As the new year of 1870 dawned across the southern Ukrainian lands of imperial Russia, Borosenko colony was a bustling collection of Mennonite villages that were springing up from the broad steppe. Families were improving their homes and planting gardens, and farmers were building new barns and breaking farmland. Borosenko had only existed for about five years, but it held great promise for its settlers.

Nearly all of the settlers in Borosenko came from Molotschna colony, where two-thirds of the families had no farm but instead worked as impoverished labourers for fellow Mennonites. Mennonite church leaders colluded with the colony administrators to keep young families off new farms and to rent the resulting vacant land to themselves. However, the Kleine Gemeinde (KG), a breakaway group of Mennonites in Molotschna colony, were different. Their leaders had initially loaned money to young families to buy farms, but by 1860, the available land in the Molotschna colony was running out.

The KG tried to solve the problem by renting land and forming the Markusland colony 70 miles (110 kilometres) north of Molotschna in 1863.¹ For various reasons, the KG abandoned Markusland in about 1865, and acquired 16,500 acres (6,500 hectares) of land from a nobleman named Borosenko.² The new Borosenko colony was located 90 miles (150 kilometres) northwest of Molotschna. New KG families from Molotschna continued joining the colony until late 1872, buying and renting more land. The colony grew and became the centre of KG life.

The second motivation for forming Borosenko was to develop an independent base for KG life. The name Kleine Gemeinde (“small congregation”) originated as a derisive nickname when they separated from the majority Mennonite church in 1812. Although they were eventually accepted on more or less equal terms, the Ohrloff Gemeinde controlled the colony administration. Forming a new settlement at Borosenko enabled them to bring their mass of members together in one area, although KG congregations also continued in Molotschna and Crimea.

The Diarist

As Abraham F. Reimer (1808–1892) sat down to record his thoughts in a new diary on the first day of 1870, a cold and cloudy Thursday, he noted things that would represent themes throughout its pages: the worship service in Rosenfeld to dedicate the new year to God, the weather, a cow calving on his farm, and his daughter preparing to give birth to a child. He was sixty-one years old and about to retire and turn over his farm to his sons. He had been born in 1808 in the village of Tiege, Molotschna, to Klaas E. Reimer (1770–1837) and Helena von Riesen (1787–1846). His father had been one of the founders of the KG in 1812, and was its leading bishop until he died in 1837.³

Abraham married Elisabeth Rempel (1814–1893) in 1835 in the village of Lichtfelde at her parents’ home, when he was twenty-seven and she was twenty.⁴ They settled in the village of Rosenort, but he probably did not own a farm there, as he is not on the voters lists compiled between 1847 and 1862;⁵ he was supported financially by the KG congregation from 1847 to 1858.⁶ He was surely glad for the chance to move to Borosenko in the mid-1860s to buy a farm.

Family

By 1870, Abraham and Elisabeth Reimer had been married for thirty-five years and had eight children, all of whom had survived to adulthood. And those children had blessed them with eighteen grandchildren; sixteen grandchildren were added during the period of the diary. His sister Helena, a daughter-in-law Elisabeth (Friesen) Reimer, and three grandchildren died during the period covered by the diary. Seven of his children also lived in Borosenko colony, and the large family was closely knit. During the period covered by the diary, Abraham and Elisabeth Reimer lived in the village of Steinbach.

Abraham was close to his younger brother Klaas F. Reimer (1812–1874). Klaas was a successful farmer, in contrast to Abraham, and lived in Tiege, Molotschna, until the spring of 1871, when he moved to Blumenhof, Borosenko, where he established a farm. They visited each other frequently. Klaas became sick in December 1873, and decided not to emigrate when nearly all of the KG moved to North America in 1874 and 1875. He died in the empire in October 1874.

Farming

Mennonite villages in imperial Russia consisted of a central lane with a couple dozen identical farmyards arranged neatly on both sides of the lane. Housebarns were built following a similar pattern and faced the street. The farmland was distributed around the village. Since the farmyards were close together, there was little privacy in a village. But neighbours were close at hand for visiting, fellowship, and help when needed.

The main crop the Mennonites planted was spring wheat. They planted wheat in March or April, as soon as morning temperatures crept above freezing. They also planted rye, oats, and millet in spring and barley in late fall. The harvest would start in June and continue until August. The grain was reaped with a cradle scythe, tied into sheaves, and stacked in shocks to dry to the proper moisture level. Once the grain was ready, it was threshed with a threshing stone pulled by a horse or an ox. After that, it was traditionally winnowed with a winnowing fork, to separate the chaff from the grain, although the Borosenko Mennonites were starting to use a fanning mill to clean it in the 1870s. Finally, it was bagged, ready for use.

Unlike their Ukrainian peasant neighbours, who practiced subsistence agriculture, Mennonites participated in the cash economy. They hauled grain to market, mainly to Nikopol but also to other towns, to sell for cash. Grain that they would use on their own farm was stored in the loft over the house or taken to the village windmill to be ground into flour. It was November before the last grain was hauled into the attic – harvest was a laborious process.

Mennonites worked very hard to get their harvest underway before their Ukrainian neighbours so that they could sell grain in the Nikopol market while the price was still high. This meant plowing and sowing in early spring while it was only a degree or two above freezing to get the grain growing as soon as possible, and reaping, threshing, and winnowing as fast as possible once the crops were ready. Mennonites respected hard work. They also hired Ukrainian labourers (they called them Russians) to work in their fields for cash, especially during harvest, so that they could finish quickly.

Planting gardens and flowers was also important to Mennonites. They grew all the vegetables that they would eat throughout the year. In summer they canned, pickled, and salted as much as possible to have fruits and vegetables to eat in winter. Melons, both cantaloupes and especially watermelons, were favourite Mennonite crops. Abraham Reimer also mentions planting bushels of seed potatoes and picking cucumbers and green beans.

Hog butchering in late fall was an important event. Once temperatures dropped below freezing, extended families and friends would gather to butcher several hogs. It was a lot of work to skin and cut up the hogs, render the lard and cracklings, and salt and can the meat. But butchering provided them with pork to eat throughout the year and lard to cook with. It was a wonderful social event as well.

Major Events in the Diary

Three major events occurred during the period of the diary, which covers January 1, 1870, to April 10, 1874. One was the smallpox epidemic of April–July 1873, which caused much suffering and claimed many lives. Mennonites had vaccinated for smallpox in the early 1800s in imperial Russia, so it is not clear why there should have been an epidemic.

Second, in 1871, the tsarist regime revoked the special status of foreign colonists. For Mennonites this meant the loss of their cherished privilegium, which guaranteed Mennonite exemption from military service, among other privileges. This was part of the series of social reforms that Emperor Alexander II (reigned 1855–1881) carried out in the wake of the empire’s humiliating defeat in the Crimean War (1853–1856). Mennonites made several attempts to negotiate with the emperor and senior officials to restore their privileges, but these were all unsuccessful. Ultimately, in early 1873, the Mennonites appointed twelve delegates to go to North America to determine if it would be a suitable destination for emigration and to select possible land. The two KG delegates were Cornelius Toews (1836–1908) from the Blumenhof congregation and David Klassen (1813–1900) from the Heubuden congregation.

