A PUBLICATION OF THE MENNONITE HERITAGE CENTRE and THE CE.NTRE FOR MB STUDIES IN CANADA

VOL XXXI, NO.2 - JUNE 2005Delbert F. Plett HistoricalResearch Foundation Inc.

For a small group of people inSteinbach December 14, 2004 was a

memorable day. In the basement of thebuilding once housing the Plett GoossenLaw Firm the new board members of theDelbert F. Plett Historical ResearchFoundation Inc. met to set up the base forthis new Foundation. Included in themeeting was a lawyer, Pletts executers, anaccountant and a couple of closecollaborators to the deceased person.

The goal of this meeting was to offi­cially get the "D. F. Plett Historical Re­search Foundation Inc." started, althoughthe terms of reference and by-laws for thisfoundation had been set by Plett himself,long before he passed away on November4, 2004. Still many details had to beplaced in order. Plett started this privatefoundation in December 1996 but it hadnot been an active charity.

Before Delbert Plett passed away heasked several people to serve as boardmembers. The list included the followingpersons: Dr. Royden Loewen of Steinbach(University of Winnipeg), Dr. John lFriesen of Winnipeg (Canadian Menn­onite University), Kennert Giesbrecht ofMitchell (Managing Editor of Die Menno­nitische Post), Ralph Friesen of Nelson(President of the Flemish Mennonite Hist­orical Society), Abe Rempel of Winkler(Old Colony Minister), Leonard Doell ofAberdeen, (MCC Saskatchewan).

During the all-day meeting lawyersand executers explained to the boardmembers the many facets of this Found­ation and what had to be done in thebeginning. The five members present(Abe Rempel couldn't attend) elected achairperson (Royden Loewen), a vice­president (John l Friesen) and a secretarytreasurer (Kennert Giesbrecht). The boarddecided to make every effort to continuepublishing the historical journalPreservings. It decided to meet again inApril to establish a protocol by which itwould support further writing, publicationand education on the history of theconservative Dutch-Russian Mennonites.

In his will Delbert F. Plett designateda large part of his estate to this found­ation. The following quote makes thisclear: "In making this bequest to theD.F.P. Historical Research FoundationInc., it is my hope that the Foundationwill use these funds in order to continuethe publication of Preservings in the spiritand philosophy / theology it currently

(cont'd on p. 6)

the Centre. New furniture and decormake the Centre an inviting andwelcoming place to read and do research.

The vault contains over 1,200 boxes ofarchival material consisting of conference,congregational, institutional and personalpapers; 23,000 photographs; 100architectural drawings; and 700 periodicaltitles. Maps, audio recordings, a hymnbook library and video collection roundout what is in the vault. The lA. Toewshistorical library, the conference yearbookcollection and the Katie Petersgenealogical collection, are in the publicresearch area.

The Centre documents the changes inthe lives of members of the Mennonite

(cont 'd on p. 2)

Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies Gets a New Home

The Centre for Mennonite BrethrenStudies has a new home at 1310

Taylor Ave. On April 25, 2005 theCanadian Conference of MennoniteBrethren Churches national office alongwith the Manitoba Conference officeopened its doors to the public in a brandnew two-story building consisting of over20,000 square feet. The archivalcomponent includes a 1,645 square-footvault, with humidity and temperaturecontrols, and mobile shelving throughout.The 1,241 square-foot public areaincludes a spacious reading room, library,and plenty of space for researchers. The388 square-foot office area as well as thepublic space is an open design conceptwith good sightlines to see the activity in

by Conrad Stoesz

A view at the entrance to the new location of Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies,1310 Taylor Avenue, Winnipeg, April 2005. Photo by Conrad Stoesz.

Mennonite

istorian

The Centre now has a spacious and welcoming reading room with office space (far left),researcher cubicles, and an environmentally controlled vault (behind door on right). Photoby Conrad Stoesz.

Page 2

CMBS gets New Home(cont'djromp.1)

Brethren constituency over a lengthyperiod of time. During this time theCentre has also changed considerably. Itwas founded in 1969 by the CanadianConference of Mennonite BrethrenChurches. Its mandate continues to be tocollect and preserve historical documentsrelating to the Mennonite Brethrenchurch, focusing on Canada. In 1969 theConference owned and operated theMennonite Brethren Bible College(MBBC) and the Centre was given a smallroom above the library. Herb Giesbrecht,the librarian of MBBC, administered theCentre. Soon the Centre outgrew thisspace. When the college undertook anexpansion in 1979, space was built for thearchives in the basement of the building at169 Riverton Ave. in Winnipeg'sElmwood district. Here a total of 1,500square feet was allocated to the Centre forall its activities. Ken Reddig wasappointed archivist. In the mid 1980smobile shelving was purchased whichalmost doubled the storage space. Someenvironmental controls were installed atthis point but they never worked properly.Staff joked about working in thecatacombs. The advantage of larger spacewas offset by the fact that the location

Mennonite Historian is published by theMennonite Heritage Centre of MennoniteChurch Canada and the Centre for MennoniteBrethren Studies of the Canadian Conferenceof Mennonite Brethren Churches.

