German Settlers in Alberta and from Galicia, Volhynia, Bukovina, Poland, and Russia

Settlers from Germany had begun arriving in Alberta during the early 1880s. The completion of the Edmonton-Calgary Railway line eased the way for large groups to settle in the areas around Edmonton, Wetaskiwin and even Camrose but, generally speaking, these German settlers set up homes throughout the province. The foothills south of Fort Calgary provided familiar scenery to the first wave of German-speaking people from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. And, in 1883, they established a colony at Pincher Creek.

When my great grandparents with their two sons first arrived on their homestead near Andrew, Alberta, in the late fall of 1897, my great grandfather, Elko Kalynchuk went to work for German farmers near Bruderheim, AB and brought back some wheat, flour and a pig’s head. I was told that Elko walked to the German farm, breaking tree branches along the way. When I look on Google maps, I am surprised at the distance that he had to walk through the bushes. Bruderheim was a German colony at the time and became a town in 1905.

At the recent annual conference of the Alberta Genealogical Society (AGS), I was approached by some people who are researching on their German ancestors. Also, two local German genealogy societies (HSGPV and AHSGR) asked to be put on my mailing list, which I have done. I occasionally send out email updates on Ukrainian Canadian Genealogy. If you want to be added to this mailing list, you can email me at kalyna(at)outlook(dot)com

At this conference, I was happy to meet in person fellow researchers who are on my distribution mailing list or have attended the Zoom sessions which I put on. I am in the process of booking new speakers for the upcoming 7 or so months. I will post the details on this blog and through an email update.

 

Anthony and me chatting at the 2023 AGS Conference

When we are researching from the same regions as Galicia, Bukovina, Austro-Hungry, etc. then it is good to share information and resources with each other. I have visited the HSGPV/AHSGR office and am looking forward to networking with them. 

Alberta Genealogical Society, Edmonton Branch, German Special Interest Groups
German Heritage and Germans from Russia groups
https://www.abgenealogy.ca/special-interest-groups

Historical Society of Germans from Poland & Volhynia (HSGPV)

Library open by appointment on Thursdays, 587-454-0825
10014 – 81 Avenue, Edmonton.
https://hsgpv.org

American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR)
Edmonton & District Chapter
https://www.german-russians.org/home
https://ahsgr.org/about/chapters/edmonton-and-district-chapter/

Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe
Focuses on Germans from Russia, Poland and Volhynia, located in Calgary, Alberta
www.sggee.org
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1812539775626960 (private group)

The Volga Germans – Alberta
https://www.volgagermans.org/history/immigration/canada/alberta

Society for German American Studies
https://sgas.org/

Germans from Russia Heritage Society
Based in Bismarck, ND, USA
https://www.grhs.org/pages/home

German Genealogy – Prussia, Austro-Hungary, Russia, Denmark, Swiss & More
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Germany.Prussia.AustroHungary.Denmark.Russia.Swiss (private)

Germans from Russia Societies - Family Search
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Germans_from_Russia_Societies

Germany Research Tips and Strategies - Family Search
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Germany_Research_Tips_and_Strategies

Germany Genealogy - Family Search
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Germany_Genealogy

A Profile of Alberta’s German-Speaking Communities
https://sites.ualberta.ca/~german/AlbertaHistory/
https://sites.ualberta.ca/~german/AlbertaHistory/historyframetop.html

German Canadians – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Canadians

German – Canadian Association of Alberta
https://www.gcaa.ca/