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Date Posted: 19:43:56 10/16/07 Tue
Author: Francis John Befort
Subject: Re: The Descendants of Heinrich Befort
In reply to: Michael Jeremiah Heart 's message, "Re: The Descendants of Heinrich Befort" on 19:42:33 10/16/07 Tue

Johannes Krannawitter, BORN 1731, Wiesbach, Germany, Occupation: farmer, Baker, MARRIED c. 1766, Elisabeta Sattler, BORN 1738, Germany. Johannes died c. 1782, Obermonjou, Russia. Johannes and Anna Elisabeta arrived in Obermonjou 3 AUGUST, 1767. He listed his place of origin as Weisbach, Germany and his occupation as baker. He stated that he was a Catholic. His youngest daughter Katharina was born in 1779. He was not listed in the register of Obermonjou residents compiled in 1785. This would indicated that he died sometime between 1779 and 1785. Elizabeta: When Anna Elisabeth and Johannes arrived in Obermonjou in 1767, she states she was 29, indicating that she had been born about 1738. In the 1798 census of Obermonjou, she stated that she was 57, indicated that her year of birth had been about 1741. After Johannes died, she married Johannes Neulist. She and Johannes Neulist had not children of their own but adopted Christian Minrad (Meinrad), an orphan from Solothurn (Wittmann).
Children
Margareta Krannawitter BORN 1768.
Gerhard Krannewitter, BORN 1770.
Katherina Krannewitter, BORN 1770, Russia. When the 1798 census of Obermonjou was taken Katherina was living at the house of her mother Anna Elizabeta Sattler and stepfather Johannes Neulist

Second Generation

Margareta Krannewitter, BORN 1768, Obermonjou, Russia, MARRIED JoSEPTEMBERf Nurnberger, BORN 1767, Russia, Occupation: Farmer, DIED Russia. Josef: When the 1798 census of Obermonjou was taken, Josef and Margareta were living at the house of Josef's mother Anna Maria Hartman, 68, and her second husband Wilhelm Seib, 53. It was noted in the census that Josef's father was Valentine Nurnberger, Deceased
Children
Margareta Nurnberger, BORN 1794, Obermonjou, Russia
Katherine Nurnberger, BORN 1797, Obermonjou

Gerhard Krannewitter, BORN 1770, Obermonjou, Russia, Occupation: farmer, MARRIED Russia, in 1794, Dorotea Wagner, BORN 1776, Russia, (daughter of Friedrich Wagner and Barbara Dinkel) Gerhard died after 1850, Obermonjou, Russia. Gerhard was the only son of Johannes Krannawitter and Elizabeta Sattler. When he 1798 census of Obermonjou was recorded Gerhard and his wife Dorotea Wagner were residing at the house of her parents Friedrich Wagner, 70, of Paninskaya (Schoenchen), and Barbara Dinkel, 69. Next door to them was the house of (Anna) Elisabeta Sattler and her second husband Johannes Neulist, Dorotea: Doroteas was probably born in Paninskaya (Schoenchen).
Children
Nikolaus Krannewitter, BORN 1795.
Franz Krannewitter, BORN 1800
Peter Krannewitter, BORN 1802
Sebastian Krannewitter, BORN 11 JULY 1800
Johannes Kranewitter, 1812
Margaret Krannawitter, BORN 10-DECEMBER-1818
Barbara Krannewitter, BORN 1821, Obermonjou, Russia. In the 1834 Obermonjou census Barbara, 13, was listed in the house of her parents Gerhard and Dorotea (sic) Krannewitter.
Third Generation

NIkolaus Krannewitter, BORN 1795, Obermonjou, Russia, Occupation: Farmer, MARRIED in Obermonjou, Russia, Anna Margaret Gabel, BORN Volga Colonies, Russia, DIED Obermonjou, Russia, bur. Obermonjou, Russia. Nikolaus died Obermonjou, Russia. Nikolaus, oldest son of Gerhard Krannewitter and Dorotea Wagner, was listed in the 1798 Obermonjou census, Nicolas (sic) Krannewitter, 21, was living at the house of his parents in 1816. He, his wife Margaretha (sic), Kranewitter when the 1834 Obermonjou census was taken. The 1850 census of Obermonjou noted that he had died in 1836, unmarried
Johannes Krannawitter, BORN 1822.
Franz Krannewitter, BORN 1824
Anton Krannewitter, BORN 1829, Obermonjou, Russia, MARRIED in Russia, Mrs. Anton (Juliana) Krannewitter, BORN 1830, Russia. In the 1834 Obermonjou census, Anton, 5, was listed with his parents Nicolaus (sic) and Margaretha (sic) Krannewitter. In the 1850 Obermonjou census, Anton, 21 was recorded with his wife, Juliana, 20. No further information is available.
Maria Elizabeth Kronewitter BORN 20 JUNE 1833.

