My
Grandmother, Rosina Opp (Walker)
b.
1880 Glueckstal, Russia
d. 1959 Ashley, North Dakota
Daughter
of Daniel F. Opp
Granddaughter
of Johann Friedrich Opp
Great
Granddaughter of Urban Opp
Since
I grew up in Alaska, I only met my grandmother a couple of times before
she
passed
away in 1959. However, I remember, very clearly, her peddle sewing
machine which sat in the
dining
room. I also remember her making wonderful donuts for my little sister
and myself and the
beautiful
little frilly dress she made us. This Glueckstal research is dedicated
to you Grandmother.
Today, Glueckstal
is called Glinnoye (also called Hlinaia), Republic of Moldova
Moldova is located
between Romania and the Ukraine & has been independent of Russia since
1991
The star shows where
Glinnoye, Moldova is located.
Glinnoye is in the
TransDniester region of Moldova
Latitude 47.2281
Longitude 29.4150 Elevation 111 feet.
It is a sparsely populated
area, with about 7,000 people within 7 kilometers of Glinnoye.
History of the
Glückstal Colonies
Because of friction with the Armenians and other factors, the government decided to resettle the Germans by having them trade places with the Moldavians of the Village of Glinoi, 10 versts from the Dniester, northeast of Grigoriopol. The resettlement took place in the spring of 1809 and founded three additional villages in 1809-1810. The four colonies thus founded were: (1) Glückstal 1809 (2) Neudorf 1809 (3) Bergdorf 1809 (4) Kassel 1810. The first three were close together; Kassel was about 15 versts to the south.
In addition to Württemberger, who formed the largest group among the Glückstal Colonists, there was a large group of Alsatians and smaller numbers from Baden, the Palatinate, and various other parts of Germany. All were Protestants, the majority Lutheran, a minority Reformed.
Although the Glückstal Colonies had lost some of their people through migration to Bessarabia in the years 1843-1847 (where they settled in Hoffnungstal), the population of the four villages quadrupled in the first half century, from 1770 at the founding to 6,890 in 1860. The first daughter colony was founded in 1855, several others in the following decades. Among them were the following: east of Kassel, between Kassel and Bolshoi-Kuhalnik: 1. Klein Neudorf 2. Klein Glückstal, 3 Neu-Glückstal (Zibuljewka) 1860 4. Neu-Kassel, near Glückstal 5. Klein Bergdorf 1867 6. Krontal & Neu-Glückstal (Woltschanowka) 1889. There were others as well..."
Info
taken from: From Catherine to Khruschev, The Story of Russia's German's
by: Adam Giesinger
American Historical Society of Germans from Russia
Lincoln, Nebraska
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