Editor: Alf Redekopp (MHC)

was not the best for researchers -- it washard to find and was some distance fromthe offices of the sponsoring body.

In 1991 Abe Dueck was appointedDirector. The Centre continued tofunction in the basement until 2000 whenthe College (then known as ConcordCollege) amalgamated with CanadianMennonite Bible College (CMBC) alongwith Menno Simons College to formCanadian Mennonite University (CMU)on the campus at 600 Shaftesbury Blvd.The Centre then moved to the formeradministrative area of Concord College,and the vault occupied part of the formerConcord College library space. Some ofthe space had originally been used by thearchives several decades earlier.

Other recent changes include libraryautomation which was implemented in

1992. On August 8, 1993, during a heavyrain, the sewer backed up causing seriousflooding which resulted in significantdamage. Support from the CanadianCouncil of Archives by way of grantsfrom the mid 1980s to the present allowedfor extra staff to be hired to work onelectronic finding aids and collectiondescriptions that increased its usefulness.

The Centre has seen the number of vi­sitors increase. Also the scope of researchdone has grown. Researchers with variedinterests continue to visit the Centre. Weare excited about our new facility andhope it can continue to serve theConference and the wider public.Conrad Stoesz is the half-time archivist atthe Centre jor ME Studies and MennoniteHeritage Centre and gave oversight to themove ojthe Centre to the new location.

Associate Editor: Conrad Stoesz(CMBS/MHC)

All correspondence and manuscripts should besent to the editorial offices at:

600 Shaftesbury Blvd.Winnipeg, MB R3P OM4

P: 204-888-6781E: aredekopp@mennonitechurch.ca

W: www.mennonitechurch.calprograms/archivesor

1310 Taylor Avenue,Winnipeg, MB R3M 3Z6

P: 204-669-6575E:cmbs@mbconf.ca

W: www.mbconf.calmbstudies

Subscription rates: $11.00 per year, $20.00 fortwo years, $28.00 for three years. Individualsubscriptions may be ordered from theseaddresses.ISSB 07008066 MBCI high school history students pouring over primary sources from the CMBS. For

most this was their first time to an archive. (See story on p. 5) Photo by Lorie Mayer.

Genealogy and Family HistoryB~ Alf I{l'dekopp

Queries

Unger - I am looking into the line ofPeter Unger b. 21 Apr. 1753 d. 27 Dec.1818 in 1nsel Chortitza, Chortitiza, SouthRussia. Second wife was Helena? andhe had 4 children: Jacob (abt.l798),Abraham (1801), Helena (abt. 1803) andJohann (abt. 1805). Jacob Unger (b. abt.1798) had 2 sons - Abram (b. 1823) andPeter (b. 1829). Abram Unger (b. 1823)married Maria Thiessen and had at least 3children - Abram (b. 8 Mar. 1859), Jacob(b. 1857) and Maria (b. 1849). JacobUnger (b. 1857) married Anna Epp (b. 25Apr. 1859) (daughter of Dietrich Epp andKatharina Siemens). They had 12children - Jacob Unger (b. 23. Feb. 1894)was my grandfather. Any informationwould be helpful. Contact: Linda Fast,101 E1ma St., St. Catharines, ON L2N6Z8; (P) 905-934-4534, (F) 905-934-8727or e-mail: fast-5@sympatico.ca.

Bergen - I am looking for descendants ofPeter Bergen (1890-1965) who marriedElizabeth Fleming (1890-1965). Theirchildren were: Katherine (1911),Elisabeth (1914), Peter (1916), Abram(1920), Heinrich (1923) and Anton(1926). Also, I am looking fordescendants of Heinrich Bergen (1898­1936) who married Anna Harder (1902­1986). Their children were: Katherine(1926), Heinrich (1931), Anna (1934),Maria (1936) and Sara. Contact: FrancisA. Dyck, 17-200 Ronald St., Winnipeg,MB R3J 313 or phone 897-1031.

Recent Books

Ella Neufeldt. Ella's Story: The Journeyof a Mennonite Girl from Poland toCanada (Coaldale, AB: PrivatePublication, 2003) 135 pp., plusadditional pages of photographs andgenealogical charts.

