Conventions used:
Numbers preceding names refer to generations, beginning with my paternal grandmother.
b. = born
d. = died
m. = married
1. Mary Dirks
b. July 16, 1905 Gnadenfeld, Molotschna Colony, Ukraine
Article on Molotschna Colony by Cornelius Krahn, from Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
Diagram of Gnadenfeld, Maps and Historical Notes related to Mennonite History by William Schroeder, from collection of Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
d. April 16, 1995, Easter Sunday, Kidron-Bethel Village, North Newton, Kansas, U.S.
View image Mary Dirks, Agatha Krause, Katja Dirks (peeking out), Heinz Dirks, Justina — Mary’s cousin, Willie Ratzlaff, 1912, Gnadenfeld, Ukraine
View image Maria (Mary), 17; Heinrich Sr., 44; Heinrich Jr. (Heinz), 18; Katharina (Katja), 16; Agatha, 57, Dirks, 1923, Cherbourg, France, one week before boarding ship for America
View image Katja, Heinrich, and Mary Dirks, Telford, Pennsylvania, 1924, the girls wearing coverings and Heinrich with no beard to fit in with Pennsylvania Dutch sponsors
View image Caption in Oma’s handwriting: For Mary Janzen jr.: New immigrants to Telford, Pa. 1924 Katja Dirks 16 years, father Henry Dirks 44, Mary Dirks 17 years in Sunday outfit
m. August 10, 1924, New York City
View image Near the time of their wedding
View image Their house at 216 E. Nevada St., Ontario, California, 1934-1950
View image Portrait for their 50th anniversary, 1974
Peter Martin Janzen
b. March 30, 1899 Ebental, Memrik colony, Ukraine
d. January 17, 1978, Spokane, Washington
Notes: They immigrated to the U.S. arriving at Ellis Island on the ship
Saxonia in October 1923. Mary, along with her sister Katja, was sponsored by a Nice family of
Souderton, Pennsylvania associated with the Eastern Mennonite Home. When she and Peter had both completed the work
terms for their sponsors, they joined the Dirks family in New York
City, where they were married. They moved to Hillsboro, Kansas for a
short time when my father was a toddler, then to Ontario, California. Later they moved to Ritzville,
Washington. There being no such thing as ESL classes in that era, she learned English by osmosis and by listening to soap operas on the radio and learned spelling (more or less!) by studying the school books her children brought home. When my parents went to the 1972 Mennonite World Conference in Brazil, she came to stay with us kids. After Peter’s death, in 1979, Mary moved to Newton, Kansas. That is when I got to know her in earnest and we became buddies. Almost every Sunday noon through my late high school and college years, I and my parents had dinner at her apartment, which was almost always baked chicken with corn flake crumbs. Through
the years she worked as a nurse aide and nursing home volunteer. She
enjoyed quilting and growing African violets. Each violet had a name, according to the person who supplied a cutting, e.g., Mrs. Gerbrant, Mrs. Gerbrant’s daughter (cutting from Mrs. Gerbrant plant), etc. Although she never had the opportunity to graduate from high school, she enjoyed maps, historical research, and generally looking up all sorts of information, e.g., the compositions of Edvard Grieg. Reportedly her last words were to her great-granddaughter in response to being told it was going to be Easter. She was buried by her husband in Ritzville, Washington. She wrote several manuscripts about her experiences, including My Memories (1970), The Batum Story (1974), and 1+1 = 40 (1984). I have aspirations to retype these in electronic form and make them available as PDFs on this site. I completed my new edition of The Batum Story in late 2009 and have to date had 21 copies printed for me, relatives, contributors such as descendants of immigrant sponsors, and libraries/museums/archives.
2a. Heinrich D. Dirks
b. September 8, 1879, Gnadenfeld, Molotschna Colony, Ukraine (according to Grandma database and Dueck Family Genealogy)
d. February 6, 1938, Kitchener, Ontario
He was a farmer in Gnadenfeld. He served in noncombatant forestry service, as did stepson Kornelius Krause and hundreds of men from the Mennonite colonies.!–
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:””;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
–>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
View image Heinrich Dirks
m. 1903
2b. Agatha Dueck Krause
b. March 16, 1861, Kleefeld, Molotschna colony, Ukraine
d. October 10, 1937, Milford, Connecticut
View image Agatha Dueck Krause Dirks
Notes: Agatha’s first husband, Kornelius Krause, died in 1901, leaving
her with 4 small children, Cornelius K. (1889), Susanna (1891), Jacob C. (1894), and Agatha (1899) — three other children had died in early childhood. She remarried to Heinrich, a farmer, and had
3 more children: Heinrich “Heinz” (1904), Mary (1905), and Katarina “Katja” (1906). In 1922,
at a time of famine, the family went to Batum, Georgia, then to
Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey with the help of young group
leader Peter Janzen (my grandfather). They immigrated to the U.S. in
October 1923. They were sponsored by Henry A. and Lizzie Clemens of Telford, Montgomery
County, Pennsylvania, moved to New York City, then to Milford,
Connecticut, where Heinrich was a grounds keeper and handyman at a
summer resort for underprivileged children from New York City called Schermerhorn Home, an Episcopal convalescent home and summer camp, according to my Dad’s cousin. (Heinz Jr. was sponsored by the Abe A. Moyer family of Telford.)
