Pastors

A HTML version of a short history of the pastors who served Nieder-Monjou by Steven Grau. Click here to view the original version in PDF format.

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Pastors Who Served Nieder-Monjou

Shortly after the founding of the Volga colonies a Reformed parish church was established at Nord-Katharinenstadt (north Katharinenstadt) and a Lutheran parish church was established at Süd-Katharinenstadt (south Katharinenstadt). The Reformed pastors of the Nord-Katharinenstadt parish served Reformed colonists in all of Beauregard's Wiesenseite colonies including Nieder-Monjou. The Lutheran pastors of the Süd-Katharinenstadt parish served Lutheran colonists in 21 Wiesenseite colonies including Nieder-Monjou.

Tsar Alexander I established the Imperial General Consistory (Reichs-General-Konsistorium) by royal decree on 20 July 1819. A further decree on 25 October 1819 established eight regional consistories including one at Saratov. Dr. Ignatius Feßler, a former Capuchin monk, was appointed Superintendent and spiritual head of the Saratov Consistory by the Tsar. He served in this capacity from 1819 until 1833.

Under Feßler's leadership the Volga hymnal (Wolga Gesangbuch) and a common liturgical manual for worship services which allowed for minor variations to satisfy both Lutherans and Reformists were introduced.

Feßler also instituted other reforms. On the Wiesenseite there were only four Lutheran parishes and one Reformed parish serving 40 colonies with population of 21,000. Beginning in 1820 the Lutheran and Reformed Volga colonists were no longer served by separate pastors. From 1820 Nieder-Monjou was served only by pastors from the Süd-Katharinenstadt parish.

An edict signed by Tsar Nicholas I on 28 December 1832 divided the Russian empire into three Evangelical administrative groups: the Grand Duchy of Finland, the Kingdom of Poland, and the Imperial General Consistory. The Imperial General Consistory was further divided into 3 city and 5 district consistories. The regional consistory at Saratov was transferred to the Moscow district consistory by the Ordinance of 1832. All of the Volga colonies fell under this new Moscow district consistory.

Nieder-Monjou remained in the Süd-Katharinenstadt parish until 1905. Both the Nord-Katharinenstadt parish and the Süd-Katharinenstadt parish survived until 1905. In September of 1905 the Nord-Katharinenstadt and Süd-Katharinenstadt parishes were combined into a single Katharinenstadt parish and parish churches were formed at Paulskoje and Boaro. The Paulskoje parish pastor served the four churches at Paulskoje, Fischer, Beauregard, and Nieder-Monjou. The Paulskoje parish pastor held church services at Nieder-Monjou once a month. The remainder of the time church services were conducted by the schoolmaster (Schulmeister). In the early twentieth century the Paulskoje parish had 11,500 members.

Check that old document which was brought from Russia (Tauf-Schein, Erinnerung an den Tag der Confirmation, Trau-Schein, or perhaps a Parochial-Schein) and you will find the signature of one of these pastors.

Pastors of the Nord-Katharinenstadt Reformed Parish
Name / Years served	Biographical Information
Johann Georg Herwig 1768 - 1769	Johann Georg Herwig was born 11 Jul 1714 at Aue [Aue, Kreis Eschwege, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen] near Eschwege, son of Conrad Herwig, teacher, and Elisabeth. He died 29 Apr 1782 at Norka (Gouvernement Saratov). He married Sophie Elisabeth Stippius 12 Feb 1742 at Willershausen (Hessen) [Willershausen, Kreis Eschwege, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen]. She was born 29 Oct 1710 at Willershausen. 25 Sep 1736 student of theology at Marburg [Marburg, Stadtkreis Marburg, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen]; 1741-1756 minister at Willershausen near Herleshausen (resigned, in order to not be discharged); 1768-1769 pastor at the Reformed congregation at Katharinenstadt (Wolga Wiesenseite); 1769-1782 pastor at Norka (Wolga Bergseite)
vacant 1769 - 1779
Hartmann von Moos 1779 - 1803	Hartmann von Moos was born 11 Apr 1737 at Trimmis (Graubünden) [Trimmis, Kanton Graubünden, die Schweiz (Switzerland)], son of minister Leonhardt von Moos and Margaretha Bernhard. He died 15 May 1803 at Katharinenstadt (Wolga Wiesenseite). He first married Agnes Lohsy. She died May 1785 at Katharinenstadt. He second married Anna Margaretha Illack widowed Hussy 19 Feb 1786 at Sarepta. She was born 16 Jul 1747 at Dorpat [Estland (Estonia)]. She died 14 Jul 1787 at Saratov. He third married Sophia Augusta Opitz 16 Jan 1788 at Sarepta. She was born 12 Mar 1755 at Retbenicke [?] (Anhalt). She died 1819. 14 May 1758 student of theology at Basel [Basel, Halb-Kanton Basel-Stadt, die Schweiz (Switzerland)]; 3 Oct 1758 student of philosophy; 14 Jun 1759 preacher candidate; 1762-1776 minister in Graubünden: 1762 Safien and Talkirch, 1766 Valzeina, 1767 Mutten, 1770 Masein, 1775 Glaris; 1776-1779 teacher at Malans [all locations die Schweiz (Switzerland)]; 1779-1803 pastor at Katharinenstadt (Wolga Wiesenseite) Reformed part
Johann Samuel Huber 1807 - 1820	Johann Samuel Huber (before conversion, Johann Nepomuk Huber) was born 1778 at Mahlberg (Baden) [Malberg, Kreis Freiburg, Baden], son of Joseph Huber, cooper (Böttcher), and Anna Maria Ferenbach. He was baptized 20 Dec 1778. He died 30 Jan 1858 at Moskau [Moscow]. He married Johanna Luise Wigand 23 Feb 1808 at Sarepta (Wolga). She was born 27 Dec 1788 at Moskau, daughter of Johannes Wigand, a professor then preacher at the Brethren congregation at St. Petersburg, and Sarah Dorothea Ferber. She died Nov 1868 at Moskau. Franciscan monk; converted to the Lutheran church; 5 Jul 1805 student of theology at Halle [Halle an der Saale, Stadtkreis Halle, Sachen, Preußen]; schoolmaster at the Halle orphanage; went over to the Reformed church; 31 Mar 1807 ordained at Basel [Basel, Halb-Kanton Basel-Stadt, die Schweiz (Switzerland)]; 1807-1820 pastor at Nord-Katharinenstadt (Wolga Wiesenseite); 1820-1822 pastor at Messer / Ust-Solicha (Gouvernement Saratov) and Provost of the Wolga Bergseite; 1822-1834 Saratov, senior assistant of the Saratov Consistory; 1833 Consistory Council; 1834-1858 General Superintendent and spiritual Vice President of the Moskau Consistory
Emanuel Grunauer 1820 - 1823	Emanuel Grunauer was born 22 Jul 1794 at Basel [Basel, Halb-Kanton Basel-Stadt, die Schweiz (Switzerland)], son of Abraham Grunauer, pot caster (Kannengießer), and Ursula Roth. He died 1 Apr 1850 at Messer / Ust-Solicha (Gouvernement Saratov). He first married Friedrike Sophie Heller 7 Nov 1820 at Sarepta. She was born 4 Sep 1800 at Sarepta, daughter of Johann Isaak Heller and Christiane Sophie Kelln. She is a sister of Pastor Samuel Jakob Heller. She died 1840 at Messer. He second married Auguste Karoline Cattaneo 28 Jul 1841 at Sarepta. She was born 17 Feb 1814 at Sarepta, daughter of Thomas Cattaneo, director of the common store (Chef d. Gemeinhandlung), and Helene Christine Neitz, granddaughter of Pastor Johann Baptist Cattaneo [1784-1828 pastor at Norka]. She died 5 Aug 1872 at Sarepta. 9 Apr 1810 student of philosophy at Basel; 1813 baccalaureate; 1814 student of theology; 8 Jun 1815 Master's degree; 10 Aug 1817 admission in the Brethren community Gnadenfeld; 1818-1820 teacher at the Moravian Brethren community Sarepta; 1820-1823 pastor at Nord-Katharinenstadt (Gouvernement Samara) parish; 1823-1850 pastor at Messer / Ust-Solicha (Gouvernement Saratov)