Finally, preparations for emigration occupied the last months of 1873 and the beginning of 1874. The KG sold farms, barns, and houses that they had been building and improving since moving to Borosenko only nine years before. They auctioned their livestock and personal possessions, often at a great loss, in order to stay true to their faith. They collected money to defray the expenses of the delegates’ travel and to help poorer members emigrate. And they squeezed into the remaining homes, barns, and schools as the buyers took possession of their farms while they awaited the passports that would allow them to leave. The church had decided that all members must emigrate as their spiritual duty, and virtually all did so. About one thousand members emigrated to Manitoba and several hundred emigrated to Nebraska in the summer of 1874.

The Diary

The following extract from Abraham F. Reimer’s diary covers the beginning of 1873. It reveals what Reimer thinks is important. For instance, he carefully records temperatures, wind, clouds, and precipitation daily. Reimer was a farmer, to whom the weather mattered greatly. Also, he records the details of sicknesses and trips to nearby towns, which might not seem so important today, and his wife’s activities as a midwife. The entries also record details about the appointment of delegates who were to investigate emigration to North America, and their travels.

January 1873

1. Mon. Morning +1½ degrees [35°F], day +5 degrees [43°F], cloudy, some southwest wind. We went with Peter Reimers to Blumenhof to the service. The young Peter Harms was re-accepted yesterday. There was a brotherhood meeting and the Lord’s Supper. We were at the old Heinrich Reimers for dinner and faspa.⁷

2. Tues. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day +6 degrees [46°F], calm, cloudy. Abraham Reimers of Blumenhof were here visiting. My brother Klaas Reimer of Heubuden was here. He brought his son Heinrich to learn blacksmithing for a month. If it goes well, it will be until spring.

3. Wed. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], clouds, some west wind. Yesterday our old Klaas Reimer gave us 2 rubles. He still owes a balance of 1 ruble. Heinrich Friesen of Rosenfeld was here. He has 2 printed letters, and the 1871 law issued in St. Petersburg.⁸

4. Thurs. Morning +4½ degrees [42°F], day +8 degrees [50°F], cloudy. Rained some yesterday. Much southeast wind during the night, which blew a shingle [Pfau] down from the smithy. Rained a little. We have made butter toffee [gebuterit] twice, today 6 funtov [5 pounds].

5. Fri. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], clouds, day +6 degrees [46°F], southwest wind. The Makhliny moved from Grünfeld.⁹ Nearly the entire village helped them haul 11 wagonloads here. They bought the shepherd’s hut for 15 rubles.

6. Sat. Morning +1 degree [34°F], day +5 degrees [43°F], southeast wind, clouds. On the 4th, Klaas Reimer by himself and Peter Reimer went to Blumenhof to the service. There was a brotherhood meeting about the Lord’s Supper and that it would be observed once a week.

7. Sun. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], day +4 degrees [41°F], clouds, southeast wind. We went with Abraham Friesens to the service in Blumenhof. There was a brotherhood meeting again about the Lord’s Supper and that it should be held on the first Thursday. We were at Abraham Reimers for dinner.

8. Mon. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], day +7 degrees [48°F], cloudy, southeast wind. My wife helped sew a fur coat for Toews for a day and a half. I was at Abraham Friesens for dinner. Until evening I helped sharpen things with a whetstone.

9. Tues. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], cloudy, nearly calm, day +6 degrees [46°F]. My wife went with Mrs. Abraham Friesen to Rosenfeld to our Penners. She was often a little better. I was at Toewses, and my wife was at Lemkes from 12 o’clock at night until 1 o’clock. They had a daughter.

10. Wed. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], cloudy, foggy, south wind, day +8 degrees [50°F]. There was such a strong south wind during the night that some roof tiles [Pfauen] were blown down from the smithy. My wife was very sick with swelling and pain. Mrs. Lemke is suffering a lot.

11. Thurs. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], day +6 degrees [46°F], in the forenoon +1 degree [34°F], early morning rained heavily. Snowed from 8:30 until noon with strong southwest wind. We went with Abraham Friesens in a covered wagon to Blumenhof for the Lord’s Supper. We were at the young Heidebrechts for dinner.

12. Fri. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], clouds, day +4 degrees [41°F], south wind. Yesterday the Busuluk River thawed as far as Lemkes. Klaas Reimers of Heubuden were visiting here from 2 o’clock to 5 o’clock in the afternoon for faspa.

13. Sat. Morning +1 degree [34°F], clouds, some sunshine, southeast wind. The Busuluk thawed completely up to our place. Johann Reimer’s Russian servant left. Peter Toews went to Rosenfeld. Her Russian maid has finished her term.

14. Sun. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], cloudy, some southeast wind. The Lord’s Supper took place in Blumenhof. Minister Fasts, Heinrich Brandts, Johann Reimers, and Peter Toewses were here. On Friday old Jacob Toews got very sick.

15. Mon. Morning −1 degree [30°F], day +1 degree [34°F], cloudy. The Lord’s Supper was held in Rosenfeld at our Abraham Penners for her sake.¹⁰ In all there were only 10 men and 6 women. No one from here went.

16. Tues. Morning −2 degrees [28°F], clouds, day 0 degrees [32°F]. Held another Lord’s Supper at Johann Koops in Neuanlage due to his sickness. Our Penners were here for faspa. They wanted to take me along.

17. Wed. Morning −3 degrees [25°F], clouds, east wind. The ice is strong enough to hold anything. Abraham Reimers were here for dinner and for faspa. Day −1 degree [30°F]. Klaas Reimer hired anew [the worker] for a month.

18. Thurs. Morning −7 degrees [16°F], day −3 degrees [25°F], clouds, northeast wind. The old Jacob Toews¹¹ died in Blumenhof in the afternoon. He was over 67 years old.

19. Fri. Morning −8 degrees [14°F], clear, east wind, day −2 degrees [28°F]. The ice is strong again. Franz Kroeker and Peter Loewen of Sawitzki¹² went to the Molotschna on Monday.

20. Sat. Morning −8 degrees [14°F], day −12 degrees [5°F], clouds, east wind. There was an election for minister in Blumenhof. The old Peter Kroeker¹³ of Heubuden, the deacon, was elected minister with 75 votes; the old Jacob Barkman¹⁴ of Friedensfeld as minister with 64 votes; and Heinrich Wiebe¹⁵ of Rosenfeld as deacon with 19 votes. The old Peter Toews¹⁶ had 18 votes.

