From: Taraklia, Bessarabia
17 April 1912

With this report I am presenting a photo of myself along with a biography to the newspaper. This will enable all the co-workers of the editorship, the readers and my friends in the Old and the New World, and especially my children in Morton County, North Dakota and whoever is interested, to get to know the person Romuald Dirk. I am the one whose essays have often appeared in the paper.

The colony Krasna in the southern part of Bessarabia near the small river Gugelnik was established in 1814 with the settlement of 114 farms. Every farm consisted of 60 dessjatin (1 dessjatin = 2.5 acres) land. The settlers were Catholic from the Polish kingdom. In the course of time, at least 150 families have emigrated from this colony to all parts of this world. About 300 families still reside here, longing for a better place.

I was born in this colony Krasna on 26 February 1858. My father Martin Dirk and my mother Anna, nee Allwinger also originated from Krasna. My parents educated me at home until I was 7 years old. Then they sent me to the village school. In that school I was taught by the teachers Deck, Seiffert and Laturnus until age 11. In that year I received my first Holy Communion as a bright student from Father Adam Romowitsch, and I was discharged from the village school.

During his youth, my father learned to become a carpenter in the Josephstal colony in the Cherson province. After establishing his own home in Krasna, he continued with carpenter work as a very poor man. With time however, he was fortunate enough to establish himself half way. He started trading with all kinds of things, so that by the time I had turned 11 he was known in Krasna as a well-to-do man. In a few words, my father felt confident enough at that time to send me to an institution of higher learning in order to further my education.

On the advice of his brother Jakob Dirk who had sent his son the year before to the central school in Kutschurgan, my father too sent me to that school. I had a difficult start at that institution. At vacation time of the first year both fathers arrived to take us home. My father was dissatisfied with my progress and pulled me out of the central school where with time I could have completely learned the Russian and the German language. He enrolled me in the County school in Tiraspol. Here we studied only the Russian language. With the hope that after graduating from there I would have the opportunity again to learn the German language, I continued to study the Russian language up into the third grade. That was in the year 1874.

During that year, every German settler who turned 21 years of age was drafted into military service. My stepbrother who had been assisting my father as a business manager was among the draftees to enter into active duty. Because of that my father pulled me out of school. I needed only a few more weeks to complete the school. I had mastered the Russian language now, but I was weak in the German language. I helped my father as business manager until age 19. During this entire time at home I could not rid myself of the thought and wish to further my education, namely to continue my learning of the German language.

When my younger brothers had grown older and were capable to assist in running the business, I left for the Eigenheim colony. I hired on with Mr. W. Engel, the district secretary, as his assistant and stayed there for 2 years. During this service all official work was conducted in Russian. But I did have ample opportunity to continue honing my German language skills. I studied diligently and thoroughly on my own to master the German language. The readers of this paper often had the opportunity to judge the extent and competence of my German language skills. It may very well be that over the years I became more proficient with the German language, but the cornerstone was put into place at that time.

At age 24, I became subject to the draft lottery, but in accordance with the immunity rights and Russian law I remained independent. Thereafter, I departed from Eigenheim to assume a position as teacher and secretary in the Cherson province until I was 25 years old.

I then married Franziska, the daughter of the settler Franz Marthaller in Speyer. When my father found out that I had gotten married he asked me to please come home. He promised to give me my portion of the succession of property. That way I would no longer have to work in a strange environment, but conduct my own business at his location. I agreed and moved with my young wife to his place. But my father did not keep his promise completely. My wife and I did not want to serve as so-called service messengers for him. Therefore, we soon moved back to the Cherson province.

There I assumed the duties of secretary and sexton in the Felsenbach colony at the Basawlick River. I stayed there for 1 year. Although the Felsenbach community begged me to stay and continue to work in that position, I could not resolve on staying because the secretary and the sexton positions were combined. Never in my life did I have the opportunity to study any psalmody. I knew all too well how miserable I was and I was not willing to sacrifice another year.

I quit that job and returned to my homeland province Bessarabia, namely to the Tarutino colony, this almost world-renowned market place. Here I established a wine store in conjunction with a restaurant. With that I followed more my wife’s wishes than my own. Since that did not agree with me in the long run, I moved back to my home colony Krasna. Here I founded an independent school, separate from the village school. For 2 years I taught boys and girls the Russian and German languages. I made such good progress and had such great success there, that the citizens of Krasna still talk about it today. In order to increase the number of teachers at the village school, the community made me an offer. I was supposed to give up the private school and function as the second teacher beside the sexton at the village school. I agreed to this proposal of the community and worked at the village school of my birth colony for 2 years.

