12 June 2017

12 June 1879 - Rosenfeld, North Caucasus

The village of Rosenfeld in the North Caucasus was founded in 1872.  Seven years later on this day, 12 June 1879, they petitioned the Russian regional administrator of the area to create their own local administration run by members of the colony complete with German translations of all the actions and decrees of their self governance.

You may recall that by this time, beginning in 1871,Tsar Alexander II had revoked all the privileges given to German colonists by Catherine the Great and Alexander I, including self-governance and tax privileges. Russian nationalism was on the rise and the German colonies were beginning to be subject to "Russification."

Below is the transcription and original document courtesy of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia.  Note that Rosina Vetter was among "owners and residents" who signed the document, the only woman listed.

There is no indication if the petition was accepted or denied, but still... they tried.


[The Colony Rosenfeld in the North Caucasus] 
Petition 
In the year 1879 on 12 June, we, the undersigned settlers, owners and residents of our own diligently earned piece of land in the Kuban River area of the Caucasian region, a colony that bears the name, Rosenfeld, which was created and developed by us personally, so hearby request that our petition of 12 June be acknowledged by His Honor, the Regional Administrator of the Caucasus and that we be given authority to select from our midst Christian Braunberger, Johannes Walter and Christian Mauch, men of standing in our community, to create a local administration which will include the position of mayor, and moreover we respectfully request that German translations of all actions and decrees be prepared so that everyone may fully understand the import of the same to enable the proper carrying out of our community affairs to which we the undersigned herewith pledge ourselves. 
Matias Walter, Johannes Schaefer, Gottlieb Meyer, Andreas Mahler, Philip Litz, Friedrich Meyer, Gottlieb Schaefer, Johannes Walter, Jakob Heihn, Johann Karlin, Friedrich Mayer, Johann Walter, Christian Braunberger, Christian Mauch, Johann Kramer, Ludwig Doehring, Daniel Brunsch, Gottlieb Kuhn, Martin Littau, Wilhelm Braunsch, Michael Kuhn, Wilhelm Muench, Wilhelm Banik, Friedrich Bietz, Jakob Bietz, Gottlieb Schelske, Christian Schelske, Rosina Vetter, August Savans, Gottlieb Mueller, Karl Herrmann, Konrad Herrmann, Georg Weidner.

Russian/German copy acquired in the Archives at Odessa, Ukraine

August 18, 1993 by Arthur E. Flegel. Translated September 24, 1993







Location of Rosenfeld, North Caucasus.
Currently known as Sheremetyevskoye, Krasnodar Krai, Russia.

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