21. Sun. Morning −6 degrees [18°F], day −2 degrees [28°F], clouds, southeast wind. Only a few from here were in the service in Blumenhof. Bishop Peter Toews of Blumenhof, Minister Loewen of Hochfeld, and old David Klassen of Heubuden went to a meeting in Pordenau, Molotschna, about emigrating to America.¹⁷

22. Mon. Morning −8 degrees [14°F], day −1 degree [30°F], clear, southeast wind. The old Johann Warkentin and the young Isaac Warkentin were visiting here for faspa. Toews of here and Heinrich Brandt left at 8 o’clock to Yekaterinoslav to buy flour.¹⁸ Peter Enns, who moved in fall from Berdiansk to Kutschebe, was here in the evening.

23. Tues. Morning −6 degrees [18°F], day −2 degrees [28°F], clouds, nearly calm. Peter Enns went from here to Rosenfeld. He was here from Sunday, 2 days and 2 nights. In the evening Klaas Brandts were here visiting.

24. Wed. Morning −7 degrees [16°F], clouds, nearly calm, day −1½ degrees [29°F]. Peter Friesen of here went with Klaas Brandt to Blumenfeld to Doctor Loewen because of tapeworms.

25. Thurs. Morning −5 degrees¹⁹ [21°F], clear, nearly calm, day −1 degree [30°F]. Klaas Reimer took 6 chetvert [36 bushels] of wheat to Ebenfeld. Abraham Penner and Abraham Friesen of here took 10 chetvert [60 bushels] of wheat to Nikopol at 8 o’clock in the morning. Wheat sold for 10 rubles 80 kopecks and rye for 7 rubles.

26. Fri. Morning −4 degrees [23°F], clouds, some east wind, day 0 degrees [32°F]. Franz Kroeker of here and Peter Loewen of Sawitzki returned from Molotschna. I was at Toewses of here. Klaas Reimer and Abraham Friesen came back from Nikopol at 5 o’clock in the evening. Our Toews and Heinrich Brandt returned from Yekaterinoslav.

27. Sat. Morning −2½ degrees [26°F], day +1 degree [34°F], cloudy, some sunshine, nearly calm. The old, small Jacob Friesen of Heubuden was here yesterday for a little while. The old Klaas Reimer of Heubuden was here for faspa. I had fever in my feet in the afternoon. The old David Klassen came back from Molotschna late afternoon.

28. Sun. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], clouds, nearly calm, day +½ degree [33°F]. There was no service. Abraham Reimers of here were at Abraham Friesens. We were also there. On Thursday the old Jacob Barkman of Rosenfeld was taken to Peter Friesens of here.

29. Mon. Morning −1 degree [30°F], partly cloudy, day +1 degree [34°F], east wind. The small, old Jacob Friesen had a big auction sale in Heubuden of the livestock, _____ house, and tools [gerälth]. The livestock and sheep were _____ .

30. Tues. Morning −2 degrees [28°F], forenoon cloudy, cold, east wind, day +2 degrees [36°F], afternoon clear. We went with our Friesens to Rosenfeld to Abraham Penners. She is a little better. She was up most of the time.

31. Wed. Morning +1½ degrees [35°F], rained half the night, rained heavily in the morning, completely cloudy, southeast wind, day +3 degrees [39°F], rained until evening. Rain mixed with snow in the evening. Ended with heavy snow during the night.

February

1. Thurs. Morning −1 degree [30°F], snowed heavily until late afternoon. Snow was 5 inches deep with drifts 3 feet deep. Somewhat stormy in the evening with north wind. Bishop Toews and Abraham Loewen came home from Molotschna. Peter Friesen came home from Dr. Loewen in Blumenfeld.

2. Fri. Morning −4 degrees [23°F], clear, nearly calm. There was a good sleigh road. Day −2 degrees [28°F]. Our [Abraham] Friesen of here, Klaas [Friesen] of Annafeld, and Dietrich Isaac of Rosenfeld checked our chimney. Yesterday Klaas Reimer made a bell [kling] for the great room door.

3. Sat. Morning −7 degrees [16°F], clear, nearly calm, day −5 degrees [21°F]. Many people went on sleighs. Our Abraham Penner of Rosenfeld was here and brought us 2 Jäng[?] plow hubs [Pflugnabels] and a pair of socks that they had knitted. Peter Dyck,²⁰ the schoolteacher of Blumenhof[?], was here for a little while.

4. Sun. Morning −10 degrees [10°F], nearly calm, clouds, day −6 degrees [18°F]. The children without their wives were in the service in Blumenhof. There was a big brotherhood meeting. Cornelius Toews of Grünthal was elected as an agent along with David Klassen of Heubuden to go to America to evaluate it. It would cost 1,500 rubles. It was discussed with old Johann Warkentin about funds [Lohn] from the district office. It lasted until 5:30 in the evening.

5. Mon. Early morning −14 degrees [0°F], most of the time −18 to −20 degrees [−8°F to −13°F], clear, calm, day −8 degrees [14°F], late evening −4 degrees [23°F], night calm, clouds. In the afternoon I was at Peter Friesens. Peter Barkman took the old Jacob Barkman to Rosenfeld again.

6. Tues. Morning −14 degrees [0°F]. Yesterday it was so cold that today it was actually 2–3 degrees warmer. But it is calm and clear. I was at Peter Toewses of here in the afternoon, but he had gone to Ebenfeld.

7. Wed. Morning here −16 degrees [−4°F], day −13 degrees [3°F], clear, calm. The old _____ grandfather Heinrich Reimer of Blumenhof, Abraham Dyck of Annafeld, and Heinrich and Klaas Brandt of here were visiting here. Klaas Reimer of here sold his sleigh.

8. Thurs. Morning −12 degrees [5°F], day −5 degrees [21°F], clouds. I was a little sick and had some foot fever. Our Abraham Penner of Rosenfeld was here for faspa.

9. Fri. Early morning 0 degrees [32°F], clouds, day +4 degrees [41°F], nearly calm. After faspa there was a strong north wind and such heavy hail that one could not see another house. Late evening again clear.

10. Sat. Morning +1 degree [34°F], day +5 degrees [43°F], calm, partly cloudy. There was a brotherhood meeting in Blumenhof about collecting the money, and they settled on each baptized soul paying 6 rubles. Mrs. Abraham [Penner] of Rosenfeld is still sick for some time from getting cold [erkält] and fear [Schreck].

11. Sun. Morning −½ degree [31°F], east wind, day +4 degrees [41°F], very cloudy. My wife went with Peter Reimers to the service in Blumenhof. Minister Jacob Barkman of Friedensfeld preached for the first time. My wife went with Peter Reimers to Rosenfeld to Abraham Penners for dinner. She had improved and is often up, but my wife is sick.

12. Mon. Morning +1 degree [34°F], rained heavily during the night, strong south wind, day +3 degrees [39°F]. Rained until afternoon, and water flowed in the late afternoon. The garden is full [of water]. My wife was still a little sick. Since yesterday Mrs. Peter Reimer was very sick with a stroke.

