The Senger Family appears to have had a long term link to the lands around Zeyer (see below). I guess it is no wonder that my mother is still so ‘mentally’ attached to this land and region (Es war einmal…).

Thank you to Rainer Mueller-Glodde for this note & excerpt:

Two years ago (2008) a Dr. Glodde from Berlin, [...] tried to find out the meaning of “Glodde”, [and] sent me a shot he made of a document from about 1805 [located] in the Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz. The subject is the estimation of the size of the Grosse Jacob Glode Buden Kampe [in the area of Zeyer, Westpreußen].

Zum Plan von der Großen Buden Kampe

Kott Kampe und Lange Hacken, Sämtliches Land gehörte ehmals dem Einsaßen Glodde, wovon derselbe an die Sengers und Barwigs die Kott Kampe und Lange Hacken verkaufte welche damals betrugen 8 Huf : 12 m : Cut welches aus der unten stehenden alten Berechnung auch zugleich aus der neuen Vermeßung Berechnung zu ersehen ist wie viel die außen Kampen sich vergrößert haben.

Related posts:

1. Richard Senger -90th Birthday
2. Richard Senger- The Long Road
3. Senger Family Lands & Possesions

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Elbinger Adressbücher
Mark Rabideau hat auf seiner privaten Webseite zahlreiche Elbinger Addressbuecher (1847-1930) veröffentlicht. Auch ein Telefonbuch von 1937 ist dabei. Zahlreiche weitere Adressbücher aus Westpreußen (Graudenz, Thorn, Konitz) sind auf der Webseite zu finden. Einwohnerbücher von Danzig, Graudenz und Zoppot stehen zum Download bereit. (GJ)

see: http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Computergenealogie

I truly appreciate this acknowledgement.  These books are here for all to use as well as to honor my Oma, Opa und Mutti.

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1. Deutscher Zeitschriften in Elblag (Elbing)
2. Elbing Area Maps
3. Elbing Photo Galleries

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Tommy was an English war prisoner who spent most of World War 2 with the Senger family in Zeyervorderkampen. We would love to hear from him or his family.

Click on the thumbnail below to see a larger image.

Related posts:

1. Hermann Recht
2. Michael Senger
3. Zeyer- das Ende

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This image gallery contains images of all the Senger family records we have been able to identify thus far, and have available for publication. As you will note, some of the documents are a ‘bit difficult’ to read.

[Show as slideshow]

Related posts:

1. The LDS & Zeyer ev. Kirche Records
2. Kirche Zeyer (evangelisch)
3. Any idea where Zeyer’s early ev. Kirche records might be found?

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This write-up is my effort to document the circumstances and images surrounding the Gulag complex to which Frieda Senger was assigned and interned after World War 2 by the Soviets.

source: Wikipedia.de

English:

Chelyabinsk was the location of a Soviet Gulag. Chelyabinsk ITL (Work Improvement Camp) was in existence from November 1941 until October 1951. At its height, it held 15,400 persons who were employed building a smelter used for Industrial, Highway, Civil and Residential construction, as well as in open-cast mining.

Additionally there was a Prisoner of War Camp #68 for German POWs in Chelyabinsk. Severely ill POWs were treated in POW Hospital 5882. A German POW mass grave was found about 12 km (8 miles) East of the city.

Deutsch:

Tscheljabinsk war Standort eines sowjetischen Gulag. Das Tscheljabinsker ITL (Besserungsarbeitslager) bestand von November 1941 bis Oktober 1951. Es waren bis zu 15.400 Personen inhaftiert, die beim Bau eines Hüttenwerks, im Industrie-, Straßen-, Zivil- und Wohnungsbau sowie bei der Förderung von Bodenschätzen eingesetzt wurden.

Außerdem befand sich das Kriegsgefangenenlager 68 für deutsche Kriegsgefangene des Zweiten Weltkriegs in Tscheljabinsk. Schwer Erkrankte wurden im Kriegsgefangenenhospital 5882 versorgt. Etwa 12 km östlich der Stadt gab es ein Kriegsgefangenen-Massengrab.

