The David Klassen Story

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Copyright Lorilee Scharfenberg 2000

 

Early Years in Prussia 1813-1833

On August 31, 1813, David Klassen was born to Maria W. Klassen of Tiegerweide, Prussia. Maria's husband Abraham had passed away on January 10 of the same year so she was left alone to raise her children. Little David was the youngest of a family of five children but at least one brother, Dirk, had died in infancy. Maria remarried to a Jakob Bergmann of Mierau, Prussia. Through that marriage, David gained two younger half-sisters. His oldest brother Abraham died in 1827 when David was only fourteen. According to his own writings, David spent his boyhood in Susewald, Prussia attending school and helping out on the family farm. At the age of sixteen, he began to work as a hired farm hand for a man named Jacob Bergen and served him for three years. During that time he was baptized and joined the Tiegenhagener Gemeinde. According to oral tradition, David Klassen learned to skate on the Vistula River in his youth with bob-skates.

 

Life on Molotschna Colony, Russia 1833-1866

David Klassen left Prussia for Russia on August 5, 1833, just before he turned twenty. It was an adventure for he travelled with a friend, Abram Rempel, and each rode a spirited stallion. Although his destination was Gnadenfeld, immigration records indicate that the two young men arrived in Schonsee, Molotschna Colony at the home of Aron Rempels., Within two years David met a young lady by the name of Aganetha S. Brandt(1816-1904). She was a petite young woman of scarcely 5 feet and David in striking contrast was more than 6 feet tall. Aganetha's family had moved to the village of Tiege in 1818, just a year before her father Peter Brandt (1770-1819) passed away. She, like David, never got to know her natural father. Her mother Elizabeth (1788/89- nee Siemens) remarried to a Heinrich Wiebe (1794-1838)shortly after. On October 31, 1835, David and Aganetha S. Brandt were married(1816-1904).

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When David Klassen migrated to Russia, he was, no doubt, drawn by kinship ties in the Molotschna Colony. In 1833, his maternal uncle, Peter Klassen, (1789-1862), settled in the village of Rueckenau with his family. It is not definite where David and Aganetha set up their first home; however their oldest daughter Elizabeth was born in Rueckenau on June 13, 1837, and it appears they spent the early part of their married lives in that village. On June 10, 1847, an Aeltester election was held at their home in Rueckenau. According to Del Plett, this shows that Klassen had a large farm and outbuildings in order to accommodate such a large gathering. It is interesting that the man elected then was Johann F. Friesen who would later become David's first son-in-law. The time span of at least ten years would show that David and Aganetha's first four surviving children were all born in that village.

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David Klassen purchased a property and moved his family to Margenau near the village of Rueckenau somewhere between the years 1847 and 1850. David and Aganetha's son Abraham was born in this village on July 30, 1850, and educated there for seven years. On June 10, 1851, the ministers met at David Klassen's home in Margenau for a discussion. Records show that while David was in Margenau he became a very successful farmer and owned a full Vollwirt (175 acres). In 1856, the Klassen's oldest daughter, Elizabeth, married Aeltester Johann Friesen and the following year their second oldest daughter, Maria, married Jacob M. Kroeker. In 1860 David and his wife welcomed their 15th child, Helena, into the world. She was the 10th to survive to adulthood. On February 13, 1861, David had eight votes for him during the deacon election. He still fellowshipped in Margenau.

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In 1866 a split took place in the Kleine Gemeinde and David Klassen sided with his son-in-law, Aeltester Friesen. This same year 120 families moved to the Borosenko Colony including David Klassen who sold his Wirtschaft in Margenau and moved to the newly established village of Heuboden. A church was established and David was a member there in 1868. The land on the Borosenko Colony was ideal for farming and David went to work immediately gardening and laying out a fine orchard. David Klassen's name came up again in deacon elections in 1869. He received four votes.

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In March of 1871, the Klassen family experienced a real blow when their daughter Elizabeth died after a sleigh she was in overturned. She was expecting her fifth child at the time. This left the Aeltester Johann Friesen widowed for the third time. He remarried in a short time, however, within the year he passed away and left four children orphaned. The Klassens took Johann, Aganetha, and Maria into their home, while David lived with his aunt Katherina and her husband Cornelius Eidse.