The author of this autobiography wasborn in the village of Deutsch

Wymyschle, Poland on New Year's Day1938, as Ella Ratzlaff, daughter of PeterRatzlaff (1914-2002) and Frieda Pauls(1915-1998). Her father entered themilitary when she was 2 years old, while

her mother continued to manage thefamily hardware store and raise thefamily. The book deals with the author'sexperiences in the village and in theWymyschle Mennonite Brethren Church,prior to and during World War II, herfamily's flight from Poland to Germany atthe end of the war, her life as a refugee inGermany in the late I940s, and thefamily's immigration to Canada in 1948,where they settled in the Coaldale,Alberta area.

The autobiography is a hard-coverbook which includes photographs, mapsand genealogical charts.

For further information, contact theauthor's son, Colin Neufeldt, #2500,10123-99 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J3Hl, phone 780-426-4133 or e-mailcneufeldt@snyder.ca.

Anne Konrad. And in Their Silent BeautySpeak: A Mennonite Family in Russiaand Canada, 1790-1990 (Toronto, ON:Private Publication, 2005) 507 pp.

This family history publication hasbeen organized into four parts plus

appendixes, genealogical charts and anindex. In Part I, the author addresses thequestion, "Where do we Konrads comefrom?" - a section which includes detailsof life on the southern steppes of ImperialRussia during the 19th century. In Part II,entitled "Konrads meet Brauns," thefamily history is continued into the 20th

Century. In addition to the marriage ofthe author's mother and father, LuiseBraun (1892-1983) to Peter 1. Konrad(1890-1989) this section includes arelocation of the family from Crimea tothe Ural foothills, revolution and civilwar and decisions to emigrate or stay inthe newly established U.S.S.R. Part IIIpicks up the family story in Alberta,Canada during the 1930s and 1940s, andPart IV, entitled "B.C. Land of Milk andHoney" is where the family historypresentation ends. The appendixes andgenealogical charts, consisting of over230 pages, present the "wider net ofrelatives", as the siblings of the author'sparents and grandparents are listed.

Contact: Anne Konrad, Unit E, 187Sherwood Avenue, Toronto, ON M4P2A9 or e-mail ahdyck@idirect.com.

Page 3

Harold Penner. The Helen Kliewer andPeter Unger Story (Victoria, BC: PrivatePublication, n.d.) 148 pp.

This book contains the family historyof Helena Kliewer (1864-1941) and

her husband Peter Unger (1862-1913)who arrived in Canada in 1875 aschildren. Peter Unger was the son ofPeter Unger (1812-1888) and HelenaKliewer was the daughter of GerhardKliewer (1836-1896), one time reeve ofthe R.M. of Hanover. Their families livedin the village of Schanzenberg in theMennonite East Reserve. Peter andHelena Unger moved to the Edenthalschool district in the Mennonite WestReserve in 1890. Peter and Helena areboth buried in Altona, Manitoba. Inaddition to the many photographs andstories providing the biographicalinformation of the descendants, the bookalso contains the genealogical tables fortracing all them.

Contact: Harold Penner, 29-4300Stoneywood Lane, Victoria, BC V8X5A5 or e-mail hupenner@shaw.ca.

F.A. Dyck. The Genealogy of CorneliusUnger (1860-1933), Gerhard Unger(1862-1942) and Helena Unger (1869­1923) (Winnipeg, MB: Private Public­ation, 2005)

This compilation of data from churchregisters and family records contains

the descendants of three of the children ofPeter Unger (1812-1888) and his wifeKatarina Klassen (1832- ). CorneliusUnger married Elisabeth Wiebe. GerhardUnger married Katherina Neufeld.Helena Unger married Heinrich P. Wieler(1868-1953). These families lived in theManitoba Mennonite East Reserve.Cornelius and Gerhard Unger lived inFelsenton, Manitoba. For furtherinformation contact: Francis A. Dyck,17-200 Ronald St., Winnipeg, MB R3J313 or phone 897-1031.

Johann Epp. Die Volksziihlung imMolotschnaer Mennonitengebiert von1835 (Lage, Germany: Logos VerlagGmbH, 2004) 287 pp.

W ith this publication, there are nowfour independent translations of the

(cant 'd on p. 6)

Send inquiries to AlfRedekopp, 600Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MBR3P OM4 or e-mail: aredekopp@mennonitechurch. ca

A.R.

Conscientious Objection on GodTalk (I-r): Conrad Stoesz, Dr. David Schroeder, DaveBalzer, and Gerry Bowler invited listeners to call in and talk about alternatives to militaryservice, peace, and conscientious objection on the Winnipeg open line radio show, GodTalk.The show aired on May 8, 2005, coinciding with Mother's Day and the anniversary of VEDay (Victory in Europe), celebrated across the country. Co-host David Balzer said there isa pop culture notion that Mother's Day was initiated as a call to peace. He chose the topicon this Sunday, partly in response to therecognition that the Manitoba Library Associationhad given the www.alternativeservice.ca website by naming and awarding it "Website ofthe year." Photo by Dan Dyck, Mennonite Church Canada.