To quote: The Deportation and Destruction of the German Minority in the USSR by J. Otto Pohl (c) 2001.
Click to Download & Read the Entire Paper: Deportation and Destruction Soviet Germans

“Physical conditions in the labor army proved to be deadly. The Germans in the labor army worked long hours with meager rations under dangerous conditions. Frequently they worked 14 hours a day felling trees, mining coal, extracting oil, building industrial complexes, and other physically demanding tasks. Often this work took place in frigid temperatures. In Chelyabinsk the temperature frequently dropped to -40 C and lower.103 Lacking proper winter clothing, many Germans in the labor army froze to death. Insufficient food also burdened the labor army. Gulag set the rations for the labor army according to a differentiated system. This system linked the food rations of members of the labor army to their fulfillment of fixed work quotas. [...].Often Germans in the labor army received little else other than bread. [...] the labor army contingent in Tagillage received only 3% of their normal rations of vegetables and potatoes. This lack of vitamin rich foods resulted in a mass outbreak of pellagra and scurvy. Exhaustion, hunger, and malnutrition constantly plagued the Germans in the labor army.”

“The material conditions of the labor army often lacked even the most basic standards of hygiene. Mobilized Germans in the Bakalstroi camp and the Chkalov oil fields lived in earth huts. Others lived in unheated and unsanitary barracks. This was the most common form of housing for the labor army.”

“Often these barracks lacked ventilation, boiling water, and wooden floors. Overcrowding and the lack of clean linen and other basic sanitary measures led to repeated outbreaks of typhus, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. The lack of proper medical care made these diseases particularly deadly.”

“The poor sanitary conditions, lack of food, and exhausting physical labor the Stalin regime intentionally imposed upon the hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans in the labor army killed a large portion of them. Labor army battalions in some camps had mortality rates exceeding 50% a year.”

Related posts:

1. Frieda Senger- Post WW2 Gulag
2. Gulag Perm-36
3. Frieda Senger -Suchdienst & Soviet Records

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Today when I arrived home a letter from the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz- Suchdienst awaited me.  I have to admit the contents were, for me extremely exciting!  The only challenge I have with the documents is that three of the four pages are in Russian.

Perhaps a kind reader is willing to help me understand the Russian text. (download Docs)

Based upon the Suchdienst records, we have identified photos from one of my Oma’s camps (see below). More information on the Camp is also available at: Gulag Memorial DE.

Here are the documents (with the translations I have):

	(See below)
	Translation: German, member of fascist organization (abbreviation in the left corner)Dossier/Document about Frieda Senger Luftwaffe Start: 17th of March 1945 End: ….. 19…

The text from the Suchdienst follows:

Deutsches Rotes Kreuz
DRK-Suchdienst Munchen
Chiemgaustr. 109 81549 Munchen

Mark F. Rabideau
711 Nob Hill Trail
80116 Franktown/Colorado
Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika

Munich, 15.01.2010
Senger, Frieda, born: 19.03.1898 in Zeyervorderkampen/Werder

Dear Mr. Rabideau,

Thank you for your inquiry of 07 September, 2009.

The research in our archives, which included the records received from The Central Archives of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation on German prisoners of war and civilians in Soviet captivity, revealed the following record for Mrs. Frieda Senger:

She was taken a prisoner by the Soviet Army on March 17, 1945.

Since 1935 she was organized by the Empire antiaircraft union [ger.Reichsluftschutzbund (RLB)].

On July 7, 1945 she was transfered from the camp 507 (Cheljabinskaja region/ Satkinskij district/ village Bakal) to the working battalion No.1083 (Cheljabinskaja Region/City Kopejsk/ Station Potanino) of mobilized germans.

She was discharged for repatriation on July 1, 1947.

Unfortunately, further data are nonexistent.

According to our record cards dating back to the post-war-years, the last known address of Senger Frieda was from January 9, 1955: Lindenburgweg 202 (or 262), Weitheim/Murnau.

Enclosed, please find a copy of the file in the original Russian language. Due to the quantity of the documents, which come to us to work off, we cann’t unfortunately translate these records . We ask kindly to excuse us.

