Bessarabia Research
Family/surname research - other sources

Quick links:  Genealogy database & surname exchanges, family databases/compilations, death notices & obits, colonist movement, book indexes, families by village, other lists of families, individual family info, photos, main Bessarabia research page

In addition to church, census, and resettlement records, there are a number of other sources for finding out more about your Bessarabian families. Contact bess[@]grhs.org if you have family-specific info you'd like to share!

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Genealogy database & surname exchanges

• New Genealogy Database - contribute your GEDCOM, search for your family! The more participation we have, the more useful this will be as a research tool!

• Bessarabia RIG surname matrix

• GRHS surname exchange (may not be up-to-date)

 

Family databases & compilations

Links to specific family databases and compilations

• Bessarabian family databases

• Family books on the Clearinghouse page

• Family genealogy reports from the Clearing House page

• Beresan District family databases (by village, see end of list)

• Grossliebental District family databases

• Check other Regional Interest Groups for family databases

 

Death notices and obituaries

Obituaries and death notices are great sources of family information. Death notices are usually more informal than an obituary; often these are just a mention in a letter published in a German-language newspaper that someone has died.

• Obits for Bessarabia & Dobrudscha Germans (available online, mostly from German-language newspapers)

• Obits held in GRHS Library (index online but must contact GRHS to get a copy of the obit, many sources)

• Death notices published in German-language newspapers (available online)

• Additional death notices (mainly from Volk auf dem Weg for GDO families; key facts available online)

• Excellent individual headstone photos from Wittenberg cemetery (taken 2009 by John Flaig)

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Movement of colonists

The archives in Ukraine have many documents that mention the movement of colonists from one location to another, within Russia or from other places. Often these are documents are requesting or granting permission to change colonies.

• File 6-1-2417 about movement of colonists between Bessarabian villages in 1829-1830

Surnames include Bauer, Dumdei, Funk, Haar, Hagedorn, Kalmbach, Karl, Knoller, Rall, Rutschke, Setiz, Speck, Veygel

• File 6-4-23701 a list of families who arrived in 1820-1821 (mostly ending up in Sarata)

Surnames include Bachmann, Baier, Bantel, Baumgärtner, Beck, Blatter, Blaumeier, Bosch, Braun, Brenner, Büchele, Dakler, Deissinger, Fackler, Fechel, Finninger, Fuchs, Gässler, Geigle, Hammel, Hartmann, Häussler, Hobbacher, Hommel, Illg, Kastler, Keck, Keller, Keppler, Mack, Matt, Mautz, Meier, Michel, Müller, Natterer, Nille, Niss, Nusser, Oberdörferer, Oberlanders, Offenwanger, Oswald, Paulin, Preller, Rosenwirt, Rossmann, Schaufenberer, Schmid, Schmucker, Schönherr, Schtele, Schwarzmann, Schwener, Seifried, Steudle, Strehle, Unterseher, Vechter, Wagner, Waldenmeier, Wichtenmann, Widmann, Wiedenbach, Z___buler, Zeiler, Zimmerman

• Families outside their assigned colonies for Arcis, Beresina, Borodino, Brienne, Friedenstal, Gnadental, Hoffnungstal, Leipzig, Lichtental, Klöstitz, Paris, Sarata.

 

Family name indexes for Heimatbücher and other books

The Bessarabien Heimatmuseum (Stuttgart, Germany) publishes an annual Heimatkalendar with articles about Bessarabian families and life in Bessarabia.

• Index of families in 1986-1990 Heimatkalendars (includes family name, Bessarabian village, place of origin)

 

The Heimatmuseum also has a number of Heimatbücher for specific Bessarabian villages. A few of these books are also available in the GRHS library. These are excellent sources for detailed family information. Several of them have been indexed.

• Index by surname: A-L and M-Z (shows name, birth year, village)
  Includes Heimatbücher for Borodino & Friedrichsfeld, Eigenfeld, Friedensfeld, Friedenstal, Mannsburg, Sarata, Teplitz, Wittenberg

• Another index by surname: A-Z (shows name, birth year, village, family origin)
  Includes Heimatbücher for Borodino, Friedenstal, Leipzig, Sarata, Tarutino, Teplitz, Wittenberg

• Index of Eichendorf Heimatbuch (shows name, birth year, family origin)

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Family info by village

Lists of families or other family info for specific villages. The village data sheets for each village may also have links to other lists of families living in that village. Or visit the research page for Bessarabian villages for more info (usually not family-specific) about that village.

• Elli's Korner has lists of villagers from numerous villages in DAI films 635 & 636, in addition to the ones listed below.

• History of Alt Posttal, written for the 100th anniversary in 1923. Contains lots of family-specific references

• Alt Posttal family extractions by Darla Anhorn Lee

• Balmas family list on  Elli's Korner DAI film 635

• Benkendorf family list on Allen Konrad's Korner

• Benkendorf family list on Elli's Korner

• Beresina family list on  Elli's Korner DAI film 635

• Borodino family list on  Elli's Korner DAI film 635

• Bortscheag Estate family records in Elvire Necker-Eberhardt's Korner

• Brienne family database

• Dennewitz family list on  Elli's Korner DAI film 635

• Eichendorf family list on  Elli's Korner DAI film 635

• Eigenfeld family list on  Elli's Korner DAI film 635

• Emmental family list on  Elli's Korner DAI film 635

• Friedensfeld family list on  Elli's Korner DAI film 635

• Hoffnungstal family database

• Kitrossi (parish Kischinef) family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Klöstitz (zip) gedcoms from Ingrid Reule's Korner

• Korntal family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Krasna family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Larga family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Lichtental family list on Allen Konrad's Korner

• Mingir (Mariental?) family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Mintschuna (Thighina) family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Neu Elft family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Neu Posttal family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Neu Strymba family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Neu Strymba family list on Allen Konrad's Korner

• Neu Strymba family list on Elli's Korner

• Raskajetz (Lotsa) family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Schabo family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Seimeny family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Sofiental (1938) family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Sofiental family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Tarutino family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

• Teplitz family list on Elli's Korner DAI film 636

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Other lists of families

• Elli's Korner has resettlement lists of families on DAI films 305 and film 317

 

Individual families

There is a lot of information available online for specific Bessarabian families.

• Families: Eider, Eisenbeiß, Föhl, Henke, Hinsz, Richter, Ricker, Ries, Wahl

• Dwayne Janke's Korner has info on Janke, Sandau, Seitz, Stickel

• Armin Zimmerman's website has info on Banko, Boettcher, Moessner, Moldenhauer, Nill

• Elli's Korner, DAI translations include info on Erdmann, Hahn, Reichert

• Allen Konrad's Korner includes info on many individual families

• Ingrid Reule's Korner has info on some specific families in Beresina, Borodino, Friedenstal, Tarutino & Wittenberg

 

Family photos

• Unknown Bessarabian photos (Do you recognize any of these?)

• Unknown photos (other Regional Interest Groups)

• Representative family photos (typical poses and types of GR family photos)

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