Franz Kranewitter, BORN 1800, Obermonjou, Russia, Occupation: farmer, MARRIED in Russia, Mrs. Franz (Margaretha) Krannewitter, BORN c. 1799, Russia. Franz died 1848, Russia. In the 1816 Obermonjou census, Franz, 16, was residing with his parents Gerhard and Dorotea (sic) Krannewitter. At the time of the 1834 census, Franz was enumerated with his wife Margaretha and their children. In the 1850 census he was noted as having died in 1848.

Children
Nicolaus Krannewitter, BORN 1823
Johannes Krannewitter, BORN 1825
Catharina Krannewitter, BORN 1827, Obermonjou, Russia.
Adam Krannewitter, BORN 1832.

Gerhard Krannewitter, BORN 1827, Obermonjou, Russia, MARRIED Mrs. Gerhard (Christina) Kranewitter, BORN c. 1830, Russia, DIED Russia. Gerhard died Obermonjou, Russia. In the 1834 Obermonjou census Gerhard, 7, was listed at the house of parents Sebastian Krannewiter and Catherine (Brehm). In the 1850 Obermonjou census, Gerhard, 23, was listed with his wife Christina, 21. He is referred to in a n 1878 letter from Anton Boos to his son-in-law Adam Kranewitter of Valle Maria, Argentina, Adam was Gerhard's brother.
Children
Anna Margaret Kronewitter BORN 10 AUGUST 1856.

Rosa Kranewitter BORN Valle Maria, Entre Rios, Argentina, MARRIED in Argentina, Juan Santiago Brehm, BORN Argentina, DIED Argentina. Rosa doed Valle Mira, Entre Rios, Argentina, bur. Valle Mira, Entre Rios, Argentina.
Children
Amelia Florinda Brehm BORN 14 SEPTEMBER 1927
Venicio Brehm

Amelia Florinda Brehm, BORN 14 September 1927, Argentina, MARRIED 25 April 1955, in Argentina, Carlos Wendler, BORN 18 FEBRUARY 1920, Valle Maria, Argentina, (son of Clemente Wendler and Ana Dobler) Occupation: Letter carrier. Carlos: Carlos is retired from the post office and lives in Parana, Entre Rios, Arfent ina. He has 3 granddAUGUSThters and 1 grandson
Children
Lillian Wendler, BORN Argentina
Raquel Wendler, BORN Argentina

Verico Brehm MARRIED 1971, in Argentina, Lilia Carmen Kranewitter, BORN 18 AUGUST 1946, Colonial Alvear, Argentina, (dAUGUSThter of Jose Kranewittter and Angelina Lell).
Children
Sergio Brehm, BORN Argentina
Gabriel Brehm, BORN Argentina
Claudia Brehm, BORN Argentina

Krannewitter BORN 1827, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, MARRIED Mrs. Gerhard (Christina) Kranewitter, be. c 1830, RUSSIA, DIED RUSSIA. Gerhard DIED in OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. In the census Gerhard, 7, was listed at the house of parents Sebastian Krannewitter and Catherina (Brehm). In the 1850 OBERMONJOU census, Gerhard23, was listed with his wife Christina, 21. He is referred to in an 1878 letter from Anton Boos to his son-in-law Adam Kranewitter of Valle Maria Argentina. Adam was Gerhard's brother.
children: Anna Margaret Kronewitter BORN 10 AUGUST 1856.

The BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST is an alphabetical arrangement of every source used to compile this book. The list includes books, booklets, Magazine articles, Internet Websites, death records, published and unpublished family histories, private correspondence, census, and other records.
The last section of this book is a surname index which consists of an alphabetical list of the surname KRANNAWITTER have already been discussed in this introduction. The reader will notice that in many instances in this book there are also several spellings for certain given names--for example, Catherine, Catharine, Catharina, Katharina, Catalina, etc. The reason for this is that each given name is presented as it was spelled in the record that it was extracted from, as are the surnames.
Gerhard Krannewitter born 1827, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, MARRIED Mrs. Gerhard (Christina) Kranewitter, be. c 1830, RUSSIA, DIED RUSSIA. Gerhard died in OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. In the census Gerhard, 7, was listed at the house of parents Sebastian Krannewitter and Catherina (Brehm). In the 1850 OBERMONJOU census, Gerhard, 23, was listed with his wife Christina, 21. He is referred to in an 1878 letter from Anton BOOS to his son-in-law Adam Kranewitter of Valle Maria Argentina. Adam was Gerhard's brother.
Children: Anna Margaret KRONEWITTer born 10 AUGUST 1856.
Generation 1
DESCENDANTS OF JOHANNES AND ANNA ELIZABETH (SATTLER) kRANNEWITTER,
1. Johannes Krannewitter born 1731, Weisbach, Germany, Occupation: Farmer, MARRIED c. 1766, Elizabeth Sattler, born c. 1738, Germany. Johannes DIED c. 1782, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. Johannes and Anna Elizabeth arrived in OBERMONJOU 8/3/1767. He listed his place of origin as Weisbash, Germany, and his occupation as baker. He stated that he was a Catholic. His youngest dAUGUSThter Katherine was BORN in 1779. He was not listed in a register of OBERMONJOU residents compiled in 1785. This would indicate that he died sometime between 1779 and 1785. Elizabeta and Johannes died, she MARRIED Johannes Neulist. She and Johannes Neulist have no children of their own but adopted Christian Minrad (Meinrad), an orphan from Solothurn (Wittmann).
Children:
Margareta Krannewitter born 1768
Gerhard Krannewitter born 1770
Katherine Krannewitter born 1779, RUSSIA. When the 1798 census of OBERMONJOU was taken Katherine was living at the house of her mother Anna Elizabeth Sattler and stepfather Johannes Neulist.
Second Generation
Margareta Krannewitter born 1768, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA MARRIED Josef and Margareta were living at the house of Josef's mother Anna Maria Hartman, 68, and her second husband Wilhelm Seib, 53. I t was noted in the census that Josef's father was Valentine Neuberger, DeceasedIED
Children
Margareta Nurnberger born 1794, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA.
Sebastian Krannewitter born 7/11/1800, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, Occupation: Farmer MARRIED Katherine Margareta Brehm, born c 1800 DIED 11/20/1873, RUSSIA. Sebastian died 7/11/1885, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. In the 1834 OBERMONJOU census Joseph, ONE month old, was listed with his parents, Sebastian and Catharina (SIS) Krannewitter. In the 1850 OBERMONJOU census, Joseph, 16, was again listed at his parent's house. In a letter written 8/14/1878, from Anton BOOS to his son-in-law Adam Krannewitter of Valle Maria, Argentina, Anton stated that Joseph was fine but that Joseph's wife had died a few weeks previously. No children were referred to in the letter.
Margaretha Krannewitter born 1839, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. In the 1850 OBERMONJOU census Maria margaretha, 11, was listed at the home of her parents Sebastian and Catherine Krannewitter. No further information is available.
Peter Kronwitter born 1860, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA: Farmer MARRIED c. 1880 in OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, Maria Dorothea BOOS, born 1858, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA (daughter of Anton BOOS and Katherine Margaret Schreiner) DIED 15-OCTOBERo1934, Volga Colonies, RUSSIA. Peter died 2-DECEMBER-1932, RUSSIA. Peter and his family moved to the U.S. in 1903. After living in the U.S. for 21 years Peter and his wife Maria Dorothea BOOS returned to OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA. Finding living conditions too difficult Peter and his wife attempted to return to the U.S. but got only as far as the Black Sea when Russian soldiers august up with them and took them back to OBERMONJOU. In 1931 Peter was imprisoned and sent to Siberia. In 1932 he retuned to OBERMONJOU where he died Maria died of starvation a few years later. He spelled his last name "Kronwitter."
Anna Margaret KRONEWITTer born 10 AUGUST 1856, OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, MARRIED Conrad BEFORT DIED 12 AUGUST. 1914, MUNJOR, Ellis Cnty., K.S. Anna died 1 AUGUST 1923, MUNJOR, Ellis Cnty, KS. Anna Margaret KRONEWITTer BEFORT's death records list her father as Gerhard KRONEWITTer (sic) and her mother Christina, no maiden name was given. Anna Margaret and her husband Conrad BEFORT moved to the U.S. in 1876. Informant (Barbara STEINBOCK).

