-being the Newsletter of the Hanover Steinbach Historical Society Inc. Special Double Issue - Part Two Price $10.00 No. 9, December, 1996 “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 Story: Steinbach Jakob M. Barkman 1824-75: Father of Steinbach by Delbert F. Plett Family background. Jakob M. Barkman was born in Rückenau, Molotschna Colony, South Russia, to his par- ents Martin J. Barkman (1796-1872) and Katharina Regier (1800-66). His father was the son of Jakob Bergmann (1756-ca.1819) and Katharina Wiens (Note One). Henry Schapansky has written that the information on Jakob Bergmann is speculative but that he might have been the son of Jakob Bergmann (died 1780) who in turn may have been the son of Abraham Bergmann (1708-77) listed in the 1776 census as resident in Neuedorf, Prussia: letter Nov. 28, 1992. Katharina Regier came from “royal” lineage as Mennonites go, being the granddaughter of Bishop Peter Epp (1725-89) of Danzig, West Prussia. He was a devoted leader of his people and instrumental in organizing the emigration to Russia. He encouraged his children to emi- grate. House barn combination of Martin J. Barkman in Rückenau, Mol. where Jakob M. Barkman was born and Katherina’s parents were Katharina Epp (b. raised. Here the Russian Czar visited the Barkman family in 1825 and ate a meal. It may well be that the 1764) and Johann “Hans” Regier (b. 1779) who Imperial Czar tousled the head of the one year-old Jakob and wished him well on his life’s journey. According settled in Kronsgarten, a Frisian village some to grandson Martin B. Fast who took the picture of the Martin J. Barkman Wirtschaft on a trip to Russia in 30 verst north of Ekatherinoslav or present-day 1906, the large hayshed originally located diagonally across the rear--which only the wealthier farmers could Zaporozhya (Note 2). The Regiers were one of afford--had already been torn away when the photo was taken. Photo courtesy of Martin B. Fast, Reisebericht, at least four Frisian families from Kronsgarten page 68. M.B. Fast served for many years of editor of the Rundschau. and Schönwiese in the Chortitza Colony, who became associated with the Kleine Gemeinde Martin J. Barkman 1796-1872, Rückenau, (KG) in the Molotschna. The Frisians under Mol. Bishop Heinrich Jantzen were sympathetic to In 1812 Jakob’s father Martin J. Barkman Inside This Issue the cause of the KG and were their allies in the (1796-1872) was working alone on the fields reform tradition during the early 1800s (Note with his team when a French army detachment 3). came by and dragooned him to accompany Jacob M. Barkman The Epp tradition of community service was them. The units were on their way to invade Feature Story 1-10 continued by Jakob’s uncle Johann Regier Russia and needed additional supply wagons. (1802-42), Schönsee, who served as Oberschulz One night, when they were camped after hav- of the Molotschna 1833-42. Johann had a ter- ing travelled for several days, a high ranking Articles 11-43 rible drinking problem but was much loved by officer noticed the weeping 16 year old boy. He the people and consistently re-elected over the granted the boy’s tearful entreaties to be released opposition of “Kirchliche” church leaders. and allowed him to return home: Klaas J. B. Material Culture 44-67 Johann was also Johann Cornies’ partner in in- Reimer, “Neunzig Jahre.” stituting social reforms in the Molotschna Martin J. Barkman and brother Jakob (1794- Colony, which by 1839 had a population of 1875) emigrated from Prussia to Russia in 1817. Book Reveiws 68-72 12,000. For the preceding six years the position Family tradition holds that they left their home- of Oberschulz was held by Johann Klassen land to escape military service during the rav- (1785-1841), Tiegerweide, married to Johann’s ages and devastation caused by the invasion of sister Aganetha Regier. Napoleon. By day they hid under grain stooks Preservings Part Two and by night they travelled as best as they could. M. J. B. joined the KG shortly after his arrival; fast. Both men remained loyal to the KG, a sign Their mother treated them with a glass of but- possibly because his wife’s aunt Maria Epp that they were able to deal with the admonition termilk before they started on their long ardu- (1760-1806) had been married to founder Klaas “as men” and make things right. ous trek and wished them a happy journey: P.J.B. Reimer. Reimer, Genealogy of Jakob Barkman, page 2. Both Martin and Jakob J. Barkman served Visit by Imperial Czar, 1825. In Russia the brothers Barkman settled in for many years as