DELIVERED AT THE SECOND REUNION ON AUGUST 6, 1939

Dear Friends, we have assembled here as members of the Unruh family circle primarily to get acquainted with one another; then also to remember those who have been called to their heavenly reward. In each family there is a certain heritage which is so easily forgotten in the rush and hum of life.

The Unruh family is of German descent. That is no disgrace. It is a disgrace to disown ones nationality whatever it may be. There are still many Unruhs living in and near Berlin, Germany. During the World War there was one Unruh holding the rank of a general in the German army. There was also a general "Von Unruh" living near Charlottenburg, Germany. This man has a family record which traces all the Unruhs from a military minded class of people. This record mentions one member of the family who joined a certain religious sect which did not believe in war. This was the Mennonite sect. Thus he was looked upon with contempt and scorn. His picture hangs draped on the wall of his ancestral hall. Most likely we are the descendants of this Unruh.

The early church records reveal that many personal names were recorded as they were commonly pronounced. Therefore we find that the name Ratzlaff was also written Ratzlaffen; Unrau, Unrauen and Unruh; Goerz, Goertz, and Goertzen; and Schmidt, Schmitten. However, there were two distinct families, the Unruhs who came from Germany and the Unraus who came from Holland. In these records not nearly enough care was taken to discriminate between these two family names. In our old church records their family names have been entered as Unrau or Unrauen. It is almost impossible to make a clear distinction in many cases.

There is a very interesting note found in our old church records namely that one of the Unruhs married a Jewess. This was often mentioned by our great-grandparents. Possibly there is a bit of Jewish blood in us. We are able to trace our family as far back as the sixteenth century.

The members of the Unruh family are scattered far and wide. Some are in what was once known as the Molotschna colony; some are in distant Siberia; some are in Canada in the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. The largest number, perhaps, are in the state of Kansas, here in the United States. They are found in all trades of life, although the majority are farmers and they are good farmers.

We should not forget that there was one of the Unruhs who went from Prussia to Poland when some of the Mennonites settled there. This accounts for the Unruhs who are found with the people who came to America from Poland. Since all contact with them was lost, they are not mentioned any more.

The Unruhs, as many other families, originally came from the Lutheran Church. When they became Mennonites they changed their faith with respect to taking oath, infant baptism, and their attitude toward war.

The name Unruh means restless. Just how the name originated is not known, but it must have been on account of their nervous disposition, a decided trait of the Unruhs.

Another note in the old records should not be omitted. One of our great-grandmothers was a Harpart. Of her and her family it is said that they were really outstanding Christians, and if she would not be saved then it would be almost impossible for anyone to get into heaven.

Today we look back upon grandparents and great-grandparents who are worthy of our respect. It is our duty and privilege to add in our lives and service to the good name of Unruh.

P. H. Unruh

A BIOGRAPHY OF PETER UNRUH AND A SHORT HISTORY

OF HIS DESCENDANTS

Delivered at the second reunion, August 6, 1939

It has been suggested that in addition to writing a biography of Peter Unruh, I also tell of some of the experiences of his descendants. I shall not try to name and trace his descendants since Mr. P. U. Schmidt is doing this very thoroughly. Finally, I must say that whatever I have written is not original but is the result of pooling the information I have secured through the kindness of Rev. P. H. Unruh, Mr. P. U. Schmidt, my uncle, Johann Schmidt, and my own grandmother, Mrs. Peter Schmidt.

Peter Unruh was born 153 years ago, September 2, 1786 in the kingdom of Prussia in the village of Konopot. He died in 1848 at the age of 61 years. Some of the small children here today belong to the sixth generation of his descendants. (There are five living of the seventh, generation.) He was the great-grandfather of Rev. P. H. Unruh. His first marriage took place in 1811, but his wife died an early death.

His second wife was Helena Harpart. Five children were join, namely, Katharina (Mrs. Peter Voth), Peter. David. Helena (Mrs. Peter Buller), and Heinrich.

In 1834 Helena Harpart died and he then married Helena Schroeder. The following four children were born into this union: Anna (Mrs. Heinrich A. Schmidt). Jacob, Cornelius, and Sara (Mrs. Johann Klassen).

Besides these three other children were born who died in infancy. One of Peter Unruhs ancestors was the only one of his family who left the Lutheran Church for which he was greatly despised as well as for refusing to take up arms. One of his brothers went to Poland and the others to Russia.

In 1812 Peter Unruh was still living in Prussia near Marienborg. In this year Napoleon invaded Russia and the fighting was so close to Marienburg that they experienced the trembling of the earth and the rising of the waves. When Napoleon returned with his shattered army he begged for food. The Mennonites gave him food, contrary to government orders.

Later Peter Unruh settled in Nicolaidorf in Russia about the same time that Alexanderwohl was built in 1821. The reason for settling in Russia was that years ago Czarina Catherine II had promised them eternal freedom from military service (meaning 100 years).

Their first year in Russia was very difficult since they had a total crop failure. In later years life in Russia was considerately better and most of the people were quite prosperous. At the time of the Mennonite emigration in 1874 there were 24,000 Mennonites in Russia. Sixty five of these villages constituted the Molotchna. Five of these settlements were located along the Bamschekrook River namely Rickenau, Firstenwerden, Alexanderwohl, Gnadenheim. and Friedensdorf. Some of the villages were; Hierschau. Landskrohm. Waldheim, Gnadenheim, and Steinfeld. As stated previously, our forefathers lived in Nicolaidorf.

The plan of a typical village was to have one wide street in the middle and a row of houses on each side. Their farms lay scattered five or six miles beyond the village. Their main crops were wheat barley, and rye.

During the busy season the men took their schnapps and bread and went to work before breakfast and stayed there several days- All traveling was either as, foot or on wagons. The nearest wheat market for these farmers was Berdejantz, a three day trip one way. Most of the time the Russians were hired to haul the wheat with oxen.

In such a village all the cows were put in one large common pasture and taken care of by a shepherd. In the morning this shepherd came down the street tooting his horn. When he came to the farther end of the street the farmers were through milking and they turned their cows into the street. The shepherd took care of them all day and returned them again at night.

All the gardens and front yards in these villages were uniform as prescribed by law. They were enclosed by yellow board fences. The top board was red, and wide enough so it could be walked on. Every village was governed by a "Schulte" and the "Ueberschulte" was the overseer of all the villages. He lived in the Hauptstadt. Letters were carried from one village to another and a census was taken at the beginning of each year.

But these years of prosperity and good government were not destined to continue forever. Catherine II's promise of 100 years of freedom expired in 1874 and was not renewed. This produced a panic and many conferences were called to decide whether they should emigrate instead of engaging in military service. Alexander II gave them ten years during which they could emigrate. The government was kind to them and asked them to stay. The people were prosperous, so the only issue at stake was the question of military service.

Finally two men were chosen, Herr Buller and Herr Sudermann, to inspect the land in America. They chose the region of Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas.

It was hard for them to leave Russia. All their property was sold at public auction at very low prices. The government had leased them the land for nothing so it was turned back to the government when they left. They were ridiculed and told the quickest way to go to America, which lay on the other side of the globe, was to dig a hole through the earth and jump down.

The whole village of Alexanderwohl left except two families, one on each end of the street. With them went many families that belonged to the Alexanderwohl Church and lived in other villages. Many others also joined the group. They crossed the Atlantic in eighteen days, traveling

in two ships. The Zimbria was a 1000 passenger ship and the other one was old and caught fire on the journey. It was finally destroyed when it was unloaded. Thus our forefathers landed in New York, stayed there one night and went to Lincoln, Nebraska. They stayed there a few weeks and moved to Topeka, Kansas. From here the Santa Fe land agents and the "Hausvater" inspected the land.

Two immigrant houses were built on the same section on which the Alexanderwohl Church now stands. Several companies were hired to build houses for the various families and they were completed about Christmas time. They immediately bought green wheat fields from the American farmers for five dollars per acre, so that they could have a harvest the first year. Then they proceeded to break the sod with oxen and woodbeam plows. They had a good corn crop the first year. Their main difficulties were learning the American language and getting used to American implements and farming methods. In Russia they had been permitted to use the German language. Their first schools were taught in English for three months and German four months.

It seems as if all the Unruhs came to America except Heinrich, a grandson of Peter Unruh, and an uncle of Rev. P. H. Unruh. Four of his children came to Canada after the war and the others are still in Russia. Those who stayed have suffered great persecution, and his son Heinz was exiled to Siberia. It is remarkable that none have been killed, although several have died of exposure.

After having lived here several years a few people have gone back to visit in Russia. Recently Rev. P. H. Unruh had occasion to go there. When he was in Berlin, Benjamin Unruh took him to a house where a noted general allowed them to enter a locked room and took at some pictures. They saw a picture of a man who had won fame and the pictures of his three sons were below it. Another picture near those was covered with black cloth. The general told them how each of the three sons had won honor and then asked them if they would like to see the covered picture. They consented; when it was unveiled it was a picture of that ancestor who left the Lutheran Church. The general explained that this man had been unfaithful to his country and to the state Lutheran Church and had joined the Mennonites. He hoped that some day he would come to his senses. So we are the descendants of a man who was unfaithful to worldly power and glory but extremely faithful to his best conviction and nobler things of life. All these sacrifices of being disgraced in Germany and leaving a prosperous Russia, were made in the name of a single great conviction.

Are we, his descendants, willing to continue sacrificing for the cause or are we content to enjoy our freedom made possible by the faith of our fathers, to forget our mission, and lose our identity?

Roland Bartel