Fonds PP - Jakob G. Niebuhr fonds

Jacob G. Niebuhr, a Russian Mennonite industrialist, born 20 October 1847 at Kronstal, Chortitza, South Russia, built up and owned the J. G. Niebuhr factory at Olgafeld, Fürstenland Mennonite settlement, and New York, Bachmut, which employed 350 people and had an annual production of 450,000 rubles. This industry was one of the largest among the Mennonites of Russia.

Jakob G. Niebuhr lost his father, Jakob Niebuhr, early. After two years of school he worked for his uncle Abraham Niebuhr of Chortitza, who had a small mill. For a while he worked for the pioneer industrialist A. J. Koop of Chortitza, serving as foreman for 11 years. In 1881 he started his own factory at Olgafeld, Fürstenland settlement, manufacturing parts for fanning mills. Soon he produced plows, among them the "Bugger" plow, very common among the Mennonites of Russia. Before World War I, he produced 4,500 of these plows annually. In 1898 Niebuhr started another factory at New York. He made inventions in the realm of improving reapers and drills. Of the latter he produced 4,500 annually. He also manufactured numerous other machines, including those for the growing milling industry (see Agriculture among the Mennonites of Russia).

During the later years his sons, Jakob J., Peter J. and Gerhard J. Niebuhr, were his assistants. Annually they produced 20,000 larger agricultural machines. In addition to three factories, they owned two mills, one at Olgafeld and the other at Yelenovka. In 1912 their property was estimated at 1,500,000 gold rubles. Because of the anti-German feeling during World War I, the business declined rapidly, and was sold for a token price on 15 October 1915. In 1929 Gerhard Niebuhr escaped via China and went to Paraguay. Peter Niebuhr, who served under the Soviets as engineer of the Niebuhr factory, was exiled in 1933 and died. Jakob J. Niebuhr escaped to Canada in 1942.