52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 27 Prompt - Independent

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 27

Prompt – Independent

My great grandfather was born in South Russia on April 18, 1835 and his name was David Peters. On January 5, 1859 he married Katherina Mueller also born in South Russia on February 13, 1836. It is her family name of Mueller / Miller which I want to focus on in this blog. This is not my research but research done by Jake Buhler, a president of The Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan and published in The Saskatchewan Mennonite Historian in October of 2010. He traces eight generations of Mueller's from 1665 to 1916. As a descendant of this family, I find his history of this family fascinating. It is about religion, persecution, death, daring escapes and travel to new countries. Ultimately all to gain independence to practice their religion whatever that looked like. .

The first couple of generations of the Mueller's is traced back to 16^th century Austria. It was a time of Martin Luther reformation. Austria was predominantly Catholic and their empire was ruthless with any dissenters from the Catholic faith. During this period in 1665, Michael Mueller (FIRST GENERATION) was born. He married a Maria Unknown Unmarried name and they had one son – Peter Mueller (SECOND GENERATION). He was born on 25 Sep 1694 in Unteramlach, Spittal, Austria.(In today's map this is 163 Kilometres south of Salzburg, Austria.) He married a Dorothea Santner. As Jake Buhler said they likely lived their life as devout Catholics. They had one son that we know of named Peter Mueller (THIRD GENERATION) who was born in Unteramlach, Austria on November 20, 1721 As mentioned before at that time Austria was Catholic. He was born a Catholic and therefore likely baptized as a infant. This Peter was likely a day laborer. In his 30's Peter fell into a group of dissidents who were not happy with the Catholic church and protested. In 1755 the protests got them exiled to Transylvania, Romania where they lived with the Lutherans. Still dissatisfied with the religion he found several small groups of people who followed Jacob Hutter and were ultimately Hutterites. Peter and 58 other Catholic individuals joined him and 1762 was re-baptized as a Hutterite in Alwinz. The next year he married Elizabeth Innerwinkler and they had 3 children.

On October 3, 1767, under persecution again Peter and Elizabeth along with 78 other Hutterites fled in the night to Prisiceni, Wallachia, near Bucharest where they joined other Hutterites.

Jake Buhler explains what happened next.

"But on November 27, 1769, mercenaries destroyed the colony and tortured five Hutterites, including  Peter Miller, using hot irons. Peter died a painful death. Five months later his wife Elizabeth Innerwinkler and their three children joined 66 other Hutterites in their escape to Wischenka, Russia."

They established a Hutterite colony in Wischenka Russia.  Peter (FOURTH GENERATION) grew up in this colony, was baptized at 14 and for ten years was chief tailor in the colony. At 22 in 1791 he married Susanna Stahl. They had 7 children. In 1802 the Wischenka Hutterite colony broke up and the family went to nearby Radichev and established another colony. Peter and Susann Mueller lived out their life here and died in their early 40's leaving behind their young family.

The FIFTH GENERATION Mueller was Andreas Mueller and was born July 9, 1798. He was only 10 when his mother died and his father died three years later. It is unknown who raised this family. In 1818 the blacksmith caught fire and destroyed the whole colony. The land was sold and the monies was distributed among the 25 families. In 1820 at the age of 22, Andreas, his brother, and few others moved 350 miles south to Chortitza and joined the Mennonite colony. Three years later he married Katharina Lehn and they had 3 children of which only Isaac survived childhood. 

SIXTH GENERATION Mueller was Isaac Mueller and was born June 19, 1824  He was 4 when his mother died and 12 when his father died. At the age of 19 he married Gertruda Wall. As is common in Mennonite Colonies Isaac lived in her village called Neuhorst. At age 26 Isaac purchased a windmill to grind grain and became a miller by trade. Isaac and Gertruda had 11 children. It was during their lifetime that the Russians were rescinding the Mennonites freedoms promised by Catherine The Great and in particular the ability to abstain from military service. The very poor Chortitza Mennonite Colony had hoped they could arrange and alternative to conscription to military service. This did not work out. In 1875 Isaac Mueller organized a group of 198 to move to Manitoba. Jacob Buhler explains the trip as follows:

   "Their first stop was in Hamburg where 268 Bergthal Mennonites joined Isaac’s group. They landed in Quebec City on July 20, 1875 on the SS Quebec. Isaac took them by train to Collingwood, Ontario, by steamer to Duluth, Minnesota, by train to Moorhead, Minnesota, and finally by riverboat to Fort Dufferin, Manitoba."

Upon arrival the land promised along the US Border had not been resolved and they waited in barracks.   Isaac Mueller was elected Obervorsteher (literally a head master but more like a mayor or superintendent of the colony. And it was his job to take care of all civic duties and he set about organizing the villages, building church and school, assisting in getting loans and set up a local self -  governing system. All of this was done by late 1875 despite not having formal approval of homesteads from Canada. He worked as counsel for 12 years as the go between of government and the colony. He was nick named “Kaiser” by non – Mennonites. By 1886 he stepped down having served the colony during the ups and downs of establishing the colony within The Dominion of Canada. In 1912 Isaac Mueller died in obscurity.

Several of Kaiser Mueller's sons moved to Hague – Osler Reserve. Among them was Peter Mueller (SEVENTH GENERATION) who was born in Russia in 1860, immigrated with his parents in 1875, and in 1878 was baptized and a few months later was married to Maria Doerkson. In 1900 he took out a homestead of a 1/4 section that borders Osler. He almost lost this homestead because it was too rocky to clear, but he sent letters to the government who eventually relented. On this land he built a 60 foot barn and fenced in the slough and pasture area to raise horses and cattle to sell to the new immigrants. He also owned a small Massey Harris dealership in Osler. By 1910 he sold his homestead.

Maria and Peter had 12 children. Their son Isaac (EIGHTH GENERATION) was born in 1879 in Manitoba and married Maria Vogt. Isaac and Maria moved to Saskatchewan in 1903 and settled in Warman 3 years later. Isaac like his father had a flare for commerce. According to Jake Buhler Isaac set up;

"Miller, Friesen and Co., General Merchants. By 1908 he was selling real estate and insurance, and offering loans. In 1908 he was on the first Warman school board, and sat on the Warman Board of Trade. He also managed the Saskatchewan Trading Company, which sold farm equipment." 

Isaak Mueller was excommunicated from the Old Colony Mennonite Church after some unspecified trouble.

Maria and Isaac moved to British Columbia in 1910. In 1916 Isaac was tragically killed by of all things a falling tree!

Muellers (Millers) started out as loyal Catholics and by the 3rd generation had gone from disgruntled Catholic to a Martyred Hutterite. The 4th generation of Muellers remained Hutterites but due to persecution kept on the move seeking their own independence and religious freedom. The 5th generation Muellers became Mennonites. 6th generation Muellers became a leader of the newly immigrated Mennonites in Manitoba.  The 7th and 8th generation Muellers were entrepreneurs possibly leading to their excommunication from the Mennonite Church. 

Wendy