52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 17 Prompt - War

2024

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 17

Prompt – War

Mennonites were conscientious objectors commonly known as “CO's”. Their religion forbid military service or going to war. The Mennonites had signed papers from Canada (1873) accepting their demand of no military service for their men. Not unlike the “school problem”, the Mennonites faced great criticism for being CO's. In 1917 The Military Service Act was in place and demanded compulsory service. Exemptions were ill defined in this Act. Mennonites still had to register, but write Mennonite across the card for exemption purposes. These cards were filled out and signed by the Mennonite minister. Some ministers were less scrupulous than others. Some sold them for money and others just falsified the legitimacy of exemption status.

A tribunal judge was quoted as saying in the Newspaper Clipping from Winnipeg Tribune dated January 4, 1918 had this heading;

“Myers Insists on Mennonites Going To War. Tribunal Judge Avers – They Will Fight if He Can Force Them to Do.”

Judge Myers was also quoted as saying “Their religion is just a cloak to evade military Service. It is not because of their religion, or because they go to any particular church that they want exemption. They just don't want to go.”

In fact on March 28, 1921, “Manitoba Great War Veterans” sent a petition to the federal government wanting to deport all Mennonites and Hutterites who refuse to assume all citizenship in Canada (ie. Military Service).

The Mennonite Military exemption created public backlash and anger all across Canada. The suspicion of these “German – Speaking” aliens was everywhere. There was already a ban on written German publications. Police often observed their church services looking for those who were part of the enemy German people wanting to infiltrate Canada.

Part of the backlash came when Mennonites from the United States starting returning to Canada. United States did not have the military exemption like Canada Mennonites. The government had to put in place an order-in-council to address exactly who would be exempt. The anger, resentment and suspicion was best caught in this newspaper article from Vancouver Daily World dated September 28 1918.

 

This attitude of distrust and anger persisted for many years. It was not only the Mennonites who were recipients of this, but in general all German Speaking groups. Bill's maternal grandfather and great-grandfather ran a general store in Hatton, Saskatchewan circa 1913. His great-grandfather was John Jahnke who immigrated from Bromberg, Prussia in the 1890's. His son, Arthur Jahnke was born in Winthrop, Minnesota a year after the family immigrated to the States. The family were predominantly German speaking. Eventually they ended up in Hatton, Saskatchewan. John Jahnke opened up a general store called J. Jahnke General Merchandise. A few years later it was bought by son, Arthur and his cousin, Julius Jahnke. The name became A. & J. Jahnke Dry Goods. 

 

Lt to Rt: John, Arthur and Julius Jahnke. Good Day Duck Hunting

John Jahnke was a restless soul and decided to move back to Winthrop, Minnesota. They took a train from Hatton and ended up in Seattle, Washington where he bought a 1916 Maxwell car. Driving in their new car, they explored northern California and ended up in Gibbon, Minnesota where he bought another store. He named this store “Famous”. 

 

I asked Bill's mother why it was not named like his Hatton, Saskatchewan store – J. Jahnke. She told me that this was during the time when Germans were ostracized and he thought it would harm his store business if his name "Jahnke" was included. Thus he chose this. 

Wendy