Provincial Archives of Alberta

As of June 2014, the photo catalogue in the Provincial Archives was only partly avalable on-line and must therefore be searched manually. However, the Archive's fonds collection is available for on-line searches.

A. Photographs and other visuals

"A group of German-Canadian businessmen in Edmonton." Photograph. 1902.
Photo of a group of German-Canadian businessmen in Edmonton, among them a German-Canadian R.C.M.P. officer. Taken about 1902. B.7253.

"Allenby Hutterite school with teacherage." Photograph. n.d.
Allenby Hutterite school with teacherage. A.7066.

"An Austrian family harvesting their sugar beet crop." Photograph. 1956.
An Austrian family (Antol Swiczkar) harvesting their sugar beet crop. A.6970.

"Austrian ball at the Club Edelweiss." Photograph. March 17, 1967.
Austrian ball at the Club Edelweiss. J.158-2.

"Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Dalum." Photograph. Ca. 1930s.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Dalum. A.10557-8.

"Bible school at the German Baptist Church of Leduc." Photograph. 1939.
German Baptist Church of Leduc, Bible School. Class photo from March 1939, plus picture of congregation in front of church building. BA.272.

"Blaue Funken - Edmonton Mardi Gras Society.” November 19, 1973.
Photo at a parade. J.1023/7.

"Bruderheim parsonage." Photograph. April 1900.
Bruderheim parsonage. UC.230-1.

"Buildings on the Mennonite colony near Stand Off." Photograph. 1936.
Buildings on the Mennonite [=Hutterite] colony near Stand Off. OB.2227-30.

"Children at the Blauen Funken Ball." Photograph. January 21, 1980.
Children dressed in costumes at the Blauen Funken Ball in the Edelweiss Club. J.4876.

"Confirmation class at the Moravian church in Bruderheim." Photograph. 1916.
Confirmation class at the Moravian church in Bruderheim. A.6769.

"Confirmation groups at Trinity Lutheran Church, Edmonton." Photograph. March 30, 1958.
Confirmation groups at Trinity Lutheran Church, Edmonton. B1.2420-{1-3}.

"Confirmation groups at Trinity Lutheran Church, Edmonton." Photograph. May 10, 1959.
Confirmation groups at Trinity Lutheran Church, Edmonton. B1.2466.

"Danes. Germans. Trade mission to Alberta." June 4, 1965.
Group photo, but no details. PA.71/1.

"Dedication of the German Church of God." Photograph. February 20, 1955.
Dedication of the German Church of God. WS.1040-1,2.

"Early German school." Photograph. 1903-1904?
Early German school, somewhere in Alberta. A.11282.

"Edelweiss Club Masquerade Ball." Photograph. 1914.
Edelweiss Club Masquerade Ball. Photograph of the Edelweiss Club's Masquerade Ball, held at the Edelweiss Club's second club house at 216 Morris Street (9352-106A Avenue) on January 13, 1914. B.7254.

"Edelweiss Club Octoberfest." Photograph. 1978.
Edelweiss Club Octoberfest of October 18, 1978 held at the club hall located at 9663-101A Avenue. Three photographs showing the dance and the band (Erwin's Alpine Band). J.4288-{1-3}.

"Farm buildings on the first Hutterite colony in Alberta." Photograph. 1919.
Farm buildings on the first Hutterite colony in Alberta, Springvale north of Rockyford. P.583.

"First manse of a Moravian church." Photograph. 1899.
First manse of a Moravian church in Bruderheim, with a group in front. UC.228.

"First masquerade ball of the German-Canadian Association." Photograph. Edmonton, Alta., 1924.
The first masquerade ball held by the German-Canadian Association, Edmonton. Among miscellaneous letters , documents and bills belonging to the Borgwardt family of the Edmonton area is a picture of the first masquerade ball of the German-Canadian Association ("Der erste Maskenball der Deutsch-Canadischen Vereinigung") held on January 26, 1924 in Edmonton, Orange Hall. 76.311.

"German and English Catholics at Tulliby Lake." Photograph. 1937.
German and English Catholics at Tulliby Lake. OB.2275.

"German Baptist Church in Edmonton." Photograph. 1908.
First German Baptist Church on Namayo Avenue in Edmonton, May 1, 1908. (Namayo Avenue and Isabella Street = 97 St. at 104 Ave.) Built in 1900. Known as Erste Deutsche Baptistengemeinde. Moved to a new church building at 96 Street and 106A Avenue in 1912 and changed its name to Central Baptist Church during WW II. B.3499.

"German church in Stony Plain." Photograph. 1899.
Unidentified German church, Stony Plain. Three photos taken in 1899. B.2515-17.

"German Church of God in Edmonton." Photograph. 1955.
German Church of God, Edmonton. Two photos taken at the opening ceremonies on April 20, 1955. WS.1011-{1-2}.

"German class in a Baptist Bible School in Leduc." Photograph. March 1939.
German class in a Baptist Bible School in Leduc. BA.272.

"German delegates and Horst Schmid." June 28, 1977.
Minister of Culture Horst Schmid in a meeting. J.3444.

"German Lutheran Church at Bruderheim." Photograph. 1912.
Five photographs showing both exterior and interior of the German Lutheran Church at Bruderheim, taken 1912. (Bethlehem Lutheran Church). The congregation was founded in 1897. B.3733-38.

"German Lutheran Church." Photograph. 1906.
St. John's Lutheran church on 96 Street in Edmonton, built in 1906. B.3496.

"German Shepherd Dog Club of Edmonton." July 11, 1977.
Two photos of an event at the Club. Photo 1: Dogs being trained; photo 2: a dog jumping over a hurdle. J.3472/1-2.

"German-Canadian Mardi Gras." Photograph. 1974.
Mardi Gras. Photo of the festivities at the German-Canadian Mardi Gras at the Edmonton Inn, January 21, 1974. J.1273-1.

