Chronology of Benkendorf, Bessarabia
Prepared by Elli Wise and Dale Wahl
1863 Various Swabians and Prussians leased land from the Baroness Sofia Kotschubei, a daughter of count Alexander von Benckendorff.
They leased 2454 hectars at 1 (one) Ruble per hectar. After the lease contract, which contained rights and duties, was finalized they started to found Benkendorf.
The village was named Benkendorf in honor of the former estate owner Alexander von Benckendorff.
The village was established on the left bank of the Alkal Creek, which flowed into the Salt Lake of Tuzla, near the Black Sea.
Roads led to the District Seat at Akkermann [20 miles away] and to the south to the District Seat of Ismail on the mouth of the Danube. Benkendorf was 6 miles away from Mannsburg.
Early founders came from the following mother colonies:
Alt Posttal: Gottfried Seefried, David Wagner, Ferdinand Weiß, Ludwig Weiß
Arzis: Jakob Franz, Michael Löffelbein, Gottfried Maas, August Stach
Borodino: Jakob Rothfuß
Paris: Ferdinand Knecht, Samuel Knecht, Michael Jeske
Sarata: Mathias Oberländer
Teplitz: Israel Bahnmüller, Johannes Bahnmüller, Friedrich Bensinger, Jakob Buchfink, Christian Eisele, Daniel Handel, Georg Handel, Johann Handel, Johannes Hermann, Jakob Georg Kehrer, Andreas Knöll, Gustav Nagel, Ludwig Nagel, Jakob Schaal, Johannes Schaal, Ludwig Stäub, Georg Weber.
1865 Former poorly established temporary housing on the high rises were torn down and more suitable housing was built in the valley.
First school class was held in a private house.
1867 Benkendorf, Neu Posttal, Mannsburg, Sofiental and Schabolat were combined as its own Evangelical Lutheran parish seated in Benkendorf.
1868 Pastor Gustav Schomberg from Prussia was chosen to be the first official pastor.
1869 Neufall joined the parish Benkendorf
1871 Special privilege rights for settlers were eliminated
1873 The villagers bought additional land taking the land holdings for Benkendorf to 3,115 Desejatines. These properties were bought by new villagers from Alt Posttal, Hoffnungsfeld, Plotzk and Wittenberg.
1874 Emigration from Russia to North America or Dobrudscha intensified. Primarily to escape the draft to the six-year duty for service in the Russian armed forces. It included various Benkendorf residents. The lease per hectare had risen to eight (8) Ruble.
1875 Building of the Prayer house-schoolhouse begins. It was built mostly by volunteers and donations of building materials.
1876 Schoolhouse was dedicated. Since founding of the school there were the following teachers: Christian Ensminger, Karl Eisele, August Gutsche, Friedrich Wirt, Christian Geigle, Andreas Kehrer, Emmanuel Baumann, Christian Necker, Gustav Voßler, Samuel Schwandt, Albert Schwandt, Otto Dietrich, Immanuel Manske, Gotthilf Jörke, Josef Sigmund, Immanuel Sauter and Ernst Sauter.
1877 Pastor Gustav Schomberg took over the leadership of a private school in Katharinenstadt, Volga. His student pastors Daniel Steinwand, Johann Jundt, Wilhelm Beck, teacher Christian Walter and many others went with him to Katharinenstadt.
1877 Pastor Naumann served until 1880
1879 Colonies Eigenheim and Seimeny joined the Benkendorf Parish.
1880 Pastor Samuel Eck from Frankfurt am Main served the parish
1880 - 1__? Village officials: Ferdinand Knecht, Christian Haag, Jakob Franz, Jakob Schaal, Johannes Hermann, Joseph Sigmund, Andreas Schlenker, Andreas Bohnet, Friedrich Treiber senior, Erhard Stickel, Gottfried Sigmund, Johannes Bohnet, Immanuel Sigmund, Johann Tobler, Andreas Gwenner, Eduard K. Beierle and Gottlieb Löffelbein.
1883- 1895 Pastor Johann Golwer from Petersburg served the parish.
1888 Pawlowka joined Benkendorf Parish
1891 Basyrjamka and others joined the Benkendorf Parish
1895 – 1897 Pastor Wilhelm Beck from Freudental, Odessa served the parish
1896 42 families bought 2246 Deßjatines [about 5,550 acres] of land for 110 gold Ruble per Deßjatine. Farmers Karl Beierle and Andreas Schlenker were authorized to oversee the sale and contract proceedings.
Some villagers could not afford the excessive purchase prices so they left. Amongst those who emigrated to USA were: Karl Jeske, Ludwig Weiß, Israel Bahnmüller and Jakob Schaal.
