Heinrich Adolf 
From the 1954 Diary of Fredrick Adolf   b. 1868  Hazen, ND
Translated by Victor Knell
originally published in Heritage Review. no. 23, April 1979 by the 
North Dakota Historical Socieity of Germans from Russia
Later edited and published in the Kit Carson County History and credited to Marlyn Hasart

 
      Heinrich Adolf and Carlotta Rossman Adolf were born in Berlin, Germany.  They migrated to Brienne, Bessarabia Russia, with 70 other families in 1817.  This colony was established in 1816.  They made the trip to the unsettled Steppe with much difficulty.  Food was scarce and the sky was their roof and the earth their bed.  The Russian government gave them a little money to build a house and 60 desjatin (162 acres) of land and clothing was provided to last a year. 

    Grandfather Adolf had brought a little money with him.  He built a wind mill right away, since he was a miller by trade.  He milled the people's wheat into flour.  For his work he took a portion of the wheat, that is from a pud (40) pounds, then charged a garnitz for his work.  There are 8 garnitz in a pud.  He also asked 5 pounds for the use of the mill.  Times were very hard. 

    When spring arrived, most of the families started large gardens.  Not much wheat was seeded because there were very few draft animals to do the plowing.  We started large gardens and everything they planted provided a bountiful harvest for them.  Some Planted fruit trees, mainly mulberries.  Starlings were a problem.  These they tried to frighten away with a loud noise maker. 

    In the second year, 1818, a small caravan of 30 families came from the province of Wurttemberg, also called Schaben, Germany.  AU these people settled in the colony.  Every one got their 60 desiatins of land from the government. 

    Heinrich and Carlotta Rossman Adolf had seven sons and no daughters.  They are: 
 

    Karl who married Eva Kuch, they had five sons and two daughters. 

    Johann who married Eva Klaf, they hadfour sons and five daughters. 

    Wilhelm who married Barbara Maier, they had two sons and five daughters. 

    Heinrich who married Magdalena Oster, they had three sons and five daughters. 

    Christian who married Friederike Steeg, they had three sons and two daughters. 

    Fredrick who married Elizabeth Schell, they had five sons and five daughters. 

    Daniel who married Katherina Zinc, they had seven sons and seven daughters.

This short history of the grandparents was translated from a German diary in 1954 by Fredrick Adolf who was 87 years old.  He was born March 9, 1868 in the German colony of Brienne, Bessarabia, South Russia.  He came to the United States with his parents in 1889 and settled in the area of North Dakota that is now known as Hazen.