Pohl / Wiesner

From Lydia Maier (Feb 25, 1998, translated from German by Willi H.Wiesner):

The baptismal certificate of Gustav's father (Karl Maier) states that hewas born in the district of Pultusk, province of Warsaw. Gustav Maierhad a very difficult childhood. His father was away much of the time and did not support the family. His mother
tried to earn money by spinningbut it was not enough and so, as an 8 year old boy, Gustav had to earnhis meager bread by working for farmers in the neighbourhood. There wasno requirement to attend school there and, when he did go to school once, the
teacher was so angry with him because he didn't know anything thatGustav stayed away altogether. However, Gustav was very gifted and,mainly through a friend, learned how to read, write, and do artithmetic. Then he was apprenticed as a glass-cutter in
Petrikau (Piotrkow) andworked his way to master glass-cutter. At the age of 23 he marriedKonkodia Janke. Her parents owned a farm and Konkordia had also learnedto be a dressmaker. They married in May, 1914 and in August, 1914 they were arrested by the
Russians and taken to the Ural Mountains (World War1 had started). They spent the longest time in or around Orenburg.There Gustav was drafted into the Russian army but was apprenticed in the shoemaking workshop rather than being sent to fight at the
front. He waslater posted to the Crimean peninsula but apparently was still makingshoes. So he learned the schoemaking trade and later he was able tocarve shoes from soft wood for his family and to repair them. Konkordia and Gustav had three children
born in Russia but all three died therebecause of the difficult circumstances. As the communists gained moreand more control toward the end of the war, Gustav succeeded in gettingpapers as a "Reichsdeutscher" (Imperial German - born in Germany) and so, in
1920, they were permitted to leave for Germany. However, in Germanyhe confessed that they were "Volksdeutsche" (ethnic Germans) rather than"Reichsdeutsche". In Russia they had gotten to know the Baptists and, as far as they understood it, made a decision
for the Lord. They were laterbaptized in Germany.

Germany was very poor after the first world war but Gustav and Konkordiaobtained work at an estate. There they were given accomodations and anallowance and so they could live economically. We lived in the Province of Brandenburg, in the district of
Z?llichau (now the city is in Polandand is called Sulechow). I was born there in 1921 and your father(Wilhelm Maier) in 1924. In the meantime, Gustav's abilty to speak,read, and write German, Russian, and Polish was much sought after. The owner of the
estate owned a vineyard about 10 km. from the estate and,bacause he discovered in Gustav such a capable man, he placed him incharge of the vineyard. So Gustav learned to be a vintner. There was much work to do but we had it very good. I was 6 years old
at the time.We lived there until Ferbruary of 1945, when we were captured by theRussian army and taken to Poland. For the first few years that was ahorrible time for us. It is not possible to write about it all. But God does not make mistakes. In
August of 1950 I came to Stettin (Szczecin)in the most wonderful way. From there everything went uphill again.