Johann Jacob Friesen (1852-1931)

Title: Johann Jacob Friesen fonds

Dates of creation: 1885-1926

Physical description: 5 cm. of textual records

Biographical sketch: Johann Jacob Friesen (19 March 1852-1931) in the Molotschna Colony in Ukraine. In 1878 he married a widow, Maria (Schroder) Unrau (25 November 1841-3 April 1911); she had a son Cornelius from her first marriage. Johann and Maria had one daughter, Maria, who was born 15 November 1879. He bought a farm in 1885 in Paulsheim, Molotschna, probably with the help of money his wife brought along from Germany. He began a diary in 1885, reporting mostly on everyday activities.

Custodial history: Donated to the Mennonite Archives of Ontario by Peter Neufeld, 1998. Peter was the son of Maria.

Scope and content: The diaries are in handwritten "schrift"; they are translated and annotated in a privately published book, The life and times of Johann Jacob Friesen 1852-1931 and the Gerhard Neufeld family recorded in his diary 1885-1926, Paulsheim, Molotschna Colony, South Russia (Wheatley, Ont. : Kathy (Dyck) Rempel), 1998. Peter Neufeld did the translation.

Notes: Original archival description created 1999 by Sam Steiner.

File list:

1. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1885-1886
2. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1886-1888
3. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1888-1890
4. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1892-1894
5. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1894-1896
6. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1896-1899
7. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1902-1907
8. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1907-1909
9. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1909-1911
10. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1911-1913
11. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1915-1917
12. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1918-1922
13. Diary, Johann Friesen, 1923-1926