Journey through Denmark

Between 1759 and 1762, more than 4,000 immigrants from southern and southwestern Germany answered the call of Danish King Frederick V and moved to the area of Schleswig-Holstein which at that time was under his control.

This area of Schleswig-Holstein, the "neck" that connects present day Germany to Denmark, was called the Cimbric Peninsula and was considered to be a wasteland because of the poor soil and swamp-like conditions. Frederick's advisors initiated an agrarian reform program in order to bring this territory under cultivation. Approximately 2,500 acres were drained, and colonists invited from the war-torn areas of Hessen and the Palatinate to settle there.

These new colonists, who came from the fertile and forested areas of Germany, did not like the moors of Schleswig-Holstein. There was a shortage of fertilizer necessary for making the land productive, and the settlers could barely raise enough food to feed their families let alone make the area a breadbasket of agriculture. The program was a failure and was discontinued in 1765.

Only about 600 of the original 4,000 colonists remained by this time. Some had returned to Germany, but most joined the migration to Russia under the invitation of Catherine the Great.

According to research done by Dr. Alexander Eichhorn and Dr. Jacob and Mary Eichhorn, the following Volga German families are known to have first settled in Schleswig-Holstein before immigrating to Russia:

Adler to Grimm
Albrecht to Anton
Altergott to Dönhof
Andres to Dönhof
Arne to Galka
Arnold to Anton
Arnold to Rosenheim
Asmus to Holstein
Audrit to Reinwald
Bär to Anton
Barthuly to Balzer
Bauer to Balzer
Bauer to Dönhof
Bauer to Shcherbakovka
Baumgärtner to Anton
Baumgärtner to Dobrinka
Becking to Dönhof
Becking to Shcherbakovka
Beideck to Beideck
Beier to Dönhof
Beier to Rosenheim
Beisel to Dreispitz
Beisser to Dreispitz
Bender / Benter to Dönhof
Bender to Galka
Benzel to Schilling
Berger to Reinwald
Bernager / Behringer to Reinwald
Blazer to Schilling
Boltz to Dönhof
Borell to Balzer
Bossert to Stahl am Karaman
Braun to Moor
Brecht to Schilling
Breininger to Holstein
Brenckmann to Shcherbakovka
Breuner to Dobrinka
Bruhn to Schilling
Brunner to Reinwald
Busch to Balzer
Busch to Grimm
Clauser to Dobrinka
Dagen to Reinwald
Dalinger to Galka
Damm to Schilling
Daniel to Schilling
Debele (Tehele) to Balzer
Decker to Balzer
Denner to Galka
Derr to Rosenheim
Detterer to Dönhof
Dewald to Hussenbach
Dieterle to Dobrinka
Dieterle to Schilling
Dietz to Shcherbakovka
Dincklacker to Messer
Ditmer to Balzer
Dreher to Beideck
Dreiling to Kamenka
Dumler to Grimm
Eberhard to Grimm
Eberhardt to Moor
Edel to Fischer
Egner to Moor
Ehrhardt to Shcherbakovka
Eichhorn to Dönhof
Eichler to Dönhof
Eichner to Anton
Eichner to Balzer
Eisele to Rosenheim
Endersen to Enders
Engelhardt to Anton
Engelhardt to Grimm
Erksin to Dönhof
Essig to Schilling
Ewald to Walter
Ewig to Anton
Faber to Dönhof
Filbert to Schilling
Fink to Dönhof
Fischer to Galka
Fitzner to Schilling
Flenk to Rosenheim
Flom to Dobrinka
Flomart (Pflaumer) to Dobrinka
Focht (Voigt) to Anton
Forschman to Fischer
Frank to Dönhof
Frank to Galka
Fritz to Grimm
Fritz to Rosenheim
Fritzler to Grimm
Fuchs to Anton
Funk to Rosenheim
Ganz to Shcherbakovka
Gauger to Reinwald
Geld to Dönhof
Genter to Holstein
Gitle to Enders
Glantz to Grimm
Glaser to Grimm
Glöckner to Stahl am Karaman
Gomer to Dönhof
Göttinger to Dönhof
Gramlich to Schilling
Gries to Dinkel
Grünemeier to Beideck
Guterich to Anton
Guttmann to Stahl am Karaman
Haffner to Shcherbakovka
Hager to Schilling
Hall to Anton
Hammel to Messer
Hammertrab to Beideck
Handschuh to Shcherbakovka
Häppner to Anton
Hartmann to Rosenheim
Haun to Hussenbach
Heckmann to Balzer
Hefele to Dobrinka
Hefele to Dreispitz
Heft to Balzer
Heist to Balzer
Heit to Dreispitz
Heldt to Dönhof
Helmut to Schilling
Henkel to Dönhof
Henn to Reinwald
Herrmann to Schäfer
Herter to Beideck
Hildebrandt to Reinwald
Hoffmann to Balzer
Holstein to Galka
Holzwarth to Reinwald
Hornes to Reinwald
Horst to Rosenheim
Huber to Balzer
Hüber to Dobrinka
Hula to Grimm
Iphöffer to Shcherbakovka
Jäckel to Rosenheim
Jäger to Grimm
Jauck to Holstein
Jessen to Stahl am Tarlyk
Johann to Anton
Jung to Holstein
