Mel?l?()l?iteHist()rial?

Volume Xl, Number 1March, 1985

Jacob S. Friesen and the Steinbach Post

1971, its early issues have not been availableto the public until now.'

Jacob S. Friesen (1862-1931) beganpublishing Der Volks-Bote in 1913 when hewas 51 years of age. Typhoid fever hadstruck the family and had brought both Mr.and Mrs. Friesen as well as two of theirdaughters near death. Their only son, PeterT, Friesen, had been working in a printeryin Calgary at the time but came straighthome; he writes, "After Father got better,he decided to start a weekly Germanpaper." 2

Jacob Friesen printed 500 copies of a four­page prospectus and sent it to potentialreaders in Manitoba, other provinces and theUnited States. It was Peter's job to roam thecountryside for subscribers. The paper wasto be called Der Volks-Bole--the People'sMessenger--and was to be a "family paperof interest to Germans of western Canada,and free of any political ties." In this in­troductory edition editor Friesen welcomedcorrespondence, reports, and advertisementsfrom all readers. The cost of the proposedweekly would be $ 1.00 per year in Canada,and $1.25 in the United States. Then, onDecember 31, 1913, the first issue waspublished: Volume I, Number I of DerVolks-Bote.

Although Friesen initially geared it to ageneral German readership, the paperbecame known as the" first and only Men­nonite German weekly in Canada" and wasintended as a "newspaper for the family."

The contellls of the Steinbach Post, as itwas re-named on June 9, 1915 (Volume 2,No. 20), were varied. Every issue containedan installment of a serialized story, one thatJacob S. Friesen had carefully readbeforehand to check its suitability, There wasalways a correspondence page with lettersfrom such faraway places as Oklahoma, On­tario, Kansas, Mexico, Saskatchewan,Washington, Oregon or Alberta. Local news

, from the Steinbach area was printed on pagefour. The front page usually included apoem, an editorial on such things as thedebate about district and one-room schoolsand news items about the immigration ofMennonites [0 Canada in 1923, for example.Of course the newspaper also provided anopportunity for Steinbach businessmen toadvertise their wares, something of which

(cont'd. next page)

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Manitoba, whose father Jacob SchellenbergFriesen first edited and published the paperfrom 1913 to 1924, has kept the early issuesof the newspaper. She made original copiesavailable to the Heritage Centre formicrofilming. While many remember theSteinbach Post, which was printed until

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The Steinbach Post as it appeared on Ocrober 3rd, 1923 (Volume 10, No. 40).

inc \tt#crlwttlich;~flllnltOniti&[h$E:tifli[h1ft f,nL'r Celt \lIlilil'ultrer ,<

''lelil' torflr n&riR&ilJf menltonUifdjr djtnltla,ilt6Alliilba.

Recently the issues of the early years of thewidely read Mennonite German newspaper,Der Volks-Bote, later Sleinbach Posr, weremicrofilmed by the Mennonite Heritage Cen­tre. Mrs. Gertrude Friesen of Steinbach,

by Dennis Stoesz

Page 2

newspaper in the (jlTman language, wegreet all our readers with a happy "GrussGatt!"

First and foremost, we must thank allour beloved readers who, despite their dif­ficulties in reading the English language,regularly paid their subscriptions to thepaper during this difficult time.

Although we did often appeal to thegood nat ure of our readers, we alsorepeatedly wrote to the Secretary of Stateto ask for permission ro print in German.The latter was to no avail and of theformer, many did not want to donatetheir dollar ... At the stan, many seem­ed to think that we printed in English outof sheer arrogance .....

We hope that all of our readers willhelp us further and with new courage bysubmitting good, high-quality news andby encouraging as many new, paid-upsubscribers as possible ....

Starting something new as a newspaperwas not unusual for the Friesen family.Jacob S. Friesen had worked at several dif­ferent vocations since coming to Manitobain 1876. He worked, first as a farm hand,and then, after he was married, farmed onhis own land. Friesen also became interestedin machines and eventually became quite

.'.J.

Mrs. Gertrude Friesen holding copies of early issues of the Steinbach Post prior tomicrofilming, October 30th, 1984. (Photo by Dennis Stoesz.)

When the next two issues of the Post (Oc­tober 2 and 9, 1918) still appeared in Ger­man, the Royal Northwest Mounted Police.Regina, filed a protest repon, objecting that"the whole edition does not contain even onereference to the War, neither editorially norin the news which in itself is proof of its pro­Germanism. "5

The October 15, 1918, issue came out inEnglish, reduced in length to four pages.Friesen gave no hint for the language changeand by the following week the paper wasback to its usual eight pages. On November13, 1918, the front page headline announc­ed: "PEACE! THE WORLD WAR IS ATAN END." Five days later Friesen wrote tothe Chief Press Censor for permission toprint the Post in German again, now that thewar was over. The request was denied. It wasnot until January 7, 1920 that the return toGerman was permitted. In that issue readersfinally received an official explanation fromthe editor why their beloved Post had ap­peared in English during the past fourteenand a half months.

Editor Jacob Friesen writes:

To Our Readers and Friends!

Now that the government of our coun­try has again allowed us to publish our

COni 'd. from page Jthey certainly took advantage.

