Happy New Year! If you’re still here, THANK YOU. I have not gone away. This year you’ll certainly see more of Mennotoba. Beginning with a quick reflection upon reading one of the many historical publications that Andrew and I subscribe to. Onward!
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I’m not very good at marking time, nor milestones. I lose track of time a lot. These last few years I’ve been pretty focused on the 100th anniversary of many Russlaender families arriving in Canada, including my mother-in-law’s family, which was celebrated last summer with a big Enns gathering in Steinbach. And as I read this last issue of Mennonite Historian, I found myself reading about a Blatz family reunion, celebrating 150 years in Canada. And I realized I’d really missed an opportunity here. Many of the branches of my own family tree have also been here for 150 years, and I’ve completely overlooked it. It’s almost as if this was so long ago, it wasn’t even on my radar. I don’t know. Anyway, there was a significant article about this particular Blatz reunion. I’m a little bit in awe of the Blatz Reunion Committee and all they accomplished. Here are some of the details that I took note of:
The reunion lasted two days, at Lowe Farm Park. (Two days!)
They sold Blatz hats and T-shirts with a crest and slogan in Plautdietsch.
They sold Sunday supper tickets.
They handed out a Blatz immigration information booklet, fridge magnets, and name tags.
They found the original homestead and dug up six pails of dirt, which they put into 2-ounce jars and labeled them with name, land description, and location — they handed these out to the ones who helped fund this gathering.
They even booked MHA archivist Conrad Stoesz to speak on what their ancestors experienced when arriving in Canada in 1875.
All this to say… reading this really made me feel like I’d dropped the ball. I tried to count how many of my ancestors arrived in August 1874. It’s a lot. Twelve of my direct ancestors, all on my Grandpa Koop’s side, immigrated in 1874. I’ll have to look more carefully but I think they were all on the S.S. Austrian when that famous picture was taken at Fort Garry in Winnipeg:
Over the next few decades, there will be more 150-years-in-Canada milestones from other branches of my family tree. I’m not sure I’ll be any better at marking those either. But I’m glad families like the Blatzes can show us how it’s done.