RMAU MicrofIlmingProject (Moscow)

Last December Paul Toews of Fresnoreported to us following his return

from a trip to Moscow of the existence oftwo significant archival collections in theState Archive of the Russian Federation.With this news, he also sent a copy of theinventory file list of one of these, namelythe records of the "All-Russian MennoniteAgricultural Union" (RMAU), 1920­1928. The other collection is the "Ameri­can Mennonite Relief' (AMR) collection.After some consultation in NorthAmerica, it was clear that he should seekto have these collections microfilmed.The MHC has agreed to be a partner inthe microfilming of the RMAU collection.

The entire RMAU collection consistsof 33,668 pages plus reverse sides, organ­ized into 355 files. The heart of the collec­tion is in the frrst 311 files. Files 312-355are all bookkeeping files. The number ofpages that are being microfilmed will be26,488 plus reverse sides.

Mennonites in Russia after the Bol­shevik Revolution faced enormous chal­lenges for their ecominic survival. A stu­dy of these records should give new un­derstanding about that experience.

On April 25, 2005 Alf Redekopp (left),Director of the Mennonite Heritage Centre,Winnipeg, honoured Helene Friesen ofWinnipeg for her work on the Bote index,volumes 3, 4 and 5. Present were membersof Der Bote Editorial Committee, Der Boteand other staff of Mennonite ChurchCanada as well as other interested persons.Volume 5 of the index (1992-2000) has nowbeen published and is available for salethrough the Mennonite Heritage Centre.Earlier volumes are available as well. Photoby Dan Dyck, Mennonite Church Canada.

A valuable resource for your con­gregation is now available on-line.

Heritage Preservations: A Resource Bookfor Congregations, written by David A.Haury and sponsored by the HistoricalCommittee of the General ConferenceMennonite Church and the HistoricalCommission of the General Conference ofMennonite Brethren Church (Newton &Fresno, 1993) is now available on-line atwww.mbhistory.org/preservation.en.html.This volume provides as a means tofurther enhance the preservation andultimate celebration of our rich heritage.

Collecting and preserving the recordswhich chronicle the life of yourcongregation are complex tasks, and theseresponsibilities are occasionally disre­garded. Most congregations understandthe need for record keeping either foradministrative purposes or for historicalpurposes. The records will especially beconsulted when celebrating anniversaries.Heritage celebrations will be enhancedwhen the "right" resources have beencollected and preserved. This volumeattempts to give congregations guidancetoward the complex task of preservingtheir heritage. Thoroughly and system­atically, the book outlines the process. Itrecommends that some records ofcongregations be placed in an archiveseither for safekeeping or for researchpurposes. Both the appropriateness ofwhat might be housed in an archives andwhich particular archives might be usedwill depend upon the size of thecongregation, the particular denomination,and perhaps even the location of thecongregation. It also includes a checklistfor "records to keep" and "records todiscard."

If the 30-page booklet originallypublished and distributed to yourcongregation can no longer be found, thenthis on-line edition will be the place toseek guidance for congregational record­keeping.

A.R.

Congregational RecordKeeping

Mennonite Heritage Centre600 Shaftesbury Blvd Winnipeg M8 Cmada R3P OM4

Historic Anna Gibson School / A.H. Unruh Building SlatedFor Destruction (Photo: CMBS Collection, NPI49-01-4883)

People who have attended classes atMennonite Brethren Bible College

(MBBC) in Winnipeg or its successor,Concord College will immediatelyrecognize this building as the MBBCAdministration Building (later known asthe A.H. Unruh Teaching Centre) locatedat 77 Henderson Hwy (earlier 77 KelvinSt.). The building, first used as a publicschool, was named the Anna GibsonSchool and today is owned by theMennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute(MBCl). It is slated for demolition thissummer to make way for more greenspace as MBCI enlarges to prepare for theaddition of a middle school, new library,and renovated office space. While thebuilding is impressive from the exterior, itwas quickly realized that the cost of reno­vations would be too high to bring thebuilding up to code. Plans are in theworks to include a plaque in the greenspace for people to remember the buildingand its significance.

The building was first known as theAnna Gibson School. Anna was thedaughter of T. Gibson, a lumber merchantin Winnipeg, who taught at La Verendryeschool in Winnipeg. In 1918 she volun­teered in the King George Hospital duringthe Spanish flu epidemic. Unfortunately,she herself became ill with the flu anddied on November 23, 1918 at the age of21. There was a private funeral and burialin the Elmwood Cemetery in Winnipeg.