Mrs. Genrude Friesen, now 79 years ofage and the youngest of the Jacob S. Friesenchildren, helped set the type for the paperfrom about 1919 until her father sold it in1924. She recalls that she left school at theage of thirteen in order to help in theprintery. Working in the shop was a familyaffair in which everyone helped. The oldesttwo sisters, Katherine and Agnes, were mar­ried by the time the paper started but Peterand his younger sisters, Anna, Margaret,Elizabeth, Marie and Gertrude (Mrs. Friesen)all helped at one point or another. Father didthe editing, but everyone learned how to setthe type and run the press. It was mother'sjob, Mrs. Katherina (Toews) Friesen, to setEotschafter der Wahrheit, the small paperof the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite,of which Mr. and Mrs. Friesen weremembers. Besides these two papers, therewere always other printing jobs (0 do aswel!.3

The work was difficult at times, not somuch on the body as on the mind, recallsMrs. Friesen. Each letter of each word hadto be set by hand and it took quite some time.to fill a page. After one stick (or page) oflead type was full, a proof of the page wasprinted in order to check for errors. Even to­day, Mrs. Friesen says she can still ready typebackwards and upside down and is consciousof misspelled words.

Good quality newsprint was available un­til 1916 when the war began to affect itssupply. Inferior paper had to be used until1922 when better paper once again becameavailable. The newspaper was 8 '/2 by II in­ches in size during the time Friesen publish­ed it, and eight pages in length.

Mrs. Friesen recalls two financial setbacksfor the family during these years: in Giroux,Manitoba, when the family had typhoidfever, and near the end of the First WorldWar when federal legislation prohibitedpublishing in an "enemy alien language"such as German. In November 1917 the Postcame under criticism for refusing to run anadvertisement for the Victory Loan bondsale. The Chief Press Censor of the Cana­dian government tried in vain to stop the cir­culation of German papers. The followingJune the publisher was in trouble again, butthis time for printing resolutions passed ata church conference which reaffirmed theMennonite position on nonresistance. TheCensor considered these to be "most objec­tionable matter, matter which ... en­courages opposition to practically all the warmeasures of the government.'" That stormtoo was weathered by Mr. Friesen, but ef­fective October I, 1918 the publication of vir­tually all papers in German was forbidden.

MENNONITE HISTORIAN is p~blished quarterly and edited by the History-Archives Commillee of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. All cor­respondence and unpublished manuscripts should be sent to the editorial office at 600 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3P OM4. Subscrip­lion fee, $4.00 per year.' ISSN 0700-8066.

knowledgable about threshing machines,sawmills and windmills. He started a cheesefactory in Gruenfeld (Kleefeld) and operaredit for many years. On top of (his he repairedwatches during winter and fitted eyeglassesfor people.

Mr. Friesen had lived in Hochstadt withhis parents from 1876 to 1881, and then mov­ed with his widowed mother, who had remar­ried, to Blumenort in 1881. Here J. S.Friesen married Katherina B. Toews(1863-1933) in 1884, and in 1889 they mov­ed to Langdon, North Dakota where hisolder brother Gerhard lives. After four yearsof farming here, the family went to Jansen,Nebraska, in 1893 but rhen returned to

Manitoba in 1897. They settled in Gruenfeldwhere Friesen ran the cheese factory forseven years. After this they moved to farmat Rosenfeld, Blumstein, then Gruenfeldagain and then moved to Giroux in 1910where Mr. Friesen started printing theGiroux Advocale for local businessmen Daveand John Langill, Mr. Seymour and Mr.Lawson. This venture was not successful, butout of that printing experience was born anew German Mennonite weekly, Del' Volks­BOle. By this lime the Friesens were 50 and51 years of age, and had had a family of tenchildren, of whom 2 died in infancy.'

We conclude with the words of Jacob S.Friesen in his last editorial of March 26,1924:

Farewell Thoughts from the Editor

With this issue of the Sleinbach POSII am giving up the position of editor ofthis newspaper .... I must say that it isdifficult to resign from this calling, onewhich has been both p\easureful and pain­ful and through which I have made somany new and beloved friends. I wouldlike to take this opportunity to express mydeep and heartfelt thanks to all friendsand patrons for the friendly assistancethey have given us. We value this highlyand will never forget it.

I was partially, although not directly,forced to give this position because ourfamily and thus our potential help wascontinually decreasing in size; therefore,we are passing on this job, which is steadi­ly demanding more and more time andwith which we can no longer successfullycope, to younger and more capablehands .... I also ask for forgivenessfrom those readers whom I may have of­fended or otherwise hurt ....

As for my future plans, I will likelyreturn to the watch repair business whichI gave up after going into the printingbusiness.

I shall remember you often my dearreaders. and ask that you remember meas well.

God be with you. 8

Page 3

Footnotes

'Mennonite Heritage Centre has in itsholdings: Del' Volks-Bole, 1913-1915 (onmicrofilm); the Sleinbach Post, 1915-1963(1915-1924 on microfilm; scattered issuesfrom 1924-1953; nearly complete sets from1954-1963); Die Post, 1963-1971; Die Welt­Pasl und del' Staats-Anzeiger, 1971-1977.

The Legislative Library of Manitoba hasa microfilm copy of the Steinbach Post fromfebruary 1920-February 1972 as well as someoriginal copies.

