©Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Last updated April 4, 2003)


  • Jacob Goossen


    Retrieval numbers: photograph collection number 578

    Title: Jacob Goossen Family fonds
    Dates: 1900-1972 , predominant 1900-1930
    Extent: 35 b&w photographs
    Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives

    Historical note

    Jacob Johann Goossen (1858-1920) was the owner of the large and prosperous Wintergruen estate 30 verst (about 20 miles) from the village of Schoensee, Molotschna Colony. He married Aganetha Kaethler (1861-1946) in 1884. She was the daughter of Johann Kaethler (1830-1889) from the village of Grossweide, Molotschna. Jacob and Aganetha had thirteen children, seven of which survived early childhood. In 1906 the family took a first class holiday to Europe and the USA to avoid difficulties in Russia immediately after the Russo-Japanese War. They visited family and friends in North America and returned to Wintergruen in June 1907. The family continued to live at the estate until October 1918 when they left for their own safety. On December 10, 1918 the estate was pillaged by Machno bandits. 1922 daughter Maria Goossen left Russia to join her fiancé A.A. Friesen (Abraham A. Friesen) (1885-1948) in Canada who was a prominent member on the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization. This board was responsible for helping over 20,000 Mennonites emigrate from Russia to Canada in the 1920s. On June 21, 1924 Aganetha and her remaining children in Russia (with the exception of the oldest daughter Aganetha (Friesen) Willms who was exiled to Siberia) sold their last cow, the little furniture they had, and boarded a train in Lichtenau, Molotschna immigrating to Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan. After Maria (Goossen) Friesen died in 1934 A.A. Friesen married Maria's sister Helena in 1935. Friesen resigned from the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization in 1926. In 1927 he began as the business manager for the Meilicke Lumber Company. He died in 1948 in Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan and his second wife Helena (Goossen) died in 1985. For more information on the Goossen family see Daydreams & Nightmares; Life on the Wintergruen Estate, by Helena Goossen Friesen.

    Scope and content note

    This fonds consists of 35 photographs, mostly taken in Russia, of the Goossen family, extended family, and of the Wintergruen estate. The photos are of high quality and show a wealthy Mennonite family in Russia. Included is a rare photograph of the interior of the Schoensee Mennonite Church.

    Index terms

    Subject terms

  • Goossen, Jacob, 1858-1920
  • Goossen, Aganetha (Kaethler), 1861-1946
  • Friesen, Abraham A., 1885-1948

    Creators

  • Jacob Goossen

    Adjunct descriptive data

    Finding aids

    Finding aid consists of a file list

    Related material in this repository

    Abraham A. Friesen fonds (A.A. Friesen).

    Notes

    Custodial history

    These photos were owned by Maria Goossen and Helena Goossen. After Helena's death in 1985 they became the property of Maria's oldest daughter Aganetha (Friesen) Enns (1923-1989). After her death Aganetha's husband, John Enns of Lowe Farm, Manitoba donated them to the archives in November 2002.

    Restrictions on access

    No restrictions

    Other notes

    Accession numbers: 2002-155
  •                 Collection 578         Jacob Goossen Family fonds

    578:1             Directors and teachers of the Halbstadt Commerce School. - 1915. - 28.5 x 21.5

                         cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of (Die Lehrer und das Directorium der Halbstädter Kommerzschule) the directors and

                         teachers of the Halbstadt Commerce School in the Molotschna Colony.  The 18 men are posing for a photo

                         outside of a brick building.  The men in the directors are seated in the front row and the teachers are

                         standing in the back row.  Front row (l-r) Heinrich Schroeder, B. Neufeld, D. Dück, Jacob Sudermann,

                         Director Ziegler, Joahnn Willms, Klassen, Jacob Willms, Heinrich Franz.  Back row: Herman Dyck, Peter

                         Letkemann, Kulisenin, Abraham A. Friesen, Kritzkij, Russian orthodox priest, Benjamin H. Unruh, Ostrow,

                         Furnier.  This photo with the cardboard frame is 42 x 31 cm and will be placed in the oversized collection. 