13. Tues. Morning +2 degrees [36°F]. The creek rose so high that the bridge is completely under water, and people had to cross at Sawitzki. Here the _____ on the footbridge were under [water]. The sleigh road had completely gone on Saturday[?]. Day +4 degrees [41°F], clouds, calm.

14. Wed. Morning −1 degree [30°F], day +3 degrees [39°F], mostly clear, nearly calm. Teacher Fast of here’s son Isaac²¹ died. He was 2 years, 2 months old. He died at 3 o’clock in the morning and was sick for 3 days. Cornelius Janzen went to Heubuden on Tuesday morning.

15. Thurs. Morning 0 degrees [32°F], day +3½ degrees [40°F], mostly clear, some south wind. David Klassen of Heubuden and Cornelius Toews of Grünfeld left from Blumenhof for America at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. It was a sorrowful departure.

16. Fri. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], south wind, clouds, day +4 degrees [41°F] The young Mrs. Plett²² had an auction in Neuanlage. The farmyard was leased. The livestock and household goods sold for 1,000 rubles.

17. Sat. Early morning −1 degree [30°F], day clouds, afternoon sunshine, nearly calm, day +3 degrees [39°F]. We were at Toewses of here for faspa on Thursday. Abraham Reimer of Blumenhof was here for dinner and faspa. They had an accident in the yard on the way home. Teacher [Fasts] had a funeral, and the whole village was there.

18. Sun. Morning 0 degrees [32°F], day clouds, nearly calm, +2 degrees [36°F]. Nearly all the children from here went to the service in Blumenhof. Johann Reimers got stuck on the dam, and the others had to help them to get back, so no one from here was in the service. The new minister Jacob Barkman preached in Friedensfeld. Yesterday for the first time mature cattle went out [to pasture?].

19. Mon. Morning −1 degree [30°F], partly cloudy, nearly calm, day +3 degrees [39°F]. The old and middle-aged Heinrich Reimers²³ of Blumenhof and Klaas and Heinrich Brandts were here for faspa. They also brought Mrs. Plett from Neuanlage. She has moved to Franz Kroekers of here.

20. Tues. Morning 0 degrees [32°F], partly cloudy, east wind, day +4 degrees [41°F]. In the forenoon my wife was at Toewses. She caught a cold there yesterday, so she was sick in the evening. There was an auction of livestock and household goods at the old Abraham Friesens in Rosenfeld. It brought over 500 rubles.

21. Wed. Morning −1 degree [30°F], day +2½ degrees [38°F], cloudy, often nearly calm. Peter Reimer and Abraham Friesen bought sheep at the auction. They drove them _____ into the field. David Klassen and Cornelius Toews of Grünfeld came home from their America trip because they had gone only to Molotschna.²⁴

22. Thurs. Morning −1 degree [30°F], day +3 degrees [39°F], clouds, east wind. Yesterday I was at Toewses of here. Abraham Dycks of Annafeld were there also for faspa. My wife was very sick yesterday. This afternoon she mostly lay in bed because she had a very high fever and severe headaches.

23. Fri. Morning 0 degrees [32°F], day cloudy, forenoon calm, afternoon cold east wind. I was up all day, although I was ill. In the afternoon Mrs. Abraham Friesen, Toews, and I went to the Abraham Penners in Rosenfeld. She is better. She was up all day and worked some in the house.

24. Sat. Morning −½ degree [31°F], cloudy, nearly calm, day +1½ degrees [35°F]. My brother Klaas Reimer was here with his son Jacob.²⁵ Reimer was at Jacob Klassens for dinner and here for faspa. My wife had a high fever since breakfast, and she lay in bed all day.

25. Sun. Morning +½ degree [33°F], partly cloudy, day +2 degrees [36°F], southeast wind. My wife had no [fever?] but was still sick, so she hardly could be up. There was a brotherhood meeting in Blumenhof about the America trip, and congregation discussed the young people.

26. Mon. Morning −1 degree [30°F], day +1 degrees [34°F], nearly calm, snowed all day. In the evening south wind and snowed over 1½ [inches]. For the third time, my wife had high fever. She laid down all day and was weak _____. She babbled some. In Heubuden and Blumenhof they seeded wheat on the 23rd and 24th.

27. Tues. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], day +4 degrees [41°F], clear, calm. A little bit of a sleigh road. Our Abraham Penners of Rosenfeld were here for dinner faspa. He tipped over the covered wagon nearby on the other side of the dam.

28. Wed. Morning −1 degree [30°F], day +3 degrees [39°F], clouds, nearly calm. On the steppe there was still something of a sleigh road. Abraham Reimers of Blumenhof were here at Toewses for dinner and for faspa at our place. Cornelius Janzen of here has been sick for 5 days. He does not have _____. The old Peter²⁶ of Neuanlage died Monday at 9 o’clock. He was sick only 2 days.

March

1. Thurs. Morning +1 degrees [34°F], day +7 degrees [48°F], clouds, nearly calm. Still had some snow on the fields. The Abraham Dycks were here for faspa. Dietrich Isaac went on the sleigh to Abraham Friesens for faspa. Two from Huttersthal²⁷ should come to Heubuden to discuss going to America.

2. Fri. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], day +10 degrees [54°F], nearly calm, clear, very mild. Our Friesens and Bullers went to Nikopol on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wheat still brought 11 rubles and in Odessa up to 16 rubles. Yesterday it was discussed that the 3 from Jantz would keep their land until Peter Friesen _____.

3. Sat. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], day +11 degrees [57°F], clouds, some southeast wind. There was a betrothal at Franz Kroekers of their maid, Helena, the daughter of the old Abraham Rempel,²⁸ and Cornelius Plett.²⁹ Yesterday old Peter Thiessen of Neuanlage was buried. He was 65 years and was married 42 years.

4. Sun. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], clouds, nearly calm, day +8 degrees [50°F]. The young people stood up.³⁰ There was a short brotherhood meeting about the young people and some about the American trip. Jacob Friesens’ son Abraham was removed from the congregation. Johann Toewses of Grünfeld were here.

5. Mon. Morning +2½ degrees [38°F], day +8 degrees [50°F], cloudy, nearly calm. Peter Toewses planted potatoes and plowed near the creek. Heinrich Brandt of here also planted potatoes. Jacob Klassen sowed spring rye and harrowed it.

6. Tues. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], clear, nearly calm, day +10 degrees [54°F]. There was a big auction at the Peter Thiessens in Neuanlage. Nearly everything was bought. There were school exams here. Cornelius Friesen of Annafeld and Dietrich Friesen were here.

7. Wed. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], day +8 degrees [50°F], clouds, nearly calm. Today everyone harrowed and most sowed wheat. Cornelius Janzen of here took very sick, but he is still mostly up. He sat _____ up first on a chair and then on the bench or in bed.