Abraham Haag 1827 - 1848	Peter Heinrich Abraham Haag was born 27 Dec 1805 at Bredenscheid [Bredenscheid, Kreis Hattingen, Westfalen, Preußen] near Hattingen, son of Pastor Andreas Anton Haag and Johanna Maria Catharina Wortmann. He was baptized 3 Jan 1806. He died 1848. He married Amalie Henriette Otto, daughter of Pastor Johann Martin Otto [1793-1820 pastor at Beideck, 1820-1835 pastor at Kukkus] and Anna Katharina Filbert. She was born 4 Jan 1812 at Beideck / Talowka (Gouvernement Saratov) and died Dec 1868 at St. Petersburg. 1825-1826 student of theology at Dorpat; 1827-1848 pastor at unified parish at Nord-Katharinenstadt (Gouvernement Samara)
Heinrich Thomas 1851 - 1860	Karl Heinrich Thomas was born 3 Oct 1808 at Breslau [Breslau, Stadtkreis Breslau, Schlesien (Silesia), Preußen], son of battalion doctor (Bataillonsartz) at Silberberg (Schlesien) [Silberberg, Kreis Frankenstein, Schlesien, Preußen] (1830). He died 1860 (?). He married a daughter of James Galloway from Edinburgh, missionary in Karras [Nordkaukasus (north Caucasus)], and a Circassian, sister of the wife of Pastor Christian Gottlieb Hegele [1836-1850 pastor at Beideck, 1850-1864 pastor at Jagodnaja Poljana], Nancy Galloway, and the wife of Pastor Johann Jakob Lang [1840-1869 pastor at Beggingen, Kanton Schaffhausen, die Schweiz (Switzerland)], Margaret Galloway. Elisabeth secondary school at Breslau; 19 Apr 1830 student of theology at Breslau; 1840 ordained; 1840-1849 pastor at Elisabethtal (Gouvernement Tiflis); 1849-1852 pastor at Tiflis; 1851-1860 pastor at Nord-Katharinenstadt
Friedrich Wilhelm Dsirne 1860 - 1872	Friedrich Wilhelm Dsirne, of Latvian descent, was born 5 May 1835 at Salis (Livland) [Livonia], son of David Dsirne, parochial teacher (Parochiallehrer), and Lise. He died 4 Sep 1872 of cholera at Atkarsk (Gouvernement Saratov). He married Wilhelmine Alwine Kordes 9 Aug 1861 at Dorpat. She was born 14 Sep 1839 at Werro [Livland (Livonia)], daughter of architects Ferdinand Kordes and Alwine Luetten. She died 19 Apr 1928 at Reval [Estland (Estonia)]. high district school at Pernau [Estland (Estonia)]; 1853-1857 student of theology at Dorpat; 1857-1858 teacher at the private school at Jakobstadt; 1858-1859 at Schmidt's (Schmidtschen) sanatorium (Anstalt) at Fellin; 18 Oct 1859 ordained by the Provost Adjunct of Wolga Wiesenseite; 1860-1872 pastor at Nord-Katharinenstadt (Gouvernement Samara) and teacher at the central school
Isaak Theophil Keller 1873 - 1903	Isaak Theophil Keller was born 25 Feb 1842 at Karras (Nordkaukasus), son of Melchior Keller, from Siblingen (Kanton Schaffhausen), teacher in Karras, then head of orphanage in St. Petersburg, and Johanna Margaret Hübner. He is a brother of Pastor Gotthilf Heinrich Keller. He died 1918 at Katharinenstadt. He married Anna Hedwig Dell 26 Aug 1869 at Dorpat. She was born 11 Jun 1843, daughter of Andreas Paul Dell, medical corps captain (Stabsarzt), and Juliane Elisabeth Dyrsen. 1853-1859 St. Anne's School (St. Annenschule) at St. Petersburg; 1859-1861 Wiedemann's (Wiedemannsche) sanatorium (Anstalt) at St. Petersburg; 1861-68 student of philosophy and theology at Dorpat; 7 Jul 1869 ordained; 1869-1873 pastor at Fresental (Gouvernement Samara); 1873-1903 pastor at Nord-Katharmenstadt parish, also religion teacher at the local central school; retired, lived in Moskau.

