One more link...1808 Russian Atlas for the Saratov Province with postal roads and stations. http://www.rusempire.ru/component/option,com_true/Itemid,428/catid,63/func,d etail/id,10747/ Tim In a message dated 1/25/2014 11:43:33 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, TCWeeder@aol.com writes: Fred, Here is a link to an interesting blog about the early postal system in Russia. While it mainly focuses on Novgorod Province using an 1808 postal route map the concept would likely be the same from Saratov to Moscow, etc. http://russianhistoryblog.org/2012/01/imagining-the-petersburg-moscow-road-i n-the-late-18th-century/ The postal roads and iamshchiki (i.e. post riders or coachmen) were supported by taxes collected from anyone on the revision tax rolls. The iamshchiki were granted agricultural lands and paid small per-trip fees in return for staffing and maintaining postal stations and providing drivers, horses, mounts and wagons. Tim In a message dated 1/24/2014 2:14:42 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, fkbetz@frontier.com writes: Hi all, I hope this is ok. Folks don't seem to be asking these kinds of questions lately. I'm reading a history of Germany which refers to the Imperial Post as one of the few viable institutions in the late Holy Roman Empire. Since I have letters from family members in Russia from the 20s and 30s, the relative viability of postal communication between the Volga colonists and their American relatives has been an issue for me. Were our ancestors able to communicate with their German relatives during the last quarter of the 18th century? Do any such letters exist? Thanks, Fred Betz Messer, Nue Messer ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Thanks to Tim and David for the helpful information. I reread the pages from "Czar's Germans" and found the letter extremely interesting. I note that the writer mentions finally fulfilling his promise to write. It appears this colonist had some expectation of written communication. I'm wondering if the extreme difficulties of the early years combined with poor or nonexistent postal service caused them to give up their efforts to reestablish contact with the homeland. I remember reading that some of the pastors that later served churches on the Volga were educated in Germany and Switzerland. It seems likely that they may have maintained contact. It seems there must have been come correspondence over the years. Fred -----Original Message----- From: ger-volga-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:ger-volga-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of TCWeeder@aol.com Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2014 11:54 AM To: ger-volga@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [GV] German Imperial Post early 18th cen One more link...1808 Russian Atlas for the Saratov Province with postal roads and stations. http://www.rusempire.ru/component/option,com_true/Itemid,428/catid,63/func,d etail/id,10747/ Tim In a message dated 1/25/2014 11:43:33 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, TCWeeder@aol.com writes: Fred, Here is a link to an interesting blog about the early postal system in Russia. While it mainly focuses on Novgorod Province using an 1808 postal route map the concept would likely be the same from Saratov to Moscow, etc. http://russianhistoryblog.org/2012/01/imagining-the-petersburg-moscow-road-i n-the-late-18th-century/ The postal roads and iamshchiki (i.e. post riders or coachmen) were supported by taxes collected from anyone on the revision tax rolls. The iamshchiki were granted agricultural lands and paid small per-trip fees in return for staffing and maintaining postal stations and providing drivers, horses, mounts and wagons. Tim In a message dated 1/24/2014 2:14:42 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, fkbetz@frontier.com writes: Hi all, I hope this is ok. Folks don't seem to be asking these kinds of questions lately. I'm reading a history of Germany which refers to the Imperial Post as one of the few viable institutions in the late Holy Roman Empire. Since I have letters from family members in Russia from the 20s and 30s, the relative viability of postal communication between the Volga colonists and their American relatives has been an issue for me. Were our ancestors able to communicate with their German relatives during the last quarter of the 18th century? Do any such letters exist? Thanks, Fred Betz Messer, Nue Messer ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message