From medieval times, Germans and Russians, the largest population blocs in Europe, have seldom been allies on the world stage. And yet millions of people around the world identify in a way that seems oxymoronic: “Germans from Russia.”
A confusing designation like this seemingly happens all the time in Eastern European genealogy. “Since Great-grandpa claimed pride in being German, we always assumed the family was from Germany,” Cousin Susie, the greenhorn genealogist, says. “But now US census records claim he was born in Russia. So was he really German?”
An experienced family historian knows the answer depends on how you define “German.” The push and pull between Germanic and Slavic peoples (the latter including ethnic Russians) goes back more than a millennium. A rough German-Slavic language first developed in Eastern Europe in the High Middle Ages. And more crossover occurred in the 1700s, when Empress of Russia Catherine the Great, ethnically German herself, invited German speakers to immigrate to Russian lands.
With that in mind, your “Germans from Russia.” Let’s sort through all the history and migration patterns that led to this unique confluence of cultures. Here’s how to find your ancestors who were Germans from Russia.
