Preservings 11 (1997) - Plett Foundation

Jakob Buhr Peters (1869-1942) and wife Anna Harder
Peters (1868-1937). Jakob B. Peters served as Reeve
of the R. M. of Hanover from 1917-18 continuing a
family tradition of community leadership into the third
generation. Jakob’s brother Peter (1873-1932) owned
the Tourist Hotel, Steinbach. Photo courtesy of Elma
Peters Plett.
Heinrich Harder (1846-1934), BGB B297, father of
Anna Harder Peters. On May 25, 1883, Heinrich
Harder wrote an invitation inviting his neighbours
and friends to help build a new house—published in
Mennonite Memories, 1974, first edition, pages 313-
314.
Preservings
dismantled.
Jakob’s brother Peter settled on NW 1/4
Section 31-6-6E, on the west side of
Reichenbach Road. The Peters hamlet was
known as the village of Vollwerk, literally
meaning an estate or country plantation.
This settlement has now grown to become
the thriving community of Mitchell, one of
the fastest growing in Manitoba.
Jakob F. Peters served as Reeve of the
Rural Municipality of Hanover from 1894-
6, continuing a family tradition of community
service.
Jakob B. Peters 1869-1942, Ebenfeld.
My grandfather, Jacob Buhr Peters
(1869-1942) married Anna Harder (1868-
1937) daughter of Heinrich and Helena
Harder on July 1, 1890, BGB B297. Rev.
David Stoesz was the officiating minister.
In 1892 Jakob and Anna purchased the
Johann Klassen farm, NW5-7-6E, in the
Ebenfeld district located northeast of
Vollwerk, now known as Mitchell. The property
was located just west across the road
from the present-day Centre Avenue,
Mitchell, and a half mile north of P. T. H.
52.
They established a farm of 160 acres,
with yard and buildings located towards the
northeast corner on NW 5-7-6 E. “Living at
first in the original Klassen home which still
had earthen floors, Peters built a new house
around the year 1910. A new barn built in
1919 was dismantled in 1975 and the lumber
used in the skating shack at the
Randolph rink. The Ebenfeld church private
school was located at the west end of the
Peters driveway”—Linda Buhler,
“Ebenfeld,” in Historical Sketches, page
110.
The Peters family of 5 sons and 3 daughters
Jacob, Erdman, Henry, Peter, David,
Marie, Anna and Helen grew up here. Helen
passed away due to cancer in November of
1915 at the age of 24 years. David passed
away in November of 1927, due to scarlet
fever, at the age of 21 years. “The Peters
sons were sometimes referred to as “paepa
Kuaktjes Petasch” (ginger snaps Peters) to
draw attention to their frail build but they
outlived the friends who had good naturedly
teased them”—Linda Buhler, page 110.
The leadership qualities of Jacob Buhr
Peters were evident on his farm as well as
in business. He served as Reeve of the R.M.
of Hanover 1917-18 also as Aeltester or
manager of the Chortitzer Brandordnung
which later became the Mennonite Mutual
Insurance Company.
The Farm
The farm, as was common in those years,
was a mixed farm: grain, dairy, hogs, chickens,
geese, ducks and maybe a few turkeys.
The latter were mainly for food purposes.
The dairy farm, consisting of 6 or 7 cows
was the main source of cash income. Cream
was separated from the milk and sold to the
70
Crescent Creamery in Steinbach whose
building is still there today. Homemade butter
was traded in for groceries at the “K.B.
Reimer and Sons” grocery store. Cottage
cheese made from the skim milk, which was
mixed with dill or caraway seeds, formed
cheese balls called “dwoy”. The why, the
leftovers after cream, butter and cottage
cheese were taken out, was fed to the pigs.
The standard of a good farmer was
gauged by how straight the rows of grain had
been seeded and how straight a furrow he
plowed, and even more so, how neat the yard
was kept. The Jacob Peters yard was immaculately
well kept. The grass was always
short, and as I have been told, part of the
yard was raked and swept on Saturdays.
The buildings were painted and the garden
fence white-washed. The hip-roof barn
was painted white. This was unusual, as
barns in those days were painted red. Three
artesian wells supplied good water, for every
building. Since the pressure level was
so high, the surplus water had to be led away
from the buildings, so as not to create a flood
in the buildings. As I have been told, the
barn flooded from time to time. That meant
picking a new trench to lead the water away
from the buildings, no matter which part of
the day or night this was necessary.
Heinrich and Helena Harder, parents of Anna Harder
Peters. BGB B297. Harder was a wealthy farmer, one
of the pioneers in the village of Bergthal (SW18-7-
6E), north of present-day Mitchell. Photo courtesy of
Elma Peters Plett.
The fieldwork was mainly done by horse
drawn machinery, it took many manual
hours.
Men and women worked on the fields
when the demand was there. The saying goes,
“Behind every successful man stands an am-