Pastors of the Süd-Katharinenstadt Lutheran Parish
Name / Years served	Biographical Information
Ludwig Balthasar Wernborner 1768 - 1778	Ludwig Balthasar Wernborner was born 11 Mar 1741 at Nieder-Rosbach [Niederroßbach, Dillkreis, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen] on the Taunus, son of minister Johann Daniel Wernborner. He died 1778 at Katharinenstadt(?). 17 Apr 1758 student of theology at Gießen [Gießen, Stadtkreis Gießen, Hessen]; 1766 ordained at Friedberg [Friedberg, Stadtkreis Friedberg, Hessen]; 1768-1778 pastor at Süd-Katharinenstadt (Wolga Wiesenseite)
Gottlieb May 1778 - 1798	Gottlieb May 1772-1774 pastor at Dietel / Oleschnja (Gouvernement Saratov); 1778-1798 pastor at Katharinenstadt (Lutheran part); discharged
Johann Heinrich Buck 1798 - 1820	Johann Heinrich Buck was born at Vörden (Bistum Osnabrück) [Vörden, Kreis Bersenbrück, Hannover, Preußen]. He married Elisabeth Müller, daughter of Ludwig Müller from Bieber (Grafschaft Hanau) [Bieber, Kreis Gelnhausen, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen], government official (Beamter) in Saratov. 16 Oct 1788 student of theology at Halle; 1793-1798 pastor at Dietel / Oleschnja (Gouvernement Saratov); 1798-1820 pastor at Süd- Katharinenstadt; 1820-1831 pastor at Rosenheim / Podstepnaja (later Gouvernement Samara)
Karl Friedrich Wahlberg 1821 - 1877	Karl Friedrich Wahlberg was born 29 Dec 1791/10 Jan 1792 at Luumäki (Finnland) [Finland], son of Pastor Christian Adolf Wahlberg and Sara Katharina Backman. He died 5 Dec 1882 at Katharinenstadt (Gouvernement Samara). He married Anna Dorothea Elisabeth Buck, daughter of Pastor Johann Heinrich Buck and Elisabeth Müller, 1824 at Rosenheim / Podstepnaja (Wolga Wiesenseite). She was born 15 Aug 1809 at Katharinenstadt and died 1878 at Katharinenstadt. 1810-1812 student of theology at Dorpat; 1813 teacher at the Trivialschule, Lovisa (Finnland); 28 Jan 1821 ordained; 1821-1877 pastor of united congregation at Süd-Katharinenstadt; 1878 consistory council
Gotthilf Heinrich Keller 1878 - 1903	Gotthilf Heinrich Keller was born 27 May 1834 at Alexandersdorf (Gouvernement Tiflis), son of Melchior Keller and Johanna Margarethe Hübner, sister of Pastor Georg Christoph Hübner. He died 30 Jun 1911 at Taganrog. He is a brother of Isaak Theophil Keller. He first married Hanni Lang 21 Aug 1862 at Beggingen [Beggingen, Kanton Schaffhausen, die Schweiz (Switzerland)]. She was born 11 Jan 1841 at Beggingen to Pastor Johann Jakob Lang and Margaret Galloway. She died 20 May 1892 at Katharinenstadt. He second married Emilie Wilhelmine Kelmser 13 Nov 1903. She was born 19 Nov 1871 at Wesenberg (Estland), daughter of Kochs Hans Kelmser and Julie Biber. She died 8 Oct 1952 at Ingweiler (Département Bas-Rhin) [formerly Ingweiler, Kreis Zabern, Elsaß-Lothringen; now Ingwiller in Alsace, France]. St. Anne's School (St. Annenschule) at St. Petersburg; 1852-1857 student of theology at Dorpat; 1857-1859 private tutor (Hauslehrer) at Simbirsk; 23 Apr 1861 ordained in St. Petersburg by the Provost- Adjunct of Odessa; 1862-1876 pastor at Neu-Freudenthal (Gouvernement Cherson); 1876-1877 adjunct at Süd-Katharinenstadt; 1877-1878 pastor at Bettinger / Baratajewka (Gouvernement Samara); 1878-1903 pastor emeritus at Süd-Katharinenstadt parish; 1877 director of private secondary school (Schomburg) in Katharinenstadt; lived with son Richard at Taganrog.

