Preservings 11 (1997) - Plett Foundation

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SW 23-6-5E, east of Kleefeld, then known as the Schoenfeld village district. After several years of farming with very little success, and us boys, ages 6 and 4, setting his barn on fire, so that it burned to the ground with all the winter feed, grandfather decided to pull us off the farm and have us settle closer to his farmyard. A son Heinrich S. Koop born May 18, 1918, died here on December 3, 1918, and was buried in the Schoenfeld cemetery on Section 14- 6-5E: see Preservings, No. 9, Dec 1996, Part One, page 17. This farm was later sold to John P. Friesen of Chortitz on October 6, 1923 for the sum of $2,100.00. On the 22nd of April 1919 Jakob B. Koop bought 240 acres of land from Herbert Henry Hayward of Pasadina, California, for $4,560.00. The land was described as the SE19-8-6E and the South half of NE19-8-6E. This land was located in the Landmark district and I believe this was the land that C. N. Koop was farming. Another parcel of land was acquired from Thomas Mooney on 21st day June, 1909, being the South half of SE18-8-6 for the sum of $1,000.00 dollars, payable in four equal parts over four years. I believe Uncle Abram farmed on this land. Uncle David N. Koop farmed on the SW18-8-6, for this confirmation I have no record. There is a record that Jacob B. Koop received Letters Patent for NE 34-7-6E. I don’t think grandfather ever lived on this homestead and must have sold it. In his Journal, grandfather had written that he had taken out a homestead on NE34-7-6E and that he had traded with his cousin Jakob B. Toews who had taken out a Homestead on the SE16-7-6E. In this way, Jakob was near to his father who had two quarters on Section 17-7-6E. Farming Practices. Jakob B. Koop was cautious when it came to Government sponsorship or assistance programs. In the mid-30s some kind of dairy herd improvement plan came up; one pure-bred Holstein bull would be donated without charge to a group of three part-time dairy farmers. Each farmer had to build a pen and shelter according to specifications. Isaac F. Loewen, a neighbour, needed one more applicant to make up a group of three, and my grandfather did finally sign up. When the bull was rotated among the three farmers, I noticed grandpa did not take full advantage of this opportunity to improve his herd. In the end of this two-year period, grandpa raised only one heifer and his reluctance was definitely a loss to him. The home-base of another of these sponsored bulls was at Mr. Mooney’s farm near Giroux. An Agriculture Exhibition was held annually on the Kornelson school yard in Steinbach. Farmers were asked to bring anything of interest for this exhibition and prizes were given to the best product. I was asked to bring this huge bull to the show and reluctantly agreed after Mr. Loewen told me, “this bull is Preservings The “Kjist” or dowry trunk of Johann M. Koop, father of Jakob. This is a photograph of a model of this chest made by grandson Peter S. Koop during the winter of 1936. Aunt Margaret had wanted Peter to build her a replica of the chest which he did. The original chest was sold at an auction of the Jakob B. Koop effects, after uncle Isaac N. Koop, was killed by a bull in 1965. Photo courtesy of Peter S. Koop, Steinbach, Manitoba. very people friendly.” I think I found this to be true. With a light rope fastened to the bull’s nose ring, we took off on our five-mile hike (one way). I did a lot of talking to the animal and he seemed to be listening. At the exhibition yard, there were numerous other animals but he never gave me trouble. This bull even won first prize in his category. When the judge came to pin the first prize ribbon to the animal, I held out my chest but Mr. Loewen said, “No Peter, you are not the bull.” I thought I needed some recognition for leading it five miles there and five miles back. With the dairy herds being enlarged, the problem of having enough grass acreage arose so the farmers were encouraged to grow sweet clover. The first kind was a white-blossom clover. The stems of this clover were quite coarse and had to be harvested early in blossom time. Grandpa Koop was encouraged to grow some clover for himself, but