From Bolshevik Russia to America: A Mennonite Family Story
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In 1922, six families from a tiny village in the Ukraine began a harrowing journey to America that would pit them against disease, starvation, and physical exhaustion. Ahead of them loomed an arduous route over thousands of miles of land and sea; behind them lay the ravages of World War I, the terrors of the Russian Revolution and Civil War, and the misery of drought and famine.Among the émigrés was Henry D. Remple, who was just thirteen years old when his parents made the decision to leave their village with their nine sons and daughters. Of his eleven family members who left their village, only Henry and two sisters survived the voyage and reached their new home in America. Much of their journey to freedom is recorded in Henry's diary, faithfully kept from 1922-1928. Captured among Henry's diary entries and the reflections of he and his sisters are the experiences of their family and neighbors, all descendants of German-speaking Mennonites who had settled in the Ukraine years earlier.Nearly eighty-five years after it was written, the diary is a testament to the will to survive and the strength of the human spirit.
Foreword xiNotes on the Second Edition xvPreface xixAcknowledgements xxiiiIndex of Photographs, Maps, and Diagrams xxviiThe Sudden End of My Childhood 1The Diary: "Journey to America" 23Leaving Home 25The Batum Tragedy 45The Constantinople Interlude 77From Constantinople to Ellis Island 91Arriving in Nebraska 111A New Home and a New Family 125Experiencing an American School 153My First Summer on the Farm 177Eighth Grade and Graduation 205High School Years 233Getting Ready for College 247We Three: Further Recollections 255My Tabor College Years 257My Marriage and Professional Life Interrupted by World War II 265Family and Professional Services 277Epilogue 297Glossary 301Family Registers 305The Batum Group 313Rempel Family Memorial Service 315Bibliography 321Index 325
