Alexander Braun oral history
Creator: Keckeisen, Sara J. (Sara Ellen Judge)
Date: 2006
An oral interview with Alexander Braun conducted by Sara Keckeisen. He was born July 10, 1923 in Wernersdorf the Ukraine the son of Peter and Katharina (Braeul) Braun. After World War II, Mr. Braun fled west from the former Soviet Union. Eventually he immigrated to Canada (1949) on contract with the Canadian Government to work as a miner in Northern Quebec. After years of persistent attempts, in 1953 he was able to come to the United States from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, to join his wife and her parents in Kansas. Alexander worked in auto body repair. He later was employed by the Kansas Neurological Institute (KNI) and the State of Kansas as a Master Electrician before his retirement in 1991. These are long clips. The first clip is sixty-three minutes, the second is seventy-three minutes. A searchable transcription of the interview is available by clicking on Text Version below.

Bottle of turkey red wheat
Date: 1974
Glass bottle containing turkey red variety of wheat seed. Charles Goebbel, of Burlingame, Kansas, purchased this bottle in 1974. That year residents of Goessel, Kansas, sold these bottles to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the introduction of turkey red wheat in Kansas. According to legend, German Mennonites emigrating from Russia first planted hard winter wheat in Goessell in 1874. Turkey red proved highly adaptable to the Kansas climate and provided greater yields than any previous variety.

C.B. Schmidt to Colonel A.S. Johnson
Creator: Schmidt, C. B.
Date: June 09, 1877
This letter is from C.B. Schmidt, foreign agent for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad to Colonel A.S. Johnson, Acting Land Commission for the Santa Fe Railroad. Schmidt writes about the prospect of foreign immigration coming to the United States in the near future, mostly focusing on the number of Mennonites and other Russo-Germans expected to immigrate. Page 7 of the letter contains a statement of land sales to "Foreigners from the U.S. and Canada" and "Foreigners from Europe Direct. It covers the time period February 15, 1873, through May 30, 1877. Sales are grouped by Germans, Austrians, Scandinavians, French, Russo-Germans, Dutch, and Swiss. It shows the number of acres and the amount of income by group.

C.B. Schmidt to Colonel A.S. Johnson
Creator: Schmidt, C. B.
Date: March 23, 1875
This letter is from C.B. Schmidt, foreign agent for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad to Colonel A.S. Johnson of the Land Commission. Schmidt writes about stopping in Prussia to get information on the local Mennonites and what their feelings are on immigrating to the United States.

Dean Bosserman's map of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County
Creator: Bosserman, Dean L., 1901-1977
Date: 1910
A map drawn by Dean Bosserman showing creeks, school houses, churches and quarries of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County. Dean also includes a history of Lincoln township, focusing on Germen-Russian settlement. This is one of several maps drawn by school children for a contest organized by Judge J. C. Ruppenthal of Russell, Kansas. The maps were to meet a "requirement of presenting historical data, together with excellence and accuracy of drawing."

Ed Schwerdt interview
Creator: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. Northeast Kansas Chapter
Date: December 6, 2017
Frank Jacobs and Gary Ubert interviewed Ed Schwerdt (b: 11 May 1924 in Topeka, Kansas), son of George J. Schwerdt (b: 27 Sep 1897 in Kamenka, Saratov, Russia d: Jan 1990 in Topeka, Kansas) and Mary Christina Melchior (b: 09 Nov 1900 in Topeka, Kansas m: 03 Jul 1923 in St Joseph Catholic Church in Topeka, Kansas) The interview was conducted at Ed Schwerdt's home in Topeka, KS on December 6, 2017. This publication was funded in party by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

Ferdinand Deines' map of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County
Creator: Deines, Ferdinand, 1897-1980
Date: 1910
A map drawn by Ferdinand Deines showing creeks, school houses, churches and quarries of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County. Ferdinand also includes a history of Lincoln township, focusing on the settlement of Germen-Russians at the end of the 19th century. With this map, he won the 4th prize of fifty cents in the 1910 map contest. This is one of several maps drawn by school children for a contest organized by Judge J. C. Ruppenthal of Russell, Kansas. The maps were to meet a "requirement of presenting historical data, together with excellence and accuracy of drawing."

Harvesting wheat, Ellis County
Date: Between 1900 and 1915
Alex Schumacher and his brothers, Volga-German immigrants, use a steam powered threshing machine to harvest wheat near Munjor, Kansas.

