Archives West Finding Aid

Amelia Werre was born to German Russian immigrants Henry and Katherine Elizabeth Krieger in Portland, Oregon in 1902. Henry was originally from Norka, a small German Community along the Volga River in Russia, and immigrated to Sutton, Nebraska in 1890, then settled in Portland, Oregon in 1895. At 10 months old, Amelia and her family moved to Felida, Washington in 1903, an area near Vancouver, Washington. Here the Krieger family lived and worked on a farm, while Henry commuted to Portland to work for Knight Packing Co. Amelia lived in Felida until 1919, and spent the majority of the rest of her life in Oregon.

Amelia Werre became a member of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, an organization that aimed to preserve the culture and history of its members, many of which were Germans from the Volga region. Amelia started to publish her memoirs that reflected her time as a German Russian living in the United States. Amelia passed away in 1991 while residing in Sherwood, Oregon.