Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1888, 1906-1909 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
2 cm of textual records
one artifact
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Jacob Esau (1860-1912) was born in the village of Friedensruh, Molotschna colony, southern Russia to Mennonite parents Klaas Esau and Anna Poetker. His first marriage in 1884 was to Anna Wiebe (1864-1888) while he was the teacher in the village of Lichtfelde. Together they had four children Helena (1884-1966), Anna (1885-1941), Jacob (1886-1889), and Tina (1888-1888). His second wife was Katharina Isaac (1857-), widow of Johann Reimer (1841-1887). Jacob and Katharina had two children Katharina (1893-1972) and Margaretha.
Jacob was elected as minister in the Mennonite church in Lichtfelde and traveled widely including the United States in the 1890s. In the first years of the 20th century he was the first person to own a car in his village. When his wife Anna and child Tina died in child birth in 1888 he was distraught. As a way of commemorating his loved ones he commissioned a hair wreath to be made from the family's hair.
In 1905 a meeting was held in the church in Alexanderkrone, Molotschna colony, south Russia. Discussion revolved around the need for an intermediary educational institution which would provide instruction beyond what was taught in the village schools. This became a reality in 1906 with the founding of the Alexanderkrone Zentralschule. Jacob Esau was a founding member and secretary (1906) and chairman (1907-1908). He was known as an organizer, invigorating speaker, energetic, and at times abrasive. David Dick and Jacob Sudermann, wealthy estate owners, provided substantial funds for the school.
Jacob Esau died 19 Feb 1912 in Friedensruh, Molotschna.
Repository
Archival history
After Jacob Esau's death the diary and hair wreath were in the possession of his daughter Helena Wall. When she came to Canada with her husband Cornelius Wall in 1930 the hair wreath and diary were brought with them to Coaldale, Alberta where they settled. Their daughter Katharina Janzen of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario was the last person to have possession of these items, before her son Henry Janzen of Heidelberg, Ontario donated them to the archives.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Henry Janzen, Heidelberg, Ontario
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This fonds were includes a diary by Jacob Esau detailing the formation and challenges of the Alexanderkrone Zentralschule, and a hair wreath made to commemorate Esau's deceased family members. The materials are central to the understanding the early history of the Zentralschule. Portions of the diary were transcribed by Katharina Janzen and published in the newspaper Der Bote in October and November 1971. This together with the reports written by Esau in the periodical Friedensstimme were central to Ted Regehr's book For Everything a Season: A history of the Alexanderkrone Zentralschule. The hair wreath is a unique item that must be rare in Mennonite circles.
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Language of material
- English
- German
- Russian
Script of material
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Inventory file list
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Accession no. 2004-052
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Dates of creation revision deletion
Description created by Conrad Stoesz August 6, 2004, updated March 17+25, 2008.