Fast - Teichroeb Ancestry

Daniel was a son of Michael Teichroeb of Kalthof by his third wife Anganetha. Daniel immigrated to Molotschna with his mother and siblings in 1803. She is listed as a widow at the time. By 1804 she is listed as the wife of Abraham Neudorff in Muntau, Molotschna. As recently as the 1811 Molotschna Census Daniel was still living in Muntau with his mother and step father.

In an entry associated with Neudorff we find that Daniel was married in Chortitza on 5 July 1813. This was his first of three wives and the date corresponds with the marriage record in the Chortitza Colony Vital Records 1801-1813. This first wife was Maria, the widow of Bernard Krahn. Anna Wolf of Schoenhorst was his second wife. Daniel and Anna Wolf are listed in the Schoenhorst church registry as the parents of Daniel born in 1835. This son Daniel maintained a journal of family records, recorded in the mid - 1800's. His father's date of death and age are recorded there, establishing continuity in the records. This journal spells his last name as Teihreb and I have seen it in other sources spelled Teigrob. Daniel appears in Schoenhorst in the 1847 list of Chortitza householders. I assume he died there.

The May 1814 Chortitza Census lists Daniel as a landowner in Burwalde with his wife, Maria, and her daughters Margaretha (age 10) and Katharina (age 8). In the October 1814 Chortitza Census Katharina is not listed. Margaretha is listed as 8 years old. The November 1815 Chortitza Census lists the same family and confirms that Maria's first husband, Bernhard Krahn, died in 1813. Daniel Teichroeb had taken over the farm when he married the widow.

Maria (widow) Krahn was Daniel Teigrob's first wife. She must have died before 1835 because Daniel had remarried by then. Maria appears in Burwalde and Rosenthal. She is in the 1801 Rosenthal census and shown as 22 years of age. She appears there as the wife of Bernhard Krahn, with two daughters, Maria and Diana (probably Anna). These appear to be the daughters of Bernhard's first wife Katharina Andreas who died in November 1800. Maria lived in Burwalde until at least 1816 based on available census records. I assume she died there although she might have died in Schoenhorst, depending on when Daniel Teichroeb moved there from Burwalde.

Maria and Bernard Krahn had a daughter, Margaretha Krahn. She married Peter Abrams and they had a daughter, Maria Abrams. Maria married Daniel Teichroeb's son, Daniel.

Maria Lehn was Daniel Teigrob's third wife according to H. Schapansky. I suspect she died in Schoenhorst because as recently as 1847 Daniel and his second wife were living there. She had migrated to Neuendorf in 1796 and married her first husband there.

16 i. Daniel Teichroeb ¹³ (born on 26 May 1835 in Schoenhorst, Chortitza, Ukraine - died on 20 Feb 1918 in Georgstal, Fuerstenland, Ukraine). Daniel married Maria Abrams.¹⁴ Daniel next married Margaretha Schellenberg ⁵¹

Anna was Daniel's second wife. She was the daughter of Johann Wolf of Schoenhorst. This is confirmed by the entry in the 12 August 1809 Chortitza smallpox vaccination list, which gives her location as Schoenhorst, her age as 2 years, and identifies her father as Johann Wolf. Her brother Johann is also listed. Her birth is also listed in the Chortitza Vital Records. Anna and Daniel appear in the Schoenhorst Church Register along with the birth of their son Daniel in 1835. I assume they were married in Schoenhorst because she was born their and they lived there when Daniel was born.

34. Peter Abrams,⁵³ son of Abraham Abrams ¹⁰⁶ and Anna Doerksen,¹⁰⁷ was born on 22 Feb 1798 in Schweingrube, Stuhm Lowlands, Prussia, was baptized in 1813 in Montauerweide, Stuhm Lowlands, Prussia, and died on 8 Nov 1856 in Neuenburg, Chortitza, Ukraine.

Rempel says he came alone to Ukraine, with a passport issued in Danzig on 18 August 1820. H. Schapansky says he was a son of Abraham Abrams who migrated to Molotschna in 1818. Unruh indicates that Peter originated in Montau and settled in Molotschna in 1819. What seems clear is he came to Molotschna alone and later moved to Chortitza and married a woman born in Ukraine. Peter is listed in Schoenhorst in the 1863 Signature List (referring to the grain loans of that year).

Peter's date of death is from information posted on myheritage.com by Thomas Hiebert.

Regarding son Peter (1827-1874), dates relating to him are supposedly found in "West Reserve Bergthal Church Register No. 1". I have not seen these records. Whether he is actually a son of Peter Abrams (1798-1856) is based on the Grandma Database and I can't substantiate this.

ii. Jacob Abrams ¹⁰⁸ was born on 4 Mar 1829 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine.

iv. Heinrich Abrams ¹⁰⁸ was born on 22 Jan 1837 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine.

v. Bernhard Abrams ¹⁰⁸ was born on 24 May 1840 in Schoenhorst, Chortitza, Ukraine.

35. Margaretha Krahn,⁵⁴ daughter of Bernard Krahn ¹⁰⁹ and Maria,¹⁰² was born in 1803 in Burwalde, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 13 Jun 1855 in Schoenhorst, Chortitza, Ukraine.

Her year of birth is calculated as 1803 or 1804 by some sources. The Vital Records say she was born in 1803 between January and April in Burwalde. The 12 August 1809 smallpox vaccination list that shows her as Bernhard Krahn's daughter, age 4, in Burwalde. Her sister Catharina is also listed, age 3. I took the death date from the Wiebe family tree on ancestry.ca. The Grandma Database indicates a sister also named Margaretha who predeceased her, having been born in 1803 and dying in infancy. I'm not sure this is correct because there are no other daughters of this name in the Vital Records.

The connection between Johann Dyck and Helena Friesen and their children is taken from the Grandma Database, which in turn relies on information from Odessa Archive, Fund 6, Inventory 5, File 112. I have not seen this data. However, if we assume the information in the Grandma Database is correct and the ancestors of Johann (1824-1892) are Johann and Helena, then it is possible to identify these two people from census records. They first appear together in the 1815 census in Neuendorf living among the landless. The appear subsequently in the 1816 census, still in Neuendorf. They have no children at this point.