Many books and papers about other Volga German families and their descendants, have been published over the last fifty years, and are treasured documents for not only the serious researcher, but also those with a passing interest as well. This book is one the descendants of one KRANNAWITER left Germany to go to RUSSIA.
While every effort has been made in this compilation to provide accurate and complete information, endeavors to acquire additional facts and details from both the United States and European sources continue. Any omission of person (s), places, or events that deserve inclusion be rein is purely unintentional.
This is the story of a Volga-German family named KRANNAWITTER. In the chapters which follow, I have attempted to trace the development of the family from the 1766 migration to RUSSIA, through the four-generation sojourn along the Volga River, to migration to America.
While gathering genealogical information for this book, I have had the opportunity to contact many members of this family living in different parts of the U.S., in Canada, and in Argentina. I have also corresponded with members of this family who remained in RUSSIA. During my research, I have come across six different ways of spelling the surname among my relatives; Krannewitter, as spelled in the original RUSSIAN censuses; KRANNAWITTER, as spelled by members of my own family; Kronewitter, as spelled by cousins descended from my great-uncle; Kronewitter, as spelled by cousins in Colorado. Kronewitt; as spelled by relatives in Canada; and Kranewitter, as spelled by relatives in Argentina and by relatives who stayed in RUSSIA. Members of all these families have contributed information making this book possible. Biographical sketches detail the lives of selected people from these different families and areas.
Attention is also devoted to the hundreds of unrelated American and European families who bear surnames similar to KRANNAWITTER--with such spellings as Kronawitter, Kronawetter, Kranebitter, Cronenwett, Kronebitter, Kronenwett, Kronewetter, and Kranawetter.
Finally, maps and photographs provide a visual representation of the places and people referred to. I certainly enjoyed putting it together.
This book is the end result of years of research into the origin and dispersal of the KRANNAWITTER family. This INTRODUCTION contains a brief description of the twelve chapters and two final sections of this book.
Within each chapter, in the even that any information was obtained from published material or from correspondence with official agencies, the particular source is cited Much of the data used in this genealogical report was also taken from personal letters and family records; these sources, too, are duly cited All of the sources used to compile this book, including those not specifically cited within the chapters, aware recorded in the bibliographic list at the end of the book.
The author wishes to express her sincere gratitude to all the people who made this report possible. Any omissions or mistakes are unintentional. Special care has been given to citing all the people responsible for the compilation of this work.
The members of the KRANNAWITTER, Kronewitter/Kronwitter/Kronewitt/Kranewitter families that came to America from the Volga-German colonies in RUSSIA were among thousands of ethnic Germans from RUSSIA who emigrated in search of freedom from 1875 up to the time of the RUSSIAN Revolution. The variant spellings of the KRANNAWITTER surname evolved as family members who had moved to different parts of North and South America gradually lost contact with each other.
In the earliest RUSSIAN records, the name was spelled KRANNAWITTER. All the American spellings that eventually developed differed slightly from this original version. Later in this introduction, more attention will be given to the subject of the dispersal of this family and different spellings that ensued For the make of simplicity, in this report the surname will be referred to generically as KRANNAWITTER unless a specific family with an alternative spelling is being discussed
Evidence seems to indicate, although not incontrovertibly, that the KRANNAWITTER family that migrated to the Volga colonies of RUSSIA originated in Wiesbach, a small German village in lowered Bavaria situated about 50 miles northeast of Munich. (See figure 29.) Chapter one of this book, WIESBACH, LOWER BAVARIA< GERMANY; THE PROBABLE PLACE OF ORIGIN OF THE VOLGA-GERMAN IMMIGRANT JOHANNES KRANNEWITTER (1731-EA. 1782), ANALYZES THE RESEARCH that led to this tentative conclusion (Pleve 1998).
