Mennonite
Historical
Society

of Alberta

Anna Janzen fonds, 1926-1958.

Anna Janzen fonds, 1926-1958, 1 cm of photocpied textual material and on CD

Biographical History.

Anna Janzen was born 21 November 1911, the daughter of Isaak and Maria (Dueck) Berg in Fuerstenwerder, Molotschna.  She, together with her parents, emigrated to Canada in 1925 and settled at Stirling, Alberta, 30 km. southeast of Lethbridge.  They relocated to Namaka in 1926 and then to Coaldale, Alberta.  She married Aaron Janzen in 1931.  The couple established a farm at Raymond, Alberta, but after 5 years moved to Glenwood, Alberta where they farmed for 43 years.  They had 13 children.  None of  Maria (Dueck) Berg’s siblings (Anna’s uncles and aunts) emigrated to Canada but  Liese and Peter Dueck, Heinrich and Katherina (Dueck) Voth, and Johann and Helena Dueck wrote somewhat sporadic letters to their relatives, Isaac and Maria Berg.    Photographic copies of hese letters, together with a quite detailed account, written by Anna’s father-in-law, of the migration of the Berg and Janzen familiesy from Russia to Canada were donated to the MHSA Archives by Anna Janzen.    The letters, written in the German Gothic script, were translated by Erna Goertzen.  A typewritten copy of the translated letters is available in the MHSA library (BX8143BER) under the title “Familien Briefe aus Ruszland, 1926-1958.  Sammlung von Anna Janzen, Englische Verfassung, Uebersetzung, Heinrich und Erna Goerzen,”

Source of the Acquisition

Anna, together with Erna Goerzen, donated photocopies and a CD of the letters to the MHSA in 2004.  Erna Goerzen donated the translated work.

Restrictions

None

Notes

Accession 2004.032