IS THERE A NIEBUHR / NEUBAUER LURKING IN YOUR FAMILY TREE?
You have been working on your lineage and you come across a name you don’t recognize. It is not a name you hear very often and you wonder, “Who was this part of my family?”
We, as part of the Niebuhr clan have been exploring our common past by gathering to share our stories and connecting with relatives we did not know. Most recently we met in Winnipeg at the Canadian Mennonite University the weekend of July 9 through11, 2010. Those attending came from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and from Paraguay, some of the descendants of one Jacob Niebuhr (1766 – 1835) who immigrated to Russia in 1789.
Some of our ancestors made the journey to Canada as early as 1876 and settled on the West Reserve in Manitoba. Others were sponsored by those already here just after the Russian revolution during the 1920’s and still others made that long trek to freedom, following the German Army in their retreat during WWII. Some of the early immigrants made the journey to Mexico, looking for a different life than the Canadian experience. Many have returned to re-settle in Manitoba, Ontario and Alberta. Those leaving the USSR in 1943 were not all accepted into Canada or the United States and have made homes in Paraguay, Bolivia and other South American locations. However, there is another group, the Gerhard Niebuhr family of New York, Ignalyevo Colony, former owner of the Niebuhr factories in Olgafeld, including the mother, Elizabeth Peters, three daughters, Anna, Helen & Elizabeth, adopted son, Hermann, and three other sons, Gerhard, Jacob, and Peter who left Ukraine via the Amur River to Harbin, China. Their journey began at the end of 1927 and finally was completed when they arrived in Paraguay in 1932 via France, where Elizabeth Niebuhr & David Goerzen were married before they continued on their journey to Paraguay, where they settled in four villages in the Ferheim Colony. The group consisted of 8 families, Ratzlaf, Penner, Plett, and Koop & Niebuhr. This venture was planned and financed by MCC.
During our reunion in July, many of these stories were heard in presentations such as Henry Loewen’s “The Greak Trek”, chronicling his family’s journey to freedom from Russia to Canada during WWII, “A Mother’s Stories on Being a Governess to a Niebuhr Family” by Gussie Schroeder, “Remembering the Past” by Mavis Dyck, who charmed us all with her modeling of a black stylish hat of that era worn by all married women. John Klassen, in absentia, honored and remembered “Three Niebuhr Sisters” (one being his mother) through historical slides and Margaret Mehler shared historical memories of “Early Homesteading Days in Saskatchewan”. We were brought back to the present with two presentations: Wilma Wiens’s “Living Locally” told us of shared farming experiences and how it has shaped all aspects of life, and Dan Wiens’s “Thinking Globally” shared his experiences in making worldwide connections “helping those in need in the name of Christ” in his work with Mennonite Central Committee, the same organization whose initial purpose and formation in 1920 was to help European Mennonites immigrating to Canada and the US. A new-found Niebuhr cousin from Paraguay, Rosalie Goerzen, shared the interesting Niebuhr connection of her family’s treks through China and France before settling in Paraguay. Barry Thiessen, another newcomer to the Niebuhr gatherings and pastor at a local church, shared a short meditation with us on Saturday morning. A heartwarming family story by Margaret Labun of “God’s Answer’s to Prayers”, along with her daughters’ stories and songs on Sunday morning left hardly a dry eye in the audience. A tradition at our reunions of reading the names of Niebuhr descendants who have died since the last reunion, was shared by Barb Hamm.
Our weekend reunion included heartfelt, worshipful singing, and an enthusiastic volunteer choir, both led by Nick Unrau. Special instrumental and vocal numbers by many of the Manitoba Niebuhr descendants and some invited guests were appreciated by everyone. Picture taking, visiting, making connections, looking at displays, and sharing of more stories over meals were all part of our weekend gathering.
The underlying theme of our reunion was “God’s Goodness and Faithfulness” and many of the stories we heard emphasized this, in the midst of whatever life may bring to us. A written statement developed at the end of the reunion states, “Our gathering as a Niebuhr family this weekend focused on the goodness and faithfulness of God. We were encouraged and strengthened as stories shared from our past but also from the present day were a witness to the fact that God will always be our anchor no matter what challenges we face in this world. Our desire is to continue to be ‘God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God created in advance for us to do.’” (Ephesians 2:10).
At the close of the reunion, a majority vote was received in favour of continuing the tradition of the reunion; however, a definite date and location for this were not confirmed at that time. Stay tuned on this website for more information as this develops.
By sharing our stories we have come to see that we have a common bond, whether our family was farmers, large estate owners or factory and mill owners. We are a people who are industrious and innovative and we are tied to together by both our blood line and our forefathers Anabaptist faith.
Have we aroused your curiosity more? If you are interested in pursuing your connections we would love to hear from you. Please contact Nettie Dueck at email
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or 1-204-663-6161_ or look us up at www.niebuhrgathering.com
Written by: Rosella Peterman, Rosalie Goerzen, Nettie Dueck, and Ingrid Anderson.
Pictures of the Reunion to follow.
