9. Settling in Molotschna

As the story goes, this group of Mennonites spent the winter of 1803 at the Chortitza Colony on the Dnieper River and then set out for their new home on the east bank of the Molotschna River in spring of 1804.  Nine villages were established in 1804. These were Halbstädt, Muntau, Schönau, Fischau, Lindenau, Lichtenau, Blumstein, Münsterberg, and Altonau.  Once the locations had been chosen the various groups of villagers selected their plot in the village by lot.  In the agreement with the Russian authorities each family plot was 175 acres of land that was to be farmed and could not be divided.

(http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/holdings/Schroeder_maps/058.pdf)

The (B)Julius von Riesen family migrated with this group and settled in Münsterberg on the bottom left side of the map.  All the first villages were along the Molotschna river.  Molotschna means 'milky' river.  Before long many more settlers arrived and new villages were added every year.  Between 1803 and 1806 a total of 365 Mennonite families had arrived in Molotschna.