Indications are the elder Johann arrived in Ukraine in the 1803 wave of settlement, according to annotations in the transcribed census records for 1815 (Neuendorf #63). This implies the family was heading to Molotschna and this is what we find in the immigration and census records.

Peter Rempel lists a Johann Dyck and his wife Agneta who passed through Grodno in 1804 on their way to Molotschna. With them were sons Johann (age 11), Arend (age 8), Jacob (age 6) and Heinrich (age 2). The family was moving from the Danzig area of Prussia.

In the 1806 Molotschna Census Johann and Agatha appear at Lichentau #10 with children Johann (age 14), Hermann (age 12), Jacob (age 8), Heinrich (age 6) and Elisabeth (infant). Arend and Hermann must be the same child.

Unruh's 1808 census records for Molotschna list the family arriving in Molotschna in 1805, farmers originating in Tiegenhagen in the Tiegenhof jurisdiction. They have with them Johann (age 16), Hermann (age 14), Jacob (age 10), Heinrich (age 7) and Elisabeth (age 2).

In the November 1811 census the family is still at Lichtenau #10; the children are Johann (age 19), Hermann (age 17), Jacob (age 13), Heinrich (age 10), Elisabeth (age 5) and Anna (age 2).

By the time of the 1835 census Johann the elder has died (1831) but his wife Agata is still at Lichtenau #12 with Herman (age 40), Jacob (age 35), Jacob's wife Agneta, Elisabeth (age 28) and Anna (age 25). Heinrich had moved to Fischau in 1827. There is no mention of son Johann.

At some point around or after the 1811 Molotschna Census Johann moved out on his own. He must have moved to Neuendorf. In the 1811 Chortitza Census Johann Dyck (age 18) appears at Neuendorf #8 as the foster son of Diedrich Rempel and Elisabeth Dyck. In the 1814 census Johann is still living with his foster parents. In the 1815 census Diedrich and Elisabeth are still living in Neuendorf, but they are alone now and at this point we find a Johann Dyck (age 23) and his wife Helena (age 18) living at Neuendorf #63. The annotation on the transcribed census says that Johann may have come to Ukraine in 1803. In the 1816 census Johann (age 24) and his wife Helena (age 18) are still in Neuendorf.

I found a record in the Wall/Epp Diary mentioning the death of Johann's son Herman in 1843. Later in 1848 there are entries for the death of a Johann Dueck (der gross) and his wife. The marriage of his daughter Anna is listed in 1850. The original connection between Johann and his children is taken from the Grandma Database and further research is required to establish source references. The diary entries correspond well to the data in the Grandma Database. The Grandma Database also tells us that when he died in Neuendorf in 1848 his property passed to another family.

His daughter Anna is mentioned in the Jacob Epp diaries in connection with her marriage to Suderman in 1850. She is referred to as the late Johann Dyck's daughter. Johann had died earlier in 1848.

There is another Johann Dyck with a wife Helena in the census records. In Nieder-Chortitza there is such a family in 1816. However, based on information in the Grandma database, this Johann is not the ancestor of the Johann Dyck who had a daughter Agatha Dyck (1859).

18 iii. Johann Dyck ²⁸ (born about 1824 in Neuendorf, Chortitza, Ukraine - died about 1892 in Michaelsburg, Fuerstenland, Ukraine). Johann married Anna Hiebert ²⁹

See the notes for her father Bernhard Friesen regarding the DNA matching discussion. It appears Helena Friesen was the daughter of Bernhard Friesen and Susanna Penner. They settled at Blumenort #19 in Molotschna Colony in 1805 and Helena appears in census and immigration records until 1814. In 1815 she is in Neuendorf, married to Johann Dyck. The 1815 census says she is 18 but it does not include her age at the 1811 revision, suggesting she was not in Chortitza for that census. It seems to me that she left Molotschna in 1815 and went to Chortitza to get married.

In October 1816 he is listed at Nueunburg with his parents and also at Kronsweide with his Grandfather Erdman Nickel, father of Anna Nickel (Cornelius' mother). In the latter entry he is referred to as a foster son.

The Grandma Database cites Abram Toews for the dates of his two marriages. Toews apparently had notes recording the details of the genealogy including the marriages and the children. Most of the data about his children is based on a letter published in Mennonitische Rundschau in 1904, written by son Abraham, listing his siblings. See the notes for Anna Hiebert for the details of this.

19 i. Anna Hiebert ²⁹ (born on 24 Feb 1827 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine - died on 10 Oct 1911 in Michaelsburg, Fuerstenland, Ukraine). Anna married Johann Dyck.²⁸ Anna next married Jacob Nickel

ii. Katharina Hiebert ¹¹⁸ was born in 1830 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine.

vii. Elisabeth Hiebert ¹¹⁸ was born in 1855 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine.

Katharina's date of birth is recorded in the Chortitza settlement vital records, along with the name of her father. Her date of death is found in the Grandma Database with a citation naming another researching who submitted the information. The same source gives us the marriage date of 1827.

40. Hermann Schapansky,⁶⁶ son of Hermann Schapansky ¹²¹ and Maria Klassen,¹²² was born on 24 Dec 1785 in Prussia, was baptized on 7 Jun 1802 in Kerbshorst, Elbing Region, Prussia, and died after 1847 in Burwalde, Chortitza, Ukraine.

His ancestry is Lithuanian Mennonite according to Henry Schapansky. I learned from H. Schapansky that his father is Hermann, his mother is Maria Klassen and his grandfather is David. Much of this has subsequently been verified by church records as noted in the source references. The birth date used here is from the Grandma Database. He moved to Ukraine in 1818-1819. Peter Rempel lists a Herman Schapansky arriving in Burwalde in 1819 with his wife, two sons and two daughters. These children were with his first wife (a Doerksen). This is further substantiated by a marriage record in the German Marriages 1558-1929 online database. There is a Hermann listed in the 1847 Chortitza Householder list, but the annotations related to his wife are wrong.