At present we dont have any other records from The Central Archives of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation on your other relatives: Richard Senger, Frieda Senger, Erich Senger und Luise Senger.

The information from our record cards you will receive in a separate letter.

Sincerely yours,

Anna Repa
case worker
German Red Cross
Tracing Service Munich
Generalsekretariat Suchdienst
Standort Munchen
Zentrale Auskunfts- und Dokumentationsstelle
Chiemgaustrasse 109
D-81549 Munchen
Tel. (089) 68 07 73-0
Fax (089) 68 07 45 92
www.drk-suchdienst.org
info@drk-suchdienst.org

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1. Frieda Senger- Post WW2 Gulag
2. Richard Senger- The Long Road
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It pleases me beyond words to say that I have successfully identified the grave of my Great Uncle and made certain that his grave stone in the battlefields of WW1 France is now updated and complete.

Were it not for the wonderful help of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge this would never have been possible.  However, with their initial work and my good fortune in finding Albert’s birth record in the Zeyer ev. Kirche; we have made certain that Albert is fully identified and honored.

In October I received this note:

From: ilka.borowski@volksbund.de
To: mark@eirenicon.org
Subject: Antwort: Re: Antwort: Re: Albert Senger, + 03.12.1914 – Vg.Nr. 847.278
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:28:57 +0100

Hallo Mark,

kurz möchte ich Ihnen noch mitteilen, dass es sich bei dem von Ihnen genannten Datum 27.05.1888 um den Tag der Taufe handelt. Als Geburtsdatum ist im Kirchenbuch der 31. März angegeben.

Mit freundlichem Gruss/best regards
Ilka Borowski
——————————————————————
Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge
Werner Hilpert-Str- 2            34112 Kassel
Tel.: 05617009169    Fax :  05617009246

http://www.volksbund.de

Today on their website you can see the following record:

Zum Gedenken

Nachname:     Senger
Vorname:     Albert
Dienstgrad:     Reservist
Geburtsdatum:     27.05.1888
Geburtsort:     Zeyervorderkampen
Todes-/Vermisstendatum:     03.12.1914
Todes-/Vermisstenort:

Albert Senger ruht auf der Kriegsgräberstätte in Noyers-Pont-Maugis (Frankreich). Endgrablage: Block B Grab 2148

Es freut mich sehr dass dies fuer mein Ohr-Onkel geschaft ist.  Vielleicht ruehrt er jetzt ein bischen besser.(It pleases me to know that this was accomplished for my Great Uncle. Perhaps he can rest a bit more peacefully.)

I will now try to do the same for his brother and my Uncle Adolph…

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1. Albert Senger
2. Adolf Senger
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Hello all!

I have what is for me a riddle. I know that before 1774 Zeyer had a Church, but it held no records. Does anyone know which, if any, Elbing Lutheran Church may have held the records for births, deaths and weddings? The main Lutheran Churches in Elbing seem to have been Heilige drei Koenige, Sankt Marien, Heiliger Leichnahm, Sakt Annen, and Sankt Paulus; does anyone know which might hold the correct LDS microfilm archive?

Any help is most appreciated!

Hallo Leute!

Habe eine (fuer mich, unerlosbar) Frage: ich weiss dass es erst ab 1774 ein unabhaengige evangelische Kirche in Zeyer gab.  Wusste es jemand, welcher Elbinger Kirche verantwortlich fuer die Taufe-/Heirats-/Todesregister den Gebiet Zeyer/Zeyerniederkampen vor 1774 war?  Ich finde so fuenf evangelische Kirchen: Heilige drei Koenige, Sankt Marien, Heiliger Leichnahm, Sakt Annen, und Sankt Paulus; weiss aber nicht welche LDS Mikrofilme wahrscheinlich die richtige sind.

Ich freue mich sehr auf ihre Hilfe!

…mark

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The Senger family were neither rich nor famous. They were hard working German farmers who tilled the soil and built the land (much like their forebears before them did in Holland). Richard Senger, at the outset of World War 2, was also an owner of the Kaeserei in Zeyervorderkampen (I do not know if he had other co-owners, perhaps one of our readers can help clear that up).

Below you will find images of the location of the Richard Senger family farm and business.

