© Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Last updated 28 May 2014)

Ens, Gerhard G.H.,1893-1990

Retrieval numbers: Volumes 4134, 5559, 5579-5580, photo collection 271

Title:Gerhard G.H. Ens Collection
Dates:1919-1963
Extent: 28 cm of textual material
Extent: 5 photographs

Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives

Historical note

Gerhard G.H. Ens was born October 31, 1893 in the village of Nikolaipol, of the Jasykowo colony in south Russia to Gerhard Ens (1867-1949) and Margaretha Rempel (1871-1955). Shortly after the birth of Gerhard the family moved to the village of Gnadental in the Baratov Colony. Here Gerhard grew up and received his early education. He traveled to his birth town to for higher education in the Zentralschule. Here Ens also was baptised and became a full member of the Mennonite church. During the Great War he performed alternative service serving in the medical corpse.
After the war Gerhard Ens took a teaching job in the colony of Arkadak where he stayed from 1917-1920. On September 26, 1921 he married Helena Sawatzky (1893-1994) and together they had eleven children. During the years 1921-1923 Gerhard devoted much of his time to the emigration effort on behalf of the residents of the Baratovo Colony. The family immigrated to Manitoba in 1923. Upon arriving in Altona, Manitoba Ens found work with several farmers of the area. Soon the family was reunited with the larger Ens clan settling in nearby Reinland. He became a founding member of the Blumenorter Mennonite church and the Reinland Jugendverein. He served many years as the recording secretary as well as Sunday school teacher, and sang in the village choir
In response to the 1930s depression, drought, and collapse of the church run Waisenamt, farmers sought other ways to ensure financial stability through the power of collective buying and selling. Jacob J. Siemens was at the forefront of the Cooperative movement that saw cooperatives formed across Western Canada. Gerhard Ens was active in a number of cooperative ventures. These included CO-OP Prairie canners Ltd., Sunrise CO-OP, Winkler, Reinland Co-operative Dairy Society Ltd., Pembina Cooperative Canners Limited. Ens also served in para-church organizations such as Bethel Hospital Society, Winkler, Mennonite Sanatorium of Manitoba (Eden Mental Health) Canadian Mennonite Relief and Immigration Council, Manitoba Hilfskomittee (Mennonite Relief and Immigration Committee of Manitoba), and the Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI). He was also an infrequent correspondent in the periodical Der Bote. In his roles Ens usually took the role of secretary or treasurer. A number of Ens’ children continued his example of community leadership and teaching including Gerhard, Adolf, Henry, Helen, Abe, and Werner. Gerhard G.H. Ens died in Winkler on July 2, 1990.

Scope and content note

This collection consists of minutes, reports and finances from many of the organizations Ens worked with and shows the populous support for the cooperative movement and for relief work in the Mennonite communities in Southern Manitoba.

Index terms

Creators

Ens,Gerhard G.H., 1893-1990

Rempel, P.A.

Adjunct descriptive data

Finding aids

Inventory File list available.

Notes

Custodial history

This material has been deposited with the archives in at least two separate occasions. Photos of the MCI were deposited in 1987 and some papers came via Ens’ son Adolf in 2011. The Mennonite Collegiate Institute materials have been filed with the institutional fonds.

Language

English, German, Russian

Arrangement

Described by Conrad Stoesz June 29, 2012, updated May 28, 2014.

Restrictions on access

None

Related Materials

Mennonite Collegiate Institute fonds, Blumenorter Mennonite Church fonds, Gerhard Ens fonds

Other notes

Acc. no. 1987-173, 2011-061

Inventory file list:

