© 2011 Edmund Arndt. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 3/8/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-4716-9 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-4717-6 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011902856

Printed in the United States of America

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A Word

at the beginning:

Three years ago (2007) on our stopover in Calgary, my cousin George (Helmut) gave me a bundle of letters. I opened the large envelope later when we arrived in Mexico, and I started to read. Soon, tears blurred my vision and I put the letters aside. Tilly and Martin Arndt had saved the sixty-year-old letters when my parents desperately tried to contact them from different parts of a war-torn and ravaged Europe. That is when I decided to write and report and explain what I remembered.

Ron Neuman’s book "Sompolno to Strathcona" became an invaluable source of our family history. The fantastic and meticulous research he had done with his dedicated helpers to collect data and stories of our two families is highly commendable.

Thank you, Ron, for letting me share some of the gathered wealth of information.

The death-record of Christian Arndt is of great importance. It mentions his parents, Jan and Elzbieta, year of his birth 1776, birthplace as Rozorki, Prussia, and the mention of his brother Johann Godfryd. Yes, Rozorki the enigmatic place with the intriguing name and nowhere to be found on any map today was a challenge to my fantasy. The Baron and his estate and the villain Jacek are pure fiction; the historical background is verified by multiple sources, however.

I have to admit, that for the first time, I also started reading my own father’s account that he had titled "Von der Weichsel an den Rhein" (From the Vistula to the Rhine).

In my story, I have brought forward the plight of the forgotten ethnic Germans, who had settled and lived for generations all over Eastern Europe and who were forcefully uprooted and chased from their homes and lands by the end of WW II, but there are millions of more stories out there to tell.

I wrote this book on the balcony of our apartment in Coral Beach. I wrote in the warmth of Yucatan’s sun and in the gentle breezes coming off the Gulf of Mexico. When the winds were blowing hard and strong, I went inside.

The enthusiastic encouragement and help from Joyce Rynearson very often made my day! Deanna Lagroix’s thorough screening and sound suggestions were well received and acknowledged. Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado, a published author herself, maturely advised me in many matters and inspired me.

Many thanks to all three Ladies!

I also want to thank my wonderful wife Ursula for her patient assistance and Chris Prasad for vastly improving my computer skills.

Edmund Arndt

Everybody has a story to tell;

this one is mine!

Den letzten beißen die Hunde, said Opa, but then he had been wrong once or twice, before.

I am the last one and I don’t want the dogs to catch me. I am the last one of our family to come to Canada. It was scary when the Polish boys sent Kafra, the mean black dog, after me. He barked but he did not bite me.

Now, I can hear the wolves howling more often at night. Stussi never calls them by their proper name, always says, dogs, and when we walk through the bush and the snow and spot their tracks he says, dog tracks, every time.

The dogs have caught up with Mutti the last one of her generation, and they have stolen her beautiful mind. Now they are circling me and I can feel them getting closer.

Table of Contents

Part One:

THE PIONEERS

Chapter I: Jan and Elzbieta, 1774,

Their Decision and Embarkment to Rozorki

Chapter II: Early Life in Rozorki

Chapter III: Johann Godfryd and Anna Krystina, 1796?

Early years in Smolniki

Chapter IV: Important History Lesson

Chapter V: 1818-1882 Johann, Wilhelmina and Eva,

Tragedy and Triumph

Chapter VI: 1867-1945 Wilhelm and Emilie,

Leaving the Homestead in Smolniki

Chapter VII: Jozef Pilsudski: Rebirth of Poland

Chapter VIII: 1912-1994 Edmund and Erna,

Between the Wars, and then World War II

Part Two:

Me and Myself and Others

Chapter IX: 1940-1946,

Early Childhood in Lubsin

Chapter X: Winter 1946/47, The Refugee Camps,

Stettin–a Hellhole and Perleberg

Chapter XI: Berxen, Home of Youth 1947-1954

Chapter XII: 1954-1959 Heyen,

School and Church and Paris

Chapter XIII: Das Praktikum and Renate

Chapter XIV: Alone in Düsseldorf, and Then Came Ursula

Chapter XV: Two Daughters and CP-Air Tickets

Epilogue

Family Tree

About the Author

Part One:

 THE PIONEERS

Chapter I

Jan and Elzbieta, 1774,

Their Decision and Embarkment to Rozorki

They had come to listen to this man who had travelled for many days from the east and was speaking with a strange accent.