                         This photo is identified in "Als Ihre Zeit Erfüllt War", p. 71.

    578:2             Farming operation at the Wintergruen estate. - 1900. - 39 x 29 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of 21 teams of oxen and horses seeding and ploughing the land on the Wintergruen estate

                         owned by Jacob Goossen.  Goossen is sitting in his buggy with his matching team of horses on the far right

                          hand side of the photo.  The teams are lined up in four rows and have stopped to pose for a photo.  With

                         each working team is a man guiding the team.  The land is flat with a clump of trees in the distance on the

                         right hand side.  This photo is in a cardboard frame which is 43 x 31 cm and will be placed in the oversized

                         area.  This photo was used in the book "Daydreams & Nightmares", p. 18.

    578:3             Silver Wedding Anniversary of Jacob and Aganetha Goossen. - May 15, 1909. -

                         29 x 23 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of the Jacob Goossen family posing for a photo on the occasion of Jacob and Aganetha's

                         25th wedding anniversary.  Standing (l-r) Maria, Hans, Elise, Aganetha.  Seated: Helena, Jacob Goossen,

                         Aganetha Goossen, Anna.  The family is dressed in fine clothing and in a garden.  The clothing worn by the

                          females is very ornate. This photo is with a cardboard backing which is 35.5 x 28. 5 cm and will be placed

                         in the oversized section.

    578:4             Two Goossen brothers and their families. - June 15,   35 x 1906. - 25 x 20 cm

                         This photo is of the Jacob Goossen family with Jacob's brother Johann's family posing for a photo in

                         Henderson, Nebraska.  The note on the back of the photo states that after the end of Russian - Japanese

                         War and the first Russian Revolution (ca. 1905) they went back to Russia.  Second row from front is

                         Aganetha Goossen, Jacob Johann Goossen, [Johann Johann Goossen?].  This photo is on a cardboard

                         backing which is 35 x 28 cm.  The corners on the right hand side of the frame is damaged.  This photo will

                         be in the oversized section.

    578:5             Goossen siblings visiting. - 1907. - 22.5 x 17 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of Goossen siblings (two men and one woman) seated at a cloth covered small table on the

                         porch of a Russian Mennonite home.  From left to right is Gerhard P. Wall, Maria (Goossen) Wall, and

                         Johann Johann Goossen.  The walls lived in Tokmak, Molotschna, south Russia.  This photo is on a

                         cardboard backing which is 34 x 25 cm and will be placed in the oversized section.

    578:6             Goossen family gathering photo. - 1909?. - 35 x 28 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of a family gathering of the Goossen family with the tree siblings of Johann, Jacob and Maria.

                          Second row sitting is (l-r) Maria (Goossen) Wall, Gerhard P. Wall, Johann Goossen, Jacob Goossen,

                         Aganetha (Kaethler) Goossen.  The other people are presumably children of these three siblings.  The

                         photo may have been taken in Henderson, Nebraska.  This photo is a color photocopy on regular paper and

                         will be placed in the oversized section.

    578:7             Family photo in Henderson, Nebraska. - 1906. - 25 x 20 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of 11 members of a family sitting in front of a palm tree posing for a photograph with their

                         house in the background.  It is unclear who the people in the photo are. -- Note: this photo is mounted on a

                         cardboard which is 30 x 25 cm and will be placed in the oversized area.

    578:8             Silver Wedding anniversary of Gerhard P. and Maria Wall. - 1909. - 29 x 23 cm

                         This photo was taken on the occasion of the Gerhard P. Wall and Maria (Goossen) Wall silver wedding

                         anniversary.  The photo includes the Wall family members as well as Maria Wall's brother, Jacob Goossen's

                          family.  Far back row is Jacob Goossen.  Second row from front, seated fourth from left is Maria (Goossen)

                         Wall and Gerhard P. Wall.  There are two copies of this photo, copy 2 is on a card board backing which is

                         36.5 x 28 cm.  Both will be placed in the oversized area.