3a. David Dirks (Grandma database lists spelling as Dircks)
b. September 9, 1831, Alexanderwohl, Molotschna Colony, Ukraine
d. 1907 View image David Dirks
m.
Notes: They had 11 children, Johann (11-30-1858), Maria (5-7-1860), Helena (1-23-1862), Susanna (12-30-1863 – 1919), David (9-7-1865 – 1888), Karl (11-2-1868 – 1874), Anna (11-8-1870 – 1898), Justina (4-21-1872 – 1917), Willhelm (10-1-1875 – 1959), Sarah (2-14-1878 – 1946), and Heinrich (9-8-1879 – 1938).
3b. Maria Klatt
b. September 1, 1838
d. ?
View image Maria Klatt
3c. Jakob Martin Dueck
b. June 13, 1830 Muensterberg, Molotschna colony, Ukraine (Grandma database lists birthday as June 16)
d. May 15, 1907 Brasol (Grandma database lists Schoenfeld colony)
m. February 25, 1860
View image Jakob and Susanna
3d. Susanna Mathies (Grandma database lists spelling as Matthies)
b. May 16, 1836
d. February 17, 1922 Gnadenfeld during the Russian famine while staying with her eldest daughter, Agatha
Notes: Jakob was a carpenter-contractor by trade. He also became a
miller after moving from Kleefeld to Brasol in the Schoenfeld colony
around 1880. In Brasol, he acquired a few acres (Russian “desjatin”) of
land in 1881, built a house, planted fruit trees, and erected a Dutch
windmill 5 stories high. Later a tree nursery was added. Susanna had to
do a lot of wool spinning. According to some sources, she was a lively
young lady when Jakob courted her. They had 7 children: Agatha
(1861-1937), Maria (1863-1946), Susanna (1865-1953), Katharina
(1867-1957), Peter (1873-1952), Eliesabeth (1880-1944), and Justina
(1882-1957).
4a. Wilhelm Dirks (Grandma database: Dircks)
b. July 8, 1801, Franzthal bei Driesen bei Neumark, Prussia (in later years, part of Pommern)
d. September 20, 1866, during their journey to Russia. He was buried on
the estate of Philipp Wiebe, Kampenhausen, South Russia. I must admit
this confuses me as I thought from reading some record years ago that he journeyed to Russia in 1802–somebody
help me out. I mean, his son was born 1831 in Molotschna.
Notes: A
possible pointer to his forebears is located under the “Franzthal”
heading at the site
Mennonite Settlers in the Neumark, Brandenburg. That page also indicates that in the 1700s, the alternate spelling of Dirks was Tuercks.
m. April 8, 1821
Notes:
They had 10 children, Helena (6-18-1822), Johann (6-18-22), Maria
(4-10-1824), Ana (1-14-1826), Amalia (5-9-1828–died same year),
Wilhelm (7-1-1829), David (9-9-1831), Susanna (6-17-1835), Sarah
(6-18-1836), and Tobias (9-28-1838). After Maria died, Wilhelm married
Susanna Janz, born 7-8-1816 in Brenkenhofswalde, Prussia, and had nine
more children.
4b. Maria Voth
b. May 18, 1800
d. September 11, 1839, Molotschna colony, Ukraine
4c. Karl Klatt
b. May 13, 1808, Brenkenhofswalde, Brandenburg, Prussia
d. ?
m.
4d. Karalina Preus (Grandma database lists spelling as Karoline Pruess)
b. May 27, 1816, Brenkenhofswalde, Brandenburg, Prussia
d. ?
4e. Martin Jacob Dueck (middle name from Grandma database)
b. March 1, 1781 Sandhof (Marienburg area), Prussia
d. January 28, 1833 Muensterberg, Molotschna colony, Ukraine (Grandma database lists date as February 9)
m. December 11, 1828 Eliesabethal (Grandma database lists date as November 12)
4f. Maria Huebert-Dueck-Reimer-Fast
b. January 26, 1801
d. September 10, 1866, Petershagen, Moloschtna colony, Ukraine (place from Grandma database)
Notes: They made their home in Muensterberg and had 2 children: Jakob
(1830) and Maria (1832-1874). After Martin died, Maria was remarried
the same year to Johann Reimer and they had 5 children. After Johann
Reimer died in 1846, she was remarried the same year to Abram Fast.
4g. Abram Mathies (Grandma database lists name as Abraham Jacob Matthies)
b. January 4, 1797 (Grandma database lists date as January 9, 1796), Prussia
d. April 10, 1860, Pordenau, Molostchna colony, Ukraine (place from Grandma database)
m. November 12, 1817
4h. Anna Braun
b. September 23, 1797 Hirschau, Bohemia (according to Ancestry.com) (Grandma database lists place as Neunhuben, Gross Werder, Prussia)
d. June 11, 1863 (Grandma database lists date as February 11)
5a. Heinrich Dirks (name and birthday from Grandma database; date of death from fifth cousin J.S.)
b. December 6, 1779
d. April 9, 1812
m.