You all can have your own land for free! Every one of you will receive 40 Morgen of land absolutely free in the Great Russian Empire, and you can choose from different regions. From the closest, Volhynia, to the steppes of the Ukraine and the fertile lowlands of the Volga River, and even to the farthest, the wonderful warm shores of the Black Sea.

He had arrived two days ago atop a horse-drawn sleigh wrapped in heavy blankets and furs and was staying at the inn. The servant slept in the barn with the two horses that had pulled their sleigh.

It was a Saturday afternoon in early February 1774, and many were assembled in the small community hall. Jan Arndt was the first to arrive and was sitting in the front row, not trusting his ears to what he was hearing. This man, with the strange but clear voice, was telling them that the German Princess Katharina was now the ruler of Russia and was inviting German farmers to come and settle in various districts for free.

Katharina knew well that German expertise and work ethic would positively influence her multicultural subjects and bring an increase of agricultural production and organized distribution of goods. This would alleviate chronic food shortages and help improve the miserable living conditions. Hunger and poverty were widespread and by far the Czarina’s biggest problem.

What is the catch? asked Robert Makus. I bet, once we get there, they will put us into the army.

There is no catch, and German settlers will never be forced to join the army. Not now and not in the future! Even your children and grandchildren and generations to come will enjoy total exemption from military service. Her Majesty further guarantees freedom of religion, tax-exemption for 30 years, and monetary assistance to move to Russia. I have vouchers here to give away: Good for 40 Morgen of land and 20 Roubles of cash; all are affixed with the Imperial Seal and guaranteed by the Crown, and they can be redeemed at Governor offices in border towns when entering the Russian Empire or at time of registration in the chosen territory.

Albert Neumann raised his hand: How far away is Volhynia, and what kinds of people live there?

Boris, the Russian Representative, answered quickly, It took us seventeen days to get here, and we were not rushing. The snow conditions are very good right now and the temperatures very favourable. Volhynia is sparsely populated, mostly with poor Polish and Ukrainian peasants, depending entirely for their livelihood on a few noblemen, who own large estates. There are also Jewish merchants and tradesmen and some recent German Mennonite settlers.

Are we allowed to build our own Lutheran Church? asked Leonard Schmidtke.

Yes, you are. In her Manifesto her Majesty clearly states: ‘We grant the freedom to build churches and bell towers, but not the construction of monasteries’.

Leonard thought about it for a short while and then got up and declared, And by God, we shall do that! We will build a Lutheran Church!

Everybody was talking now; there was excitement in the room. They all wanted to see and touch the vouchers and Katharina’s Manifesto, even though none of them could read.

Boris raised his voice: I know this is a big decision for you to make. Talk it over, think it over and sleep on it and then come back on Monday. I will be here for the entire day.

They went outside to clear their heads in the fresh and frosty air and formed small groups of three or four, discussing the news. Jan was talking to his brother Erich when Leonard and Albert joined them.

We should go there before the snow melts and the roads become muddy. We could probably leave in a couple of weeks, and we should all travel together with wagons and sleighs! What do you think?

Many thoughts were swirling around in Jan’s head, and he was quite excited. They were all young men, country boys from a small hamlet in Pommern. He agreed with the proposal and said, Albert is right. If we are going to do anything, then let’s do it as a group and let us plan this together. We will have to talk to our parents and see what can be done with our ‘Erbteil’ (inheritance). Without any help from them, we won’t be able to leave. Only sons were entitled to inherit the divided portion of their parents’ estate by their virtual number. For example, if there were two sons, each of them was entitled to half of the farm, three sons to 1/3 each, four sons to 1/4 each and so on.

