Schneider (Kraft-2)

Nicholas Schneider appears in the records of Steinbach, identified as the son of Jacob Schneider of Lich.  In 1758, Nicholas married in Lich to Anna Maria Becker, daughter of Johann Conrad Becker & Anna Catharina Reuschling. Anna Maria had been baptized 22 June 1735 in Steinbach. They had two children born in Steinbach, both of whom died as infants.

Nicholas is recorded in Steinbach as fleeing to Russia in 1766 "mit einer Dirne" - with a prostitute.

An entry in the Steinbach parish register records:

"Der Ehemann war geboren in Lich; vater, Jacob Schneider, Landreiter in Lich und war Soldat in Holländischen Diensten. Sie wurden in Lich getraut. Der Ehemann floh 1766 mit einer Dirne nach Astrachan-Russland . . .."

 [Translation: The husband was born in Lich; his father, Jacob Schneider, was a horseman and soldier in the Dutch military. He was married in Lich. The husband fled with a prostitute in 1766 to Astrakhan in Russia.]

A further entry records information about their children:

". . . vorehel. Catharina. Gibt zum Vater an Nicholas Schneider, einen Soldaten unter den Holländern, Jacob Schneider, Landreuters Sohn zu Lich. Sie hat als Magd beim Hrn. Pfarrer Adolphi zu Lich gedient, und ist auch daselbst unter Versprechung der Ehe geschwängert worden; der Kerl hat sie aber nachher nicht anders nehmen wollen, als wenn ihr Vatter 300 Gulden mitgeben können pp.; Soll zu Lich Kirchenstrafe (abgelegt) haben und zum heil. Amendmahl gegangen seyn, waren unsere Nachrichten - N.B. Sie hat vom Herrn Dec. Hölcker zu Lich nachher ein schriftliches Zeugnis gebracht, so hat alles seine gute Richtigkeit, ist auch mit dem Kerl ante partum daselbst ehelich copuliert worden." 

[Translation: ". . . premarital Catharina. Cites as the father a Nicholas Schneider, soldier among the Dutch, son of Jacob Schneider, horseman in Lich. She worked as a maid for Pastor Adolphi in Lich and was also impregnated there with a promise of marriage. The fellow, however, did not want to take her subsequently until her father could donate 300 Gulden pp. She is said to have given atonement in the church in Lich and to have been extended holy communion, that was our report. N.B. She later brought a written documentation from Mr. Hölcker (the pastor) in Lich, so everything is now correct and she even legally married the fellow before the birth of the child."]

Nikolaus Schneider, his wife Elisabeth, and son Johann Wilhelm (age 6) arrived from Lübeck on 14 August 1766 aboard a 2-masted merchant ship named Die Jungfer Frederika (The Maiden Frederika) under the command of Skipper Hans Christian Korsholm.

Nicolas Schneider, his wife Elisabeth, and son Johann Wilhelm (age 7) are recorded on the list of colonists being transported from St. Petersburg to Saratov in 1767.

They settled in the Volga German colony of Kraft on 18 August 1767 and are recorded there on the 1767 census in Household No. 61 along with Johann Heinrich [Eckhardt], Elisabeth's brother. [See Eckhardt Family.]

Nicholas is recorded on the 1798 census of Kraft in Household No. Kf56 along with a note that he has left Elisabeth Eckhardt, and while serving as the school teacher in Biberstein he married Maria Helzer from Norka, and they and their son are now living in Urbach.

The Oranienbaum passenger list records that Nikolaus Schneider was a button maker from the German region of Solms. The 1767 census records that he was a farmer from the German village of Lich in the Solms region.