According to records contained in Catholic parish archives in Germany, Adam Kronawitter and his wife Anna _______-were parents of Michael Gronawitter (the surname was spelled differently even in the same baptismal entry.), baptized 3 MAY, 1731, at the church serving the parish of Obertrennbach, where Weisbach was locateDIED The entry stated that Adam Kronawitter was a dragonet in the army (presumably the Bavarian army) and had been stationed at Mitterfels, a town about 40 miles north of Weisbach and about 20 miles east of the city of Regensburg (Mai (Dr. Paul) 1998). The Catholic archives referred to aware the only sauce of records of so early date in Germany.
Johannes Krannewitter was the name of the man who migrated from Germany to RUSSIA, as listed in the roster of the original settlers of the Volga-German colony of OBERMONJOU, where he settled in 1767. Upon arrival at the colony on AUGUSTUST, 1767, he stated that he was 36 years of age, that he was a Catholic, that he was from Weisbach (Germany), and that he was a baker by trade. Anna _______-, his wife, was 29 years of age (Pleve 1998).
The author corresponded with the directors of the diocesan archives that house Catholic parish records were the only records kept in these towns in the early years. The only Weisbach that had records of any KRANNAWITTER (or any other similar spelling of that surname) families living in close proximity was the village mentioned above.
Michael Gronawitter, baptized in 1731--according to records in Weisbach, Lower Bavaria--would have been 36 in 1767, as Johannes Krannewitter indicated that he was when he settled in OBERMONJOU in 1767. In German naming practice at the time of Johannes Krannewitter's migration, men were often given two names and would refer to themselves in official documents by either or both of these names. It is highly plausible that Johannes and Michael were one and the same. Johannes Michael was a common given-name combination. Since the Catholic Church in OBERMONJOU available for that early a date, it is impossible to verify this claim using those sources (Pleve 1999). Only circumstantial evidence can be used to provide further support for the assumption that Johannes and Michael was the same person. Particularly
relevant is the fact that the information about Johannes Krannewiter's place or origin was extracted from the list of the first settlers of OBERMONJOU (PLeve 1998).
The place of origin was extracted from the list of the first settlers of OBERMONJOU (Pleve 1998). The place of origin named in this source is by and large more specific and more reliable than that listed in the other principal source of information about the early German migrants to the Volga colonies; the Ivan Kuhlberg records, which were ship passeWASINGER lists prepared in 1766 when the first-settlers list is usually the place of birth, which makes it easier to find a connection in Germany (Schmidt 1998).
At any rate, thanks to early RUSSIAN census records an unbroken line can be traced from Johannes and Anna Krannewitter to most of the families descended from the MARRIED Dr. Igor Pleve, who is on the faculty of Saratov State University and is an expert in Volga-German research, and the American Historical Society of Germans from RUSSIA (AHSGR) based in Lincoln, Nebraska, have been instrumental in providing information drawn from these early censuses. The AHSGR has published 1798 census data for OBERMONJOU and for the other Volga-German colonies (Rye 1995; Pleve 1998). Chapter Two of this book, EARLY VOLGA-GERMAN RECORDS USED IN THIS GENEOLOGICAL REPORT, focuses on four early sources that were referred to during the research process; and it summarizes the information taken from these records. Later censuses, or "revision lists" of earlier enumerations, were taken in the years 1816, 1834, and 1850 (Mai (Brent) 1998; Pleve 1998; Rye 1995; Leiker 1999; Rupp 1999). From this RUSSIAN data and from death, census, church, family, and other records of family members who later moved to America, pedigree charts have been made fro three related OBERMONJOU families; KRANNAWITTER, DECHANT, and Brull; these charts are included in Chapter Two (See figures 1, 2, and 3).
A genealogical profile of KRANNAWITTER families living in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, RUSSIA, Kazakhstan, and Germany who aware descended from Johannes and Anna Elizabeta Krannewitter is contained in CHAPTER THREE,,AN ELEVEN-GENERATION REGISTER OF SOME OF THE DESCENDANTS OF JOHANNES AND ANNA ELISABETA (SATTLER) KRANNEWITTER. This chapter consists of a computer-generated report of eleven generations. All the sources used to compile this data aware included in the bibliographic list. Many of the families are traced through only a few generations.
Before discussing any more of the content of the book, the author would like to present an abbreviated history of the Volga German colonies and in this way provide a historical backdrop for the benefit of the reader. The information which follows was taken from two excellent books written about the Volga-German colonies: Wir Wollen Deutsche Bleiben, by George J. Walters, 1982; and The German Colonies on the Lower Volga, by Gottlieb Beratz, 1914, translated by Leona W. Pfeifer, Lavern J. Ripley, and Dona Reeves-Marquardt, edited by Adam GiesiWASINGER, all of whom worked in cooperation with the AHSGR (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).
