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VGI Updates

Brening, Alex & Sally Brening Everett

Alex Brening and his sister Sarah (Sally) Brening Everett founded their first restaurant in 1950 at 2600 Park Road in Lincoln, Nebraska, and began selling runzas, a traditional Volga German hamburger, onion, and cabbage mixture wrapped in dough. There are now over 80 Runza Restaurant locations in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Colorado. [Runzas are called by several different names, depending upon the traditions of particular Volga German families: runza, bierock, krautbierock, krautbrock, krautburger, etc.]

Dorndecker*

Johannes Dornhecker [sic] from Altenmittlau, son of the deceased Peter Dornhecker, married in Somborn on 1 June 1755 to Anna Maria Catharina Braun, daughter of Johann Wolfgang Christoph Braun from Neustadt on der Saale.

The baptism of several children born in Altenmittlau to Johannes Dorndecker & Catharina Braun are recorded in the parish register of Somborn: (1) Maria Anna, baptized 24 July 1757; (2) Sybilla, baptized 2 February 1761; and (3) Matthias, baptized 12 September 1763, died 1 March 1764.

Dettenheim, Kr. Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg

Dettenheim dates back to 788 and was located right on the banks of the Rhein River. Due to persistant flooding, all of the villagers moved in 1813 to a new location approximately sixteen kilometers south southeast and founded the town of Karlsdorf. Today, only a few buildings remain in the area that was previously Dettenheim (now called Alt-Dettenheim). The area of Alt-Dettenheim was merged in 1975 with the former municipalities of Liedolsheim and Rußheim into a new city called Dettenheim.

Kechter, Matthew Joseph

Matthew Joseph Kechter, son of Joe & Ann Kechter, was born 19 February 1983. Matt was one of the 13 victims of the Columbine High School massacre on 20 April 1999 in the Denver suburb of Littleton, Colorado. He was shot in the school library along with his girlfriend Kelly Fleming.

Matt's Volga German ancestors came from the colony of Walter.