia. Bob (75) and Elaine (73) Corcoran of Sierra Vista, AZ., along with their pastor, Fr. Greg Adolph, decided to drive together to the convention. Their son, Fr. Tony Corcoran has been a missionary in Russia and works under Bishop Werth and they just wanted to meet the Bishop. What they didn¹t know was that Fr. Adolph received e-mail from Fr. Tony that he would come to the convention in Bishop Werth¹s place, but to keep that news secret from his parents. Even though Fr. Adolph was anxious to tell the news, he kept his promise through three days of travel.

Just as they arrived at the Holiday Inn in Hays, their son, Fr. Tony, walked out to greet them. Elaine was so surprised and fought back her tears as they joyfully reunited.

The morning¹s speakers had everyone on the edge of their seats. It seemed as though it just couldn¹t get better, and then it did! Dr. Chris Johnson, Kansas University, shared information the University has been gathering concerning various German dialects in Kansas. He pointed out differences in ³low German² and ³upper German² (Bukovina). By the 1920¹s there was dialect mixing, often by moving to different areas in Russia or marriage. The German we¹ve know is not ³textbook² but area dialects, basically dependent on what section of Germany your ancestors migrated from. The KU website from more information, which includes Germanic languages, literature. And recordings of German spoken is:

www2.ku.edu/~germanic/LAKGD/Atlas_Intro.shtml

Life Histories of German Women in Russia and to the U.S. by Leona Wasinger Pfeifer kept us all spellbound as we learned in more detail the general view of the women through time periods and how lives changes. I believe that old saying ³A woman¹s work is never done² must have come from a German/Russian wife and mother. Their duties were not only household, child care, making cloth and sewing it; they also planted and cured tobacco an planted and cared for garden, milked cows, fed animals and helped with harvest. And in all this ­ women were still held in low esteem. Marriages were pre-arranged and men made all the decisions.

One of the men interviewed for the KU research lived in Schoenchen, just south of Hays. His daughter, Janel (Werth) Moore (Hays) commented that if there were two dialects in the marriage, the mother¹s dialect, the mother¹s dialect was the one the children learned as mothers were the primary teachers. Janel also remembers how furious her grandmother became when she learned I was the male who determines a baby¹s gender. Her grandmother angrily said: ³You men for years us women were blamed for having girls and all along it was the man¹s fault!² Janelle¹s grandpa was the only survivor of 7 children, so his dad advised him to marry a girl from a large family so he would have many children.

Thank God I¹m a Volga Boy showcased Larry Weigel Jr, full of jokes and master of a variety of musical instruments. He quipped, ³I was told to have a light program with no message². Between his jokes, his nostalgic German music, and his description of his efforts to interest his grandchildren in their family tree, I¹d say he left quite a message of how to interest the young in their ancestry and their music.

From the Ukraine to Spokane: 3 Ways of Preserving a family History was a fascinating journey of a family¹s history through mother, father and daughter¹s eyes. All three wrote their memoirs and all three had their views and separate and distinguished experiences. Once again we were encouraged to get busy and write our life¹s story. Alex emphasized it doesn¹t take any special education or technology skills; if you can talk, you can tell your story. You¹ll be glad you did.

The Storytelling Contest was well worth attending; I only wish there¹d been time for the Honorable Mention winners stories to be read also, because each one of the three top stories were so different and touching. I believe it would be difficult to select winner¹s form the stories submitted.

Hopefully, the three we were privileged to hear today will be printed in an AHSGR mailing.

Our next speaker, Tatjana Schell from Munich, Germany passionately spoke about why it is so important to preserve our cultural heritage. Research and stories must be pursued as she pointed out that many things are disappearing, such as villages once occupied by our ancestors, dialects, and customs. Evan living in Germany, she has seen lack of interest among her peers and reluctance of elders to speak about experience, some probably too painful to talk about. Suppression of German language and religious practices led to them being forgotten.

The White Slip Saga was not what I imagined it would beŠbut Justina Neufeld has a captivated audience as she narrated her harrowing experiences as a young girl in Russia in a totally different approach which took us a while to realize. A very touching and heartbreaking account of persecution, fear, peril, flight to safely only to face jeopardy again. A story of family torn apart, lost, and for only a few, reunited.

On a lighter note, Lewis and Dona Marquardt made interesting and curious comparisons of G/R settlements in Emmons County, ND. and Ellis County, Ks.

One big difference was how and why they settled where they did. The Ellis County immigrants wanted to live in villages and farm from there; the Emmons immigrants chose the free land which required living on it (farms) to acquire it. Ellis county settlers had to purchase their land.

A college of musical talent entertained a capacity crowd tonight as we honored and remembered those who have gone before us but are not forgotten.

A wealth of local talent shared their gift of music to end a very busy day in peace and perfect harmony. Opening invocation was by Fr. Kevin Weber of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Hays, Ks. Fr. Weber also sang solo ³Ave Maria². Closing comments and prayers were by Pastor Roger Dennis, St.

John's Lutheran Church in Russell, Ks.

