Tillers of the Soil

Catherine the Great and Early History

            On June 28, 1744, Sophia Augusta Fredrica, a German nobleman’s daughter, was received into the Greek Orthodox Church and was given the name of Catherine II.  This arrangement had come about, through the efforts of Sophia Augusta’s mother, and Empress Elizabeth, of Russia.  Because of this arrangement, the marriage of Peter III of Russia and Catherine II took place on August 21, 1744.

            After the marriage the couple moved into the Royal Palace under the tutelage of Empress Elizabeth, the queen, who was an aunt of Peter III.  Shortly thereafter, Empress Elizabeth appointed Peter III to succeed her to the throne of Russia.  History records the fact that Peter III was a weak-minded, irresponsible person - a wimp!  Some historians even refer to him as a feeble-minded individual.  There was quite a contrast between him and his wife, Catherine II, who was a sharp, cunning person with an outstanding personality. Some historians describe her as an individual whose wisdom and knowledge would have fitted her to live in the 20th century.

            On December 25, 1761, Empress Elizabeth died and Peter III ascended the throne.  His reign was of short duration, because Catherine II, his wife, started a revolution, which resulted in his death.

            On June 28, 1762, Catherine II declared herself the ruler of Russia.  With this event she became the most arresting personality in Russia since the death of Peter the Great.  She became a brilliant, intelligent, willful, ambitious, generous and cruel ruler.

            Catherine II possessed a twentieth century insight toward public relations, and became well-known over Europe because of the consistent correspondence she carried on with European royalty.  For centuries, the Volga River region of Russia had been the Eastern frontier of Russian civilization.  It had been the home of Nomadic tribes, fugitives and other outlaws.

            Catherine II conceived the idea to populate this Eastern frontier; therefore, she decided to persuade immigrants to move to the area. Being a German, she began to formulate plans to attract German immigrants.  She felt by their improved methods and techniques of farming, their neatness and ambitions, they would set an example for her slovenly and careless Russian peasants.  Her compassion stemmed from the time when she was a little girl, traveling with her parents and seeing the poverty and hardship of the German peasants.

            She had many plans and hopes, but recognized also the hazards to her position on the throne, due to the fact that she herself was German and occupying the Russian throne.

The Great Invitation

            Once Catherine II felt secure as the reigning Monarch of Russia, she at once put her plans into effect.  On December 4, 1762, she issued an invitation to all people of all nationalities, except Jews, to come to her country and live among her people.  This invitation, although widely circulated, received no response.  She was first to realize that more than an invitation was needed.

            When the first invitation failed, she immediately gave attention to drawing up a second document.  This second document was more specific and much more enticing.

            The second document of invitation arrived in Germany in July of 1763.  It contained ten parts dealing with the privileges and liberties guaranteed the immigrants.  Along with this invitation, Catherine II sent men carefully selected by her to present and proclaim the great offer to the German peasants.  These men hired others to work for them on commission, to persuade the German people to move to Russia.  It is not difficult to understand why many were influenced to move, as the document with its ten parts was presented to the unlearned and illiterate peasants.

The Document    (Otherwise known as “Promises, Promises, and Promises.”)

            (1)  All people of foreign countries were invited to come to Russia and settle wherever they pleased.  They were promised the right to pursue their professions and occupations.

            (2) All people were to have freedom of religion including the right to build churches and schools.  This also included the right to have priests and ministers who could direct and guide their spiritual and intellectual life.

            (3)  All those without means would be furnished the necessary money to travel to port of embarkation for Russia.  There they would receive money to defray all expenses until they reached their destination in Russia.

            (4)  After the arrival in Russia, all who needed money for a livelihood and for homes would be loaned money, interest free, by the government.  This money was to be paid back within ten years in three installments.

            (5)  All who settled on the Volga River in colonies were to be exempt from taxes for a period of thirty years.  Others were to be exempt for a period of five years.

            (6)  All who settled on the lower Volga had the right to choose their form of government. The only requirement being, they submit to the prevailing civil law.

            (7)  All settlers with money were not to be taxed, if they used their money to establish themselves or for their personal wants.

            (8)  All male immigrants were to be exempt from military service for an indefinite period.   This period was 100 years.