"Gottfried Henkelman and wife." Photograph. Ca. 1903-1908.
Gottfried Henkelman and wife, pastor at Bruederfeld, Heimthal and Edmonton. B.9505.

"Helmut Schmidt, greeted by Horst Schmid." Photograph. 1977.
Helmut Schmidt, West German Chancellor, visits Alberta and is greeted by Horst Schmid on July 11, 1977. J.3470.

"Hutterite board." Photograph. September 1959.
Photograph of the members of the Hutterite Investigation Committee. PA.646-1.

"Hutterite colony near Fort Macleod." Photograph. 1938.
Hutterite colony near Fort Macleod. A.4509-10.

"Hutterite colony near Stand Off." Photograph. May 1952.
Hutterite colony near Stand Off. PA.645.

"Hutterite colony." Photograph. n.d.
Hutterite colony; no further information available. A.6764.

"Lutheran church at Bruderheim." Photograph. June 21, 1982.
The Lutheran church at Bruderheim. A.8065.

"Lutheran church in Hanna." Photograph. 1969.
Lutheran church in Hanna. PA.5326.

"Lutheran church in Spruce Grove." Photograph. July 11, 1952.
St. Matthew's Lutheran church in Spruce Grove. A.12334.

"Lutheran church in Spruce Grove." Photograph. October 13, 1970.
St. Matthew's Lutheran church in Spruce Grove. PA.6180.

"Lutheran church in Standard." Photograph. 1925.
Lutheran church in Standard, 1925. A.10559.

"Lutheran Church in Stony Plain." Photograph. n.d.
Lutheran Church in Stony Plain. PA.165-8.

"Lutheran church in Stony Plain." Photograph. September 1957.
Lutheran church in Stony Plain. PA.165-11.

"Lutheran congregation." Photograph. n.d.
Wilhelm Wolske's homestead house in Hines Creek served as a meeting place for Lutheran services. A.6461.

"Mennonite church in Coaldale." Photograph. December 1971.
Mennonite church in Coaldale, December 1971. A.9951.

"Mennonite colony near Stand Off." Photograph. 1936.
Mennonite [=Hutterite] colony near Stand Off. OB.2226.

"Mennonite life in early Alberta." Photograph. Ca. 1882.
Mennonite life in early Alberta depicted on five color drawings taken from a book entitled Picturesque Canada and mounted on cardboard. 68.337.

"Miss Moller as 'Germania'." Photograph. n.d.
Germania with shield and spear. B.7250-52.

"Moravian choir in Bruderheim." Photograph. 1934.
Moravian choir in Bruderheim. BA.374.

"Moravian church in Bruderheim." Photograph. 1900.
Moravian church in Bruderheim. UC.229.

"Moravian church in Bruderheim." Photograph. 1934.
Moravian church in Bruderheim. BA.372.

"Moravian church in Bruderheim." Photograph. June 21, 1982.
Moravian church in Bruderheim. A.8058-59.

"Moravian church." Photograph. June 4, 1900.
Moravian church in Bruderheim and the congregation. UC.232.

"Moravian churches." Photographs. n.d.
A collection of photographs of various Moravian churches: The Bruederfeld parsonage (built in 1896); Moravian synod held in Edmonton; the old church and the parsonage in Calgary (purchased in 1902 ); the New Sarepta church and parsonage (1913); Andreas Stolz of Bruederfeld, one of the first Moravians to settle in Alberta. The Bruederfeld congregation was organized in his house (1913); Dundurn Church (1913); Norwood Church, Edmonton and parsonage (opened in 1913); the Strathcona church and parsonage; the Bruderheim shack during the construction of the church; the New Sarepta congregation assembling; the new church in Calgary; the Bruderheim church and parsonage; Bruederfeld school; Bruederfeld Church; the pastor's residence in Dundurn; the new parsonage in Calgary; a view of the church in Bruederfeld; the interior of the Dundurn church; the Heimthal church and parsonage; the congregation at Bruderheim; Rev. Schulze and wife of Heimthal. 72.396.

"Moravian families, their homes, and churches in Alberta." Photograph. n.d.
Moravian families, their homes and churches in Alberta. Several pictures, but no location, names or dates are given. 72.396.

"New Rockport Hutterite Colony." Photograph. n.d.
Buildings and school at the New Rockport Hutterite Colony. A.7086-87.

"Postcard to Elsa Sautter ." Photograph. 1924.
A postcard addressed to Elsa Sautter in Stuttgart, Germany, written in German by an unidentified sender. The picture of the postcard is of Richard Blank, holding an axe, standing in front of his cabin in Wildwood, Alberta during winter. Blank family fonds.

"Rites and ceremonies in the German Baptist Bible School in Leduc." Photograph. 1938.
Rites and ceremonies in the German Baptist Bible School in Leduc (January 10-28, 1938). BA.669-671.

"Schattschneider, W. C." Photograph. 1900.
Photo of Rev. Schattschneider, a pastor at Bruderheim. B.9507.

"Schattschneider, W. C." Photograph. Ca. 1904.
W. C. Schattschneider, minister at Bruderheim. UC.234.

"School children in front of Colchester School." Photograph. 1902.
Picture of the school children in front of Colchester School. Mostly German immigrants' children from the Moravian settlement of Brüderfeld (now Millwoods, Edmonton). 71.118-{12a-d}.

"Schwarze, N. W." Photograph. 1898-1900.
Rev. Schwarze was the first resident Moravian pastor at Bruderheim. B.9506.

"Schwarze, W. N." Photograph. Ca. 1900.
Pastor Schwarze at Bruderheim. UC.233.

