[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Menke Family

[Christopher Menke]

  I am trying to find information on the Menke family from Volhynia and prior to Volhynia. They were German-Lutheran. My great-great-grandfather Christopher Menke was born about 1831. He married first at age 21 according to death certificate and had 12 kids - not sure about first wife, and he had a child with her apparently. His second marriage was to my g-g-grandmother Emilie Brandt. They had 11 kids together, (Emilie was daughter of G. Brandt and D. Knorr; Emilie was born in Poland in 1854; not sure where). 
  They lived NE of Rowno, Volhynia. My great-grandfather Gustav was from village of Alexandria, about 14 km NE of Rowno. His sister Maria Menke born to Christopher & Emilie in 1881 in Mariendorf, right by Alexandria; also a brother Johann Manke (that is surname spelling in Odessa files) born to Christopher & Emilie in Mariendorf in 1879. Gustav Menke (b. 1884) left first in 1900 and went first to Winnipeg, then Gretna, MB (in Gretna Lutheran Church married Wilhemina Schappert), and then settled and farmed in Neche, North Dakota. He came with friends from Alexandria area Henry Stegman and Adolph Latotzke. He worked and brought his parents and siblings, Adam (b. 1894 and married Ottilie Stegman), Friedrich (b. 1897 and married Annie Paetsch), Flora, and Natalie (Nellie Schiller) Menke. 
  Anyone with ANY information on this family prior to coming to Canada and U.S. would be GREATLY appreciated! I am stuck on Christopher Menke and cannot find any information on where he came from or his parent’s names or origins. His ND death certificate did not list them.  Family legend says he came from German-Poland prior to Volhynia, but his death certificate says born in Russia. 
  Also looking for the missing siblings; Christopher and Emilie had 11 or 12 kids and I know of only 7; Johann I only know of because of the Odessa record, and do not know what became of him.
  An important note is that I have found records of our last name as MENKE & MANKE in the same area of Volhynia- perhaps same family. On Gustav’s immigration papers he signed as “Gustav Manke” and on Emilie’s ND death certificate, though they wrote her name as Emelia Menke, Gustav’s brother Frierich signed as “Friedrich Manke.”  Thanks!!!
Chris Menke