Although the people from Cherson must have still had my church singing ringing in their ears like an out of tune organ, they did not seem to have forgotten me. They asked me repeatedly by letter to please return and accept such a position again. But I was truly aware of my weakness in the area of singing in the church, and I kept remembering the song of a nightingale. So I answered several communities in the Cherson region that I was ready to return if the job only entailed the duties as teacher and as the assistant to the secretary. But if the duties as sexton were also included then I would have to refuse the offer. But my arguments by mail appeared to be of little help. The two newly elected men from Neulandau in the Neu-Mannheimer parish kept downright after me with further invitations. Not really knowing what to do about this matter, I sent a letter to the local priest. I asked him to settle this matter with the Neu-Landau community using his judgement and opinion with the special remark not to forget about the singing in church. Hardly 8 days had gone by when I received a telegram to come at once and that I was in charge of the positions of teacher, secretary and sexton. My mind was spinning and burning with the thoughts of how I would sound in the house of prayer, but to no avail. I had to act. I had to get going with my wife and children in order to arrive there on time.

Arriving there I made a joyful and fortunate discovery. The local priest had ordered that the teacher would no longer be allowed to conduct lay church services in the prayer house on Sundays and holidays. All people were to attend holy mass at the parish church, which was only a short distance away. I was happy about this mandate. I also knew that these people, as I had gotten to know them earlier, would not follow this mandate for very long. For instance, during bad weather they would demand that the teacher conduct lay services. Nonetheless, I had some free time until that would happen, and I planned to take some lessons in church singing. I secretly trained with some vocalists in the village. When the moment arrived to follow a request to conduct lay services in church I did not decline. One Sunday, I occupied the place of the sexton in the prayer house and conducted the lay church service with my community in accordance with the rules prescribed by the local priest. I did this with distinction. Already after a few Sundays and holidays this matter got to be an old routine and I got used to it like a beggar to a louse. Loved by young and old I served in this community for 5 years.

During this time the laws in regard to schools in the Russian Empire were changed. All German parochial schools were taken away from the priest and put under the control of the department of education. A lot of changes occurred in the German colonies in Russia. It often happened that by the order of the inspector teachers were simply removed or transferred. After 5 years of service I too had to bite into the apple. Mr. Inspector transferred me from Neu-Landau to Nikolaital. Here I worked as a teacher under the supervision of the school inspector for 7 years. Additionally, I was allowed to conduct the duties of secretary and sexton. My wife however could not forget her home colony and was always homesick. Because of that I quit my job in 1900 and moved to the home colony Krasna. I was hoping to make a better living there through marketing rather than teaching. I did not have enough money for a large venture, because on a teacher’s salary you cannot save a lot of money when supporting 8 children. Therefore I started with a small grocery store. When this turned a little profit I grew restless and got the urge to take a chance and sow a crop. The saying goes, well begun is half done! But in this case it did not turn out that way. Everything was lost to me with a totally failed crop. I was completely broke and had to give up my little grocery store. The failed crop not only hit me but also many other poor families. What were we to do now? We tried everything to make a decent living but all was in vain.

When everything proved useless, a group of 50 families decided to leave Krasna and find something better in the far away Siberia or in America. Many who had inherited land could obtain the needed resources for the journey to America by selling the land. Those however who were not as fortunate agreed with each other and selected Narzisius Kuss and me from the group and sent us to Siberia, which was a thousand American miles away. We were to see to it that the remaining group members would not encounter any major difficulties upon their arrival. Already before the two of us had departed many had sold their houses and belongings just like I had done. With a few rubles in their pockets they were awaiting good news from us. I will keep it short.

Our information was not good and every one of us poor people tried on his own to eke out a miserable existence as well as he could. Everyone looked for a fitting job. I left Krasna with 70 rubles in my pocket and a one-horse drawn wagon with 9 children. The oldest daughter, who is the tenth child, had already immigrated to America. With these belongings I looked for my fortune and bread in the market village of Wollontirofka, where my father had owned an inn for 14 years. Here I rented a proper estate with the necessary buildings and opened a wine store, a tea and food restaurant along with an inn. My oldest sons, at that time 13 and 11 years old, I sent off to learn the blacksmith trade. With the remaining children I managed the business. This would have gone really well, but when the landlord noticed that his estate had been set up as an inn, which in time could have produced a huge income, he canceled the lease when its term had expired. He intended to operate the inn for himself. I again stood there not knowing what to do.

Since I realize that my biography is getting too long, I will have to be brief. Following the advice of good friends I moved to the village Weradenskow (? – Editor) where a new market had been established. There I rented the inn, which had been set up by the community. But what I had achieved in Wollontirofka did not happen here. Again I returned to Wollontirofka and attempted it with a wine store and a beer hall at a different place. But since it didn’t work out, I gave up on such business and moved without any means to Emmental. From there I sent my third son into apprenticeship to become a shoemaker, and I started a butcher shop. I made a good profit in that business and I lived there for 2 years.