    578:9             Family photo of the Jacob Johann Goossen family. - 1900. - 26 x 20 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of the Jacob and Aganetha Goossen family.  The family members are posing in the garden on

                          the Wintergruen estate in South Russia.  All but the youngest 2 children are wearing black.  The photo was

                         taken on the occasion of the death of the [children's] aunt Maria Wall.  Back row (l-r) Maria, Aganetha,

                         Katharina.  Parents middle row: Aganetha (Kaethler) Goossen, Jacob Johann Goossen.  Front row: Anna,

                         Hans, Helene, Eliese.  This photo is on a card board backing which is 36 x 27.5 cm and will be placed in

                         the oversized area. -- Note: It is unclear which Maria Wall this was.  One Maria Wall (Jacob's sister) appears

                         in photos dated 1906 and 1909, after when this photo was taken.

    578:10           The Goossen Wintergruen Estate. - 1900. - 23 x 17 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of the house on the Wintergruen Estate owned by Jacob Johann Goossen.  In the foreground

                         is a flower garden, then a white picket fence with Jacob Goossen standing on the steps with two of his

                         children of his large brick home.  The home is made of brick and had numerous large windows with a fancy

                         entrance.  To the left is a carriage with a driver and 3 white horses.  To the right are 3 men standing.  This

                         photo is on a card board backing which is 30.5 x 25 cm and will be placed in the oversized area.

    578:11           Maria (Goossen) Friesen. - [192-]. - 11 x 17 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of Maria (Goossen) Friesen sitting on the steps of a house in Rabbit Lake, SK with her

                         daughters Neta and Helene. This photo is on a cardboard backing which is 20 x 25 cm.

    578:12           Interior of the Schönsee Mennonite Church in the Molotschna Col.. - . - 16 x 12 cm

                         This photo is of the interior of the Schönsee (Schoensee) Mennonite Church in the Molotschna Colony,

                         South Russia.  The photo is taken facing the pulpit.  There are two chairs behind the pulpit and a banner in

                         the background.  There is a [Thanksgiving?] display at the foot of the pulpit.  Also visible is the balcony on

                         the right hand side. This photo is on a cardboard backing which is 25 x 20 cm.

    578:13           Jacob Johann Goossen. - [190-]. - 15 x 20 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of Jacob Johann Goossen.  There is some discoloration at the top of the photo and

                         is an oval shape.

    578:14           Aganetha (Kaethler) Goossen. - [190-]. - 15 x 20 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of Aganetha (Kaethler) Goossen.  She is wearing a dark blouse with very fine and

                         detailed embroidery on it.  The photo is oval shaped.

    578:15           Abram A. Friesen. - [192-?]. - 7.5 x 10 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of Abram A. Friesen (A. A. Friesen).  He is wearing a suit jacket, vest polka-dot tie

                         and a high color shirt.  He has glasses, long moustache and small goatee.

    578:16           Maria (Goossen) Friesen. - [192-]. - 7.5 x 10 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of Helena Goossen.  Helena was the second wife of A.A. Friesen.  When Friesen's

                         first wife, Helena's sister Maria, died in 1934 Friesen married Helena Goossen

    578:17           Portrait of Jacob Johann Goossen. - 1900. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of Jacob Johann Goossen.  Note: this photo was used to make 578:13.

    578:18           Portrait of Aganetha (Kaethler) Goossen. - 1900. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of Aganetha (Kaethler) Goossen.  Note: this photo was used to make 578:14. 

                         Aganetha is wearing a dark blouse with fine embroidery on it.  Her hair is tied back and wears a dark hat also

                          with embroidery.

    578:19           Portrait of Elise Goossen. - [190-]. - 6.5 x 10.5 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of [Elise Goossen?].  She was born 1890 and married Henry Willms in 1920 and

                         moved to Winnipeg, MB.


