Holstein, a German evangelical colony was founded on the west side of the Volga River on May 26, 1765. According to Professor Igor Pleve's book, Einwanderung in das Wolgagebiet: 1764-1767, Vol. 2, Kolonien Galka - Kutter (available from AHSGR), the following families appear on Holstein's first settler's list.

The “History and Geography Dictionary of the Saratov Province” by A.N. Minkh, which was published in Saratov, Russia in 1898 is here:

Pleve's book lists from where the immigrants came, their occupation, members of the family and their age, and when they arrived in Holstein.

1. Johann Wilhelm Kuxhausen 2. Karl Wilhelm Vogler 3. Joachim Martens 4. Gustaw Hiltermann 5. David Andreas Linde 6. Johann Heinrich Asselmann 7. Peter Hofner 8. Johann Wilhelm Deisner 9. Heinrich Ludwig Stehlfeld 10. Johann Dangelin? 11. Asmus Winick 12. Johann Philipp Pfeiler 13. Johann Gottlieb Melzer 14. Gottlieb Friedrich Kerbs 15. Christian Hiltermann

16. Friedrich Asmus 17. Jacob Breiniger 18. Johann Adam Jauck 19. Friedrich Stamor? 20. Karl Jauck 21. Hans Koln 22. Georg Detlef Brickmann 23. Hans Christoph Schmiese 24. Asmus Schwin 25. Samson Jung 26. Maria Agnessa Merine? 27. Ulrich Kast? 28. Christian Wolfgang Kraus 29. Johannes Knaus 30. Ludwig Heider (Hinter/Ginter?)

31. Gottfried Simon 32. Friedrich Ruf 33. Johann Melchior Reichert 34. Michael Borger 35. Leonard Wittmann 36. Michael Grenz 37. Johann Georg Mai 38. Johann Buchsbaum 39. Johann Adam Beitz 40. Johann Peter Mai 41. Johann Georg Mai 42. Johann Jacob Mai 43. Heinrich Martin Meder 44. Johannes Peil 45. Johann Pomerinke

Holstein had 202 residents in 1772. In 1798, Holstein had 354 residents, three apple orchards and one vineyard. The government offices for the Volga colonies were located in Saratov, about 100 miles north of Holstein. Farm products were sold and supplies purchased at Kamyschin, about 30 miles south of Holstein. It was about five miles to Shcherbakovka, six miles to Galka, and four miles to Dreispitz.

Additional Holstein families in the 1798, 1834, 1850 or 1858 family lists

Family Name	Location to/from
Asmus	to Grimm
Bender	prob. from Galka
Breiniger	to Breauregard
Busch	from Dietel
Deisner	to Dobrinka
Ehrhardt	from Shcherbakovka
Euring	from Dreispitz
Fritzler	from Grimm
Gelbach	from Dietel
Graf
Herber	prob. from Schwab
Krebs	prob. from Stephan
Lotz	from Kraft
Meder	to Donhof
Michaelis
Pomerinke	to Dreispitz
Scherrer	from Dreispitz
Schmidt	from Kraft
Schreiner	from Kraft
Siegfried
Sprankel
Stahldecker	from Shcherbakovka
Weisner	from Schwab

     Holstein was part of the Galka parish but each village had its own church and school. The Holstein church, made of wood, was built in 1830 and was the oldest church in the parish. In 1904, the church had 2434 members and the school had 231 students. The population of Holstein in 1912 was 2549.
      In 1876, the first Holstein families to immigrate to America included the Mai, Karst, Wittman, and Borger families. They settled in Marion County Kansas. The rolling prairies of Kansas reminded them of their homeland. Some who followed located in eastern Colorado and the Nebraska panhandle to work in the sugar beet fields. They saved their money and in a few years owned their own farms. Several families moved to Oregon. Others went to western Oklahoma. By 1900, the U.S. required immigrants to have sponsors and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, became the staging area for arriving immigrants. Some moved to the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan where free land was available.
      In Holstein, Russia, village life didn't change dramatically until Russia's civil war in 1917-1918. Gotfried Ehrhardt states that, "Before the 1917 revolution, many Volga Germans emigrated to the USA and Canada. Only a few managed to leave Russia later. The civil war (1918-1922) didn't spare Holstein either. The red and white armies alternately occupied the village. Many houses were damaged during the fights and the owners had to repair them. Also, it was quite common at those times to see dead bodies lying in the streets." In the 1930s, collectivization became a way of life in the Volga colonies. People were required to work for the government and food was taken by the government for distribution.
     

