Johann Konrad Rudolph (abt. 1762 - abt. 1830)

Born about 1762 in Isenburg, Germany [uncertain]

Descendants

Died about 1830 at about age 68 in Grimm, Saratov, Russia

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Biography

Konrad Rudolph was a Volga German.

Konrad Rudolph has German Roots.

Family #74 in the 1775 Grimm census.
Family #116 in the 1798 Grimm census.
Family #213 in the 1834 Grimm census.

Johann Konrad Rudolph was born in 1762 in the Isenburg area of what is now Germany, to father Balthasar Rudolph and possibly an unknown wife.

Konrad appears in the Kulberg Reports as immigrating to Russia with his parents, Balzer [sic] and Eva, and sister Catharina. ^[1] The entry in the Kulberg Reports implies that the parents of the two children are Balthasar and Eva. The 1775 census reveals, however, that Catharina was Eva's daughter from her first husband, Mr. Lusmar. Eva may have been the mother of both children. Listed as the second male child in the 1775 census is Georg Karl Rudolph, age 18. It is out of character for the male children in these census records not to be listed by order of age, oldest to youngest. This means that either the census taker screwed up and listed the males out of age order, or perhaps that there was a typo and Georg Karl was only 8 years old, not 18.

If Georg Karl was born in 1757 and was 18 in 1775, then:

• He was omitted from the Kulberg Reports entry for his family
• He is listed out of order in the 1775 Grimm census.
• His mother was not Eva Bechtold.
• Eva Bechtold may not have been the mother of his brother Johann Konrad, since their ages are relatively close together. The two oldest children probably had the same mother.

If Georg Karl was born in 1767 and was 8 in 1775, then:

• He wasn't omitted from the Kulberg Reports since he wasn't born yet.
• There is a typo in his age in the 1775 census.
• His mother was Eva Bechtold.
• Eva Bechtold was probably the mother of all the children listed in the 1775 Grimm census.

The confirmation of Johann Konrad's brother Georg Karl affects more than just Georg Karl, which is why this discussion is included on Johann Konrad's profile. It seems so much tidier to give all the children the same mother. The reality is, however, that possible errors in the only sources available for early Volga Germans could mean different mothers for two of the children, and thus a different maternal ancestral line.

1775 Grimm Census ^[2]

Family # 74

Head of the Household Baltasar Rudolf [sic], age 36

Wife Eva [Bechtold] Rudolf [sic], age 40

Child #1 Johann Konrad Rudolf [sic], age 14

Child #2 Georg Karl Rudolf [sic], age 18 (out of order, maybe 8?), mother was Baltasar Rudolf's unnamed first wife

Child #3 Georg Heinrich Rudolf [sic], age 5

Child #4 Carolina Rudolf, age 3

Stepdaughter Katarina [sic] Lusmar [?], age 16

1798 Grimm Census ^[3]

Family # 116

Head of the Household Baltasar [sic] Rudolf [sic], age 63

Wife Eva Bechtold Rudolf [sic], age 65

Child #1 Konrad Rudolf [sic], age 36

Wife of Child #1 Anna Maria Manweiler, age 29, from Messer

Grandchild #1 Johann Heinrich Rudolf [sic], age 5

Grandchild #2 Christian Rudolf [sic], age 1

Grandchild #3 Katarina [sic] Rudolf [sic], age 10

Grandchild #4 Katarina [sic] Elizabeta [sic] Rudolf, age 7

Child #2 Andreas Jakob Rudolf [sic], age 23

1834 Grimm Census ^[4]

Family # 213

Head of the Household Konrad Rudolph, age 53 in 1816, deceased 1830

Wife Anna Maria Rudolph, age 53

Child #1 Johann Heinrich Rudolph, age 22 in 1816, to household #216

Child #2 Georg Michael Rudolph, age 28

Wife of Child #2 Katharina Elisabeth Rudolph, age 27

Grandchild #1 Johann Jakob Rudolph (#1), age 7

Grandchild #2 Elisabeth Margaretha Rudolph, age 5

Grandchild #3 Katharina Charlotta Rudolph, age 3

Grandchild #4 Johann Jakob Rudolph (#2), age 1, twin with Katharina Margaretha

Grandchild #5 Katharina Margaretha Rudolph, age 1, twin with Johann Jakob Rudolph (#2)

Child #3 Johann Adam Rudolph, age 19

Brother Andreas Jakob Rudolph, age 40 in 1816, to household #216

Research Notes

Spelling of his surname evolved from Rudolf to Rudolph. I'm not sure if it was because of a census taker spelling error, or if the name naturally evolved. Using an "f" for the eff sound is a Russian style, while using the "ph" is more Germanic. Another good example is Sofia vs. Sophia. I tend to believe the name should have been spelled with a "ph," as in Rudolph, from the start.

Normally the oldest child is listed first in the census records. In the 1775 census, Johann Konrad is listed first, but it lists his age as younger than the next child listed in the census. If the ages were input incorrectly or the boys names' reversed, it would account for the age discrepancy in the 1834 census, where it says he was 53 years old in 1816. That gives him a birth year of 1763. If he was really a couple of years younger, it more closely aligns with his age in 1816.

Sources

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 57, Balzer Rudolph, Lutheran stocking maker from Isenburg, document number 499, wife: Eva; children: Johann [Konrad], age 5, and Catharina, age 9.
2. ↑ The 1775 and 1798 Census of the German Colony on the Volga, Lesnoy Karamysh, also known as Grimm; Published by the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Published date: 1995; family #74 in the 1775 Grimm census, Baltasar Rudolf family.
3. ↑ The 1775 and 1798 Census of the German Colony on the Volga, Lesnoy Karamysh, also known as Grimm; Published by the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Published date: 1995; family #116 in the 1798 Grimm census, Baltasar Rudolf family.
4. ↑ 1834 Census of Grimm in the District of Saratov, Russia, dated 2 February 1835; Translated by Brent Mai, Concordia University, Portland, Oregon; Published by Dynasty Publishing, Beaverton, OR, USA; Published 2011; page 64, family #213, Konrad Rudolph family.