Herb Poppke Collection

Collection

Identifier: GRHC 080

Staff Only

Dates

1970 - 2005

Creator

Poppke, Herb. (Person)

Biographical sketch

Herb Poppke was born on March 19, 1921 in Goodrich, North Dakota. He was born to parents Theodore and Katharina (Felchle) Poppke, who had thirteen children, ten of which survived. Theodore Poppke (1887-1962) was a German Russian immigrant who came to the United States in 1919. Katharina Felchle (1891-1932) was also a German Russian immigrant who came to the United States in 1894. The Poppke family moved around some in North Dakota, until settling in Tuttle, where Herb graduated high school in 1939. He then attended Valley City State College, and he later served a few years in the Army. After the service, Herb worked at a number of jobs, and he later took courses from the University of Louisville. He graduated in 1951 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduation, he worked as an engineer for a number of companies, one of which was the Coors Brewing Company. Herb retired from there in 1982. Herb Poppke married Loraine Hardy on April 26, 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky. The couple later divorced in 1980. Herb was always an advocate in preserving, researching, and sharing the culture and history of the Germans from Russia. He was actively involved in researching and writing about German Russian history and genealogy, and he belonged to many organizations. Herb Poppke died on August 15, 2012, at the age of ninety-one.

Extent

23 Linear Feet (23 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

German

Russian

Additional Description

Arrangement

Organized by the format of the material into twenty series: Poppke -- Correspondence -- Newsletter -- Organizations -- Convention -- Map -- Research -- Publication -- Photo Journal -- Magazine -- Newspaper -- Wandering Volhynians -- Folklore -- Genealogy -- Food -- Photograph -- Copies of Selected Materials -- Music -- Audio Tape -- Subject.

Scope and content

The Herb Poppke Collection is an extensive collection consisting of correspondence, research, maps, photographs, publications, organization materials, electronic media, and other various items related to the Germans from Russia, spanning the many years of Poppke's research and collecting career.