History of the Colony

Neudorf was founded in 1809 according to the Neudorf 1848 Chronicle and settled in the spring of 1810 according the Glückstal 1848 Chronicle. Mertens [Mertens, p. 424] gives only 1809, while Keller [Keller, vol. 1, p. 31] gives 1807, and 1809 is given in the Odessa Kalender [OdKal] beginning in 1896.

It is located in the Tschernenko Valley, which they referred to locally as the Karamonova valley. That is the Russian name for the village today. It is five versts north of Glückstal, 15 versts northeast of Grigoriopol, 45 versts from Tiraspol, and 250 versts from Cherson. Those who arrived in 1808 lived in the Liebental District until the spring of 1809. It is not clear whether they lived in Grigoriopol for any period of time. Glückstal was settled in spring of 1809, and they may have moved directly there from the Liebental District. The Glückstal 1848 Chronicle says they were settled in Neudorf in January of 1810.

The land assigned to the village contained three isolated farms (chutors), three wells, and one dessiatine of vineyards when the colonists arrived. Loans from the crown totaled 51,580 rubles for sustenance, 36,484 rubles for settlement, and 3,360 rubles for the purchase of seed. Most were day laborers and craftsmen, so the value of their possessions was estimated at only 500 rubles.

The Crown constructed 100 houses of stamped earth to accommodate the families, consisting of 490 individuals. The stone quarries were ten to twelve versts away, near the Dniester River, and by 1848 most of the stamped-earth homes had been replaced by larger stone buildings. An additional 64 homes had also been built, and stone walls and trees lined the streets. Councilor Rosenkampf rejected the name Neustadt proposed by the colonists in favor of Neudorf. By 1915 the village had three main streets, one side street and several connecting alleys. Low-lying parts of the village had become uninhabitable by then, damaged by standing water after rains.

Of the original 100 families – 259 males and 231 females – 28 families came from Württemberg, 37 from Alsace, 7 from the Rhine Palatinate, 11 from Baden, 2 from Saxony, 3 from Prussia, 11 from Hungary and 1 [sic, 2] from Warsaw [Duchy of Warsaw, Posen Province; arrived in 1814]. Thus, Neudorf was at least one-half Franconian. They traveled to South Russia without leaders. Eight more families arrived from Prussia in 1814, and three more from Galicia in 1815. By 1848 the population had increased to 208 families – 657 males and 589 females – despite the exodus of families to Grusinia in 1816 and Hoffnungstal, Bessarabia, in 1836-36. In 1915 the village still had 100 farmsteads , each with 60 dessiatines of land, but contained 301 farmyards in all (201 without land, beyond the farmyard) housing 1,896 individuals – 935 males and 961 females [Glückstal-1915].

Its 5,810 dessiatins of crown land were bordered by the Parkanovka estate on the east, the villages of Thomanov and Shippki on the south, Glückstal lands on the west, and Rehmanovka and Bergdorf to the north. The land owned had not increased by 1859, however the Odessa Kalender [OdKal] gives 7,195 dessiatins in 1896, and 7,196 in 1907,while the 1915 article in the Odessa Kalender [Glückstal-1915] gives 6,214 of crown land and 928 purchased land, for a total of 7,142 dessiatins. The lack of experience as farmers resulted in many difficulties here, as was also the case in the other Glückstal mother colonies The land to the east was good humus, while the rest of its land was humus heavily mixed with sand. Crops that thrived in 1848 were winter rye, winter wheat, lentils, barley, corn (raised for fodder), and potatoes. Other grains and vegetables were said to be less productive, and flax did poorly. The native woods were oak, ash, linden, alder, apple and pear. However, none were of significant size.

Mertens is correct in stating that Neudorf was a Protestant village [Mertens, p. 424], but he fails to note that it was the headquarters for a Reformed parish. Because Neudorf had a significant population of members of the Reformed faith, they were finally successful in receiving approval from the Crown to establish a Reformed Parish (including Kassel and Glückstal) on 4 January, 1861. In Neudorf a separate church and school building was constructed. The foundation of the building was laid in spring 1863, and it was completed by October 1864, with the prayer hall on the second floor and the school and teachers residence on the ground floor. The first church service was held 18 October 1864. The existence of double religious institutions was a constant source of conflict and a financial drain on the community, beginning with the construction of the Reformed church and school. Before 1915 there was a proposal for the construction of a new Lutheran school. The community fund at that time contained ca. 10,000 rubles, but in the vote of all the heads of households the two sides could not agree on an allocation for the school. An impasse was reached, and the funds were not approved. In 1915 the two schools had 365 students with five teachers.

More of this article can be found in [Glückstal-2004] pp. 81-92.

Read more about Neudorf in its 1848 Chronicle. 

By Homer Rudolf, 2009

Edited and updated by Sandy Schilling Payne, 2022