Fonds PP - George N. Rempel fonds

George Nickolas Rempel was born on September 15, 1895 on the Estate called "Khutor Eleno Michaulavka, Taschenak, South Russia. His parents were Nickolas Isbrand Rempel (1867-1941) and Katharina Martens (1872-1928). Katharina Martens' parents were Johann Johann Martens (1836-1893) and Katharina Esau (1849-1897). George's great great grandfather Wilhelm Martens (1781-1845) was a business partner with Johann Cornies (1789-1848) the model farmer and agricultural reformer. George Rempel was concripted in 1914 in World War I, but opted for Alternative Service as a conscientious objector. He served as a driver for the Red Cross. After the start of the revolution in 1917 he was again conscripted and this time he was a chauffeur for the Russian White Army officials. His family had cars in 1914, and since he was also a mechanic, he was able to repair the frequently disfunctioning vehicles on the Russian roads. After Wrangels White army lost in 1920, he and his two brothers Nickolas and Henry fled via Crimea to Constaninople, Turkey. Next spring they went to Danzig and stayed there until the fall of 1923, when he came to Laird, Saskatchewan where he worked for relatives, Peter and Margaret Epp cutting wood. He married Elisabeth Dyck on Jan. 1, 1926 in the Hanley Church. They farmed in the Hanley area and also pioneered by clearing bush at Struan, Saskatchewan. In 1942 they moved to Ontario where George worked in a factory for four years before moving to a farm at Port Robinson, Ontario. George and his wife Elisabeth were charter members of the St. Catharines United Mennonite Church. George N. Rempel died on September 17, 1979.