Warkentin and Draper Family History
The Mennonite Emigration from Prussia to Russia
The emigration list of the Molotschna Mennonite Pioneers
The Mennonite settlers traveled over one thousand miles from their homes in West Prussia to the area about 120 werst (80 miles) north of the Black Sea port of Berjansk, where the Molotschna colony was located. The original Molotschna settlers made their journey in small groups of covered wagons. A total of 162 families arrived at the Chortitza Mennonite settlement in 1803 and another 162 families came in 1804.
In contrast to the earlier Chortitza settlers the Molotschna pioneers made the entire journey from West Prussia to their new homes in Southern Russia by land. This journey of some 1000 miles took weeks to complete. The Molotschna pioneers, traveling over primitive roads in 1803, with wagon loads of possessions and herding their livestock, took an average of 5 to 7 weeks to complete their journey and sometimes up to 12 weeks.
Peter Isaac, the author of Stammbuch Meine Voreltern, states that his grandfather Franz Isaac and his grandmother's parents, Johan and Margaretha Warkentin traveled from West Prussia to Southern Russia by wagon train. He mentions that this wagon train consisted of two wheeled carts which were pulled by a horse. The most necessary belongings were loaded on the wagon and whoever could do so had to walk. Peter Isaac also mentions that his great-grandparents, Johan Warkentins, were quite well-to-do, and that they bought a double farm in the Molotschna village of Blumenort.
A number of the families who later joined the Mennonite Kleine Gemeinde already knew each other in Prussia. Peter Isaac reports that the following families had traveled together in one wagon train. His grandfather Franz Isaac; his grandmother Margaretha Warkentin and her parents the Johann Warkentins; the aged grandfather Isaac Loewen (1787-1873) and his parents the Isaac Loewens; and his oldest uncle by marriage Johan Toews together with his parents the Cornelius Toews' family. These were all prominent Kleine Gemeinde families.
They stayed in the Chortitza settlement for a year in order to complete arrangements to move to the Molotschna colony 60 miles away. The settlers who arrived in 1803 stayed until the following spring before moving to Molotschna.
The Molotschna settlement consisted of about 320,000 acres on the east bank of the Molotschna River, about 70 miles southeast of the Chortitza Colony. It was a rolling prairie covered with very high grass but absolutely no trees or shrubs.
Franz Isaac - "Not a single tree nor shelter was to be found at the new settlement location by the first pioneers, and consequently they had to camp under an open sky until they had prepared themselves a temporary shelter in whatever manner they found possible. The pioneers found that their land complex in many areas was occupied by Nogaier, who in fact did move on but remained adjacent. The Nogaier placed their dwellings, which were in the shape of beehives and covered with felt blankets, onto two wheeled wagons and hauled them to their new place of abode or lodging. (Ackerman, Burkut, etc.).
When the first groups of the Molotschna settlers had arrived at the Chortitz Colony in 1803 they elected Klaas Wiens, as their first leader. Using temporary homes as a base they then selected the locations where their first villages were to be built. Nine villages were established in 1804. These were Halbstaedt, Muntau, Schoenau, Fischau, Lindenau, Lichtenau, Blumstein, Munsterberg, and Altonau. Once the locations had been chosen the various groups of villagers selected the site of their village by lot. It appears that some of the settlers had previously decided to settle together. In other cases lots were drawn to determine in which village the immigrant would settle. Then the individual "wirtschaften" or village farms in the village plan were also divided among the settlers. A few of the more well-to-do families obtained a double "wirtschaft".
When Johann Warkentin and his family arrived he established and named the villages of Blumenort and Rosenort. He settled on a double farm (wirtschaft) as he was quite well off when he arrived.