his answer was, “I will not infest my farm with Willow bushes,” and never did. Only after Uncle Isaac took over the farm was any sweet clover planted, but by then the yellow-blossom clover was used as a forage. This yellow Blossom clover was a much finer plant. Jakob B. Koop enjoyed horticultural and had a large orchard: many choke cherry and plum trees of different varieties, apples, raspberries, gooseberries and red and yellow currants. There were also 4 special choke cherry trees that no one had permission to get close to. [Sidebar story] The Koop Noise Disease: Jakob’s son Johann S. Koop married Peter W. Loewen’s maid, Aganetha Siemens, daughter of Gerhard Siemens (1834-1908) at the time from Herbert, Saskatchewan. There was no work to be had in Saskatchewan and so Aganetha got a job in Neuanlage (Twincreek) working for Rev. Peter W. Loewen, formerly married to Jakob’s aunt. When Johann and Aganetha got married they lived with his parents as was the custom. One day Aganetha was singing to her- 46 self while she was making breakfast in the kitchen. Her father-in-law came in and was very upset. “You can stop that crow shrieking,” he had said, quite irritably. Aganetha was shocked. Only later did she realize that her father-in-law found noise hard to bear. For this reason there was no singing at the Jakob B. Koop home, even during Christman or Easter get-to-gethers. Grandson Gerhard S. Koop, Spanish Lookout, Belize, also recalled that Jakob B. Koop would purposely get to church late so that he did not have to hear the opening songs in the worship services, which bothered his nerves. Jakob B. Koop’s father, Johann M. Koop (1831-97), also had the noise disease and was unable to stand the shutters banging at night or dishes clinking while they were being washed. Johann M. Koop would get sick if he was not busy from dawn to dusk, with his large farming enterprise. I personally know of at least one Johann M. Koop descendant who also suffers from this “noise” disease. How about you? Editor’s Comments: A coffin photograph of Jakob B. Koop (1858-1937) was published in Preservings, No. 9, Dec 1996, Part Two, page 47. John Denver, the famous folk-singer who died on October 12, 1997, was a distant relative of Jakob B. Koop. Johann N. Koop (1887-1963) and his young bride, Aganetha Siemens (1886-1950), circa 1911. At the time of their marriage, Aganetha was working as a maid for Johann’s uncle, Rev. Peter W. Loewen. Johann and Aganetha Koop were the parents of Peter S. Koop and Gerhard S. Koop, authors of this article. Photo courtesy of Peter S. Koop, Steinbach, Manitoba.
No. 11, December, 1997 Peter eter B. B. Koop Koop (1870-1956) (1870-1956) Peter B. Koop (1870-1956): From fortune to misfortune; as told by great-nephew, Peter S. Koop, Box 781, Steinbach, Manitoba, R0A 2A0. Jakob B. Koop (1858-1937) had a younger brother Peter B. Koop (1870-1965). Although Peter was 12 years younger he had done well financially. When he married to Margaretha Schellenberg in 1893 he acquired one of his father’s quarter sections, NE17-7-6E, where he establised his farmyard. Peter farmed very sucessfully and also had a firewood sawing outfit and steam engine and threshing outfit. His wife died in 1900. In 1905 Peter married the family maid, Auguste Hemiger from Friedensfeld. But she already had a boyfriend by the name of Heier. Sometime after the marriage Auguste talked Peter into allowing Heier to operate the firewood sawing outfit. Peter agreed to this. During the wood sawing season Heier collected all the monies he received for custom sawing but never turned a penney over Peter B. Koop (1870-1956) in mid-life. Photo courtesy of Maria Koop, Box 345, Blumenort, Manitoba. to Koop. At the end of the season, Heier sold the outfit and kept that money as well. But this was not the end of the story. Now Auguste talked her husband into allowing Heier to run the steam engine threshing company. When Heier had talked to Koop he had said, “And when we’re all done threshing here, I’ll take the outfit to Saskatchewan and then we’ll thresh right until Christmas yet and bring in lots of money.” Well, Auguste must have had a good hold on Koop who agreed to the arrangement. Of course, Heier again kept all the money and at the end of the