HISTORY
Friedrich (also known as Fedor) was born in Grossliebental. "When he was a teenager and many people were leaving to go to America, his family and others from the community bought land in Kazakhstan and started another German colony there. They worked very hard, broke up the steppes, and built a prosperous farming community. The farms were collectivized, but the farmers continued to work the farms and tried to feed their families and to avoid political involvement, but trouble came..."
On the night of 20 November 1937 the secret police came to Fedor's home and took him away, along with four other men from the village. Fedor had seven children and his wife was pregnant with another son at the time. "She raised her family and died in 1985 without ever hearing what happened to her husband and father of her children."
In 1990 Fedor's youngest son, Albert, was able to obtain court documents which explained what had happened to his father. Documents showed that his father was a "poor peasant, never before prosecuted, semi-literate, prior to arrest worked as a carpenter at the 'Rotes Feld' collective farm in Taranovsk district of Kustanay region." Fedor and the others were tried on the same day as their arrest and convicted of having been members of an anti-Soviet kulak-fascist group and of conducting anti-Soviet activities at their collective farm. "The defendants did not have an opportunity to face their accusers nor even to know who they were." Fedor and two others were sentenced to execution by shooting and confiscation of all personal belongings. They were executed by firing squad on 23 November 1937. On 23 June 1960 "the court again opened the case and found the men not guilty. For thirty more years, the family knew nothing of this until perestroika in 1990."
"After the Soviet Union disintegrated, [Albert Weisenburger and his family] were asked to leave Kazakhstan because the new leadership wants Kazakhstan to be for Kazaks only." The family has been living in Germany since 1992.

DEATH
Friedrich was arrested on 20 Nov 1937 and executed by firing squad three days later by the Soviet police for allegedly being a member of an anti-Soviet kulak-fascist group and conducting anti-Soviet activities at the collective farm where he worked. On 23 June 1960 his case was reopened and he was found not guilty. His family did not learn of his fate until 1989. His wife, Maria, had died in 1985, never having found out what happened to her husband.

1. Luisa WEISENBURGER b: 1921
2. Maria WEISENBURGER b: 1923
3. Johann WEISENBURGER b: 30 DEC 1925
4. Living
5. Living
6. Living
7. Living

1. Title: Theodor Weisenburger
   Author: theodorweisenburger@web.de
   Abbrev: Theodor Weisenburger
2. Title: The Story of Fedor Wilgelmovich Weisenburger
   Author: Ted Weisenburger
   Publication: Heritage Review, GRHS, Vol. 32, Sep 2002, p.7
   Abbrev: The Story of Fedor Wilgelmovich Weisenburger