Chronology of Demir-Chadschi, Bessarabia
Prepared by Elli Wise and Dale Wahl
1825 Estate Demir Chadschi (6196 Deßjatines) belonged to Countess Muruzowa.
1830 – 1835 Estate was bought by General Feodor Michailowitsch Ghamaley (Hamaley) for 8 Silver Ruble per Deßjatine. From then on it was called the “Ghamaley-Steppe”. The General built a mansion and other farm buildings and was raising cattle and sheep. He also had installed a steam mill, a sugar factory, threshing machines, tobacco plantation and tobacco drying facility. Also, there was a large fruit tree orchard and a vineyard.
1860 Konrad Renz and estate owner Hopp leased the General’s land. Hopp drowned in a flood and Konrad Renz was the sole lessee.
1870 The lease was renewed to Konrad and his son Jakob Renz for an additional 10 years.
1871 Estate became a sheep raising empire
1878 General Ghamaley died
1880 Lease was extended another 10 years by the Generals widow
1883 General’s widow died
1886 Ghamaley heirs annulled lease constraint and offered the estate for purchase. Konrad Renz along with his sons purchased the estate. Of the 6196 Deßjatines, Konrad kept 3000 and the remainder went to his sons Jakob and Konrad. Later some of the property was being sold:
Gnadental villagers bought Deßjatines
Christian Radke of Neu Elft bought 600 Deßjatines
Foreigners bought 1,200 Deßjatines
Jakob Hornung of Gnadental bought 128 Deßjatines
About 1890 Jakob Renz started a sheep raising business
1893 Konrad Renz (senior) dies.
1905 Prayer and schoolhouse is built and also living quarters for the teacher. The community belonged to the parish Arzis.
1917 During the revolution the village was plundered and the inhabitants fled to larger neighborhood communities like Gnadental and Sarata
1918 Bessarabia was occupied by the Romanians and slowly the inhabitants returned.
1919 The “Agricultural law” reduced ownership of land to 100 Hectares each. Gregorian Calendar was introduced.
1925 Article by Chronologist Ferdinand Wagner states in German Bessarabian Newspaper that Demir-Chadschi along with Gnadental, Pawlowka and Kunduk were integrated into one large Communa.
1934 To speak German was prohibited.
1940 Resettlement
Family names at time of re-settlement:
Allmendinger, Bodamer, Gallas, Gatty, Gerstenberger, Groß, Hägele, Hornung, Jergentz, Krug, Lewinsky, Renz, Schiewe. (further by marriage): Eilmes, Buhse, Faust, Kappel, Mauch, Krause, Albrecht, Leontjew, Thamling, Dzeik, Reuther, Jansen, Schäfer, Stegmaier, Strohmaier, Schlumpberger, Böckl, Langholz, Nußbaum, Wech, Weber.
° Kern, Albert. Homeland Book of the Bessarabian Germans. English translation published by the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection, North Dakota State University Libraries. 1998.
° Demir Chadschi 1860 - 1940 by Wilhelm Krug