Eichwald - 1848 Village History
Copyright 1996, AHSGR    

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

EICHWALD

The colony Eichwald was founded in 1823 the houses being built in 1824. The village lies on a level steppe near the dry valley which forms the boundary between the Eichwald land and that of the Greek village Novo-Kremantshuk. It is 85 versts from the district capital Alexandrovsk 230 versts from the provincial capital Ekaterinoslav and 80 versts from Mariupol.

The soil is black earth which is productive when the weather is favorable especially for summer grains less for winter rye. On the hills there is white and red gravel.

The name Eichwald was given to the village by Michael Raschinsky who came from Eichwald in West Prussia. Originally twenty-eight families settled here all of whom came from the Marienburg District in West Prussia except three families who came from Bohemia. The colonists had no leaders on their journey to Russia. A circular had been issued by the king permitting emigration to Russia. The steppe on which the village was founded was assigned to the colonists by the Supervisory Office in Ekaterinoslav. The area was then uninhabited and there were no houses, nor even huts on the land. Four of the families had 500 rubles each but the other twenty-four needed loans from the crown.

In the year 1824 a cloudburst caused a great flood which washed away all the haystacks. On the 15 July of the same year the fields were ravaged by locusts. As the locusts stayed here to lay their eggs there were more of them the next year and they did tremendous damage. They appeared again in 1826 but in smaller numbers. The year 1833 was a complete crop failure and people and livestock suffered great want. But our gracious government helped again supplying grain for bread and seed for the coming year. In the same year there was a destructive fire in which the school building was destroyed. In the year 1838 a terrible livestock epidemic raged in the village, leaving animals alive in very few farmyards. On 8 August 1842 there was a great flood which floated away much hay and grain from the threshing areas. In the year 1843 field mice did much damage. The authorities ordered that the field mice be destroyed every family being required to catch eighty every month by pouring water into their holes. In the year 1847 there was another livestock epidemic which left only one-third of the cattle alive. The same year there was another flood which damaged grain and hay. On 9 February 1848 a house burned down.

1848
Signed by: the author teacher Sukkowsky
Mayor Guenter
Councilors Komrowsky and Majewsky.

Coordinated with GRHS Village Research Clearing House
Coordinated with AHSGR/GRHS Translation Committee Chairman
Original translation: Adam Geisinger
Publication: AHSGR Journal Vol.2, No. 1 (1979)
Scanned: Dale Lee Wahl
Permission granted for posting on GRHS: May/2006

(NOTE - More data of interest is contained in the above referenced Journal article than is contained in this history. Copies available from the AHSGR.)

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