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Koblenz Questionnaires
Questions and Answers

by Gayla Gray 
 

Originally published in the March 2008 Germans from Russia Heritage Society Heritage Review
 

  1. What are Koblenz Questionnaires?

  2. What information might I find on a Koblenz Questionnaire?

  3. Will I be able to read Koblenz Questionnaires? What language are they in?

  4. Why are the Koblenz Questionnaires important?

  5. Does GRHS have all the Koblenz Questionnaires?

  6. Are the Koblenz Questionnaires available at the LDS Family History Library?

  7. Has GRHS indexed the questionnaires?

  8. What information is contained in these indices?

  9. Are the EWZ records different from the Koblenz Questionnaires?


1.   What are Koblenz Questionnaires?

The Bundesarchiv films from Koblenz are re-settlers’ questionnaires filled out by villagers from Bessarabia, Bukovina and Dobrudscha when they were brought out of Russia at the beginning of World War II.  The questionnaire is a one-page form (front and back) containing vital information about the villager. 

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2. What information might I find on a Koblenz Questionnaire?

The information on the Koblenz Questionnaires consists of:

·  name of the head of household

·  current place of residence

·  his or her occupation

·  current citizenship

·  birth date and place of birth

·  place and date of death

·  confession and religion

·  Spouses’ same information (if married)

·  date of marriage and location (if applicable)

·  names, birth dates and locations of birth of children (name of spouse if child is married) and death dates (if applicable)

·  emigrated (day, year, destination)

·  Parents’ information along with dates of birth and location (if known)

·  does family have property and size of property

·  name of ancestor and location of where and when they emigrated 

·  first, second and so on place of settlement

·  name and profession of ancestor who emigrated (on mother’s side)

·  from what land, town, year and to where emigrated

·  if family spread out in other countries

·  if an Ahnentafel (ancestor chart) is available for family and where it is

·  if pictures of ancestors are available and where

·  family members who received special awards or applied for another citizenship

·  notable happenings in the family or of individuals
 

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3. Will I be able to read Koblenz Questionnaires? What language are they in?

Most of the questionnaires are hand written by the villager, but you will also find some that are typed. The questionnaires are written in German.

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4. Why are the Koblenz Questionnaires important?

They contain information about our ancestors that may or may not be included in other records.  The Bessarabian and Dobrudscha questionnaires often contain information on families that resided in other parts of the Black Sea area, such as Odessa and Crimea. In some villages, the majority of the families has links back to Odessa.

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5. Does Germans from Russia Heritage Society have all the Koblenz Questionnaires?

Yes, GRHS has copies of 31 reels pertaining to the Black Sea area. There are nineteen films on Bessarabia, eight films for Dobrudscha and four for Bukovina. The Koblenz Archives does have other collections for areas outside of the Black Sea. They are only available for viewing at GRHS headquarters. However, GRHS does offer Research Services, and can provide you a copy of the Koblenz Questionnaire you are interested in. For more information on GRHS Research Services please go to http://grhs.com/about/services.html.

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6. Are the Koblenz Questionnaires available at the LDS Family History Library?

At this time, they are not available at the LDS Family History Library.

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7. Has GRHS indexed the questionnaires?

Yes, the GRHS Clearing House Projects produced seven different sets of indexed products. All 31 films now have an index available. You can find these indices listed at http://www.grhs.org/rig/bess/koblenz_links.htm. The Bessarabian and Dobrudscha HTML index sets have independent search engines available to aid you in your research. The Village Listing contained with the derivative files is of great assistance in sorting out the various villages of Odessa and Bessarabia and is located at http://grhs.com/vr/koblenz.htm.

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8. What information is contained in these indices?

An example of the information that you will find in the index is below.

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9. Are the EWZ records different from the Koblenz Questionnaires?

Yes, the Koblenz Questionnaires were filled out first. EWZ records were filled out later and contain much more information. See the EWZ Question & Answer article in the December 2007 issue of the Heritage Review.

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We owe a great deal of thanks to the many volunteers who spent hours translating these questionnaires and made them available to our members. Special thanks go out to Dale Wahl and Elli Wise for their support and suggestions in completing this Q&A.