Archival sources
Records of Lydia’s ancestry
- Archival reference
- EWZ · Feststellung der Deutschstämmigkeit · MHSBC, Film B019, кадр / Aufnahme / frame 1360
- What the source supports
- Names Lydia’s ancestors, including Gottlieb Kroeker and Gottlieb Schulz. Used for the first two generations of the tree.
- What remains unresolved
- Dates for both Gottliebs remain unknown. The questionnaire needs comparison with earlier records.
Vladimir’s surname at birth
- Archival reference
- Госархив СКО · ФЛ-220 · 15.07.2026 · акт № 13; заявление 31.01.1956: ф. 140, оп. 1, д. 97, л. 13–14
- What the source supports
- Registered at birth as Vladimir Vasilyevich Kreker. His surname changed to Usachev in 1956 at his stepfather’s request.
- What remains unresolved
- The record alone does not establish the identity of his biological father.
Emma Ivanovna’s personal file
- Archival reference
- ГДА МВС України · ф. 161, оп. 1, од. зб. 877 · личное дело / Personalakte / personal file № 1229 · анкета / Fragebogen / questionnaire 05.03.1949, п. 3, 4, 11, 12, 19–21
- What the source supports
- The file concerns Emma Ivanovna Kreker. The questionnaire records her birth year as 1924, German nationality and German as her native language. Item 19 gives her deportation on 12 July 1942 from Peski, Dergachi district, Kharkiv region. Item 20 records Semipolka in 1942–1946, followed by an address in Sennoye. Her mother is named Emma Gottliebovna Fröhlich, born in 1877.
- What remains unresolved
- 877 identifies the archival storage unit; 1229 is the personal file number. The certificate dated 11 May 1949 cites a decree of 12 September 1941, a different date from the deportation recorded in the questionnaire. A six-page extract was reviewed. The full scan is not published.
Emma Gottliebovna Fröhlich’s personal file
- Archival reference
- ГДА МВС України · ф. 161, оп. 1, ед. хр. 866
- What the source supports
- Recorded as Emma Gottliebovna Fröhlich; her daughter is named Emma Ivanovna Kreker. The file gives 1877 as her birth year.
- What remains unresolved
- Other records give 1884. The 1877/1884 discrepancy remains unresolved; the page number is being checked.
Relatives in Emma Ivanovna’s questionnaire
- Archival reference
- ГДА МВС України · ф. 161, оп. 1, од. зб. 877 · личное дело / Personalakte / personal file № 1229 · анкета / Fragebogen / questionnaire 05.03.1949, п. 12
- What the source supports
- Emma names her sister Zinaida Ivanovna Simentsova, born in 1920, and her uncles Heinrich Gottliebovich Schulz (Tomsk) and Friedrich Gottliebovich Schulz (Tomsk region). The questionnaire explicitly records these relationships and Zinaida’s surname.
- What remains unresolved
- This is part of Emma Ivanovna’s file, not a separate file about Zinaida. The extract does not give Zinaida’s address, spouse, descendants or death date.
Rehabilitation certificate
- Archival reference
- Генеральная прокуратура Республики Казахстан · 27.09.2016 · Крекер Э. И.; Фрелих Э. Г.
- What the source supports
- Certificate concerning the rehabilitation of Emma Ivanovna Kreker and Emma Gottliebovna Fröhlich.
- What remains unresolved
- Supports the history of persecution; it does not replace a birth register entry.
Lydia’s autobiography and family records
- Archival reference
- MHSBC, Canada · EWZ50 Film B019 · 1340–1364
- What the source supports
- Describes Lydia’s family, migrations and life in Volhynia. Johann’s birth date, 15 November 1864, is compared with the Personalblatt.
- What remains unresolved
- His daughter’s recollections are a distinct type of evidence; Johann’s estimated death around 1924 requires verification.
The Dreger EWZ file
- Archival reference
- Bundesarchiv Berlin-Lichterfelde · R 9361-IV/18702 · EWZ-Nr. 906134 · 05.08.2026
- What the source supports
- Records concerning Edmund and Lydia Dreger, née Kroeker. Reviewed on 5 August 2026 and compared with the index card, Personalblatt and household registers.
- What remains unresolved
- Reviewing the file does not confirm every hypothesis. Page references for individual conclusions are being clarified.
Lydia Dreger’s EWZ index card
- Archival reference
- Bundesarchiv · R 9361-IV KARTEI 1 · EWZ-Nr. 906134 · 28.04.1944
- What the source supports
- Lydia Dreger, née Kroeker; two children, of whom one was alive in 1944: Leo.
- What remains unresolved
- There is insufficient information about the second child to add an individual tree entry.
Lydia Dreger’s Personalblatt
- Archival reference
- Bundesarchiv · R 9361-IV/444916 · 28.07.2026
- What the source supports
- Lydia’s account of her parents and ancestors: Johann Kroeker, Emma, née Schulz, Gottlieb Kroeker and Gottlieb Schulz, including her parents’ religions.
- What remains unresolved
- The form relies on family knowledge. Emma’s conflicting birth years, 1877 and 1884, remain unresolved.
Sennoye household registers
- Archival reference
- Госархив СКО · Сенновский сельсовет · ф. 23, оп. 1, д. 48, 52, 63, 64 · 1948–1953
- What the source supports
- Household composition, Emma Gottliebovna living with her daughter at least until 1953, and entries for Lydia and school pupil Leo.
- What remains unresolved
- An entry in 1953 does not establish a death date. Page references are being clarified.
Archival scans
Complete scans of personal files are not published. Receiving an archival copy does not itself grant permission for public distribution. Verified facts are summarized with the document’s origin identified.
Photographs
- “Emma Ivanovna Kreker and Vladimir Usachev (Kreker)” — author’s private archive; date, place and photographer are still being verified.
- “Vladimir Usachev (Kreker), studio portrait” — author’s private archive.
- “Emma Ivanovna and Vladimir Usachev (Kreker), around 1975” — author’s private archive.
The published versions were carefully restored digitally. Restoration is not used as a source of new facts. The group photograph from Emma Ivanovna’s collection is not published.
Software
The website was built with React and Vinext. It uses Lucide Icons under the ISC licence and the locally bundled Geist typeface.
Copyright
Texts, translations, structure and compilation of this website — © Eugen Usachew, 2026. Use is permitted only within the law or with the author’s written consent.