8. Thurs. Morning +5 degrees [43°F], clouds, south wind. Nearly all have started to sow and to plow. Klaas Reimer began to plow and to sow barley. Johann Reimer and Heinrich Brandt also planted barley. Cornelius Janzen was very sick and died at 5:30 in the evening. He drank much water and did not remove his trousers all day and sat near the stove on a chair.

9. Fri. Morning +6 degrees [46°F], day +10 degrees [54°F], cloudy, rained all night, rained heavily during the morning and until noon, cloudy all day. Afternoon hardly any plowing was done. South wind.

10. Sat. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], day +5 degrees [43°F], cloudy, snowed some. Very little plowing. Teacher Fast made the coffin for Cornelius Janzen in the school. Peter Reimer helped him.

11. Sun. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], clouds, day −½ degree [31°F], cold northeast wind. My wife dressed Cornelius Janzen in the forenoon. In the afternoon we were at Jacob Klassens for the funeral.³¹ He was 25 years, 1 month old. Only Peter Toews attended the service in Blumenhof.

12. Mon. Morning −4 degrees [23°F], nearly everything is frozen, day 0 degrees [32°F], clouds. No one at all plowed in the forenoon because the ground was frozen. In the afternoon was the first plowing. Abraham Friesen and Peter Reimer began plowing today. On the 11th, the young people sat on the front bench.³²

13. Tues. Morning −2 degrees [28°F], day +2 degrees [36°F]. In the forenoon some _____, but in the forenoon many plowed. Abraham Friesen built a big grain drill for Martin Janzen last week. Peter Friesen of here has [sowed] grain on 28 desiatinas [75 acres] of land, and in Heubuden they [sowed?] barley.

14. Wed. Morning −1 degrees [30°F], day +5 degrees [43°F], clear, nearly calm. Most people did much plowing, and people planted all types of grain. In the afternoon I was at the old Cornelius Friesens and at Klaas Friesens in Annafeld. Klaas Friesen has been very sick for 5 days. On early Friday at 2 o’clock, Heinrich Brandt came here to get my wife.

15. Thurs. Morning −1 degree [30°F], day +8 degrees [50°F], clouds, east wind, clouds. Today I got 1 pud [36 pounds] of groats and helped carry them. On Friday at 2:30 in the morning, Johann Reimer went to Rosenfeld to Mrs. Franz Wiens. It was very dark, so he got lost and tipped into the ditch near Annafeld.

16. Fri. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], day +10 degrees [54°F], partly cloudy, northeast wind. Teacher Fast helped Peter Reimer with the plowing. Mrs. Lemke of here has lain in bed with a swelling for 8 weeks.

17. Sat. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], day +11 degrees [57°F], very cloudy, north wind. The stork came back last Monday, the 12th. Here and everywhere much plowing and seeding is being done.

18. Sun. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day +10 degrees [54°F], clouds, nearly calm. My wife had to go to Heinrich Brandts at 4:30 in the morning. A daughter³³ came at 6 o’clock in the morning. My wife was very weak and sick.³⁴ I wanted to go along to Blumenhof, but I had to tend to the sheep and lambs.³⁵

19. Mon. Morning −1 degree [30°F], north wind, day +8 degrees [50°F], clouds. Yesterday the young people were baptized in Blumenhof. There were 5 daughters and 3 sons. From here only Gerhard Siemens were in the service.³⁶

20. Tues. Morning +2 degrees [36°F], day +10 degrees [54°F], clouds, nearly calm. Cornelius Toews was here visiting and for faspa, because he was in the field plowing and haying. Abraham Reimer of Blumenhof has finished plowing and sowing.

21. Wed. Morning +1 degree [34°F], day +8 degrees [50°F], partly cloudy, some east wind. The old Franz Wiens of Rosenfeld was here for dinner. He had walked from the house. In Heubuden and Blumenhof some have finished plowing and sowing.

22. Thurs. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], day +9 degrees [52°F], clouds, forenoon some rain. The old Mr. Wiens of Rosenfeld was here in the afternoon until faspa. He had been at Bullers overnight. A Russian was fishing here in a large barge, and he brought out half the village at one time, and he fished for half an hour.

23. Fri. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day +10 degrees [54°F], clouds, calm. I was in Annafeld at Klaas Friesens. He was nearly well. He wanted to come here. I was still doing a lot of plowing in the forenoon. She [my wife] has set out everything in the garden except the beans.

24. Sat. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], clouds, nearly calm, day +11 degrees [57°F]. Many are still plowing here, and plowing is going very well this week. Abraham Reimer of Blumenhof was here visiting and brought Martyrs Mirror to Klaas Reimer. The Martyrs Mirror books and calendars were all shipped from America.

25. Sun. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day here +12 degrees [59°F], in places up to +16 degrees [68°F], a few clouds, nearly calm. Peter Reimers and Abraham Friesens went to the service. For the 3rd time we could not go along to Blumenhof. Our Abraham Penners were here visiting for dinner and faspa. In the evening I went with them.

26. Mon. Morning 0 degrees [32°F], clouds, day +13 degrees [66°F]. I was at Abraham Penners overnight. In the evening he took me home. Jacob Barkman came from Waldheim, Molotschna, with his son–in–law Martin and son Jacob.

27. Tues. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day +14 degrees [64°F], nearly calm, clear. In Rosenfeld our Penners and others have finished plowing, and in Heubuden many have finished plowing and sowing.

28. Wed. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], rained some during the night and in the morning, rained often until noon, south wind, cloudy, evening partly clear. Got 2 sacks of chaff from Klassen. Mrs. Janzen and Klassen finished plowing and sowing. Day +11 degrees [57°F]. Mrs. Janzen wants to move away.

29. Fri. Morning +1 degree [34°F], day +12 degrees [59°F], clouds, rained some, strong southeast wind that tore up straw [stacks], so I had to cover them. Peter Friesen, Peter Reimer, both Brandts,³⁷ and Johann Reimer finished plowing and sowing. Klaas Reimer and our [family members] planted melons this week, also Toews.

30. Fri. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day up to +14 degrees [64°F], southeast wind, clouds. Someone from Molotschna came with vinegar and aprons. I bought 1 quart [1.6 US quarts] of vinegar and 1 apron. On Saturday my wife was at Klaas Brandts from 8:30 until 2 o’clock at night. But it passed, and is healthy. I was in Annafeld at the old Siemens for dinner.

31. Sat. Morning +5 degrees [43°F], day +15 degrees [66°F], clouds, nearly calm. Here nearly all have finished plowing. I saw the swallows yesterday. Some saw the swallows 8 days ago. Jacob Regiers were here in the afternoon.

