In the spring of 1909, several German families from the Saratov Province settled in the vicinity of the Gorkunovs' estate on the banks of the Gorkunovo River. Among them were the families Schenkel, Schönhals, Rommel, and others. The settlement was originally called Schenkelskhutor but eventually became known as Gnadenfeld. Later, the village adopted the name of Gorkunovo.
The following Volga German families settled in Gorkunovo:
Rommel
Schenkel from Dönhof
Schönhals
- Бургарт Л.А. Из истории немецких поселений в Восточном Казахстане (нач. ХХ в. – 1941 г.), Усть-Каменогорск, 1999г.
- Бургарт Л.А. Немцы в Восточном Казахстане в 1941-1956 гг.: Депортация и жизнь в условиях режима спецпоселения. Усть-Каменогорск, 1997г.
- Бургарт Л.А., Алексеенко А.Н. Немецкое население Казахстана в коне XIX-ХХ вв. (по материалам всеобщих переписей населения 1897-1999 гг.), Усть-Каменогорск, 2002г.
- Горкуново (Russian Wikipedia)