Germans from Russia Societies

There are many societies and organizations that may have information of value to your genealogical research. There are several such societies in the United States. You may find it helpful to join one of these societies and support their efforts.

Genealogical Societies

There are many genealogical societies which emphasize German, American, and Canadian research. Most of these societies publish helpful periodicals, transcripts, compiled genealogies, and may have special indexes, collections and projects. Some specialize in the immigrants to a specific area.

For directories of genealogical and historical societies in the United States and Canada see the United States Research Outline (30972), the Canada Research Outline (34545), and the state and provincial research outlines.

Historical Societies

Historical societies can be valuable sources of information German-Russian immigrants to the United States and Canada. Some may have information about specific individuals. Many societies have special collections of books and manuscript material for Germans from Russia that may be difficult to find in libraries and archives. You may be interested in the services, activities and collections of the following:

     American Historical Society of Germans from Russia
     631 D Street
     Lincoln, NE 68502
     USA
     Telephone: 402-474-3363

     Germans from Russia Heritage Society
     1008 E Central Ave
     Bismarck, ND 58501
     USA
     Telephone: 701-223-6167

     Germans from Russia in Colorado Study Project
     Colorado State University
     History Dept.
     Fort Collins, CO 80523
     USA
     Telephone: 303-491-6854

     Glückstal Colonies Research Assoc.
     1015 22nd St.
     Santa Monica, CA 90403
     USA

     Wandering Volhynians
     2313 N Highland
     Tacoma, WA 98406-3848
     USA
     Telephone: 206-759-3848

The addresses of over 100 ethnic heritage historical societies in North America are given in:

Smith, Betty P. Directory, Historical Societies and Agencies in the United States and Canada. 13th ed. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1986. (FHL book Ref 970 H24d.)

Commision for the Research of the History and Location of the Germans from Russia

     Kommission zur Erforschung der Geschichte und Gegenwart
       der Deutschen in Rußland/UdSSR - Historische Kommission e.V.
     Dechant-Heimbach-Str. 21
     D-53177 Bonn
     GERMANY

Volga Germans Study Group

     Arbeitskreis der Wolgadeutschen / Arbeitskreis zur Erforschung des
       europäischen und außereuropäischen Rußlanddeutschtums
     Waldpark 9
     D-37242 Eisingen
     GERMANY

Institute for Foreign Settlement [Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen]

Collects histories and information about German emigration and settlements.

     Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen
     Charlottenplatz 17
     D-70173 Stuttgart
     GERMANY

Fraternal Societies

Your ancestor or relative may have belonged to an association whose membership is based on common interests, place of origin [Landsmannschaft], religion, or ethnicity,. These societies were involved in political, social, and financial activities, including life and burial insurance.

Several sources, such as local histories, biographies, obituaries, tombstones, family records, and artifacts may give you clues that an ancestor belonged to a fraternal society. Examples of a fraternal organizations for descendants of Germans from Russia these societies are:

     American Forward Association
     745 D Street
     Lincoln, NE 68502
     USA

     Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Rußland
     Raitelsbergstr. 49
     D-70188 Stuttgart
     GERMANY

For more information about fraternal societies in North America, see:

Schmidt, Alvin J. Fraternal Organizations. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980. (FHL book 973 C47sa.)]

Family Associations

Many family organizations in Canada and in the United States are gathering information about their ancestors from Germany and Russia. Some organizations are gathering information about all individuals with a particular surname. Family histories, newsletters, family group records, and other information gathered by family organizations are described in the “Genealogy” section of this outline. The Family Registry??? and the Ancestral File (also described in the “Genealogy” section) can help you locate active associations. Another resource for finding Germans from Russia family organizations are the computer Internet sites described in the “Archives and Libraries” section.

Directories to Societies and Associations

For directories of societies and associations related to Germans from Russia family history research see Erich Quester, Wegweiser für Forschungen nach Vorfahren . . . cited in “For Further Reading” near the end of this outline. Another good directory is found in Cyndi Howell's List - Germans from Russia computer Internet site described in the “Archives and Libraries” section of this outline. Also see the directories cited in the “Societies” sections of the Germany Research Outline (34061) and United States Research Outline (30972).

Locating Records at the Family History Library

Records of these societies are usually described in the Author/Title Search of the Family History Library Catalog under the name of the society. They are also listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under one of the following:

     UNITED STATES - SOCIETIES
     [STATE], [COUNTY] - SOCIETIES
     UNITED STATES - GENEALOGY
     [STATE], [COUNTY] - GENEALOGY

Some records gathered by societies are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under the type of record. For example, cemetery transcripts gathered by a local genealogical society are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under [STATE], [COUNTY] - CEMETERIES.

Lists and guides that describe the collections of societies are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

     UNITED STATES - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS
     [STATE], [COUNTY] - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS
     [STATE], [COUNTY], [TOWN] - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS

Records Not at the Family History Library

The “Search Strategies” section of this outline give details about how to write to societies for genealogical information about Germans from Russia. [Check to make sure this is true!]

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)