Preservings 11 (1997) - Plett Foundation

Preservings
The The 1918 1918 Influenza Influenza Epidemic
Epidemic
The 1918 Influenza Epidemic and the deaths of Maria Koop Plett (1868-1918) and daughter Maria Plett Friesen (1886-
1918): from the journal of Maria Koop Plett and the remembrances of granddaughter Maria Friesen Peters.
Introduction, by D. Plett.
In Part Two, Issue 10, June 1997,
Preservings, pages 38-40, Nettie Neufeld recounted
the story of Aganetha “Agnes” Fast
(1883-1977), the “Florence Nightingale of
Steinbach”. This article also told how the Steinbach
community rallied to fight the scourge of
the Spanish influenza epidemic which killed
over 20 million people worldwide.
The other part of this story is the personal
account of those many individuals who suffered
and died of influenza. Some 30 people died in
the Steinbach area alone within a period of little
more than a month, including prominent local
merchant Jakob W. Reimer, grandfather of Dr.
Roy Vogt who died March 31, 1997.
What was it like? It must have been a time
of incredible paranoia and fear. Daily there were
reports of friends and neighbours who had died.
Who would be next? Often only a handful of
people in an entire village were strong enough
to conduct a funeral and bury the body.
In most instances the tragedy and pathos of
these events has long ago dissipated into the
darkness of unrecorded history. But in a few
special cases the memory has been kept alive
in oral tradition and contemporary journals. The
story of Maria Koop Plett and her daughter
Maria Plett Friesen is one of these. Family pride
and admiration for the accomplishments of a
generation long since departed would not allow
their memory, their voice and their story,
to die. The story is important as it speaks for
the hundreds of voiceless victims of this horrible
epidemic in the Hanover Steinbach area.
The story is based on the journal of one of
the victims, Maria Koop Plett, and the incredibly
vivid and dramatic memory of granddaughter
Maria Friesen Peters. The story opens with
extracts from the journal of Maria Koop Plett
highlighted by a family gathering on Sunday
Sept. 22, 1918, when the entire Jakob L. Plett
family were gathered—for the last time as history
would reveal.
Maria’s entries reveal the dynamics of a
busy and active family. And then it all
“stopped”. It is ironic that Maria got so sick
that she could not continue her own diary, but
never recorded or mentioned her own illness
or suffering in her journal.
By November 13, 1918, Maria was so ill
that she unable to continue making her daily
entries. Her husband, Jakob L. Plett now took
over keeping the family journal and provided a
day-to-day record of the unfolding tragedy.
Journal of Maria Koop Plett.
On September 18, 1918, the threshing was
finished. Sept. 22, 1918 the girls had gone to
worship service in Steinbach. We had many
visitors. Peter and Len came from Morris and
also Klaas Friesens. Also Dav. and Cor. Si-
Historic Photograph, 1918. This historic photograph was taken in the summer of 1918 just before the onslaught
of the influenza epidemic. The photograph is taken in the Jakob and Maria Plett yard, view to the east
of the house, facing east. In the photograph are l. to r.: Young boy Frank P. Friesen (father of Patrick), his
mother Mrs. Klaas K. Friesen, nee Maria K. Plett; Gertrude K. Plett, later Mrs. Gerhard W. Siemens; Margaretha
K. Plett, later Mrs. Peter W. Siemens, holding her niece Margaret P. Friesen, and Mrs. Jakob L. Plett, nee Maria
Barkman Koop. Little did any of the women taking their afternoon in leisure, strolling amongst the beautiful
flower borders in the picturesque orchard, imagine that the dark sabre of death would so soon strike amongst
them. Photo courtesy of Plett Picture Book, page 134, and Maria Friesen Peters.
emens. So we once again had all our family
together and our joy was great.
Sunday, October 6, 1918, Martin K. Friesens
were here. Gerd and Trud were digging out their
potatoes. Corn went for oats. On the 9th Mrs.
David L. Plett and Mrs. Isaac R. Reimer were
here. The girls helped Tin. cleaning house. On
the 11th they helped Sara clean rooms. The
weather is very nice. Sunday, the 13th, in the
morning we had baptismal service here. In the
afternoon we again had worship service and Rev.
John K. Friesen from Morris presented the Word.
On the 14th school started and Peter P.
Wohlgemuth and Peter Klassen are the teachers.
On the 19th Trud, Anna, Lies, Agnes, Minna
and I drove to Klaas Friesens as they were
threshing there. There is a funeral in Blumenort.
They had buried the Elder Abram Penner. Sunday,
October 20, there is a worship service in
Steinbach. We were at Peter T. Wiebes together
with Cor. K. Siemens. The 22nd, I was at David
L. Pletts to visit grandmother [Mrs. John Koop
Sr.]. Klaas came in the evening and got Gerd
and Lies as they wanted to leave for Winnipeg
on the 23rd. Sunday, the 24th, we had a wor-
48
ship service in the new church. We were at the
sister Mrs. Peter Reimer. On the 28th they finished
the threshing. We brought in cabbage.
On November 1 Sara and Cor. Siemens were
here. On the 3rd there was a worship service in
Steinbach and we were at Klaas Siemens. On
the 4th the boys finished the plowing at the
farm there. On the 5th father drove to Steinbach
for Brethren meeting. Gerd and Trud were
at Klaas Friesens. They wanted to bring their
potatoes into the basement. On the 6th we
slaughtered hogs. John B. Reimer was here. On
the 8th Peter and Ann P. Wohlgemuth were
here. On the 9th we were at Abr. L. Pletts at
This article is the third and final
instalment of three articles about
the Plett and Friesen families: see
Preservings, Dec 1996, No. 9,
Part Two, pages 62-63, and June
1997, No. 10, Part Two, pages
33-35.