[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Germans Migrating to Volynia

[Otto]

On Apr 18, 2010, at 10:14 AM, Ronald Roggow wrote:

> I am curious about Jerry Frank's entry in the Ger-Poland-Volhynia  
> Digest, Vol 83, Issue 10, where he states Catherine the Great's  
> Manifesto had no influence  on the reasons for Germans settling in  
> Volynia.  I had assumed (apparently incorrectly) that her manifesto  
> was the reason for Germans settling in western Russia.
>
> Where can I find historical information on why Germans came to  
> settle in Volynia?


You will not find information in any one source or one answer for the  
same reasons individuals migrated to Volhynia.
Jerry is correct. Catherine from Stettin, a cousin of old Fritz, born  
1729 ce, died 1796 ce. She 'wanted' to free Russia's serfs-5,000,000  
at her beginning.. 10,000,000 upon her death. Serfdom did not end  
until 1860.

Volhynia has a history of approximately 1500 years. It has been  
settled by Slavs, Hungarians, Vlachs, Poles and the Volhynian Germans.  
By the end of the 1800's some 200,000 German settlers were in  
Volhynian Governorate of the Russian Empire. Most of these Germans  
immigrated from Congress Poland (Russian Poland). Russian Poland did  
not exist before 1813.

 From 1813 to 1900, consider Russian taxation taking the profitability  
out of the textile industry in Russian Poland (they wanted the  
industry in developing Russia), consider the 1830's uprisings in  
Russian Poland, consider the uprisings and harsh suppression in the  
1860's in Russian Poland, consider the end of serfdom in Russia 1860   
and Russian nobility needing people to rent or buy their land. To  
purchase one's own acre and independence was a strong motivation  
emigrate.

. . .   Otto
          " The Zen moment..." wk. of January 01, 2010-
                   _____________________________________
                   "Satisfaction . . . lurks in the answers."