They all agreed to meet tomorrow after the service and then hurried home.

Their father was at the well, pulling up wooden buckets full of water, when Jan and Erich approached him.

Are the girls having a bath again?

You know how fussy your sisters are, said the father. They demand a bath every week, but what the heck, water is cheap. It comes right out of the ground all by itself and hauling it up and carrying it to the house is not a big chore. I don’t mind doing it if this makes them happy.

Jan had four brothers and three sisters. They were all living together with their parents under one roof on a small 20 Morgen (12 acre) farm. His father and mother had miraculously managed to feed and clothe their eight offspring so far, but now that he had married Elzbieta, there was another mouth to feed and last week, she had told him that she might be pregnant and expecting this summer. He was elated but at the same time very perturbed. How would they live and where? There was not enough room in the small and modest home for everybody. His father had told him that his legal share was 1/5 of the farm but dividing it up into five pieces was not the answer. The tiny plots would not be worthwhile to farm and would not support a family. They had many discussions this winter when the evenings were long and the fire in the stove warm and comforting.

They had talked about America.

Some of the neighbours’ boys had shipped out to this faraway land three years ago and nobody had heard a thing from them since. Maybe they had drowned in the middle of the Atlantic on their way over or were killed by the savage Indians. America was out of reach and beyond reality, a faraway country of dreams and fantasy. The dangerous journey would certainly be a one-way trip with no possibility of return, and the family would be split apart forever. The handshake and embrace would be a brutal finality and Mother’s tears would be flowing every night.

They had heard of Prussian efforts to colonize the nearby Province of Posen-Pommerellen with German farmers and tradesmen, but free land was not mentioned, only travel-assistance and tax-relief. Bad reports were coming in from Poland, where a small group of very rich and powerful noblemen Magnates ruled despotically and controlled the country. Each of them pursued foremost self-serving and regional interests, and with no supreme or central power, they would ally themselves individually with foreign rulers. The situation was chaotic and development of the country fell behind the rest of Europe and finally came to a total standstill. People were dying by the thousands every year of starvation or freezing to death because of the deplorable living conditions. The minor nobility owned the lands and the peasants. Serfdom was still a grim reality there. They, too, had sent out recruitment agents, who tried to entice the German farmers to come and bring their expertise to the desolate lands. But their promises were vague and the guarantees sounded suspicious.

Forget Poland! his father had said. You will become a slave again, just like our forefathers were. Posen is the better choice, and Frederick the Great has promised more freedom and more rights for the farmers.

Jan’s thoughts had been with Posen for the last week and it was only a few days of travel away. Erich and he had planned to take the sleigh and get a good firsthand look of the land and the people and check out opportunities, but now this Boris had arrived and was handing out vouchers for free money and free land.

What’s up boys? asked their father. How did the meeting go?

They filled him in and told him about the planned get-together after church tomorrow with the others.

If we leave and start out on our own, how could you help us? It was Erich, who blurted out the question.

You, too, want to leave us? His father was surprised.

I will go with Jan and Elsie, he said. Erich was only 16 years old. He had always been very close to his oldest brother. The admiration and respect for each other was equally mutual.

As you know, things are not all that rosy yet. It is only three years ago since that stupid war ended. They were terrible times and we lost everything twice in those seven wild years of destruction and lawlessness. But thank God, we came out of it alive, and with His help and blessing we had three good crops now in a row, and I have managed to save a little bit of money. By no means are we rich or even what you would call wealthy.

The girls were asking for more water, and their father grabbed the two wooden pails and hurried over to the house.

When he returned, they walked to the barn, sat down on some straw bales, and started making plans that would dramatically impact their future and the lives of generations to come.

