-being the Newsletter of the Hanover Steinbach Historical Society Inc. Special Double Issue - Part Two Price $10.00 No. 10, June, 1997 “A people who have not the pride to record their history will not long have the virtues to make their history worth recording; and no people who are indifferent to their past need hope to make their future great.” Jan Gleysteen Feature Article: Anna: Woman of Strength The Journal of Anna Doerksen Barkman Kornelsen (1854-1937): “Woman of Strength,” with introduction and annotations by grandson Ben B. Dueck, Box 118, Steinbach, Manitoba, R0A 2A0. Introduction. born in October, but he had quietly slipped Anna Dick Doerksen could trace her ge- away early in 1854. Now they were expecting nealogy to great-great-grandparents Gerhard their second child: one they hoped would sur- Doerksen (1742-1806) and Anna Fast (1743- vive. 94) in Prussia: “... originally from Heuboden, Tiny energetic Anna appeared on Decem- but moving to the City of Danzig in 1766...”: ber 28. With her first healthy cries she ex- courtesy of Henry Schapansky. pressed her will to live. Soon their daughter In 1825 her great-grandparents Gerhard ran after her tall father from house to barn, Doerksens (1767-1837) emigrated to Russia helping to feed the chickens and calling the with 5 sons. They settled in the village of cows and horses by name. Fischau, Molotschna, where they had acquired Little did young Anna - girl realize that a block of 3 Wirtschaften by 1835. she would soon take part in the greatest ad- Anna was born to Gerhard Doerksen venture of her developing life: an adventure (1825-82) and Helena Dick (1832-1910) on that would inspire and alter the destiny of fu- December 28, 1854. She received her educa- ture generations more than she--or even her tion (and work ethic) in Fischau. In his descendants--could ever dream of . younger years her father had also served as a Fortunately for us, Anna was highly ob- school teacher and was a gifted Fraktur art- servant and loved writing. Let us hear her tell ist: see Preservings, No. 6, June 1995, page the saga of her unfolding life. 28. Together with her parents, Anna emigrated The Journal. to Manitoba, Canada in May-June, 1875. She Birth: I, Anna Doerksen, was born on Decem- was 20 at the time and kept a diary. That first ber 28, 1854, in the village of Fischau in South fall Anna together with her parents, joined Russia on the Molotschna River. Here, I also the Kleine Gemeinde (KG). On October 17, received my education, starting school in 1875, Anna married Martin G. Barkman, son 1860. of Rev. Jacob M. Barkmans (1824-75) of Education: I learned enough during the first Steinbach: see Preservings, No. 9, Dec., 1996, Anna Doerksen Barkman Kornelsen (1854-1937) in winter to finish the first primer [Fibel] soon Part Two, pages 1-10. about 1926. Photo by son Jakob D. Barkman. after the New Year, starting in the [New] Tes- The young couple homesteaded in tament, also. Hochstadt, a few miles south of Gruenfeld. After reading her whole story (written in her Gerhard Goossen was our teacher. And go- words and translated by Ben B. Dueck, her ing to school was a joy for me. However, in grandson now living in Steinbach after a life- 1864, because of quarrels in the village as- time of teaching), you will understand my sembly, Peter Friesen was hired to replace Inside This Issue calling her a ‘woman of strength’. him. He was not Goossen, but, as I found learning easy, I had no reason to complain, Articles ............. pages 1 -65 Birth, 1854. although he was very strict with some pupils. On the banks of the Molotschna River in If the children he instructed had all taken the Material Molotschna colony, lay the Gerhard B. shape of the things Friesen called them at Doerksen home and farm Wirtschaft in the times, most of them would have been fools, Culture ............. pages 66 - 80 pleasant village of Fischau in the late-after- sheep’s-heads, donkeys and flatheads, but, noon winter sunshine. Christmas, 1854, had thank God, they remained human beings. In Book just passed. Although gifts had been few and addition, he hit the students over the head Reviews ........... pages 81 - 84 hand-made, no one complained. with the Bible and penmanship books, things Last year at this time, Gerhard and Helena that Goossen would never do. I finished my had treasured their first-born son, Bernhard, formal education under Friesen’s tutelage continued on next page Preservings Part Two innocent and had felt no conscience-pangs. very