Willi may never appreciate the extent of the contribution that he has made to the world of Russian Mennonite Genealogy. For myself, I know that significant portions of my family history would not have been uncovered without the contribution of Willi and his Soviet born collaborators: Viktor Petkau, Margarete Pasytsch, Elena Klassen, and Lydia Friesen. For more information, see: https://chortitza.org/Impress.htm
What started out as a very personal project has expanded into a global enterprise with contributions from individuals in North America, South America, Germany, and the former Soviet Union.
So who is this Willi? He is Willi Vogt. Unfortunately, for the genealogy community, Willi passed away suddenly in June 2021. Fortunately, the team he had assembled around him has been able to continue his work. From the profile on his website translated into English directly:
Willi Vogt ✝ 2021, born in 1958 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, grew up in Telman, Taldy-Kurgan region. After graduation (physics teacher) he lived and worked in Tekeli, also Taldy-Kurgan Oblast. In 1992 he moved to Germany, where he worked as a locksmith. His wife Olga is a nurse, son Andreas - a mathematician. His ancestors came from Chortitza, Rosental and Osterwick, all Chortitza colony.
He discovered Mennonite history and genealogy in 2000 and it became his hobby. Since his ancestors all came from Chortitza Colony, it was clear that he was primarily concerned with that colony. With time, however, he began to think outside the box and worked tirelessly and passionately on this site which has become a valuable treasure trove for many.
He set himself the goal to make knowledge, sources and material available to all with this page.
His motto was: "Our history and our genealogical heritage is our common property. Only what is published is accessible and usable." Willi Vogt
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
The last statement resonates strongly with me. “Our history and our genealogical heritage is our common property. Only what is published is accessible and usable.” Our family stories are not the property of a single individual or family. They are the property of a community of individuals with a shared history.
The great grandfather in my family story lived in a community of friends, neighbors, and relatives. His story is part of the fabric of the family story of numerous individuals from close and distant cousins to the descendants of those friends and neighbors.
Sometimes that aspect of our individual research is forgotten. It is not my story. It is our story.
I for one would like to thank him and his collaborators for their dedication to our shared story. In particular, I am impressed with the group's ability to find and to publish original source materials.
Willi’s website can be accessed here: https://chortitza.org/index.php It is written in mostly German and Russian. However, with an online translator, an English speaker can navigate the website for a unique perspective into the world of Russian Mennonite genealogy.
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