Records are abundant for his children born while the family lived in Prussia; the Marcusof Marienburg Church Register is quite complete. However, records for his children after they emigrated to Ukraine are difficult to find. Wes Reimer has published a Family Book of Johann Schapansky and Helena Hiebert that apparently has more information. Unfortunately I have been unable to obtain these records.

I have seen a date of death for son Kornelius (1807-1819) but I have not found a reference to it in the Marcusof Marienburg Church Book. I have used it here nonetheless.

Regarding Hermann's first wife, I have seen information on the web indicating her first name was Maria. The particular genealogist source isn't the most reliable. The marriage is recorded in the Marcusof church records but her first name isn't given there. She died after 1820 when her last recorded child was born. Hermann was remarried by 1823 when the first child of his second wife was born.

i. Kornelius Schapansky ¹²⁴ was born on 10 Nov 1807 and died on 31 Jul 1819.

ii. Maria Schapansky ¹²⁵ was born on 27 Apr 1810 and died on 27 May 1810.

vii. Helena Schapansky was born on 24 Jul 1837 in Burwalde, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 13 Dec 1907 in Millerovo, Russia.

ix. Kornelia Schapansky was born about 1840 in Neuenburg, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 20 Aug 1843 in Neuenburg, Chortitza, Ukraine.

x. Kornelia Schapansky was born on 22 Oct 1847 in Neuenburg, Chortitza, Ukraine.

Her first child was born in 1823, so she must have been born around 1803 or earlier. According to the Grandma Database it appears that she and Hermann may have had a daughter named Kornelia.

The relationship between Susanna and her parents is based on DNA analysis using DNA matches with Peter Teichroeb. The DNA match sample comprised 8 descendants of Margaretha Wiebe and Martin Dyck, through their daughter Anna Dyck. All samples were filtered using the Timber algorithm in AncestryDNA and all had a minimum longest segment of 15 cM. In all cases there were no identified genealogical relationships between the samples and Peter Teichroeb in the Grandma Database.

Immigration information indicates the Martin Dyck household moved to Molotschna in 1818. This late wave of immigrants corresponds with the Schapansky family who also immigrated in 1818-1819. However, descendants of the Dyck family must have moved to Chortitza and then to Bergthal because they were members of the Bergthal congregation. The Bergthalers and the Old Colony residents were among the first to moved to North America in the 1870s. These physical and temporal correspondences help to confirm the likelihood that Martin Dyck and Margaretha Wiebe are actually the parents of Susanna Dyck.

42. Peter Hiebert ⁷⁰ was born before 1822 in Ukraine and died in Ukraine.

I have not found Peter in the 1881, 1891 or 1901 Canadian census. I doubt that he came to Canada. There is a Peter Hiebert in the Bergthal Gemeinde Buch, recorded as arriving in Canada in 1875, but this is not him. There is also a Peter Hiebert listed as a resident of Einlage in the 1863 Chortitza Grain and Signature Lists. He was not a land owner.

There is a possibility his father is David Huebert #45685 but this is based only on a reference I saw on the myheritage.com site. I have not been able to verify this. David lived in Molotschna; it looks like Peter lived in Chortitza based on his daughter being married to Johann Schapansky and coming to Canada from Burwalde according to the West Reserve Census.

We know that Helena Hiebert's parents were a Peter Hiebert and a Maria Ens. However, it is difficult to find them in any reference materials except when listed as the parents of Helena. I do not think they came to Canada.

The origin of this surname is probably the Friesland region of the Netherlands.

Barbara Paynton Ens first told me that Jacob Loewen and Margaretha Braun are the parents of Johann. Her father and his siblings knew Jacob and Margaretha as their great grandparents. Margaretha was Jacob's second wife. We know this because the Chortitza Vital Records for Neu-Osterwick in 1822 show Jacob being married to Maria Klassen. There is a child named Peter, born in 1841, who is associated with Jacob in the Grandma Database and the mother is identified as Maria Klassen.

Initial DNA matches have linked Peter Loewen (through Faye Lowen), Johann Loewen (through me and others) and Bernhard Loewen (through Margaretha Ens, Rodney Ens and Michele Dutka). This signals a common ancestor and the available records point to Jacob being that ancestor.

Further, more in depth, analysis that I have completed with a larger sample size sourced from the Ancestry DNA database has demonstrated this relationship to be accurate. The DNA in this study was all processed through the Timber algorithm which helps to eliminate the effects of endogamy. My method was to identify all DNA matches to my father, Peter Teichroeb, which were related to Jacob Loewen. These matches fell into five groups: (1) descendants of Peter Loewen, half brother of Johnn Loewen; (2) descendants of Bernhard Loewen, full brother of Johann Loewen; (3) descendants of Johann Loewen's wife Sara Dyck by her first husband; (4) descendants of Maria Loewen, grandmother of Peter Teichroeb; (5) all other descendants of Johann Loewen. The resulting matches (using averages for each of the five groups) were clear. The strongest matches were the descendants of Maria Loewen, with an average match of 235 cM, and these were consistent with first cousins once and twice removed. Next were the other descendants of Johann Loewen, with an average match of 123 cM, consistent with second cousins and second cousins once and twice removed. The next group were the matches to descendants of Bernhard Loewen, with an average match of 91 cM, consistent with third cousins and third cousins once and twice removed. Following this was the group of descendants of Sara Dyck, with an average match of 76 cM, consistent with half second cousins twice removed. The final group was the descendants of Peter, with an average match of 45 cM, consistent with half third cousins and half third cousins once and twice removed. This data appears to demonstrate very clearly that Johann and Bernhard were full brothers and Peter was their half brother. Jacob was the common ancestor of all three men.

Jacob's father was Michael Loewen and his mother was Maria Bueckert. We know this because the 1801 Chortitza Colony Census shows Maria with her new husband Jacob Peters and her children Jacob Loewen (born 1800) and Maria Loewen (born 1798). The comments made by the transcribers tell us that Michael was the father of the two children. Henry Schapansky seems to think Jacob was a son of Jacob Peters and died young. I don't believe he is correct in this case.

