Second book in my series on the German-Russians of the Volga Colonies. Explains development of Religion in pre-history Germany, and Religions daily influence on their lives. The chapters of this book cover the development of Religion in Germania from pre-history to 1760, the Budingen Connection, the First Hundred Years in the Volga Colonies, iluustrations of many of the Churches of the Volga Colonies, the changes decreed by Moscow from 1860 to around 1930. Bibliography and Endnotes included. 31 pictures. See all my books at www.Volga-Germans.com & www.DarrelKaiserBooks.com

This book identifies the hardships that the German-Russian colonists endured and overcame in the Volga colonies.

"Join me in this book as I stumble my way across das Mutterland to learn all I can about my maternal and paternal surnames, Karle & Kaiser, and my other forty-five ancestral surnames (Adolf, Andreas, Arp, Arnst, Becker, Bopp, Burbach, Dagenheim, Foht, Freund, Geringer, Grun, Hart, Heiland, Hermann, Hess, Heylmann, Hieronymus, Horn, Ikstadt, Kohler, Kramer, Lieders, Maurer, Michel, Neumann, Nicolausen, Nillmayer, Popp, Roth, Rudolph, Schaeffer, Scherer, Schiller, Schmiedt, Schneider, Schutz, Simon, Steitz, Trieber, Trippel, Vogt, Werner, Will, Zeichmann). Read how the Black Death, and the 30 Years and 7 Years Wars plagued them. Learn of the Catherine the Great "Scam" and its effect on the Volga Germans. Share their fear as the Russians close in. Travel with them to their new homeland in the Americas." Traces the origins of Karle & Kaiser from about 50,000BC. Covers DNA tracking, pre-German history, religion, the Volga life and villages, and escape to the Americas. Over 560 pages,200 pictures,80 maps.

The Volga Germans (German: Wolgadeutsche or Russlanddeutsche (a more generic term for all Russian Germans), Russian: поволжские немцы, romanized: povolzhskiye nemtsy) are ethnic Germans who colonized and historically lived along the Volga River in the region of southeastern European Russia around Saratov and to the south. Recruited as immigrants to Russia in the 18th century, they were allowed to maintain their German culture, language, traditions and churches (Lutheran, Reformed, Catholics, Moravians and Mennonites). This book identifies the hardships that our German-Russian ancestors endured and overcame in the Volga Colonies. The First Chapter covers their emigration to the Volga Colonies. The Second Chapter covers the Shock and Disappointment, Death Rate, Wild Weather, Sickness, and Food Shortages that they endured

"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.