Odessa - 1848 Village History
Copyright 1996, Elli Wise    
 

Notes:  Please see the Introduction to the Village History Project for additional information.  

ODESSA

The Evangelist Lutheran colony in Odessa presently counts 331 families.

These families fall into three main categories:

I.  The first group of people were settled in 1804 as tradesmen / colonists and counted 135 families at the last revision.
In 1802 and 1803, the colonists were called upon by the legation of foreign countries and later assigned by commissioner Ziegler.  Continuously, the emigration evolved large numbers of portioned out colonies.  They were led by Philipp Schauffler, a wood turner expert from Stuttgart, and were greeted in Odessa by Duke de Richelieu.  In 1804, they  were settled in Odessa at a cost to the crown, according to a document dated 23 Feb. 1804, and the rest of the trades men followed in 1805 and 1806.  The land, loaned by the crown for building houses and making gardens, was measured into two sections. One was called the Upper Colony and the other the Lower Colony and still are named this way today.  Each of the colonists received a 25 Dessjatine garden plot from the city.  The Evangelical Lutheran colony church, the parish, the school and the rest of the church properties were assigned a rather large and beautiful place in the Upper Colony by the crown.  On Dec 24, 1803 the community of Odessa was examined and ordained. * Christian Heinrich Petersdorf took his job as pastor on Mar 10, 1804.

This colony and the surrounding ones in the Odessa district were ruled by the Colony Tutel-Comptoir in Odessa until 1816.  In 1816, the Tutel-Comptoir was transferred from Odessa to Kataschinov and the authorization over Odessa was given to the magistrate of Odessa by the Welfare Commission.  This was done without the knowledge and approval of the colonists, by the highest order on Mar 1, 1804.  The privileges stand surety for, that this was not done to cease existing as a colony community.  Nor did the tradesmen ask for or wish to be included as Odessa inhabitants.  There is no such written request in existence.  More so is a revisions list of the 7th census, a counting document of the colonists' domicile.

These settled trade colonists did have a German trade commission and rules established among themselves, according to their German trade customs.  But following a requisition of the minister of interior to the military governor of Cherson on Feb. 8, 1816, regulating that "the towns that do business, trade, or stand in service with, are to be logged in guilds",  Odessa set up a general tradesmen 'registration book' which still exists today. All residing tradesmen, Russians, German Colonists, Jews, and others in the Odessa region had to be registered, with no exception.

They had to swear a trade oath, which was not to affect their rights under their citizenship nor would they be under Russian authority.  The trade colonists who left the colony, would not lose their rights or privileges, nor would they have to become recruit able Odessa citizens, as the daily experience of the trade registration shows.

After the 'free' years in 1827, the Odessa tradesmen colonists were subjected to the same hardship and payments as the other Russians were.  But paying the dues never came about.  A statement of the Odessa city manager to the city Duma of July 11, 1833 reads: <Before nor now, does a magistrate take on the duty to rule over colonists. According to that, the Odessa tradesmen stayed privileged colonists.
 
On March 23, 1833, the Cherson crown regiment requested of the Odessa tradesmen a lump sum of 19,688 rubel as backlogged dues to the crown and government.  Since it would have been a hardship to be recruited and to repay the advance as a lump sum, the city manager Lewschin decided to request that General Governor Count Woronzow forgive the debt and change the status of the tradesmen from colonists to citizens of Odessa.  This was done without the knowledge of the tradesmen, and Count Woronzow on his own, requested that the tradesmen colonists were regarded as citizens and could enjoy the same tax privileges.  It was approved by the the senate after a recommendation from the finance minister on Oct 24, 1833.  As of 10. Nov 1833, all mentioned tradesmen were recorded as Odessa citizens.  Unknowingly, the tradesmen continued to enjoy their privileges as colonists until informed in February 1834, that they were registered but exempt from recruitment.

In 1835, the city of Duma requested a new revisions list of Odessa for the 8th census.  The list, forwarded to Duma on April 28, 1835, showed that the tradesmen were recorded as trades colonists, of course, and not as citizens.  But the city of Duma rejected it and sent it back to Odessa, complaining that the revisions list was not prepared according to the rules of the highest order.  Astonished and saddened, the tradesmen put in a request to city manager Lewshin and to the military governor Woronzow asking that they be able to continue to be colonists and offered to pay the appropriate dues. This request was not considered and each male was fined 3 Rubel, because they supposedly had not submitted the revisions list by the deadline and thus were turned over to the criminal justice department.  Thereafter, the colonists turned in the same list again which the City of Duma accepted this time and the Odessa community was left in peace until 1842.  The trade colonists assumed that they were not made citizens of Odessa and that they could further enjoy their privileges as set forth in 1804, especially since they were paying their dues to the crown on a yearly basis.  For that reason, the church and the pastor decided to help defend the trades colonists in their religious rights.  In 1841, the church of the colony Odessa was criticized by foreign guests and non-colonists.  Because of that, the Cherson criminal justice department advised the tradesmen colonists, that the situation would be reviewed.  After that the Odessa city magistrate advised they did indeed submit their revisions list on time and all circumstances should be weighed and that they hope for justice from His Royal Major.  On Mar 13, 1843 the interior minister decided that the trade settlers should be considered citizens of Odessa.  On May 25, 1843 the minister of the domain informed the Evangelical Lutheran general, that some of the tradesmen were considered citizens and be treated as such as had previously been requested.  It should be impressed on, that the colonists never requested this and therefore should not be subjected to this ruling.

II.  The second group that settled in 1822 as trade colonists  and counted six families.
In 1818, when Alexander I was at the congress in Aachen, six families requested through the committee in Stuttgart, to be allowed to emigrate to Russia.  Permission was granted and the tradesmen were told they would have the same privileges, enacted in 1804, as the colonists that settled there already. The six families sold their land and belongings in Wuerttemberg and emigrated to South Russia. Through negotiations by Count Galizyn, each of these families received 9,363 rubel as an advance from the crown and were settled in 1822 in Odessa as trades colonists. Certain circumstances contributed that they soon were declared Odessa citizens.  On September 22, 1836 the State police requested immediate repayment of the advance they had received.  After the repayment they were advised in 1837, that they now had become citizens and thus recruit able. On March 22, 1839 these colonists contacted Count Galizyn about the recruitment situation. He advised, that he requested of the appropriate legislation, that the rights of the colonists be honored and that the colonists be exempt of recruitment.  But the Cherson government countered with an order that these six families were obligated for recruitment.  Amidst this frustrating news, they received notice from Count Galizyn of Petersburg, that he knew, contrary to the Cherson Crown palata that the tradesmen / colonists, settled in Odessa enjoy the same rights as indicated in 1804 and thus be free of recruitment duty.  One can see, that the order of the interior minister of 1834 could not be applied, since they still really were colonists.

III.  Land colonists (crop sharing), tradesmen of different types Colonists that are logged in different South Russian settlement registers, who became citizens in the Odessa area, joined the local church communities, and to do better business in their trade, are presently counting 190 families and are still under the authority of the Public Welfare Committee.

Odessa, 1848  (Pastor Fletnitzer, Author)

as translated by Elli Wise 7/96
Coordinated with GRHS Village Research Clearing House
Coordinated with AHSGR/GRHS Translation Committee Chairman

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