            (9)  The government also encouraged the establishment of mills and factories by giving them a tax free status for a period of ten years.

            (10)  All immigrants who settled in Russia would be at liberty to leave at any time, subject to a tax upon the property they owned at the time.

            One     can     only     imagine     the      effect this manifesto had upon the peasant population of Germany.  The country of Germany had just come to the end of what is known as the Thirty-Years War in Europe.  Much of this religious war was fought in Germany.  The country was not only devastated to a great extent, but the people were heavily taxed to support this war, and besides their men had been conscripted to serve in the army, resulting in the very heavy loss of life among these people.  This, together with the shortage of food and other necessities of life, had brought about a feeling of great despair and hopelessness.  This was a religious war, and as a result there was much religious persecution.  The promise of religious freedom as well as freedom from military service, was a great inducement for the peasants to join the movement to Russia. Many signed the agreements to migrate to Russia. They had found Utopia!

            Some months later the movement and immigration became so large and widespread, that the government of Germany prohibited further immigration.

The Great Trek to the Volga River Valley.

            This great migration to the Volga river valley brought immigrants from other countries.  By far the greatest number was from Germany.  The settlers occupied both sides of the great river.  Our ancestors settled on what was known as the Hilly side or West bank of the Volga river some fifty to seventy-five miles south of the city of Saratov, an important Volga river port which is located about 450 miles Southeast of Moscow, a city of 158,000 people at that present time.

Settling in at Scherbakovka. 

            Our ancestors established their own village.  They called it Scherbakovka.   The  first years

were difficult, and many died in the first horrible winter.  The cold, together with poor shelter and little food was discouraging indeed to the settlers.  The Russian government failed to fulfill their promises. The hardship and suffering of the people was overwhelming.

            After a year or two of much adversity, the settlers became better established and living became more bearable for them.  They soon began to prosper and multiply.  Catherine II no doubt was very well satisfied with the development of the Volga River Valley.      

Ehrlich Family Beginnings. 

            The heritage and history of the Ehrlich family has not been preserved beyond the beginning of the year 1800.  This no doubt is due to the death of the parents of Peter Ehrlich at quite a young age and history was lost within this time.  We do know that Peter Ehrlich’s father’s name was George and that Peter had two brothers.  Of sisters we have no  known record.  It has been mentioned at times that since Peter Ehrlich was an orphan, he was adopted by a German Jewish family, hence the name, Ehrlich.  Ehrlich is a prominent Jewish name; however, it is a prominent German name also, meaning honorable.

            The death of Peter Ehrlich’s parents probably came about as a result of the many diseases that swept through Europe during this time.  Quite often they were referred to as plagues.  The Bubonic Plague took many lives in Europe at one time and is mentioned in books of history.

            We have bits of tradition and fact handed to us from our ancestors.  By assembling all facts together with legend and bits of tradition, we feel we can conclude that Peter Ehrlich’s great grandfather was a member of German nobility, possibly living in one of the old historic castles still standing along the Rhine river in Germany, near the city of Darmstadt.  There are Ehrlichs of German descent in Argentina in South America which are probably descendants from the same family as Peter Ehrlich.  There are branches of the Ehrlich tree who are related to the Peter Ehrlich branch who are able to trace the origin of their family back to Darmstadt and noble descent.

            Peter Ehrlich was born in Scherbakovka, Russia, in 1819.  His wife was Mary Katherine Horn, (1821-1891). They came to America in 1878. Mary Katherine Horn was the sister of Katherine Elizabeth Horn, (1826-1912) who married Johanna George Ehrlich, (1827-1899) son of Johann Dietrich Ehrlich, (1805-1888)        *As was stated earlier, we know that Peter had two brothers, one of them could easily have been Johann Dietrich Ehrlich.   (*ed. ad. lib.) We have also learned from a great grandson of Peter Ehrlich, C. R. Ehrlich who served in the U. S. Air Force in Germany after World War II, that in Darmstadt today there is still Ehrlich Strasse (Ehrlich Street).

