2024

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 4

Prompt – Witness to History

 Wilhelmina Bachmann (nee Fesser) is Bill's great-grandmother. His mother's, mother's, mother! Got it? Good.

Wilhelmina Fesser was born in Theodorshof, Austria on 7 Dec 1870. Wilhelmina died in Melville, Saskatchewan at the age of 98 years on 10 Apr 1969.

Wilhelmina Fesser immigrated to North America departing from Bremen, Germany and Southhampton, England and arriving at New York, United States on 20 Apr 1889. Wilhelmina was 18 and accompanied by her father. I believe I discussed before in one of my blogs that the family folklore was that she travelled alone without her father. The passenger list debunked this story.

Newspaper Article: Wilhelmina Bachmann was featured in "A District Profile ... Her's Was a First in Killaly" published in The Melville Advance on 22 Jan 1958. This article written by Paul Ballendine and he was tasked to get a history or profile on someone in this district. The local postmaster set up an interview with 87 year old Wilhelmina Bachmann saying, “She's a real pioneer of our village. She also was the first women here to get a vote in the federal election.”

This article was a complete history of her life from immigration to her 87^th year. As a genealogist it was gold.

The author went on to talk about her pre-immigration years. Something that was relatively unknown to her descendants. He writes her name as Wilmina!!!

 From New York she went on to her destination of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Two weeks after arriving she had a job as a maid to one of very few German (Austrian) families in Winnipeg. She stayed with this family for 5 years. Her memories of Winnipeg was that when she looked out from her upstairs bedroom she could see the entire city of Winnipeg. She thought it had about 10,000 people at that time.

She met her husband-to-be at church. August Bachmann and Wilhelmina married in January 1893 or 1894. They lived a further 6 years in Winnipeg. August Bachmann preferred to live outside the city so they bought a farm just east of Winnipeg and farmed for 5 years before selling the farm. It was during these years that Wilhelmina and August had 3 daughters. The last daughter was born in 30 Mar 1905. They moved to Killaly on 15 Apr 1905, just barely 2 weeks after the birth. They moved to Killaly, North-West Territories and within 4 ½ months this territory became the province of Saskatchewan.

August Bachmann went into business with Wilhelmina's brother, John Fesser. They turned the local hotel built by John Fesser into Killaly's first general store. Besides the general store, August Bachmann contracted for the first post office in Killaly. August Bachmann was postmaster in Killaly for 35 years. Besides all this he was also he was also paymaster for the local elevators. Wilhelmina worked along side of her husband through all these years. 

Wilhelmina and August Bachmann at Killaly General Store

 Wilhelmina also recalled the beginnings of the city of Melville and the beginnings of the national railway into Saskatchewan.

 In this article, Wilhelmina recalled her greatest honour as being the first women to vote in a federal election in her area. That was 1917 during WWI. The Military Voters Act was passed in August or September of 1917. Up to this time women were not “allowed” to vote. After the act was passed, voting rights for women in federal election was limited to women serving in the armed forces such as military nurses or those women who had a relative serving in the army.

 Wilhelmina Bachmann was happiest working in her garden of vegetables and flowers. Her faith was a constant in her life. She never missed Sunday church services at St. John's Lutheran Church which was a few short steps from her home. She lived in her 7 room home in Killaly until October 1963 when she moved into Melville's St. John's Lutheran Nursing home. She was predeceased by two of her daughters and her husband.

Wilhelmina Bachmann was very much a witness to history. This remarkable woman was a participant in the history of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Wilhelmina Bachmann (nee: Fesser)

 Wendy