This photo is a formal photo of four young girls. They are, left to right clockwise: Anna Gossen, aged 6, Lena Kliewer, aged 3, Wanda Kliewer, aged 5 and Elfrieda Gossen (later Dyck) aged 4. Elfrieda’s mother had made the dresses, which Anna and Elfrieda are wearing as well as the shoes. Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck remembers her mother making these shoes.
This photo is of a group of women taken in Halbstadt in October 1942 includes Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck’s grandmother, Anna (Wiens) Rempel who is sitting in the middle. The family milked this goat because they couldn’t afford a cow. The photo was given to Anna by a person named H. Schirmacher. The other women on the photo are not identified. Perhaps they were kindergarten teachers with Anna. (See photo #12)
This photo is of seven of Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck’s school mates from her grade 8 class at the school in Halbstadt who came to visit her in Ladekopp in the summer of 1943. Their names are, left to right standing: Astra Sparwirt, Irene Euteneier, Victor Bergen and Lilie Schatschneider. Left to right sitting are: Elfrieda Gossen, Frieda Schwitay, Mariechen Regehr, Lydia Geyer. Victor was the only boy in their class of 13 students. His mother was Ukrainian and his father a Mennonite.
A sewing class in the home of the instructor. Alida’s mother, Anna Unruh is seated at her sewing machine on the left. The other young women in the class are: (clockwise, left to right) Alice Hiller, Froescher, Herta Dause, Lena Suderman, the instructor, Irma Martens, Kasianj. The name of the young woman seated in the front is not known.
The 18 year old Abraham Unruh, Alida’s maternal uncle, is seated with his guitar. Abraham was the brother of Anna Unruh, Alida’s mother. The photo was taken Aug. 22, 1943 and sent to Anna Unruh who was living in Leipzig, Germany at that time. Abraham changed his name to Adolf under the German occupation of the Ukraine.
This photo is of three young women pose sitting on a bench outdoors. Left to right they are: Agatha (Rempel) Regehr, Mariechen (Hamm) Kliewer, Anna (Wiens) Rempel, grandmother of Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck.
This photo is a formal family photo taken on the occasion of the engagement of Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck’s grandparents, Anna Wiens and Dietrich Rempel, standing. Anna’s younger brother Peter stands at the right. Anna’s parents (and Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck’s great-grandparents) Margareta (Dück) Wiens and Peter Wiens sit in the middle with their younger daughter, Gretchen (Margaret) seated on a low stool at the right. Peter and Margareta Wiens owned the store in Halbstadt, located across the street from the pharmacy.
This photo is of Anna (Wiens) Rempel, grandmother of Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck, poses, a book on her lap, surrounded by palm-leaf and myrtle plants. An exact date for this picture is not available. We do know that Anna was married at 18 years of age in 1901.
This photo is related to #12 and shows some of the kindergarten children taught by Anna (Wiens) Rempel, grandmother of Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck, during 1939 and 1940 in Halbstadt. Anna, with white hair, is standing in the back row near the middle.
The Mennonite Church (General Conference) choir in Kleefeld. Peter Peters, the leader of the choir and maternal grandfather of Marg Boldt may be the man seated in the middle of the middle row (4th from the right).
George C. Kroeker, 25 years of age, poses with his sister Elizabeth, 20 years of age who is holding a guitar. They are the maternal grandfather and great aunt of Linda Huebert Hecht.
Anni Rosen? a German friend of Anni Unruh, Alida’s mother, stands in front of the Medizinisches-Tecknikum, the school for training nurses in Halbstadt. It was sent to Anni Unruh August 23, 1938 as a remembrance from Anni Rosen’s school days. Anni Unruh wanted to become a nurse but her parents couldn’t afford to pay for her education.
A group of young women. Rita's great-aunt, Anna Letkemann sister of her grandmother, Maria (Letkemann) Barkowsky is second from the right in the front row. As a single woman, Anna Letkemann was sent to Siberia and came to Canada in the 1940s.
This photo is of The Mennonite Church (General Conference) choir in Kleefeld. Peter Peters, the leader of the choir and maternal grandfather of Marg Boldt may be the man seated in the middle of the middle row (4th from the right).
This photo of the Halbstaedter Musikverein was taken in Halbstadt circa 1908 and given to Alida’s grandmother, Frau Heinrich Unruh, on her birthday, January 14, 1914 by her brother David Schellenberg, a horn player who is wearing a light suit and is seated in the second row. This unique photo has survived two world wars and The Great Trek out of Russia in 1943.