Preservings 11 (1997) - Plett Foundation

No. 11, December, 1997
The Gerhard Doerksen Kjist
The Gerhard Doerksen (1825-82) Kjist, by Henry Fast, Box 387, Steinbach, Manitoba, R0A 2A0.
Introduction.
I first saw the Doerksen travel chest five
years ago in the home of Abe and Lorna
Penner of Steinbach. As most of the other
chests I have seen this one too is in very
good condition, signifying the care and skill
that a master craftsman has put into his
work. Even I, with few carpenter skills, can
recognise that the corner dove-tail joints fit
precisely and that the sides and the top lid
look as if they have been cut from a single
A copy of the New Year’s Wish written by Gerhard
Doerksen (1825-82) for his parents. The “Wunsch”
appears to have been copied onto a printed sheet with
flowers at the bottom. Could this possibly have been
done at a later date? Photos for this article are courtesy
of Henry Fast, Box 387, Steinbach, Manitoba,
R0A 2A0.
slab of lumber.
The only metal visible are the two elongated
hinges for the lid, the two carrying
handles on the side and the sturdy locking
system in front. On the right, in the inside
of the chest, is a mini-chest with its lid secured
by two small hinges. Presumably this
compartment was used to store important
family treasures and documents when travelling.
The chest sits on a sturdy stand supported
by six short scrolled legs. It is likely
that this base was dismantaled during its
voyage to Canada.
Gerhard Doerksen (1825-82).
The Kjist was the property of Gerhard
Doerksen (1825-82), one-time teacher and
farmer of Fischau, Molotschna. He was also
a gifted Fraktur artist: see Preservings, No.
Corner view of the Gerhard Doerksen “Kjist” still in
its original condition. The traditional 5 pedestal base
is clearly visible.
5, Jan. 1995, page 13, No. 6, June 1995, page
28, for samples of his art work. In 1874 the
Gerhard Doerksen family settled in
Hochstädt, near Kleefeld, Manitoba.
Gerhard immigrated from Russia, but a
piece of art work glued to the inside of the
lid suggests that the chest may have had its
origin in Prussia. As an eleven year-old boy,
Gerhard wrote a New Years Wish to his parents,
the Bernard Doerksens of Fischau,
Molotschna Colony. If this New Years wish
was attached to the lid in 1837 than obviously
Gerhard was not the owner of the chest
at that time. It is reasonable to assume that
the chest was brought to Russia by his grandparents,
Gerhard Gerhard Doerksens, who
immigrated to Russia in 1819 (1835
Molotschna census).
In the great migration of the 1870s the
chest was once more packed with blankets,
Front view of the Kjist with the lid open showing the
artwork and pictures which traditionally decorated
the inside of the lid. Clearly visible to the left is the
January 1, 1837, “New Year’s Wish. This chest is very
significant as not many are found today in such original
condition. Often times people in ignorance tore
away the artwork not realizing the incredible significance
it could have in terms of family and community
history. Others replaced finely-crafted furniture such
as this with cheap store-bought items in the early part
of the 20th century.
linens, clothes, tools, a few books and house-
95
hold goods and accompanied the Gerhard
Doerksens across Russia, Germany, England,
Canada and the U.S.A. Finally it was
loaded on a river boat at Moorhead and arrived
at the junction of the Red and Rat Rivers
on June 17, 1875.
Daughter, Anna, twice makes mention of
the chest in her diary in which she recorded
some of the events of the journey:
Preservings, No. 10, June, 1997, Part Two,
pages 1-6. On May 19, she writes that a
number of chests were opened and searched
at Hull, England. Then in an entry of July
11, nine days after settling in Steinreich,
Manitoba, she writes that they unpacked the
big chest.
Ownership of the Kjist.
Abe and Lorna Penner received the chest
from Lorna’s parents, the Henry F. Reimers,
of Blumenort. Presumably, Henry F. Reimer
inherited the chest from his father Klaas P.
Reimer. Klaas P. Reimer’s first wife was
Helena Doerksen, daughter of Gerhard
Doerksen (1825-82).
Mr. Gerhard Doerksen (1865-1949) and wife, nee
Sarah E. Plett (1871-1948). Gerhard was the son of
Gerhard Doerksen Sr. (1825-82), who brought the
Kjist to Manitoba. Photo courtesy of Blumenort, page
269.
“Jeff Gundy....longs for Mennonite
literature where the artist is not
seeking freedom from an authoritative
community but where the community
provides release for the alienating
individualism characteristic of
North America”—Rodney Sawatzky,
“Mennonite Ethnicity: Medium,
Message and Mission,” JMS, Vol. 9,
1991, page 116.