The ancestors of the Volga Germans were among an estimated 27, 000 Western Europeans, primarily Germans, who migrated to RUSSIA from 1764 to 1767 upon the invitation of the RUSSIAN empress Catherine II, better known as Catherine the Great. The Catholic settlement of OBERMONJOU, which was the home of all the KRANNAWITTER families that later migrated to America, was one of 104 Mother Colonies--32 Catholic and 72 Protestant--established by these immigrants on both sides of the lower Volga River.
OBERMONJOU was one of 27 colonies founded in 1766 and 1767 by Chevailer Caneau de Beauregard, a native of Switzerland who directed a French company employed by the RUSSIAN government to recruit colonists. The subdivision in which these 27 colonies were located was called the Fief de Catherine. OBERMONJOU, which was named for the French recruiting agent Otto de Monjou, was founded 5 MARCH, 1767, by 82 families, including 160 males and 139 females, for a total of 299 (Stump 1978). OBERMONJOU was located about 40 miles northeast of the city of Sartov and was situated on the east side, or Wiesenseite (meadow side), of the Volga River. (See figure 30.) The west side of the Volga River was known as the Bergseite (hilly side) (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).
To temp the war-weary farmers, merchants, artisans, and soldiers of Germany and other European countries, Catherine the Great--a German herself--issued official edicts that offered free communal land, paid travel expenses, freedom of religion (as long as the people were Christians), freedom of self-government, and the opportunity to carry on one's particulate trade (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).
Upon arrival in Oranienbaum, a seaport near St. Petersburg, RUSSIA, the colonists--After a difficult land and sea journey from recruiting points in Germany--received the first of many setbacks they would encounter. They were informed by the RUSSIAN Commissar Ivan Kuhlberg, who served as Catherine's official spokesman to the settlers that they would all have to become farmers, regardless of Catherine and her immediate successors. These pan-Slavic circles had grown suspicious and envious of the prosperous Volga Germans, who lost the liberty to rule themselves, to instruct their children in the German language, and to avoid conscription into the RUSSIAN army. The abrogation of these concessions prompted the Volga Germans to take advantage of an escape clause in the second of Catherine's two manifestos of invitations: the right to quit RUSSIA at any time After paying a tax on profits made in the empire. One of the destinations this time, After careful consideration and exploration by a group of scouts appointed by the colonists, was North America--specifically the fertile Great Plains of the U.S. Others chose to migrate to South America, where they settled in Brazil and Argentina (Walters 1982).
Typical of the movement was the settlement of Ellis and Rush counties in Kansas, where between three and four thousand Catholic Volga Germans eventually locateDIED They founded the settlements of Herzog (Victoria), MUNJOR AND KANSAS, Katherinestadt, (Catherine), Liebenthal, Schoenchen, and Pfeifer (Walters 1982).
Several KRANNAWITTER families and individuals from OBERMONJOU are known to have migrated to America. The following paragraphs detail the dates of their arrivals, their ultimate destinations, and the different spellings of the surname they utilizeDIED The number in superscript between the immigrant's given name and surname indicate the number of his or her generation of descent from Johannes Krannewitter, the original Volga-German settler. The parentheses After the immigrant's surname enclose a complete list of the names and generation numbers of each of his or her
KRANNAWITTER ancestors leading up to Johannes Krannewitter. This is same pattern will be used throughout this book--except when the type must be single-spaced, in which event brackets will enclose the number of the generation of descent. Chapter Three, entitled AN ELEVEN-GENERATION REGISTER OF SOME OF THE DESCENDANTS OF JAHANNES KRANNEWITTER AND ANNA ELIZABETA SATTLER, contains a complete description of each KRANNAWITTER immigrant's family.
