Johann Heinrich Kraus, son of Stoffel Kraus, was born 27 June 1734 in Spielberg. Johann Heinrich married there to Maria Barbara Bartholomeus, daughter of Johannes Bartholomeus, on 6 March 1755. Maria Barbara was born on 12 October 1732, also in Spielberg. Their son Georg Friedrich was also born in Spielberg on 24 August 1755.
Shmakovo was originally founded by Old Believers (one of the branches of the Russian Orthodox Church) before 1766.
Following the deportation decree of 28 August 1941, Volga Germans from the colony of Gnadenflur were resettled in Shmakovo. At the end of World War II, "captured Germans" were settled in this area as well.
On 21 July 1953, Shmakovo was administratively merged with Zalesovo.
Volga German families settled in and around Vale, South Dakota.
The first Volga German colonists arrived in the area that became Alexanderdorf in 1843. In February 1852, a group of them petitioned local authorities for pemission to establish a colony north of the fortress of Nalchik.
Over the years there were many families who moved back and forth between the Volga German colonies and Alexanderdorf.
All of the German-speaking inhabitants of Alexanderdorf were subject to the 28 August 1941 Deportation Decree, and were forceably resettled to Central Asia or Siberia during the first weeks of September that year.
Andre Geim, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, was born 21 October 1958 in Sochi, Russia, to Konstantin Geim and Nina Baier, both of whom are engineers. He was educated at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) and the Institute of Solid State Physics of the Russian Academy of Science.
Johann Benzel was born in the Volga German colony of Kolb. He was one of the scouts selected to come to North America in 1874 to investigate opportunities for the Volga Germans to immigrate to the United States. He and the other scouts traveled by train to Hamburg, Germany, where they boarded the SS Schiller. They arrived at Castle Garden in New York City on 15 July 1874.
Heinrich Schwabauer was born in the Volga German colony of Balzer. He was one of the scouts selected to come to North America in 1874 to investigate opportunities for the Volga Germans to immigrate to the United States. He and the other scouts traveled by train to Hamburg, Germany, where they boarded the SS Schiller. They arrived at Castle Garden in New York City on 15 July 1874.
Georg Kähm was born in the Volga German colony of Balzer. He was one of the scouts selected to come to North America in 1874 to investigate opportunities for the Volga Germans to immigrate to the United States. He and the other scouts traveled by train to Hamburg, Germany, where they boarded the SS Schiller. They arrived at Castle Garden in New York City on 15 July 1874.
Georg Stieben was born in the Volga German colony of Dietel. He was one of the scouts selected to come to North America in 1874 to investigate opportunities for the Volga Germans to immigrate to the United States. He and the other scouts traveled by train to Hamburg, Germany, where they boarded the SS Schiller. They arrived at Castle Garden in New York City on 15 July 1874.
Christoph Meisinger was born in the Volga German colony of Messer. He was one of the scouts selected to come to North America in 1874 to investigate opportunities for the Volga Germans to immigrate to the United States. He and the other scouts traveled by train to Hamburg, Germany, where they boarded the SS Schiller. They arrived at Castle Garden in New York City on 15 July 1874.