Preservings 11 (1997) - Plett Foundation

The passenger list of the S. S. Sarmation of
the Allen Line which arrived in Quebec City
from Liverpool 2 Aug. 1874 included the following:
“Aaron Friesen ... age 26, labourer,
Anna Friesen ... age 24, wife, Katharina
Friesen... age 4, child.”
The final destination was reached by paddlewheel
steamer at the junction of the Rat and
Red rivers on August 10, 1874. We can assume
that the above mentioned three people, as well
as many others trekked on foot in an easterly
direction approximately six miles to the immigration
sheds built by Schantz where they probably
spent their first winter. Three miles south
of the “Schantz Sheds” on SW5-7-4E is where
this couple homesteaded.
Pioneering.
When the Mennonites settled in Manitoba
they also transplanted their “Strassendorf”
street villages from the Old Country. Although
each farmer held title to an individual quarter
section, the land was held in trust for the village
which then granted each family a yardsite
in the village as well as various parcels of farmland
in the village plan, known as “Kogels”.
The homestead map, courtesy of the agricultural
Crown Lands office shows SW5-7-4E as
the Aron Friesen homestead and 31 Dec 1875
as the date of application for letters patent. It
was not until Sept. 1882 that he applied for
and was granted title to the SW5-7-4E on which
they were to spend the rest of their life.
Most of the new settlers including my grandparents
were diligent farmers. The first years
they were breaking new soil on which to plant
and harvest crops. Drainage systems and
bridges had to be built to combat periodic
floods. People had to adjust to the climate and
fight a grasshopper plague. They also withstood
flu and diphtheria epidemics. There were also
good years as well. Proof of this are the land
ownership maps, courtesy of the R.M. of
Hanover. According to the tax rolls of 1886 and
Preservings
as late as 1910 Aron Friesen owned both the
SW5-7-4E and SE5-7-4E, 320 acres of the finest
farmland in Manitoba.
Soon after the immigration a group of settlers
staked out a village in the southwest corner
of Township 7, Range 4 East, and gave it
the name Strassburg. It comprised of Sections
4, 5, 6, 7 and the south half of 18. The village
itself, lay in a north and south direction on the
western edge of the East half of Section 6.
The R.M. of Hanover tax records 1883/1884
show the assets of Aron S. Friesen including
land, buildings, machinery and cattle having
an assessment value of $678.00 dollars. The 9
farmers of Strassburg had a total assessment
value of $4906.00 dollars. The village was
dominated by two clans, the Friesens and the
Loeppkys. Of the 9 families resident in the village
in 1881, there was only 1 family not related.
Eva Glockman Loeppky Wall was the
matriarch of the village, being the mother or
grandmother to 4 of the families.
Fire Insurance.
The Mennonite settlers from the Bergthal
colony in Russia brought with them the mutual
fire insurance system (Brandordnung) which
they had operated successfully during the
colony’s forty years existence. The early records
of the church-run fire insurance system have
been preserved and provide information about
the assets of the pioneers. One record shows
Aron S. Friesen insured a house for $150.00,
furniture $150.00, wagon $60.00 and plow
$14.00 for a total of $374.00 dollars. Records
of insurance coverage by village shows
Strassburg at $3795.00 dollars in September
1879 and $3055.00 dollars in December 1883.
The reduction of insurance could be due to
people moving unto their homesteads or moving
to the West Reserve which started soon after
the initial immigration to the East Reserve.
It is worthy to note that three generations of
Aron S. Friesen descendants, son John L.
Farmyard of Aron and Anna Friesen, Section 5-7-4E, circa. Photo courtesy of John K. Friesen, Box 303, Niverville, Manitoba, ROA IEO.
52
Friesen, grandson John K. Friesen, and greatgrandson,
Timothy John Friesen, were all employees
of the Chortitzer Brandordnung or of
Manitoba Mennonite Mutual Insurance Company
as the organization was known after its
official incorporation in 1940.
Municipal Service.
The Friesens came from a tradition of community
service. According to the records of the
Municipality of Hanover, Aron Friesen of
Strassburg served as Municipal Councillor for
Ward One from 1891-92.
Family.
Children of Aron Schwartz Friesen and
Anna Loeppky Friesen were two girls and six
boys. They are Katharina, Mrs. Cor. F. Toews
20 May 1870-13 Apr. 1946; Jacob 29 Sept.
1876-12 Aug. 1951; Abram 19 Feb. 1879-22
Aug. 1952; Anna, Mrs. Cor. B. Kliewer 27 July
1881-30 May 1942; Johann 4 May 1885-6 May
1885; Aron 8 July 1886-4 Apr. 1971; Henry 31
Aug. 1889-10 July 1965; and John 18 Sept.
1894-2 Feb. 1959. For a 1903 photograph of
the entire family; see Dr. Rhinehart Friesen,
“Strassburg,” in Working Papers, page 114.
They also fostered but probably not formally
adopted a young girl by the name of Liese Schult
who was left motherless at the age of three
years. She later married Ben Dyck, a preacher
of the Sommerfeld church.
Recollections.
I asked several of my cousins about their
recollections of our grandparents. This is what
they told me.
I remember:
“...... my grandparents visiting us in
Ebenfeld. They came all the way from
Strassburg by horse and buggy. They would stay
a few days and then return home. On one occasion
my father hitched his horse to the buggy
so he and grandfather could go to Steinbach to
shop or visit. I was curious enough to stand and