April

1. Sun. Early morning +6 degrees [46°F], at 8 o’clock +10 degrees [54°F], day +16 degrees [68°F], clear, nearly calm. I went with Peter Reimers to the service. The new minister preached the other time in Blumenhof. There was a brotherhood meeting about Cornelius Friesen and Klaas Friesen of Annafeld.

2. Mon. Morning +5 degrees [43°F], day +15 degrees [66°F]. I had dinner yesterday at Abraham Reimers, and for faspa I went with Peter Reimer to Rosenfeld. I came home at 7 o’clock.

3. Tues. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day +10 degrees [54°F], very cloudy, south wind. Yesterday evening the frogs began to croak. Klaas Reimer and Abraham Friesen completely finished their sowing and plowing. Cornelius Loewens³⁸ of Grünfeld visited here a little bit.

4. Wed. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], southeast wind, rained often yesterday, still raining some today, clouds, day +8 degrees [50°F]. I cleaned our chiming clock and hung it on the wall in the evening.

5. Thurs. Morning here −3 degrees [25°F], day +7 degrees [48°F], clouds, east wind. I took the chiming clock off the wall again, and I myself did a little repair to it. Quite a few visitors from Molotschna have come. Also, Gerhard Rempel of Mariawohl.

6. Fri. Early morning −4 degrees [23°F], had frost nearly everywhere, frost on the windows, many places −5 degrees [21°F], all the barley is frozen, day +10 degrees [54°F], northeast wind, clouds. The service³⁹ was here at Franz Kroekers. It should have been at Siemens, but the maid Elisabeth has smallpox. Barkman taught.

7. Sat. Morning −2½ degrees [26°F], day +12 degrees [59°F], clouds. Abraham Reimers were at Toewses for dinner and faspa. We were also visiting there. Had no visitors on Friday. I completely repaired the chiming clock so that the movement would work properly [zu greifen]. Isaac Friesen of Bainitzke was here for dinner and faspa, as were the old Isaac Harms⁴⁰ of Heubuden.

8. Sun. Easter.⁴¹ Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day +14 degrees [64°F], clouds, afternoon rained, toward evening rained. We went with Klaas Reimer to the service in Blumenhof. Abraham Loewen taught. We were at Abraham Reimers for dinner. For faspa we went to Klaas Reimers in Heubuden. Yesterday the young Gerhard Warkentins of Fischau were [here].

9. Mon. Morning +8 degrees [50°F], day +15 degrees [66°F], clouds, nearly calm. We went with Klaas Reimer to Rosenfeld to Abraham Penners, and Klaas Reimer went from there to Blumenhof to the service. Yesterday Isaac Friesens were in Blumenhof in the service. Mrs. Cornelius Janzen moved to Heubuden on 4 April.⁴²

10. Tues. Morning +6 degrees [46°F], day +14 degrees [64°F], clouds. I stayed overnight at Penners, and my wife went home yesterday with Klaas Reimers. Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Penner was so sick that she lay near death. Yesterday evening again she was sick for 3 hours but is a little [better?]. I was with Klaas Reimer in Neuanlage at the _____.

11. Wed. Morning +7 degrees [48°F], day +15 degrees [66°F], clouds, nearly calm. The old Gerhard Rempels of Mariawohl, Molotschna, were here for dinner. We were with Gerhard Rempels at Peter Friesens of here for faspa. On Sunday Jacob Dycks of Molotschna were here.

12. Thurs. Morning +5 degrees [43°F], day +9 degrees [52°F], somewhat cold, northeast wind, clouds. For Mrs. Penner it was somewhat bearable but was nearly always in bed but also up. Abraham Friesens were there. On Sunday Mrs. Penner will be sent to Molotschna because her illness _____.

13. Fri. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day +10 degrees [54°F], cloudy, cold north wind. Toews of here and Lemke will go on Wednesday to Nikopol. They sold all the wheat and returned on Thursday, 5 April. The wheat sold there for 10 rubles 60 to 80 kopecks. It had been 11 rubles 40 to 50 kopecks 4 weeks ago. Lemke brought us 3 puds [110 pounds] of meat[?].

14. Sat. Morning +5 degrees [43°F], day +11 degrees [57°F], clouds, some east wind. Yesterday Klaas Reimer took 5½ chetvert [33 bushels] of wheat to Nikopol, and Johann Reimer took 2½ chetvert [15 bushels]. It sold for a very good 12 rubles and rye [Korn] for 7 rubles per chetvert. They came home at 7 o’clock in the evening. Abraham Reimer of Blumenhof and 7 others went to Nikopol and from there to Odessa, and 2 accompanied them.

15. Sun. Morning +6 degrees [46°F], day +12 degrees [59°F], cloudy, some east wind. At 6 o’clock in the morning, I went with Klaas Reimer to Rosenfeld to Abraham Penners. At 8 o’clock in the morning, they left to Molotschna to Mrs. Barkman [Barche] in Alexanderwohl. There she hopes to be cured. My wife is there overnight because she went there yesterday with Peter Toews. I went home with their Abraham in the forenoon.

16. Mon. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], rained often and most of the afternoon, completely cloudy. Mrs. Abraham Reimer was here for dinner and faspa and went home and wanted me to go along and stay there for a couple days, but it was muddy in the evening and there was only 1 horse. Reimer has paid out his servant and Russian [workers].

17. Tues. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day +10 degrees [54°F], clouds, nearly calm. On Sunday the Abraham Dycks and Fasts were here for faspa. Today our cousin Peter Friesen⁴³ and two of the youngest married children were here. They stayed overnight at the Abraham Friesens.⁴⁴ The old Johann Friesens⁴⁵ were here visiting and for dinner. The old Abraham Friesens⁴⁶ of Rosenfeld were here yesterday.

18. Wed. Morning +1 degrees [34°F], but there was hoarfrost during the night, day +8 degrees [50°F], clouds. The bridal couple, the old Gerhard Rempels’ son Johann⁴⁷ of Mariawohl with his bride,⁴⁸ the daughter of Mrs. Klaas Friesen⁴⁹ of Marienthal, and Gerhard Rempels⁵⁰ of Rosenfeld were here for dinner and faspa. Cornelius Toews and David Klassen have left for America.

19. Thurs. Morning +3 degrees [39°F], day +11 degrees [57°F], cloudy, rained often, south wind. The big Katrina was very sick during the night and until noon. Here much grain has been sprouted [?, gewaltzte]. My wife is still making me a set of a blue jacket and vest [Curuns] for Good Friday.

20. Fri. Morning +4 degrees [41°F], day +12 degrees [59°F], very cloudy, rained some and often, south wind often and westerly wind. I was at Makhliny for faspa. I went to Abraham Dycks in Annafeld and in the evening to the Toewses. The old Gerhard Rempels were here for the last 8 days and have gone home.

21. Sat. Morning +5 degrees [43°F], day +11 degrees [57°F], clouds, west wind. Yesterday Toewses had 2 pairs of visitors, his Worms brothers, for dinner. They are moving to Kutschebe. My wife is making him a greyish vest [Curuß] and still has 5 more to make for others.

