Saskatchewan Valley Pioneers

Leonard Doell produced a series of articles on the founding Saskatchewan Valley Pioneers of Mennonite faith for the Sask Valley News in 1985-86. It was a way to recognize the 90th Anniversary of the Hague Osler Mennonite Reserve. This series, plus one article by Sella Balzer, is now offered to us to put on this website for your own family research.

This is a valuable collection of names and photo reproductions. We are thankful to Leonard for this donation and permission to publish them here.

Victor Wiebe, archivist and retired university Librarian, offers this comment about the older version of some Mennonite names;

As a little aside I noticed with some amazement that the first article by Balzer is of a pioneer named Gerhard Wiensz! The feature that amazed me was the letter "z" on his name. Do you know its significance?

He is Dutch and the Dutch would formally spell his last name as: "Wienszoon" which means he, Gerhard, is the son (Dutch = szoon) of a man whose first name is "Wien." This man "Wien" would no doubt be a peasant for he, as most Dutch, did not have family names, only nobility has family names. Napoleon forced the Dutch to take family names so he could conduct a proper census. You should already know this about Mennonite names for our name sake Menno was properly named "Menno Simonszoon" or less formally as Menno Simonsz. Why today we had dropped the final "z" from Menno's name puzzles me.

When Mennonites moved into Polish or German area like Danzig they began using their last or patronymic names as a family name i.e. those ending in "szoon" and always dropped the "zoon" part of that name - or I thought all did until I saw this article on Gerhard Wiensz! Wiensz. is a wonderful connection to our Dutch past.

