52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Week 5 Prompt – In the Census
Recently I was working on my 3rd
Great Grandfather on my Father's side. His name is Aaron Peters He
was born circa 1746 in Pietzckendorf, Pomerania, Prussia. He died
January 1802 in Schoenhorst, Chortitza Colony, South Russia.
Aaron Peters was a Mennonite. I have
found in my research that Mennonites have an exceptional track record
for keeping records of their followers. I believe they call them
“church records”.
These church records are kept of baptisms,
marriages and funerals. Records of Mennonites in Europe can be found as early
as 1500's. Their sole purpose was to list their citizens of God.
The first ever census of the Mennonite
Population in Europe was done in 1776 in Prussia. In order to understand any census you should know a little history of the place and time it was taken.
What was Prussia? Here is my greatly over simplified version. It all
begins in Poland in the 1700's. Our Mennonite relatives lived under
the rule of Poland and were allowed to practice their religion as
they saw fit. That included military exemption. Beginning in 1772
and until 1795 Poland was divided by the Austrians, Russians, and
Prussians. In fact by 1795 Poland no longer existed as a country.
Most of the Polish Mennonites ended up in Western Prussia under the
rule of King Fredrick II, The Great. Under his rule the first
annexation of Poland began. The king was interested in finding out
how many Mennonites he now presided over in this West Prussian
acquisition. Here is what I find out about Aaron Peters in that first
census.
The # GRANDMA database Surname Code:
183
Last Name Head of the Family:
PETERS
First Name Head of the Family:
AREND
Location, Village of Family:
Pietzkendorf
Congregation:
Lad
Occupation of Head of Family:
L.
Counts The Husband of the Family:
1
Counts the Wife of the Family:
1
Counts the Number of Sons:
0
Counts the Number of Daughters:
1
Counts the Male Servants in Household:
0
Counts the Female Servants in
Household: 0
Land Indication Land Status of Family:
E
Class, denotes how the Prussian
officials
the family economically:
S
Comments:
1733-1786 (Thag) d. in Stobbendorf
He was a Landmann by occupation which
meant he was a farmer. He had 1 daughter and no sons at this point.
He had no servants either female or male. Servants tend to be young orphaned children from the colony. The E indicates he owned
his own land. The Prussians assigned 5 classes as follows; good,
middle, low, poor and very poor. Aaron Peters was listed as low
class however it is good to note that this was 75.8% of the
Mennonites assessed.
King Fredrick The Great died in 1786.
His successor, King Friedrich Wilhelm II, was not as tolerant towards
the Mennonites and their exemption from military rule. He ordered a
census which kept track of and recorded where they lived and how much
land they owned as well as whom they were selling the land to. The
Prussian army was based on landowners resources and manpower. Of
course the Mennonites had military exemption and this worried the army
as the Mennonites increased their land holdings further decreasing
the military land base. Thus King Friedrich II issued an edict of
1789 which regulated and limited Mennonite land ownership. This edict
required any Mennonites purchasing land from non Mennonites to get a
government permit. Or agree to take part in the Prussian army like
any other land owner. In order for the government to track the sales
of property they had to know what lands the Mennonites owned and thus
came the census of 1789 whereby they wanted to know only who owned land and how much they owned.
The 1789 results for Arendt Peters is as follows.
In Pitzkendorf; Peters, Arendt has l2 Morgen in land holdings. Morgen is a unit of land that I have trouble equating to acres.
Aaron Peters immigrated to Russia that same year 1789. He was among 228 families that made up the Chortitza colony in Russia.
The first Chortitza census was October 14 1797. I found Aron Peters listed as family 27 in the village of Schoenhorst. There are 5 males, 4 females. He has one house. He has 4 horses, 20 cattle, 8 sheep and no pigs. It is amazing to me that I have this information and have a better picture of Aron Peters and his family life in 1797.
Census is taken for different reasons. By looking into the history of the place and time we can figure out what different information is taken. Aaron Peters lived in an interesting historical time under different rulers, country realignment and rescinded promises which led to a brave but necessary start in a new country at the invitation of Catharine The Great of Russia.
This is the way I find Aaron Peters journey from Poland to Prussia to Russia.
Wendy
The first Chortitza census was October 14 1797. I found Aron Peters listed as family 27 in the village of Schoenhorst. There are 5 males, 4 females. He has one house. He has 4 horses, 20 cattle, 8 sheep and no pigs. It is amazing to me that I have this information and have a better picture of Aron Peters and his family life in 1797.
Census is taken for different reasons. By looking into the history of the place and time we can figure out what different information is taken. Aaron Peters lived in an interesting historical time under different rulers, country realignment and rescinded promises which led to a brave but necessary start in a new country at the invitation of Catharine The Great of Russia.
This is the way I find Aaron Peters journey from Poland to Prussia to Russia.
Wendy
No comments:
Post a Comment