The Schwab Family

Citing this biography: Boyd, Michelle, "The Schwab Family," article, Olive and Eliza, last accessed [current date]."

Two Schwab families from Eichstätt, Bayern, Germany appear on the First Settlers List of Semenovka (Roethling), Kamenka, Saratov, Russia, both arriving 24 July 1767. The heads of the households could have been brothers since one was 24 and the other 18 in this list.

An unknown couple from Germany could have had the following sons:

Caspar Schwab, born about 1747 or 1749, probably in Eichstätt, Bayern, Germany, married Katharina Ritz, died 1829.

Matthias Schwab, born about 1743 or 1747, probably in Eichstätt, Bayern, Germany, married Maria Anna Bassian, arrived in Russia on Die Perle from Luebeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany 13 September 1766, settled in Semenovka (Roethling), Kamenka, Saratov, Russia in 1767, paralyzed by 1798, died in 1819.

Wife: Maria Anna Bassian, b. abt. 1749.

Children: Johann Caspar Schwab, Phillip Schwab (m. Anna Elisabeta Ortman), Anna Maria Schwab (m. Heinrich Pfeifer), Magdalena Schwab (m. Adam Lambrecht), and Anna Margareta Schwab.

Matthias, his wife Maria Anna, and Caspar arrived in Russia on Die Perle from Luebeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany 13 September 1766. A Bernhard Schwab also arrived on this day on this vessel, along with his wife Susanna Maria and her mother Catharina, but he's listed as coming from Fulda, not Mainz.

Summary of Sources

Pleve, Igor, List of Colonists to Russia in 1766: Reports by Ivan Kulberg, Saratov, Russia: Saratov State Technical University, 2010, p. 395.
Pleve, Igor, Einwanderung in das Wolgagebiet 1764-1767, Band 4 (Kolonien Reinhardt - Warenburg), Göttingen: Nordost-Institut, 2008.
Kholmatov, Bachtiar (trans.), No. 2838, The 1798 Description of the Saratov colony of Semenovka, No. 119, Lincoln, NE: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1996.
Rye, Richard (trans.), Extracts from the 1834 Census of the German Colony of Semenovka, Lincoln, Nebraska: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1996.

Source Materials

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List of Colonists to Russia in 1766

13 of September 1766.
Public colonists, arrived from Luebeck by the Luebeck's
Galliot "Die Perle" with the Skipper Thomson

Schwab Mathias, Cath., farmer from Mainz, doc. No. 6256, wife: Marianna.

...

Schwab Caspar, Cath., farmer from Mainz, doc. No. 6259, single.

Source: Pleve, Igor, List of Colonists to Russia in 1766: Reports by Ivan Kulberg, Saratov, Russia: Saratov State Technical University, 2010, p. 395.

First Settlers List

Kolonie Semenovka
(deutscher Ortsname: Rötling)
gegründet am 24. Juli 1767

28. Schwab, Matthias, 24, kath. Ackerbauer aus Kurmainz, Eichstätt?
Frau: Maria Anna, 18
Sohn: Johann Caspar, 3
in der Kolonie eingetroffen am 24.7.1767
erhalten vom Vormundschaftskontor in Saratov 15 Rbl., 2 Pfd., 1 Unterwagen, 2 Achsen, 2 Gabeldeichseln, 1 Krummholz, 1 Fimmerstrang, 18 Sažen' Seil, 1 Spaten, 1 Sense, 1 Pflugschar
1768 gab es in der Wirtschaft 2 Pfd.

30. Schwab, Caspar, 18, kath. Ackerbauer aus Kurmainz, Eichstätt?
Frau: Katharina, 20
in der Kolonie eingetroffen am 24.7.1767
erhalten vom Vormundschaftskontor in Saratov 15 Rbl., 2 Pfd., 1 Unterwagen, 2 Achsen, 2 Gabeldeichseln, 1 Krummholz, 1 Fimmerstrang, 18 Sažen' Seil, 1 Spaten, 1 Sense, 1 Pflugschar
1768 gab es in der Wirtschaft 2 Pfd.

Source: Pleve, Igor, Einwanderung in das Wolgagebiet 1764-1767, Band 4 (Kolonien Reinhardt - Warenburg), Göttingen: Nordost-Institut, 2008.

Semenovka Census, 4 Oct 1798

Register made for the Office [Kontora] of Immigrant Oversight by Deputy of the Chief Justice, Court Counsellor Popov, in the colony of Semenovka, listing the male and female foreign residents, their ages, which males between the ages of 16 to 60 years are able to work, and remarks by the colonists about the colony, by personal observation. October 4, 1798.

No.	Names of Foreigners	Age	No. of Souls		Able or not to work		Remarks
			M	F	Y	N
7.	Kasper Schwab	51	1		1
	wife Katherina Ritz	51		1
	son: Bernhard	20	1		1
	daughters:
	Margareta	17		1
	Katherina	12		1
	Maria Eva	14		1
35.	Matthias Schwab	51	1			1	paralyzed
	wife Maria Anna Bassian [?]	50		1
	son: Philip	27	1		1
	wife Anna Elisabetha Ortman [Ortmann, Orthmann]	23		1
	sons:
	Philip	3	1			1
	Andreas	2	1			1
	daughter: Magdalena	1		1
	daughter: Anna Margareta	15		1

Register made for the Office [Kontora] of Immigrant Oversight by Deputy of the Chief Justice, Court Counsellor Popov, in the colony of Semenovka, listing those foreigners who have departed the colony for various places and those widows and maidens given in marriage. October 4, 1798.

No.	Who, where left colony	When (yr.)
13.	Anna Maria, daughter of Kasper Schwab, married Johannes Kisner [Kissner, Kistner] in Gnilushka [Pfeifer]	1796

Register made for the Office [Kontora] of Immigrant Oversight by Fellow of the Chief Justice, Court Counsellor Popov, in the colony of Semenovka, indicating the number of workers, livestock and fowl in each family, the crops planted in the autumn of 1796 and the spring of 1797, and the harvests therefrom.*

No.	Head of Household	Workers	Livestock				Fowl
			Horses	Cows	Sheep	Swine	Geese	Turkeys	Ducks	Chickens
7.	Kasper Schwab	2	8	10	8	9	4			16
35.	Matthias Schwab	1	5	10	15	13				20

No.	Planted in 1796 and 1797
	Rye		Wheat		Barley		Oats		Millet		Peas		Potato
	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C
7.	2	7	3	1		5	3	2		1			1	7
35.	2	4	3	6	1		3			1			2

No.	Harvests of grain, potatoes and tobacco 1797
	Rye		Wheat		Barley		Oats		Millet		Peas		Potato		Tobacco
	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C	¼	C	Pood
23.	17		22		5	2	8	4	3	2			6	2
35.	18	4	30	2	6	2	22	4	7	4			20

* ¼=chetvert, C=chetverik.

Source: Kholmatov, Bachtiar (trans.), No. 2838, The 1798 Description of the Saratov colony of Semenovka, No. 119, Lincoln, NE: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1996.

Semenovka Census (Extracts), 1834

11. Christian Schwab age 59 Rosina age 63 12 persons in family

66. Matthias Schwab - died 1819
son: Philip age 63 6 persons in family

130. Kasper Schwab - died 1829

son: Bernhard age 56 Anna Maria age 44 9 persons in family

Source: Rye, Richard (trans.), Extracts from the 1834 Census of the German Colony of Semenovka, Lincoln, Nebraska: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1996.