This blog has been prepared to provide a format for the Schmidt-Tobert-Reich-Kison family to share and exchange information on the history of this family.
All four families, including my Paternal and Maternal lines go back to Bessarabia, now Ukraine and eventually to Winnepeg, Canada or Washington State in the USA. All four are originally German, and at some point in family history emigrated to Bessarabia to take advantage of the Czarina's (Katherina the Great) offer of free farmland. Some groups that migrated to Bessarabia from Germany even were aided in travel expense, and seeds, and other aid to get established and get started farming.
The Germans were promised a lot of freedoms as part of the arrangement. They were to be able to essentially govern themselves with no taxes, their own schools, churches, language, and a promise not to have their men required to fight in the Czarina's army. All of these promises were later broken, and as a result many, including at least one of each of my families, left the area to go to Canada or the USA. Several, including my grandfather and uncles from the Schmidt family escaped to avoid army duty.
My Paternal Grandfather Herman Schmidt was born in 1885 in Zhytomir, Volhynia, Bessarabia. As a teenager, he tried to escape several times but was sent back, until he and his brother August were able to successfully escape in about 1908 using the passports of two German men who had been killed while in the Russian Army. They were given the passports by the mother of the two men. His brother Wilhelm left later. All three originally went to Winnipeg, Canada.
My Paternal Grandmother Mary Tobert was born in Poland in 1891, and emigrated to Winnipeg, Canada with her mother and her step father with her family. Herman and Mary were married in 1910 in Winnipeg, Canada. Her father Heinrich Tobert died somewhat mysteriously while working on the railroad in Poland. He was working with a road crew, perhaps building a railroad bridge. He never returned home, and noone wanted to talk about what had happened. Mary's mother remarried to man named Richter, and emigrated to Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada with her children, all using the Richter name.
My Maternal grandfather Reinhold Reich also was born in Bessarabia, in Alt Elft in 1883. He emigrated to Ritzville, Washington, USA, arriving in Ellis Island, New York in 1901. He moved from there to Spokane, Washington, and was living there in 1910. He married Bertha Kison in the Salem Church, Ralston, Washington in 1911. Salem is just south of Ritzville, Washington.
My Maternal Grandmother Bertha Kison was born in Ritzville, Washington in 1893 to Fridreich Kison who had earlier immigrated from Bessarabia. Friedrich Kison was born in Kulm, Akkerman, Bessarabia. His family was among the first settlers in Eigenheim, Bessarabia, after leaving Kulm in 1861. Friedrich Kison was among the first settlers in the Ritzville, Salem, Ralston, Washington area.
I have two family trees in Ancestry.com, one with the broader scope, including the family of my first wife Sandra Pearson, my second wife Jane Eller, plus the history of aunts and uncles by marriage. I also have a similar earlier tree in on MyHeritage.com, but I am not currently updating that tree to avoid dual membership costs, and I find Ancestry.com much easier to use, along with being able to document the data I enter for greater accuracy. The second tree in Ancestry.com is more limited in scope to only include the closer relatives. I try to keep both of the Ancestry.com trees updated with the same information.
If you are a member of Ancestry.com you will be able to find these trees when you do searches in the Family Trees area.
I will be attempting to add more information on the individuals in the tree to tell some of the background stories and to discuss information that I am seeking on some of the individuals where I need more information.
You can contact me by email at grschmidt38@yahoo.com
George Schmidt, Concord, California, USA
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