German-Russians: In Words and Pictures
By Dr. William Bosch. Published by William Bosch, Spearfish, South Dakota, 2014, 146 pages, Softcover.
The author, Dr. William Bosch, writes in the Preface of the book: “The German-Russians left Germany and traveled to Russia, where they created an agricultural and industrial empire. Then many of them left it all behind and started anew somewhere in the Americas. Their story is a colorful and fascinating tale filled with triumph and tragedy. I hope this book will help people discover this saga of an amazing people and their achievements. The German-Russian people in each area of Russia shared many common experiences with their kinfolk in other areas. This is also true for settlers in various areas of the United States and Canada. When I was growing up in the southern part of North Dakota, all of my relatives spoke a German dialect. We all had grandparents who grew up in Russia.”
The Table of Contents includes: Part One: The Volga River German Migration and Colonies including The Early Years; The Good Years; Work and Daily Life in the Volga River Region; Part Two: The Black Sea Migration and Colonies including The Early Years; The Good Years; Work and Daily Life in the Black Sea German Region; Part Three: The Migration to and the Settlement in the Americas – Why They Left; Developments in the United States and Canada; Migrations to the Americas; Route and Fares; What They Found in America; The Volga German Migration to the Americas; The Black Sea Migration to the Americas; Eureka, the Wheat Capital; Epilogue.
For Part Three of The Migration to and the Settlement in the Americas, Bosch expands on the following topics for the reader, especially for the Black Sea Germans: The Role of the Railroads; Finding a Claim and Building a Home; Cooking and Heating; Price for Agricultural Products and Land; Other Sources of Income; Fires and Blizzards; Education; Religion; Medical and Dental Care; Hunting, Fishing and Baseball.
The book includes detailed Appendix I of Works Cited and Other Resources and Appendix II of Image Credits. The Index is comprehensive and most helpful to locate sources. There are many excellent historical black and white photographs throughout this book.
William Bosch writes nicely in his Epilogue: “Germans who moved to North and South America did well. In the US and Canada, they gradually assimilated into the English speaking populace and their respective economies. Today, it is very hard to find anyone under sixty who still speaks a German dialect that was spoken in Russia.”
“Their schools, churches and commercial pursuits are indistinguishable from those of other ethnic groups in the United States and Canada. Their customs of three-day weddings have died out, as have Krist Krindl and Belznickel, which have been replaced by Santa Claus. Their ethnic foods remain, and some restaurants in North and South Dakota serve German-Russian dishes one or two days a week. Perhaps their greatest legacy is the role they played in developing agricultural industries in their new lands in the Americas.”
About the author:
William Bosch grew up on a farm in Emmons County, east of Linton, North Dakota. Both sides of his family have German-Russian backgrounds. His mother’s family (Dockter) came from Neudorf and Kassel (Glueckstal District) and his father’s family (Bosch) from the Catholic village of Rosental in Crimea. After graduating from Linton High School, he attended North Dakota State University where he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics education. He taught in the mathematics department at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota from 1963-1965. He then studied at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where he obtained a Ph.D. in mathematics in 1970. His working years were spent teaching mathematics at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. That is where he met his wife and married Margaret (Robinson) Bosch. They moved to Spearfish, South Dakota in 2005. They have a daughter, Julie, who lives in Colorado. William (Bill) is a member of the Black Hills Chapter of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (Bismarck, North Dakota), and a member of the Center of the Nation Chapter of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (Lincoln, Nebraska).