Pastors of the Katharinenstadt United Parish
Name / Years served	Biographical Information
Paul von Kuhlberg 1903 - 1918	Paul Friedrich von Kuhlberg was born 18 Apr 1872 at Pernau son of Friedrich Gustav von Kuhlberg, teacher, school director, western state councilor (Weststaatsrat), and Pauline Stephany. He died 21 Oct 1932 at Elbing [formerly Elbing, Stadtkreis Elbing, Westpreußen, Preußen; since 1945, Elblag, Polen (Poland)]. He married Alice Pohlmann 22 Feb 1897 at Mitau [Lettland (Latvia)]. She was born 15 Mar 1871 at Alt-Rahden (Kurland) [Courland], daughter of municipal clerk (Gemeindegerichtsschreiber) Rudolf Pohlmann and Elisabeth Kluge. She died 18 Mar 1937 at Berlin. secondary school at Mitau; 1890-1895 student of theology at Dorpat; 11 May 1897 ordained at Reval; 1897-1905 adjunct at St. Olai Kirche at Reval; 1905 [1903]-1918 pastor at Katharinenstadt; 1918 arrested; in retirement; 1924-1927 pastor at Charkov and provost of Nordukraine [north Ukraine]; 1928 to Germany; 1928-1932 pastor at Heilig Leichnam Kirche [Holy Body Church], Elbing
Arthur Kluck 1920 - 1929	Arthur Julius Kluck was born 28 Oct 1891 at Dunaevcy (Podolien) [Podolia], son of Wilhelm Kluck, merchant (Kaufmann), and Bertha Kimme. He married Bertha Behning. She was born at Saratov, the daughter of Pastor Liborius Behning [1889-1901 pastor at Galka, 1901-1926 pastor at Saratov, 1926-1928 pastor at Sarepta] and Bertha Assmus. secondary school at St. Petersburg; 1910-1915 student of theology at Dorpat, examination at Moskau; 1916 to Saratov; 1917-1920 pastor at Frank / Medwedizkij Krestowyj Bujerak (Gouvernement Saratov), 1920-28 pastor at Marxstadt / Katharinenstadt (Wolgagebiet) [Volga region]; 1926 preaching journey through Sibirien [Siberia]; 1928 deported to the Enisej, then in the Urals, missing; his wife was settled in 1935 in Chabarovsk