22. Sun. Early morning +6 degrees [46°F], at 8 o’clock +10 degrees [54°F], day +14 degrees [64°F], clouds. We went with Johann Reimers to the service in Blumenhof. Jacob Barkman of Friedensfeld taught. A Penner and a Regier from the more distant villages of Molotschna were there also.

23. Mon. Morning +8 degrees [50°F], nearly calm, clouds, day +15 degrees [66°F]. Yesterday there was a brotherhood meeting in Blumenhof. The big Jacob Friesen’s son Abraham was accepted. We were in Blumenhof for dinner and faspa and others for Saturday dinner from _____. [?] Abraham Reimer came home.

24. Tues. Morning +7 degrees [48°F], day +18 degrees [72°F], in places +20 degrees [77°F], nearly calm. Brother Klaas Reimer was here with his son Jacob and at our Friesens for dinner and faspa. Mrs. Siemens⁵¹ of here died yesterday of smallpox at 3:30. She was 25 years less 2½ hours.

25. Wed. Morning +9 degrees [52°F], day +20 degrees [77°F], clouds, some south wind. On Sunday the old Abraham Friesens of Rosenfeld moved here to Peter Reimers because Mrs. Peter Reimer has been sick since last week. She has difficulty walking and sleeping. Mrs. Siemens of here was buried. My wife dressed her. It was a big funeral, but from this village only the neighbour women were there.

26. Thurs. Morning +12 degrees [59°F], day +23 degrees [84°F], clouds, southeast wind. At 9 o’clock in the evening yesterday, our Abraham Penners and Klaas Reimer came to Rosenfeld, and Klaas Reimer came back home at 11 o’clock in the evening. They were away for 11 days. Our Mrs. Penner was at Mrs. Barkman, who examined her 5 times.⁵²

27. Fri. Morning +14 degrees [64°F], day +22 degrees [82°F], in places +24 degrees [86°F], yesterday +25 degrees [88°F] in places, some south wind, clouds, afternoon cloudy, after faspa heavy rain, thunderstorms in places and much lightning in many places and all night. Yesterday Abraham Reimers of Blumenhof were here for dinner and faspa. We went with Klaas Reimer to Rosenfeld after faspa and stayed there overnight. Mrs. Peter Reimer has been sick this week.

28. Sat. Morning +11 degrees [57°F], south wind, cloudy, from late afternoon until evening rained heavily here. Rained very heavily in the southwest and northeast. Lots of thunderstorms and heavy lightning. Lightning in places and rained all night. I walked home at midnight, at 12:30, to the house. For Mrs. Peter Reimer it was very bearable, and she could walk again.

29. Sun. Morning +10 degrees [54°F], day +20 degrees [77°F], cloudy, south wind, afternoon rained heavily. Last Friday and Saturday the cuckoo cooed. My wife had to go to Peter Reimers at 5 o’clock in the morning. A daughter⁵³ came at 5:30 but died at noon because she was 6 weeks early.

30. Mon. Morning +11 degrees [57°F], day +18 degrees [72°F], southwest wind, clouds, cool breeze. The child was buried at Peter Reimers in the afternoon. Mrs. Peter Reimer was completely _____. She walked to the barn and in the house. She could eat and drink. We, our [children], and Klaas Reimers came for the funeral.

May

1. Tues. Morning +10 degrees [54°F], southwest wind, day +16 degrees [68°F]. Yesterday rained very heavily here and on our fields. We have not had more rain this year than this. Very heavy thunderstorms, especially beyond Scharlach up to Gruschfeld[?]. From morning to noon very many field mice were struck dead.

2. Wed. Morning +8 degrees [50°F], day +17 degrees [70°F], west wind, clouds. Mrs. Fast,⁵⁴ the schoolteacher’s wife, died at 8:30 in the evening from smallpox. She was sick for 12 days and some days so sick that she could hardly speak aloud or eat. She was 35 years, 3 weeks old.

3. Thurs. Morning +9 degrees [52°F], day +15 degrees [66°F], south wind, rained some. From last Saturday until Wednesday, Peter Friesen of here and Thiessen were in Molotschna. Our Abraham Friesens left for Molotschna on Sunday at noon. Peter Reimer made the coffin for Mrs. Fast. Yesterday our Abraham Penners were here in the afternoon and for faspa.

4. Fri. Morning +10 degrees [54°F], southwest wind, clouds. Mrs. Fast of here was buried at 10:30 in the forenoon. Her body was laid in the grave with hardly any clothes because of the awful odour. The funeral was in the afternoon. Abraham Reimers were at Johann Reimers for dinner and faspa because Johann Reimer has smallpox. He was breaking out[?] for 3 days. But now he is sitting up some.

5. Sat. Morning +11 degrees [57°F], clouds, nearly calm, day +18 degrees [72°F]. Makhlin of here has had smallpox for 11 days, but yesterday he began to improve. He had many pox. Abraham Penner of Rosenfeld was there. I should continue until the week that he returns from Yekaterinoslav.

6. Sun. Morning +12 degrees [59°F], day +22 degrees [82°F], nearly clear, nearly calm. We went with Klaas Reimers to the service in Blumenhof. There was a brotherhood meeting about borrowing money and serving as a surety. We were at Abraham Reimers for dinner. Had high fever. Yesterday Cornelius Toews and Klassen wrote from Hamburg that tomorrow 25 April they will set sail on the ocean for America.⁵⁵

7. Mon. Morning +12 degrees [59°F], day +21 degrees [79°F], clouds, nearly calm. The old Penner⁵⁶ took me to our Penners in Rosenfeld. In the morning he went with their team to Yekaterinoslav. Martin Barkmans of Mariafeld were here. Klaas Reimer took me home for dinner, and Barkman took me back to Rosenfeld.

8. Tues. Morning +14 degrees [64°F], day +22 degrees [82°F], clouds. There were many guests at Penners. The deputies wrote that they had left Odessa on 17 April and had reached the Austrian border on the 18th, where they stayed until the 20th. They were in Prussia at _____ on the night of the 21st. On the 22nd they were in Berlin for the night. From the 23rd to the 25th, they were in Hamburg for night.

Steve Fast is a finance manager in the oil and gas industry and lives in Hillsboro, Kansas. He has been passionate about genealogy since he did a school project on his ancestry in seventh grade. Abraham Reimer is his great-great-great-uncle.

