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_English_
When the book “Krasna” was published, the location of Orschokowin was not known.
Meanwhile we know its location.
We must keep in mind that the place called “Orschokowin” has come down to us in spoken version, from which the correct spelling differs. Tatsächlich heißt der Ort Orzechowo. It lies approximately 26 kilometres (12 mi) south of Wreschen (Polish: Września), not far from Poznan (Polish: Poznań). Orzechowo is located about 4 km southwest of Czeszewo, around 1800 the parish of Orzechowo.
(For comparison, the other place of origin mentioned in the above Gemeindebericht von Krasna Schitonitz/Sitaniec is a good 500 km further southeast and belonged to Austria at that time).
In the church register of Czeszewo, the place Orzechowo, probably depending on grammatical requirements and/or the whim of the entering priest, is written in Latin e.g. also written as follows:
This sounds very much like Orschekowin.
King Frederick William III of Prussia settled colonists in “South Prussia” on state lands and on expropriated Polish estates since 1800 (also in the region around Poznan and south of it, e.g. Lodz). But our Krasna people from Orschekowin/Orzechowo were not among the state-settled colonists.
In addition to state colonies, the Prussian government encouraged the settlement of people by private landowners. One of these was Wilhelm Friedrich Erbprinz von Nassau-Oranien. He was King of the Netherlands from 1815 as William I.
The Nassau princes had many estates in Germany to the left and right of the Lahn (especially in the Westerwald to Siegen and in the Taunus to Wiesbaden). In the period of interest to us, around 1790/1800, the largest part of the Nassau territory was owned by the Princes of Nassau-Orania with their seat of government in Dillenburg. Later, from 1815, as the map in the following picture shows, the whole area was united under one dominion with the seat in Wiesbaden.
Wilhelm Friedrich Erbprinz von Nassau-Oranien was related to the Prussian rulers and was promoted by the Prussian king. In 1793 he bought the dominions of Kiebel and Widczin in South Prussia. In 1798 he acquired all the estates owned by Prince Joblonowsky in the Poznan Chamber Department, including the manor of Czeszewo (Wreschen District) with the villages and outworks of Mikuszewo, Chlebowo, Radzitowko and Orzechowo.
Wilhelm Friedrich Hereditary Prince of Nassau-Orania wanted to settle colonists from his native Nassau region on his estates. His efforts to do so began in 1797.
In the main state archives in Wiesbaden there are lists of people who registered for emigration to Poland in 1799 (HHStAW, 172, 2677 Verzeichnisse von Personen und Haushaltsungen, welche als Kolonisten nach Südpreußen gesonnen zu ziehen). In it one can find Krasna family names.
Of at least one emigrant from the Principality of Nassau we even know with certainty that he went to Orzechowo. There is a document in the main state archive in Wiesbaden, which says that Mathias Müller from Büdingen emigrated there.
He received an inheritance from his homeland in Orzechowo.
Doc. 172/2668, pp. 194-196 Mathias Müller from Büdingen to Orzechowo.
Many of the families who emigrated to Poland in 1799 returned to the Westerwald disappointed and impoverished after only a few years (until 1805/1806). About 80 families stayed longer. Also some with family names occurring in Krasna persevered. We have a document from 1808 which proves this 1):
So far there is no direct written evidence, but very many plausible indications that people from Orzechowo went to Krasna: