Victoria, Ellis Co., Kansas
The first Volga Germans arrived from Topeka and established the town of Herzog on 8 April 1876, one-half mile north of the town of Victoria which had been founded in 1874 by Scotch-English immigrants. The two towns grew together and Herzog officially changed its name to Victoria in 1913.
Victoria's founders included the following families (along with the number of people in the family):
from Katharinenstadt
Justus Bissing (7)
Frederic Karlin (4)
Peter Karlin (3)
Jacob Karlin (3)
Frederic Koerner (10)
from Kamenka
Jacob Lang
Joseph Stremel
Michael Meder (2)
Mathias Urban
from Pfeifer
Christopher Stegmann
from Herzog
Andrew Billinger (3)
Alois Dreiling (7)
Anton Dreiling (8)
Nicholas Dreiling (7)
Hammerschmidt (9)
Nicholas Dreiling (5)
John Götz (7)
John Kreutzer (2)
Michael Rome (2)
John Sander (7)
Michael Storm (6)
John Van der Dunkt (2)
Ignatius Vonfeld (2)
Ignatius Weigel (4)
from Beauregard
Jacob Arnholt (5)
from Ober-Monjou
John Geist (5)
John Jacob Geist (5)
William Geist (4)
from Mariental
Anton Herrmann (5)
from Louis
Peter Quint (7)
from Marienburg
Paul Dinges
from Liebental
Jos. Braun (5)
Franz Weber (11)
John Kreutzer (2)
John Lechleiter (5)
Michael Lechleiter (3)
John Peter Schaefer (3)
Peter Schaefer (3)
from Graf
John Bollig (2)
The following Volga German families settled in and around Victoria, Kansas:
Amrein from Pfeifer
Arnholt from Beauregard
Bahl from Kamenka
Basgall from Rothammel
Bellendir from Köhler
Billinger from Herzog
Bissing from Katharinenstadt
Bittle from Wittmann
Bollig from Graf
Braun / Brown from Herzog
Braun from Liebental
Brungardt from Herzog
Dechant from Ober-Monjou
Degenhardt from Sewald
Denning from Herzog
Dinges from Marienburg & Wittmann
Dinkel
Domme
Dorzweiler from Katharinenstadt
Dreiling from Herzog
Eberle from Mariental
Engel from Ober-Monjou
Enslinger from Liebental
Geist from Ober-Monjou
Gerstner from Mariental
Glassman from Rohleder
Götz from Herzog
Graf from Louis
Hammerschmidt from Herzog
Heile / Heili from Graf
Heim from Pfeifer
Herl from Wittmann
Herrman from Mariental
Hertel from Ober-Monjou
Hoffman from Graf
Karlin from Katharinenstadt
Karst from Eckheim
Kisner from Pfeifer
Knoll from Herzog
Koerner from Katharinenstadt
Kreutzer from Herzog & Liebental
Kuhn from Herzog
Lang from Kamenka
Lauber from Mariental
Lechleiter from Liebental
Lederhos
Leiker from Ober-Monjou
Linenberger from Herzog
Meder from Kamenka
Meis from Katharinenstadt
Mermis from Herzog
Niernberger from Ober-Monjou
Paul from Louis
Pfeifer from Herzog
Quindt from Louis
Richmeier from Herzog
Rohleder from Rohleder
Rohr from Mariental
Rome / Romme from Herzog
Roth
Rupp
Sander from Herzog
Sauer from Zug
Schaefer from Liebental
Schamber from Louis
Schamne
Scheck from Herzog
Schmidt from Katharinenstadt
Schmidtberger from Herzog
Schumacher from Wittmann
Staab from Katharinenstadt
Stang from Volmer
Stegman from Pfeifer
Stoecklein from Zug
Storm from Herzog
Stremel from Kamenka
Suppes from Pfeifer
Therre from Herzog
Toepfer from Fischer
Urban from Kamenka
VonFeld from Herzog
Waldschmidt from Ober-Monjou
Walter from Katharinenstadt
Wassinger from Herzog
Weber from Liebental
Weigel from Herzog
Werner from Neu-Kolonie
Werth from Schönchen
Wiesner from Kamenka
Windholz
Younger from Herzog
- Appelhanz, Isadore. The Volga-Germans in Topeka, Kansas, 1875-85. Topeka: privately published, 1992.
- The Golden Jubilee of the German-Russian Settlements of Ellis and Rush Counties, Kansas. Hays, KS: privately printed, 1926.
- Laing, Francis S. "German-Russian Settlements in Ellis County, Kansas." Kansas Historical Collections 11 (1910), 489-528. [Online]
- First Catholic Cemetery (used from 1873-1899).
- 1920 U.S. Census, Ellis Co., Kansas
A-F, G-K, L-R, S-Z
- Founding Settlers of Herzog (St. Fidelis)
- Saint Fidelis Cemetery (findagrave.com)
Herzog, Kansas (1905)
Source: Standard Atlas of Ellis County Kansas (Kansas Historical Society)
Victoria, Kansas (1922)
Source: Standard Atlas of Ellis County Kansas (Kansas Historical Society)
Surving Group of Original Immigrants
Victoria, Kansas (1926)
Source: Golden Jubilee Booklet
Victoria Panorama (1926)
Source: Golden Jubilee Booklet
St. Fidelis Catholic Church, the friary, St. Joseph Grade School, and St. Fidelis High School.
Victoria, Kansas (1928)
Source: Charles Brungardt
Victoria Arial Postcard
Source: CardCow.com
Herzog (pre-1910), looking NW from the church or school.
Source: Charles Brungardt
Main Street in Victoria (1910).
Source: Charles Brungardt.
Pioneer Statue in Victoria
Source: Golden Jubilee Booklet