COLUMN: Village News – Steinbach’s First Families – Peter & Elisabeth (Reimer) Toews

Peter Toews joined the Kleine Gemeinde upon marrying Elisabeth Reimer, daughter of Abraham F. and Elisabeth Reimer, a couple who were prominent in the development of Steinbach. Even before leaving Russia, Peter struggled with his respiratory health, and instead of farming he worked at hauling grain to the port at Nikopol. Elisabeth had to hire help to run the farm during these absences. The couple travelled to Canada with their six children aboard the Hibernian arriving in Quebec in late August.

In Canada, Peter struggled to earn a living as a teamster, before finding work on the night shift running a steam-powered saw for his brother-in-law, A. S. Friesen. He only earned 50¢ a day and so the family relied on support from relatives and the church. Elisabeth also worked as a seamstress to bring in extra money for the household. Elisabeth became a widow in 1882, and the church continued to support their family, appointing Franz Kroeker as a financial guardian.

After eight years of struggling as a widow, Elisabeth remarried Heinrich L. Friesen, a well-to-do farmer. She was able to pay off her debts and sold Wirtschaft 12 to her son Peter. She moved with her younger children to her husband’s farm in Rosenhof, West Reserve. After her husband’s death in 1910, she retired to a cottage on her daughter Katharina Kroeker’s yard.

Peter and Elisabeth are my Great-Great-Great Grandparents, as their daughter Anna married Cornelius B. Loewen, whose son Isaac T. Loewen began the Loewen Body Shop, which my grandfather Albert Loewen ran. Isaac T. Loewen married Maria Ratzlaff, who was a sister to Cornelius Ratzlaff, husband of the Toews’ daughter Margaretha. Isaac T. was both brother-in-law and nephew to Margaretha! The Ratzlaffs had left Rosenort and moved to Jansen, Nebraska, where the Loewens had also moved. Cornelius and Margaretha ran a blacksmith shop, and Cornelius was also known for his shoemaking skills.

Son Peter bought the Wirtschaft from his mother in 1892 and worked as chief miller at the Steinbach flour mill. He also worked the winters in bush camps sawing lumber and was a guardian for several families of widows and orphans. After moving to a farm, he bought a steam engine with his sons and they ran a threshing business called “Toews Threshers.”

Son Abraham ran a blacksmith shop in Steinbach until 1910. He almost died in the Seine River when a bridge gave way near Marchand in early spring of 1894. His wagon piled with logs dragged his horses into the water, and despite his efforts, he was unable to save his team of horses. Son Klaas married a Polish woman, Amelia Borkowski, and they built the first guest house and livery barn in Steinbach. He delivered mail in Steinbach and took passengers to the railway station in Giroux. Son Johann ran a harness and flour shop at what would become the corner of Reimer and Main Street(s). They bought the big house of his father-in-law Klaas W. Reimer on south Main Street, and eventually he went into business with C. T. Loewen on a lumber yard establish on the site of Wirtschaft 12.

For more information about the Toews family, see: Ralph Friesen, Between Earth and Sky, 111-115.

Upcoming events

Heritage Classic Car Show, July 20. Join us at the MHV for a day of classic cars on our village street. Regular admission rates apply. Join us for a pre-show breakfast at the Livery Barn Restaurant at 8:30 a.m. For more details or to register a vehicle, visit: https://www.heritageclassiccarshow.com/.

Pioneer Days, August 3 to 5. Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mennonites arriving in Manitoba this August Long Weekend. Experience the life of the early Mennonites in Manitoba at our Pioneer Days festival! Witness pioneer demonstrations, steam-powered threshing, live music, and lots of good food as we share the stories of Manitoba Mennonite beginnings. Experience the grand opening of the new exhibit: Mennonite Reflections – Arriving in Manitoba 150 Years Ago.

Peace Trek, Aug. 17. Join the MHV for our annual cyclathon fundraiser along the Peace Trail. We being at the Mennonite Landing at the Red & Rat Rivers and cycle past important historic locations before arriving at the MHV for lunch at the LBR. Stay tuned at www.mhv.ca/peace-trek to register and for more information.

Celebrating 150 Years: A Tapestry of Pioneering Women, Aug. 18. Tickets for purchase at MHV reception, or from Auxiliary members – $25. Enjoy personal stories of pioneering women as told by: Marylou Driedger, Eleanore Chornoboy, and many members of the MHV Auxiliary. Stories and demonstrations of pioneer women, with Faspa served in the at 5pm. For more information, call: 204-326-9661