THE VOLGA GERMANS IN PORTLAND
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People > Pioneers > Peter and Maria Catharina Bernhardt

Peter and Maria Catharina Bernhardt

Heinrich Peter Bernhardt was born in the colony of Frank, Russia on November 20, 1843, the son of Johann Georg Bernhardt (born 1807) and Elisabeth Hoffman (born 1810). Heinrich Peter married Maria Catharina Hoffman on February 7, 1863 in Frank. Maria Catharina was born July 3, 1843 in Frank, the daughter of Jacob Hoffman (born 1818) and Maria Lebsack (born 1821).

At least seven children were born in Russia: Heinrich, born and died in 186); Maria Catharina, born in 1864; Johannes, born in 1866 - died in 1867; Anna Maria, born in 1868; Anna Margaretha, born in 1870; Catharina Margaretha, born in 1873 - died before 1876; and Heinrich, born in 1875.

Heinrich Peter, Maria Catharina and their four surviving children migrated to the United States in 1876 sailing on the steamship Sultan from the port of Hamburg, Germany to Liverpool. In Liverpool they boarded the City of Chester and arrived in New York on July 10, 1876. The Bernhardt's initially settled in Marion County, Kansas.
Steam Sultan
Painting of the steamer "Sultan" built in 1873 by T.G. Dutton. Source: https://www.19thcenturyshipportraitsinprints.com/lptgd-2.html
Five more children became part of the growing family while the Bernhardt's lived in Kansas: John Peter, born March 1878; Amelia (Millie), born December 1879; Ida, born March 1882; Peter Jr, born August 1884; and Mary, born April 1888,

Around 1889, the Bernhardt's migrated West and arrived in Albina, becoming one of the earliest Volga German families to settle in the Portland area.

In 1890, the Albina City Directory show that the Bernhardt's lived on the east side of Borthwick, 3 lots south of Sellwood. Heinrich Peter (known as Peter) worked as a carpenter. 

By 1895, the family had moved to 743 E 11th N (now part of the 3500 block on NE 11th) and Peter continued work as a carpenter. By 1900 he had become a driver of a scavenger wagon (garbage hauler).

Maria Catharina died in 1910 and was buried at the Eastside Cemetery in Midvale, Idaho. 

Peter died on October 16, 1919 in Portland. He was buried at the Rose City Cemetery. 

Please contact us if you have additional information about this family.

Sources

Passenger lists, Albina City Directories, Portland City Directories, U.S. Censuses - Ancestry.com

Obituary for Peter Bernhardt. The Oregon Daily Journal (Portland, Oregon), Thursday, October16, 1919, Page 20.
Last updated December 11, 2020.
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