"Settlement in Edmonton." Photograph. n.d.
Eleven photographs and postcards (various dates) belonging to the German immigrant Richard Blank showing early Edmonton scenes which give us an idea what Edmonton would have looked like to the early German immigrants; includes photos of the river valley, the MacDonald Hotel and the Bonnie Doon area. Also included is a photograph of immigrants aboard a ship en route to Canada. 69.278.

"Skt. Johannis German Lutheran Church in Edmonton." Photograph. 1907.
St. John's Lutheran Church, Edmonton. Photograph of Edmonton's first Evangelical Lutheran church, built in 1906 on Kinistino Avenue (96 Street). B.3496.

"St. John's Lutheran Church, Flatbush." Photograph. 1929.
St. John's Lutheran Church in Flatbush. A.10570.

"St. John's Lutheran Church, Leduc." Photograph. February 17, 1969.
St. John's Lutheran Church in Leduc. A.13318.

"St. John's Lutheran Church." Photograph. 1936.
St. John's Lutheran Church. Unidentified location. A. 5119.

St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Thorsby. Photograph. August 22, 1985.

St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Thorsby. A.13660.

"St. Paul's Lutheran Church dedication." Photograph. November 6, 1949.
St. Paul's Lutheran Church dedication in Leduc. BA.722-4.

"St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Ellerslie." Photograph. December 1, 1979.
St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Ellerslie. J.4799.

"St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Ellerslie." Photograph. October 3, 1969.
St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Ellerslie. A.13316.

"St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Leduc." Photograph. June 12, 1984.
St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Leduc. A.12827.

"Standoff Hutterite colony." Photograph. n.d.
A Hutterite colony near Stand Off. A.3938.

"The German Bookstore and the owner, Frau L. Brüg(g)mann." Photograph. 1907.
German Bookstore, Edmonton. Interior shot showing owner, Mrs. L. Brüg(g)mann, behind the counter, 1907. Address was 260 Namayo Avenue, Box 300, Edmonton. The same picture appeared in the Alberta Herold of November 29, 1907. The German Bookstore was later sold to a Mr. K. Redmann and operated very successfully, running regular ads in the Alberta Herold until it was destroyed by fire on Sunday, January 12, 1913. B.4141.

"Tofield Mennonite Church." Photograph. August 22, 1984.
Tofield Mennonite Church, August 22, 1984. A.13116.

"Trinity Lutheran Church group." Photograph. May 14, 1961.
Group at Trinity Lutheran Church in Edmonton. B.12521.

"Weddings." Photograph. Ca. 1905.
A photo of a wedding taking place on the open prairie in 1905 and another one showing a wedding congregation outside a prairie homestead. 66.61-1,2.

"Wetaskiwin Lutheran Church." Photograph. Ca. 1911.
Wetaskiwin Lutheran Church. A.6603.

B. Tape recordings

"Coaldale Mennonite church service." 1971.
A recording of a church service at the Coaldale Mennonite Church in Coaldale. Includes hymns and sermons (all in German). The original German lyrics as sung and an English translation of all songs may be found in the accompanying accession file. The Service Bulletin ("Program") is also included. 73.607.

"Edmonton German Male Chorus sings 'A Wealth of Songs'." Edmonton, Alta.: December, 1973. Tape recording.
Videotape of Edmonton German Male Chorus singing "A Wealth of Songs", Christmas, 1973. 74.140.

"Edmonton radio broadcasts by the German Church of God." June 25, 1972.
On tape is Ron Roesler. Tape #1 - Christmas 1969; tape #2 - April 2 (Easter), 1972; tape #3 -April 9, 1972; tape #4 - May 14 (Mother's Day), 1972; tape #5 - June 11, 1972; tape # 6 - June 25, 1972. All recordings in German. 72.391.

"Galician folk music: A wealth of songs." June 20, 1972.
Folksongs of Galician settlers in the Stony Plain/Spruce Grove area. The songs date back to settlement times (early 1900's) and before. The words to the songs, 37 in all, have been written down by Mr. Johann Fuhr of Spruce Grove and placed in a booklet. Some of the songs are of direct German-Galician origin, others mention Stony Plain and area. 73.74/2.

"German Mennonite songs." 1972.
Mennonite High German (Swabian origin) songs of religious and folk nature, sung by the members of Coaldale Mennonite Church at Tofield, Alberta. Complete with typewritten transcript, English translation, and several photographs of the congregation. 72.284.

"German songs by Coaldale Mennonite Church." December 12, 1971.
Songs as part of a recorded church service, many religious songs of the Mennonites are found on this tape. Original German lyrics as sung, plus the English translation may be found on the accompanying accession file. 73.605/1.

"Interview with Adolph Little." May 27, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Adolph Little. His grandparents came from Russia to Alberta in the 1880s. They traveled across Canada by train to Calgary and then, by ox cart, to Leduc, already populated by many German settlers. They settled in Freedom in 1910. This area was then known as the "Düsseldorf district" because of its large German population. Mr. Little discusses the growth and spirit of the Freedom community, his involvement with the United Farmers of Alberta (as a district director) and his involvement with and opinions on Alberta politics. He also talks about changes in the community life of the Freedom area during and after WW II. 83.290/5.

"Interview with Alfred F. Dreger." March 11, 1971.
Mr. Dreger was born in Schleswig-Holstein in 1887. His father took up homestead in Strathcona in 1893. Technical details: Recorded by E. Kreisel on March 11, 12, and 15, 1971. 71.109.

"Interview with Anton Wohlgemuth." June, 1973.
Anton Wohlgemuth was born in Siberia in 1900 of German parents. Among other jobs, he worked in the coal mines at Nordegg. 73.368.

"Interview with Auguste Schmidt." March 9, 1973.
The first congregation of the Evangelical Church in New Sarepta met at the house of the Schmidt family. The Schmidt family farm was turned over to the church for the use of the cemetery after the death of Auguste Schmidt's parents. The tape relates the life experiences of Auguste Schmidt, which includes information on the Evangelical Church at New Sarepta. 73.305.

