THE VOLGA GERMANS IN PORTLAND
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People > Pioneers > George and Elizabeth Schreiber

George and Elizabeth Schreiber

Johann Georg (George) Schreiber was born in Norka, Russia on March 21, 1854, the son of Heinrich (Henry) Schreiber (born 1826) and Elizabeth Spady (born 1829).

Elizabeth Dick was born in Norka, Russia on March 05, 1853, the daughter of Johannes Dick (born 1832) and Margaretha Köhler (born 1830).

George and Elizabeth were married in Norka on February 23, 1873.
George and Elizabeth Schreiber Family
The George and Elizabeth Schreiber family circa 1920. Front row from left to right: Joseph Schreiber, Martha Jones (née Schreiber), Mary O'Farrell (née Schreiber), George Schreiber. Middle row from left to right: George Schreiber, Elizabeth Schreiber (née Dick), John Schreiber. Back row from left to right: Sarah Matschiner (née Schreiber), Helena Matschiner (née Schreiber), Christina Gaillard (née Schreiber).
In 1875, George and Elizabeth emigrated from Russia, along with George's parents and his siblings Peter and Heinrich. The Schreiber's had no doubt heard the positive reports from two scouts from Norka, Johannes Krieger and Johannes Nolde, who had visited the United States in 1874.

Sailing from Liverpool, the family arrived in New York on June 28, 1875 aboard the City of Brussels. The Schreiber's were part of a small group from Norka that included seven families who were among the first Volga Germans to settle in the United States.
Steamship City of Brussels
Steamship "City of Brussels" from the Tod & Macgregor Shiplist website.
​The Schreiber's and other members of the group originally settled in Bluffton, Ohio. Elizabeth must have been pregnant during the journey as daughter Helena was born on September 14, 1875. Helena was very likely the first person of Volga German descent born in the United States. Another daughter, Christina, was born on December 23, 1877 in Ohio.
Bluffton, Ohio station
The Schreiber family arrived in Bluffton, Ohio in 1875 and it is likely that they disembarked at this station which served the community until 1899. The old structure remained across the tracks from the newer station which was built in 1899. The photo shows the old station not long before it was torn down. Courtesy of the Ohio Railroad Stations Past & Present website.
The family moved to North Franklin Township, Nebraska about 1878 and daughter Sarah was born there on May 25, 1880.

Sometime after Sarah's birth in 1880, the entire family traveled to Oregon, where they settled in North Plains (near Hillsboro). A son, Peter, was the first child born in Oregon on August 21, 1884. More children would follow: John (1885), Mary (1887), Martha (1890), George Jr. (1892) and Joseph (1896).

The family patriarch, Henry Schreiber died March 16, 1891.

After living 18 years in North Plains, George and Elizabeth moved to Portland sometime before 1900, joining many other Volga Germans in the Albina district.

George's mother, Elizabeth, died on April 14, 1904 in Portland and is buried at the Lone Fir Cemetery.

George and Elizabeth were members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They were very likely part of the congregations established in West Union and Albina led by Rev. Friedrich Jorg, a fellow native of Norka and early Portland pioneer who had traveled with them from Russia.
Schreiber Golden Wedding Anniversary article
Article announcing the Golden Wedding Anniversary of George and Elizabeth Schrieber on March 24, 1923 in "The Oregonian."
George died in May 1924. By 1925, George Sr., Helena (known as Lena), and Christina had also died. Elizabeth, now the matriarch of the family, died on August 1, 1945.

Notable Portland chef and author, Cory Schreiber, is a descendant of this family line.

Charles J. Swindells is another Notable descendant of this family.
Schreiber grave marker at Rose City Cemetery
Schreiber grave marker at the Rose City Cemetery in Portland.

Sources

Photograph and family information contributed by Tracey Saucy.

Haynes, Emma S. "Passenger List." Journal of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (Spring 1979): 68. Print.

Williams, Hattie Plum. The Czar's Germans: With Particular Reference to the Volga Germans. Ed. Emma S. Haynes, Phillip B. Legler, and Gerda Stroh. Walker. Lincoln, Neb.: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1975. Print.

U.S. Census lists - Ancestry.com

The Historical Oregonian, 1861-1987.
Last updated February 21, 2019.
Copyright © 1998-2023 Steven H. Schreiber
  • Home
    • About This Website
    • Reviews
  • History
    • Historical Timeline
    • Migration to Russia
    • Emigration from Russia
    • Settlement in America
    • Migration to Portland
    • Little Russia
    • A Short History of Albina
    • World War I
    • The Volga Relief Society >
      • Portland Volga Relief Society Subscribers 1921
    • World War II
    • Assimilation and Dispersion
  • Beliefs
    • Churches >
      • Albina Seventh-day Adventist Church
      • First United Mennonite Baptist Church
      • Ebenezer German Congregational Church
      • Free Evangelical Brethren Church >
        • German Evangelical Congregational Brethren Church
      • Second German Baptist Church
      • St. Pauls Evangelical and Reformed Church
      • Second German Congregational Church >
        • Evangelical Congregational Church
      • Zion German Congregational Church >
        • Rivercrest Community Church
    • Pastors
    • The Brethren
    • Denominations >
      • German Reformed Church
      • German Evangelical Synod of North America
      • Evangelical and Reformed Church
      • German Congregational Church
      • Seventh-day Adventists
      • United Church of Christ
  • People
    • Our People
    • Notables
    • Pioneers 1881-1892
    • Stories
    • Photographs
    • Help Identify These People
  • Community
    • Characteristics
    • Businesses >
      • Bakeries Retailers and Services
      • Garbage Haulers
      • Grocery and Meat Markets
      • Restaurants >
        • Helsers on Alberta
        • McCormick & Schmicks
        • Wildwood
      • Saloons and Taverns
      • Suppliers and Manufacturers
    • Employers
    • Education
    • Sports
    • Maps
    • Documentary
  • Traditions
    • Foods
    • Folk Medicine
    • Expressions
    • Weddings
    • Holidays
    • Folk Music
    • Funerals and Burial Sites
  • Resources
    • Family Research
    • Books and Video
    • Works Cited