Johann Handel, Gustav Nagel, Ludwig Stäub and others moved to other rent/lease communities.
The 42 families were:
From Alt Posttal: Adam Dittus and Jakob Mogck
From Arzis: Jakob Franz, Jakob Heth, Gottlieb Löffelbein, Gottfried Maas, August Stach
From Hoffnungsfeld: Andreas Bohnet, Christoph Jörke
From Dennewitz (via Neu Posttal)Friedrich Gwenner, Ludwig Keller, Christoph Sackmann, Johannes Stickel and Jakob Voßler
From Paris: Ferdinand Knecht, Samuel Knecht, Wilhelm Radies (via Neu Posttal), Samuel Salo
From Plotzk: August Beierle (via Mariewka), Karl Beierle (via Mannsburg), Peter Bohnet (via Eigenfeld), Christian Jeske (via Albota), Joseph Sigmund, Wilhelm Stutz, Friedrich Treiber.
From Teplitz: Johannes Bahnmüller, Johannes Hase (via Neu Posttal)
From Wittenberg: Johannes Bohnet, Karl Glass, Gottlieb Hauf, Andreas Necker (via Strassburg), Andreas Schlenker (via Katzbach/Neu Posttal), Jakob Necker, Jakob Schneider, Erhard Stickel, Friedrich Stumm, Friedrich Widmer and Johannes Widmer.
In addition there were Simon Haas, Johann Haas, Friedrich Hamann & Jakob Rothfuß. The local language was Swabian.
1896 Locust plague destroyed all grain fields
1897 Epidemics of scarlett fever and diphtheria
The Benkendorf Parish was divided and the main seat went to Neu Posttal.
Pastor Oskar Schneider officiated until 1902.
1902 – 1906 Pastor Waldemar Jürgens officiated
1904 Number of inhabitants climbed to 430 persons (101 were students).
1906 The villagers bought additional land taking the land holdings for Benkendorf to 3,115 Deßjatines. These properties were bought by new villagers from Alt Posttal, Hoffnungsfeld, Plotzk and Wittenberg.
1906 The parish was consolidated again and pastor Julius Peters from Klöstitz officiated.
1910- 1913 Teacher Samuel Schwandt
1911 Farmers Gottfried Maas, Samuel Salo, Jakob Schlenker and Friedrich Widmer sold their farms and belongings and moved to the Caucasus
1911 Pastor Wilhelm Meyer was elected to officiate
1911-1914 Founders of youth society were Alfred Gwenner, Arnold Hamann, Jakob Franz, Robert Keller, Eduard Mehl, Eduard Radies, Eduard Treiber, Immanuel Treiber and Hugo Stutz
1912 Almost no harvest because of hailstorm
1918-1919 At end of WWI , Benkendorf, Neu Posttal, Pawlowka, estates Gerling and Faas along with Russian communities Demidowka and Groß Marjanowka were united as one commune “Kommuna”.
1919 Pastor Albert Schön from Volhynia officiated until the parish was divided again- this time for good.
1922 Pastor Siegfried Wolleydt from Klöstitz
1924 A second street parallel to mainstreet was build adding about 40 places for homesteads.
(from 1863 to 1924 the village only had one street with 46 homesteads.)
1928 – 1940 Pastor Adolf Härter officiated. He had to nurture six communities: Basyrjamka, Benkendorf, Mannsburg, Neu Posttal, Pawlowka and Sofiental. In addition he had to mind ten neighboring communities: Kamtschatka, Katlebug, Luxemburg, Neufall, Popasdru, Sangerowka, Schabo-Possad, Schabolat, Straßburg I and Straßburg II.
1940 There were 70 homesteads.
Order for re-settlement (announced Sep 5
to be carried out by Nov 15)
There were 99 families, 21 widowed persons, 7 single and 10 orphans. A total of 475 persons – 236 male and 239 female
oldest re-settlers:
Karl Beierle (86), Elisabeth Keller geb. Ruf (86) and Anna Jeske geb. Irion (84)
youngest resettlers:
Erika Bohnet (5mos) dau of Albert and Alma geb. Hamann
Lore Littau (5 mos) dau of Gotthilf and Berta geb. Bölke
Alma Beierle (6 mos) dau of Emil and Erna geb. Stickel
° Giesinger, Adam. From Catherine to Khrushchev – The Story of Russia’s Germans. American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. Lincoln, Nebraska. 1981.
° Kern, Albert. Homeland Book of the Bessarabian Germans. English translation published by the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection, North Dakota State University Libraries. 1998.
° Josef Sigmund, Heimatbuch Benkendorf, 1963