Brothers Johannes and Raymond KRANNAWITTER both move to the U.S. albeit at different times. Johannes came to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS as single man in 1876. One of the original settlers of MUNJOR AND KANSAS, Kansas, he later MARRIED Helen Leiker. Raymond came to Ellis county 1901 with his second wife Mary Krapp, son John KRANNAWITTER (who was Raymond's son by his first wife Maria Catherine DECEMBERHANT--John is the author's grandfather), and dAUGUSThters JULYia and Rosa Kronewitter (who were the oldest children of Raymond and Mary). Later, another dAUGUSThter, Katherine Kronewitter, and a son, JOSEPTEMBERHh Kronewitter, were BORN in the U.S. JOSEPTEMBERHh and his sisters spelled their name Kronewitter, as do their descendants today. Raymond's brother Johannes and his family migrated to the U.S. in 1901, they spent a short time in ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS; then they, too, moved to New Mexico where Raymond worked with his brother. In 1907, Raymond and his family moved back to Ellis County and settled near Schoenchen. Many years later, one of Johannes' sons, Michael KRANNAWITTER, also moved back to Ellis County and settled near Severin, located about five miles northwest of Catherine.
Stories
The rest of Johannes' children remained in New Mexico, but he and his wife also eventually returned to Ellis County where they settled in HAYS, the county seat (Pleve 1998; KRANNAWITTER (Michael J. 1993.)
Margareta KRANNAWITTER, widow of Johann Leiker, moved to MUNJOR AND KANSAS, ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, with her children in 1876. Her son, Peter Leiker, was one of the five scouts sent in 1874 by the Catholic Volga-German colonies to explore the possibilities of establishing settlements in the central plains of the U.S. (Pleve 1998; Leiker (Victor C. 1976.)
Magdalena Younger, widow of Franz Krannewitter, accompanied her daughter Barbara Krannewitter and Barbara's husband John Pfannnensteil to MUNJOR AND KANSAS, Kansas, by 1880. Franz was the brother of Johannes Krannewitter who was the father of Johannes and Raymond KRANNAWITTER, discussed above. (Pleve 1998; Meyer 1976).
Maria Elizabeth Krannewitter (Kronewitter) was the sister of Franz and Johannes mentioned in the paragraph above. She and her husband John ROHR also moved to MUNJOR AND KANSAS by 1880 (Pleve 1998; Meyer 1976).
In 1878, brothers Michael and Joseph Kranewitter--who were brothers of the U.S. immigrants Johannes and Raymond KRANNAWITTER discussed above--migrated to the province of Entre Rios, Argentina, with their adoptive parents Joseph and Catalina (Unrein) Wendler. They were among the founders of the Volga-German settlement of Marienthal (Valle Maria), located about 25 miles south of the city of Parana (Wendler 1990; Kranewitter (Vicente) 1990). Raphael
Kranewitter--who was probably the brother of Johannes, Raymond, Michael, and Joseph--remained in RUSSIA. His descendents are profiled in Chapter five (Dreher Katharina) 1995).
Adam Kranewitter and his family moved to Valle Maria, Argentina, in 1878. They were also among the founders of that settlement (Pleve 1998; Kranewitter (Vincent) 1990.
Johannes "Weisse" Kranewitter and his wife Margaretha C. Leiker migrated to Valle Maria in 1880. John Conrad Kranewitter and his family also migrated to Brazil in 1877 and then to Valle Maria in 1880 (PLeve 1998; Kranewitter (Vicente 1990).
Raymond Kronewitt moved first to ELLIS COUNTY, AND KANSAS, in 1902, and later to the Peace River valley of Alberta, Canada, in 1913. Raymond's aunt Anna Maria Krannewitter and her husband John Boos and their children migrated to Ellis County in 1892. Raymond Kronewitt's first cousins Peter and Frank Kronwitter moved to the U.S.--Peter in 1903 and Frank in 1904. Peter and his wife Dorothea Boos returned to RUSSIA in 1924 and DIED there. One of their daughters Anna Kron (e)witter and her husband John Dechant moved to the Peace River valley of Alberta in 1915. Peter's brother Frank Kronwitter and his family settled in Pueblo, Colorado. (See Chapter Five). (Pleve 1998; Krapp; 1986; Dechant 1987).
Present-day descendants of the five KRANNAWITTER/Kron(e)witter families who migrated to North America, the six Kranewitter families who migrated to South America and two of the Kranewitter families stayed in RUSSIA are listed in Chapters Four and Five.
Chapter four, current listings of related Volga-German families and individuals, as well as the many U.S. families that have variant spellings of the surname and do not have an obvious connection to the Volga-German families. The families are ranked according to the frequency of appearance of each particular spelling in the U.S. telephone directories or in other U.S. indexes. Also discussed are the areas in the U.S. where there are high concentrations of these families. Various IMMIGRATION records, the social security Death index, and listings found on the internet were also used to compile this data.