threshing season in Saskatchewan he sold the steam engine and threshing outfit and kept all that money as well. To add spice to the story, Auguste now talked Peter into selling his beautiful farm in Neuanlage (Twincreek) and investing his money in a farm at Lanigan, Saskatchewan, which he did. The Neuanlage farm was sold to Bishop Peter P. Reimer, and the farmyard and buildings are presently owned by Reimer’s grandson, Denver Reimer. By the time the Koop family was settled in Saskatchewan, he was bankrupt. His wife left him and ran off with Mr. Heier. Koop himself 47 Peter B. Koop, youngest brother of Jakob, displays a prize stallion, circa 1900. Peter was a sucessful farmer. He originally had the farm where Bishop Peter P. Reimer later lived, NE17-7-6E. Photo courtesy of Maria S. Koop, Box 345, Blumenort, R0A 0C0. fell victum to cancer. Indeed, Peter’s situation was comparable to that of Job. Peter’s children were given foster homes among the relatives in Blumenhof and Neuanlage, where they grew up. The youngest daughters, Pauline and Auguste, often stayed at the home of Abraham L. Pletts. It was in 1934 that Peter’s two brothers, Jakob and Johann, and two brothers-in-law, Abraham L. Plett and David L. Plett left Blumenhof, Manitoba, for Saskatchewan in order to help him. David L. Plett was at the steering wheel of brother Abraham’s brand-new Model A Ford, when the car swerved and overturned killing Abraham, but that’s another story. Peter B. Koop and nephew Abram K. Plett breaking sod with their steam engine. They did custom work for other people. The two men moved to Herbert, Saskatchewan, around 1906, and the steam engine was sold by Peter B. Koop before he moved. Photo courtesy of Maria S. Koop, Box 345, Blumenort, R0A 0C0.
Page 1 and 2: Price $10.00 -being the Newsletter
Page 3 and 4: with each new religious fad and man
Page 5 and 6: No. 11, December, 1997 The Gebietsa
Page 7 and 8: ment of the Bergthaler Gemeinde to
Page 9 and 10: efore moving to Paraguay. Many othe
Page 11 and 12: No. 11, December, 1997 News News an
Page 13 and 14: sian Mennonite community in Canada
Page 15 and 16: history of the role of Mennonite wo
Page 17 and 18: The name change of the KG von Riese
Page 19 and 20: North Americans are almost immune t
Page 21 and 22: Friesen’s grandfather, Klaas R. F
Page 23 and 24: A typical 4-seater buggy once commo
Page 25 and 26: intensive work such as apple pickin
Page 27 and 28: papers, radio, history books and do
Page 29 and 30: No. 11, December, 1997 City City of
Page 31 and 32: No. 11, December, 1997 Jack Jack P
Page 33 and 34: 0. Introduction. The purpose of thi
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Page 37 and 38: ter her second marriage), later mov
Page 39 and 40: 6.1. Isebrandt (b. 1767) married Ka
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Page 45: Mr. and Mrs. Johann Nickel of Waldh
Page 49 and 50: grandmothers. On the 10th worship s
Page 51 and 52: No. 11, December, 1997 Aron Schwart
Page 53 and 54: Homestead Entry Receipt for SW 5-7-
Page 55 and 56: Winton had welcomed them, but, in o
Page 57 and 58: Homelife. Jac and Elizabeth loved m
Page 59 and 60: No. 11, December, 1997 A typical ox
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Page 71 and 72: itious woman”, and this was very
Page 73 and 74: No. 11, December, 1997 Abraham Doer
Page 75 and 76: funeral for four children who had d
Page 77 and 78: The “Brot Schult Registers” rec
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Page 81 and 82: Names such as Keating, Steel, Cohoe
Page 83 and 84: Buch, pages 203-222, and are immens
Page 85 and 86: No. 11, December, 1997 Rev. Martin
Page 87 and 88: He remarked later, “If it wasn’
Page 89 and 90: clear fir at a cost of $600. The ho
Page 91 and 92: Aganetha Stoesz (1866-1951) with he
Page 93 and 94: were given accommodations for the n
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time (Note One). David Klassen (181
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member of the KG. It appears that m
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pact upon Steinbach. Perhaps Mr. Lo
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Peter Rempel, Franz Rempel, George
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