Celebrating 250 Years of Volga German Heritage
24-25 September 2016
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
As part of its seminar series in honor of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the German colonies along the Volga River in Russia, the Volga German Institute at Fairfield University sent Dr. Brent Mai, VGI Director, to speak at an all-day event in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 24-25 September 2016. A Celebration for the 250th Anniversaries for the colonies of Reinwald, Schäfer, Schulz, Krasnoyar, and Enders were featured during this event because of the large number of Volga Germans and their descendants who settled in the Sheboygan area.
Dr. Mai presented several sessions:
- Introduction to Volga Germans and their Heritage
- The Geography of the Volga Germans
- Sheboygan's Connection to the Volga Germans
- Migration to the United States
- Volga German Colony Histories: Reinwald, Schäfer, Schulz, Krasnoyar, and Enders
During the evening banquet, Dr. Mai was the featured speaker on the topic of "Who Are the Volga Germans: The Famous and the Infamous."
The following Sunday morning, Dr. Mai was the guest Adult Bible Study Speaker on the topic of "Faith of Our Fathers: Church Architecture on the Volga" at Trinity Lutheran Church. That afternoon, Brent provided one-on-one research assistance to those with specfic roadblocks in their genealogical research.