            As was the custom in those days the families of the nobles only associated with others of the nobility.  A nobleman’s son was permitted to marry only a girl of noble birth.  According to tradition one of Nobleman Ehrlich’s sons fell in love with a beautiful servant girl, who served in his father’s castle.  This young man was determined to have her for his wife.  He was, of course, reminded by  his nobleman father that this sort of thing was not permissible, and was encouraged to forget the matter. Young nobleman Ehrlich, meanwhile, was determined to marry the girl and would have it no other way.  After a long and bitter struggle with his father, he married the girl, and, consequently, was disinherited and dismissed from his father’s domain.  Undaunted and happy, this young couple joined themselves to a group of immigrants moving to Russia and landed in Scherbakovka in about the year 1764.

            In Russia Peter Ehrlich was considered an educated man.  It is reported that he was a teacher.  This could have been in his younger days, for we do know that in later life he was in business with his sons.  The fact that he had an education adds strength to the nobleman theory, since they were the only class that received an education in that day and age.   

            In later life Peter Ehrlich was engaged in the profession of tanning hides into leather, and had dyeing vats for dyeing fabrics.  He was engaged in this business with his sons.

Living and Working in the Villages

            Life in the villages or “Dorfet”, where the immigrants settled, was indeed primitive to say the least.  The hardships of the first years combined with homesickness and disappointment made life far from serene.  Homes were built of earth and logs and whatever was at hand.  History records that this was the period in which the Russians moved out of the forest to the open land.

            Each village or Dorfet was located from six to ten miles apart usually where a stream flowed into the great Volga River.  Each village was a unit of government as well as a center of culture and religion.  Many people living in a village grew to an old age and never got out of their native village. Many got no further from home than the next village.  The isolation between villages was such that although all were of German descent, various dialects developed in the villages to the extent that it was possible to tell what Dorf a person originated.  Living in the lower Volga valley gave them the privilege of self-government.  (Manifesto #6)

            After the families were established, living was somewhat improved.  The soil was productive and produced an abundance of wheat, oats, barley and a grain similar to maize but belonging to the millet family which they called “Herscha.”  Orchards and gardens produced abundantly.  Many ways were found to store and preserve the surplus for the long winter months.  Fruits were dried, canned and pickled in earthen jars.  Kraut was put away in wooden barrels for winter use.  The mills were driven by water power of which there was an abundance in almost every village.  It is known that in later years there were 34 mills driven by water power in Scherbakovka alone.  These were not all flour mills; no doubt there were sawmills as well as spinning and weaving mills.  We learned that the source of this water power was an enormous spring back in the hills from Scherbakovka.  This spring was a great opening at the foot of a hill gushing forth a stream of water 30 to 36 inches in diameter.

Food and Clothing

            Each family had their own meat as well as cheese and butter.  Many different kinds of cheese were made in each family kitchen.  These items kept well in winter and many ways and means were found to keep them in summer.  In later years the villagers put ice in storage in winter in well insulated caves and many families had ice all summer.

            The flocks of sheep furnished the families with wool which was spun into wool yarn and later made into clothing for the families.  Hides from the cattle that were slaughtered for meat were made into leather for the family shoes and clothing.  Felt boots made from wool were worn by all who had to go out into the cold.  These boots were worn inside leather shoes to keep feet dry and warm.  Some hides were tanned with the hair left on and the other side lined with cloth.  These were sometimes made into large overcoats for the men and were called a “Dulip.”  At other times these hides were made into robes and gloves.  The robes were called “Banchuck.”

Working, Homes, Climate, Roads

            The work in the fields was done mostly by oxen.  Horses were used at times but were used mainly for transportation.  Swift and gaited horses were always in demand and brought good prices.

            Each home was a unit in itself.  The buildings were built in a square with a courtyard in the center.  Quite often all buildings were under one continuous roof, with high walls and gates to keep out prowlers and intruders.  The sons of the family lived at home with the parents until they were of middle age and older, and sometimes had large families of their own.  There was surprisingly little difficulty among these large families due to the fact  that the old father, as he was called, was the supreme ruler of the household.  His word was law and his decisions were final. The custom was that the oldest son became ruler at the death of the old patriarch.

            The climate in this part of Russia was much like the climate in the northern part of the United States and southern Canada.    The ground was  covered with snow  all winter, with temperatures rarely above freezing.  The area was subject to severe winter storms coming from the northwest, out of Siberia.  Roads hardly existed from city to city or village to village. 