Henry Rein and Katharina (Katie) Rein
Creator: Star Studio
Date: Between 1905 and 1907
This is a photograph of Henry Rein and Katharina (Katie) Rein. They are the children of George Rein Sr. and Eva Elizabeth Lass Rein. Henry Rein was born October 20, 1888, and Katharina (Katie) Rein was born December 31, 1891. They were born in Friedenfeldt, Russia.

Isadore (Ike) Appelhanz interview
Creator: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. Northeast Kansas Chapter
Date: August 2017
Frank Jacobs and Gary Ubert interviewed Isadore (Ike) Appelhanz on August 23, 2017 and August 28, 2017 at his home in Topeka, Kansas. Ike Appelhanz is the descendant of Jacob Jay Kautz Appelhanz (b: 08 Dec 1889 in Rothammel, Saratov, Volga, Russia; d: 06 Nov 1971 in Topeka, Kansas) and Barbara Marie Hefner (b: 27 Jul 1893 in Topeka, Shawnee, Kansas., USA; d: 25 Dec 1960 in Topeka, Kansas). This publication was funded in party by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

Jacob E. Diel's map of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County
Creator: Diel, Jacob E., 1897-1939
Date: 1910
A map drawn by Jacob E. Diel showing creeks, school houses, churches and quarries of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County. Jacob also includes a short history of Lincoln township and describes the first settlers and the German-Russian colony that settled there. He documented the wildlife and the construction of stone houses as well. This is one of several maps drawn by school children for a contest organized by Judge J. C. Ruppenthal of Russell, Kansas. The maps were to meet a "requirement of presenting historical data, together with excellence and accuracy of drawing."

John Reb interview
Creator: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. Northeast Kansas Chapter
Date: 2017
Frank Jacobs and Gary Ubert interviewed John Reb (b: 26 Dec 1927 in Topeka, Kansas). John Reb's parents John Reb (b: 23 Mar 1886 in Kamenka, Russia; d: 16 Aug 1959 in Topeka, Kansas; buried in Topeka, Kansas and Maryanna Schmidt (b: in Pfeifer, Russia) were married om 23 Apr 1907 in St. Joseph Catholic Church in Topeka, Kansas and resided in Ellis, Ellis County, Kansas. The interview took place at John Reb's residence in Topeka, Kansas. This publication was funded in party by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

Konrade family interview
Creator: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. Northeast Kansas Chapter
Date: 2017
Frank Jacobs and Gary Ubert interviewed Wilfred (Will) Jacob Konrade (b: 24 Nov 1928 in Topeka, Kansas), his daughter Valerie Konrade (b: 25 Jun 1953), and his brother Woodrow (Woody) Konrade (b: 03 May 1931 in Topeka, Kansas) in Topeka, Kansas, in 2017. Wilfred and Woorow's parents, Jacob J. Konrade (b: 15 Jan 1884 in Pfeifer, Saratov, Russia; d: 22 Apr 1963 in Topeka, Kansas) and Elisabeth Burghardt (b: 06 May 1889 in Pfeifer, Saratov, Russia; d: 10 Oct 1975 in Topeka, KS) were married on 15 Feb 1909 in Pfeifer, Saratov, Russia. The interview was conducted in Wolfred Konrade's home in Topeka, Kansas. This publication was funded in party by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

Little Russia Community in Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Booth, Norman C.
Date: July 28, 1951
This black and white photograph shows the aftermath of the 1951 flood in the Little Russia community in Topeka, Kansas. The extremely heavy rains during June and July caused some of the greatest flooding ever seen in Kansas history. These high waters affected all the area river basins of the Kansas, Neosho, Marais des Cygnes and Verdigris Rivers. There is a panel station wagon on the right side of the image.

Map of foreign settlements in Kansas
Creator: Carruth, William Herbert, 1859-1924
Date: 1894
W. H. Carruth compiled this map of foreign settlements in Kansas. The map is included in the Ninth Biennial Report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, Vol. XIV. It shows the locations of foreign settlements of Germans (including Russian Mennonites); Scandinavians; French and Italians; Irish, Welsh and Scotch; and Bohemians and Hungarians.

