The third hardest place to be in a project is at the beginning. The second hardest is when you are almost at the end, but the hardest place to be is right after you dip in a foot, get a rough outline, and realize, holy crap, this is huge project with thousands of leads, and no clear direction on what would be the best part to tackle first. So once you take a deep breath, quell the panic, maybe even wheeze into a paper bag, something becomes clear.
One of the first items to stand out was that Jacob Meier was considered a Volga German. Direction at last! As I started with wikipedia, historical societies, and tons of time trying to wrap my mind around the idea. The short mantra is that Katherine the Great invited Germans to the southern part of Russia, making large promises of low taxes, no conscription, plenty of land, etc. At the time, the Seven Years war left the economy of Germany in tatters, so many Germans saw it as a huge opportunity to become landowners, to start over on fertile ground, and to have more freedoms that weren't available in Germany. Yet, like any political leader, promises often fall short of reality, and omissions were made. The southern part of Russia along the Volga River was a place of refuge for thieves and outlaws. It also wasn't uninhabited, as groups of indiginous people still roamed the area, and frequently raided the settlements. It was also not a perfect area for farming, as many areas were naturally low in rainfall, or frequently suffered drought. Even with these shortfalls, the areas were settled and over time, thrived.
One of these hardy settlers was Johanes Meier, who with a wife and nine children, walked over 2000 miles for a new opportunity. He settled in Franzosen, on the west side of the Volga. History says he made it, as he had over 1000 descendants living in and around Franzosen at the beginning of the 20th century.
Currently reading From Catherine to Krushchev, by Adam Giesinger.
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