©Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Last updated September 17, 2003)

  • Anna Sawatzky family fonds


    Retrieval numbers: Volume 5030

    Title: Anna Sawatzky family fonds
    Dates: 1905-1974 , predominant 1947-1965
    Extent: 12 cm of textual records
    Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives

    Historical note

    Anna Sawatsky (1892-1966) (born as Anna Funk) was the first born child to Heinrich P. Funk (1868-) and Maria Friesen (1869-) who lived near Gretna, Manitoba. She was baptized on May 12, 1913 in the Sommerfeld Mennonite Church and was married to John Sawatzky (1886- ) of Schoenhorst, Manitoba near Gretna in 1916. (John was born in Fargo, North Dakota.) John and Anna Sawatzky lived and and farmed near Rosenfeld, Manitoba in the Weidenfeld school district. Together they had five children -- Henry, Dora, David, John, and Anna. Anna Funk was a collector of poetry which she often used on special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, funerals and anniversaries. (After her death, John Sawatzky married Helen Friesen, nee Helen Hildebrandt.) Anna and John Sawatzky's daughter, Dora Sawatzky (1918-) was baptized on June 1, 1936 and became a member of the Sommerfeld Mennonite Church. She married Abram Friesen (1913-1963) in 1939 and they farmed in the Rosenfeld area. In his growing up years Abram Friesen attended school at the Zion public school northwest of Winkler, Manitoba. Abram and Dora Friesen had six children -- John, Henry, Dorothy, Mary, Amie, and David. At some point during their marriage they joined the Bergthaler Mennonite Church, centered in Altona, Manitoba. After Abram's death Dora married Abram Driedger (1898-1986) in 1969. Abram Driedger attended the private school in the Blumenhof northwest of Gretna in his younger years, 1905-1914.

    Scope and content note

    The materials in this fonds consists of eight diaries covering 18 years written by Anna Sawatzky (born Anna Funk) and some Mennonite private and public school textbooks used by Abram Friesen and Abram Driedger. The diaries are factual in nature showing little of the author's emotions but showing the activities of the author, immediate and extended family, the weather, and events taking place at church on Sunday morning. Also included is some poetry collected by Anna Sawatzky and a 29 page "Funk Familie Register". The diaries are an example of the life of an ordinary Southern Manitoba Mennonite housewife's life. The educational materials are an example of the kinds of resources the Mennonites used in their public and private school systems during the first two decades of the 20th century in Manitoba.

    Index terms

    Subject terms

  • Sawatzky, Anna, 1892-1966

    Creators

  • Anna Sawatzky family fonds

    Adjunct descriptive data

    Finding aids

    Finding aid consists of a file list.

    Notes

    Custodial history

    The materials (except for the textbooks) were passed from Anna Sawatzky to her son Henry and later to his sister Mrs. Dora Friesen. One of the textbooks was used by Mrs. Dora Friesen's first husband Abram Friesen and the other by her second husband Abram Driedger. Dora's son John Friesen donated it to the Mennonite Heritage Centre in 2003 on behalf of the family.

    Physical description details

    Described by Conrad Stoesz September 15, 2003.

    Language

    German and English

    Restrictions on access

    Any use of the material needs to be checked with the family. This is to be reviewed 2006 or earlier.

    Other notes

    Accession number: 2003-094.

    File List:

    Volume 5030.
    1. Mein Tage Buch/ Anna Sawatzky. -- 1947-1949.
    2. Mein Tage Buch/ Anna Sawatzky. -- 1953-1954.
    3. Mein Tage Buch/ Anna Sawatzky. -- 1955-1957.
    4. Mein Tage Buch/ Anna Sawatzky. -- 1959.
    5. Mein Tage Buch/ Anna Sawatzky. -- 1960-1962.
    6. Mein Tage Buch/ Anna Sawatzky. -- 1963.
    7. Mein Tage Buch/ Anna Sawatzky. -- 1964-1965.
    8. Anna Sawatzky autobiography. -- [ca. 1960].
    9. Two scribblers of poerty, stories, and songs collected by Anna Sawatzky. -- [194-?- 1964].
    10. Mennonite private school elementary reader with color pictures of animals. This was used in the Blumenhof private school northwest of Gretna by Abram Driedger. -- [between 1905-1914].
    11. Mennonite public school Deutsches Zweited Lesebuch and Schreib Lese Fibel used by Abram Friesen in the Zion school northwest of Winkler. -- [191-].
    12. Funk Familie Register/ Henry Funk. -- 1974. This register starts with Peter Funk 1799-1881 in Russia. -- 29 pages.
    13. Mein Tage Buch/ Anna Sawatzky. -- 1950-1952.