A brief history of the John B. Goering – Jessie Schrag family through 1874, part IV

by Rannie

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Life in Volhynia/Russia

The Swiss-Mennonites in Volhynia organized themselves into four congregations. The largest group was in Edwardsdorf, including Johann Goering. When this group came from Michelsdorf, a number of families stayed behind. They moved from Michelsdorf in 1837 to establish the village of Horodischtz. Some of them later bought farms from the Dutch-Prussian Mennonites who left for Molotschna colony, establishing the new village of Waldheim. Johann Goering was born here on April 7, 1850. Some families from Edwardsdorf founded a small village near Dubno, called Sahorez. They eventually rejoined the group in Kotosufka. These villages were within traveling distance of each other, and there was lots of visiting between towns and considerable intermarriage. This contact and their common background from Switzerland helped to mold this group into a distinct ethnic group – the Swiss Volhynians. They spoke a south German dialect which had become modified through the years to become a distinct Swiss-Volhynian dialect.

Church life: Each of the four congregations signed the Amish statement of faith. The Gemeinde, or congregation, was led by a Vorstand (church board) consisting of ministers, deacons and Vorsänger (song leader). Vacancies were filled by nominations and selected by lot. Both men and women were allowed on the Vorstand. The Elder was elected from among the ministers, and held the office for life. Church services lasted two or three hours, consisting of singing, reading the scriptures, sermons and testimonies. Songs were often quite long with many verses, sung very slowly. At first they sang from the Ausbun, the Anabaptist hymn book. Later they had songbooks with notes and sang in parts.

The teachings stressed that they were a chosen people, separated from the world. There was great reverence for the traditions of the fathers. Another important area of concern was pride. This was considered to be a great threat to spiritual life, and was to always be avoided. Pride could come from many sources, including excessive piety, so one had to always be on the lookout. This lead to the practice of using hooks and eyes on clothing, feeling that buttons were too decorative.

Church discipline was strictly maintained. It was the duty of each member to examine himself constantly to stay on the path of discipleship. He was also to be concerned with the spiritual pilgrimage of all members. If a member could not be brought in line, after being admonished at several levels, the “Ban” or Meidung was enforced. This meant complete religious and social avoidance. Even the person’s spouse was expected to participate in the ban. The door was always open, however, for repentance and return to the community.

Homes: Homes were built as a cooperative project by the entire village, usually at the time when a couple had their first child. The area was mostly woodlands, so trees were felled and carefully cut to make a weather-tight fit. Great skill in trimming the logs was required. Roofs were thatched with rye straw dipped in clay and water, and then woven under and over thin laths. Chalk which was also plentiful was used to whitewash the wood.

Farming: Farm tools were made by hand with the help fo the village blacksmith. The tools were mostly made of wood, sometimes with an iron tip for the tip of the mouldboard on the plow. Horses were used for work. The average farmer had about four horses, and the average family had two to five cows. Dairying yielded a good income because there was always a market for butter. Cattle were grazed together under the collection of a hired herdsman during the day, and brought home to their owners for the night. The community usually owned a common flock of sheep, and each family had a small flock of chickens, ducks or geese. They also occasionally bought a thin “razor-back” hog from someone in the native community. They would confine it in a crate and fatten in on boiled potatoes, garden vegetables, and grain, and then slaughter if for lard, ham and bacon. Crops were all cut by hand with a sickle or scythe. They were bundled, shocked and stored in a shed. They were threshed by flailing during the winter. Hemp was grown to produce rope and rough clothing. Clothing was made by Jewish tailors who moved from village to village and house to house. During the later times in Russia, they could afford to buy finer cloth and calico from the cities for clothing.

In addition to farming, many of the poorer Mennonites worked as laborers for Russian and Jewish landlords for wages. When this was required, the women and children were responsible for harvesting the family’s land.

Social life: Most of the work was done cooperatively, so almost all activities involved social interactions. The people also spent Sunday afternoons visiting in each others’ homes. Weddings were big social occasions, especially when the marriage was between members of different villages. The celebration lasted two or three days. According to one source, “sometimes they went a little too far in merrymaking at weddings, especially after the ministers had left.” Weddings took place at the end of the regular Sunday meeting. They elder would announce that the couple was now to be married. The couple would stand up, each from the men’s or women’s side of the church, and would stand together in front without touching one another. Public display of affection was frowned on. After the blessing, the couple would return to their seats. They would meet outside after the service to receive the well-wishes of the congregation as a couple. Johann Gering, Jr., was married to Maria Schrag in the way on 11-25-1826.

Schooling: Educational opportunities in the community were rather limited. Reading, writing, arithmetic and Bible history were the main studies. Good penmanship was very important, more so than correct spelling. When a child was ready for school, he or she was given a primer, a slate made by his father (on a board 12 by 24 inches), and chalk which the students gathered themselves from the nearby hills. Strict discipline was enforced by the schoolmaster. Wednesday was exam day, and the students were set in order based on their performance. When a student was old enough to work in the fields, he left school for work.

After living for 54 years in Edwardsdorf, the group had multiplied and there developed a shortage of land. The czar released large tracts of land for agricultural settlement in the district of Zhitomir. The Gemeinde at Edwardsdorf moved en masse in 1861, establishing the town of Kotosufka and Newmanufka, approximately three miles apart. They eventually grew together, and the separate identity of Neumanufka was dropped. A few from this congregation established a small town at Sahorez. At the Gemeinde in Kotosufka, Jakob Stucki, brother of our ancestor Anna Katherine Stucki Krehbiel was Elder. Johann Gering, Jr. was one of the ministers and a teacher. Under this leadership, the Swiss-Volhynians moved away from their Amish orientation and began to relate themselves more with mainstream Mennonites. By the 1870s, they were beginning to prosper.

Next: The trip to America