The 1918-1919 Spanish Flu alsoknown as "The Spanish Lady" was spreadby soldiers returning home from the warin Europe. It began in Spain and quicklyspread to other countries in Europe. InSeptember 1918 it appeared in Boston. Bythe beginning of October the flu wasraging through Manitoba. Many familieswere hit hard, often with more than one

family member dying. Hospitals wereovercrowded; with medical staff in shortsupply. Volunteers were sought to help.Anna Gibson was one of the first whoresponded and entered this dangeroussituation and eventually died from theillness she was treating in others.

Canada's population grew significantlyafter the Great War, increasing the needfor more or larger schools. The two-storeyMartin School built in 1904, named afterJoseph Martin, former Attorney Generalof Manitoba, on the corner of Talbot andKelvin, was moved to make way for anew, larger, solid brick building in 1919.The cost of the new building was $39,000.It opened in 1920 and was named inhonour of Anna Gibson and other teachers"who volunteered as nurses during theepidemic of influenza in 1918".

This building, used as a public schooltill about 1934, and to house soldiersduring WWlI, was bought in 1944 by theNorthern District Conference of theMennonite Brethren Conference of NorthAmerica (now known as the CanadianConference of Mennonite BrethrenChurches), to begin a college to trainchurch workers and missionaries who alsoplaced high value on volunteerism. Whenthe main college administration officeswere moved across the street to 169Riverton in 1985, the building was againrenamed - this time, in honor of A.H.Unruh, founding president of the college.

Buildings are given names for goodreasons. While buildings may not standthe test of time, the names they have beengiven can help us recall and appreciateimportant values. Anna Gibson's examplepoints to the value of volunteering even atpersonal cost, a value supported andtaught by the College, and a value we stillcherish and encourage today. CDS

Page 5

CENTRE FOR

MennoniteBrethrenStudie S IN CANADA

J.\ 10 Taylor ,\venuc, Winnipeg, Manitoba KIM .IZ(,

Young People EncounterAn Old Storybv Donovan Giesbrecht

Teenagers - probably not the usualdemographic you'd expect at the

Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies -­and for good reason. The large majority ofour visitors are on the other end of the agespectrum. Their love and enthusiasm forour past is rarely matched. Nonetheless,they often raise a heartfelt concern:"Where are the young people?"

On March 16 and 17, "the young peo­ple" were at CMBS (see photo on p. 2).The visit grew out of renewed talksbetween the Centre staff and a group ofMBCI history and religion teachers.These archivists and teachers sharedseveral common goals - they wantedyoung people to engage our faithtradition, to encounter new ways ofthinking, and to uncover their spiritualand cultural heritage. The field trip to thearchives was a small step in that direction.

After a brief tour of the Centre'sarchival holdings, the grade II studentshad 30 minutes to browse through aselection of primary sources. Some readdiaries written during the RussianRevolution, others listened to recordedinterviews of conscientious objectors,while still others scanned through photo­graphs of pioneering missionaries, orflipped through the first issues of the MEHerald. As some scribbled down notes,the teacher reminded students, 'a repOfton your findings is due next class.'

It was a brief encounter. Nonetheless, itgave students a sense for what a primarysource is, and, hopefully, made futuretrips to the CMBS seem a little less intim­idating. MBCI teachers Mike Neufeld,Paul Doerksen and Mick Friesen havestrongly encouraged students to use archi­val sources for their next term paper.

Where are all the young people? Truthbe told, they're not flocking to the Centrefor Mennonite Brethren Studies. But insmall ways, bridges between youngpeople and an old story continue to bebuilt.

Recent books(cont'djrom p. 3)Russian language 1835 MolotschnaCensus, a document first microfilmed byHarvey Dyck at the Odessa RegionalState Archives in 1990-1991.

Henry Fast created the first very roughtranslation of the I,200-paged documentin 1993. In 1995, the Manitoba MennoniteHistorical Society's Genealogy Commit­tee co-ordinated a group of volunteerswith Russia language skills, which led toa much improved translation, as theysought to translate and reproduce the dataand the structure of the original document.In 1997 Arnold Schroeder produced acondensed and typewritten form of the1835 Molotoschna Census. It alsoincluded the transcriptions of someMolotschna school registrations from theyears 1857-1884. A copy of this workwas sent to the Mennonite HeritageCentre. Now in 2004, we have the firsttranslation from Russian into Germanproduced by Russian speaking JohannEpp, now living in Bielefeld, Germany.