Pastors of the Paulskoje Parish
Name / Years served	Biographical Information
Karl Cramer 1907 - 1909	Karl Cramer was born 15 May 1882 at Novouzensk (Gouvernement Samara), son of Karl Cramer, bourgeois (Kleinbürger), and Elisabeth Gerhardt. He died 1 Sep 1974 at Erlangen [Erlangen, Stadtkreis Erlangen, Bayern]. He married Marie Seifert 15 Feb 1908 at Katharinenstadt (Gouvernement Samara). She was born 8 Nov 1873 at Katharinenstadt, daughter of David Seifert and Emilie Liebig. She died 15 Jan 1941 at Erlangen. secondary school at Saratov; 1900-1905 student of theology at Dorpat; 21 Jan 1907 ordained at Caricyn; 1907-1909 pastor at Paulskoje (Gouvernement Samara); 1909-1918 pastor secundarius at Charkov; drawn to Germany; 1919-1923 minister at Altenbergen (Kreis Gotha) [Altenbergen, Kreis Gotha, Thüringen]; 1923-38 at Gotha [Gotha, Kreis Gotha, Thüringen] (Augustiner Kirche); 1929 doctor of theology at the university at Jena [Jena, kreisfreie Stadt, Thüringen]; 1938 manager of Martin-Luther-Bundes at Erlangen; 1 May 1943 retirement, however until 1958 active as "official stand-in" in Nord-Bayern; 1949 part-time lecturer of Old Testament theology at Erlangen; 1962 doctor honoris causa of theology
Karl Zimmer 1911 - 1920	Karl Zimmer was born 7 Jan 1863 at Mirau colony (parish Ludwigsthal, Gouvernement Cherson) [Ludwigsthal, Kreis Aleksandrovsk, Gouvernement Jekaterinoslaw, Südrußland], son of Johannes Zimmer, cabinet maker (Tischler). He died 19 Oct 1939 at Rohr [formerly Rohr, Neckarkreis, Württemberg; 1942 incorporated into Stuttgart, Stadtkreis Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg] near Stuttgart. He married Julie Amalie Nilsson l5 Sep 1892 in the Krim [Crimea]. She was born 31 Jul 1870 at Pernau, daughter of watchmaker (Uhrmacher) Fredrik Nilsson and Alide Amalie Jürgens. She died 4 Sep 1921 at Baku of typhus. 1882-1883 teacher at Kronsdorf (parish Grunau) [Grunau, Kreis Aleksandrovsk, Gouvernement Jekaterinoslaw, Südrußland]; 5 Sep 1884 mission institution at Basel [Basel, Halb-Kanton Basel-Stadt, die Schweiz (Switzerland)]; 13 Jul 1890 ordained at Ludwigsburg [Ludwigsburg, Neckarkreis, Württemberg]; 1891-1904 pastor at Elisabethtal (Gouvernement Tiflis); 1904-1908 Riebensdorf (Gouvernement Voronez); 1908-1911 Schöntal (Gouvernement Samara); 1911-1919 Paulskoje (Gouvernement Samara); from 1918 only still in the colony Nieder-Monjou; 1919-1921 Reinwald-Starica (formerly parish Reinhart / Ossinowka); Jul-Dec 1921 at Baku; 1921- 1923 Annenfeld (formerly Gouvernement Elisavetpol); 1923-1925 Alekseevka (formerly Gouvernement Elisavetpol); 1924 naturalized in Baden [Baden-Württemberg]; from 1926 in church service in Baden, substituting at Tennenbronn, Pforzheim, Liedolsheim, Hemsbach; 1928-1931 Zaisenhausen; 1931 retired; lived in Freiburg and Rohr near Stuttgart and from 1937 Mauersheim near Ludwigsburg [all locations in Baden-Württemberg]
Johann Heinrich Seydlitz 1918 - 1927	Johann Heinrich Seydlitz was born 16 Aug 1889 at Schaffhausen (Gouvernement Samara), son of Gustav Seydlitz, colonist, and Marie. He died after 1937. He married Katharina (Ivanovna). secondary school at Samara; 1913 student of history-philosophy; 1913-1916 theology at Dorpat; 1916 examination at Petrograd [St. Petersburg (1703-1914), Petrograd (1914-1924), Leningrad (1924- 1991), St. Petersburg (1991-present)]; 1918-1927 pastor at Paulskoje (Gouvernement Samara, Wolga Wiesenseite); 1927-1935 Zürichtal (Krim) [Crimea]; arrested, lived after 1937 at Feodosija [Ukraine] free, without office
Ernst Boese 1928 - 1935	Ernst Albert Boese was born 17 Aug 1893 at Vojtovec (Podolien) [Podolia], son of Robert Boese, farmer (Bauer), and Auguste. He married ... Pfeffer from St. Petersburg. secondary school at Nemirov; 1914-1916 student of theology at Dorpat; until 1928 preaching seminary at Leningrad; 1928 ordained; 1928-1935 pastor at Paulskoje (Wolga); arrested and sentenced to exile for 10 years

Copyright © 2004 by Steven Grau.