"Interview with Bernhard Dick." 1971.
Following a short conversation in "Plautdietsch", the Low German dialect spoken by the Mennonites, Mr. Bernhard Dick relates, in German, the early history of the Coaldale settlement and the development of its Sunday school. The first conversation, by Peter Janzen, in Plattdeutsch has an English translation in the accompanying accession file. 73.605/2.

"Interview with Charles and Margaret Westendorf." July 27, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Charles and Margaret Westendorf, both children of Germans from Russia. He was employed early, hauling lumber to Wetaskiwin from Pigeon Lake for his uncle Charles Fryman who owned and operated a saw mill. Discussion of farming and Depression. He ran his father's farm until 1971. He tells of his education which went to Grade 8. He was active in the community, on the school board and looked after the local roads. Mrs. Westendorf recalls social activities and barn dances. 83.290/14.

"Interview with Charles Minchau." March 14, 1973.
The settlement experiences of Charles Minchau, born at Ellerslie in 1896, son of Auguste Minchau from a German-speaking area near Warsaw, Poland. Mr. Minchau tells of the early days (1890s) when their family lived in a teepee and a dug-out shared with the Ertman family, not far from Ellerslie. He tells of how they eventually built a log house, of his limited schooling and of the early spirit and activities of the community. He began a farm in 1931 and continued the operation until 1950 when he moved to Edmonton to help organize the Good Samaritan Hospital and to join other church-related projects. Mr. Minchau relates his political views (Social Credit Party) and talks about earlier days and wheat marketing and the lumber booms on the North Saskatchewan River. 73.293.

"Interview with Cornelia Wood." April 9, 1974.
Stony Plain's Oppertshauser Hardware Store: the history of this business, as well as other contributions of the Austro-German population to the building and making of Stony Plain are discussed by Mrs. Cornelia Wood. 74.161.

"Interview with Dr. Morris Weinlos." June 1, 1977.
Mr. Weinlos was born in 1904 in Austria-Hungary and became a surgeon in Edmonton. 77.156.

"Interview with Ed and Dorothy Ruff." July 27, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Mr. and Mrs. Ed and Dorothy Ruff. Mr. Ruff's family was from Romania; Mrs. Ruff's were Germans from Ukraine. His family came to Canada in 1927 and settled in the Hanna area. His father worked hauling coal from mines. He moved to Halkirk, east of Stettler where Ed went to school. He talks about his education and knowing only a few words of English when he started. Discusses difficulties encountered by the family as new immigrants. German church service at Halkirk were held in the homes. Discussion of work in mines and farming. Discussion of attitudes shown towards German-Canadians in WW II. Mrs. Ruff discusses her family and the Depression, her work as a teacher and their community involvement. 83.290/15.

"Interview with Ed Hebner." August 17, 1983.
Mr. Ed Hebner was born in Russia, came to Wetaskiwin around 1915. Lengthy discussion with many details of life in Russia; description of the German colony where he lived and of farming operations and the Russian imperial government. He had problems emigrating to Canada, but was not mistreated during WW I because of his German ancestry. He worked for the C.P.R. He discusses barn dances held in his barn and Christmas activities as well as foods on the farm. He always spoke German at home. 83.290/18.

"Interview with Elizabeth Ward Rivard." September 6, 1967.
In recounting the history of the Fort Vermilion district, Mrs. Elizabeth Ward Rivard, describes, amongst others, the beginnings of the Mennonite settlements there in the 1930s. She talks about their time and place of settlement, about their activities and the attitudes of other Fort Vermilion residents towards them. 67.145/2.

"Interview with Emil Janke." January 9, 1973.
Well-known building contractor Emil Janke, originally from Augubernia, Russia, came to Edmonton in 1906 and worked on many building projects, including Premier Rutherford's home, Trinity Church and various buildings at the University of Alberta. - He found it increasingly difficult to get work as a German-speaking immigrant as WW I drew near. Talks about the German language in Alberta, German customs and their retention, the Edelweiss Club and other German-Canadian organizations, the Depression and the treatment of German-Canadians during WW II. 73.297.

"Interview with Emily Hofer." April 3, 1973.
Emily Hofer was born in Russia and settled in Bruderheim. 73.237.

"Interview with Emma Jessen." May 26, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Emma Jessen, from Poland, and her husband who was from Germany. Her husband was a bookkeeper in Germany, her parents were pig farmers. They settled on cleared land in Freedom. Mrs. Jessen describes Freedom and district, an area settled mostly by Germans. She talks about her houses, her children and their education, community life and her husband's involvement with the school board. 83.290/4.

"Interview with Emmanuel and Alma Pohl." July 12, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Emmanuel and Alma Pohl. Mr. Pohl came from a German colony in Ukraine; she was born in Ontario although her grandparents were from Germany. Discussion of the various jobs which he had when he first arrived in Alberta. He had difficulty finding work during WW I and had encounters with the R.C.M.P. because he was German. Description of their first house - a two-room log shack - and of their work - farming, clearing roads for the county, selling eggs. They remember the early days of Wetaskiwin, the introduction of electricity, reading German books and newspapers, and the early days of the Social Credit Party in Alberta. 83.290/9a, b.

"Interview with Ewald Oscar Lilge." July 21, 1971.
Mr. Lilge's grandparents were one of the founding families of Bruderheim. He provides a history of the family from Russia to Alberta. 71.266.

"Interview with Fred Kabitz." March 22, 1973.
Settlement experiences of Fred Kabitz from Heidelberg in the Edmonton area. Mr. Kabitz disliked the power politics in Germany of the late 1920s and so emigrated to Canada in 1930. He worked at odd jobs in Edmonton, as a baker and a hired farm hand. He tells of the history of the Edelweiss Club to 1965. Activities and involvement are touched on several times during Mr. Fred Kabitz' account of his family's settlement in Alberta. Mr. Kabitz talks about the close-knit group of Germans in the early days who were very much involved in the Edelweiss Club, about closing the club during WW II, and its re-opening afterward. He speaks about the club's switching to English in 1956, and of the German School which the club started in 1965. 73.294.

