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The Calvin Fercho Germans from Russia Research Stipend is a fund designed to collect and preserve the history and heritage of the Germans from Russia. This can be used to collect oral histories, process archival material, photographs, or textiles (or all of the above). The stipend provides NDSU students opportunities in historic preservation and documentation of the Germans from Russia.
Kusler-Grosz Family Collection Both Kusler and Schaefer families originated from Palatinate, Germany, as founding families of former Black Sea German village of Worms, Beresan District, South Russia in 1807 (today north of Odessa, Ukraine). These same families immigrated in the “second group to America” in 1871 to pause in Sandusky, Ohio, while sending out land-survey scouts to Sutton, Nebraska, and Yankton, Dakota. The Kusler-Schaefer families were pioneer settlers in 1972 at Odessa Reformed (near Lesterville, Dakota Territory) and later moved to Scotland, South Dakota. Some Kusler sons were pioneer homesteaders in northern McIntosh County (near Fredonia and Kulm, North Dakota) in 1884. Johann Kusler, Jr., of Scotland, South Dakota, was married in January 1894 to Magdalena Grosz of Parkston, South Dakota, before homesteading in McIntosh County. The Grosz family were founders of rural Gnadenfeld Congregational Church [oldest German “classis” church in North Dakota], south of Kulm, North Dakota. Johann Grosz, Sr., with George Gaeckle and George Billigmeier, originating from former German villages of Kulm and Leipzig, Bessarabia (today west of Odessa, Ukraine), were the three co-founders of town site in 1892 to be named Kulm, North Dakota. Both Grosz and Dietrich families originated from Wuerttemburg, Germany, through former German village of Neuberg, (Leibental am Baraboi District, South Russia), to settle in former German villages of Kulm and Beresina, Bessarabia, (today west of Odessa, Ukraine). Two significant textiles for worship-garb were inherited through Justina Dietrich (Mrs. Daniel Grosz) of Scotland, South Dakota. Justina’s family originates from former German village of Beresina, Bessarabia, along with her maternal Bader family in neighboring Paris village. Clara Kusler assembled a collection of “spraehle”/scripture memory cards near Kulm, North Dakota, before her marriage in 1921 as Mrs. John Mayer. Impressive color-lithgraphy of floral motifs with Bible verses decorate Clara’s memorizing cards.
Donated items include photographs, postcards, spraele, and textiles. They were donated by Clara’s sister, Adeline Kusler McCloy, to the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection in 2002. For further information about the Kusler-Grosz Family Collection, go to these website pages: Blacksmith's Dream (http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/history_culture/photo/blacksmith.html); Kusler-Grosz Family Collection (http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/history_culture/photo/kusler.html); Scripture Memory Cards (http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/order/notecards/scripturemain.html).
The Victor Knell Collection was donated to the Germans from Russia Hertitage Collection in April 2002. Victor is a historian who has influenced identication and preservation of dialect-usage and folk traditions. Victor serves as village historian for Brienne and Teplitz, in Bessarabia; serves as editor for the well-informed Red River Chapter newsletter; and serves on editorial-publications projects at the Germans from Russia Heritage Society, Bismarck. The collection has photographs, musical artifacts, textiles, and ephemerals which reflect ethnic pioneer life in Mercer County, North Dakota. Victor Knell has complied five family histories for Knoll/Knell, Breitling, Oster, and Adolf heritage. The Knoll/Knell family (from ancestral village of Necketailfingen, Wuerttemburg, Germany) were among the religious pietists of “emigration harmonium” to South Russia. They traveled by “ulmer barges” down the Danube River toward the Black Sea. The Oster family were reformed religionists at Lambsborn, Palatinate, Germany. They were tailors who immigrated in 1798 to Tscherwenka village (in Austria-Hungarian Empire, today Yugoslavia) as linen weavers, later moving near Odessa, South Russia. The Adolf family were printers in Berlin, Brandenburg, Germany. From Odenberg, Russia, they immigrated in 1817 to (the former German village of) Brienne, Bessarabia, where the Adolf family erected and operated a wind-powered flour mill. Further information relating to the Victor Knell Collection, can be located at these website pages: Anniversaries are doubled (http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/media/newspapers/news/old_news/duppler.html); Victor Knell Collection (http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/history_culture/photo/knell_histories.html); Victor Knell Collection Photographs (http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/history_culture/photo/knell_photos.html).
Keller Udo Gerhard zu Kellerrode Fund
Giesla L. Schilling Keller,a longtime employee at the NDSU Varsity Mart, has established the Udo Gerhard Keller zu Kellerrode Fund, with a major financial gift to the Germans from Russia Heritage collection.
Gift of Dr. LaVern "Vern" Freeh
Dr. LaVern "Vern" Freeh, a native of Harvey, ND and 1951 NDSU graduate, presented a donation of $6,500 for publication of the book, Couldn't Be Better: The Russian Farm Community Project, published by GRHC in 2000. Proceeds from this book is donated equally by Dr. Freeh to GRHC and the Russian Farm Community Project. In
September, 2005, Dr. LaVern Freeh, authored the book, Child
of the Prairie, Man of the World. Dr. Freeh provided
all of the funding to publish the book. He has designated that
the income from the book will be donated to the following: 1)
The Freeh Family Football Scholarship, Athletic Department, NDSU;
and 2) The Dakota Memories Oral History Interview Project,
Germans from Russia Heritage Collection,
The Marie Rudel Portner German from Russia Endowment
The Marie Rudel Portner Germans from Russia Endowment of $1.1 million dollars was established in May, 2000. The endowment was established in honor of the ethnic heritage and family traditions and values represented by her parents Simon and Dorothea Weber Rudel. |
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The
Calvin Fercho Germans from Russia Research Stipend
Fargo, ND 58105-5599
701.231.8876 / Fax: 701.231.6128
Last Updated: April 08, 2008