Over a year ago, my mom told me about a cairn “somewhere near Morden” that was dedicated to my great-great-great-grandparents, Jacob and Maria (Fast) Braun. I posted about it, and someone informed me that it’s at Glencross.
I didn’t know anything about Glencross, but I do have a Manitoba Back Roads map and Glencross is on there, so I knew the vicinity to shoot for, at least.
I figured it’d be easy to just go to Glencross and see the cairn. But I didn’t! There are so many things to see and do when we visit the West Reserve that we simply ran out of time.
UNTIL NOW.
Yes! Finally — these are my own pictures from Glencross! (Okay, and Andrew’s.) And they’re from 2020! Not 2003 like the pic I used from my mom’s photo album in the aforementioned post.
I’m not sure if you can read all the names of their nine children listed on there, but I’m descended from their middle child, Isaac Braun and Aganetha Dyck. His brother Johann was two years older. According to this gravestone, Johann and his wife Anna lost their ten-year-old daughter Helena in 1905:
On the Braun cairn, you’ll see a chunk of text near the bottom. Here’s what it says:
To the memory of our pioneering ancestors, Jakob Braun and Maria Fast, to their nine children and their spouses, immigrants from South Russia, who nearly all came to Manitoba in 1875.
Jakob was first buried in the garden of his homestead, SE 1/4-S1-T2-P5W, at Osterwick. A few years later his remains were moved to the farm of his eldest daughter, Katharina, NE1/4-S16-T2-R5W. When Maria died in 1914 her remains were placed beside those of her husband.
I guess the cairn was placed here in Glencross because it’s somewhat nearby to the privately-owned location where Jacob was reburied.
I need to say something else about Glencross Cemetery: it’s beautiful! Located kind of on a hill, next to a forested ravine, I’ll definitely return.
Other posts about Jacob Braun:
Mysterious Tales from Osterwick
The REAL Osterwick Cemetery (From Whence My 3G-Grandfather was Exhumed)