The family lived in Neuendorf until about 1803. That year the village of Nieder Chortitza was established and at some point after that the family to a homestead there. By 1810 they had given up the farm and moved to Kronsthal where they were listed among the landless. In 1813 Jacob appears to have moved out, probably to work. His location is uncertiain. By October 1814 the family is landless in Neu-Osterwick. Landless usually means they are living in the village and have stopped farming.

In the May and October 1816 census records Jacob is listed as the 15 year old servant of Johann Wolf in Schoenhorst. I suspect he was a servant elsewhere in previous years but the ages don't match closely enough to be certain.

Jacob married Maria Klassen in 1822. This is recorded in the VItal Statistics for 1822. They were married in Neu-Osterwick. The EZW records indicate that son Peter was born in Neu-Osterwick.

According to Barb Paynton the family lore suggests that Margaretha was a servant in the household of Jacob Loewen and apparently she had Johann out of wedlock and his brother Bernhard in 1854 around the time of her marriage to Jacob. This is feasible but highly uncharacteristic of normal conventions in the Mennonite community. However, both the age of Margaretha and the date of the marriage of Margaretha and Jacob are not certain. Possibly she was older than family lore indicates and possibly they were married earlier than 1854.

Son Bernard married Anna Bergen. The marriage is supposedly recorded in the Hague, Saskatchewan church registry. I have not viewed this document.

The Grandma Database says that there was a daughter, Margaretha, who was born in 1854. She would have been a twin of Bernhard probably. The information is confusing. Bernhard is said to have been born in Tiegenhagen Molotschna, while Margaretha is said to have been born in Michaelsburg Fuerstenland. It is more likely that she died there and the information is incorrect about her birth. The EZW records are equally confusing about her birth location.

The information in the Grandma Database that Jacob and Margaretha died in a carriage accident is without any sources and therefore I am unable to prove this event occurred.

The Grandma Database has two Jacob Loewens who I believe are the same individual, #198119 and #188375.

i. Peter Loewen was born on 24 Jun 1841 in Neu-Osterwick, Chortitza, Ukraine and died in 1898.

22 i. Johann Loewen ³⁴ (born on 23 Dec 1852 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine - died on 16 Mar 1934 in Stanley, Manitoba). Johann married Sara Dyck.³⁵ Johann next married Helena ⁷⁶

ii. Margaretha Loewen ¹³⁴ was born in 1854 in Ukraine and died in 1882 in Michaelsburg, Fuerstenland, Ukraine.

iii. Bernhard Loewen ¹³⁵ was born on 28 Apr 1854 in Tiegenhagen, Molotschna, Ukraine, was baptized in 1873 in Ukraine, and died on 4 Apr 1917 in Warman, Saskatchewan. Bernhard married Maria Blatz.¹³⁵ Bernhard next married Anna Bergen ¹³⁶

45. Margaretha Braun ⁷³ was born in 1836 in Ukraine and died in 1857 in Ukraine.

46. Johann Dyck,⁷⁷ son of Johann Dyck ¹³⁷ and Sara Klassen,¹³⁸ was born on 24 Dec 1826 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine, was baptized in 1847, and died on 19 Oct 1921 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

He came to Canada on 13 July 1875 aboard the S.S. Peruvian with his wife Maria and seven children, the eldest being their 19 year old daughter Maria. The two older daughters were already married.

The 1880 Village Census of the Mennonite West Reserve documents his birthdate as 17 December 1826 while the Reinlander Gemeinde Buch says it is 24 December 1826. This has caused confusion because in the Grandma Database there are two Johanns with these two dates and they are not associated (#182766 and #1093922). Clearly they are the same person. I took the death date from information that was in the Grandma Database for the Johann born on 17 December 1826.

Johann is in the 1891 Census in the district of Selkirk, sub-district Rhineland. In 1901 he appears in sub-distsrict Rhineland in either Gretna or Plum Coulee. In the 1916 Census of the Prairie Provinces he is found in Swift Current, living with his daughter Helena Dyck Suderman and her husband Anton and their family. Johann is recorded as the father in law of Anton. He is not in the 1921 census.

23 ii. Sara Dyck ³⁵ (born on 13 Jan 1852 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine - died before 1911 in Osler, Saskatchewan). Sara married Isaak Redekop. Sara next married Johann Loewen ³⁴

iii. Magaretha Dyck ¹³⁹ was born on 8 Feb 1854 and was baptized on 29 Jun 1872.

iv. Maria Dyck ¹³⁹ was born on 10 Aug 1856 and was baptized on 21 May 1877.

v. Johann Dyck ¹³⁹ was born on 28 Oct 1858, was baptized on 2 Jun 1879, and died on 2 Nov 1925.

vii. Isaak Dyck ¹³⁹ was born on 26 Apr 1862 and was baptized on 6 Jun 1881.

ix. Katarina Dyck ¹³⁹ was born on 1 May 1868 and was baptized on 31 May 1887.

x. Helena Dyck ¹³⁹ was born on 18 Jun 1870 and was baptized on 22 May 1888.

xi. Heinrich Dyck ¹⁴⁰ was born on 2 Mar 1873 and was baptized on 23 May 1893.

47. Maria DeVeer,⁷⁸ daughter of Isaak DeVeer ¹⁴¹ and Margaretha Falk,¹⁴² was born on 14 Nov 1830 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine, was baptized on 24 May 1849, and died on 5 Dec 1895 in Rhineland, Manitoba.

The Reinlander Gemeinde Buch tells us that Maria Fehr married Johann Dueck. Her parents were Isaac Fehr and Margaretha Falk. H. Schapansky tells us Margaretha Falk's father was a David Falk. Maria is in the 1891 Census in the district of Selkirk, sub-district Rhineland.

He is specified as the father of both sons Johann and Heinrich on their death certificates. Only Heinrich's death certificate provides the name of his mother, Judith Rempel. Dates related to Heinrich are from his death certificate.

EZW records indicate that he was born in Chortitza village. Therefore the family moved there by 1832.

It is interesting that in a letter I received in the 1990s Ben Fast recalled that his grandfather, Johann Fast (1852-1920), had two brothers, Heinrich and Jacob. He knew that Heinrich never married and that Jacob's son, also a Jacob, came to Canada and lived in Winnipeg at some point. Ben travelled to Winnipeg to meet him. Heinrich is shown in a picture with his brother's (Johann's) sons. It took years to piece together the family genealogy and when eveidence was finally found it corresponded with what Ben had told me.

