A novel about the establishment of the German colonies along the Volga River near Saratov in the 18th century and the development of these colonies through the 19th century and up to the point of the Russian Revolution, drawn from historic source material.

"Hardship to Homeland" recounts Volga Germans' unique story in a saga that stretches from Germany to Russia and across the Atlantic. In 1763, Russian empress Catherine II invited Europeans to immigrate. Colonists became Russian citizens, yet kept their language and culture, founding 104 Volga River communities. By 1871, facing poor economic conditions and an army draft, 100,000 Volga Germans poured into the New World, eventually spreading throughout the Pacific Northwest and influencing agriculture, religion, politics, and social development in their new homeland. First published as "The Volga Germans" in 1985, this revised and expanded edition offers a new introduction and collection of folk stories illustrated by Jim Gerlitz.

Includes stories from the author's family and childhood as well as family recipes.

Folklore, social life and customs of ethnic Germans who returned to former settlements near the Lower Volga River in Russia following the Second World War.

A rich and fascinating exploration of the Volga--the first to fully reveal its vital place in Russian history The longest river in Europe, the Volga stretches over three and a half thousand km from the heart of Russia to the Caspian Sea, separating west from east. The river has played a crucial role in the history of the peoples who are now a part of the Russian Federation--and has united and divided the land through which it flows. Janet Hartley explores the history of Russia through the Volga from the seventh century to the present day. She looks at it as an artery for trade and as a testing ground for the Russian Empire's control of the borderlands, at how it featured in Russian literature and art, and how it was crucial for the outcome of the Second World War at Stalingrad. This vibrant account unearths what life on the river was really like, telling the story of its diverse people and its vital place in Russian history.

The Mueller family, descendants of the Germans who settled the Volga River area in Russia in the mid-1700s, turn to America to escape Russia's enforced military service. Told through the eyes of twelve year old Eva, the story chronicles the hardships of their travels by land and sea to America and their resettlement on the Kansas plains.