            The Volga was a great artery of transportation in summer with large river boats moving up and down stream occasionally stopping at the villages to trade.  In winter the river froze over, and again became the highway with horses and sleighs.

Life in the Peter Ehrlich Family

            The family of Peter Ehrlich had a business that required inter-village travel.  The oldest son George and his brother John Dietrich were the traders and did much traveling.  When winter came and the Volga river froze over, they loaded their sleighs with leather and with  bolts of homespun fabrics that they had brought home the previous winter. They would set out to trade for silver, gold or more raw materials among the villages located on both sides of the river, trading goods as well as stories and reports from other villages.  These men traded among the Russian villages and learned the language quite fluently.  On Many of these trips they were away from home and unreported for weeks at a time.  The experiences were often dangerous as well as exciting.  Accommodations for travelers were rare so they stayed in the homes of their customers.  And who would not welcome a man who had a broad experience and was a good story teller to stay in the home and share his experiences with the entire family.

            These same stories were often related  to us as children. We would sit around our  grandfather listening to each story about those “wonderful days” as he so often called them. 

            The dangers were often great and indeed exciting.  Our grandfather, John Dietrich, dealt mainly in hides and leather.  As the long winter wore on, the timber wolves became fierce and hungry, which made them very dangerous.  Often grandfather, with his load of hides, was quite an attraction for a pack of hungry Russian timber wolves.  These wolves traveled in packs and would not hesitate to attack a sleigh that was traveling alone.  Grandfather had several encounters with these packs.  The race would become a life and death matter.  As the pack came closer to attack, grandfather would shoot the leader of the pack even though he would only wound him, the scent of blood brought the whole pack on the wounded one and the pack would devour the wolf, which gave the horses some gain.  Sometimes this procedure had to be repeated several times until the driver could reach the safety of the next village.  The presence of the wolves frightened the horses.  They often sensed their presence before the driver was aware of any danger.  The need for swift horses was obvious in every encounter with the wolves.

            Another omnipresent danger when the traders ventured away from the villages was the danger of robbers.  A nomadic tribe of robbers quite often struck and raided villages but came across the Volga only when frozen.  This tribe was known as “Gerghiz”; others have referred to them as “Khirghiz.”  They stole mostly horses and sometimes kidnapped young children.  Usually in winter they would try to steal the good swift horses of the German settlers.  Almost all modes of transportation, including wagons, carriages and sleighs were drawn by three horses.  The three horse hitch was called a “Troika” or trio.  The largest horse was the center horse who was placed between two wooden shafts with a bow over the horse’s  neck from one of the shafts to the other.  The other horses were hitched to each side of this bow horse.  The bow was often decorated with many colored decorations at festive occasions such as weddings, etc.

            The “Gerghiz” would often try to cut one of the side horses loose and thus get him away from the team.  The best defense against this sort of robbery was a good whip which all drivers had, together with the ability to use it.  Grandfather saved many a horse by the skillful use of the whip, which kept the robbers away.

            John Dietrich was a fearless man.  He was outspoken and perhaps somewhat dictatorial.   Living in ignorance, the people naturally believed in ghosts, spooks and spirits.  It is told that one family’s cow was being milked at night by a ghost.  Each morning when the housewife went to milk the cow, there was no milk.  The conclusion was that a ghost or a “Hex” as they were called, must be doing the milking.  John Dietrich was one who did not believe these things.  He tried to convince that this sort of thing did not exist.  To prove his point he spent the night in the barn to watch for the Hex.  Early in the morning he caught the Hex.  It was a neighboring woman stealing the milk.  He gave her a good whipping which all thieves got and sent her home.  That stopped the Hex story, and he had proven his point.

            The church was the social and cultural center of each village.  A school was operated by the church.  Thus the village pastor and the schoolmaster were closely related in the cultural and social development of the village.