See also the reference books: NationalLibrary of Canada, Canadian NewspapersHeld by Canadian Libraries, Ottawa, 1977;D. M. Loveridge, A Historical Directory ofManiloba Newspapers, 1859-1978, Univer­sity of Manitoba Press, Winnipeg, 1981.

2Friesen, Peter T. "Nachruf unseremlieben Vater und frueherem Editor undGruender der Post, Jakob S. Friesen," Slein­bach POSI, May 26, 1932 (Volume 19, No.21), p.3.

"Interview with Mrs. Gertrude Friesen,Steinbach, Manitoba, by Dennis Stoesz,November 15, 1984.

4Quoted in Adolf Ens, "Mennonite Rela­tions with Governments, Western Canada.1870-1925," Ph.D Dissertation, Universityof Ottawa, 1978, p. 318.

EdilOrs, Publishers and Name Changes of lhe Steinbach Post

Name of Vol. No., Place ofPaper Date Issue No. Editor Publisher(s) Publication

Der Volks·Bote 31 Dec. 1913· 1,1·2,19 Jacob Schel· J.S. Friesen Giroux,2 June 1915 lenbera Friesen Manitoba

Steinbach 9 June 1915· 0,20-11,13 J.S. Friesen J.S. Friesen Steinbach,Post 26 March 1924 Manitoba

Steinbach 2 Apr. 1924- 11,14·23, ? Abr. B. Dyck A.B. Dyck & Steinbach,Post ?, 1936 P.A. Vogt Manitoba

(2 Apr. 1924-19 Dec. 1928)A.B. Dyck &Gerhard S. Derksen(1933134·36)

Steinbach ?, 1936· 23,?·44,17 Gerhard S. G.S. Derksen Steinbach,Post 24 ADr. 1957 Derksen Manitoba

Steinbach 1 May 1957- 44,18-48,43 Jacob H. Block Derksen Steinbach,Post 24 Oct. 1961 Printers Manitoba

Steinbach 31 Oct. 1961· 48,44-52,23 Edwin Goering Derksen Steinbach.Post to 8 June 1965 Printers ManitobaDie Post7 May 1963

Die Post 15 June 1965· 52,24 (?)- Bernhard Derksen SteinbaCh,3 May 1966 53,17 Batt Printers Manitoba

Die Post 19 July 1966- 53,18-57,5 Omaha,2 Feb. 1971 Nebraska

Die Welt·Post 1971-1977 1,19-6,52 Omaha,und NebraskaDer Staats·Anzeiger

Sibid, p. 320. I am grateful to Adolf Ensfor researching the section on the war.

"Translated by Bev Suderman. It is an ex­cerpt of the letter.

'In writing this article, several sources wereconsulted: Barkman, Anna (daughter of Mr.Friesen), "Erinnerungen aus dem Lebenmeines Vaters," in Die Post, December 31,1963 (Vol. 50, Sonderausgabe zum50-jaehrigen Jubilaeum), pp. 4 & 5. This ar­ticle was reprinted along with somephotographs in Die Mennonilische Post,September 4, 1981 (Vol. 5, No.9), pp. 1&19.

Warkentin, Abe, Reflections on OurHerilage: A History of Sleinbach and theR.M. of Hanover from 1874, Steinbach,Manitoba: Derksen Printers Ltd., 1971, pp.119-122.

Loewen, Royden, Blumenort: A Men­nonite Community in Transition, 1874-1982,Blumenort: Blumenort Mennonite HistoricalSociety, 1982, pp. 155,278-279.

Friesen, Gertrude (daughter of Mr.Friesen), "Erinnerungen an meine Eltern-­Jakob S. Friesens," Die Mennonitsche Post,November 16,1984 (Vol. 8, No. 14), p. 19.

STranslated by Bev Suderman. It is an ex­cerpt from the letter.

Page 4

"Memories of My Parentsthe Jakob S. Friesens"by Mrs. GerTrude Friesen, Steinbach, Manitoba

Some ofeditor Jakob S. and Katherina Friesen's daughters, in May 1965 in Abbotsford,British Columbia, (1-1'): Mrs. Gertrude Friesen, Mrs. Marie Friesen, Mrs. Margaret HieberT,Mrs. Elizaberh Hiebert, Mrs. Agnes Loewen and Mrs. Anna Barkmann. (The Friesens alsohad another daughrer, Mrs. Katherine Isaac, and a son, Mr. Peter Friesen). (Photo courtesyof Mrs. Belly Zielke.)

I will try to write something about mybeloved father, editor Jakob S. Friesen, whoin January of 1914 founded the SreinbachPost, then known as the Volks Bote.

This was not an easy beginning for myparents but they had courage and trusted inGod. Their large family was also of greathelp to them since they were willing to workin the business.

1t was necessary for my parents to be ableto speak both the English and the Germanlanguages. Neither had received much for­mal schooling in their youth but both en­joyed reading. As young marrieds they beganto learn English; they obtained severalEnglish schoo!texts and studied from them.A number of their neighbours joined themtoo.

My father first began to learn to speak theEnglish language when he and my motherlived in North Dakota for several years.There he met a man who eagerly wanted tolearn to speak German; since my fatherwanted to learn English, this was a well­timed opportunity for them both.