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In March of 1873, shortly before David was to leave for America, daughter Aganetha Jantzen was left widowed with a 1 1/2 month old daughter to care for. Her husband Cornelius, a teacher, was ill for two weeks previously. In July of the same year, while Klassen was in Canada, she married twice-widowed Gerhard Siemens.

 

Delegation to America 1873

As early as January of 1873, David Klassen was pursuing the idea of immigration to America. On the 21st of that month, he attended a meeting in Pordenau, Molotschna with Aeltester Peter Toews (Blumenhof) and Rev. Loewen from Hochfeld. David Klassen and Cornelius Toews (Gruenthal) were chosen as delegates to America on February 4, 1873, at a large brotherhood meeting in Blumenhof with the cost of travel being estimated at 1500 rubles. David represented the Heubodner group in the search for new land and freedoms in America. According to the Abraham F. Reimer diaries on the 15th of the same month, the two delegates left for America, and "it was a sad farewell." On the 21st they returned from their trip. They had a false start. David received one vote in the deacon election on April 10, 1873. The Blumenhof Gemeinde gave Cornelius Toews, the other KG delegate, a list of seven religious questions and four secular ones to ask of both the American and Canadian governments. A note was added that the delegates were to first keep the United States in mind. The delegates finally departed on April 15 to search for a new home in America. They left on the Steamship Nacmorka from Nikopol and then traveled by rail through Austria (border on the 18), spent the 21- 22 in Berlin, and finally arrived in Hamburg. There they set sail on the Steamship Celisia (April 23) and travelled to New York. Apparently David had a strong stomach and never got seasick. After their arrival in New York, they travelled by train throughout Pennsylvania and Indiana and had many adventures visiting different churches. Funk was a host to them. Later they gathered in Fargo and headed into Manitoba. They investigated two main tracts of land in the U.S. One tract lay near Glyndon and the other was the James River region about 100 miles from Fargo.

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The delegates were greeted warmly upon their arrival in Winnipeg, Manitoba. William Hespeler made Winnipeg their base and they took three excursions to land areas that were open for settlement. On these trips, David Klassen, who was almost sixty, would have experienced the stings of famished mosquitoes, the threats of hostile Metis, and long hikes around many boggy swamps. He saw beyond the difficulties and noticed the rich soils that produced acres of wild roses, open prairies ready for the plow, and many rivers to provide irrigation. Abram F. Reimer's diary notes that Klassen wrote three letters to Cornelius Toews during the journey. Sadly those letters have never been found. Royden Loewen writes, "The debate about the economic viability of the East Reserve began the moment the delegates saw it in 1873. Even the four Mennonite delegates who chose it as their home were not completely satisfied. In a letter to the Department of Agriculture in July 1873, they asked about the possibility of ‘another location than the present one which you have reserved for us (which might) suit us better.' That same month, while they were in Ottawa, the government gave them the much sought after "Privilegium." It was an article with fifteen statements that gave them all the privileges that they sought: reserved land, freedom from the military, and a right to direct their own schools. Four of the delegates, including David Klassen, received the letter guaranteeing the agreement dated July 25, 1873.

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Immigration to Manitoba 1874

The delegates arrived back on August 7. They breakfasted in Nicopol and were back for Faspa at home on the 8th. Excitement was in the air as Klassen told his Heuboden Gemeinde what he had seen and the agreements they had reached. Simultaneously, American land agents were busy trying to seduce the Heubodners away from settling in Manitoba. In a letter to Falk, David Klassen wrote that thirty of the forty-seven families he had represented had elected to move to the United States instead. David still stood behind his original decision.

His daughter Katherine Eidse died in December 1873. Despite the difficulties involved in such a move Klassen and his extended family began to make preparations. Klassen and Toews spent ten days "away" working on passports. On Feb. 14, Klassen took the time to help his son Peter and his wife move to the Toews home in Gruenfeld because flooding was taking place in their low-lying village. For three days (Feb. 11-14) a massive auction sale took place in Heuboden as the villagers prepared to move. David's son Abraham looked after his father's Wirtschaft and harvested the grain when they moved. It was delivered to a Peter Friesen, a steam mill owner, who had purchased the Klassen farm. The Klassens left for Canada early in June.

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According to Ratzlaff's writings, they took a boat to England and over by rail, on to Ireland, Halifax, Quebec, and Toronto. They were offered ham, beans, and dried apples but David declined. He felt they were wealthy enough; however, some people were dissatisfied with him for not looking out for the poor.

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David Klassen immigrated with a wife, two children, and three grandchildren on the SS Austrian No. 40. They arrived in Winnipeg on July 31, 1874, via the International riverboat. According to oral tradition, David, Aganetha, and several family members can be identified on the renowned photo of the Mennonites arriving in Winnipeg because they are nearest the stern-wheel. David Klassen's height makes him recognizable.

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The Great Debate

Oral tradition tells us that initially, David Klassen was very impressed with the land near Portage la Prairie. The only drawback of settling there was the Metis claim to the land. He wanted no part in this debate. David Klassen told his grandson Abram K. Eidse that he had never intended to settle on the East Reserve because of the poor drainage and quality of the land. Sticks and stones were not his ideas of ideal land for grain farming. He was looking for land similar to the Ukrainian steppes in Russia. Klassen had been promised a certain tract of land would be available for his group to settle when they arrived from Russia and had verbally requested that shelters would be built near that tract of land. They never built the shelters as promised and upon arrival, Hespeler had told David that the land he had asked for was no longer available because it had been sold to an American. He waited in Hespeler's office for four hours until Hespeler finally agreed to let him have the land he wanted - it was the Scratching River settlement.

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In Heinrich Ratzlaff's autobiography, he confirms the fact that Hespeler and Klassen reached a stalemate. He states three reasons that David gave for not moving to the East Reserve: 1) the land on the east was too low; 2) there were not sufficient means to build ditches to drain the water; 3) they didn't want to hurry away from Winnipeg without a wagon, an ox or horse and a cow. Hespeler offered some land on the Red River and Klassen argued that as a delegate he had reserved some land on the Osenberg. Hespeler made it known that it was no longer available. Other delegates inspected both the East and Scratching River Settlements. David Klassen, his children, and several other families went to the Morris River to establish their homes. Toews had already chosen the land in the East Reserve that the Canadian government had promised them in writing. This land was covered with bush that would provide wood for shelter, heat, and fuel for cooking in the long winters ahead even if the land would be more difficult to break and plow.

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Unity was not found between Klassen and Toews on this issue. Toews was adamant that the poor could only hope to make it on the East Reserve, while Klassen was just as insistent that he had never agreed to take low land. He wanted higher land that was easier to cultivate and a good road to the City of Winnipeg. The prices per acre were the same for both settlements.

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Scratching River Settlement 1874-1900

In the Herold der Wahrheit, a Mennonite newspaper, Klassen writes to John F. Funk in Elkhart, Indiana Herold as follows: July 1875. "So, my dear brethren, we are now settled on the left bank of the Red River, close to the tract we travelled through last year. Because it was low-lying, it appealed little to either of us at that time, but this side of the river is higher and, as we see it, better suited to farming as well. We are located on the Scratching River as a group of thirty-one families, leaving sixty families with Brother Toews on the other side, along with the Bergthaler congregations. Funk had been a member of the 1873 delegation as well.

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List of Original 31 Families No. Family Size Kinship Move

1 David K.Klassen 7 Aganetha S. Brandt delegate

2 Cornelius E. Eidse 4 1st w. Katherina Klassen son-in-law

3 Jacob M. Kroeker 5 Maria Klassen son-in-law

4 David B. Klassen 2 Helena Reimer son

5 Heinrich Loepp Friesen 2 Anna Klassen son-in-law

6 Gerhard T. Siemens 4.5 Aganetha Klassen son-in-law

7 Klaus R.Brandt 4 Margaretha Friesen wife's nephew

8 Heinrich Brandt Friesen 5.5 Helena S. Friesen wife's nephew

9 Johan S. Janzen 3.5 Margaretha Penner wife's 1st cousin Nebraska 1875

10 Isaac W. Loewen 3 Elizabeth S. Janzen wives 1st cousins

11 Heinrich Harms Ratzlaff 2.5 Aganetha S. Janzen wives 1st cousins Nebraska 1875

12 Jacob F. Friesen 2nd wife Marg (nee Loewen) Braun 7 children below

13 Johann T. Friesen 3 Anna D. Warkentin

14 Jacob T. Friesen 3.5 Elizabeth Rempel

15 Abraham T. Friesen 2 Cornelia Harms Hochstadt

16 Peter H. Dueck 4 Margaretha T. Friesen

17 Rev. Peter M. Kroeker 3 Margaretha Braun

18 Franz Froeze 3.5 Anna Braun

19 Gerhard W. Harms 2 Maria Braun

20 Anna (Harms) Dueck Ratzlaff 1 1 daughter 2 sons

22 Martin Warkentin 4 Anna H. Dueck

21 Franz Wiens 4.5 Elizabeth Neumann Nebraska 1876

23 Peter Buller 4 Anna Wiens Nebraska 1876

24 Abraham Eidse 4 1 son in list

25 Johan Sawatsky Harms 3.5 Margaretha W. Loewen Nebraska 1875

26 Peter Sawatsky Harms 2 Anna L. Friesen Nebraska 1875

27 David Hiebert 2 Margaretha L. Friesen Nebraska

28 Rev. Abraham Klassen 7 Helena Martens Kansas

29 Jacob Toews 6 Katherina Wiens North Dakota

30 David Unrau 7 Helen ?

31 Peter Jost 7.5 Kansas

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On August 14, David Klassen, his extended family, and several other families arrived on the banks of the Scratching River. Many years later his youngest daughter Aganetha shared this story of their coming with her own children. The Klassens had travelled with a wagon pulled by a team of oxen that contained all their earthly possessions. The women all wept as David announced that they had arrived home. It was unbearably hot and the mosquitoes were vicious. After about twenty minutes he firmly told them that they had cried enough and it was time to make waffles. His boys were directed to make a fire while the women made the mix and David walked about checking for feed and water for the livestock.

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The Klassens and many other families lived in tents the rest of the summer while putting up feed for the cattle. The Klassens wisely decided to move to Winnipeg for the 1st winter while others built semlins in Rosenort to winter in. David encouraged his family to learn English during their time in Winnipeg and set up a milk delivery business to give them an income.

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The next spring, 1875, David Klassen built a large residence in accordance with Russian standards. It was located on the southeast part of NW 20-5-1E in the center of the village of Rosenhoff along the east side of the Scratching River. Klassen and his family lived on a strip of land that was 4 miles long and 330 feet wide of which the total acreage was 160. The first bridge in Rosenhoff was built in 1876. This bridge was controversial at the time because it gave Klassen access to his farmland across the river. The homestead registered to David Klassen Sr. in Prov. Archives was NW 21-5-1E in August 17, 1874. The patent was given in 1884. It is interesting that "all males took out homesteads but many did not even know which 1/4 section it was because they preferred to settle in a rural type of village to preserve their way of life." He also purchased NE 21-5-1E on Sept. 22, 1877, and it was patented in 1878. On Dec 20, 1879, Klassen sold 160 acres at $3 per acre to John Loewen also of Rosenhof. Lot 22 lay on sections 19, 20, 21, and 22. Fences, plowed land, and a shepherd's cottage were included. The loan was to be paid in 2 or 3 years at a rate of 4% interest.

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In 1875 there was a grasshopper plague in Manitoba and the Herald of Truth reported in Oct 1875 that, Thirty families of those who came over last year and settled on Scratching River, escaped the ravages of the grasshoppers and have a good crop of grain." In Jan 1876 the Heral of Truth reads as follows: "From Manitoba.-Bro. David Klaasen under the date of Dec. 2nd, writes us from Scratchen, Manitoba, as follows; "The weather here is very fine; though on the 30th of November the Thermometer fell to 26 degrees. (We suppose this was Reaumur's Thermometer, on which zero is the freezing point.) Yesterday it was only 10 degrees and today it is still less. We have good sledding and are engaged in hauling wood. We bought a tract of timber on the Red River, and each family pays $1.00 a year, which affords us very cheap fuel. Otherwise we are well satisfied in our new home. We, of course, could not raise much on the newly ploughed soil, but with the second ploughing the ground becomes very mellow, and we trust God in his mercy will give us a plentiful harvest, for without his blessing all our efforts are in vain."

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In the spring of 1881, Klassen seeded 33.5 acres to wheat - 6668 bushels, 32.5 acres to oats - 1308 bushels, 1/4 acre to barley - seven bushels. December 1881 Abram F. Reimer notes that Klassen sold his homestead "Feuerstelle" to his grandson, David Friesen, in return for every 3rd bushel harvested. That same year David Klassen and the KG of Manitoba experienced a deep church split as many families joined the Holdeman faith including David's son, Abraham. At first, the relationships were broken but in time they were restored. In October of 1883, David sold the farm to Isaac Loewen for $2000.00 ( NW 21-5-1E). Since the Kleine Gemeinde still did not endorse loans (owe no man anything but to love one another) he extended the credit himself. According to RM of Morris Taxation records, by 1887 the NE-21-5-1E was owned by John Loewen.

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The Briefbuch of David Klassen

David served as the Schultz (mayor) of Rosenhoff while Heinrich Ratzlaff took on that role in Rosenort. David Klassen also carried the responsibility of being the Brandaeltester (fire insurance manager) from 1875-1881. For this task, he kept a record book known as a Brandbuch. Later he also used this book to record several notes and letters (eight that have been translated in Plett - Pioneers and Pilgrims) that he or his wife wrote to various people.

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The first letter dated March 30, 1888, was written to Lord Pollensky (judiciary advisor of Tiegenhof, Prussia) who was investigating the settlement of the Regina(Bergman) Thiessen and Helena Bergman estate - David's ½ sisters. Klassen's reply was carefully worded, respectful, and well thought out. It indicates a man used to dealing with legal matters and government officials and contains some genealogical information.

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The second letter written to cousin Jacob Klassen (1832-1898) in Nebraska seemingly responds to correspondence regarding the ban in cases of marriage with in-laws. Several ongoing cases are mentioned and Menno Simon's writings, the Danzig letter, and Scripture have all been examined to determine whether to enforce the ban or not. Klassen's opinion is that the ban should not have been placed on H(einrich) Eidse who married his late wife's sister. He admits that many old men have missed the mark late in life and that he could be in error. He mentions two recent deaths including their mutual cousin Johann Klassen (1814-1887) and then proceeds to do some lamenting. Klassen is praying for renewal in a time of spiritual drought. The good old days, he seems to say, were better than the present. He believes that church members ought to honor each other more and that love has been replaced with disrespect and lack of mutual trust. He encourages less judgmental attitudes and more love between the brotherhood and church leadership. Klassen's letter shows a man of aging wisdom who has journeyed far spiritually and longs for peace and harmony.

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The third letter, written to his nephew in Nebraska, Peter Brandt, addresses the issue of a forthcoming church split. He refers to a problem with Aeltester Abram Friesen. He cautions Peter regarding a split and encourages a forgiving attitude based on true repentance by Friesen. He expresses a longing for the beginning of eternal life in heaven and indicates he is feeling his age.

Letter 4 addresses Peter Brandt again and his idea of joining Ohm Peter's Gemeinde. Klassen warns against having a divisive spirit. Brandt will recognize this spirit in that he will prefer to hear bad about others or will attribute only evil to the opposing party. Klassen goes on to call it apostasy for anyone Gemeinde or church group to call itself the only Church of God. He uses a quotation from Martyrs Mirror that says all churches, big or small, obedient to the gospel in faith and walk are the Church of God. There is a strict warning about jealousy and wishing evil on Friesen's church and Brandt is encouraged to pray for "the brethren left behind" Love them! Brandt temporarily joined the Isaac Gemeinde(EMB) and later rejoined the KG.

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In letter 5 to another nephew, A. Enns of Nebraska, Klassen warns of a need for clear vision in a time filled with false teachings. He acknowledges that the Kleine Gemeinde don't pray enough "without ceasing" but stands firm on the need for private personal prayer instead of all the new ways. Klassen also reminds his nephew that criticism of occasional and various weaknesses in the Gemeinde should be kept in a historical perspective, acknowledgment of the 1800-1900 years since the church began. He says that every individual has unique gifts from God and each individual will shine in different ways. A gentle, firm reminder that looking back and learning from the past will reveal the truth, not faultfinding.

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Letter 6 contains no indication to whom this writing is addressed to however Klassen speaks to the issue of marriage with in-laws. Klassen believes in the complete authority of Scripture - both Old and New Testaments. He states that all O.T. Laws are linked with the Gospel and the new covenant. Klassen renounces a decision in Danzig (1781) by the two Epps who banned two couples with varying circumstances. He is upset that no Scripture was used nor any "ancient authorities." Klassen believes that marriage with a sister-in-law is all right if the 1st wife is dead, however, a marriage to a stepdaughter should be placed under the ban. He backs up his beliefs with Scripture references. A note of sarcasm is detected in that he says none of the ministers who married the couples (Danzig 1781) were placed under the ban for their involvement - just the couples.

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Letter 7 is addressed to William Hespeler. This letter carries a tone of equality, respect, confidence, and friendship. For twenty-one years Klassen and Hespeler have worked together on behalf of the Mennonite villagers. Klassen asks for Hespeler to mediate on behalf of the village with two delegates for ownership of southwest quarter of the School section (1895).

In all these letters, Klassen shows his wise leadership. He works well with worldly leaders and treats them with respect. He counsels his nephews earnestly and defends his beliefs.

A memo in the Briefbuch mentioned family information. On the 28th of February 1885, his sister Regina Thiessen (nee Bergman) died at Furstenau. Helena Bergman died before her. His sister Maria and he were the sole heirs.

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Two Anecdotes

David Klassen loved horses very dearly. One day he went to Winnipeg to pick up a load of wood. When he had finished other business and returned to the horses and his wagon he noticed one horse had a dislocated front shoulder. David took it to a doctor who immediately advised him to shoot it. David was not satisfied with this advice and found a veterinarian in Winnipeg for a second opinion. The doctor suggested that he and David would both climb onto the horse's shoulder and jump on it. They did so and the shoulder popped back into place. Klassen left the horse in Winnipeg to heal for two weeks and when he returned it was in perfect health. He decided to return to the first doctor and make him apologize for his poor advice.

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David Klassen had a dry wit and one of his favorite gardening tidbits was passed on through the generations. "One should only plant by the moon, if you lived on the moon -I plant in the earth - not the moon." From historical records, it would still seem he had a green thumb.

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Material Culture

David gave grandson Abram K. Eidse his treasured "Lander Fibel" geography book which dates back to the early 1840s. The book cover is made of 1/8 inch wood, which is cracked and badly worn. Klassen told his grandson that because of that book he had always hoped to go to North America. It contains maps of most of the main countries of the world including one of Canada that suggests Quebec is the capital. The ruling monarchs listed include Czar Nikolaus I of Russia, Wilhelm I of Prussia, Isabella II of Spain and Pope Gregory XVI. Almost each of the 28 pages contains a colored map and writeup. It measures 6X41/2 inches and owned by Dick B. Eidse - Rosenort. David Klassen's chest is now in the Steinbach Mennonite Museum.

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In 1946 a photo of the David Klassen Wirtschaft in Heuboden, Borosenko in the possession of grandson Abram K. Eidse was lent out and never returned. It was a large photo 8X14. To the best of Tina Eidse Loewen's memory, the photo showed a long 2-story barn with many small windows at the left with a huge white two-story house facing front attached. They joined at a right angle to form a courtyard. From the right- hand side of the house a 3 1/2-4 foot brick fence extended for a long distance. Behind the fence lay the garden and magnificent orchard filled with dozens of fruit trees. In the foreground in the courtyard was a horse buggy. It was explained that the barn had always been filled with the best horses and that the brick fence had been used by the youth to sit on and visit on Sunday afternoons following the church service hosted in the great room at the Klassens. A smaller photo of the same Wirtschaft is known to have been in someone's possession or possibly published in a German newspaper since this one was an enlargement of the same. If anyone in the readership has an unidentified photo similar in nature feel free to contact Tina for help in identification.

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Retirement and Death

David Klassen took the time to teach grandson Abram Eidse how to skate in his retirement years and also told him many stories of yesteryear. According to the A.F. Reimer diary, Klassen also took the time to visit the East Reserve several times. On Oct. 18, 1882, he ventured to Neuanlage where his son Peter lived and Aug. 29-Sept.3, 1883 visited various villages such as Gruenfeld and Neuanlage. He stayed overnight at the A.F. Reimers at least one night and took the time to visit the aged Peter Penners as well as his children.

In 1888, he retired to Jacob Klassens and during this time rented his home to son Abraham. He wrote that in his 75th year of life he could feel his life force weakening. In November of 1895, David and Aganetha's former home and barn burned to the ground because some young children had been carelessly playing with fire. His grandson abandoned the farmyard shortly after that. David repossessed it and then sold it for $800 to his sons, Abraham and Jacob. Each inherited 80 acres.

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David and Aganetha had lived through many sorrows and joys pioneering together. It is evident she is distressed as she wrote a letter to her sister-in-law Maria saying that her mind is weakening and that her beloved husband was sick with severe diarrhea and had urine like blood all winter. This letter was recorded in the Briefbuch but was not dated. David Klassen died on October 12, 1900. He lies buried near the site of a new memorial cairn in the heart of Riverside (Rosenhoff) with his wife. Aganetha moved in with her children the Abram E. Eidses upon his death and passed away at their home four years later.  

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Summary

David Klassen lived a very full life. He experienced two church splits - one in 1866 that divided the Kleine Gemeinde church in half and the other one in 1882. In the second split, he saw some of the original group that he had led away from Russia and across the ocean, turn away from KG teachings and follow the teachings of a dynamic man named John Holdeman. Even some of his own family forsook his church. During his lifetime of eighty-seven years, he was a citizen of three countries all ruled by the monarchy: Prussia (twenty years), Russia (forty years), and Canada (twenty-six years). He was involved in two dramatic migrations: one as a mere youth on horseback and the other as a 60-year-old leader who traversed the ocean three times. He also had the great sorrow of burying nine of his own children before he reached old age.

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It is noteworthy that although he was never elected into the ministry, one son, three sons-in-law, and two grandsons were elected as ministers, and two of the sons-in-law also served as Aeltesters. Currently, on the Rosenort E.M. Church membership list, there are no offspring carrying the Klassen surname, although the majority of people in membership are listed among his descendants. A local businessman carrying on the Klassen surname is Barry Klassen, of Barry's Plumbing and Heating and a descendent well known to the East Reserve is Henry Klassen, the long-time Mission Director of the E.M.C. All that remains of the Klassen homestead is a stand of trees near the Morris (Scratching) River.

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If David could have left a word of testimony to his offspring perhaps these words that he wrote in 1888 would be fitting. "I notice that my life force is weakening. My spiritual strength is declining as well. Therefore it is important to lay a good foundation, in as much as one receives grace and mercy from God; for if a person has not applied themselves with diligence and work in their early years, it will not be the case in their old age. The same is true in the spiritual dimension. Young people should not think they can postpone things to old age. One should not bury the half talent in the earth which the Lord has given us, for He is coming, and will require it back with interest."

 

Main credits for research in this article go to Delbert F. Plett: Steinbach, Manitoba; Furrows in the Valley, ed. Lenore Eidse, Morris; the Abraham F. Reimer Diaries, translated by Ben Hoeppner.

 

 

David B. Klassen (Rosenort-Rosenhoff village surveyor, teacher, delegate's son, and his wife Helena nee Reimer. This is not David the delegate... (image to come)

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