The Einwandererzentralstelle Collection connects the third son, Jacob, to his parents, Johann Fast and Judith Rempel. It provides the birth and death information used here. This record also connects Jacob to his wife Gertrude Dyck, and to his son Jacob and daughter-in-law Natalie Toews. Jacob's family came to Canada in 1947 but it appears he died prior to that.

We know from records in the Berlin Document Archives that Jacob and his family were patriated to German-controlled territory around 1943 and naturalized to become German citizens. Son Jacob came to Canada in 1947 and was in Steinbach in 1948 when his daughter Anna was born and then died as an infant (Find A Grave #131413396). His wife was Natalie Toews. Anna's grave marker confirms her mother was Natalie. Jacob later moved to Ontario.

The Chortitza Family Registers provide the name of a daughter of Johann and Judith, Maria (1858). Maria's father in law, Heinrich Heese, a well known Mennonite educator, was the founder of the Chortitza Zentralschule.

The Grandma Database gives the name of another daughter, Aganetha (1862). I do not have information to substantiate this. It appears that Aganetha was connected to the WW2 German Naturalization program that the Nazis carried out during their invasion of Ukraine and Russia because source citations for her are from the EZW data.

The story of his son, Jacob, is fascinating. Some of this information is from the Grandma Database, which takes the data from the Berlin Archives, and some is from my own research. Jacob had four sons with his second wife, Gertrude. They lived in various locations but it seems they stayed primarily in the Chortitza Colony area. Two sons, Wilhelm and Heinrich, were taken by the Russian secret police in the 1930s, and never seen again. Then in 1943 the German army occupied the area where they lived. Jacob was immediately drafted by the German military. I have little doubt that his brother, Johann, was similarly drafted. When the German army withdrew from Ukraine they implemented a policy of patriating German speaking inhabitants and these people were naturalized when they arrived in Germany. Among them was Jacob and his wife and children, his brother and his parents. Father Jacob died while in Germany and the rest of the family left for Canada in 1947. Ben Fast met Jacob in Winnipeg at one point. It is clear that Jacob and his family were in Winnipeg in 1948 when his daughter, Anna, was born. Jacob and his family later moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Jacob became a Canadian citizen in 1954.

Sam Steiner, in his blog on ontariomennonitehistory.org, picks up the story: "In 1999 Jacob Fast of St. Catharines, Ontario was charged with war crimes and lying about his past when he immigrated to Canada in 1947. The Canadian government alleged that his failure to divulge his involvement as a collaborator with occupying German forces (namely as part of the auxiliary police) and his German citizenship warranted revocation of his Canadian citizenship. On October 3, 2003, the Federal Court ruled that Mr. Fast had obtained his Canadian citizenship by deceit, in that he had failed to reveal his German citizenship when applying to come to Canada in 1947. The court also found that Mr. Fast had collaborated with the German Security Police responsible for enforcing the racial policies of the German Reich, but on the balance of probabilities had not been asked this question directly and therefore, had not lied nor concealed his wartime activities. The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration recommended to the Governor in Council that Fast's citizenship be revoked. The Government of Canada announced the revocation on May 24, 2007. Jacob Fast died three weeks later on June 11 at the age of 97.".

24 i. Johann Fast ³⁷ (born on 8 Jun 1852 in Rosenthal, Chortitza, Ukraine - died on 28 Apr 1920 in Laird, Saskatchewan). Johann married Maria Krahn ³⁸

ii. Maria Fast ¹⁴⁵ was born on 12 Nov 1858 in Kantserovka, Ukraine, was baptized on 5 Jun 1878 in Kantserovka, Ukraine, and died in 1935. Maria married Wilhelm Heese ¹⁴⁶

iii. Jacob Fast ¹⁴⁷ was born on 18 Sep 1860 in Rosenthal, Chortitza, Ukraine and died before 1947 in Berlin, Germany. Jacob married Gertrude Dyck ¹⁴⁸

iv. Heinrich Fast ¹⁴⁹ was born in Sep 1871 in Rosenthal, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 29 Jan 1937 in Rosthern, Saskatchewan.

She is recorded as the mother of Heinrich on her son Heinrich's death certificate, signed by her grandson Cornelius Fast, nephew of Heinrich.

The Einwandererzentralstelle Collection connects Jacob to his parents, Johann Fast and Judith Rempel. It provides the birth and death information used here.The Grandma Database indicates that Johann remarried after Judith died. Therefore she died before the end of 1885.

Ella Long posted a picture of Judith on her Epp family tree site at myheritage.com.

50. Cornelius Krahn,⁸¹ son of Cornelius Krahn, was born before 1827 in Rosenthal, Chortitza, Ukraine.

Little is known at the moment about Cornelius. We know Maria's father is a Cornelius and that is about it. There is a Cornelius Krahn listed as a householder in the Chortitza Householder lists of 1847 and 1859. The person in the 1847 list was born around 1797 according to the annotations, and was considerably older than the Cornelius who was husband to Helena; it could be his father because the Rosenthal location matches other family information and the elder Cornelius had a son Cornelius of unspecified birth date. However, the elder Cornelius married a woman born in 1817, making this relationship potentially unworkable unless Cornelius was born prior to 1817 to a different mother.

There is also a Cornelius Krahn listed in the 1863 Chortitza Signature List. He is listed as a resident of Schoeneberg. Cornelius is not in the 1863 Grain List and therefore we don't know if he was a landowner, although the indication is that he was not. The location indicates this is probably is a different Cornelius.

Information about his daughter Helena is in the Choritza Family Register, which states that she was born in Rosenthal. This supports the assertion that the family lived in Rosenthal when Maria was born. Helena Redekop's parents appear to have lived in Rosenthal the entire time they were in Ukraine, based on census records, vital statistics (for their marriage) and other records. Helena married both husbands in Rosenthal based on the Johann Jacob Rempel Family Book.