My father likely will not have foreseen thatthree successive generations of his offspringwould continue working in the printing field:

son P.T. Friesen (deceased) of Winkler;grandson Harvey Friesen of Winkler; andgreat-grandson Glen Friesen of Winkler, thepresent publisher of the Pembina Times.

My parents moved from Kleefeld toGiroux in order to begin a printing businessthere. Not long after, my father decided topublish his own German weekly newspaper,the first such in Canada.

Later, they moved to Steinbach and therethe newspaper was renamed the SteinbachPosr. He made many friends through hisbusiness and was widely known.

Their spiritual and prayer life helped myparents when they went through difficultex periences.

My father kept one issue of each SteinbachPosr which he had printed, and bound eachyear (52 issues) into one volume; 1still havethese volumes.

These are some memories of my fatherwhich I have recorded.

(Letter translated from the German by BevSuderman; article printed in Die Men­nonitische Post, November 16, 1984)

Book ReviewsPeter D. Zacharias. Footprints ofa Pilgril/,{

People. SlOry of rhe Blumenon Men­nonire Church. Gretna, MB: Blumenon,Mennonite Church, 1985.bv John Friesen, CMBC,Winnipeg, Manitoba

Foorprints ofa Pilgrim People is the storyof ilT)migrant people from variousbackgrounds who settled in Manitoba anddeveloped into one church community. Witha light brush Peter D. Zacharias reviews theAnabaptist-Mennonite story from the six­teenth to the nineteenth centuries. Withsomewhat fuller detail he unfolds the storyof Mennonites in Russia, giving special at­tention to Baratov-Schlachtin, and other set­tlements from which Blumenort Churchmembers originated. He recounts the eventsof the First World War, the Russian Revolu­tion, civil war, famine, relief program, andeventually the emigration to Canada. It isthese events which were seared upon theminds of the 1920s emigrants and became the"Exodus" story which the immigrants re­counted in Canada at every special occasion.

The Blumenorter Church story began asan immigrant people settling among Men­nonites who had already spent half a centuryin Canada. Many of these earlier immigrantshad become dissillusioned with Canada andfelt betrayed, especially in the matter of con­trol of their schools. [n the same years thatthe Blumenorter people came from the SovietUnion, thousands of other Mennonites weremoving to Mexico and Paraguay. In a sen­sitive yet vivid style Peter D. Zacharias por­trays the different worlds of values andlifestyles which characterized these twogroups. For one, Canada had become theliberator, for the other the oppressor.

As the story of the Blumenorter Men­nonite Church unfolds in Canada, theseparation between the two groups isgradually bridged. Eventually manymembers are drawn from the group of earlierimmigrants (Kanadier) and they togetherwith the immigrants of the 1920s(Russlaender) form one united church com­munity. The unification of the two groupsis exemplified in that the last two leadingministers have been descendants of the earlierimmigrants.

This book by Peter D. Zacharias whoearlier wrote Reinland: An Experience inCommuniry (Reinland Centennial Commit­tee, 1976) continues the high standards of hisprevious publication. Zacharias is sym­pathetic yet analytical. He provides a greatamount of local detail in charts, biographiesand in the copy generally, yet he places it intothe context of the larger Manitoba, Cana­dian and world events. He recognizes thecontributions of various leading people, yethe maintains a balance and proportion whichallows him to avoid idolizing a few. The

(cont'd. next page)

book is written in a popular style, yet it iscarefully footnoted. The book includes manypictures which are carefully integrated intothe text. He highlights the role of women aswell as that of men. As a relative outsider,even though he is at present the leadingminister in the congregation, Zacharias couldboth gain a personal touch through exten­sive interviews, and also stand back andanalyse, evaluate, and provide perspective.

For members, the detailed informationcollected in tables and charts will be very im­portant. Zacharias includes a list of thecharter members, with a brief description oftheir lives. Husbands and wives are listed in­dividually. All baptism classes until 1983 arelisted, together with personal informationabout each person. There are additionaltables listing all missionaries and MCCworkers, Sunday School leaders, choir direc­tors, youth leaders and church councilmembers. A fairly extensive biography forevery minister and deacon in the church isalso included.

Footprints of a Pilgrim People is muchmore than the story of one congregation. Itbecomes a window through which to observea large segment of the Canadian Mennonitecommunity. It will be of interest and valuefor members, former members and also forpeople who have had no physical connectionwith the B1umenorter Church. The study isa worthy tribute to a church with a richheritage.

SIX MUNICIPAL CENTENNIALHISTORIESby Adolf Ens,CMBC, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Bernard R. Ayotte, co-ordinator, Reapers ofthe Valley 1882-1982 (Letellier: MontcalmHistory Group, 1982), 573 pp.

Betty Dyck, Hugging the Meridian (Sanford:Macdonald Municipality, 1981),388 pp.

Leonore Eidse, ed., Furrows in the Valley(Morris: Rural Municipality of Morris,1980), 891 pp.

Gerhard John Ens, The Rural MunicipalityofRhineland 1884-1984 (Altona: R.M. ofRhineland, 1984), 302 pp.

Lydia Penner, Hanover: One Hundred Years(Steinbach: R.M. of Hanover, 1982), 196pp.

Our First Hundred Years (St. Francois.Xavier: St. Francois Xavier Municipali­ty, 1980), 369 pp.

