52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Week 24
Prompt – Father's Day
Progenitor is a direct blood line
ancestor from which one has descended – our forefather so to speak.
I thought that I would follow my father's line back to the
progenitor. In this case it is as far back as I have been able to
discover. Therefore until I can discover more he will be considered
the progenitor of the Peters Line.
Aaron Peters, my third great -
grandfather was born in Pietzckendorf, Pomerania, PRUSSIA about 1745
and this according to the 1776 census of Mennonites in Prussia taken
just prior to them immigrating to South Russia. Aaron was married 3
times. His first wife is unknown but he did have two daughters by
her of which one came to Russia with him as an original settler in
their new colony in Russia. Aaron married his second wife, Helena
Krahn September 14, 1780 in Prussia. They had 7 children together.
Their 5th child, Klaas Peters is the child who is in my
direct line. Helena died in April of 1801 and by July 1801 Aaron was
married to his third wife who we know only as Kristina. They had no
children together. This marriage ended 6 months later with Aaron's death
on January 1, 1802. As a matter of interest he died the same day as
his 11 year old daughter, Gertrude. What happened? Don't know.
Maybe an accident or maybe a disease.
Klaas Peters (maybe Nikolaus) , my
second great – grandfather was born March 14, 1797 in Schoenhorst,
Chortitza Colony, South Russia. Klaas was married twice. I believe
being a pioneer wife was hard and longevity was not the status quo.
His first wife gave him 3 children of which one lived to adulthood.
His second wife, Susanna Klassen bore him 16 children. We spoke of
her previously in a blog. Only 3 or 4 of these children lived to
adulthood. It must have been absolutely heartbreaking to lose so many
infants.
Klaas and Susanna seventh child was
David Peters and he was my great grandfather. David Peters was born
in South Russia on April 18, 1835. On January 5, 1859 he married
Katharina Mueller (Miller) in South Russia. 6 of their 16 children
did not survive into adulthood. On July 19, 1875 they arrived in
Canada aboard the S.S. Canadian. They were among the 7000 Russian
Mennonites who immigrated to the Canadian prairies and in particular in
Manitoba and what is now Saskatchewan. Canada had set aside two
reserves in each province. David and Katharina settled in Ebenfeld,
Manitoba – the West Reserve.
The first child of David and Katharina
to be born in Canada was my grandfather, Franz Peters. He was born
July 29 1876 in Plum Coulee, Manitoba. Franz, his siblings, and
parents moved away from Manitoba in 1898. Families were growing and
the land for them was getting scarce in Manitoba. Apparently the
Peters family helped organize the village of Blumenthal,
Saskatchewan. Franz Peters married Elisabeth Dueck (Dyck) on February
2, 1902 in Blumenthal. My father was 9th of their 11
children. He was born in Hague, Saskatchewan on March 28, 1917.
Jacob Peters married Lydia Vivian Sullivan / McLaughlin on November
20, 1938 in Saskatoon where they resided for the rest of their lives.. We heard their story in last week's blog.
To my father and all their father's
before him – Happy Father's Day.
Wendy
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