steep banks, preventing us from loading (However, God knows why I’m still a pilgrim our racks very full. But, thank God, all that is here; He makes no mistakes.) behind us. Economic Changes: In 1866 all landless fami- Threshing: When all the grain was finally lies [Anwohner], including my parents were home, we threshed it. Horses were hitched to given 12 desjatien of land each [approximately a specially-made threshing stone and the 32 acres], and now I had to help my father sheaves were threshed with this. After thresh- with the plowing. Since this land was ten verst ing the grain, we shook the straw with rakes away from our village, we would stay on the to separate the kernels from the straw; this steppe-land for the whole week, day and night. was called “raking out”. The straw was then This was repeated during harvest-time in late carefully piled while the grain with the chaff summer. was pushed into the barn, where the grain was At that time, there were no reapers or bind- cleaned of chaff by running it through the fan- ers; the grain was cut with a scythe and bound ning mill two or three times. The clean grain into sheaves by hand. Then the sheaves of was then carried up into the loft. grain were laboriously hauled home. We left home at two in the morning, or even earlier, Late-Fall Work:When we were through with and came back with the first load of grain by harvesting, my father went out to do custom seven. We fed the horses and had breakfast, carpentry, while I had to be “chore-girl” at A Prussian soldiers’ canteen which Anna’s grand- unloaded our rack and were off to the steppe home, taking manure out of the barn, feeding father had brought along from Prussia in 1825. for our second load. With this we returned at and watering the horses, often cutting silage Sketch by grandson Ben B. Dueck, who presently past noon. After lunch, we emptied the rack and sifting chaff for the cows. has the canteen on his possession. and went out for our third trip. We came home Seamstress: Mother took in sewing for oth- late; before all the chores were done, it was ers, with which I had to help her when I be- usually eleven o’clock. Thus, with the haul- came older. We had no sewing machine; every- continued from previous page ing of three loads we ended our day. After a thing had to be sewn by hand. Working so late (Note One). few hours of rest, we were up again. This was was hard for Mother and me, and I often in- Helping Mother: Besides my schooling, I had very hard for me. Driving to the steppe, I lay voked harm on the whole sewing trade! Later, to help Mother. In the morning, I washed the down on the wagon and slept as well as I however, I was thankful that I had learned a dishes and swept the floor. As I grew older, I could. Going home with the full load, father little sewing. would build the fire in the stove on getting up, slept while I had to take the reins. During the Church; Conversion: In 1874 in spring I then leave for school immediately after break- second and third trips, I took along some knit- joined the Lichtenauer (“Light-filled mead- fast. Despite my work, I was never late for ting. No time was wasted. ows”) Church where Jacob Toews was bishop, school; in fact, my attendance was very regu- This was how I spent my youthful sum- and was baptized on the second of Pentecost. lar. mers. Those farmers who did not have very Illness: One winter I came down with small- good horses could only haul two wagonloads Translator’s Comments: pox. Apparently, I was near death, but with per day, and this is what most of them did. Anna, the young Christian, had learned to God’s help and the doctor’s advice, I recov- However, when the weather was dry we al- work hard physically. Now, other clouds gath- ered. Later, I often wondered why the Lord ways made three trips daily. In our journey ered on her horizon--clouds deeply affecting did not take me to Himself then, for I was still we had to pass through Wolf’s Creek. It had her Anabaptist faith. Fortunately, the Doerksen family were united in the way they felt when their faith was threatened; if non- resistance was going to be scrapped by Rus- sia, the Doerksens--including Anna--were ready to join the more conservative Kleine Gemeinde and strike out bravely for freedom- -in Canada. Anna was not one to waver in her faith. II. Emigration. During the spring of 1875 I emigrated to [North] America together with my parents, three brothers and one sister [Anna covers the epic journey in her diary].