I suspect that Cornelius Krahn #668818 is the same person as Cornelius Krahn #174331. The primary rationale is that both appear to originate in Rosenthal (Chortitza Settlement); as late as 1847 there was only one Krahn family living in that village - Cornelius #189693. According to GMOL, #668818 is the son of Cornelius #189693 (b. 1797) who married Anna Rempel (b. 1817). I further suspect that Anna was a second wife, based on the age difference, and not the mother of #668818. The source notes in Grandma for Cornelius #668818 attribute the information to Eleanor Neufeld Schartner.

25 i. Maria Krahn ³⁸ (born on 15 Sep 1848 in Rosenthal, Chortitza, Ukraine - died on 23 Jan 1916 in Rosthern, Saskatchewan). Maria married Johann Fast ³⁷

ii. Helena Krahn ¹⁵³ was born on 22 Nov 1851 in Rosenthal, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 2 Jul 1896 in Rosengart, Chortitza, Ukraine.

I have seen her name listed with the middle initial D which I believe represents her father's first name. At one point I saw some data indicating she died in Neuenburg, Chortitza but I can not find evidence of this. It seems more likely she lived in Rosenthal until her death.

The locations of both marriages are in the Johann Jacob Rempel Family Book.

Information about her daughter Katharina, with Johann Rempel, is from the Grandma Database. According to that data, Katharina was born in Rosenthal in 1846. Also known is that daughter Helena was born in Rosenthal in 1851. It stands to reason that Maria was born in Rosenthal in 1848. This puts Cornelius Krahn in Rosenthal during the compilation of the Householder List of December 1847.

i. Katharina Rempel was born on 26 Jan 1846 in Rosenthal, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 23 Feb 1920 in Burwalde, Chortitza, Ukraine.

In a conversation with my father, Peter Teichroeb, Amy Ens Loewen confirmed that Heinrich Epp (1826) was a brother to Jacob Epp (1823), who is listed in the Jacob Epp - Elizabeth Ens Genealogy as a son of Peter Epp and Helena Goertzen/Goossen. Amy's knowledge is based on first hand information that her parents were third cousins. This is the third cousin lineage. Peter Epp had two sons (among others), Jacob (1823) and Heinrich (1826). Jacob (1823) had a son Jacob whose daughter Helena married a Gerhard Ens and their son Jacob Ens married a Helena Fast. Heinrich (1826) had a son Heinrich whose daughter Helena married a Jacob Fast and their daughter Helena Fast was the woman Jacob Ens married. Jacob Ens and Helena Fast were the parents of Amy Ens.

Heinrich was probably born in Chortitza. We know this from the information contained in the certificate of origin for David Epp (1858) found in the Epp-Ens genealogy material assembled by Cornelius Epp and Orval Ens. David Epp was a son of Jacob Epp (1823).

Heinrich and Helena moved to Fuerstenland. The date of the move is unknown, but the baptism record contains the record of two daughters baptisms: Margaretha in 1889 in Georgsthal and Susanna in 1887 in Rosenbach. In 1887 the family was living in Michaelsburg.

According to the Peter and Anna Epp genealogy material, Heinrich and Helena emigrated to Canada in 1892, a year ahead of their son Peter. They settled in Saskatchewan in 1893, four miles north of where Waldheim is now. Apparently they had sold their land in Ukraine rather than simply abandoning it. Two sons and a daughter and their households had arrived in the Territories ahead of them. One of the sons was Heinrich. He and his wife, Margaretha Rempel, were the first members of the family to leave Ukraine to emigrate to Canada. The marriage date for Heinrich and Helena is from the Grandma Database. There are Heinrich Epps mentioned in the 1863 Chortitza Grain and Signature Lists in Chortitza and Kronsweide. Possibly he is one of these, although it isn't clear which. Heinrich is buried in a cemetery in Waldheim, Saskatchewan.

The Grandma Database tells us that Heinrich had a brother named David and suggests that he may have had another brother named Peter; I am unsure of the accuracy of these assertions because the notes are a bit muddled in their wording. However, families recycled names and often used the names of uncles and aunts, and consequently a brother named Peter is a likelihood. Similarly other sons were often given the names of uncles, and Jacob had a son David who might have been named for an uncle David.

Heinrich's son David Epp was a minister in Laird, Saskatchewan. Comments from the Grandma Database say "David Epp prided himself in being one of a small committee who planned and dealt with Government bureaucracy to establish the school district of Carmen. He recalls that due to a lack of educated Mennonites the first teacher was an American."

Daughter Maria Epp was at least 43 years old when she married Gerhard Hoeppner. He had one teen-age son from his previous marriage. After Gerhard's death Maria stayed in their home for about a year, then lived with her nephew Henry D. Epp for about a year. She then moved to Laird SK where she and here sister Katherine lived together. Katharine never married.

Daughter Helena Epp was born on 7 July 1851. After her husband Jacob died Helena moved west from Manitoba to live with her brother David until her death. She had no children of her own but she raised three foster children.

Heinrich is buried in the Waldheim Cemetery.

The Epps were Flemish Mennonites with a recorded history in that church going back to the late 1600's. This surname originates in the Friesland area of the Netherlands.

i. Peter Epp ¹⁵⁹ was born on 19 Apr 1849 in Schoeneberg, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 28 Jul 1929 in Waldheim, Saskatchewan.

iii. Maria Epp ¹⁶¹ was born on 30 Jan 1853 and died on 12 Feb 1930 in Waldheim, Saskatchewan.

vi. David Epp ¹⁶³ was born on 12 Jan 1864 in Schoeneberg, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 13 Sep 1942.

vii. Susanna Epp ¹⁶⁴ was born on 23 Sep 1866 in Michaelsburg, Fuerstenland, Ukraine and died on 23 Nov 1934 in Laird, Saskatchewan.

viii. Margaretha Epp ¹⁶⁵ was born on 22 Jun 1870 and died on 20 Sep 1943. Margaretha married Heinrich Warkentin ¹⁶⁶

Her birth location is taken from the Grandma Database. I understand the Grandma records are from a submission by related family researchers. The information about her parents is also taken from the Grandma Database. Her birth and death information is taken from Gilbert Epp's Genealogy of Peter and Anna Epp. Saskatchewan Vital Statistics has no record of her death. She is buried in the Waldheim Cemetery, Saskatchewan. Her obituary, written by her son Peter and published in Waldheim, says that she was born in Schoeneberg.