Three days later, the two young men were on their way to Posen-Province. They had talked to Boris yesterday and obtained a voucher each. Russia was their second choice and the vouchers were valid for two years. They had decided on their original plan to go ahead with the exploratory expedition.

It was a clear and frosty morning when they left, and the two brown horses trotted along in a pleasant rhythm, steam escaping from their large nostrils. The sleigh was sliding effortlessly over the white snow. They were headed east, to a land of dreams and great promises, to unknown beauty and lurking danger.

They had travelled for five days, had slept in farmers’ barns, avoiding the roadhouses and inns their father had warned them about.

Them are places of evil, he had said, and don’t let on to anybody that you have some money.

They had seen dozens of small towns. Now, the landscape had changed. Forests replaced the open fields and when they reached the next village, the people talked in a strange tongue they assumed was Polish.

They got water and hay for the horses, bought bread, milk, and smoked pork sausage, and then asked if there were any German farmers in the vicinity. Somebody spoke a bit of German and told them about the Baron in Rozorki. It was a day and a half trip away. He gave them directions and they left feeling uneasy. The forest opened up to areas of low bush and muskeg, and they travelled all day, never seeing a house or another human.

Baron von Schwenk was a big man–over six feet in height and in excess of 200 pounds–quite in contrast to the Arndt boys, who were short and stocky.

He had come out to greet them when they arrived the following day, tired and cold and he now ushered them into the servant’s quarters where they could clean up and where they received hot barley soup, rye bread and butter, and tea sweetened with honey. Everybody was so friendly, and they did not feel like strangers at all. They were encouraged to rest and would see the Baron in the morning.

The Baron was the owner of a huge estate, the Rittergut Rozorki, which was a county by itself consisting largely of uncultivated forest and marshlands. His Teutonic ancestors had received this territory from the King of Masovia in gratitude for their help in defeating the Pruzzen, a hostile pagan tribe to the northeast.

I will tell you what I can do for you, he said over breakfast, offering more hot cakes to the visitors, who sat with their mouths wide open in astonishment at the rich and elegant surroundings.

Don’t forget to eat, boys ! he laughed and then added more seriously, I need men like you to cultivate this country–young, competent, and energetic people who can help me clear more land, cut down trees, and drain the marshes. There is also a sawmill in my plans. We already have a Polish village nearby and most of its people work for me. What I want is to build a German town with a Lutheran Church, a large market square, a school and many other projects that I have not quite yet thought through properly. I need young men with a good work ethic, who are willing to learn and who can take leading positions to oversee the various projects. I have good Polish workers for the most part, but they are not reliable enough. They often lack dedication and the ability to think for themselves. You know what I mean, I need somebody who will grab the bull by the horns!

We might not be the people you are looking for, sir. We never had any schooling and don’t know how to read or write and the only work experience we have is from working on the farm together, said Jan.

You are exactly the men that I am looking for. You are down-to-earth people with practical minds and common sense, and from what I can tell so far, you have determination and responsibility. I think that we can work together very well. I will give you a parcel of land for your own use with a modest house for your future family and I expect hard work, dedication, and loyalty. In return, you will receive fair treatment and proper compensation. I want everybody to be happy on my estate! So, when can you start?

They were overwhelmed. Nobody had ever treated them like this before; nobody had ever made them feel this important in the way the Baron had done.

Sir, we thank you for the offer, but please allow me to speak with my brother in private, answered Jan, and they went outside.

Just a few minutes later, they re-entered.

Herr, Baron, you have yourself a deal, they said and shook hands with him. The Baron smiled and was very pleased.

Let’s go for a drive and view the rest of our community! He led them out of the house to a waiting sleigh with two beautiful horses and a beaming coachman.