Judy Hoffman
Secretary ­ Sunflower Chapter
Hays, Ks.

P.S. - The final count for the convention was 639 registrations!!!

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Today began with the recognition breakfast where awards were presented to individuals and Chapters. The prize drawing for new members awarded $25 to:

Pat and Diana Fries; Robert Malone; and Robert and Susan Wolf. Kevin Rupp won first prize for the 3rd Annual Membership Campaign ³Frugal Germans Love Cash². Jim Weibert reported on membership and how it has been like the

weather: unpredictable and complex. It has remained about the same the past

3 years after a few years of decline. Retainment is a crucial key to existence. Alton Sissell then announced the first new member for our next campaign is his new great-grand daughter born Tuesday, June 12, 2007. (a few days ago!)

Anna Bartkowski, President of the Arizone Sun Chapter, Chandler, AZ and her daughter, Ashley have been attending every talk and event all week. What is most impressive is Ashley is a teenager (15) and chose to come with her mother. Another daughter, Becky, Arizone Sunshine Chairperson, could not attend. Ashley¹s greatest interest lies in where throughout the world our ancestors migrated to and settled. She is taking Spanish in high school and was anxious to hear the foreign speakers. She enjoys learning details of the villages in Russia, the journeys that were made and the encounters in their travels. She feels what she has learned here will aid her in her school studies. Both suggest bringing your children to Chapter meetings because they will learn something at every one. They see the need to find a way to motivate teens and young adults to come o conventions and see for themselves what an education it offers.

Two tours went out today, tour #6 included Historical Churches in Catherine, Pfeifer, and the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria (Herzog), all towns settled by Germans from Russia in the late 1800¹s. This tour included a buffet meal at a local German restaurant in Gorham featuring homemade German favorites.

Tour #7 went to Fort Hays State University Center fro Ethnic Studies, hosted by Leona Pfeifer. There is a substantial amount of materials and records on the Volga Germans compiled here. The tour also went to Historic Fort Hays where the limestone blockhouse, built in 187, still stands. Other buildings at the Fort have been renovated or restored.

German Russians in Argentina by Isabel Kessler was a sharing of her great-grandfather¹s story of immigration from the Volga area in Russia in 1892. The attraction to move then was the availability of large areas of land ­ never occupied or farmed. Today, of the 40 million population in Argentina, one million are Volga German. In 1978, the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Volga Germans they established the Argentina Association of Descendants of German-Russians. Their greatest concern is to preserve the language. Her closing remark was ³a people who forgets its culture, forgets its identity.² Her talk will be in the next AHSGR journal.

A Kansas Volga German, Bernhard Warkentin, who struck quite a figure at the turn of the century in the business world as well as a pioneer in agriculture, was the promoter of Turkey Red Wheat (winter wheat). He imported the wheat form the Ukraine in Russia and was instrumental in its dominant use in the plains. Karen Penner, once herself a Kansas farm girl, shared her research of his story.

Brent Mai Œtouched the tip¹ of the iceberg of attempts to research data inside Russia. The file system is years behind the U.S. and often complications arise. Entire village lists are impossible to obtain and any lists obtained need interpretation. For the genealogy buff ­ the census in Russia is termed ³Revision Lists².

³My Family¹s Escape from Russia² was a gripping description of Erica Durtschy¹s family¹s flight from Ekaterinoslav in the dead of winter.

Approximately 30 family members crossed into China and undertook a long and arduous journey to Brazil. It was in 2005 that a relative in Germany found her family via the Internet.

The convention Banquet was privileged to have Bishop Coakley from Salina, Ks. offer the opening prayer. Guest speaker, Larry Steckline of Wichita, Ks. reminisced about his childhood days on the farm in Ellis County. Larry has been involved in agriculture fro years and was privileged to be selected several times to be on committees to travel to Russia to share American agriculture with Russia. Then visited their farms and it was as though they had stepped back 60 years in time. The Ukraine area has beautiful, rich, level farm land but their production methods weren¹t producing the abundant crops the land were capable of. After traveling to Russia as well as many other countries of the world, observing their agriculture, Larry remarked we are proud to be in one of the finest countries of the world.

Presentation of awards and recognitions followed. The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Edward Schwartzkopf (posthumously) and Diana Bell.

The quilt raffle winner was Armelia Gerber of Arvada, Colorado. None other prizes were awarded. Jerry Siebert thanked the Sunflower Chapter, especially the Steering Committee: Leona Pfeifer, Sr. Alice Ann Pfeifer, Leonard Schoenberger, and Kevin Rupp, as well as all Kansas chapters and numerous volunteers for their tremendous support. He remarked this has been a truly outstanding convention and first class hospitality. The grand total attendance/registration is 639.

The next convention will be in Casper, Wyoming. It will be most unique as it will be a combination of AHSGR and GRHS (German Russian Historical Society). Time to mark your calendars for this one: July 27 ­ Aug 3, 2008.

Judy Hoffman
Secretary ­ Sunflower Chapter
Hays, Ks.