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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.

Wilhelm Lipps, a farmer, his wife Anna, and son Johann (age 2¼) arrived from Lübeck at the port of Oranienbaum on 9 June 1766 aboard an English frigate named Love & Unity under the command of Skipper Thomas Fairfax.

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.

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.

Jakob Repp, a farmer, and his wife Maria arrived from Lübeck at the port in Oranienbaum on 19 July 1766 aboard a snow-brig named Christina under the command of Skipper Jacob Stappenberg.

Baker, Ron

Ronald Delaine Baker, son of Neil & Ranae Baker, was born 30 March 1993 in Hays, Kansas.  He grew up in Utica, Kansas, and played basketball for the Wichita State University Shockers (2012-2016).  He joined the NBA New York Knicks in August 2016 and also played for the Washington Wizards. In August 2019, Ron announced that he was going to play for CSKA Moscow.

In an article published 24 August 2021, the KWCH12 revealed that Mr. Baker was no longer playing professional basketball and had joined Ascension Via Christi’s Strategy and Business Development department.

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