54. Heinrich Rempel,⁸⁶ son of Heinrich Rempel, was born on 24 Nov 1827 in Neu-Osterwick, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 21 Jul 1908 in Neu-Osterwick, Chortitza, Ukraine.

He was married 5 times, to Maria Bergen, Anna Klassen, Maria Jansen, Justina Braun and Elisabeth Braun. Two Heinrich Rempels appear in the 1863 Grain and Signature Lists, both shown as a land owners in Osterwick. According to the Grandma Database Heinrich is from Osterwick. Probably the two references are Heinrich and his father.

The death date for daughter Agatha (1951) came from her grave marker, posted on myheritage.com.

His son Dietrich died of typhus (Wiens, Helen, 1996, written communication of which I have no copy).

Jacob, Margaretha and Agatha all moved with their spouses to Canada at the turn of the century (Wiens, H.).

27 iii. Margaretha Rempel ⁴² (born on 4 Jan 1857 in Neu-Osterwick, Chortitza, Ukraine - died on 19 Aug 1937 in Waldheim, Saskatchewan). Margaretha married Heinrich Epp.⁴¹ Margaretha next married Bernhard Heppner

55. Maria Bergen,⁸⁷ daughter of Jacob Bergen, was born on 10 Sep 1828 in Neu-Osterwick, Chortitza, Ukraine and died in 1878 in Neu-Osterwick, Chortitza, Ukraine.

I think she died in Ukraine because her children emigrated in 1881, a few years after her death. I can't determine if her husband Heinrich emigrated but I would guess he did not.

He appears in the Bergthaler Gemeinde Buch in 1843. The first reference lists him with his parents; the second reference lists him with his family and his first wife Anna (she died in 1862). In this source he is listed as coming to Canada with his second wife, Sarah Funck, on the S.S. Nova Scotian on 27 July 1874. He is listed in the ship's records as a labourer. He is listed in the Canadian Federal Census of 1881 (with his second wife Sara). The date of death is from the Sommerfelder Church Registry.

Heinrich's children Anna, Heinrich, Katarina and Karl arrived in Canada on 27 July 1874 aboard the S. S. Nova Scotian. His daughter Maria arrived in Canada on 27 July 1875 aboard the S.S. Manitoban.

Peter Striemer is not a natural son of Heinrich. He is listed in the Sommerfeld book as a foster son. Likely he was not a natural son of Heinrich's second wife Sara Funk either. Further, there is no indication he was a son of one of Sara's two previous marriages. His origin is a mystery.

i. Karl Striemer ¹⁷³ was born on 27 Aug 1847 in Ukraine, was baptized on 20 May 1868, and died after 1891.

ii. Heinrich Striemer ¹⁷⁴ was born on 2 Jan 1850 and died on 26 Jan 1850.

iii. Heinrich Striemer ¹⁷⁵ was born on 9 Aug 1851 in Ukraine, was baptized on 16 May 1871, and died on 22 Apr 1895 in Rural Municipality of Rhineland, Manitoba.

iv. Maria Striemer ¹⁷⁶ was born on 31 Jul 1853 in Ukraine, was baptized on 16 May 1871, and died on 24 Feb 1947.

v. Anna Striemer ¹⁷⁷ was born on 8 Oct 1854 in Ukraine, was baptized on 28 May 1873, and died on 16 Jun 1926 in Rural Municipality of Rhineland, Manitoba.

vi. Katarina Striemer ¹⁷⁸ was born on 1 Aug 1856 in Ukraine and was baptized on 20 May 1874.

vii. Agatha Striemer ¹⁷⁹ was born on 28 Oct 1858 and died on 20 Nov 1858.

i. Peter Striemer ¹⁷⁴ was born on 17 Aug 1863 and was baptized on 11 May 1883.

57. Anna Neufeld,⁸⁹ daughter of Karl Neufeld ¹⁸¹ and Maria Dyck,¹⁸² was born on 20 Nov 1826 in Chortitza, Chortitza, Ukraine, was baptized on 26 May 1846, and died on 13 Mar 1862 in Bergthal Colony, Ukraine.

She is listed with her parents in the Bergthal Gemeinde Book and in a later entry with her husband Heinrich and their family. No doubt she died in the Bergthal Colony.

He appears in the Bergthaler Gemeinde Buch and this material traces his ancestry back to Wilhelm Giesbrecht (born 1767). The date of death and the marriage date are from The Bergthal Gemeinde Buch.

v. Maria Giesbrecht ¹⁸⁵ was born on 7 Jun 1862 and died on 25 Dec 1863.

vii. Katarina Giesbrecht ¹⁸⁵ was born on 9 May 1865 and died on 29 Sep 1872.

She appears in the Bergthaler Gemeinde Buch with her parents and later with her husband Johann Giesbrecht. She came to Canada, landing in Quebec City on 30 July 1876 aboard the S.S. Sardinian. Her husband at the time was Abram Harder. She may have died on 7 June 1928 but this data is from an unreliable source. I can not find other information about her death.

Her daughter Maria Harder married a Johann Wolf.

i. Maria Harder ¹⁸⁸ was born on 24 Dec 1876 in Manitoba and died on 15 Jan 1899 in Manitoba.

60. Abraham Dyck,⁹² son of Abraham Dyck ¹⁹¹ and Maria,¹⁹² was born in 1815 in Neuendorf, Chortitza, Ukraine and died on 27 Jul 1848 in Bergthal Colony, Ukraine.

Henry Schapansky believes he is the son of Abraham Dyck #409410. He was a member of the Bergthal Church and therefore I think he must have died in Bergthal Colony.

61. Elisabeth Dyck,⁹³ daughter of Johann Dyck, was born on 15 Oct 1819 and died on 15 Jul 1909 in Hopefarm, Montcalm, Manitoba.

