Immigration > United States > Illinois > Jefferson-Mayfair (Chicago)
Jefferson-Mayfair (Chicago), Cook Co., Illinois
History
Volga German immigrants first arrived in the Jefferson Park area of northwest Chicago in 1894. They came from Stahl am Karaman. Beginning in 1903, other groups followed from Schwed, Enders, and Rosenheim. The settlement of Volga Germans in the Jefferson Park neighborhood overlapped into the neighborhood to the east called Mayfair.

The central business district of Jefferson Park along Lawrence and Milwaukee Avenues was the hub of the Volga German community for years. Over time, descendants of the original immigrants moved to the outlying suburbs of Maywood and Melrose Park.

According to Sallet, there were about 450 Volga German families living in the area of Jefferson-Mayfair in 1930, most of whom were from the Wiesenseite.

Sources:
- Sallet, Richard. Russian-German Settlement in the United States (Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, 1974): 56.
Volga German Congregations
Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church
Our Lady of Victory (Roman Catholic)
Second United Brethren Church
St. John Lutheran ("Block's Church")
St. John Lutheran (II)
Resources
- Nadig, Brian. "History Groups Discuss Surge of Germans from Russia Here." Press Newspaper (10 June 2009) - (Online)
External Links
Jefferson Park, Chicago (Wikipedia)
Jefferson Park, Chicago (wapedia)
Jefferson Park Historical Society (Online Article)
Northwest Chicago Historical Society
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Last updated on 30 January 2011.


Map of Jefferson Park.
Courtesy of the Jefferson Park Historical Society.


Zion Church in Jefferson Park.
Courtesy of the Jefferson Park Historical Society.