In the early 1880s the Manitoba govern­ment took increasing initiative in stimulatingthe organization of municipal governments.No matter how reluctantly such organizationtook place then, a number of thesemunicipalities have now celebrated theircentennial with the publication of handsome(and expensive) history books. All but the

first (Montcalm) six municipalities, whosehistories are listed above, have substantialMennonite communities in them. Rhinelandand Hanover are predominantly Mennonite.

The six books fall into two quite distinctcategories. Three tell the story of the com­munity living within the municipal boun­daries (Macdonald, Rhineland, Hanover):the other three provide some interesting in­formation about organizations and institu­tions within the municipality, but devote thebulk of their pages to unconnected, shortfamily histories of their citizens (Montcalm,Morris, St. Francois Xavier). The first threehave identified authors responsible for selec­ting material to be included, organizing it,and giving shape and direction to the story.The other three are much more the productof a committee responsible for compilingand coordinating the material, andpublishing it with minimal editing of theoriginal contributions of many volunteers.Not surprisingly, the latter three volumes arelarger, both in format (8 Y2 x II inches vs. thestandard 6x9 of the first three), and two ofthem also inthe number of pages. They pro­vide us with a wealth of information and il­lustrations, even if they do not attempt totell the "story" of the municipal communi­ty, or of its sub-communities in an organiz­ed way. Much of this information was onlyremembered, not written down, and wouldhave been lost but for the efforts of the com­mittees and the encouragement of themunicipal councils to collect and preserve itnow.

MOnicalm Municipality, whose southernportion is squeezed between the MennoniteWest Reserve and the Red River, representsa largely Francophone community with on­ly a scattering of Mennonites in the Langevinarea. It is therefore something of a surpriseto find the "Brummtop Song" (in German)alongside of some French poetry among thefrontispiece documents, or to find a richlybemedalled Jake Wiebe in the photo galleryof the Municipality's "Roll of Honor."

St. Francois Xavier Municipality at onetime extended south to include Springsteinand Elie, but its Mennonite population isnow restricted to the communities of PigeonLake and Marquette. The Mennonite churchcommunities there are described briefly, in­cluding a few paragraphs on the now defunctMennonite Brethren church at Marquette.

Betty Dyck's story of MacdonaldMunicipality is well researched, carefullyfootnoted, and interestingly written andorganized. The Mennonite communities inthe La Salle-Sanford-Domain area are brieflydescribed, including a section on the now­closed Mennonite Brethren church atDomain.

Mennonites have been much more impor­tant in Morris Municipality than in the abovethree. They founded the first villages in thearea (Rosenort and Rosenhof) with the ar­rival of Kleine Gemeinde immigrants from

Page 5

Russia in 1874, and have remained the largestidentifiable population block in theMunicipality, with Bergthal and other settlersmoving into the areas around Lowe Farm,Kane and Kronsgart. The book accords asubstantial section (60 pages) specifically tothe Mennonites, in addition to their coveragein the general development of the area.Leonore Eidse shows some fine editorialtouches in the general sections over which shehad some control, but the sections on fami­ly histories and even some of the local com­munity histories slip into repetition in bothstory and photo of things already dealt withadequately in the overall history. Her use offull page photographs in some of the sectiondividers enhances the impact of the book. Amoving "Peace Hymn," found among thepossessions of Pte. Jacob Cornelson whowas killed in action during World War I, in­troduces the section on "The War Years."

Hanover and Rhineland represent virtuallysolid Mennonite communities, situated en­tirely within the boundaries of the oldReserves. The challenge for Penner and Ensis to give adequate recognition to the con­tribution of the minority groups, which wasquite disproportionate to their numbers.Both have the benefit of good earlier researchwork, some of it published: e.g., AbeWarkentin's Reflections on our Heritage(1971) and E.K. Francis' In Search of Utopia(1955). Both succeed in adding somethingnew to our understanding of the respectiveMunicipalities.

Penner's approach is almost journalistic,introduced by a travelogue style openingchapter and concluded with a newspaper typeof report on the centennial celebrations.About half of the 196 pages are devoted tophotographs, other illustrations, boxedvignettes, and footnotes. In the other halfshe selects incidents out of the Municipali­ty's history to illustrate trends. The best con­tributions come in Part 3: Making a Living,in which some carefully selected statisticsprovide a good picture of economic develop­ment within the region, and of theMunicipality's place in the larger economyof the Province. The last chapter in this sec­tion, dealing with education, .is perhaps theweakest in the book. It includes inaccuraciesin detail and glosses over the serious schoolcontroversies during the first fifty years ofthe community's development.

The Rhineland book is the most successfulone as history. That is, it not only tells thestory of the community within RhinelandMunicipality but also sets that story into thelarger context of Manitoban and Canadianhistory. Statistical data, very helpful in see­ing trends, are provided in over thirty tables.There are fewer photographs than in theother books.

Ens also attempts to interpret the historyhe records. In the first chapter hecharacterizes the basic stance or value system

(conc'd. next page)

Page 6

of the Mennonites coming to this area. In thefinal chapter he assesses the effect of onehundred years in the Canadian context. "Bythe time Rhineland celebrates its centennialin 1984 it will be more homogeneously Men­nonite than it was a century before, but muchless distinctively Mennonite," he writes (p.225). He sees this acculturation not only inthe loss of such emphases as Germanlanguage, separation from the world, andrural lifestyle, but even more in the "majori­ty culture" way of thinking that has becomeevident. At only its second meeting the coun­cil of the newly founded Municipality mov­ed on 2 February 1884 to petition theManitoba legislature for permission to con­duct its meetings in the German language.A hundred years later, when the legislaturewas considering a bill to restore bilingualismto the province, the Municipal Council notonly deplored this step but declared itself infavour of English only as Manitoba'slanguage for official business.

