Mary attended the annual Germans from Russia convention last weekend, it being held in Bismarck. She has put a lot of time, effort, and some expense into research and writing. Because of my proximity to her efforts, a lot of the stories have become familiar to me, too. Years leading up to, during, and after the Russian revolution in 1917 were years of many sad, tragic stories. Under Catherine the Great German settlers were recruited to come to the Russian steppes and farm the rich land. While there they successfully farmed and prospered. But those years surrounding the revolution proved to be unsettling.
One good book telling some of these stories is We'll Meet Again In Heaven: Germans in the Soviet Union Write Their American Relatives 1925-1937 by Ronald J. Vossler. The book's dedication states: "This book is dedicated to the Germans living in Russia who were starved, deported, shot, frozen, and worked to death under the Soviets." That pretty well says it all.
Opening the book at random, a letter pops out saying the man cannot work any longer because he froze his hands and feet, and, then because he couldn't work, they wouldn't give him anything to eat.
Another story told of them going to bed with as many clothes on as they could bear in case the authorities came in the night to take them away. At least they would have what was on their back. They feared the sound of the clip-clop of horses hooves in the night pulling a wagon known as the "black crow" in which prisoners were hauled away. One story we have heard was of a young man forced to drive one of these wagons and unknowingly had his father as a passenger whom he drove to his execution spot in the forest.
One good book telling some of these stories is We'll Meet Again In Heaven: Germans in the Soviet Union Write Their American Relatives 1925-1937 by Ronald J. Vossler. The book's dedication states: "This book is dedicated to the Germans living in Russia who were starved, deported, shot, frozen, and worked to death under the Soviets." That pretty well says it all.
Opening the book at random, a letter pops out saying the man cannot work any longer because he froze his hands and feet, and, then because he couldn't work, they wouldn't give him anything to eat.
Another story told of them going to bed with as many clothes on as they could bear in case the authorities came in the night to take them away. At least they would have what was on their back. They feared the sound of the clip-clop of horses hooves in the night pulling a wagon known as the "black crow" in which prisoners were hauled away. One story we have heard was of a young man forced to drive one of these wagons and unknowingly had his father as a passenger whom he drove to his execution spot in the forest.
