In January of 1887, nineteen families from Huck immigrated to the region of Pehuajó Norte, in the southern part of Entre Ríos Province. The immigrants from Huck traveled through Saratov to Germany where they boarded a ship that took 28 days to reach Buenos Aires.
After three days in Buenos Aires they traveled again by boat to Diamante where they arrived at Aldea Protestante (Protestant Village). In this village, a former neighbor from Huck by the name of Herdt was living.
In Aldea Protestante, there was no land available for purchase by the newly arrived families from Huck and they were invited by a German diplomat, Johannes Spangenberg, to buy his land in Pehuajo Norte where he had an "estancia" (hacienda or large farm) with his brother Jacob. On this land called "Campos Floridos" (Flowery Prairies) three new villages were founded on 27 February 1889: San Antonio, Santa Celia, and San Juan.
The first 9 families on 27 February 1889 include:
(1) Georg Schimpf (47 years old) and his wife Sussana Elisabeth Steinbach with their 4 children: Georg Schimpf, David Schimpf, Jakob Schimpf, Anna Elisabeth Schimpf
(2) Georg Gaus (25 years old) and his wife Maria Elisabeth Schimpf with their son: Jakob Gaus (1 year old)
(3) Jakob Bauer (32 years old) and his wife Anna Maria Baumberger with their 5 children: Heinrich Bauer, Jakob Bauer, Johannes Bauer, Katharina Bauer, Katharina Elisabeth Bauer
(4) Heinrich Schimpf “Mühlenschimpf” (40 years old) and his wife Elisabeth Ziegler with their 3 sons: Heinrich Schimpf, Jakob Schimpf, Johannes Schimpf
(5) Georg Reichel (33 years old) and his wife Katharina Elizabeth Schimpf and their 3 daughters: Katharina Elizabeth Reichel, Maria Elizabeth Reichel, Sussane Reichel
(6) Heinrich Bernhardt (32 years old) and his wife Christine Winter with their 2 sons: Heinrich Bernhardt, Gottfried Bernhardt
(7) Gottfried Bernhardt (31 years old) and his wife Katharina Elizabeth Ziegler with their 3 children: Gottfried Bernhardt, Heinrich Bernhardt, Maria Bernhardt
(8) Wilhelm Eichhorn (? years old) and his wife Jakobi
(9) Johannes Riffel
On 25 May 1889, 3 more families arrived from the Volga colonies:
(10) Jakob Bauer (56 years old) from Balzer village and his wife Maria Katharina with 2 sons: Wilhelm Bauer (30 years old) and his wife Katharina Ruppert with 2 children: Heinrich Bauer and Anna Maria Bauer (both 2 years old), Christian Bauer
(11) Johannes Hild (30 years old) from Kutter and his wife Amalia Bauer with their son: Alexander (1 year old).
(12) Friedrich Schärer from a village of the Wiesenseite.
- Riffel, Jakob. Die Russlanddeutschen, insbesondere die Wolgadeutschen am La Plata (Argentinien, Uruguay und Paraguay). Festschrift zum 50 jährigen Jubileum ihrer Einwanderung (1878-1928) (published in 1928).
Aldea Santa Celia (blogspot)
Entrance to Santa Celia.
Source: Lorena Schultheis