Josefstal – Skripalovo Russia

A German Village on the Volga

Josefstal: 2011

| June 21, 2011

Vladimir Kakorin has done a great job of documenting through photography, scores of Volga German villages. He travels out on a regular basis, taking great photographs of history. His complete archive of photo shoots can be found here. In June of this year he documented the remains of Josefstal. The photographs are wonderful!  On my [...]

“Das Leben an der Wolga” Chronik der Kolonie Josefstal, Kanton Erlenbach

| March 30, 2010

(From Volk auf dem Weg, Nr 3/ 2010) Die 2009 erschienene Chronik der Wolgadeutschen Kolonie Josefstal ist eine wahre Fundgrube für unsere Ahnen- und Heimatforscher. Einer der beiden Autoren ist der Kanadier Edward Gerk. Von unseren amerikanischen Landsleuten wissen wir, dass sie sich stärker als Europäer mit der Ahnenforschung befassen. Hierzulande warden lieber die aktuellen [...]

Family: Dieser

| April 30, 2009

Josefstal Circa 1918

| April 1, 2009

Identified in this photo are Margareta  (Stremel) Gerk, Kristina (Rausch) Gerk, Georg Gerk, “Schwarz Liz”, and Beata Kisser

Family: Simon

| April 1, 2009

Josefstal: 1939

| November 21, 2008

This house belonged to a member of the Gerk family, until it was taken away by communist officials. 2 years later all Josefstal residents would be deported to Siberia.

Josefstal: Unknown

| November 6, 2008

Family Gerk, Blattner, Leonardt

| June 16, 2008

  This photo was taken in Josefstal aprox. 1924.  It features: Back Row, Left to Right: Kaspar Blattner, Gottfried Gerk, Johannes Gerk. Front Row, Left to Right: Katarina (Gerk) Blattner , Anna Margareta (Rohwein) Gerk, and Maria (Gerk) Leonardt

Who are they?

| March 18, 2008

This photo, taken in Josefstal, was in my grandmother’s collection…it is of persons unknown.  One former resident thought the young girl on the far left was actually my grandmother, Elisabeth Dieser.  Alas, memories fade with time…it is one of those to be filed under “Unknown”.

Family Dieser

| March 17, 2008

This photo was taken in Josefstal around 1914 or so.  The father, Johannes Dieser, had been drafted even as an adult in World War 1.  From left to right are:  Marie Eva (Heit) Dieser, Maria Dieser, Elisabeth Dieser, Anna Margareta (Gette) Heit; Front Row Left to right: Johannes Dieser, Peter Dieser, Lushevka Dieser. Marie-Eva Dieser [...]