"Interview with Frederick Miller." January 10, 1973.
Settlement experiences of Frederick Miller from Wullka, Radom, Russia (now Poland) in Strathcona and Ardrossan, Alberta. He tells the story of his family's immigration from Russia to Strathcona in 1900, their reasons for leaving Russia and the hardships of early homestead days in Ardrossan. He talks of the attitudes of the German-speaking immigrants toward learning English and the problems encountered in sending their children to school. Mr. Miller talks about attitudes to Germans during WW I and assimilation thereafter, as well as about the early role of the church. Farming and coal mining are discussed, as well as the Depression and the Aberhart Government. Attitudes towards Germans in WW I and WW II are contrasted. 73.295.

"Interview with Gertrud Dahl." March 22, 1973.
Settlement experiences of Gertrude Dahl, born in 1914 in Ottawa of the German parents Rudolph Jakob and Marie Scheinvant. Mrs. Dahl came to Edmonton in 1915, a time when many Germans departed for the U.S. because of anti-German sentiments in Canada. Mrs. Dahl discusses the Edelweiss Club's early history and role in the German-speaking community in the 1920's and 1930's. Gertrud Dahl tells about the club's events and membership and about the building of a new club house by Paul Robata in 1928. She also relates how Edelweiss members were often put under R.C.M.P. surveillance during WW II and that many were even put into Alberta concentration camps. Finally, Mrs. Dahl tells of her days as a teacher in a log school house near Ashmont in 1936. Eventually her family moved back to Edmonton where her husband worked for Swift's and she worked as a teacher. They did not maintain German in their own family and consequently none of her children speaks German. 73.298.

"Interview with Harry and Emma Woitt." July 25, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Harry and Emma Woitt, both born in Canada of German-speaking parents from Russia. Mrs. Woitt's parents (Theodore Winter) came to Wetaskiwin in 1906; her father farmed and also drilled water wells. The parents belonged to St. John's Lutheran Church and helped establish Wetaskiwin's second German church, Zion Evangelical Lutheran, in 1910. Both recall their youth in the Wetaskiwin area and the games they played. Mrs. Woitt describes traditional foods, wedding celebrations and funerals, granary bees and wood sawing. Description of confirmation at German church and the role of the pastor in the community. She recalls early German school run by the pastor, and discrimination during WW II ending German church services. 83.290/13.

"Interview with Helene Boytinck." March, 1971.
Mrs. Boytinck is the widow of Paul Boytinck who emigrated from Germany to North Dakota in 1903 and then to the Peace River country in 1912 where he joined the Gans settlement in Friedensthal. It is estimated that there were 14 white women in the Peace River country at that time. Technical details: Recorded by Naomi Radford in March 1971. 71.148.

"Interview with Helmuth Warnke." August 18, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Helmuth Warnke, born of Germans from Russia who moved to Wetaskiwin in 1901. He talks about the difficulties encountered by his grandparents and parents as homesteaders. He tells of breaking the land. Brief discussion of where Germans had settled in Alberta. The family moved to Millet in 1918. Mr. Warnke tells of his school days at Large Tree School and of German Saturday classes and what was taught (catechism, bible stories, and German grammar). He talks about confirmation and of Christmas and Easter traditions. Singing was a popular pastime. Mr. Warnke sings some German folk songs for the interviewer, songs which they used to sing when they were together with friends. He then talks about German-Canadians being harassed during WW II and the switch to English at church. Discussion of farming during the War, and the current sale of farms to city people. 83.290/19.

"Interview with Henry and Helena Woitt." July 12, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Henry and Helena Woitt, both born in Wetaskiwin of Polish-German parents. Both talk about the early days on homesteads in the Wetaskiwin area, of the hardships, the work, and living in a granary. They met through the local German church where they also attended German school on Saturdays. German was spoken in the home. Discussion of the effects of limited education, details of farming, Mr. Woitt's other jobs of hauling livestock for neighbors and working on different threshing teams. 83.290/8.

"Interview with Henry Metz." February 6, 1973.
The settlement experiences of Henry Metz from a German-speaking family originating in Poland. Having worked as a weaver for his father in Poland, Henry Metz came to Edmonton in 1922 hoping to be able to continue in the same trade. Instead he worked for a farmer for a while and then in the local coal mines. After buying and losing a farm during the Depression, Mr. Metz became a house painter. He discusses his close ties with the German community during this time and gives a good account of the activities of the German community in Edmonton. He describes the slow process of assimilation and the change from German to English by organizations and institutions in order to retain the interest of the younger members. 73.299.

"Interview with Johann Philip Fuhr." June 20, 1972.
The settlement experiences of Mr. Johann Philip Fuhr from Galicia, Poland. He was born in 1885 in Bolechow, Galicia. He talks about his family and their early years in Europe and then of their emigration to Canada. He recounts early employment experiences as a coal miner, farm laborer, interpreting at Government House, etc. Mr. Fuhr began farming but left it to enter business. He ran a store around 1915 and became secretary-treasurer for the local school. He talks about the two world wars in Canada and about the German community in Stony Plain, Spruce Grove and area. He reflects about his business in Spruce Grove and its growth, and about his family in the district. 73.74/1.

"Interview with John A. Dux." August 23, 1983.
The settlement experiences of John A. Dux, the son of Russian-German immigrants who came to Canada in 1893. Mr. Dux was born on a Wetaskiwin-area homestead in 1918. He tells of early farming with no implements and living in a hillside dugout. His grandfather built the house in 1914-15 where Mr. Dux still lives today. His parents were illiterate in German and spoke only dialect. He tells of his own school experiences, learning to read and write German at Saturday School and Sunday School. He talks about entertainment, social activities, Christmas celebrations at church and at home (no Christmas tree!!). He had no negative experiences because of his German background during WW I, but his family had to register during WW II; they registered as Poles. He was in the army during WW II. He talks about the German language and its dialects; his children are currently taking German in school. 83.290/22.

"Interview with John Scherbanuk." July 10, 1973.
John Scherbanuk was born in Austria in 1895. He immigrated to Round Hill near Camrose and worked in the coal mines. 73.401.

"Interview with Joseph Augustine Weiss." August, 1971.
Joseph Weiss is a famous Swiss guide and photographer. He came to Canada in 1921 and was the first man to use skis in Jasper. 71.283.

"Interview with Julia Fischer." May 11, 1983.
Julia Fischer was born in Odessa. The family came to South Dakota in 1903. 83.290/1.

"Interview with Julius Forth." August 19, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Mr. Julius Forth. He was born in Russia in 1890 and was smuggled across the border together with his father. He came directly to Wetaskiwin and bought a homestead for $10.00. He describes early farming methods before the advent of machinery, as well as an early log house. Later Mr. Forth bought his own farm form the Indian Department. He talks of entertainment in the early days: visiting, playing games, singing, house dances. He did not encounter any discrimination during WW I because he was German. 83.290/20.

"Interview with Julius Neuman." 1973.
The settlement of Mr. Wilhelm Neuman and his son Julius who immigrated from Russia to Brüderfeld (Millwoods area) in 1901. Here, the Neuman family is reunited because of the fact that some family members had emigrated previously. Julius tells of his school days at Colchester school and describes the life of the community of Brüderfeld and the strong influence of the Moravian Church. Julius married Elizabeth Janke in 1929, and they had ten children. He describes the process of assimilation and the various attempts to promote German culture among the younger generation by means of a Saturday school and a lending library. 73.291.

"Interview with Katharine Suder." August 3, 1966.
Katharine Suder was born in Germany on December 6, 1870. The interview describes her immigration to Spruce Grove and the beginnings of the town. 68.19/10.

"Interview with Lena Schneider." August 17, 1970.
The settlement experiences of Mrs. Lena Schneider of Rosenthal, west of Stony Plain. Mrs. Schneider tells of the journey of her family from the U.S. to Strathcona, her early life on their homestead at Rosenthal and of the Rosenthal community and school (where teaching was initially done in both German and English). She talks about her marriage later on to a carpenter and her move to Edmonton, about the difficult times during both world wars, and about the use of German in her home. 70.428.

"Interview with Lute H. Vieweger." January 22, 1974.
Born in Leipzig in 1907, he arrived in Edmonton in 1912. He spent his life as a homesteader near Edgerton, but was also a prospector and engineer. 74.31.

"Interview with Lydia Burghardt." August 26, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Mrs. Lydia Burghardt, born of German parents in Russia. She talks about farm life, church services and her family in Russia. Her father was a teacher; he could not buy land and keep it in the family, so he decided to emigrate to Canada. Mrs. Burghardt discusses the family's trip to Canada - by train to Germany, then by boat. Gives description of early settlement in the Leduc area: log shacks; people trapped rabbits for food. They paid for the farm by cutting and hauling wood. Mrs. Burghardt discusses early church services in the Leduc area before the church was built in 1910. 83.290/23a, b.

"Interview with Lydia Dearing." August 4, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Lydia Dearing. She was born in Wetaskiwin on October 5, 1894 of Germans from Russia. She describes the homesteads in the Wetaskiwin area in the early years, spinning wool, baking in an outdoor clay oven, the kinds of foods which her mother cooked. She discusses the use of German at home and how she learned to read and write German at Saturday School. Confirmation classes were held in German. She had a simple, traditional wedding. Mrs. Dearing discusses the hardships encountered in W.W. I by Germans in Canada, but her family was not given any rough treatment. She feels that this is because they lived in a German community. Her husband owned and ran a saw mill near Wetaskiwin and hired German POWs to work there during the Second World War. 83.290/16.

"Interview with Lydia Elizabeth Sampert, neé Adam." February 12, 1973.
Interview with Mrs. Lydia Elizabeth Sampert (née Adam) and the family of Christian Adam from the Strathcona area. They immigrated from Poland in 1898 to Brüderfeld (Millwoods) where a homestead was opened. Later she became a seamstress in Edmonton and finally moved to Heimtal and Bruderheim. The role of the Moravian church among the early German-speaking settlers is discussed at length. 73.300.

"Interview with Lydia Grabowski." August 17, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Mrs. Lydia Grabowski, born in 1903 in Romania of German-speaking parents. She came to Alberta in 1909. She rarely went to school because of her ill mother, attended St. John's German Lutheran Church, but did not go to Saturday classes in the German language. At age 18, she married a farmer and spent her entire life on a farm. Her brothers served in the Canadian army during W.W. I. Brief discussion of Christmas and birthday celebrations. 83.290/17.

"Interview with Margaret Thompson." July 4, 1983.
Mrs. Thompson was trained as a nurse in Düsseldorf before heading off to Philadelphia to visit a friend. She ended up living in Freedom with her aunt and uncle who were homesteading there. She wanted to return to Germany, but could not because of the war. She discusses her situation and the fact that she finds work as a nurse. She recalls the name change of the town of Freedom from Düsseldorf in 1919 because of the dislike of the German name among English settlers. She discusses her second husband's pig farming operation and her work as a nurse, as a telephone operator, etc. She talks about WW II and the strong anti-German sentiments which she experienced and noticed in the area despite the fact that both her sons were flyers in the RCAF. 83.290/6.

"Interview with Margarita Paul, née Ghar." 1973.
Settlement experiences of Margarita Paul. Mrs. Paul tells of her happy life in Volhynia, Russia, from 1905-1914 when the family was forced to leave because of the destruction of their village. Mrs. Paul tells of her experiences as part of an immigrant caravan which came to Brüderfeld in 1926. She talks about the problems of learning a new language and adjusting to a new life style. She describes the spirit of the people in the community, the influence of the Moravian Church, the shift from German to English in the community as well as home remedies and the events of the Great Depression. 73.292.

"Interview with Maria Radke." November 13, 1972.
Maria Radke was born in 1909 in Bessarabia. She describes her life history and immigration from Russia via Germany to Medicine Hat. 72.483.

"Interview with Martha Goos, née Runge." April 27, 1973.
Settlement experiences of Martha Goos of Edmonton. Martha Goos was the daughter of a Lutheran Minister, Gustav Runge, who came to Edmonton in 1911. They lived in the city. Church life and discipline dominated the family of the Runges. Martha also attended the German Saturday School at Trinity Lutheran and learned German. 73.301.

"Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Selbstaedt." October 2, 1975.
Mr. and Mrs. Selbstaedt discuss their home life and schooling in Germany in the early 1900s, their immigration to Canada in 1927, their work and the living conditions in Alberta and B.C. during their time here until returning to Germany in 1932. Reasons for moving back and reasons for coming back to Canada in 1954 are given. This time they settled in Calgary, established a business and were involved with the German Language School of Calgary. Historical notes on the school. 75.521.

"Interview with Mrs. Gustav Henry Schlenders." August, 1972.
Mr. Schlenders was a Russian-German who came to Edmonton and Wetaskiwin in 1910 and in 1913 began to farm near New Sarepta. 72.387.

"Interview with Olga Liefke Ludwig." March 27, 1973.
Machine shop in Cromdale (Cromdale Machine Works) at 5516-111 Ave., operated by Walter Ludwig from Germany. Details of life and history on tape in an interview with Mr. Ludwig's wife Olga Liefke Ludwig. 73.304.

"Interview with Oskar Anderson." 1969.
In recounting his life story, Mr. Oskar Anderson talks briefly about the Mennonites purchasing quantities of land in the Grande Prairie area. 70.289/2.

"Interview with Otto Bernstein." November 28, 1973.
Settlement experiences of Otto Bernstein, originally from Germany and living in Blue Sky, Alberta. He tells of life in Germany and his reasons for coming to Canada, and relates the adventures of homesteading in Alberta. He talks of the type of home, daily life, social life, political activity, an encounter with the R.C.M.P. during WW I, and his attitudes toward the church. 73.591.

"Interview with Otto Höhn." July 3, 1979.
Otto Höhn was born in Basle in 1919 and came to Canada in 1914. He was a famous naturalist. 79.130/11.

"Interview with Peter Jantzen and Bernhard Dick." December 11, 1971.
Mr. Peter Jantzen of the Coaldale Mennonite community reads a conversation in the Plattdeutsch used by many Canadian Mennonites. The conversation relates how a Canadian Mennonite, speaking Plattdeutsch, traveled to Germany and found communication difficult. An English translation is found in the accession file which accompanies the tape. Then Mr. Bernhard Dick relates in German some of the early history of the Coaldale settlement and the development of its Sunday school. 73.605/2.

"Interview with Reinhold Ghar." March 7, 1973.
The settlement experiences of Mr. Reinhold Ghar who came to Edmonton a few years before the war from Novograd-Volynsk, Volhynia, Russia. He tells of his early employment with a farmer. Later he worked for Swift's packing Plant where he became a foreman after four years. Subsequently he bought a farm near Leduc which he sold after the oil strike of 1947. Mr. Ghar tells of his church affiliations, among them Moravian and Evangelical. 73.296.

"Interview with Richard Rever." August 19, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Richard Rever of Russian-German descent. He moved to Walsh, Alberta, with his family in 1913 from an area settled by Germans in South Dakota. The family moved to Wetaskiwin in 1925. He talks about the farming experiences of his father until the 1940s. He served in the army during WW II for seven days, then held several jobs in the town of Wetaskiwin, in stores and as a traveling salesman. He was a city worker until retirement. He reflects on the town of Walsh, an area settled by many Germans. There was no school in the area, so Mr. Rever learned from his father at home. He describes early Wetaskiwin and talks about social life in the 1930s, German dialects, German-Canadian friends of his family and early church services held by missionaries. 83.290/21.

"Interview with Rubin and Martha Hammer." July 21, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Rubin and Martha Hammer, born of German parents from Russia and Poland, resp. They talk of their grandparents' homesteading days and how Mr. Hammer's grandfather donated land for a second German church in Wetaskiwin. He recalls work on a threshing rig, the Depression, farm organizations and later running his own dairy farm and land clearing business. Mrs. Hammer discusses education and Bible school, social activities of the community, working in the Wetaskiwin Hospital. Army officials during WW II put an end to the use of German in the church. Discussion of farms in the Wetaskiwin area and the purchase of much land by a German syndicate which leases it out. 83.290/12.

"Interview with Rudolph and Martha Goltz, née Brown." March 13, 1973.
The settlement experiences of Mr. Rudolph Goltz and Mrs. Martha Goltz (née Brown) of Volhynia, Russia. The Goltz family originally came to Gus Goltz' homestead in Leduc in 1906, but after three years moved to what is now 106 St. and 109 Ave. in Edmonton. At first, they made their livelihood by selling milk to the people in the town. Mr. Goltz then went to work for the Strand Hotel and later spent 18 years laying houses and 15 years loading freight for C.N. Both Rudolph and his wife belonged to the Central Baptist Church where they met and socialized with many other Germans. Mrs. Goltz has recollections of the social activities of Edmonton's German community in the early days. 73.302.

"Interview with Theodore Aman." June 20, 1979.
Settlement experiences of Theodore Aman of Irvine, Alberta,. Tells of migration from South Dakota to Irvine in 1914. His father began a horse raising business and later ran a dairy supplying Medicine Hat. With 95% of the area German-speaking, a German Congregationalist Church was founded with services in German. Mr. Aman taught Sunday School and German to the younger generation at this church for 40 years. The church joined the United Church in 1925 for financial reasons, but continued to offer German services and to teach German to the younger generations. Mr. Aman talks briefly about the Canadianization of German settlers in the Irvine area, about farming, the thirties and Irvine today. 79.192/12.

"Interview with Theodore Block." March 27, 1972.
After immigrating in 1910, Theodore Block worked at both Swift's and Burns' meat packing plants in Edmonton. Like others of German descent, Block experienced some difficulties during WW I (he remarks, for example, that German was forbidden in the churches at that time). Around 1920, he bought a homestead at Flatbush. He then relates his experiences as a homesteader, businessman, and civil servant in Flatbush. The Flatbush General Store, post office, gas station, railroad station was operated by Mr. Block. As the only civil servant in the town of Flatbush, Mr. Block also acted as town clerk and game law enforcement officer. He was also active in the establishment of the St. John's (German) Lutheran Church in Flatbush. He retired in 1957. 73.303.

"Interview with Walter and Frieda Pohl." July 12, 1983.
Walter and Frieda Pohl, early settlers in the Wetaskiwin area, relate the history of St. John's Church, organized in 1893 by German pioneers. Since many of the Germans of this area were from Russia, Frieda relates some history of the Germans in Russia and why and when they came here. She tells of early Germans holding services in schools if they lived too far from the town. They tell of the destruction of church records in a fire, the restoration of those records, seating arrangements in the church according to European custom, and use of the German language and switch to English because of intermarriage and the language abilities of the younger generation. 83.290/10.

"Interview with Walter and Lydia Feldberg." July 11, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Walter and Lydia Feldberg. He talks about the early days of homesteading in the Wetaskiwin area, housing, crops, etc. He recalls difficulties encountered by his parents when they came to Canada. He remembers school and the effects of WW I on the German-speaking population (the children were forbidden to speak German in the school house). Mrs. Feldberg talks about German customs kept up in her family, even today. She talks of her involvement with the German church, German church services, attending German religion classes during the summer from age 6 to 14 in Wetaskiwin. Both feel that the German-Canadians were not given a hard time during the Second World War. Mrs. Feldberg still reads German newspapers and magazines. She speaks of improvements in their welfare since WW II. 83.290/7a,b.

"Interview with Walter G. Preuss." May 25, 1983.
The settlement experiences of Walter George Preuss and family. The family originally farmed and ran a factory in Goldapp in eastern Germany. They lost the factory and emigrated to the U.S. and later to Canada. Mr. Preuss describes the journey from the U.S. by train to Edmonton and then by ox cart to Freedom, Alberta. He cleared the land, homesteaded in the bush, and worked in the lumber industry during the winter months. He tells of his family having to report to the RCMP once per month during WW I because they were German. His grandfather set up a cheese factory at Freedom and sold cheese locally as well as in Edmonton and Winnipeg, but Mr. Preuss' immediate family (his father and himself) stuck with farming. Mr. Preuss discusses the prohibition against speaking in German public school, the fact that Germans had to sell their farms in the 1920s because of financial failures, the local German church, use of the German language in the area, and farming during and after WW II. 83.290/3.

"Interview with William and Olga Liefke." March 27, 1973.
William Liefke, a German-speaking immigrant, settled in Ellerslie in 1896 and began a trade as a cabinet maker, making wagons, wagon wheels and coffins. In 1904 he took his family to Edmonton where he again worked as a cabinet maker and owned a livery stable at the end of the Gold Rush. He built the Temperance Hotel, International Hotel and the city's first public steam bath. His daughter Olga attended German Saturday school at St. John's Lutheran Church to which the family was closely tied and kept up her German despite anti-German sentiment in WW I. Olga later married Walter Ludwig, a German immigrant from about 1919. He worked for the Wattrass family and later opened his own machine shop (Cromdale Machine Works, 5516 111 Ave). 73.304.

"Interview with William R. Zeidler." August 23, 1972.
William Zeidler was born in Aachen in 1903 and arrived in Canada in 1928 where he found that the people were openly anti-German. He bought his first business in Edmonton in 1933. 72.390.

"Jubilee celebration of Coaldale Mennonite Church." 1965.
Recording of German songs sung by the members of the Coaldale Mennonite Church in celebration of their jubilee in January 1965. Interspersed between songs are presentations on life in the Coaldale community. Introductory and concluding remarks are made by John Deuck. Accompanying the tapes in the accession file are transcripts of the song lyrics, English translations plus English commentaries on various presentations. The file also contains a booklet from the 25th anniversary of the Coaldale community in May 1951 entitled "Gedenk- und Dankfeier des 25-jährigen Bestehens der Coaldale Mennonitenbrüdergemeinde". The booklet contains much information of the history and activities of the community. 73.606.

"Mennonite songfest." June 8, 1975.
Recording of the Mennonite Songfest, a performance of hymns and songs by Mennonite choirs from throughout Alberta. 75.320/1-6.

"Moravian religious folksongs: A wealth of songs." 1970.
Moravian religious folksongs sung by Moravians from three different communities in Alberta, viz. Brüderfeld, Heimtal, and Bruderheim. The accompanying accession file includes notes on the singers and the church as well as the words to the songs in German, with English translations. Also included in the accession file are photos of table and chalis cloths from early Moravian churches plus a photo of Moravian children at the Colchester School in Brüderfeld, 1902. 71.118.