All six volumes have their value and ap­peal for residents and expatriates of theirrespective municipalities. The Morris,Hanover and Rhineland studies are of in­terest to the larger Mennonite community aswell.

In July of 1984, an exchange of materials between Michael M. Mi//er of the Germansfrom Russia Heritage Society and Dennis Stoesz of the Mennonite Heritage Centre wasmade. Mi//er is collecting books for the North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies atFargo, North Dakora where he is located and the Mennonite Heritage Centre is interestedin obtaining a complete set of the periodical Heritage Review (1971- ) which is publish­ed by the Society.

Reunion of School DistrictRosenhoff North & Rosenhoff South

Our Wiensz Heriragewas recently published and can be purchas­ed for $5.00, plus $1.50 for postage andhandling, from:

Kornelius and Tina Wiens42570 Peters RoadSardis, British ColumbiaV2R lA9

Footprints of a Pilgrim PeopleBy Peter D. Zacharias can be ordered

from:Blumenort Mennonite ChurchBox 457Gretna, ManitobaROG OVO

Cost is $25.00 plus $2.00 for postage andhandling.

10th Anniversary OfMennonite Historian10th Anniversary of Mennonite Historian

The September 1984 issue of the Men­nonite Historian marked its 10th anniver­sary. The first issue was published inSeptember of 1975 and featured CorneliusHiebert, Mennonite Genealogy Inc., theConference of Mennonites in CanadaHistory-Archives committee, congregationalhistorians, research requests, new books, abook review of the Grunthal History andnotes and comments on a MennoniteSaengerfest and a Jan Gleysteen Tour.

On July .st, 1985At Rosenort E.M.C. (Manitoba) (2 miles

south of Rosenort)Please contact:

Mennonite CookeryUpdateby Bev Suderman,

In our December 1984 issue, we ran twoarticles about "Mennonite" foods-­"Wanted: 'Mennonite' Cookbooks" and"Pinwheel Cookies Anyone?" People haveresponded positively to both; it would seemthat the topic of food is one which fascinatesus all.

The request for cookbooks prompted Vic­tor Goossen of PrairieView Press inRosenort, Manitoba to deliver a copy of Kit­chen Treasures: A Co//ection of FavoriteRecipes, a cookbook with a broad spectrumof recipes, including those known as "Men­nonite." Ted Friesen of D. W. Friesens andSons, Ltd., in Altona, Manitoba, sent six.cookbooks to the Heritage Centre: More­With Less; Canadian Mennonite CookbQok;Melting Pot ofMennonite Cookery; KoameAete; The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes;and Mennonite Community Coobkook. Thisis a good beginning and the Heritage Centre

Mrs. George BartelBox 7, RRIMorris, ManitobaROG IKO

appreciates these two donations. And, we in­vite more donations, including thosecookbooks published by community clubs,women's organizations or church groups.Just as importantly, the Heritage Centre in­vites you to check for Grandmother's orGreat-grandmother's recipes--likely notprinted or published books but hand-writtenbooklets or loose pages gathered together.Any such recipes should be truly authentic.

Interest in the pinwheel cookie story hasalso been evident. People have called or writ­ten us to let us know that they were familiarwith variations of the recipe; unfortunate­ly, these variations were not what the Ot­towan patent lawyers needed. An interestingnote, however, appeared in the January 1985newsletter of the Mennonite Library and Ar­chives (Bethel College, North Newton, Kan­sas). It reported that Nabisco's patentlawyers visited these Archives as well as thecentral Kansas area for references to thisrecipe. The newsletter concludes its briefreport by saying--"One Mennonitecookbook contained the recipe." Interestingisn't it?

Page 7

Manitoba, has been transliterated (transfer­red from Gothic script into English letters)by William and Trudy Harms of Edenthal,Manitoba. Henry Stoesz of Altona,Manitoba, is in the process of translating thediary into English. Mr. and Mrs. Harms havedropped in several times to wor k on theirfamily history and to examine the Stoeszpapers in more detail.

Henry T. Klassen from Laird, Saskat­chewan, sent a Financial Book, 1949-1953,of the Conference of Mennonites in Canadato the Centre in January of this year.

[an and Ruth Wilson of the Grace Men­nonite Church in Regina stopped in onJanuary 24, 1985 for a tour of the Centre.They are involved in that congregation aswell as in the archives under the auspices ofthe Saskatchewan Archives Board. ThisBoard microfilmed Der Bote in 1981. Sincethe conference sessions of the Conference ofMennonites in Canada will be held in Reginathis summer, interested individuals will havea chance to see what other materials the ar­chives has about Mennonites inSaskatchewan.

Jake and Trudy Unrau recently officiallyretired from their long-time involvement withNative Ministries and moved to Bethel Placein Winnipeg. They deposited several boxesof records and correspondence in the ar­chives as a result of the cleaning and sortingthat comes with moving.

