You're likely right, they probably were trying to choose names that would make them more likely to be accepted and assimilate. That's so opposite of how protective we are of our racial/national identities now.
Funny! I have no idea why finding the town online was so difficult for us? I even had a Russian friend of mine (who lives here) try to help and he thought it was a clerical error. I wonder if Google search results are somehow different in America? Time to turn on that VPN and find out. : )