Elisabeth had two sons with Abraham Dyck before he died. She married Dirk Dyck next. He was an alarmingly old man, some 35 years older than her and over 60 when they married. He died shortly after the wedding. This is what comes from marrying a much younger woman. She learned her lesson though. Her third husband, Abraham Flamming, was about six years younger than Elisabeth. He immigrated to Canada with her and their family on 27 July 1874 on the S.S. Nova Scotian. In 1901, she was living with son Peter's family in the Hopefarm area, Regional Municipality of Montcalm (17-3-1E).

Elisabeth's third husband, Abraham Flaming, is listed at Heubuden #32 in the 1858 Bergthal Colony Census. He must have died before 1901 because in the Manitoba census of that year his wife was living with son Peter's family in the Hopefarm area, Regional Municipality of Montcalm (17-3-1E).

Elisabeth's daughter, Elizabeth Flaming, came to Canada and later moved to North Dakota. Her son, Gerhard Flaming, died on 13 July 1895 according to the Grandma Database.

Elisabeth died on 15 July 1909 according to the Sommerfeld Gemeinde Buch.

The Grandma Database says Elisabeth's father was Johann Dyck but there are no sources listed for this assertion.

iv. Abram Flaming ¹⁹⁷ was born on 23 Apr 1855 in Bergthal Colony, Ukraine.

62. Peter Peters ⁹⁷ was born on 2 Feb 1837 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine and died on 6 Dec 1905 in Saskatchewan.

He settled in Reinland Manitoba with his wife and family in 1875. The Bergthal Gemeinde Buch lists him in the passenger list for the S.S. Canadian No. 32, which landed in Quebec on 19 July 1875. His wife was Helena in the passenger list, aged about 4 years older than Peter. The Mennonite passengers on this ship were from the Chortitza settlement. The Reinlander Gemeinde Buch gives his first wife's name as Helena Friesen. The Grandma Database lists his second wife as Helena Hiebert. It is Helena Hiebert that came to Canada. Catharina is listed on the passenger list as age 13, spinster. Peter also appears with his daughter Helena (Sawatzky)'s family in the 1901 census, living in Rosthern. That census record is dated April 6-9. This is where I obtained his birth date. However Peter is also in the Manitoba census living with his daughter Katharina (Dyck)'s family. In that census Peter is found in the District of Lisgar, sub district Rhineland #56, F-11 page 8 line 38 (village of Gretna/Plum Coulee). The enumeration was on 17 April 1901. Peter does not appear in the 1881 census, according to the Bergthal Gemeinde Buch (and I can't find him in the census either).

The 1901 Canada Census shows an immigration to Canada in 1881. In the 1880 U.S. Federal Census he is listed in Cass County, Dakota Territory, where his age is incorrectly given as 40. Generally the family members are consistent in the U.S. Census although there are a few errors. His residence in the U.S. during this period explains his absence from the 1881 Canadian census. In the 1891 and 1901 Canada censuses he is listed in the Regional Municipality of Rhineland, Manitoba. The date of death is given in the Grandma Database; if correct, he died in Saskatchewan. If this is true then his daughter Katharina moved there after 1901. She does not appear in any census until 1916 when she is married to Klaas Dyck and living in Saskatchewan.

I picked up the marriage date to Helena Friesen from the Grandma Database.

I have seen sources who record a middle initial of D. This would generally represent either his father's first name or the first letter of his mother's maiden name.

I have seen information online indicating his father was Jacob Peters and his mother was Elisabeth Friesen. I can find no information to substantiate this. However, this data does not correspond well to the middle initial "D". One association I found to a Jacob Peters is clearly incorrect because that Jacob had a son Peter born in 1846.

I have seen some family records where a Maria is listed. She can not be a daughter of Peter (1837-1905) because he already has a younger daughter named Maria. Possibly she is a sibling of Peter or of his wife Helena.

The Grandma Database is fairly clear that Helena Hiebert is the second wife of Peter Peters and the mother of Agatha, the last of Peter's children. She doesn't appear with Peter in the 1901 census. Peter is listed living with daughter Katharina. Helena appears to be the woman listed with Johann Wolf and his family. Apparently she was blind and crippled and possibly needed more care than Peter or his daughter's family could manage. There is a Mennonitische Rundschau article posted on 13 April 1910 supplying the information about here death at age 78 and her poor health.

I am uncertain of the the precision of the death information I have used for Helena, although the year is accurate.

I note that the Bergthal Gemeinde Buch also lists an 18 year old "spinster" named Maria; clearly she isn't one of Peter's children since he has a younger daughter Maria; I surmise that this is one of Helena Hiebert's children from an earlier marriage.

i. Agatha Peters ¹⁹⁸ was born on 14 Apr 1875 in Ukraine and died on 2 May 1964 in Portland, Oregon.

63. Helena Friesen ⁹⁸ was born about 1833 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine and died on 25 Feb 1874 in Chortitza Colony, Ukraine.

The Reinlander Gemeinde Buch gives us the information about the marriage of Peter and Helena. This appears in the entry related to their daughter Anna. It seems that Helena died shortly after Anna was born and Peter gave the infant to another family for a brief period. He took the child back before he emigrated from Ukraine to Canada.

The specific date of death is taken from the Grandma Database and I have not verified it. Similarly the marriage date for Peter and Helena has not been verified.

A Helena settled in Reinland Manitoba with her husband and her family in 1875. The Bergthal Gemeinde Buch lists her in the passenger list for the S.S. Canadian No. 32, which landed in Quebec on 19 July 1875. This must be Helena Hiebert based on the Grandma Database which tells us that after Helena Friesen died in 1874 Peter remarried. Helena Hiebert appears in the 1901 census, living with the Johann Wolf family while Peter is living with daughter Katharina. Helena Friesen's daughter Anna, born in 1872, had foster parents Abraham Hiebert (1840 - 1915) and Helena Wiens (1843 - 1893), according to the Reinlander Gemeinde Buch. It seems that Peter gave that infant daughter up for adoption after Helena Friesen died. This Abraham Hiebert is the son of Daniel Hiebert. I have found no relationship between him and Peter's second wife Helena Hiebert. Anna later reappears with the family in the passenger list for their emigration to Canada.

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Fast - Teichroeb Ancestry

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