The Glückstal Colonies Research Association Collection is an archive of resources concerning Germans from Russia and their descendants that was maintained by the GCRA, from 1986 until it was donated to the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection in 2010.

The GCRA Materials Series contains resources related to the Glückstal Colonies Research Association, as well as the operation and activities of the organization. The Club Materials Folder contains mailers and membership request forms from GCRA to its members and prospective members. The Correspondence Folder contains letters which date from 1988 to 2000, sent by GCRA members, or from GCRA to its members, concerning organizational activities. Some of the organizations represented within this folder are The American Lutheran Church and The Church of Christ, Historical Society.

The Researcher Materials Series contains materials gathered and created by individual researchers about Germans from Russian and their descendants. These materials were stored separately from the main series of genealogical files because they correspond to specific research done for the 1994 database. Some of the materials included within this series are family trees, correspondence, and computer floppy disks, which have been arranged into their own series. The Researcher Materials series was found to be categorized by the surname of the researcher, not the families that are the subject of the research. Included within folder 21/1 (Finding aid, detailed inventory, and initial inventory) is a list of the families upon which each researcher had been working.

The Genealogical Files Series is the main focus of the Glückstal Colonies Research Association Collection. It is the grouping of twenty boxes of genealogical research files, familial documents, correspondence, and personal histories that were written and submitted by the members of GCRA. These date from 1987 until 2009. Much of this series consists of correspondence between the GCRA and its members and concerns the heritage of descendants of the former refugee families from Glückstal. Numerous family histories, obituaries, biographies, and documents relating to the families are also contained within the files, which are arranged in alphabetical order, according to the surname of the family group that corresponds to the research.

Key for the Genealogical Files: b = Biography (mostly photocopies from Jubilee books); c = Correspondence (including membership forms); d = Documents: birth, marriage, confirmation, death, homesteading, naturalization, passenger lists; g = Genealogy; o = Obituaries; p = Photographic Images (mostly photocopies from Jubilee books); 04 = Contributions to the 2004 book; 08 = Contributions to the 2008 book.

The Census Materials Series consists of thirty folders of photocopied or compiled information relating to the census numbers of various counties in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The information dates from the national censuses of 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and the 1895 South Dakota state census. These materials primarily focus on the census data relating to the German from Russia immigrant families and the specific areas in which they settled.

The Subject Series contains the following folders: An AFRA Materials Folder which contains membership information relating to the American Family Records Association, including a mailing list and correspondence. The Index of German Russian Books Folder contains a list of books about Germans from Russia, indexed by author. The Presentation Programs Folder includes three programs from academic presentations, these include “Volhynian Heritage”, presented by Ewald Wuschke, June and July 1993; “Life with Dad”, presented by Ewald Wuschke, Jr., July 25, 1998; and “An Overview of German Migrations in Central Europe”, presented by Ewald Wuschke, July 25, 1998. The St. Peter’s Church, Medina, North Dakota Folder includes correspondence and photocopies from Richard Guthmiller of records from that church sent in 1997. Also included are two family trees. One is of the Elmer and Sandau families. This family tree, due to its size, is located in the GRHC’s Map Press. The other family tree is of the John Weiderrich and Christine Graff family. This family tree is made of six large, rolled-up sheets, and it is located, due to its size, with the oversize maps in Box 28.

The Periodicals Series is made up of newsletters regarding German heritage and Eastern European genealogical studies. These date from1980 to 2009. Some of the titles included within this series are The German Connection, German American Genealogy, and The Wandering Volhynian.

Contained within the Maps Series are numerous maps, the majority of which are photocopied and undated. The subject of these maps varies, but most of them are focused on the locations where Germans from Russia settled: the former Soviet Union and other regions in Eastern Europe. Some of the locations featured on the maps are Bessarabia, Moldova, and Mariopol. Also included are several maps of regions where German Russian settlement occurred in the United States. The Map Series has been arranged into six Sub-Series: Map Folder, Poppke, Stummp, Other Maps, Map Press Maps, and Oversize Maps.

The Map Folder Sub-Series contains primarily of sections of larger maps. These sections are legal and letter sized so they were placed into a folder. The folder has some general maps as well as a few sections of Poppke and Stumpp maps. Also included are an index to the “P” (Poppke) maps and two letters from the 1990s concerning maps.

The Poppke Sub-Series consists of maps from Herb Poppke. The “P” maps detail colonies around the Volga River.

The Stumpp Sub-Series is comprised of maps made by Dr. Karl Stumpp. These maps are in German and detail Russian German village settlements.

The Other Maps Sub-Series includes general maps of Germany, Russia, and the United States. These maps are in English, German, and Russian.

The Map Press Maps Sub-Series contain large maps of North and South Dakota, Germany, and German colonies. These maps were separated from the rest of the collection, due to their size, and placed in the GRHC’s Map Press.

The Oversize Maps Sub-Series consists of oversize maps that were too large to fit in the map box and the map press. The Sub-Series includes four maps: two maps of Germany and two of Prussia.

The Photographic Images Series contains two images. One is a photographic display panel of Margaret Freeman, which has her birth year and death year printed on it. The other is a rolled-up group portrait in front of an unidentified church. The image is a color copy of a panoramic image. Both images, because of their size, are located with the maps in Box 26.

The Floppy Disk Series is housed in Box 26 of this collection. Originally contained throughout the collection were various floppy disks related to data collected by researchers that were used in the creation of the 1994 computer database. These disks have been arranged according to the surname of the researcher.

The Book Series consists of thirteen books in English and German, dating from the 1880s to 1964. The content of the books varies. Some books are theology books while others are atlases and school related ones. These books were initially cataloged but later placed back into the collection.