Please contact me if you know of any books that you feel should be highlighted here.  I have very few books in my library and I am sure I am missing information on the many books that are out there that may contain further information about the Crimean GR’s.

There are also many good books that contain the histories of Germany and their provinces, Russia, the Crimea, and of the German and Russian Kings and Tsars.  As I have time to review some of these books, I will add the information on these books to this page also.  I feel it is important to our heritage to understand the world in which our ancestors lived, and not to just find names, dates, and places.

Book Title

Author

Review/Information Contained in Book

“Black Sea Germans in the Dakotas”

Georg Rath

This book gives a short overview of the Crimea, less than one page long.  However, he speaks at length about the settlements in each of the counties in the Dakotas, and includes a listing of some of the settlers in each of these counties both at the end of the book and thoughout.  Definitely worth reading if your families settled in the Dakotas.
 

“Emigration from Germany to Russia in the Years 1763-1826”

Dr. Karl Stumpp

“Alphabetical lists of names of German immigrants to Russia, many with place of origin in Germany, and locality of settlement in South Russia.  It is the result of over 40 years of research by Dr. Stumpp.” ASHGR Review. 
Wonderful book, great resource, however, the Crimea is not well represented in the section on individual villages.  It is still a wonderful resource, especialy if your ancestors migrated to the Crimea from elsewhere in Russia.  Be sure to check the general migration pages, I found immigrants listed there that were not represented in the Crimea pages.
Be sure also to read the introductory pages.  Dr. Stumpp gives a good overview of the reasons for migration, prints a diary of an immigrant from Germany and the perils they encountered, and includes maps of migration routes and village locations.
 

“From Catherine to Kruschev-The Story of Russia’s Germans”

Adam Geisinger

This book gives a good overview of the mother colonies in every area of Russia, and indicates many of the daughter colonies that were formed, their location, when they were formed, and includes a small map of each are in the paper format.  The maps are not included in the digital format, which is available from AHSGR.
The book also gives a wonderful history of the migrations to, migrations out of, and deportations of the Germans after WWII.  A must read for anyone interested in the history of the Germans from Russia.
 

“German Russian-Two Centuries of Pioneering”

Dr. Karl Stumpp

Contains over 200 photos of German Russian people, towns, churches, and scenes of life.  Contains some photos of the Crimea, but not many.  Great book to take a peek at what life was like in Russia for our ancestors.
 

“The Knittel Family: A Three-Hundred Year Journey Through Germany, Crimea
and  America (1700-2000)”

Bob Schamber

I’ve heard rave reviews about this book!  Bob has done tons of research to put this together.  Charges for the book are $25 (includes S&H), Canadian residents, add $5 more.
You can contact Bob by email or find his address on the VC page at this site.

“Memories of the Black Sea Germans”

Joseph Height

There is a one page article about the village of Rosental, Crimea, the second page is a map of the village, and  a third page gives the founding families of Rosental and Kronental, Crimea.
 

“Mennonite Settlements in Crimea”

H. Goerz

This book gives a list of the  villages in which the Mennonite lived in during their stay in the Crimea.  Some villages have a small write up about it’s formation, location, and people who lived there.  The book also gives a brief overview of the Mennonites initial migration to the Chortitza and Molotschna colonies in Taurien from which the Crimean colonies were formed.

“My Home on the Crimea Steppe: Memoirs of David Weigum”

David Weigum

This book gives a great overview of what life was like in the late 1800’s in the Crimea.  It includes reflections on threshing time, taking the grain to market, visits from the Gypsies, and much more.  A definite good read for anyone with ties to the Crimea to see what life was like there.  David’s family lived in Ludwigstal, Crimea and had moved there from Kronental, Crimea.  There is a family genealogy chart and also some pictures of himself and his family.
 

“The Schamber Family: A Journey Through Switzerland, Alsace and Crimea  (1670-1900)”

Bob Schamber

Another one of Bob’s family history books.  I haven’t had the chance to review this one, but from the kind of thorough work I know Bob does, it’s sure to be a gem!  The book costs $10 for US, add $5 more for Canada. Cost includes shipping and handling. You can reach Bob by email or find his address on the VC page located at this site.