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Village History
Germans from Baden, Hesse, Rhineland, Palatinate, Württemburg and other areas emigrated to Russia between 1765 and 1767. They settled along the west side (Bergseite) of the Volga River, forming the Village of Moor. The village is located just to the south of Balzer, one of the largest of the Volga German settlements and a commercial center for the colonies on the west side. Balzer was also the Kanton for several adjacent villages including Moor.
Many of the original Moor residents came from Hesse-Darmstadt. Several came from the Budingen area and were subjects of the count of Isenburg. Although few Moor residents were married at Budingen Castle, several hundred Volga Germans were married there before leaving for Russia. Transcripts of the Budingen marriage records in German have been obtained. A translated copy of these records may be printed in a future special edition of the Balzer/Moor Village Newsletter.
Passenger Ship Emigration to the U.S.
The Ellis Island passenger ship records contain references to many Volga German villages. The indexed records may be a good place to gain more specific information on your ancestors. Please submit any passenger records for Moor families that you obtain.
Family Histories
A few family histories have been traced back through Moor, Russia to Germany. The most recent was submitted by John Wall tracing his ancestral Pinnecker family back to Dudelsheim, Hesse, Germany. The Pinneckers were one of many Volga German families that were originally Dudelsheim Families.
Please feel free to submit any other family histories that should be included to aid Moor descendants.
Surname Charts
Surname charts have been purchased from Russia for the following Moor families:
For a complete list of surname charts available for all Villages see the AHSGR Surnames page. See the contact information if you are interested in these families.
Moor (Russia) Census Records 1775, 1798 and 1857
The 1775 and 1798 censuses are available from AHSGR headquarters and can be very useful in documenting the first two to four generations of the original families. Unfortunately, the census versions for other years are not readily available. However, the Moor 1857 Revision is available in Russia. It is being purchased on a family by family basis from researchers in Russia by individual members.
US Census Records Containing Moor Families
A census of Germans from Russia was performed in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1913-1915. Many Moor family surnames are included in the census . This may be a great source of information if your Moor family arrived in the Lincoln area between 1891 and 1913. For further details see the AHSGR Lincoln Census page
Village Coordinators
The village coordinator for Moor is Wayne Bonner. He can assist you in finding information and in coordinating with others researching Moor families. For a complete list of all the village coordinators try the AHSGR Village Research Coordinators page. If you would like to search for other people researching Moor families or similar surnames, check the AHSGR Master Listing of Germans from Russia.
Balzer/Moor Village Newsletter
A newsletter is published quarterly and is available for a subscription price of $8.00. Examples of items covered in an issue include: Balzer/Moor village history, German parish records, abstracts from the 1857 Revision, family histories, and a variety of photos, maps and other types of records. For subscription information contact:
Home Pages of Other Volga German Villages
A complete list of home pages for the other Volga Villages can be found
at the AHSGR site.
Balzer
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Copyright © 2004-2005 Herb Femling
Updated December 31, 2004
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