Kaiser to Grimm
Kaltenberger to Grimm
Karl to Balzer
Kast to Holstein
Kaufmann to Shcherbakovka
Keil to Anton
Keiser to Grimm
Keller to Dobrinka
Kepp to Fischer
Kestle to Dönhof
Kiselmann to Balzer
Kleiber to Grimm
Klein to Balzer
Klein to Dreispitz
Kletter to Anton
Kling to Beideck
Knaup to Schäfer
Knaus to Holstein
Knaus to Kratzke
Knedler (Knödler) to Dobrinka
Kober to Grimm
Kober to Reinwald
Kohler to Grimm
Kolb to Balzer
Körber to Reinwald
Körber to Schilling
Kossman to Fischer
Krämer to Anton
Grass (Krassel) to Dobrinka
Kraus to Enders
Kraus to Reinwald
Kraut to Dobrinka
Krieger to Rosenheim
Krug to Grimm
Kümmel to Rohleder
Kunzmann to Anton
Kunzmann to Schäfer
Kurtz to Schilling
Lampe to Stahl am Tarlyk
Lange to Schäfer
Laub to Reinwald
Lederer to Reinwald
Legler to Dönhof
Legler to Grimm
Legler to Reinwald
Leist to Fischer
Leist to Fischer
Lenhard to Hussenbach
Lerch to Schäfer
Lichtenwald to Dönhof
Linde to Grimm
Löffler to Rosenheim
Lontsinger to Grimm
Lorenz to Galka
Ludwig to Enders
Mahr (Mohr) to Schilling
Maierhöfer to Galka
Mannweiler to Messer
Markstaller to Rosenheim
Martin to Galka
Martin to Holstein
Marx to Rosenheim
Maul to Schilling
Mauter to Messer
Meier to Balzer
Meier to Shcherbakovka
Meininger to Grimm
Meisner to Grimm
Meisterling to Messer
Menges to Shcherbakovka
Metz to Schilling
Metzger to Anton
Meyer to Dobrinka
Meyer to Fischer
Meyer to Grimm
Moninger to Dobrinka
Müller to Anton
Müller to Dobrinka
Müller to Rosenheim
Münster to Beideck
Neuberger to Beideck
Neuwirth to Reinwald
Nunnemann to Fischer
Obländer to Shcherbakovka
Ott to Galka
Pappenheim to Dönhof
Pauli to Anton
Paustan to Fischer
Pfeiler to Holstein
Pikus to Grimm
Pless to Kamenka
Pretzer to Beideck
Propp to Hussenbach
Pufald to Fischer
Putz to Beideck
Queisner to Dönhof
Rabensterk / Ravensberg to Rosenheim
Ramig to Grimm
Rau to Dobrinka
Reimer to Reinwald
Reinhard to Dönhof
Reiser to Dobrinka
Reiser to Shcherbakovka
Reissig to Shcherbakovka
Repphun to Reinwald
Reth/Röth to Anton
Reuter to Anton
Ries to Dinkel
Riffel to Shcherbakovka
Ritter to Balzer
Röber to Dönhof
Robertus to Balzer
Roh to Schilling
Rösler to Messer
Rotharmel to Anton
Rube to Schilling
Ruf to Holstein
Rutz to Dönhof
Salzmann to Grimm
Sam to Rosenheim
Sauerbrei to Hussenbach
Sauermilch to Rosenheim
Schäfer to Göbel
Schäfer to Grimm
Schanzenbach to Galka
Schenkel to Dönhof
Schick to Galka
Schilling to Schilling
Schindler to Dobrinka
Schmal to Grimm
Schmann to Grimm
Schmidt to Galka
Schmidt to Grimm
Schmidt to Messer
Schmidt to Schilling
Schmidt to Schilling
Schneider to Dobrinka
Schneider to Dönhof
Schneider to Grimm
Schneider to Messer
Schneider to Moor
Schorg to Reinwald
Schremser to Moor
Schreuck (Schreiock) to Dreispitz
Schuh to Rosenheim
Schulz to Dönhof
Schuppe to Grimm
Schwan to Messer
Schwartzkopf to Dönhof
Schwemmer to Grimm
Schwend to Dobrinka
Schwien to Holstein
Seidel to Reinwald
Seifert to Fischer
Seifert to Grimm
Seiler to Laub
Sekinger to Grimm
Siemon to Dobrinka
Siewert (Sieward) to Dreispitz
Simon to Dobrinka
Späth to Balzer
Speldecker to Shcherbakovka
Stahl to Kamenka
Stahl to Stahl am Karaman
Stehli to Grimm
Steinbrecher to Dönhof
Steinbrecher to Galka
Steinbrenner to Rosenheim
Steinepreis to Reinwald
Steinert to Galka
Steinert to Shcherbakovka
Steinpreis to Balzer
Steinpress to Franzosen
Stengel to Schilling
Stöhr to Balzer
Stoll to Dönhof
Stoll to Grimm
Störger to Dönhof
Strackbein to Schilling
Streitenberger to Kamenka
Strep to Dobrinka
Stricker to Shcherbakovka
Stromberger to Dönhof
Tiede to Grimm
Tralmann to Stahl am Tarlyk
Trott to Grimm
Trübelhorn to Beideck
Tule to Grimm
Ulrich to Dönhof
Utz to Dobrinka
Vogel to Dönhof
Vogel to Grimm
Vogt to Dietel
Volert to Dreispitz
Walter to Rosenheim
Waltz to Galka
Wasserer/Weckesser to Anton
Weber to Beideck
Weber to Dobrinka
Weingärtner to Schilling
Weiss to Shcherbakovka
Welsch to Schäfer
Wenz (Wentz) to Dobrinka
Wenzerich to Anton
Werfel to Anton
Wetzel to Grimm
Wiedemann to Dönhof
Winter to Shcherbakovka
Witt to Bauer
Wittman to Grimm
Wittmann to Reinwald
Wolet to Dreispitz
Wolf to Grimm
Wulf to Dinkel
Zeisel to Kamenka
Zeitz to Reinwald
Ziegler to Dobrinka
Ziegler to Galka
Zittel to Reinwald
Zwetzig to Shcherbakovka
Zwinger to Kamenka
Zwingmann to Messer