©Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Last updated May 12, 2004)

  • Heese, Peter, 1878-1947


    Retrieval numbers: Volumes 2138, 2249-2250, 5015:1. Photo collection number 586.

    Title: Peter Heese fonds
    Dates:1917-1947
    Extent: 17 cm of textual records and one photograph.
    Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives

    Historical note

    Peter Heese (1878-1947) was born to Heinrich Heese and Agatha Lepp in the city of Ekaterinoslav, South Russia. It was Peter's great grandfather Heinrich Heese (1787-1868) who converted from Lutheranism to the Mennonite faith. He moved from Prussia to the Russian city of Ekaterinoslav (Jekaterinoslaw) in 1808. Here he stayed with the Heinrich Thiessen family. He married Katharina Penner (1791-1833) in 1810. His son Heinrich Heese (1828-1883) married Maria Thiessen (1823-1896) in 1845 and had ten children together. One of them was Peter Heese (1852-1911). Peter's brother was Heinrich Heese (1846-1903) who married Agatha Lepp (1854-1884) in 1872 and had 3 sons. The second son was Peter Heese. Peter Heese (1878-1947) grew up in a well-to-do family who was a core family making up the Ekaterinoslav Mennonite Church. Other important families include the Toews, Suderman, and Esau families. Peter Heese married Katharine Toews (1878-1951) in 1901 who was also from a prominent family. Together they had three children, Alexander (1902-1964), Sergei (1904-), and Olga (1911-). In 1919 the family fled the city due to the attacks of bandits. The family immigrated to the Marion, Kansas area in 1922. In 1923 they immigrated to Elbow, Saskatchewan where they bought a farm. Later they moved to Steinbach, Manitoba where they ran a raspberry farm. Heese was a writer and some of his writings appeared in print such as the periodical Steinbach Post (eg. 10 June 1925 p. 1-2; 4 November 1925 p. 3).

    Scope and content note

    The material in this fonds consists of German handwritten manuscripts by Peter Heese and materials about his Heese relatives, namley uncle Peter Heese (1852-1911) and great-grandfather Heinrich Heese (1787-1868). The manscripts include novels and memoirs. The memoirs depicts Mennonite life in the city of Ekaterinoslav including the Mennonite church, the Russian revolution, a history of the Heese family, and Peter Heese's own expereines in Russia, immigration to North America, and settlement in Canada . Information about important Mennonite figures such as mill owner Johann Thiessen and the mayor of the Ekaterinoslav, Johann Esau, also appear in the material. Some of the documents have been fully translated by Jake K. Wiens, and others have summaries. This material is important when studying Mennonite life in uban centres, the Heese family and other prominent Mennonites of the area. The material is also unique because of the literary works produced by Heese. His eye for detail extends into the historical accounts as well as his literary works. Also included is Heese's obituary and ancestor chart.

    Index terms

    Creators

  • Heese, Peter, 1878-1947

    Adjunct descriptive data

    Finding aids

    Finding aid consists of a file list

    Notes

    Custodial history

    The first donation was the doucment about Mennonite Life in the city of Ekaterinoslav. The document was created by Peter Heese and a relative donated it to Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. Lawrence Klippenstein obtained a copy from Bethel and donated it to the Mennonite Heritage Centre. The second donation came from Peter Heese's grandson Henry Heese (son of Alexander Heese) of Surrey BC in 2003. One document "Die Geschichte der familie Heese in Russland" is addressed to grandson Henry. Centre volunteer translated and summarized the materials. Another donation came via the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Winnipeg which included materials about Peter Heese's uncle Peter Heese and the Heese patriarch Heinrich Heese (1787-1868).

    Physical description details

    Described by Conrad Stoesz July 26, 2002, updated August 22, 2003, May 12, 2004, August 27, 2007.

    Language

    German and English

    Restrictions on access

    No restrictions on access

    Other notes

    Accession number: 2002-057, 2002-122, 2003-088, 2004-034

    File List:

    Volume Number 2138

    1. Biographical Sketch by P.M. Friesen. -- [2003?]. -- 5 pages. Peter Heese (1852-1911) is the uncle to Peter Heese (1878-1947). -- Note: included is a genealogy chart of Peter Heese (1852-1947).
    2. Abschrift aus dem Tagebuch meines Urgrossvaters Heinrich Heese. -- 11 pages. Heinrich Heese (1787-1868) is the great grandfather to Peter Heese (1878-1947) and grandfather to Peter Heese (1852-1911).

    Volume Number 2249

    1. “Die Zeit und ich” (The Time and me) / Peter Heese. – 1935. – 4 notebooks: 565 pp. This manuscript consists of an autobiography including details of the economic and political environment of the life and times of the author.
    2. “Hans Kemp: Erzählung von Peter Heese” (Hans Kemp: As told by Peter Heese). This file consist of a novel based on Russian History set in October 1920 after the Civil War when refugees and White Army soldiers are attempting to escape Russia by boarding a ship for Constantinople. (The items in the file have been identified as draft 1, draft 2 and a typed copy of draft 2.)
    3. “Mary Bredfort: Novelle / von P.H. Heese” (Mary Bredfort: a novel / by P.H. Heese). – 75 pp. – 1927. Bredfort, a rich widow and 4 male companions at a health resort, etc. (This file contains a 75-page hand-written manuscript and a 48-page typewritten copy)

    Volume Number 2250

    1. "Die Geschichte der Familie Heese in Russland” (The History of the Heese Family in Russia). – written between 1944-1947 by Peter Heese (1878-1947) for his grandson, Heinrich Heese (1935- ). The file also contains a 1936 letter by Peter Heese to “Olgachen”, as well as a 4-page genealogical listing going back to Heinrich Heese I (1787-1868). (A full-translation of this file was done by Jake K. Wiens, MHC volunteer.)
    2. “Der velorene Sohn” (The Lost Son). – 6 pp; and, “Der Tod des Paatrioten” (The Death of a Patriot). – 4 pp. This file contains 2 short stories – the first about a son who leaves home following an argument with his father, spends all his money, and is about to commit suicide when he decides to see his mother, who facilitates a reconciliation; the other about several Russian White army patriots who flee from the Red Army and run out of all their ammunition.
    3. [untitled article] re. Grain trade in Russia before and after the 1917. – 12 pp.
    4. 7. “Kurzer Rückblick auf die Geschichte Russlands bis 1914” (A Brief Summary of Russian History to 1914). – 55 pp.
    5. Summary and translation of parts of the Peter H. Heese (1878-1947) manuscripts and papers/ Jake K. Wiens. -- 2003. Some are full translations (file #4), some are detailed summaries (file #1), and others are very short summaries (files 2,3, 5-7).

    Volume Number 5015:1

    1. Jekaterinoslaw [Ekaterinoslav] by Peter Heese. -- [194-?]. -- 193 pages. Jekaterinoslaw by Peter Heese, translated by Jake K. Wiens. -- 2002. -- 32 pages. This item tells the history of the Mennonites in the Russian city of Ekaterinoslav in the Ukraine.

    Photo Collection Number 586

    1. Portrait of Peter Heese. - [191-?]. - 13 x 18 cm [b&w]. This photo is a portrait of Peter Heese (1878-1947) as a young man. He is wearing a three piece suite, with a white shirt and tie and sitting on a chair. He has a groomed fine moustache and is leaning his head on his right hand posing for the photo. -- Note: this photo is a reproduction