Senger Farm and Kaeserei

Senger Farm in 2004

Senger Farm in 1978 Visit by Erich Senger

The Old Senger Farm “Today” in Kepiny Male, Poland

“I would love to speak with the current owners of the Farm.  They are doing a wonderful job of caring for it.  I would be happy to share the history of the house, farm, people and lands with them.

Together, we can walk into the future without animosity or fear…”

If any of our readers can help me find a way to contact today’s owners of this farm, please use our Contact page to let me know how.

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Richard inherited the farm from his parents (Michael and Adelgunde) in 1920, the year of his and Frieda’s marriage. The 50 hectare Senger farm grew apples, cherries, plums, sugar beets, rye, and raised ducks, chickens, cows, pigs. During the Second World War additional crops were grown as a requirement of the German government they included rapeseed, poppies and wheat.

Both Erich and Luise were born on the farm; Erich in 1921 and Luise in 1923. This was during the hyper-inflation years of the Weimar Republic. The hyper-inflation was so bad at the time that it cost Richard and Frieda and entire wheelbarrow full of money to purchase a pacifier for Luise. Luise and Erich were baptized at the Zeyer Evangelishe Kirche (Lutheran); Herr Doebel was Luise Senger’s godfather.  Later he was to become an early member of the National Sozialistische Deuthsche Arbeiters Partei (NSDAP, Nazi); ultimately he was to become disillusioned and was imprisoned for his opposition to the NSDAP (It is believed that he served more than 5 years for his opposition.)

From the age of 14, Luise Senger lived with her Onkel Robert and Tante Olga in Elbing on 58 Wasserstrasse. There she attended Elbing Handelsschule. Robert & Olga Senger owned a small Gasthaus and store on the waterfront of the port of Elbing. Their Gasthaus had 4 guest rooms and was described as being ‘plain’ but friendly. During her years in Elbing at the Handelsschule, Luise used to take long walks to a nearby park (in the city); this is where she watched and ultimately met some of the musicians and other members of the ‘artists’ community who befriended her and some of whom protected her when they met again at the end of the war in Munich.

“Onkel Robert and Tante Olga” were city dwellers and throughout Luise’s youth Luise and Erich Senger used to ‘smuggle’ small amounts of food (fruit, wheat etc) from the farm to Onkel Robert’s so as to avoid paying taxes to the government. At one time, Onkel Robert sent bananas to the Richard Senger family in Zeyervorderkampen as a treat; Luise refused to even try them as she had never seen anything like them before!

Sometime while Luise was living with the Senger’s in Elbing, her cousin Erika and Erika’s husband (Otto Grawert) and their son Karl-Otto came to live with Robert and Olga. They came from their home on the Dutch border on a doctor’s recommendation. Erika had a severe case of TB and the cold, moist air was supposed to help her heal. Erika especially enjoyed the Gasthaus and the customers that frequented it. She and Luise became very close friends.

From 1937 on through much of the second world war (WW2) the Richard Senger farm was quite successful. The daily routines continued; the work was hard and the crops were quite good.

During the war years, the Sengers were required to host English prisoners of war.  One PoW stayed the entire war; his name  was Tommy. He had been captured at Dunkirk and arrived at the age of 17.  Tommy remained with the Sengers up until the time the Russians took the farm in 1944, escaping by foot towards the North Sea just ahead of the advancing Russians and Poles.

Once the war began, Richard’s son, Erich, was fighting as a rear-gunner in a Stuka (he fought on both the Eastern and Western fronts). Erich was taken prisoner in 1944 by the British when his plane was shot down over France (it is believed). By the early 1940′s his daughter, Luise, was a administrative aide and Lieutenant in the Luftwaffe.

With all of Zeyer’s young people at war, the farm was managed and operated by the two ‘closest’ Senger brothers (Richard and Rudolf) and Richard’s wife Frieda and Frieda’s sister Erna up until the time the lands and property were confiscated by the Russians in late 1944.

composite of verbal stories related by Luise Senger Rabideau to her children Linda & Mark

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1. Richard Senger- The Long Road
2. Frieda Senger- Post WW2 Gulag
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