It should also be noted that in 2001 a2nd microfilming was done of the originaldocument, brought about by the efforts ofTim Janzen of Portland, Oregon. This 2nd

microfilming project used a superiorcamera and the film is said to be ofsuperior quality and clarity to the first.Johann Epp had access to this newerversion, but it will still remain to be seen,to what extent it was used. Hopefully,someone in the future will use all of theseexisting efforts to produce an entirelyaccurate translation and annotated revisededition of the MMHS translation. A.R.

Book Notes(cont 'dfrom p. 8)and tables of information, and othergraphics. The ten lessons begin withAnabaptist origins in the 16th century andMennonite movements from Holland toPrussia, Russia" Canada and Paraguay ( 1­5). Lessons 6 to 9 deal with five colonies

D.F. Plett ~istorical Research Foundation Inc. board of directors (I-r): Kennert Giesbrecht,John J. Fnesen, Abe Rempel, Roy Loewen, Ralph Friesen and Leonard Doell, April 2005.

D. F. Plett HistoricalResearch Society Inc.

DF Plett Foundation(cont'djrom p. 1)represents; further, that the funds also beused to support projects which foster,promote and nurture literacy andknowledge of the history and culture ofthe conservative and traditionalistMennonites of Flemish Russianbackground, irrespective of location inboth South and North America."

It is a major challenge to the boardmembers now to envision and pursue themany obstacles and opportunities that lieahead.

Abraham Dahlke (1853-1937) and his wifeMargaret (1859-1928) who donated the 2.87acres of land for the Ebenezar MB Churchat Rush Lake, SK.

i.

Ebenesar Mennonite Brethren Church (Rush Lake, SK) Choir, 1916.

Page 6

Ebenezar Mennonite BrethrenChurch (Rush Lake, SK)

The Ebenezar Mennonite BrethrenChurch (Rush Lake, SK) was located

between Waldeck and Rush Lake inSaskatchewan. According to BerniceRode the property belongs to the churchand the title is still in the names of threeof the original Trustees. She is lookingfor descendents of this church because ofher interest in restoring the cemetery andthe whole church property. Some of thechurch members were Isaac J. Wall, JohnG. Wall, David Froese, Henry Bergen,David Toews, Jake Bergen, Frank Janzen,David Froese, Dan Schindel, Johan J.Kroeker, Gerhard D. Rempel and HenryJanzen.

Together with her brother and sister-in­law, Bernice Rode has begun to do someof the work. From the the headstones, alist of some of the people buried there hasbeen started. About 17 or 18 graves havebeen located, but she is sti II wonderingabout the number and identity of childrenthat were buried in the cemetery and arenot documented.

If anyone remembers family that wentto the church, the desire is to record thehistory of each one of them if possible.What was their role in the community andwhat else can they remember about thefamily. Information about weddings,baptisms, births, and other special eventsthat took place would be most interesting.

This congregation was founded in theearly 1900s and worshipped together intothe early I940s.

Please contact Bernice Rode, 71 Hes­ford Place, Swift Current, SK S9H 4C6.Her phone number is 306-773-3877 ande-mail brode@sasktel.net.

/

Page 7

David Peters

Peter Warkentin

John Warkentin

Aron Guenther

Helen Fehr

John Wieler

Cornelius Warkentin

* * * * * * * * * *

as soon as possible. At present there isnothing marking the site of the cemetery,but in respect of the people who areburied there, it would be good to have thesite marked in some way. Thank you.

Contact: Alan Warkentin 204-325­8453, RR2 Box 284, Morden MB R6M2Al; Art Warkentine 204-325-7260, 104Poplar Bay, Winkler MB R6W lZ8; orErnest Unrau 204-822-9655, 261 TulipStreet, Morden MB R6M I H9.

Helena Warkentin

Sara Goertzen

Jakob Warkentin

Jacob Knelsen

? Helena Warkentin

...-------'- !""'---_.---------_._~~--_..~~.......__._....__.. ,--'---"'''-'-'---'-i Year died ! ~ i ~ :! Year died

Maria Peters

4 years r-' 'C~-th;ri~~ 'Warkentin I

,-_._ _- ·············-·-T..· -.---.--- - " C' •••••._._•••••• "

l 1887! 3 years I Elisabeth Krahn : :

r········1889--r···6·~~~;k;r-Pct~~-Warke~ti~-····-ir-· 1910

It is quite likely more burials occurredthere from residents of the surroundingarea. The nearby village of Haskett didnot have a cemetery until 1933. Thecemetery at Kronsfeld is unmarked atpresent, and there is interest in marking itin respect for the people buried there.