Ben Braun, Winnipeg, brought in someearly Bethel Mennonite Church (Winnipeg)records for microfilming. Annie Konrad senther history of the Jacob L. and' AgathaDueck family and told of the good reunionthat had taken place in Leamington, Ontariolast year.

Researchers have included many studentsfrom the Canadian Mennonite Bible Collegewho are working on their research papers fora course in Mennonite studies at the College.Other researchers have included: Wes Berg,who has been going through the J. P.Claszen papers; Anna Ens, who is readingher father's, H. M. Epp, correspondence;and others who are working on their familyhistories.

Gerhard Lohrenz recently identified somephotographs from Russia that RobertKreider of Kansas had sent to the archives.Lohrenz continues to provide strong supportto the archives' program.

Areas of research have included urbaniza­tion among Mennonites, MCC's involvementin the third world, Menno Simons, Neuen­dorf, Russian, Mennonite catechisms, MCCPeace Section, Mennonite Pioneer Mission,voting patterns of Mennonites in Manitoba,Mennonite Collegiate Institute and Hoff­nungsfeld, Manitoba. Several persons havecome to work on their family histories. Thefollowing family names have been examin­ed: Braun, Dyck, Esau, Giesbrecht, Groen­ing, Harms, Hiebert, Klassen, Niebuhr, Pen­ner, Thielmann and Thiessen.

pricelerk.

9hllllmtt t .

r

ffice at Hill boro, Kan

materials they have sent to the Centre.Hedy Janzen of the Conference offices

recently prepared a list of the 20 congrega­tions who have joined the Conference ofMennonites in Canada since IY75. She deter­mined the founding date of each congrega­tion as well as when each group first beganto meet. [t would be good to expand this listto include each of the some 150 congrega­tions which make up this Conference as wellas to include a short history of eachcongregation.

Acquisitions, Visitors and Research Pro·jects: John G. and Agnes Penner of Ste.Anne, Manitoba dropped in and donatedseveral back issues of Botschafter derWahrheit (1924-1945), Messenger of Truthand a new paper (Bote des Heils) of whichMr. Penner is editor. The first issue of thisnewspaper appeared in July 1983. All ofthese papers are published by the Church ofGod in Christ Mennonite. Victor Goossen ofPrairieView Press also dropped in and gavethe Centre the third volume of the reprintedearly issues of Messenger of Truth (March191O-December 1911).

John K. Schellenberg, long-time secretaryof the Hanover School Division, has writ­ten a history of 46 school districts situatedin that division. The book should be outshortly. He and his son-in-law brought someschool records of those districts which areno longer in existence to the Archives.

The 2OG-page diary of Bishop DavidStoesz (1842-1902) of Bergthal, East Reserve,

•nlciedas ccond-cJ

P'I

•. 111ic flUIl, lIICill l n'ull 1mb rub t,

11 lH-jt r- , II'olll'll:"" irb birbi ' \1llit all If IOl'!:

I '';(' f" " 'd t" f "I" -an' nut" III "~lall"n 0111 :Jlllb r.. , . l'rr,lul onnn I 1 lIIr)r ~,

The Botschafter der Wahrheit was published by the Church of God in Christ, Men­nonite. It was first published in 1897 and was discontinued in 1969. Mrs. Katherine Friesenset the type for this paper (see articles on Steinbach Post). Several back issues of theBotschafter were recently donated to the archives by John G. Penner, editor of Bote desHeils, its successor.

Diary ... Jottings From the Archivesby Dennis Stoesz

Congregations: Recently Melvin Wiebe ofthe Zoar Mennonite Church dropped in andasked about remicrofilming the Zoar Churchrecords. This congregation," situated inLangham, Saskatchewan, is celebrating its75th anniversary July 12-14. A book is alsobeing written for the occasion; the churchpublished an historical album in 1960 of 24pages and in 1970 held a Diamond JubileeFestival.

Recently we received a phone call enquir­ing after the name of the Eyebrow Men­nonite Church before it was relocated toEyebrow, Saskatchewan. The caller had apicture of the church building when it waslocated in the country, 6 miles west ofEyebrow and 5 miles south of Tugaske. S.Martens who wrote a history paper on thischurch in 1952 referred to it as the"Eyebrow-Tugaske General ConferenceMennonite Church." She mentions that thechurch first bought a building in 1943. In thearchives here, there are also two churchregisters and three pages of a third registerwhich were used by the church. They dateback to the church's founding date of May27, 1928 and include entries until 1965.Ericka Enns from Eyebrow writes thatpresently the church uses another churchregister book. These registers and essay tella rich story of the life of one congregation.

It is again the time of year when churchesand conferences hold their annual meetings.Many Annual Reports have already been sentto the archives. By June, we will be readyto report to the congregations about

Page 8

"Faith, Identity, Culture DiscussedAt Manitoba Mennonite HistoricalSociety Meeting"

By Dennis Stoesz,Membership and PublicityCommillee, MMHS

The highlights of the MMHS AnnualMeeting, held on Saturday, March 2, 1985at the Mennonite Brethren Bible College inWinnipeg, were the thoughts andreminiscences of Ted E. Friesen andElizabeth Peters upon their reception ashonourary members of the Manitoba Men­nonite Historical Society.

