Was He Really Born There?

When you find an early location for someone, it's tempting to think he was born there and always lived there. But it's not always true. My great-grandfather Gerhard T. Siemens #6463 (1834-1908) is an example.

The 1835 census of Molotschna colony, Russia, records the infant Gerhard Siemens in his grandmother's household at Rosenort #14.

Source: Katerina Simens" household, 4 February 1835, 8th Revision of Census of Russian Empire, Rosenort village, Molochanskii Mennonistskii Okrug, Melitopol'skii Uezd, Tavricheskaia Guberniia, household #14. Found in Odessa Region State Archives, Odessa, Ukraine, Peter J. Braun Collection, Fond 89, Inventory 1, File 357, p. 263R-264. Accessed on microfilm from California Mennonite Historical Society, Fresno, California.

The translation of the Russian text is, "Gerhard Klaas' son Gerhard, born after last census, 1 year old." Young Gerhard was born on 9 May 1834 (O.S.), and the census was taken on 4 February 1835, so he was almost ten months old. It would be easy to assume that young Gerhard must have been born in Rosenort village where he was enumerated so shortly after he was born. I did, but I was wrong.

Gerhard's son Abraham K. Siemens #117129 (1880-1948) was the family genealogist, and he wrote a careful obituary for his father Gerhard after he died in 1908. He stated that his father was born "in Neuendorf, der Alten Kolonie, Südrußland" (in Neuendorf, Old Colony, South Russia). BTW, "Old Colony" was a nickname for Chortitza because it was the first Mennonite colony founded in Russia.

Source: A. R. Siemens [Abraham K. Siemens], Letter to the Editor, Mennonitische Rundschau Scottsdale, Pennsylvania 9 December 1908: 12. Original held at Mennonite Library and Archive, Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas.

 

I was surprised to find this birthplace because it matched nothing that I knew about my great-grandfather. I've searched all the Chortitza colony records, but I cannot find any connection to the "Old Colony." Perhaps his father was working as a laborer in Chortitza. Or maybe he was a school teacher there. Maybe they had relatives there whom I don't know about. At this point it is all speculation. But I am sure that his son Abraham was correct because the other details in the obituary are correct and because I know from my mom that he was very interested in family history.

Not only did I learn my great-grandfather's correct birthplace, but also I learned a valuable lesson not to make assumptions.