[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Migrations of people--Germans to Wohlynia

[A.D.Chalifoux]

On 17-Apr-06, at 11:34 AM, Karl Krueger wrote:

> Rita,
>   I am particularly interested.. ...  Those who were most fortunate 
> were able to get out of communist controlled German territory into 
> West Germany.
>
>   Why did they leave for North America? Think of what kind of 
> circumstances you would be under trying to make a living. You would 
> have been fortunate enough to make it out to West Germany but, 1) you 
> had no land (most of these explanted Germans were farmers), 2) jobs 
> were scarce since the war destroyed so much of the infrastructure in 
> Germany, 3) living conditions were terrible at this time yet you had 
> to provide for a family. The US and Canada in particular really held 
> the best opportunity to still make a decent living in their life so 
> that promise was a good enticement to leave Europe.
Actually I believe that lack of housing in west Germany contributed 
hugely to emigration after WW.II.  In the case of my family, my Dad had 
recieved training as a bricklayer and always had work.  If we had had a 
decent place to live my mom would not have agreed to leave.  This was 
in 1955.  The same was true for other family members who left as early 
as1952.  Another huge factor was that Germany was not home.  I was a 
little girl when we left but I remember a mom hauling her kid away from 
me in a playground sandbox, saying  " Mit Polacken spielen wir 
nicht"(We don't play with Polacks).  Neighbors also pointed and talked 
because mom was pregnant with her third child.  There was much 
predjudice against Fluechtlinge (refugees) even in church.  Many 
Germans felt that refugees were to blame for lack of housing and they 
should just have stayed where they were.  This sentiment was of course 
not  shared by all or even most Germans,  but it's hard to live where 
even a minority feels this way.  The alternative was to go to Canada 
and be with friends and family many of whom had also come from 
Wolhynian at some time.  Many were sponsered by an agreement with the 
NAB churches to bring in families for farm work.  The culture was 
familiar---German Baptist  in a foreign country. You  could travel to 
many other communities in several provinces and states  and find a 
familiar culture and familiar names and faces.
Doris Chalifoux

>
>   I am simply a beneficiary of this history (I was born here in the 
> US). My parents went through all this along with many relatives and 
> family friends. If your family history is similar, I hope this gives 
> you a better perspective of the struggles these Germans went through 
> and their fortitude to survive under extreme trials. I have really 
> only spoken about those who experienced the war. Those who were 
> fortunate to move to North America before the war avoided these harsh 
> trials.
>
>   gpvjem <gpvjem at sasktel.net> wrote:
>   Rita:
> Since you are a SGGEE member you have access to all the quarterly 
> Journals published by SGGEE since it's inception 8 years ago.
> In particular, I would like to draw your attention to an excellent 
> article (in 2 parts) that Jerry Frank contributed to the SGGEE Journal 
> in the December 2001 and January 2002 issues. The article is entitled 
> "Drang nach Osten" The German Migration to the East.
> No doubt Jerry will provide you with additional insight when he has 
> the opportunity, but the article referred to above will give you a 
> very good start in your quest for migration information
> In the 30 some odd Journals published to date, there are many more 
> informative article to be found dealing with migration of Germans to 
> the Poland and Volhynia. A list of contents can be found inside the 
> front cover of each issue
>
> John Marsch
> SGGEE
>
> -----------------------------------------------
>
>
> From: rlyster at telusplanet.net
> To: Jerry Frank
> Cc: ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org
> Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 12:53 PM
>
>
> Hi Jerry,
> You seem well informed of many historical things. And you made 
> reference
> that Catherine the Great was not responsible for German immigration to 
> Russia
> except for Volga Germans. Do you then know another reason? I am very
> interested in understanding this. Can you recommend some reading?
> Also have you any more information about resettlement issues due to 
> WWII and
> why these things happened?
> I am trying to understand the movement of relatives from Wohlynia to 
> Siberia
> to Warthegau and finally to Germany and then to Canada. Also what was 
> the
> impulse that had these folks also come to "America" in the early 
> 1900's (my
> grandfather Ritz came for a couple of years and then went back).
> I would be very greatful for any information or links to information 
> that
> you could supply.
>
> Rita Lyster
>
>
>
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