If anyone has infonnation on thevillage of Kronsfeld, and its fonnerresidents, we would appreciate hearingfrom you. The intent is to collectinfonnation and set up a plaque in thenear future. We would appreciate contact

i 1892 i 30 years Aganetha ~~.~~~~._ _1,9..1.•1.__.!,. _2_6._da..y..s ' _J.o_hn..Loe.we..n •..._i 1892 I at birth Helena Braun 1913 ! 4 days ! Katharina Doerksen

f"- 1893--'r'-'11Ye;~' r··- ..C~rneli~~·P~I~r [--'-1916--- '--'3'-y-ea"'r"s'"-. ';'-A-h-c-e-W"-a-'r-ke'n-'-tIn- .-.--~.. ,----.~ .. -~, r·--·----··~·· ---- -- _ .._-_ " -.-.------~.,-I 1895 i 2 years I Jacob Warkentin i i Helen Warkentin

by A/an Warkentin

Searching links to village ofKronsfeld (Manitoba)Settlers and Descendants

I nfonnation is requested from anyonewho may be acquainted with or has ties

to the fonner residents of the village ofKronsfeld in southern Manitoba.

The legal land description of Kronsfeldis NW 7-1-4 W. It is presently the fannhome of John and Anne Peters, and islocated near the village of Haskett, nearthe U.S. border south of Winkler.

The book 1880 Village Census of theWest Reserve lists the following 13homeowners of Kronsfeld: Peter Martens,Johann Martens, Johann Warkentin, JacobWarkentin, Peter Warkentin, Jacob Wolf,Heinrich Goertzen, Jacob Peters, PeterGiesbrecht, Jacob Braun, Helena (Peter)Krahn, Wilhelm Siemens, and BernhardKrahn.

Kronsfeld probably had thirty goodyears where it maintained its size, orprobably even grew, but by 1920 therewere only two or three households left,many residents having gone with theMexican migration or having settled ontheir own homesteads.

In the course of time, deaths andburials also occurred at Kronsfeld, andrecords show the following 30 burialsoccurred there (see chart):

in some detail (Menno, Fernheim,Friesland, Neuland and Volendam) andconclude with an overview of Mennonitesin Paraguay. Lesson 10 provides a goodoverview of the world-wide Mennonitecommunity. Full colour photographsmake this a very attractive text book.

Perhaps Mennonite historical societiesin Canada should combine resources toproduce something similar for use in ourschools. The volume by Harry Loewenand Steve NoIt (Through Fire and Water)is geared for high school age and is toolong for all but Mennonite parochial highschools to use. The Klippensteins'Mennonites in Manitoba, written for ayounger group, is no longer in print andwas too focused in scope to be usableacross Canada.

James Urry's None but Saints (1989) isnow available in Gennan entitled, NurHeilige: Mennoniten in Russ/and, 1789­1889, tr. by Elisabeth L. Wiens (Stein­bach, Crossway Publication Inc., 2005).

New LifeTHE FUNERAL AS A RITE OF PASSAGE

IN MENNONITE COMMUNITIES

June 22, 2005 - May 12, 2006

Mennonite Heritage VillageSteinbach, Manitoba

This exhibit explores the historic funerary rituals of Mennonites as theyrelate their theology and cultural values of family and community. Artifacts,photographs and replicas provide an intimate view of a "rite of passage" that

has changed SUbstantially in the last century.

Official Opening: Wed. June 22, 2005; 7 pm

For additional information callMennonite Heritage Museum

204-326-5046

Page 8

.Ikwk.R~eY..wie~w..s~ _

Helmut Huebert, author and cartographer.Mennonite Estates in Imperial Russia(Winnipeg, MB: Springfield Publishers,2005), pb., 415 pp.

Reviewed by Lawrence Klippenstein

I n the 1970s Dr. James Urry fromOxford, England, then completing a

dissertation on Mennonites in Russia, didsome special interviewing in Winnipegand elsewhere in Canada, of peopledescended from estate owners in ImperialRussia. Several autobiographies bypersons related to the interviewees, suchas Helene Goossen and Paul Klassenincluded detailed information abou~estates (Wintergruen and Prigoryerespectively) owned by their forebears(see bibliography of Mennonite Estates).Photo albums by Walter Quiring, withHelen Bartel, and also two editions ofHeritage Remembered by GerhardLohrenz, had offered extensive photo dataon this theme earlier. A topic once knownto be highly understudied was beingfleshed out significantly.

Helmut Huebert has now provided amost useful tool to view the bigger pictureof this very important part of theMennonite story in Russia and Ukraine.He refers to the volume as "an index ofMennonite estates in Imperial Russia" inthe period of 1813 to 1920. His Table ofContents quickly reveals that his work isconsiderably broader than simply an indexas the word is normally understood. It isthat, to be sure, as its core, and to havelisted nearly 1,200 estates with a briefprofile for each (pp. 1-235) is to highlighta remarkable new facet of RussianMennonite research which will be eagerlypoured over by many.

