[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Re: Deportation of Germans to Siberia

[Karl Krueger]

Gilda - It seems virtually all we know about the deportation of WW I is from stories collected from those who experienced it as your grandparents passed this down to you. I have tried to feed Dick Benert any info and stories as he seems to have become our unofficial deportation expert in this field. My grandmother told my aunt similar stories. You can just imagine the frustration and despair your grandmother felt as they were forced from their farm months before the harvest could be made.
 
By way of clarification, I should say that if your family lived in present day Poland their farm may have simply been destroyed by the war. My father remembers as a boy returning after the war and having to completely rebuild the farm. He said literally nothing was left standing in this region near Lublin. 
 
The lists you heard about on this thread were further east near Zhitomir. That was likely something compiled in this region and not generally applied to all regions where Germans were deported. I find it interesting that your grandmother was by Stalingrad as I have not seen that location yet among the many reported in EWZ records. Generally it seems most Germans were transported along a train route further north passing through Samara and Saratov and going further east towards northern Kazakhstan.

"Gilda J. Patterson" <gilda.patterson at shaw.ca> wrote:
I find this discussion of the deportation of Germans to Siberia very
interesting as I have my own questions regarding my grandparents's
experience. They were deported from their home (Rydzyno), Kingdom of Poland,
Russia around 1914, my grandmother might've been pregnant with her first son
(already had one daughter aged 1 1/2), the son was subsequently born Nov 20,
1915 in Sarepta (changed to Stalingrad, currently Volgogrod), Russia; and my
grandfather was imprisoned for a time. They do not appear on the list.

The Story: My grandparents were removed from their home, had 24-hours to
take simple belongings, travelled by train, (my grandmother was so angry she
kicked a pee bucket that was in the middle of the train & it hit my eldest
aunt in the forhead accidently, whereby she had a slight forehead scar and
had to wear bangs). Grandmother gave birth to her first son there, then they
had one more child, a daughter born there, who died of small pox at age 10
months, buried in Sarepta. Grandfather's conditions in the prison were so
poor, that he said he had to eat soup with worms in it. (I believe that this
was due to the meat). He was eventually released, and when they returned to
their home, all their land and possessions were gone (expropriated I think)
& grandfather wanted to do away with himself. Thank goodness he didn't, and
my mother was born there. They immigrated to Canada in 1927 (word is because
of the pogroms). I know there were quite a few various pogroms taking places
from various factions, but not sure what these were.

Is anyone aware of this area Sarepta - Stalingrad - Volgogrod? And the
deportations that took place to that area?

It is so exciting to research these possibilities. But I love facts, and
find them hard to obtain without a lot of effort. Thank you for your input.

Gilda Patterson
Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

		
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