According to Gotfried Erhardt, the Holstein school on the left was built in 1917. It was in this building on September 1, 1941, the residents of Holstein learned their village would be vacated in ten days.

When the the Schwendich, Martin, Kelln, Maier, Grauberger, Hildermann, Peil, and Erhardt families returned in 1957, the children attended elementary school in this building. A club (hidden by the tree) was added to the building. A nursery now occupies the school area.

 

Click map to view

On the Holstein map created by George Herber in 1910 (available from AHSGR), Maria blotted out names where houses no longer stood in 1956.

Today, Holstein is known locally as Kulaninike, and it belongs to the Volgograd District. Irene and Rosalie (family nameYauck), visited Holstein in 1994 and, like most visitors, commented on the rough streets. They said, "The grayish-blue weeds which grew everywhere are like those which grew on my grandfather's pasture in Saskatchewan. They even have the same horrible odor." Ed Hoak visited Holstein in 2001 and went to the cemetery. Ed provided the initial information about the cemetery and Maria Leimann provided additional information.

          Articles of Interest

Hospital in Holstein
Kuxhausen letters from Siberia
Life in Holstein, 1956-1990, by Maria Leimann
Memories of Holstein and Siberia, by Gotfried Erhardt as told to Maria Leimann
Holstein, May 2001, by Ed Hoak
Some of My Life's Story, by Henry Stennfeld
Reinhart and Katie Yauck, by Ken Hochban
Holstein before 1900, by David Steinfeld
Pictures of Holstein in 1994.
Holstein cemetery information

       Holstein immigrants to U.S. and Canada

Heinrich Adam Kelln, b. Dec. 10, 1846, d. Jan 17, 1916, Shattuck, Okla.
George Christoph Kelln, b. Dec. 1, 1851, d. 1944, Canada
Frederich Krentz, b. 1834, d. 1906, Harper County, Okla.
Adam Hilderman, b. 1856, immigrated to Canada
Johann Frederich Mai, b. Aug. 26, 1860, d. May 20, 1934, Russell, Kansas
Christoph Meier, b. Dec 8, 1866, immigrated to Shattuck, Okla.
Alexander Bender, b. Jan 23, 1865, d. Apr 13, 1935, immigrated to Shattuck, Okla
Jacob Busch, b. Apr 20, 1862, d. Jan 29, 1952, Shattuck, Okla.
George Ehrhardt, b. Aug 2, 1843, d. Jan 20, 1929, Duval, Saskatchewan
Katharine Fritzler, b. Aug 15, 1843, d. Feb 28, 1928, Duval, Saskatchewan
George Schrieock, b. Oct 1825, d. Feb 28, 1911, Lehigh, Kansas
George Adam Martin, b. Sep 7, 1866, d. July 19, 1918, Cymric, Saskatchewan
Gottlieb Yauck, b. Apr 18, 1815, d. Sep 18, 1908, Selman, Okla.
Johann Frederich Peil, b. Jan 16, 1859, d. Sep 30, 1945, Lipscomb County, Texas
Suzanna Katharine Kuxhaus(en), b. June 27, 1850, d. Jan 17, 1893, Milberger, Kansas
Johann Christoph Schulz, b. Dec 28, 1848, d. Topeka, Kansas
Reinhard Steinfeld, b. Dec. 3, 1861, d. Apr. 27, 1934, Oregon
Frederich Winik, b. June 7, 1840, d. Dec. 9, 1926, buried at Lakin, Kansas
Katharine Elizabeth Kuxhaus(en), b. Dec. 28, 1865, d. Oct. 1, 1947, Lipscomb County, Texas
David Wittman, b. Nov. 18, 1855, d. June 14, 1925, Russell County, Kansas
Anna Elizabeth Karst, b. July 30, 1855, d. June 11, 1915, Russell County, Kansas
David Wollert, b. Mar. 11, 1859, d. May 11, 1933, Brighton, Colorado
George Heinrich Yauck, b. Jan 10, 1842, d. May 12, 1924, Duval, Saskatchewan

Holstein research from Russia