Friedrich Grenz History Time Line

1762 Catherine The Great of Russia issues first Manifesto Dec. 4, little response
1763 Catherine The Great of Russia issues second Manifesto with propaganda and more incentives, many Germans respond and emigrate to Russia, July 22
1788 Gottlieb Grenz, Samuel’s brother is born
  1789-1799 French Revolution takes place. Napoleon rises to power
1796 Samuel Grenz born in Posen, Prussian Poland
1804 Czar Alexander re-issues Catherine’s Manifesto with even more incentives
1812 Napoleon marches into Moscow in September, but leaves in October and all but 29,000 of       575,000 men in his army die from the war or disease
1812 Gottlieb Grenz marries Mariana Sommerfeld
1813 Samuel Grenz and his brother Gottlieb and wife Mariana emigrate to Ukraine, South Russia with 18 other families
1816 Samuel and Gottlieb and wife (now with a 9 month old child, Anna) in Rohrbach census
1818 Samuel marries Anna Elisabeth Rosina Schuelke, probably in Rohrbach
1819 George Adam Christian Grenz, Samuel and Anna’s first child, born in Rohrbach. Now twenty years old
1821 Catharina Elisabetha Dengler born in Waterloo September 30
1830 The Grenz’s move to Güldendorf. Güldendorf is founded by settlers in Friedrichstal, Stuttgart and Waterloo due to water shortage
1837 Georg Adam Christian Grenz weds Catherina Elisabetha Dengler in Guldendorf Nov 30
1838 Samuel Grenz, (the younger) oldest child of Georg and Catharina born in Guldendorf, October 5
1847 Samuel’s (the older) wife Anna (Goerg’s mother) dies in Güldendorf October 19 at age 57
1851 Samuel’s 2nd wife Salomea Braun Grenz dies August 4 at age 55
1858 Samuel (the older) dies in Güldendorf Dec 18 at age 62
1861 Samuel (the younger) marries Christina Lutz
1871 Privileges taken away from Russian colonists. Germany unifies as a nation for the first time. Time of increased animosity towards foreigners in Russia. Imperial Russian Government issues decree repealing the Manifestos of Catherine and Alexander June 3
1872 Exodus of German settlers from southern Russia begins (mostly to America)
1874 Compulsory military conscription instituted for the German colonists
1880 Christina Schnaidt (grandma) born December 2 in south Russia, probably Guldendorf
1882 Friedrich Grenz born December 2 in south Russia, probably Güldendorf
1884 Catharina Elisabetha Dengler Grenz, Georg’s wife, dies 15 August in Gnadenfeld at age 65
1885 Samuel and Christina Grenz sail on S.S. Suevia to New York; arrive on June 1 at Castle Garden. Settle near Eureka, south of Artas in South Dakota
1886 Samuel Grenz charter member of First Baptist Church Eureka June 21
1887 Railroad extended to Eureka, South Dakota. Eureka, becomes wheat market of the world
1889 North and South Dakota join the Union and receive Statehood
1890 Massacre at Wounded Knee in South Dakota
1892 Christina Schnaidt (Friedrich Grenz future wife) comes to America with parents April 30 on the S.S. Edam from Rotterdam to Logan County, North Dakota
1900 First Baptist Church of Eureka has 300 members
1900 Samuel, wife and 4 children living in Postal Township, Campbell Co., South Dakota. According to the census, Samuel is a farmer
1902 Friedrich Grenz moves to Streeter area in North Dakota
1903 Friedrich Grenz marries Christina Schnaidt Oct 13, in Streeter, Stutsman, North Dakota Samuel and Christina Grenz retire and move from their Campbell Co. SD farm into the town of Eureka, South Dakota
1904 Samuel, wife Christina and daughter Lidia move from Campbell, Co. South Dakota to Lodi, California in April
1904 Christina Lutz Grenz (Samuel’s wife) dies Aug 20 at 66. Buried in old Lodi City Cemetery
1904 Friedrich Grenz homesteads in Logan, County North Dakota
1905 Friedrich Grenz accepts Christ as Savior and is baptized
1905 Samuel Grenz is charter member of First Baptist Church of Lodi April
1908 Samuel married widow Katharina Theurer Nathan who has 11 living children, June 29 in Lodi
1910 Samuel Grenz and Katharina living in Lodi (Elkhorn Township), according to census
1914 Samuel Grenz listed as gardener in Lodi City Directory and lives on N. Stockton Street
1919 Friedrich and Christina Grenz live in Ashley, North Dakota
1932 Katharina Nathan Grenz (Samuel’s second wife) dies in Sacramento, California August 26 at age 85. Buried old Lodi City Cemetery
1945 Friedrich and Christina Grenz retire and move to Napoleon, North Dakota
1953 Friedrich and Christina Grenz celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in Napoleon
1964 Friedrich Grenz and Christina move to Bismarck Baptist Home April 7
1968 Friedrich Grenz dies in Bismarck Jan 28 at age 86, buried Napoleon City Cemetery
1973 Christian Schnaidt Grenz dies in Bismarck March 31 at age 93. Buried Napoleon city Cemetery

Researched by Christa Grenz

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