VOLUME 3931 Gerhard G.H. Ens fonds

9. Sermons and presentation of G.G.H. Ens and P.A. Rempel. -- 1954.

10. Radio sermons of G.G.H. Ens and P.A. Rempel. -- 1957.

VOLUME 4134 Gerhard G.H. Ens fonds

  1. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd., reports, financial statements, board minutes. – 1959.
  2. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd., reports, financial statements, board members. – 1960.
  3. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd., reports, financial statements, board minutes. – 1961.
  4. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd., miscellaneous items. – [196-?].
  5. Various minutes, lists and other documents relating to the emigration in 1923 of the Baratov-Schlachtin settlements. – 1919-1923.
  6. Various minutes, lists and other documents relating to the emigration in 1923 of the Baratov-Schlachtin settlements (in Russian and in German). – 1919-1923.
  7. Sunrise CO-OP, Winkler finances. -- 1941-1950.
  8. Reinland Co-operative Dairy Society, "The Companies Act" returns. -- 1937-1951.
  9. List of shareholders in the Reinland Co-operative dairy Society LTD. -- 1939-1940.
  10. Reinland Co-operative dairy Society tax returns. -- 1938-1953.
VOLUME 5559 Gerhard G.H. Ens (1893-1990) Collection
  1. Protokolle der Jahresversammlungen von Manitoba Hilfskomittee (Mennonite Relief and Immigration Committee of Manitoba). -- 1947-1960
  2. Canadian Mennonite Relief Committee minutes, reports and finances. -- 1952-1960.
  3. Protkolle und berichte der vertreter versammlungen des Mennonitischen Hilfswerk von Manitoba. -- 1962-1963.
  4. Mennonite Relief and Immigration committee of Manitoba clothing depot correspondence and reports. -- 1961-1962
  5. Canadian Mennonite Relief committee minutes, reports and finances. -- 1952-1960.
  6. Canadian Mennonite Relief and Immigration Council minutes, reports and correspondence. -- 1957-1962.
  7. Canadian Mennonite Relief and Immigration Council minutes, reports. -- 1961-1962.
  8. Canadian Mennonite Relief and Immigration Council (CMRIC) and Mennonite Central Committee Canada (MCC Canada) minutes and correspondence. -- 1963-
VOLUME 5579 Gerhard G.H. Ens (1893-1990) Collection
  1. Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba finances. -- 1966-1968.
  2. Winkler Credit Union Society annual reports. -- 1951.
  3. Stanley Consumers Cooperative Limited financial statements. -- 1950.
  4. Pembina Cooperative Canners Limited Financial statements. -- 1947-1950.
  5. Reinland Co-operative Dairy Society finances. -- 1938-1956.
  6. Co-op prairie Canners Ltd. Reports, minutes, finances. -- 1957-1958.
  7. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd. Financial statements and reports. -- 1961.
  8. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd. Financial statements and reports. -- 1960.
  9. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd. report to shareholders. -- 1959.
  10. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd. Financial statements. -- 1960.
  11. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd. Draft Financial statements. -- 1960.
  12. Co-op Prairie Canners Ltd. Report to members. -- 1960.
  13. Sunrise Co-op Reinland minutes. -- 1946-1948.
  14. Sunrise Cooperative Limited minutes, correspondence and legal documents including windup papers. -- 1949-1954.
  15. Sunrise Consumers Cooperative Limited, Winkler statements of capital stock and patronage dividend. -- 1942-1950.
VOLUME 5580 Gerhard G.H. Ens (1893-1990) Collection
  1. Konstitution der Mennonitischen Schulvorsteherkonvention. -- [19-4-?].
  2. Geschichtspunkte fur die Sammlung und Sichtung des in unsern Mennonitischen
  3. Dorfern vorhandenene historischen Material. -- 1921.
  4. Die Grafschaft, Part II. Daily devotional calendar, second quarter/ Jacob H. Janzen. -
  5. - 1943.
  6. Die Grafschaft, Part III. Devotional calendar, third quarter/ Jacob H. Janzen. -- 1943.
  7. Die Grafschaft IV. Devotional calendar, fourth quarter/ Jacob H. Janzen. -- 1943.
  8. Matchbook, for Lisgar, Social Credit candidate George Loeppky. -- [196-?].
  9. Morgenstern. -- 1937-1939.
  10. Für unsere Kinder. -- December 25, 1938.
  11. Kleine Jugendbote. -- 1933, 1935, 1940
  12. Gottesbrunnlein. -- January 1, 1939.
  13. Bethel Hospital Society, Winkler financial statements and correspondence. -- 1947, 1954.
  14. Bethel Hospital Society by-laws. -- [194-?].
  15. Mennonite Sanatorium of Manitoba (Eden Mental Health) minutes. -- 1960-1964.
    16. Canadian Mental Health Association, Manitoba division constitution, reports and
  16. Correspondence. -- 1961-1962.
  17. Reinland Jugendverein programs and minutes. -- 1940-1961.
Photo Collection Number: 271 G.G.H. ENS / P.A. REMPEL COLLECTION
  1. Mennonite Collegiate Institute - building. - 1908-1912. - . This photo is of the three MCI building known as the "biscuit box" 1908-1912.
  2. Mennonite Collegiate Institute - building. - 1912-1946. - . This photo is of the three story MCI building 1912-1946.
  3. Mennonite Collegiate Institute - blackboard. - . - . This photo is of a backboard at the MCI with teacher Heinrich H. Ewert's handwriting.
  4. A.G. Teichroeb. - . - . this photo is a portrait of teacher A.G. Teichroeb.
  5. Jacob H. Klassen family photo. - [193-?]. - 25 x 20 cm [b&w]. This photo is of the Jacob J. Klassen (1868-1947) and Margaretha Ens (1871-1958) adult children and spouses. This photo was given as a Christmas gift to Margaretha's brother Gerhard G.H. Ens family. Back row, second from left is Jacob H. Klassen. Middle row 3rd from left is Jacob H. Klassen's wife Maria Klassen. Front row second from left is Margaretha Klassen (nee Ens) and fourth from left is her husband Jacob J. Klassen.