Now I bought the necessary tools to operate a blacksmith shop for my 2 sons, who in the meantime had learned this trade. Following the wish of my wife and children, we moved back to Krasna where I set up a forge for my sons and worked with them throughout the year. In the beginning it appeared that the forge would be profitable, but then a meager harvest came. Even the small amount of grain started to rot because of continuous rain, and the business operation came to an end. A standstill set in and workshops had to be shut down. The banks everywhere refused to give the people credit. The misery and money shortage during that year was so enormous that no one remembers ever having experienced such in Russia. Therefore, I also shut down the forge and started looking for something better. In order to no longer suffer need in Krasna and watch others in their misery, I purchased a wagon and moved with bag and baggage to the northern part of Bessarabia. I got all the way to the trading village of Petrofka where my sons worked as blacksmith journeymen. Here I stayed through the winter until the following spring with the intention from then on to operate my own forge. However in the meantime I was offered a real opportune place in the trading village Taraklia, which was only 5¼ miles from Petrofka. I settled in Taraklia and operated a forge, a shoe repair shop and a painting business. With all of that I have a really good livelihood.

May the dear Lord send his blessings now so that after living 55 years and with weak eyes I do not have to go through more of such hardships. If it would have not been for my children I could easily have mad a living by taking a position as a manager of large farm estates or similar work. But I could not accept such jobs if I wanted to get my sons started in their own trade. By now they are well established in their profession and have become more independent. Therefore it may happen that I will yet accept such a position. Just today, Mr. Michael Gross offered me such a position. Should we reach an agreement as to wages, then it could happen that my sons will run their own business and I will follow this occupation.

Now I send a heartfelt greeting to Mr. Jakob Sommerfeld. Only your correspondence dear friend, that you wanted to make my acquaintance, gave me the idea and made me promise to pay my respects through the Staats-Anzeiger. Of course I have to ask for forgiveness, because I have waited so long to keep my promise. But Mr. Sommerfeld and the dear readers will most likely show their consideration in regards to my wandering from place to place and will forgive me.

And you my good old colleague Anton Jochim, where are you with your written contributions for the reader’s circle of the paper, for which you have written for many years? Not only would I like to read your words in the paper but also like to see your picture. Rarely one will find a paper in this world that will bestow their agents and correspondents with such an honor like the Staats-Anzeiger does. Therefore fellow correspondents, namely those in a foreign country, you should value such a gesture by this paper and have yourself identified to the readers with a picture.

Since March the weather has been dry. We had only one good rain during that long time. The outlook for a good harvest is currently splendid, but anything is possible under God, and therefore even the best outlook could prove wrong.

On 10 April, a Jew’s house here was broken into to steal from him. The evildoer carried a hoe and beat the awakened Jew over the head with it, so that he stayed on the ground as if he were dead. In the morning however the Jew came to and immediately summoned the police dogs from Odessa to track down the attacker. The police turned the dogs loose and they did not only find the criminal but also the hoe with which he had committed the crime. The hoe had been wrapped in rags and left in the attic.

Since my report turned out to be really long this time, I shall write more about this some other time. It is amazing indeed what keen sense of smell these dogs have, which even overshadows the investigative know-how of the police. All villains have an unholy respect for such dogs.

With a greeting to everyone,
Romuald Dirk

From: Brisbane, North Dakota
7 June 1912

The farmers are diligently plowing and seeding flax. The weather is nice, and we hope, with God’s help, for a bountiful crop.

In the night of 5 June, we had a violent rainstorm during which Joseph Gross had the misfortune of lightning killing four of his cattle and one sheep.

A new school is being built only a half a mile from my place.

What’s wrong with my friends in Rumania? Did all their ink dry up?

A hello to my brother-in-law Phillip Wagner, who should absolutely write more often to the Staats-Anzeiger.

I would also like to ask that more of my friends subscribe to the newspaper.

Greetings to brother and brother-in-law, and to mother-in-law and brother-in-law in Emmental, South Russia.

Raphael Ruscheinsky

From: Raleigh, North Dakota
9 June 1912

This is the first time I have written to the newspaper and I will keep it short. Surely there is something to write about from all regions, but one should stick to the truth. The proverb states, that once some one lies, then no one will ever believe him again, even if he does speak the truth. Therefore be careful, dear friends!

Now that people around here are done planting, the motto is to work diligently on constructing the church, because now the needed time is at hand. Since the foundation is already completed, the rest of the church should be finished soon, surely a joy for everyone.

The weather is favorable so far. The fields of grain look promising, and their appearance gives reason to hope for an ample harvest. (*Editor: With this edition the newspaper is being forwarded to you.)

Hello to my Uncle John Kopp near Richardton, and also to the readers of this newspaper.

Emil Joseph Kopp