    578:20           Portrait of Aganetha Goossen. - [190-]. - 5.5 x 5.5 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of [Aganetha Goossen?].  She was born 1885 and married David Willms and died in

                         1934 in Siberia.  This photo is on a cardboard backing which is 16 x 11 cm.

    578:21           Johann Goossen and Maria Schmidt. - [193-?]. - 8.5 x 12 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of Johann Goossen (seated) with his wife Maria Schmidt.

    578:22           Johann Goossen and Maria Schmidt. - [193-?]. - 8.5 x 12 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a wedding portrait of Johann Goossen with his wife Maria Schmidt.

    578:23           Family portrait. - 1909. - 12 x 9 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of a [family] in Russia.  The identification is poor.  The man back row: second from

                         left is also on the photo 578:8 and therefore the photo does relate to the Goossen family.  One way of

                         reading the identification on the back is:  back row: (l-r) ?, Peter Neufeld, Aganetha (Neufeld) Janzen,

                         Wilhelm Janzen.  Front row: Anna Neufeld, Marichen Janzen, Frau Sperling, Anna Janzen.  The people in

                         the photo are very well dressed with three of the women wearing large hats.

    578:24           Girls posing for a photo. - [190-]. - 8 x 12 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of five girls [teenagers?] posing for a photo.  They are all wearing dark dresses, some with

                         collars and their hair done.  Back row far right is Helena Goossen who later married A.A. Friesen.

    578:25           Maria Goossen. - 1907. - 6.5 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of Maria Goossen.  The caption on the back reads für J.J. Goossen  ? Von .

                         Goossen 1907.

    578:26           Elise Goossen. - 1910. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a side portrait of Elise Goossen at the age of 20.

    578:27           Unidentified man. - [191-?]. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a side portrait of an unidentified man wearing a suite, vest, and polka-dot tie, glasses and a

                         moustache.  The man is in his [30s?] and has a receding hair line.

    578:28           Unidentified man. - [191-?]. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of an unidentified man wearing a suite, vest, and tie, and pocket watch.  The man is

                         in his [30s?] and has light hair.

    578:29           Unidentified woman. - [192-?]. - 9 x 13 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of an unidentified woman wearing a simple dress, and a necklace that has three

                         individual stones attached to it.

    578:30           Portrait of Abraham A. Friesen. - [189-]. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of A.A. Friesen.  He is wearing a dark jacket with a high collar, and large buttons

                         down the front.  He also has a long fine moustache.

    578:31           Portrait of Abraham A. Friesen. - [190-]. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of A.A. Friesen.  He is wearing a dark suite jacket with a vest and polka-dot tie.  The

                         shirt has a high collar.  He also has a long fine moustache and is wearing glasses.

    578:32           Portrait of Abraham A. Friesen. - [191-]. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of A.A. Friesen.  He is wearing a dark suite jacket with a vest and dark tie.  The shirt

                         has a high collar.  He also has a long fine moustache and is wearing glasses.


    578:33           Portrait of Abraham A. Friesen. - 1918. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is a portrait of A.A. Friesen.  He is wearing a dark suite jacket with a vest and dark tie.  The shirt

                         has a high collar.  He also has a moustache and is wearing glasses.

    578:34           Portrait of Helena Janzen. - [191-?]. - 7 x 11 cm [b&w].

                         This photo is of Helena Janzen, daughter of Jacob Janzen and Helena Martens.  Helena Janzen married

                         Jacob Wiebe who was a Knochenartz (bone setter or chiropractor) in Lichtfelde, Molotschna. She has two

                         dark ribbons in her hair on either side of her head.  She is wearing a dark dress with a very fine lace wide

                         collar.  She also has a necklace.

    578:35           Helena (Goossen) Friesen. - 1972. - 13 x 18 cm [col].

                         This photo is of Helena Friesen who is looking at a book.  Helena was the second wife of Abraham A.

                         Friesen (A.A. Friesen).  They got married in 1935 after Friesen's first wife, Helena's sister Maria, died in

                         1934.  The photo is a bit faded and yellowed.