First, they toured the stables and admired the horses, then the dairy stables, hog barns, and a henhouse. A bit further away was the blacksmith shop, a tannery, a carpenter shop, a large cooperage with many men manufacturing casks and barrels, vats and pails. There was a flax processing facility with an adjacent linen-weaving mill, several storage sheds, and a flourmill with a large water wheel, slowly turning in the cascading creek. Less than a mile away was the Polish village. The main street was lined with small log houses, each of them separated clearly from the next by a spacious garden, and all the houses had straw roofs.

I have a vision where every man will be free from enslavement, and this will happen very soon. It has already started in parts of Prussia and in other western countries, and it has started right here in Rozorki. I am one of the few noblemen to share my wealth with my people and create new opportunities for everybody here. Nobody shall go hungry in Rozorki anymore, so help me God!

The Baron continued, These are exciting times ahead of us. New discoveries and new ideas will make farming easier and more productive. Just recently, I learned of a Scotsman who developed a working model of a steam engine that pumps out huge quantities of water from a mineshaft. This could well be revolutionary. In Spain, farmers have successfully experimented with a new crop from South America that is richer in nourishment than anything known so far. It is called ‘patata’ or ‘kartoffel’ and grows underground like beets and carrots. I sure would like to try growing some right here. You will be a part of our team, driving for success. Unfortunately, there are many of my fellow land barons in Prussia, and especially in Poland, who want to cling to the old feudal ways and reject change. But it has to happen; nothing can stop progress!

In the evening, they were back in the house for supper, where they met more of the permanent staff, mostly other Germans. There were also Polish men and women who held responsible positions.

The charming Baron introduced his wife and the two young sons, Reinhard, who was eight, and Berthold, who was six. Then they all sat down and he said grace. Maids were serving bowls of hot borscht and plates of golden fried perogies, filled with tasty quark.

Jan and Erich discovered soon that they were the guests of honour. This made them uneasy and they blushed and stuttered with some of the questions, but eventually they loosened up and joined the free flowing conversation, relaxed and comfortable with themselves.

In the morning, there were handshakes again, and they promised to rush back, grab Elzbieta and their belongings and return in two to three weeks.

But fate held different and disastrous plans in store for the Arndt boys and the Baron.

Six days later, they were home, arriving late at night. The little farm house was all dark and spooky, with the full moon covering it in silver and black shadows. Charged high with adrenaline they were yelling and banging on the door and woke everybody up, even four-year old Eva.

Elzbieta was the first out. She threw her arms around Jan, hugging and kissing him and tears ran down her face. She was so happy! She felt so warm and she felt so good, he could have carried her right back to bed.

Wait until later, she whispered and pushed him softly away.

Erich was shouting. Mother, Father, you will never believe it! We really lucked out! God showed us the right way and led us to the most wonderful man in the whole wide world.

And they both talked and talked right into the early morning hours, when Father finally got up and said, Let me go and milk the cows.

What is the matter with him? Emma seemed surprised. Milking cows was considered women’s work and lately it had been her job.

The next week was very busy for both of them and Elzbieta.

Father, if you could only let us have the sleigh and the horses as our share, that would be sufficient and take us to our new home in Rozorki, they told him.

You can have the sleigh and the two horses, but I will do better than that, he replied and handed each of them 10 Gold Thaler. They cried.

Father, you don’t have to do this! But he insisted.

Elzbieta collected the rest of her dowry that was still stored at her parents’ home.

They said good-bye to their neighbours and friends. Martin had already left for Volhynia. Albert and Leonard were still undecided. Maybe they would follow them to Rozorki later. The Pastor blessed them and prayed with them together for a safe journey. They were off!

Jan had yelled to his father. If you want to see your grandson, come and visit us next winter!

You have the sleigh, his father laughed and waved.

Again, they slept in farmers’ barns or sheds on straw or hay bales, after receiving a warm welcome and a hot meal and feed and water for the horses. They wanted to pay for the obvious inconvenience they caused to those friendly people, for a second and, in some cases, for a third time, but they all refused to accept money.

It was late in the afternoon when they reached the last village, the one with the Polish speaking population.