Religion in the Family

            Although there are several different religious faiths represented in family now, the religion at the time of the migration from Germany  was Lutheran.   In later years the Ehrlich family accepted the Baptist faith.   After migrating to the USA at Lehigh, Kansas, the family later embraced the faith of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

            After the family accepted the Baptist faith in Russia, some persecution came to them from the Lutheran Church.  At one time John Dietrich was in the village jail.  This was due, no doubt to his outspoken ways.  He had to serve several days, and of course, prison fare was bread and water.  His cunning wife visited him there and brought with her a loaf of her bread for her husband.  The jailer examined the loaf and passed it allowing her to go in to see her husband.  Unknown to the jailer, she had coiled a “vorst” (a homemade sausage) inside the loaf and baked it with the bread.  His prison fare that day was more than bread and water.

            Religious difficulty that arose was one of the factors that lead to the movement to America.  The other factor was the expiration of time exempting  young men from military service.  Some were being drafted; others left for the U.S.  The reports sent back by these men, concerning religious freedom and the reports of free homesteads, freedom from military service,  were indeed factors leading many families to migrate to this country.

The Migration to the United States

            Not all moved away.  To this day we have relatives living in the old village and in many other places.  The revolution of 1918 caused much calamity.   Many died of hunger and lack of medical care.  We have received word recently that many of our people are living in the old villages again.  In World War II when the armies of Hitler invaded Russia, history tells us that the Russian government was not certain where the loyalty of these people was.  Consequently many were sent away to Siberia to the far away interior.  This,  no doubt,  added another sad chapter of tragedy and travail to the history of this great and gallant people.

            The migration to America by the Peter Ehrlich family took place in the year 1878.  After a long voyage the family settled at Lehigh, Kansas.  Again they arrived in a land of strange customs and a strange language.  There were many German families living in Lehigh, and many were relatives and former neighbors in Russia.  Contact with this family was lost in the 1920’s.  No doubt some are still living in the same old village.  They were Mr. and Mrs. George Schmunk.

            The lands in Kansas were all settled and many of the settlers sought work at railroad construction and other menial labor.

            The John Dietrich family came sometime after his father and brothers.  They came across the Atlantic ocean on a freight ship requiring six weeks for the crossing.  A young son Peter died at sea and was buried there.

            When the lands of Oklahoma were opened to settlement, many came.  Some settled in the Prague, Chandler, Carney area, others moved to Shattuck in Western Oklahoma in 1901.  The John Dietrich family moved to farms south of Shattuck soon after landing in Kansas.  Later, his brother George and family moved to Shattuck from the Carney area.  In later years a younger brother, Henry and his family moved to the Hitchcock area from Carney.  A sister Mary who had married Conrad Meier moved from Kansas to the Blaine County area near Hitchcock when the land was opened to settlement on April 19, 1892. Shattuck, Oklahoma became the nucleus of the family due to the fact that the two large families, George and John Dietrich Ehrlich, located there.

            Peter Ehrlich did not move from Kansas.  He and his wife passed  away before  the  movement to  western  Oklahoma   began.   The date on record of his death is June 23, 1888.  His wife Mary Katherine Horn died on January 1, 1891.  They were buried in unmarked graves in a cemetery near Lehigh, Kansas.

            The early days and years at Shattuck were indeed pioneer days with reverses  and heartaches.  The family developed with the country, and it has grown to where it encompasses many people.    Many other names have been grafted into the family tree,  adding  to its strength, its greatness and durability. 

            Religion has always been an outstanding characteristic of this colorful family.  An abiding faith in God is a strong trait of character all through the Ehrlich family history.

            May  the heritage of this great family be carefully preserved in the days to come. May we cherish the memory of our ancestors, living our lives and developing characters that will always be an honor to them.  In this way we can fulfill one of the great commandments of God,  “Honor thy Father and thy Mother.”

            May God’s richest blessing rest upon each member of this great family, both now and in days to come.

                                                                        Respectfully submitted,

H. L. (Hub) Baker, 1967

Acknowledgement

(Most of the  preceding historical material was extracted from the historical collection entitled "Ehrlich, A Family History  1763-1970".)   Many thanks and appreciation to the following committee:

T.R. Laubhan,  1894-1985, J.D. Ehrlich, 1906-1980, Marie Meier, Mrs. Alec Stevens, Mrs. Tom P. Griffith. Mrs. H. L. Baker, Mrs. Rudolph Renner. Emil Ehrlich, 1907-1973.  and C.R. Fritz Ehrlich

for the use of this material in this genealogy publication.)