[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] World War1

[Ted Belke]

Hi
My Belke family who lived in Michelsdorf North of Cycow left their home on 
16 July 1915. They were given three days notice to evacuate. They were first 
taken to Ohrenburg and then to Saratov where there was lots of work on farms 
and in cotton mills. They were well treated throughout their time there. 
They remained until after the peace treaty between Germany and Russia was 
signed in the spring of 1918. Then groups of families arranged for railway 
cars for the trip back to Poland. They arrived back home in Michelsdorf on 
25 April 1918. My mothers Matthews family who lived in Bekiesza East of 
Cycow also left on 16 July 1915 and were directed to Kustanai in Kazahkistan 
were life was very hard. Somehow my father found them there and brought them 
back to Saratov where they also remained until spring 1915. There is a very 
good description of the experiences and hardships experience by the people 
exiled to Kustanai in the December SGGEEE journal "Siberia and Back".

Farms and property was not confiscated prior to departure. However 
everything, except for some food, clothing and bedding that was loaded into 
wagons, was left behind. Whatever was left behind was quickly looted and in 
many cases the homes were also occupied by the locals. When the Belkes 
returned the buildings were still intact but all other equipment, furniture, 
etc was gone but the Matthews found all the buildings, orchards and fields 
destroyed. Others who found their homes occupied had considerable difficulty 
evicting them and regaining possession. All who returned regardless of 
particular circumstances had no livestock, no crops, no preserves, etc and 
so faced starvation. There were many stories about Polish neighbors, who 
returned stolen property and gave back seed to give our people a new start.

This is the Polish experience which is considerably different than what 
happened in Volhyenia.

Ted Belke


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jurgen" <jkaut at xplornet.com>
To: "Frank Janke" <frank_janke at yahoo.de>
Cc: <ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 9:50 AM
Subject: Re: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] World War1


> hi, frank and everyone else,
>
> this is a good question, i also would like to find out more information on
> when these upheavals took place in the area around chelm,
> several of my aunts were apparently married in april, 1918 in samara ,
> russia
> this was after they were relocated from bukowski las, a small village near
> chelm earlier,
> unsure as to when, how, would love to find out details of this mass
> deportation
> are there any records surviving that record which families, and family
> members had their farms, etc taken away from them and were then sent to
> russia ?
> a very interesting topic
> jurgen kaut
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Frank Janke" <frank_janke at yahoo.de>
> To: <ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 8:58 AM
> Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] World War1
>
>
>> Hallo,
>>  I wonder if anybody knows, when the German settlers north of Chelm had 
>> to
>> leave their settlements and had to go to Russia in World War 1?
>>  Was it in July 1915?
>>  Best regards
>>  Frank Janke
>>
>>
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