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Research Links


In addition to the Black Sea German database, the following links will help you research your German ancestors in the Dobrudscha area.

Dobrudscha colony map
Research Repository
Jakobsonstahl Village Research

German-Russian Village List
Odessa Digital Library
Village Plat Maps

Recommended Books


Landsmannschaft der Dobrudscha - und Bulgariendeutschen e.V.
Heimatbuch der Dobrudscha-Deutschen 1840-1940 (German)

Müller, Dr. Johannes Florian
East German Fate by the Black Sea (German)

Traeger, Paul
Die Deutschen in der Dobrudscha (German)

Presentations & Publications:

German Settlements in Dobrudscha presentation by Allen Konrad (text narrative)

Mitteilungsblatt der Landsmannschaft der Dobrudscha und Bulgariendeutschen e.V.
Der Dobrudschabote (
quarterly)


Some of these books/publications may be available at your local library or available from Amazon.com, Germans from Russia Heritage Collection, the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, or the Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

Articles:
The Germany Minority in Romania in 1919-1931 by Johann Böhm


Researching Dobrudscha


Overview
Dobrudscha (German), Dobregea (Romanian), Dobrudzha (Bulgarian), or Dobruja (English) lies in present-day Romania. It is located south of Bessarabia between the Black Sea and the turn in the Danube River near its mouth at Constanta.

German migration to Dobrudscha occurred in three phases: the first between 1841 and 1856, the second between 1873 and 1883, and the third between 1890-1891. German families from Cherson, Bessarabia, and Caucasus settled in the Dobrudscha. Read more...
 Church Records
 The book Wegweiser für Forschungen nach Vorfahren aus den ostdeutschen und sudetendeutschen Gebieten sowie aus den deutschen Siedlungsräumen in Mittel-, Ost- und Südosteuropa (AGoFF-Wegweiser) by Herbert Sylvester may help you in researching ancestors in Dobrudscha. This book is a guide to genealogical research resources for German ethnic ancestry from Eastern and Central Europe, including the countries of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, the former Soviet Union (including Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic States), former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and other neighboring countries. It includes addresses of ecclesiastical and civil archives, researchers and bibliographies of genealogical and related research publications. Text is in German and available through the Family History Library.
 Census Records
Family lists for many of the Dobrudscha colonies can be found in the book Heimatbuch der Dobrudscha-Deutschen 1840-1940 published by Landsmannschaft der Dobrudscha and Bulgariendeutschen e.V. Much of the data from this book has been extracted and is included in the Black Sea German Database.

Resettlement Records
The Dobrudscha German families suffered the same fate as those in Bessarabia. They were forced to leave their homes in 1940, some were sent to resettlement camps and others simply vanished. Those who were resettled had to document their German ethinicity back several generations. This makes these records valuable for research, even if your family line left Dobrudscha prior to 1940.

EWZ Records
EWZ stands for Einwanderungszentralstelle or Central Immigration Control department. The EWZ 51 series is most important for Dobrudscha research. Check the Black Sea German Database as many EWZ-51 indexes are included.

Koblenz sampleKoblenz Records
These questionnaires were completed prior to the EWZ records and come from the German Bundersarchiv. There are eight  films (24-31) that focus on Dobrudscha villages. Read the Koblenz FAQ for more information on these records.

Repression Records
The book Heimatbuch der Dobrudscha-Deutschen includes the names (sometimes dates and locations) for those who fled Dobrudscha around 1940. You will find this data in the Black Sea German Database under Dobrudscha Families/Repressions.