View source for Dyck, Johannes Dietrich (1826-1898)

Johannes Dietrich Dyck was born 5 December 1826 in Poppau, [[West Prussia|West Prussia]], and died 11 November 1898, in Fresenheim, [[Am Trakt Mennonite Settlement (Samara Oblast, Russia)|Am Trakt]], [[Samara Oblast (Russia)|Samara]], [[Russia|Russia]]. At the age of 12 he was apprenticed to a grocery and dry-goods merchant. In 1844 he was baptized and received into the Ellerwald (W. Prussia) Mennonite Church by Elder Jacob Kroeker. He continued in the grocery business at [[Marienburg (Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland)|Marienburg]] and Caldove until 1847. In August 1848 he left for the [[United States of America|United States]], promising his fiancee, Helene Janzen of Gross Lesewitz, that he would return in two or three years. Upon arrival in America he spent the first year in [[Chicago (Illinois, USA)|Chicago]] and in [[Wisconsin (USA)|Wisconsin]], from where he went to the gold mines of [[California (USA)|California]] early in 1850. On his return trip to the East, probably in 1853, he was attacked by Indians and lost all his possessions, whereupon he returned to the gold mines. In 1858 he came back to Prussia, and was married to Helene Janzen. Because her relatives had moved to Russia and because of increasing militarization, they left for Russia in 1859, settling at Fresenheim. He soon proved to be a successful farmer. In 1865 he was elected [[Oberschulze|Oberschulze]] (mayor) of the Trakt settlement, which office he held for 18 years. He was active in many community affairs and strongly promoted the interests of the settlements. For this leadership he received two medals from the Russian government, engraved "For Faithful Service," and the third time a ribbon bearing the inscription "For Service to the Tsar and the Fatherland."
= Bibliography =
Dyck, Cornelius J. "In the California Gold Rush." <em>Mennonite Life </em>11 (January 1956): 25-28; (April 1956): 88.

Dyck, Johannes J. "Einiges aus einem Lebenslauf." <em>Der Herold </em>(14 and 21 October 1937).
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[[Category:Persons]]
[[Category:Rulers and Politicians]]