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Serakhs, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan

As early as 1887, there were Volga German families who had migrated to the village of Serakhs in Turkmenistan, along the Iranian border.

Following is an exerpt of a narrative by Henry Kissler (born 26 September 1867 in Frank; died 26 January 1955 in Greeley, Colorado) about his family's move to Serakhs.  This family history of Henry & Katherine Kissler, Sr., was written in 1946 and submitted by Conrad Krening of Portland, Oregon, for the Winter 1986 publication of Das Frankerer Nachrichtsblatt.

Oberrüther (Norka)*

Johann Eckhard Richter and Anna Maria Oberritter, daughter of Lorenz & Anna Barbara Oberrüther, were married on 15 June 1766 in Büdingen. Anna Maria had been baptized on 31 March 1744 in Schlierbach (Brachttal, Hesse). It appears the original spelling of the surname was Oberrüther. Lorenz Oberrüther and Anna Barbara, the widow of Johann Fuchs, had been married on 26 March 1744 in Schleierbach.

Johann Eckhard & Anna Maria Richter arrived from Lübeck at the port of Oranienbaum on 19 July 1766 aboard the barque named Fortitudo under the command of Skipper John Scott.

Sauer, Peter (Ray Steele)

Peter Sauer, the youngest son of Conrad and Catharina Margaretha (née Glanz) Sauer, was born in the Volga German colony of Norka on 2 February 1900.  Following the death of his father, Peter immigrated to the United States in 1906 with his uncle and aunt,  Nicolaus and Christina (née Arndt) Sauer.  The settled in Lincoln, Nebraska.  His mother would later join him in America.

Sterkel, Harvey

Harvey Sterkel, son of Henry Sterkel & Pauline Mohr, was born 19 May 1934 in Denver, Colorado.

Harvey Sterkel was a fast pitch softball pitcher, playing for 21 years with the Sealmaster Bearings of Aurora, Illinois - including two world championships in 1966 and 1968.  Sterkel was inducted into the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame in 1981 and the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame in November 2002.

He died 21 October 2019 in North Aurora, Illinois.

Harvey's Volga German ancestors come from the colony of Norka.

Lipps (Messer)

Wilhelm Lipps, son of Wilhelm Lipps from Calbach, and his wife Elisabetha were married on 22 November 1764 in Mittel-Gründau. Wilhelm and Elisabetha had one child, Johannes, born 2 August 1765.

The family immigrated to Russia, arriving from Lübeck at the port of Oranienbaum aboard the English frigate Love & Unity under the command of skipper Thomas Fairfax on 4 July 1766.  They arrived in the Volga German colony of Messer on 18 June 1767 and are recorded there on the 1767 Census in Household No. 68.

Bäcker / Becker (Norka-1)

Anton Bäcker, son of Georg Bäcker, was born in Ronshausen on 3 November 1705. He married there to Anna Barbara Bachman, daughter of Georg Bachman, on 15 August 1728. She died in Ronshausen on 4 July 1761. They have one known son, Johann Georg, who was born in about 1729. He married Elisabetha Wingold, the daughter of Caspar Georg Wingold, on 19 April 1751, and they have two known children: (1) Johannes, born 11 May 1752, and (2) Elisabeth, born 24 November 1761.

Eisenhuth (Huck)*

Christian Eisenhuth and Anna Maria Repp, daughter of Johann Heinrich Repp, were married on 2 Mar 1757 in Hain-Gründau.  They have 3 known children: (1) Maria Elisabeth, born 9 July 1758 in Hain-Gründau; (2) Jacob, born 12 December 1760 in Hain-Gründau; and (3) Catharina Elisabeth, born 23 June 1766 and baptized at the church in Büdingen.

Repp (Huck)

Johann Jacob Repp, the son of Johann Heinrich Repp, was born on 10 March 1728 in Hain-Gründau. Maria Elisabeth Hirchenhaÿn, the daughter of Conrad Hirchenhaÿn, was born on 2 September 1734, also in Hain-Gründau. Jacob Repp and Elisabeth Hirchenhaÿn were married in Büdingen on 11 April 1766.

This couple immigrated to Russia, arriving from Lübeck at the port in Oranienbaum on 19 July 1766 aboard the snow-brig named Christina under the command of Skipper Jacob Stappenberg.

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