village Schulz or mayor in Martin J. Barkman was honoured by a visit Rückenau, Mol. Martin J. B. was a tailor by Rückenau, Mol. In 1845 Jakob J. Barkman was from His Imperial Majesty the Russian Czar trade. Upon his arrival he worked as a labourer admonished by KG Bishop Abr. Friesen, (possibly Alexander I) who ate a meal in the until his marriage to Katharina Regier on Au- Ohrloff, regarding accounting irregularities in Barkman home in Rückenau. The Russian Czar gust 5, 1819. The brothers soon acquired their connection with the office and for a time both Alexander I visited the Molotschna Colony in own farms and are listed in the 1835 census as brothers were under the ban. The insinuation 1825. Martin J. Barkman was probably the owners of Wirtschaft 11 and 17, respectively. was that they had made too much money too honoured with the Imperial visit because he was village Schulz at the time. Considerable information about the Barkman clan is found in the “journal” of son-in-law Pe- ter I. Fast, who bought the Barkman Wirtschaft after Martin’s death in 1872. It was in the Mar- tin J. Barkman home in Rückenau that Jakob M. Barkman was born and raised to adulthood. He was baptised upon the solemn confession of his faith on May 2, 1842. Jakob M. Barkman (1824-75), Waldheim, Mol. On February 13 and again on March 13, 1849, the marriage banns of Jakob M. Barkman and Elisabeth Giesbrecht (1830-58) were pro- claimed after the worship service in Tiege, Mol. Elisabeth was the daughter of Jakob Giesbrecht, owner of Wirtschaft 17 in Muntau in 1835: see article on the KG Giesbrechts elsewhere in this issue. After the wedding Jakob Barkman acquired a “Half ” Wirtschaft in Waldheim. Also resident in Waldheim was first cousin Jakob K. Barkman (1820-1902), a wealthy merchant. The KG fel- lowship in Waldheim included: Isaac Friesen, step-son of KG minister Klaas Friesen (l793- l870) of Rosenort; Jakob Loewen (l820-l901), son of KG deacon Isaac Loewen (l787-l873) of Lindenau; and his brother-in-law Peter H. Penner, son of Peter Penner (1816-84) of Margenau. Elisabeth Giesbrecht Barkman died in child- birth on March 21, 1858, and was buried in Waldheim on the 25th. Her death left Jakob with five youngsters. On June 1, 1858, Jakob M. Barkman and the widow Warkentin attended worship services together in Neukirch. On June 5, 1858, Jakob married for the second time to the widow Peter Warkentin, nee Katharina Thiessen (1829-89), daughter of Jakob Thiessen and Anna Enns owners of Wirtschaft 20 in Neukirch, Mol. They were married by Rev. Abraham F. Friesen of Neukirch after a worship service held in Paulsheim. Katharina Thiessen had been baptised upon the solemn confession of her faith on May 4, 1847. Jakob M. Barkman was respected within his community and on February 13, 1861, he re- Map of Friedensfeld 1919 ceived 8 votes in a deacon election held in Caption: Map by Heinrich Krahn, courtesy of Olga Rempel, Einer Von Vielen: Die Lebensgeschichte von Neukirch. The family enjoyed travelling and Prediger Aron P. Toews (Wpg, Man., 1979), page 37. Olga Rempel was the daughter of minister Aron P. Toews, visiting. On January 20, 1863, brother-in-law the school teacher in Friedensfeld in 1920. Two of Toews’ sisters had been raped by Machno bandits in Nikopol Peter I. Fast reported that he went to Rückenau shortly prior. Olga Rempel tells how the Machno bandits came to Friedensfeld on Christmas Day while the and that “Jakob Barkmans from Waldheim were villagers were assembled in church. The armed bandits stormed into the church screaming for the singing to there too.” stop. Toews went to the front and announced that the congregation should remain calm as “they were in the house of God and under His protection.” After an incident where a shot was fired, the bandits collected a sum Friedensfeld, Borosenko, 1867. of money and left the worshippers in peace. In 1867 the family moved to the new settle- 2 No. 9, December, 1996 ment at Friedensfeld in the Borosenko area, separatist pietist Mennonite denomination to such troubled and sorrowful times. Symbolically northwest of Nikopol, where the KG had pur- settle in the village as they were related to the for the proselytizers their own congregation in chased 5400 acres: see map in Preservings, No. others. Friedensfeld was torn for decades by bitter in- 8, June 1996, page 4. The Russian name of the However the insurgents soon took advantage ternal strife and disputation (What goes around village was Miropol. Although it had only one of the situation endeavouring to break-up fami- comes around).