Mennonite Couple
Date: 1870s or 1880s
This black and white photograph shows an unidentified Mennonite couple dressed in traditional Mennonite clothing. Like many Mennonites in the 1870's, they were lured to Kansas by railroad advertising campaigns that promoted the sell of productive farmland and exemption from military service on religious grounds. With these incentives for settlement and religious freedom, Mennonites immigrated toward Marion, Harvey, and McPherson counties to buy lands owned by railroad companies. In these close knit and sometimes isolated communities, German Russian customs and strong religious beliefs were maintained for several decades.

Peter Stecklein and other German-Russians
Date: 1874
This is a photograph of Peter Stecklein, Jacob Ritter, Nicholas Schamme, Peter Leiker, and Anton Wasinger. They came to the United States in 1874, to investigate lands in Ellis and Rush Counties for German-Russian settlements.

Ralph Deines' map of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County
Creator: Deines, Ralph, 1899-1975
Date: 1910
A map drawn by Ralph Deines showing creeks, school houses, churches and quarries of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County. Ralph also includes a history of Lincoln township, focusing on the settlement of Germen-Russians at the end of the 19th century. This is one of several maps drawn by school children for a contest organized by Judge J. C. Ruppenthal of Russell, Kansas. The maps were to meet a "requirement of presenting historical data, together with excellence and accuracy of drawing."

Reminiscences of foreign immigration work by C. B. Schmidt and others
Creator: Schmidt, C. B.
Date: 1876-1939
Documents about the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway's work to bring Mennonites and other immigrant groups to settle on railroad land in Kansas. Seven documents are included: (1) Reminiscences of foreign immigration work, address by C. B. Schmidt at the Fourth Annual Convention of the Colorado State Realty Association held at Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 20 to 23, 1905; (2) Mennonites were lured to Kansas by shrewd immigration agents, article by Cecil Howes from the "Kansas City Times" Nov. 24, 1939; (3) A. L. Johnson's letter to Thos. Nickerson dated August 10, 1876, advising that the Mennonites who arrived in Kansas with Bishop Goddert are looking for land; (4) What has been done for the State to induce immigration - the results of the work of the A.T.&S.F. Railroad Co., and how a continued effort is made useless by an obnoxious prohibition law and its chief promoter, the State's own governor, from the "Topeka Commonwealth" by C. B. Schmidt, Gen'l European Agt., A.T.&S.F. R.R., July 23, 1881; (5) Kansas City, Topeka, Land Grant, Hutchinson to Dodge City, excerpts from "Die Santa Fe Und Sud-Pacific Bahn In Nord America" by Robert von Schlaginweit, Cologne, Germany, 1884; (6) Description of the Swedish settlement, Pawnee Rock, in the upper Arkansas Valley in Southwestern Kansas of the United States, by C. B. Schmidt; (7) Descriptive data relating to the Atchison land grant, brochure with map issued by the Land Commissioner of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company, 1893.

Russia-German settlements in the United States
Creator: Sallet, Richard
Date: Between 1910 and 1940
Excerpts from Richard Sallet's history of Russian-German settlements in the United States, focusing primarily on Kansas. Sallet was the editor of the Dakota Free Press and paid special attention to Germans in the United States who were born in Russia and their descendents.

Six gun to 61
Creator: Kansas. Centennial Commission
Date: 1960
This film by the Kansas Centennial Commission commemorates 100 years of Kansas statehood with an overview of Kansas history. The twenty-five minute film begins with the Louisiana Purchase and ends with President Eisenhower's speech in Abilene, Kansas, in 1959. The film was produced by the University of Kansas Television-Film Center with assistance from the Kansas Historical Society, and it was written and directed by Robert D. Brooks and J. William Walker.

Volga-German Golden Jubilee, Hays, Kansas
Date: 1926
This is an unidentified band in the Volga-German Golden Jubilee celebration in Hays, Kansas.

Willie G. Boxberger's map of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County
Creator: Boxberger, Willie G., 1896-1988
Date: 1910
A map drawn by Willie G. Boxberger showing creeks, school houses, churches and quarries of Township 15 South, Range 14 West, Russell County. Willie also includes a history of Lincoln township, focusing on German-Russian settlement at the end of the 19th century. This is one of several maps drawn by school children for a contest organized by Judge J. C. Ruppenthal of Russell, Kansas. The maps were to meet a "requirement of presenting historical data, together with excellence and accuracy of drawing."