Ken Askew, Compiler
I, John W. Dueck, was born on March 12 (Julien calender) 1865, in the village of Gnadenthal, Molotschna, South Russia. This is also where my cradle stood. My father was the school teacher in the aforementioned village for a number of years. I can only remember that later when we were living in Friedensfeld, which was situated on the newly purchased land near Nikopol, we often drove to the Molotschna and also came to the Jakob Duecks who lived in Gnadenthal for as long as they remained in Russia… In the summer of 1874 the first part of the Gemeinde prepared itself for the emigration to America. Among these were also my parents and their children, which then consisted of my brother Peter, a halfbrother by the name of Henry and myself. I was only nine years old at the time and so only little of the journey has remained in my memory…
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