Johann Christian Geis, son of Peter Geis from Pferdsbach, and Anna Sara Stoll, daughter of Hartman Stoll, married on 8 June 1719. This couple had a total of six children, all born in Pferdsbach and baptized in Wolf, including Anna Catharina, baptized 6 August 1738. Anna Sara died on 15 March 1745. Christian Geis, widowed, married Catharina Fischer on 31 March 1746. This couple had five children born in Pferdsbach and baptized in Wolf: Johann Peter, born 16 February and baptized 26 February 1747; twins Anna Maria and Catharina, both baptized 24 July 1749; Christian, baptized 5 December 1751; and Christoph, baptized 22 June 1755.
The family arrived in Russia on 31 July 1766. At this point, the family consists of Christian Geis (mispelled Geist on the ship list), his wife Catharina, and children Johann (age 20), Christian (age 14), Christoph (age 12), Anna (age 25), Catharina (age 18), and Johanna (age 1/2).
By the time the family arrives in Moor, Christian (the father) and daughter Johanna have died. Widow Anna Catharina Gies and her son Christoph are reported in the household of her son-in-law Cyriacus Rehm (who was married to her daughter Anna Maria). Cyriacus and Anna Maria are reported in the 1767 Census (First Settlers List) of Moor in Household #68, and Anna Catharina and Christopf are reported in Household #68a. Johann Peter, his wife Anna Maria, and Johann Peter's brother Christian also settled in Moor and are reported in Household #69. There is a notation that the members of both Household #68a and #69 moved to Huck in 1768.
Christian Geis and his family are reported in the 1775 Census of Huck in Household #76. Johann Peter must have returned to Moor because he and his family are reported in the 1775 Census of Moor in Household #58. It is unclear where Christoph was in 1775 because he does not seem to appear in either the Huck or Moor 1775 Census.
In the 1798 Moor Census, Anna Maria is reported in Household #5 (married to Nicolaus Rehm). Christoph and his family are in Household #10 and Peter and his family are in Household #61. Christian remained in Huck and is reported there in Household #80.
- Parish records of Wolf (including Pferdsbach) on Archion.de
- Pleve, Igor. Lists of Colonists to Russia in 1766: Reports by Ivan Kulberg (Saratov: Saratov State Technical University, 2010) p. 195
- Pleve, Igor. Einwanderung in das Wolgagebiet, 1764-1767 Band 3 (Göttingen: Nordost-Institute, 2005): p. 173
- Rye, Richard, translator. 1775 Census of Huck (Lincoln, NE: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1995)
- Rye, Richard, translator. 1775 Census of Moor (Lincoln, NE: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1995)
- Mai, Brent Alan. 1798 Census of the German Colonies along the Volga: Economy, Population, and Agriculture (Lincoln, NE: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1999): Volume 1, pp. 513, 725, 726, 734
