The "Big House" in Glückstal, one of the German Black Sea settlements in Russia.

This was the home of Jacob Bieber, born 1835 in Glückstal, son of Heinrich Bieber and grandson of Peter Bieber. Jacob emigrated to America in 1884 and settled near Eureka, South Dakato. He emigrated with all of his children, including daughters and sons-in-law, except for his second oldest daughter Kathrina who remained in Glückstal with her husband Christian Eisenbeisz. This photo is from the time the Eisenbeisz family lived in the Big House.

I thank Werner Bieber for supplying this wonderful photo from the old days in Glückstal. The information about the Big House and its occupants is from oral history of the Bieber family, as related by Werner Bieber (great grandson of Jacob Bieber) and his uncle Gottlieb (grandson of Jacob Bieber).

A note on the reverse of the photo states: "Christian - husband. Fredricka - daughter, First husband Leicht, second husband Hattman. Katrina - wife. Katharine Miller - daughter. Others unknown." From this, it appears the folks at left (behind the fence) are Christian Eisenbeisz, Kathrina Bieber, and two of their daughters. The two people at right (standing outside the fence) are unidentified.