Chapter five, A FOCUS On RELATED KRONEWITT FAMILIES LIVING IN CANADA AND ON RELATED KRAANEWITTER FAMILIES LIVING IN ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN, AND GERMANY, provides up-to-date listings of the Kronewitt families in Canada, Kranewitter families in Argentina, and Kranewitter families who chose to remain in what later became the Soviet Union. The information for the American Kronewitt and Kranewitter descendents came from Internet directories. The information for the RUSSIAN Kranewitter descendants came from private correspondence. These RUSSIAN families underwent terrible ordeals to attain their present positions. Between 1876 and 1914, around 200,000 Volga Germans migrated to Siberia, the U.S. Canada, and countries in South America.
The number of Volga Germans that remained in what later became the Volga German Republic increased to around 600,000 in 1914. In 1912, the population of OBERMONJOU had reached 2,882. By 1926, it had fallen to 2,157, due largely to a deadly famine that had swept through the Volga colonies, which were already devastated by crop failures in 1920 and 1921. The previous disastrous effects of WWI and the resulting civil strife and anti-German sentiment added to the misfortunes of the German settlers. The tyrannical policies of Josef Stalin--brutally enforced by his communist cohorts, another widespread famine in 1932, the con scription of the young men of the towns into the Soviet army, and the banishment of property holders to prison camps all contributed to the steady Dechant line of OBERMONJOU and the other VoLGAerman towns. The final blow came during WWII when the German army was approaching the Volga region. Stalin, fearing collaboration of the Volga Germans with the enemy, ordered the banishment of the entire population in August, 1941, along with the abrogation of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the Volga Germans, which had been established in 1924. Some 390,000 Volga Germans, which had been established in 1924. Some 390,000 Volga Germans were resettled in Siberia and Kazashstan (Walters 1982; Beratz 1914).
Among those people resettled were several Kranewitter families. The author has contacted two descendants of these families: Vladimir Kranewitter and Katherine Dreher. Their story and the story of other relatives still living in RUSSIA and Kazakhstan aware recounted in Chapter 5, A FOCUS ON RELATED KRONEWITT FAMILIES LIVING IN CANADA AND ON RELATED KRANEWITTER FAMILIES LIVING IN ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN, AND GERMANY. Now that the RUSSIAN Government has eased restrictions on the German minority, more are trickling back to the former Volga German Republic near Savator. However, because the RUSSIAN economic situation is so bleak at the present time, many others are filling out the countless forms and submitting the endless documents necessary to immigrate to Germany. Katharina Dreher, mentioned above, and her family have joined the thousands of Volga Germans who have returned to their motherlanDIED
Chapter Six, OTHER FAMILIES WITH VARIANT SPELLINGS OF THE KRANNAWITTER SURNAME LIVING IN EURAOPE AND SOUTH AMERICA, contains statistics on the hundreds of families scattered throughout Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Paraguay who have different versions of the surname KRANNAWITTER. These families and individuals are not obviously related to the Krannewitter couple that settled in OBERMONJOU, RUSSIA, in 1767, Any concentration of families with a similar spelling of the surname is noted Sources for this information were also telephone directories found on the internet.
Chapter seven, A TRIBUTE TO WILFRED W. KRANNAWITTER (1924-1970), RADIOMAN SECOND CLASS, U.S.S. SARASOTA APA 204, WWII, IS A MEMORIAL to the author's father. Wilfred W. ("Willie") KRANNAWITTER served in the south Pacific at the end of WWII. His ship, the Attack Transport U.S.S. Sarasota APA 204, took part in the battle of WWII-- the Battle of Okinawa. This chapter includes an itinerary of all the ports of call and war-time duties of the Sarasota. Also included are photographs, a history of the Sarasota's post-war activities, and an artistic rendition of the ship itself. After the war, Wilfred bought land and went into farming and stock rising. He later fought a personal battle against the neurological disease Guillain-Barre Syndrome for 17 years before it claimed his life in 1970. (See figures 22-24).
CHAPTER EIGHT, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF TWELVE NOTED KRANNAWITTER, KRANEWITTER, KRONEWITT, AND KRONA WITTER INDIVIDUALS IN THE U.S., CANADA, ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, AUSTRIA, GERMANY, AND AUSTRIA, contains information about the lives of eight notable Volga-German relatives: three descended from the Kronewitt family that migrated to Argentina, and one descended from one of the Kranewitter families that remained in RUSSIA. Four unrelated but equally distinguished individuals are also treated: three with the surname Kranewitter and one with the surname Kroneawitter.

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