Elizabeth Peters recalled a 1956 meetingwith colleagues Gerhard Lohrenz, GerhardEns and Victor Peters where a Mennonitehistorical society was discussed and planned.

Through colourful and humourousdescriptions of persons dealing with eachother and the world around them, she outlin­ed five characteristics of Mennonites:I) their ability to feel deep emotion, but theirinability to reveal it; 2) their deep trust inone another; 3) the tendency to dream aboutthe future and to set ideals too high whileforgetting about those close at hand; 4) thesudden unity a Mennonite in a foreign coun­try can feel with another Mennonite whenthe Low German language is heard; and5) the sympathy and caring Mennonitesshow each other through deeds rather thanthrough words.

Mrs. Peters remarked that behind all theresearch and activities of the Society was theprodding concern to keep our faith alive. Sheencouraged the members to keep the pastalive.

In his reminiscences, Ted E. Friesen alsospoke about the purpose of the Society.Friesen said he had always enjoyed the studyof history. He had been given an understan­ding of its meaning for life by people like hisfather, D. W. Friesen.

Ted E. Friesen said that his view of historyhad also been influenced by early MMHSmembers such as Paul Schaefer, BenjaminEwert and J. J. Siemens. They were willingto make an apologia for their Mennonitefaith and to identify themselves as Mennoniteto others through their writing and leader­ship in the community. Friesen stressed thathistory was not "bunk" as Henry Ford andVoltaire declare. He challenged the Societynot only to maintain and preserve but to

create and transmit Mennonite faith into thepresent and future. "We need t6 makebeliefs such as discipleship, paci fism andcommunity our own."

A group of approximately 45 peoplegathered at the annual meeting of the Socie­ty to hear what had gone on in 1984. Themeeting itself was opened by Adolf Ens, aprofessor at Canadian Mennonite Bible Col­lege. He admonished the group to be truthful

Elizabeth Peters and Ted E. Friesen receiv­ed honourary memberships into theManitoba Mennonite Historical Society onMarch 2, 1985. Victor Doerksen, on the left,and Adolf Ens, on the right, presented theawards.

to the past when writing history and not toseek self-glorification in the interpretationand presentation of that past.

The Secretary of the Society, Ruth Bock,then read the minutes of the last annualmeeting, held on March 17, 1984. Abe Dueckpresented the Treasurer's report. A total of$10,166.75 came in in 1984 and $5,555.33 ofthis was disbursed. In addition, there werethree special projects: I) the Russian Monu­ment Committee, which received $14,189.17and disbursed $1,386.61; 2) the MennoniteBook Club, which received $1,793.18 anddisbursed $1,642. n; and 3) the ArnoldDyck project which received $8,235.93 (in­cluding interest) from a FederalMulticulturalism grant and disbursed$9,690.53. At 1984's end, the MMHS ac­count totalled $21,518.16.

The activities of the last year were broughtinto focus by President Delbert Plett. Hehighlighted the Russian Mennonite Monu­ment project, the Mennonite Book Club, theArnold Dyck project (under the leadershipof the Research and Scholarship Commit­tee), the family history seminar developed bythe Genealogy and Local History Commit­tee, and cemetary research done by theHistoric Sites and Monuments Committeeand the new newsletter put out by thePublicity and Membership Committee.

The Society appears to be headed in adirection of more involvement and activitiesat a committee level instead of at the Boardlevel. At present several non-Board memberssit on committees.

Elections were then held for ten positionson the Board. Ted Friesen and ElizabethPeters stepped down after serving three con-

secutive terms; Ruth Bock and HermanRempel resigned from their positions to pur­sue other activities. Elected were two in­cumbents, Ed Schellenerg and Bert Friesen,and eight new Board members. (See listbelow for 1985 Board members.) Adolf Enswas elected from within the Board to serveas the new MMHS President, replacingDelbert Plett whose capable managementand energetic spirit in promoting and expan­ding the Society was clearly felt during histwo-year presidency.

After the elections, some time was givento the members to report on upcoming oralready completed projects, books orarticles.

The annual meeting was followed by abanquet in the College's new dining hall andwas attended by 57 people. A cinema even­ing concluded the day's events. Two filmswere screened - a 1975 CBC productionfeaturing the Mennonite Village Museum,and an excellent documentary film about theHutterites produced by Burton Buller withcommentary by John L. Ruth entitled "ToCare or Not to Care."

The membership of the Society in 1985presently stands at 136.

1985 MMHS Board MembersExecutive:

Adolf Ens, PresidentVictor Doerksen, Vice-PresidentAbe Dueck, TreasurerDelbert Plett, Chairman(Secretary--as yet unfilled)

Board:Victor Doerksen, WinnipegAbe Dueck, WinnipegJohn Dyck, WinnipegRhinehart Friesen, WinnipegDoreen Klassen, WinnipegHarry Lowen, WinnipegDelbert F. Plett, SteinbachAI Reimer, Winnipeg

Newly (Re-)Elected:Adolf Ens, WinnipegHenry G. Ens, ReinlandJacob C. Fehr, Plum CouleeBert Friesen, WinnipegMargaret Kroeker, WinnipegRoydon Loewen, BlumenortWilmer Penner, SteinbachBrian Petkau, AltonaEd Schellenberg, SteinbachBill Schroeder, Winnipeg

This page was paid for by the ManitobaMennonite Historical Society.