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| Paris, Bessarabia - 1940 |
“In the year 1816 immigrants settled on the north side of the steppe river Kugelnick in Bessarabia. The settlers were descendants of Prussian emigrants, living in Poland near Warsaw and Kalish. Called by decree of His Imperial majesty Alexander the Mild, 141 families settled here, after having been quartered for two years on the Dniester river with the Moldavians. The immigrants had no leaders on the journey, only documents which permitted them to receive lodging and travel money on the bin. Although they received some travel money, the long journey reduced most of the settlers to want and poverty. When they arrived at their destination President Mueller of the Tarutino Office showed them the places they were to inhabit. They found nothing there except some lumber which was in very bad condition because of the long exposure to rain and heat. Since the immigrants found no houses at the colony, they were forced to build tent-like huts which they covered with grass and reeds in which they lived until fall. By winter some had built small houses of clay, others built mud huts in which they survived until 1818. Gradually decent houses replaced those pitiful huts, to which in later years were added sheds and barns, so that by now each settler owns a respectable farmstead. As support for the construction of their buildings each settler received ten rubles. For the clearing/cultivation of the steppes each family received a wagon, a plow, a spade and a hoe and also other tools like scythe, sickle, ax, hammer etc. The soil is very hard, therefore the cultivation work did not proceed as quickly as the settlers anticipated, considering that 6-8 oxen were needed to pull a mow. Yet each family, when they took over a farmstead, received only two oxen and a cow. If two families shared one farmstead, they did not get additional animals. So the farmers were forced to yoke their oxen together. Although the new soil was fertile they were unable to reap the full benefit from it, because they did not have the means (except for a few) to buy enough seed. For the first few years the settlers did not have to pay any crown debts (taxes?) and could have easily worked themselves out of their pitiful condition had they immediately planted vineyards and orchards. But since grapevines and young fruit trees were not readily available, they again forfeited some of the benefits. The greatest profits were reaped by those land owners who had already been there when the settlers arrived and remained there several more years, because they had considerable herds of livestock which, of course, the new arrivals did not have. In general the soil in this colony is parched and full of Alkali. It does not hold moisture well and is unfavorable for the growth of plants especially grain in times of drought. The best-suited species of trees for this type of soil are: acacias, elm trees. apple, pear and cherry trees. There are no forests here, for the recently planted woodlands cannot be called that. On several occasions the area has been searched for rocks, but so far no quarries have been discovered. For that reason the colonists have to buy and transport the rock they need from neighboring colonies. At the time of settlement the colony was named Alecksuesswerth, which was soon changed to Paris by the Minister of the Interior. This was to commemorate a turn for the better brought on through the decisive battle of Leipzig, after which even Paris was conquered in 1814 and the oppressive hardships, under which most of Europe was languishing, were lifted. In regards to the locality of this colony, it can be described as being 53 miles from the county seat Ackermann and 80 miles from the government city Kishinev (w) It is situated on the north side in the valley of the Kugelnick river which meanders down from Moldavia, winding in many bends, sometimes closer, sometimes farther, past the colony. Opposite the river is a rather steep hillside which rises right behind the orchards and has been planted with grapevines. Following the ridge of hills from north to south, the colony is laid out in two rows and consists of 121 homes which (with few exceptions) are built in simple fashion In the westerly row stands the chapel, much like a church, built by the congregation with their own funds. To the side and back is the mayor's office and behind that, somewhat to the side, the village storehouse. Across the street from this is the newly erected schoolhouse which, because of its beauty and size, catches the eyes of strangers In 1831 cholera was brought to Russia from Persia through the Caucasus. It reached South Russia with its horrors, including this colony and several other Bessarabian colonies, and in this colony claimed the lives of 49 souls. The first earthquake, which occurred in the fall of 1825 (1828 according to other village records) just before midnight, was felt so strongly in this colony that the sleeping population awoke, jumped out of bed and ran out of their houses. The second earthquake, in 1830 was less noticeable. But the third earthquake, in 1838, exceeded the other two in magnitude. Because of the strong tremors of the earth, people walking looked like staggering drunks. It cannot be said that there is prosperity in the colony, for many setbacks were hard to overcome. For instance, if the colonists concentrated on raising livestock, diseases often frustrated their plans; as they pursued grain farming, frequent droughts and also locust plagues resulted in poor harvests and dashed their fondest hopes. Yes, some farmers, who had used large quantities for seed, even had to buy bread for their families. Despite all of this, the prosperity of the people has been raised in the last few years, through the grace and blessing of God, as well as greater diligence and better cultivation of fields and gardens, and is visible in many a comfortable home. Colony Paris, 6 May 1848 Mayor: Dallmann Councilman: Joerke (?) Schimke Church/School teacher: Dieno (Author)"
Translated by Roswita Niessner Edited by Ralph and Evelyn Ruff Coordinated with GRHS Village Research Clearing House Coordinated with AHSGR/GRHS Translation Committee Chairman
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