Pankratz
German: from the medieval personal name Pankratz,the vernacular form of Latin 
Pancratius (Greek Pankratios, from pankrates "all-in wrestler", from pan, all, 
every, kratein, to conquer, subdue, re-analysed by early Christians as 
meaning "Almighty" and thus a suitable epithet of Christ). The name was borne 
by a 4th-century Christian martyr in Rome, hence its popularity as a personal 
name in the Middle Ages.

The Molotschna Colony: a history
This colony was established in 1804 with the arrival from Prussia of 162 
families. More families arrived in succeeding years until 1810, by which time 
there were over 400 families in total. Further immigrants arrived until 1836 
after which all new villages were established to accommodate internal growth. 
By 1863, there were 56 villages. This colony operated under the supervision of 
the Interior Ministry with its Volost or area office in Halbstadt. Later a 
second such office was established in Gnadenfeld. See map [page 34 Mennononite 
Atlas 2nd ed.] 
Mennonite colonies enjoyed self-government, akin to municipal governments in 
Canada. The colony looked after administration, roads, schools and churches and 
through its own institutions, fire insurance, child welfare and community 
facilities like orphanages and hospitals. 

Johann Cornies emerged in the 1830s and 40s as a reformer with Czarist support 
to improve education curricula and teachers? training and agricultural 
practices, primarily in the Molotschna colony. The Czars considered this colony 
a crown jewel among settlements and visited the colony occasionally. 

By the 1860s and 70s, there was a growing shortage of land for the growing 
Mennonite population and the threat of social unrest emerged. Young couples 
were housed on small lots without agricultural land. In the 70s about one third 
of the population emigrated to Canada and the US, which relieved the situation 
considerably. 

About this time, reserve land in the colony was released creating more farm 
land, and by the 80s, daughter colonies were established as far away as 
Siberia. 

The golden age of Mennonite life was from the late 1800s until the outbreak of 
World War I. Farming was prosperous, schools and institutions were highly 
developed, church life was improving and a number of large industrial 
enterprises had emerged. World War I brought prosperity to a halt. The 
revolution, the ensuing civil war, the Machno attacks and the near-starvation 
that followed, shattered all dreams for the future. 

Emigration seemed the answer for some and in the years 1924 to 27 many were 
able to leave. All emigration ceased by 1930. The remaining population had to 
adjust to persecution, arbitrary arrests, and forced collectivization. When 
Germany attacked Russia in June 1941, Mennonites and all German speaking people 
were considered enemies of the state and were banished to Asiatic Russia, where 
many perished. Some were left behind German lines and continued to live in 
their home villages under protection of the occupying troops. 

When the German forces were driven back, Mennonites from these villages were 
permitted to move westward, eventually to Germany where they thought they had 
reached freedom. But alas, two thirds of those who started on this trek to 
Germany were captured and sent back to Russia to suffer the same fate as those 
banished at the outbreak of the war. Thus ended Mennonite life in this colony.