The reverend gave me his permission to post this to
the list. I thought others might find it interesting
as well.
Michelle Z
--- revez123(a)juno.com wrote: > To: misheru32(a)yahoo.ca
Date: Sat, 3 May 2003 19:46:09 -0500
Subject: Re: anybody out there?
From: revez123(a)juno.com
>>granddaughter of Diedrich J Zacharias and Sara nee
Wall from Winkler
whose parents immigrated from the
Russia Ukraine at the turn of the 20the century in
the big wave of
Mennonite immigration to the Prairies at that
time...<
Interesting.
I like the name Zacharias, too. Did you know that it
is Greek in form
(the "ias" ending) but that the probable root is
Hebrew, as in Zechariah.
The root is "zachar" which means "to remember." The
full name therefore
means, "God remembers." For me, that is worth not
forgetting. ;+)
COmment: Interesting. At the Calgary Stampede, a booth
printed out the meanings of surnames and I was told
it was Croatian! Anybody have any theories about this
one? MZ
I am assuming that you are German in origin,
although your grandfather
emigrated from the Ukraine. You may be aware of how
many Germans came to
live in Russia. It dates back to Catherine the
Great, who wanted to get
Russia going agriculturally. She recognized that
Germans were most
efficient in farming, so she offered a homesteading
program to Germans to
farm lands in Russia, especially the Volga River
area.
Comment: I always thought this was for Mennonites who
moved from one country to another because of religous
persecution and threat of conscription (?) to the
military. And Catherine the Great offered them freedom
of religion, freedom to use their own language, and no
obligation to join the military. MZ
The problem became acutely desparate when the
Bolshevik Revolution swept
through Russia. It was then that Germans were
targeted as aliens and
enemies of the state. Those who were welcomed by
Catherine a generation
before, were suddenly suspect. Worse than suspect,
they truly did become
targets for destruction. It sounds like it was then
that your grandfather
escaped Russia.
Good thing, too, for greater atrocities were yet to
come.
Comment: I thought this was also worsened by the fact
that they were successful farmers when those in
surrounding areas were not, so these others became
jealous of their success (much like the problems that
Hutterites have even today). MZ
Where in the U.S. did your grandfather arrive and
settle?
Sorry! Canadian prairies in southern Manitoba. MZ
Interesting to know that there are many people named
Zacharias in Minnesota. So close and I never knew when
I was growing up. I guess my brother moving down there
just added to their numbers! ;-) MZ
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