1. D. Plett, “Markuslandt, Andreasfeld,” Preservings, no. 17 (Dec. 2000): 91. ↩︎
2. Rudy P. Friesen, Building on the Past: Mennonite Architecture, Landscape, and Settlements in Russia/Ukraine (Winnipeg: Raduga Publications, 2004), 441. ↩︎
3. Entries from the Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry for Abraham Reimer (#3945), Klaas E. Reimer (#3944), and Helena von Riesen (#3596). Available at https://grandmaonline.org/. All subsequent number references are to this database. ↩︎
4. Elisabeth Rempel #3955. ↩︎
5. Glenn H. Penner, “Molotschna Colony Voter Lists: 1847, 1850, 1857 and 1862,” Mennonite Genealogical Resources, accessed Oct. 14, 2018, http://mennonitegenealogy.com/russia/Molotschna_1847_to_1862_Voters.pdf. ↩︎
6. Delbert F. Plett, Saints and Sinners: The Kleine Gemeinde in Imperial Russia, 1812 to 1875 (Steinbach, MB: Crossway Publications, 1999), 248. ↩︎
7. Reimer used the Réaumur temperature scale for his daily temperature measurements. On this scale, water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 80 degrees. It was commonly used in imperial Russia into the early twentieth century and by older Mennonites in North America into the middle of the twentieth century. ↩︎
8. The “1871 law” refers to the decree that revoked the special status of all foreign colonists. The Mennonites’ privilegium, issued by Emperor Paul in 1801, had guaranteed them privileges including freedom from military conscription, administrative autonomy, and the right to use German in their education. ↩︎
9. The Makhliny were the shepherds for the village and probably Ukrainians. ↩︎
10. Mrs. Abraham Penner had been sick for months, so the congregation held a special communion at the Penners’ house so that she could participate. ↩︎
11. Jacob Cornelius Toews #5567. ↩︎
12. Some families probably rented a tract of land from Sawitzki and formed a small village there. ↩︎
13. Peter Kroeker #6713 (1840–1915) and Margaretha Braun #6714 (1841–1919). ↩︎
14. There are many Jacob Barkmans, and I cannot differentiate them. ↩︎
15. Heinrich F. Wiebe #5780. ↩︎
16. Peter Toews #5752 (1831–1922) and Aganetha Barkman #5778 (1828–1899). ↩︎
17. Although they had discussed for many months what to do in response to the new tsarist law on conscription, this is the first explicit mention in the diary of emigration to America. ↩︎
18. Normally they would get flour at the local mill, but earlier Buller’s mill was not operating regularly due to illness. ↩︎
19. The text says +5 degrees, but this seems unlikely. ↩︎
20. Peter Dueck #3819 (1837–1931) and Margaretha Friesen #3818 (1840–1900). ↩︎
21. Isaac Fast #1394015 (ca. 1871–1873). ↩︎
22. Maria Brandt #5935 (1843–1927), widow of Isaac Plett #5936 (1844–1871). ↩︎
23. Heinrich Reimer #3845 (1818–1876) and Margaretha Warkentin #5943 (1841–1913). ↩︎
24. According to the diary of Aeltester Peter Toews, “As the other delegates wanted either to call off or postpone the delegation until Easter, [the Kleine Gemeinde delegates] shortly returned from the Molotschna.” Delbert Plett, Profile of the Mennonite Kleine Gemeinde 1874 (Steinbach, MB: DFP Publications, 1987), 160. ↩︎
25. Jacob F. Reimer #317338 (1854–1937). ↩︎
26. Peter Thiessen #3656 (1808–1873) and Margaretha Friesen #3630 (1810–1876). ↩︎
27. Probably the two Hutterite delegates to America, minister Paul Tschetter #1241 (1842–1919) and his uncle Lorenz Tschetter #823 (1819–1878), who travelled to America together with the KG delegates David Klassen and Cornelius Toews. ↩︎
28. Abraham Bernhard Rempel #6444 (1798–1878) and his late wife Maria Hamm #5445 (b. ca. 1795). ↩︎
29. Cornelius L. Plett #3727 (1846–1935) and Helena Rempel #6445 (1843–1913). ↩︎
30. The baptismal candidates were introduced to the congregation and stood before them, gave their testimonies, and answered questions about their faith. The brotherhood then would have met and discussed whether to accept the candidates as members. ↩︎
31. Jacob Klassen’s wife Katharina Janzen #6389 was Cornelius Janzen’s sister, and Jacob Klassen was a cousin once removed of Cornelius’s wife, Aganetha Klassen. ↩︎
32. Probably sitting on the front bench at the worship service indicated that these young people had been accepted for baptism. ↩︎
33. _____ Brandt #743442 (1873–1873). ↩︎
34. His wife Elisabeth was a midwife, so she was responsible for delivering many of the babies in the area., ↩︎
35. The peak of the lambing season is in spring, although ewes may give birth at any time of the year. He must have seen that one or more ewes were about to give birth, so he needed to stay home to assist in any difficult births and to help any weak lambs start to nurse. The baptismal service that Sunday would have been a special time, and children of his relatives and friends were surely being baptized. ↩︎
36. Gerhard Siemens was in the service because his sister Sara #6464 was being baptized. ↩︎
37. Klaas Brandt and Heinrich Brandt. ↩︎
38. Cornelius Loewen #6563 (1827–1893) and Helena Bartel #6564 (1833–1876). ↩︎
39. Good Friday service. ↩︎
40. Isaac Johann Harms #3890 (1811–1891) and Anna Sawatzky #3859 (1809–1877). ↩︎
41. “Easter” written in blue ink in the original. ↩︎
42. Her parents were David and Aganetha Klassen, who lived in Heubuden, and she had a fourteen-month-old daughter to care for. Her father was preparing to leave as a delegate to scout land in America, so her mother would surely have appreciated having a daughter and granddaughter around the house in his absence. ↩︎
43. His cousin Peter Friesen #3753. ↩︎
44. Abraham Friesen #3767 was Abraham Reimer’s son-in-law and a nephew to Peter Friesen. ↩︎
45. Johann Friesen #2608 was a brother to Peter Friesen. ↩︎
46. Abraham Johann Friesen #3751, another brother to Peter Friesen. ↩︎
47. Johann Rempel #3808 (1853–1904), his wife’s nephew. ↩︎
48. Helena Friesen #3807 (1854–1932). ↩︎
49. Margaretha Braun #3802 (1817–1873). Her husband, the late Klaas Friesen #1756, was Abraham Reimer’s cousin. ↩︎
50. His wife’s brother Gerhard Rempel #5849 (1816–1888). His wife’s nephew was marrying his cousin once removed. It was customary for Mennonite bridal couples to go around and visit all the relatives in the days before the wedding. ↩︎
51. Anna Plett #6467. ↩︎
52. On 15 April, Klaas Reimer took the Abraham Penners to Molotschna for treatment by Mrs. Barkman. ↩︎
53. Maria F. Reimer #251946 (1873–1873). ↩︎
54. Helena Born #6508 (1838–1873). ↩︎
55. In fact, they did not sail until 9 May. They sailed with the two Hutterite delegates, Paul and Lorenz Tschetter. ↩︎
56. Peter Penner #5491. ↩︎