Not everyone may be fully rewarded.Huebert readily admits that there may beestates of which he did not see recordedinformation, hence they are omitted fromhis study. But those may be dozens ratherthan the hundreds he did locate. Other"soft spots" in his research are concededin his introduction. There are indeedadditional facets of Mennonite estatehistory which call for more research. Acase in point would be employer­employee relations, especially as itconcerned non-Mennonite workers. San­dra Birdsell's novel The Russlaenders,brought that theme to the fore severalyears ago. May someone rise to the

challenge to give us a well-done volumeon this theme also.

In the work as it stands, one can alsofind name lists of Mennonite estateowners, managers and teachers, briefbiographies of eight well-known estateowners such as Johann Cornies, DavidDick, and Herman Abram Bergman. ABergthal estate owner, Kornelius Buhr(profiled earlier by William Schroeder inThe Bergthal Colony), shows up herealso. Photos from various estates, andowners connected with them are includedon pp. 382-411. A significant amount ofbibliographical material included sep­ar~tely, and in part with the biographies,WIll be helpful to delve into estate studiesmore deeply.

The amount of data amassed here, andthe range of sources searched, are inthemselves very impressive. The book iswell organized, though some might wish asomewhat more obvious cross-referencingof the estate plans to the general maps ofMennonite settlements to locate aparticular estate more quickly. Photoreproduction is somewhat less thanexcellent in some instances (more so incases, it would appear, where originalswere simply not available). Occasionallydates of publications are omitted (e.g. theAl Reimer article, p. 320). Someresearchers will wish to know the locationof t.he oft-cited Forsteilist of 1908 (p. x).It IS found at least in the MennoniteHeritage Centre Archives, and the Centrefor Mennonite Brethren Studies, both inWinnipeg, as well as Mennonite Libraryand Archives, North Newton Kansaswhere, in fact the list was first discoveredby Urry).

The numerous maps of the volume aregenerally very well-crafted and clearlyex~c~ted. It is a skill pioneered byWilham Schroeder, of Winnipeg, and thenhoned by this author in the publication ofseveral earlier volumes of maps - theMennonite Historical Atlas (done jointlywith Schroeder) and then most recentlythe Molotschna Historical Atlas (2003).

Marketing Mennonite historical atlasesdealing with the Russian experience hasbeen, a rather happy experience. Thisvolume will likely do well also in thisrespect once the news is out there that thiswork is in print. It will be a good buy - avery commendable addition to Mennoniteliterature on the Russian experience priorto 1917. It is rumoured that anotherrelated study (Mennonites in the Cities ofImperial Russia) is in the making by thisauthor, and we await it eagerly as well.

Book Notes

by AdolfEns

They Came from Wiesenfeld, Ukraine, toCanada: Family Stories, was compiled,translated, edited and published (2005,216 pages) by KatlIerine MartensWinnipeg. This remarkable collection ofdocuments (memoirs, recollectionsinterviews, diary excerpts, photographs)documents the story of the village ofWiesenfeld, founded 1880 near Pavlograd(not far from the Samara River) anddestroyed in 1919 by Makhno bandits. Amap of the village layout and stories ofmost of the families who founded andlived in the village helps to visualize thecommunity and its Mennonite Brethrencongregation.

.Readers who know Dick H. Epp aseditor of the Saskatchewan MennoniteHi~torian appreciate his short, pithyarticles and clean, artistic photos. Both ofthese traits show up in the first modestvolume of his memoirs, From Betweenthe Tracks, 1927-1952 (Saskatoon:Eppisode Publications, 2004), 151 pages.Ea~h of the 46 chapters is a story in itself,wntten over an extended period of timecompiled and edited to chronicle Epp'~recollections of the years when his familylived at Glenbush, Saskatchewan. Histeaching career took the author to ruraldistricts in the Glenbush area as well as toYellowknife. Readers will look forward toa second volume.

Mary GuentlIer's Searching forEternal Values: One Man's Pilgrimage(Warman, Saskatchewan: Mary & PeterGuenther, 2003), is an authorizedbiography of George Loewen. Loewengrew up in the Hague, Saskatchewn area,worked some 15 years fighting forest firesin the Bums Lake area of northern BritishColumbia and served as a minister in theEvangelical Mennonite Mission Church.Later he became a traveling missionarywith the Shanteymen (1972-1979) andCoastal Missions (1980-1991), servingcommunities along the BC coast. The176-page book reads easily and is wellillustrated.

Mennonitengeschichte: Paraguay inBildern, (Filadelfia: Algemeine Schul­behorde, 2002) is the second edition of aMennonite history, used as a text book forgrade 6 in Mennonite schools inParaguay. About 80% of the 70-pagebook is devoted to photos, maps, charts

(cont'd on p. 6)