Preservings $20 No. 25, December, 2005 - Plett Foundation

Jakob Klassen Isaac Enns
Johann Funk Jakob Funk
Aron Funk Gerhard Funk
The Funks were related. They
with Kornelius Penner had four yards
built alike with a typical L-shaped
complex.4
Reminisces
Although Borosenko cannot claim
any famous writers like Arnold Dyck
from the Jasykowo Colony, the writing
talent was not unknown among its
inhabitants. In 1900 teacher Johann
W. Dueck (1865-1932), Rosenort,
Manitoba, who spent his growing up
years in Friedensfeld and then the
village of Blumehoff in Borosenko,
wrote his memoirs of the old country under
the title of “History and Events”, published in
History and Events (Steinbach, 1982), pages
85-137, and republished in Prairie Pioneer:
The Writings of Johann W. Dueck (Rosenort,
1995), pages 11-52. “History and Events” was
a fascinating look at the old country, through the
eyes of a 10 year-old boy.
Reminiscent of these writings are the recollections
of Martin Hamm who grew up in
the neighbouring village of Schöndorf. Both
of these writings reflect on the day-to-day life
of the colonists and not about theological and
ecclesiastical issues which dominate so much
of Mennonite letters. The memoirs of Martin
Hamm provide a further insight into life in the
village of Schöndorf prior to the Bolshevik
Revolution of 1917:
“Schöndorf lay three verst (two miles) north
of Blumenhoff. That is were my beloved grandparents,
Kornelius Penners and grandmother, M.
Hamm lived. How gladly and often we drove
with our parents to visit them. Grandfather
Penner was rich; apparently he had the finest
Wirtschaft in the village. The dwelling house
was large with many windows, and attached to
the front door a porch consisting of window,
and behind which stood the finest geraniums
and other flowers, blooming year round. A
large summer kitchen served during the summer
for the preparation of the food for the large
family, and many guests and also workers. It
often smelled of Borscht and Rollkuchen. We
were lucky when it came to pass that we were
driving through the village to the doctor or on
business somewhere. If it was in summer, we
boys were allowed to run in the large gardens
and pick up apples which had fallen off and to
take them along home. A creek flowed through
the middle of the gardens in the village in which
geese and ducks swam. Small bridges for each
Wirt (farmer) led across to the other side of the
garden or woods and onto the fields.
When so many uncles and aunts with their
many children came home to grandparents for
Easter or for special occasions, then we young
boys were a large enterprise. During one such occasion,
uncle Johann Penner, at that time the only
one who had a photo apparatus, took a picture of
the huge family. I have seen it and held it - there
84 - Preservings No. 25, December 2005
A Mennonite house in Schoendorf, May 2000. Photo Diese Steine, 397.
were 72 persons large and small, taking part.
Many also lived farther away. Unfortunately, no
picture of this has been preserved. But another
photograph is available, with grandfather and
many uncles and aunts at a funeral.
What we boys did not all discover when it
was Easter - we barged around, stormed through
the gardens, marvelled at doves, took out sparrows
nests. During the hot summer, we bathed in
the cattle reservoir (Fiehtränke) (called a Stawok
in Russian). There was such a Stawok at each
end of the short village.
While we were still smaller, playing wolf in
the long, huge barn was one of our most pleasant
games, especially during the winter times. And
oh, the Christmas festivities always brought
much joy. At that time not only the parents received
presents - either a stack of cups or the like
- but also we grandchildren received something,
e.g. such a four-sided box filled with a beautiful
picture on it and filled with bonbons. Naturally
it was not so simple to furnish such a meal for
so many guests. As a rule they had fruit “mus”
and cold cooked ham. We children were the last
to be allowed to the table. This sometimes got to
be quite late, and the patience of our youngest
aunt Anna sometimes ran short.
“Now boys, now you are satiated,” she would
say, and then started to clean up the table, when
we were just getting nicely started. What was
the reason? Finally we figured it out - soon her
fiancee, Heinrich Klassen from Nikolaithal,
came at the agreed time, to take her out.
Not everyone, however was able to enjoy
the Applemus. One time cousin Franz Penner
screeched that he wanted Applemus. Then his
father went with him to the barn and klopt him.
“Ahas, kregst mit de Schlorr Aupelmus!” he had
to hear forever thereafter.
Grandfather Penner was born in 1842 and
died in 1935. He had three wives, and with the
marriage of one or two widows, he brought
children into the marriage. Consequently there
were Wiebe and Peters children in his family
in addition to his Penners. He was not only a
steadfast Mennonite, a good farmer, but also a
preacher....
Now something also about my grandmother
M. Hamm. I know nothing - so to say - about my
grandfather Martin Hamm. He died very young.
But we really loved grandmother
Hamm. She lived with her children
Johann Penners. She bestowed us
richly with gifts for Christmas, so
that she won us completely. She was
a Cornies’ daughter. Johann Cornies,
so famous in the Mennonite story,
was her uncle. She had a very loving
manner in telling stories and knew
many verses and proverbs. At that
time, my father’s older brother David
Hamm lived in Felsenbach, somewhat
further away, but later moved to Barnaul,
Siberia, together with his family
prior to 1910. As I remember, we only
went visiting once in Felsenbach.
During that opportunity, their Susie,
my cousin, fell into the garbage barrel
(dranktonne) while taking out eggs.
Nikolaithal was immediately behind Schöndorf
toward the north. Only one Stawok divided
these two villages. We often drove here visiting
since Johann Funks, mother’s older sister, Margaretha,
lived here. They also had a large family.
Their youngest boys were our play comrades.
Uncle Funk was an honourable minister in the
Kirchliche Gemeinde. Our parents interacted
even more with Franz Penners. Uncle Franz was
my mother’s brother. But ever since their youth,
uncle Franz was also my father’s best friend,
even before they were brother-in-laws.
One of our fellow school students was struck
by lightning. It was Liese Regehr. She sat by the
open window of her rich dwelling while it was
gently raining outside, and sang the song to herself,
“Es regnet, Gott segnet.....” The lightning
struck unexpectedly through the chimney.
A small fleck from the lightning could be
seen on the wall, where the lightning had struck.
A funeral train of the village marched along the
middle street of the village. They came past the
school. The coffin was carried in front by men.
They were followed by the parents and relatives
and then the others taking part in the funeral. The
cemetery was behind the windmill, where the
coffin was to be lowered into the opened grave.
Then a droschke came up to the funeral train
from the opposite direction. It was the surgeon
(Feldscher), who had the responsibility to examine
the corpses. He stopped the coffin and had it
opened. Then he held a burning match before the
mouth and nose of the deceased, in order to see if
perhaps she was still breathing, and whether she
only appeared to be a dead. Yet, there had been
no sign of life in her for several days.....,,traurig
tönt das Glöcklein nieder...Hirtenknabe, Hirtenknabe,
dir auch singt man dort einmal,” which
is how we later also learned the poem, “Droben
stehet die Kapelle.”
The long hill to the south of the village offered
a beautiful picture in the evening dusk.
Then the many lights in the mine quarries went
on. The diggings contained very valuable iron
ore, the so-called “Margenetz”. When we wanted
to drive to Nikopol, we had to drive over this
hill. It occurred sometimes that we drove exactly
parallel to the small train which hauled the iron
ore from the quarry to the station. The railway
gauge was very narrow and the small wagons