Volga German families, researched from the sources.
Wolgawurzeln is a research portal for Russian German family history, based in Germany. We search archives in Germany and Russia, read the old German and Russian handwriting and write a clear report with sources, in English.
Free first assessment. Replies usually within 24 hours.
Research beyond the colony
For families who know their village and want the people behind the name: dates, records and documents.
Archives in Saratov and Engels
Church books of the colonies, revision lists naming every family of a village, and files on deportation, special settlement and the labor army.
The villages before 1766
Church books of the ancestral villages, emigration records, and naturalization files of the 1940s, a rich source for Black Sea German families.
Transcribed and translated
German Kurrent and Sütterlin and Russian script, transcribed line by line with notes and translated into English.
Fees and process
Every project starts with a free assessment. Research runs in blocks, and you decide after each report whether to continue.
| Service | Scope | Delivery | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin report | One surname: its colony, the history of the colony and the family’s migration route, with sources | PDF in 3 to 5 days | EUR 49 |
| Family history | Up to four surnames: research into the origin and route of every line, with map and timeline | PDF in 5 to 8 days | EUR 89 |
| Initial research block | Three hours on one clearly defined question, including a written report | as agreed | EUR 149 |
| Further research | Only after your approval, billed by the actual time worked | as agreed | EUR 50 per hour |
| Transcription | Old German and Russian handwriting, with translation | by volume | quote |
Archive fees for copies and scans are added as invoiced. How long a request to a Russian archive takes depends on the archive. Through contacts on site it is often faster than the usual way, though nobody can promise a fixed date, and we keep you informed. Where records are not online, research is also done on site in archives and libraries. Payment by bank transfer or PayPal before each block. No VAT is charged under § 19 UStG.
Sample reports
Three complete sample reports for a fictitious family, built on real colonies, lists and archives. Open any of them as a PDF.
Origin report · 10 pagesSchäfer from NorkaOne surname, its colony on the Volga and the family’s route from Hesse to Kazakhstan and back.Open PDF
Family history · 15 pagesFour lines, four coloniesVolga, Black Sea and Bessarabia: deportation, trek and flight, and two arrivals in Germany.Open PDF
Individual research · 10 pagesInterim report, Block 1Work log, ship lists, a church book entry of 1720 transcribed, and the plan for the next block.Open PDF
Persons marked with an asterisk are fictitious; colonies, sources, places and figures are real. The reports are also available in German.
Founded by a Russian German
Wolgawurzeln was founded by Edwin Karl, whose family comes from Balzer and Jablonowka on the Volga. Deported to Kazakhstan in 1941, the family returned to Germany in the 1990s. His own Magel line is traced back to about 1640 in Hesse.
Based in Germany, Wolgawurzeln works with German archives directly and sends requests to the archives in Russia. Every finding in our reports is tied to its source.
- about 1640Düdelsheim, HesseMelchior Magel, the earliest documented ancestor
- 1766 and 1767Balzer on the VolgaThe family follows the call of Catherine the Great
- 1941Atbasar, KazakhstanDeported with the whole Volga German republic
- from 1990GermanyThe return to the land of the ancestors
Tell me what you already know.
Surnames, dates, places, old documents: send what you have and what you would like to find out. The first assessment is free.