History on Foot

Germans From Russia

Below are images that accompany the Museum’s walking tour.

List of inducements Translated into English.

  • Then on July 22, 1763, Catherine issued a manifesto inviting foreigners to settle in Russia, in the vast uncultivated lands of her domain. As an inducement to encourage emigration to Russia, the manifesto offered the following rights and privileges to incoming foreign settlers:
  • Free transportation to Russia.
  • The right to settle in segregated colonies.
  • Free land and the necessary tax-free loans to establish themselves.
  • Religious freedom and the right to build their own churches. (Implied in this was the right to establish their own schools).
  • Local self-government.
  • Exemption from military or civil service.
  • The right to leave Russia at any time.
  • Therefore mentioned rights and privileges were guaranteed not only to incoming settlers but also to their descendants forever.

Steinke, Stanka headstones. The Stanka stone is for their children who died in infancy. The Steinke stone if for the parents.

The first image of the NAD bus route that was modified to add more stops in the Germans from Russia West settlement area. The second image is of German Russian Frank Barth in his NAD work jumpsuit.

The West settlement is what we are covering today. The East settlement is shown in the other map and will be featured in the Adams County presentation this June.