Many Germans had a difficult time supporting their families due to multiple social and economic pressures of that time. When Catherine the Great invited Germans to immigrate to Russia, Conrad Müller decided that Catherine's offer provided the best opportunity for supporting his family and offering his children a brighter future.
According to the Kulberg Reports, Conrad was a Lutheran farmer from Darmstadt. He immigrated to Russia with his wife, Catharina, and eight children:
Johann Heinrich, age 20
Johann Peter, age 18
Johann Peter, age 14
Anna Elizabeth, age 10
Anna Maria, age 8
Maria Elisabeth, age 6
Anna Maria, age 3
Eva Catharina, age 1
The family departed from Luebeck, Germany, and arrived in St. Petersburg on 29 August 1766.
[1]
They traveled on the ship Apollo which was under the command of Detlov Merberg.[1]
After the family registered in St. Petersburg and took their oath of allegiance to Russia, they and other colonists were transported to Oranienbaum to special barracks-type housing. They spent about 9 months in Oranienbaum before they were transported to the Volga region of Russia. Their final destination was Grimm, also known by its Russian name as Lesnoi Karamysch, which was officially established on July 1, 1767.
[2]
Whether or not Anna Elisabeth survived the journey to Grimm is questionable. She is not mentioned in the 1767 Grimm census, when she would have been only 11 years old. That was too young for her to marry or to be living with another family.
Head of the Household: Konrad Müller, 48, Lutheran craftsman from Darmstadt
Wife: Katharina, 45
Child #1 Johann Heinrich, 20
Child #2 Peter, 18
Child #3 Johannes, age 14
Child #4 Anna Maria, 8
Child #5 Maria Elisabeth, 6
Sources
↑ 1.01.1
Pleve, Igor. List of Colonists to Russia in 1766, "Reports by Ivan Kulberg," Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation, Saratov State Technical University; Published in Saratov, Russia 2010; page 329, document number 5194, Conrad Müller family, Lutheran farmer from Darmstadt, with Catharina, children Johann Heinrich, Johann Peter, Johann Peter, Anna Elisabeth, Anna Maria, Maria Elisabeth, Anna Maria, and Eva Catharina.
↑
Pleve, Igor. Einwanderung in das Wolgagebiet 1764-1767, Herausgegeben von Alfred Eisfeld under Mitarbeit von Sabine Eichwald, Published by the Nordost-Instsitut - 38085 Göttingen, 2005; page 78, Konrad Müller family.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Elisabeth by comparing test results with other carriers of her ancestors' mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Elisabeth: