[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Volhynian settlers in Friedensfeld, Manitoba

[Jerry Frank]

You will probably find info in the books of Trinity Lutheran in 
Winnipeg.  The pastor from there served a wide community of rural churches 
around the turn of the century and much of the info from those churches is 
recorded there.  I do not know if they will search the books for you but 
they used to allow access with a personal visit to the church.

As for civil records - you might find them in the Municipal Office in 
Steinbach.  Here's the secret.  I was there quite a few years ago and asked 
to see them.  I was advised that they had all been turned over to Vital 
Statistics in Winnipeg so none were available.  So I asked to see the land 
records instead which they readily agreed to, giving me full access to the 
vault and a table and chair to work at.  As I pulled the land records off 
the shelf, I noted another set of books behind them.  I pulled them out and 
discovered they were the civil records I had wanted!  Apparently they did 
not want to admit having them because they were supposed to be turned in to 
Winnipeg.  They gave me all the time I needed to browse through them.

A similar situation occurred for me at the Municipal Offices in Altona 
though they weren't as cagey about the process.  If I had not had the 
opportunity to browse through those books, I would never have known that my 
great grandfather even came to Canada.  I found his death record in Feb, 
1892, a few months after the family arrived there.  No other method of 
research would have turned him up.

I cannot guarantee that the books are still in Steinbach.  You may have to 
find a local person willing to go look for you.  Or find someone in 
Winnipeg willing to drive out and do it.




At 11:08 AM 19/01/2005, Peter Schmaltz wrote:
>I am looking for information on SCHMALTZs who emmigrated to Manitoba from
>Volhynia around 1898. Rose Ingram kindly provided me with a copy of a few
>relevant pages of Felix Kuehn's family records of the original GR villages
>of Manitoba that lists Heinrich Schmaltz and his family, as well as
>mentioning he died Nov. 18, 1901 in Friedensfeld. I am interested in
>confirming this as well as possibly learning more about where Heinrich was
>born and his parents' names.
>
>Based on background information about the Lutheran church in Friedensfeld
>found on http://www.mts.net/~afiebelk/1900-03.htm I contacted St. Paul's
>Lutheran Church regarding church records, but their archives only go back to
>1903. I have ordered copies of cemetery transcriptions from the Manitoba
>Genealogical Society and hope I will find something once those arrive. I've
>looked at the online Manitoba Vital Statistics website for 'registered
>deaths' and found nothing.
>
>Does anyone know where I might find church records for the Peace Lutheran
>Church from Friedensfeld around 1900-1903? Do records exist from this
>period, or are Felix Kuehn's notes perhaps the only surviving source?




Jerry Frank - Calgary, Alberta
FranklySpeaking at shaw.ca