Fred Betz asked about mail service between the Volga colonies and Germany during the last quarter of the 18th century (see below). Tim Weeder mentioned the letter from Andreas Reinefeld of Schwed, which is held in the Sachsen-Anhalt State Archive (Landeshauptarchiv Sachsen-Anhalt). As Tim described, that letter was written by Mr. Reinefeld back to his relatives in Germany. But as I understand it, the letter was not written or used to attract other colonists. It was written to direct Mr. Reinefeld's relatives what to do with his property in Germany and to let them know how he was doing in Schwed. The reason the letter was preserved, I believe, is because it was used as legal authority for the transfer of Mr. Reinfeld's property.  The Reinefeld letter is the only one I have seen or heard of between the Volga colonies and Germany in the 18th century. In 30 years of Volga German research, the only other thing from the 18th century that I have seen from the Volga colonies is a book evidently brought by the Stahlbaum (Stallbaum) family from Germany to Boaro Colony. As I recall, the book had an ancient-looking leather cover and dealt with calculations or measurements of some kind. It would be interesting to hear of other examples of correspondence or belongings from the Volga colonies in the 18th century. David F. Schmidt VC for Boaro, Caesarsfeld & Stahl am Karaman Email: schmidtdavidf@yahoo.com 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  David F. Schmidt Contra Costa County Counsel's Office Email: David.Schmidt@cc.cccounty.us and schmidtdavidf@yahoo.com Telephone: 925-451-6632 (cell)