Introduction by Leonard Doell

PIONEERS (Husband) 1. R285-3 Giesbrecht, Abram - 1846-1923 2. R285-3 Giesbrecht, Abram - 1846-1923 3. R359-1 Bartsch, Gerhard - 1859-1925 4. S1B004 Wiens, Johann I -1851- 4. S1B004 Wiens, Johann I - 1851- 4. S1B004 Wiens, Johann I -1851- 6. R21l-2 Froese, Jacob -1882-1966 7. R357-3 Peters, Johann B - 1873-1954 7. R357-3 Peters, Johann B - 1873-1954 8. Peters. Jacob K - 1856-1927 8. Peters. Jacob K - 1856-1927 8. Peters. Jacob K - 1856-1927 9. R211-4 Bergen, Isaac - 1872-1960 1O. Slb126 Peters, Klaas - 1855-1932 11. R191-2 Woelke, Peter - 1872-1932 12. R048-3 Hein, Gerhard 1856-1924 12. R048-3 Hein, Gerhard 1856-1924 13. R203-1 Dyck, David 1881-1966 13. R203-1 Dyck, David 1881-1966 13. R203-1 Dyck, David 1881-1966 14. Harder, Peter 1871- 15. R418.2 Driedger, Cornelius 1867-1934 16. Giesbrecht, David	(Wife/wives) Helena Martens 1848-1890 Dyck, Anna 1870- Harms, Katharina 1861-1941 Suderman, Helena 1856-1899 Kroeker, Aganetha 1846-1912 Heppner, Agatha 1947-1921 Schmidt, Maria 1882-1966 Braun, Katharina 1866-1898 Hildebrand, Anna 1879-1955 Hiebert, Helena 1880-1881 Kauenhoven, Aganetha -1892 Harder, Saara Gerbrandt, Katharina 1877-1963 Katharina -1930 Giesbrecht, Maria -1876- Hiebert, Susanna 1861-1886 Penner, Elizabeth 1862-1922 Dyck, Agatha 1884-1921 Boschman, Margaretha1895-1930 Martens, Helena 1906-1980 Epp, Katharina 1878- Rempel, Maria 1863-1946
17. R017-2 Wall, Johann P. Rev -1875-1961 17. R217-2 Wall, Johann P. Rev -1875-1961 18. Bullin, Franz 1884-1952 19. R020-2 Wall, Johann Rev -1872-1919 20. R282-1 Loeppky, Johann - 1882-1950 20. R282-1 Loeppky, Johann - 1882-1950 21. R364-1 Klassen, Johann - 1856-1929 21. R364-1 Klassen, Johann - 1856-1929 22. R242-2 Janzen, Isaac - 1870-1935 23. R371-2 Reddekopp, Johann - 1869-1927 24. R025-4 Guenter, Aron 1874-1949 24. R025-4 Guenter, Aron 1874-1949 25. R076-2 Wiens, Jacob 1855-1932 26. R281-1 Doell, Heinrich - 1863-1934 27. R217-4 Friesen, Johann - 1877-1960 27. R217-4 Friesen, Johann - 1877-1960 28. R076-3 Janzen, Heinrich - 1879-1920 29. R202-1 Janzen, Gerhard - 1877-1947 29. R202-1 Janzen, Gerhard - 1877-1947 29. R202-1 Janzen, Gerhard - 1877-1947 30. R115-4 Wiebe, Peter 1861-1949 31. R005-1 Wiebe, Heinrich 1881-1968	Wiebe, Anna 1875-1920 Wall, Johann Mrs. 1871- Klassen, Anna 1889-1958 Klassen, Anna 1871- Neudorf, Anna 1884-1909 Janzen, Helena 1884-1966 Peters, Sarah 1879-1926 Harms, Katharina 1861-1941 Bergen, Katharina 1874-1947 Schroeder, Maria 1872-1935 Bergman, Anna 1876-1913 Ginter, Helena 1888-1954 Wall, Helena 1854- Fehr, Barbara 1863-1927 Siemens, Katharina Guenter, Helena 1881- Wiens, Katharina 1877- Neustadter, Elizabeth 1863-1903 Unger, Katharina 1882-1920 Bergen, Anna 1866- Bergen, Helena 1868-1948 Hildebrand, Anna 1888-
32. R373-4 Wiens, Heinrich - 1881-1945 33. R029-2 Guenther, Peter - 1871-1955 34. R353-3 Neufeld, Abram - 1877-1942 34. R353-3 Neufeld, Abram - 1877-1942 35. SlA23l Kliewer, Jacob 1874-1922 36. R108-3 Neufeld, Johann - 1844-1913 37. R397-3 Bergen, Jacob 1850-1911 38. R05l-3 Friesen, Heinrich - 1879-1955 38. R05l-3 Friesen, Heinrich - 1879-1955 39.R420-1 Olfert, Jacob 1877-1956 40. Derksen, Abraham - 1866-1926 41. R293-1 Schmidt, Isaak 1864- 42. R205-3 Teichroeb, Jacob 1870- 43. R297-3 Loeppky, Isaac - 1859-1947 43. R297-3 Loeppky, Isaac - 1859-1947 43. R297-3 Loeppky, Isaac - 1859-1947 44. R120.4 Bueckert, Herman - 1850-1937 44. R120-4 Bueckert, Herman - 1850-1937 45. Hamm, Cornelius 1878-1947 46. R379-2 Siemens, Wilhelm_1857-1935 46. R379-2 Siemens, Wilhelm_1857-1935 47. R387-2 Wiebe, Wilhelm - 1870-1932 48. R387-2 Bergen, Wilhelm - 1865-1924 48. R387-2 Bergen, Wilhelm - 1865-1924 49. R045-2 Loewen, Jacob - 1847-1937 49. R045-2 Loewen, Jacob - 1847-1937 (Corrections for several profiles are on this page too). 50. S2U235 - Dyck, Herman - 1876-1959 50. S2U235 - Dyck, Herman - 1876-1959 51. R218.4 Friesen, Isbrand - 1867-1945 52. R153-3 Dyck, Johann - 1874-1932 53. R152-2 Driedger, Peter - 1851-1933 54. R273-2 Goertzen, Benjamin -1873-1929 55. R005-2 Klassen, Peter H. - 1867-1952 56. R419-2 Braun, Johan - 1864-1929 56. R419-2 Braun, Johan - 1964-1929 57. R256-1 Martens, David - 1845-1926 57. R256-1 Martens, David - 1845-1926 57. R256-1 Martens, David - 1845-1926 58. R155-2 Peters, Johann - 1875-1947 59. Peters, Johann 60. Isaac Hildebrandt - 1864-1929 61. Peter Pauls 1869-1924 62. Wiebe, Peter - 1881-1968	Peters, Sarah 1883-1945 Loewen, Katharina l876-1958 Wiebe, Gertrude 1880-1919 Bartsch, Maria 1887-1961 Vogt, Katharina 1873-1922 Neudorf, Maria 1849-1931 Peters, Helena 1860-1921 Driedger, Maria 1883-1930 Unrau, Susanna 1888-1973 Dyck, Aganetha 1880-1973 Penner, Maria 1864-1957 Janzen, Justina 1863- Driedger, Margaretha 1882-1920 Schellenberg, Aganetha1857-1890 Goertzen, Katharina 1863-1920 Wall, Gertrude 1877-1953 Driedger, Sarah 1852-1880 Redekopp, Agatha 1860-1937 Guenter, Katharina l886-1978 Doerksen, Anna 1860-1917 Vogt, Agatha Bueckert, Gertrude 11882-1964 Funk, Helena 1868-1908 Teichroeb, Maria 1883-1948 Hildebrand, Sarah 1848-1875 Enns, Katharina 1855-1938 Hiebert, Katharina 1881-1990 Esau, Elizabeth 1880-1964 Neudorf, Anna 1874-1947 Neufeld, Katharina 1874-1920 Unrau, Anna 1851-1916 Teichroeb, Justina 1876-1957 Wiebe, Helena 1870 Klassen, Aganetha 1873-1902 Friesen, Maria 1874-1949 Wall, Anna 1873-1873 Peters, Maria 1854-1891 Falk, Helena 1869- Driedger, Anna 1874-1941 Boldt, Justina Harder, Maria 1868 Janzen, Elizabeth 1890-1942 Bergen, Helena 1868-1948

[Notes:
1. The R.. numbers reference to that family's record in the Reinlander Buch (Old Colony Church Records).
2. Where you see a man's name and birth/death years repeated, you will notice a different wife's name to the right. Each marriage was recorded separately in the church records.
3. This series of profiles is now complete! May 28. 2014.
- Ruth Friesen, web-mistress]

[last updated - Dec/30/2021]

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MHSS
Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan
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Saskatoon, SK, S7K 7H8
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