© Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Last updated August 22, 2003)


  • Thiessen, Jacob Heinrich, 1830-1905


    Retrieval numbers: Volume 2765

    Title: Jacob Heinrich Thiessen family fonds
    Dates: 1876-1918 , predominant 1905-1918
    Extent: 5 cm of textual records
    Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives

    Historical note

    Jacob Heinrich Thiessen (1830-1905) was born to Heinrich Thiessen (1794-1859) and Margaretha Siemens (1799-1881) in the Molotschna Colony, South Russia. When Heinrich Thiessen died, land was divided among his children Jacob, Peter, and Johann Thiessen, Susanna Martens, Helena Wiens, Margaretha Klassen and Maria Heese. Jacob married Katharina Martens (1823-1885) on November 25, 1848 and lived the village of Schoenau, Molotschna Colony South Russia where he operated a successful mill in Ekaterinoslav. Katherina's first married was to Abraham Peters (1821-1847) Together Jacob and Katherina had nine children. After Katherina died Jacob Thiessen married Aganetha Epp (1858-1937) in 1883 in the Lichentau Mennonite Church. Together they had six children. Jacob died in 1905 without a will. The property was divided between two parties, his widow and his children. The children then each received equal amounts of the estate. In 1915 Aganetha bought 535 desiatins of land in the Ufa colony, north east of the Molotschna colony near the Ural Mountains. In 1924 she moved to Waterloo Ontario with her son Gerhard, his wife Katharina and daughter Hilda. She died in 1937 in Vineland, Ontario.

    Scope and content note

    This fonds contains legal documents related to the acquisition of Jacob Thiessen's estate, the division of his estate after his death in 1905 and acquisition of land by his widow Aganetha in 1915. Included are originals, photocopies, and some translations of the Russian documents into English. The materials show the distribution of land, inheritance practices, and a sense of life style of Mennonite landowners.

    Index terms

    Creators

  • Thiessen, Jacob Heinrich, 1830-1905
  • Thiessen, Aganetha (Epp), 1858-1937

    Adjunct descriptive data

    Finding aids

    Finding aid consists of a file list.

    Related material in this repository

    Peter Heese fonds. (Jacob Thiessen is the great uncle to Peter Heese and is mentioned in Heese's writings).

    Notes

    Custodial history

    The materials were brought to Canada with Aganetha Thiessen in 1925 and were passed through the family to her granddaughter Martha Thiessen, daughter of Gerhard Thiessen. Some of the materials were translated [199-?] and then donated to the archives in 2002.

    Physical description details

    Described by Conrad Stoesz August 11, 2003

    Language

    Russian and English

    Arrangement

    The materials have been numbered [when they were translated?]. There does not seem to be an order to them. Because the translations use this number to identify documents the arrangement was kept.

    Restrictions on access

    No restrictions on access

    Other notes

    Accession number: 2002-079.

    File List Volume 2765

    1. Translations of selected legal documents dealing with the distribution of assets of Henrich Heinrich Thiessen's estate (ca. 1876), Jacob Heinrich Thiessen's estate (ca. 1905) and the purchase of land by his widow (ca. 1915). -- 1876-1918.


    2. Photocopies of selected legal documents dealing with the distribution of assets of Henrich Heinrich Thiessen's estate (ca. 1876), Jacob Heinrich Thiessen's estate (ca. 1905) and the purchase of land by his widow (ca. 1915). -- 1876-1918.


    3. Legal documents dealing with the distribution of assets of Henrich Heinrich Thiessen's estate (ca. 1876), Jacob Heinrich Thiessen's estate (ca. 1905) and the purchase of land by his widow (ca. 1915). -- 1876-1918. -- Note: some of the originals have wax seals and stamps on them. On some papers they have been cut out.