5b. Katarina Ratzlaff
b. October 14, 1772, Driessen, Prussia
d. ?
Notes: They had 3 children: Wilhelm (1801), David (1811), and Helena.
5c. Jakob Dick
b. July 14, 1747 Koczelitzki-Warnau, Gross Werder, Prussia
d. January 18, 1811, Koczelitzki-Warnau, Gross Werder, Prussia
m. June 29, 1775 (Grandma database lists date as June 17)
5d. Judith Toews Reimer
b. 1750 (according to Ancestry.com) Sandhof (Marienburg area), Prussia (Grandma database lists date as September 23, 1757)
d. 1786 (Grandma database lists date as February 1, 1787), Sandhof (Marienburg area), Prussia
Notes: In addition to her son, Peter Reimer, from her first marriage,
they had 2 children: Helena (1776) and Martin (1781). After Judith’s
death, 40-year-old Jakob married 17-year-old Anna Born and they had 5
more children. In these years, a full-scale emigration was under way to
the Molotschna Mennonite colony, Ukraine, north of the Black Sea. Widow
Anna Dick with her stepsons, Peter Reimer, and Martin Dueck (note
changed spelling; reason unknown), with her own five children, joined
others and arrived in Gnadenheim, Molotschna in 1819.
Note: An ancestry.com member lists a third child of Jakob and Judith, Jacob Jacob (1779-1835), but in the Dueck Family Genealogy, J.P. Dick clearly states they only had Helene and Martin.
5e. Jakob Matthies (all info from Grandma database)
b. October 1760, Leske, Gross Werder, Prussia
d. December 13, 1864, Molotschna colony, Ukraine
m. bef 1800
5f. Catharina Wiens
b. December 1765, Prussia
d. March 22, 1832, Molotschna colony, Ukraine
5g. Niclaus Braun (all info from Grandma database)
b. 1770
d. July 7, 1799
m.
5h. Anna Esau
b. March 17, 1768
d. ?
6a. Heinrich Dircks (all info from Grandma database)
b. October 7, 1750, Jeziorka, Schwetz, Prussia
d. April 3, 1812
m. 1773, Franztal bei Driessen, Prussia
6b. Eva Ratzlaff
b. July 18, 1754
d. April 29, 1842
6c. Johann Ratzlaff (all info from Grandma database)
b. February 1, 1726, Holm, Gross Werder, Prussia
d. November 7, 1805, Volhynia
m. bef 1778, Prussia
6d. Sarcke Voth
b. May 11, 1757, Prussia
d. April 9, 1805, Volhynia
6e. Johan Dick (Grandma database lists spelling as Johann)
b. August 8, 1708 (Grandma database lists date as August 4), Marienburg, Prussia (place from Grandma database)
d. 1778, Marienburg, Prussia (place from Grandma database)
m. 1734 (according to Ancestry.com and Grandma database)
6f. Sarah Willems
b. May 6, 1714, Marienburg, Prussia (place from Grandma database)
d. ?
Notes: They had 7 children: two who died in infancy, Peter (1736),
Helena (1741), Claas (1744-1752), Martin (1745), and Jakob (1747). According to ancestry.com, the two who died in infancy are Sarah (1735), and another Martin (1739).
6g. Martin Toews (according to Ancestry.com and Grandma database)
b. 1724
d. January 2, 1775, Koczelitzke, Gross Werder, Prussia (exact date and place from Grandma database)
m.
6h. Judith Sukkau (from Grandma database)
6i. Johann Matthies (all info from Grandma database)
b. ?
d. October 25, 1774, Heubuden, Gross Werder, Prussia
m.
6j. Khristina Loewen
b. circa 1736
d. March 24, 1785, Heubuden, Gross Werder, Prussia
6k. Claas Bruhn (all info from Grandma database)
b. ?
d. bef. 1782
m.
6l. ?
6m. David Esau (all info from Grandma database)
b. ?, Prussia
d. ?
7a. Hans/Johann Dircks (much info from Grandma database; alternate name and birth year from fifth cousin J.S.)
b. 1725, Klein Konopat, Prussia
d. ?, Jeziorka, Schwetz, Prussia
m. Jeziorka, Schwetz, Prussia
7b. Ancke Schmidt (birth year and number of children from fifth cousin J.S.)
b. 1720, Prussia
d. ?, Jeziorka, Schwetz, Prussia
Notes: 2 children
7c. Peter Ratzlaff (all info from Grandma database)
b. February 2, 1719
m.
7d. Liscke Vohten
b. circa 1722
7e. Berent Ratzlaff
b. circa 1690, Beckersitz, Schwetz, Prussia
d. 1753
m. circa 1710
7f. Liscke Funck
b. circa 1690, Schoensee, Gross Werder, Prussia
d. ?
7g. Andreas Voth
b. ?
d. ?
7h. Cornelius Peter van Dycke (middle name Peter according to Ancestry.com)
b. 1660 Stavoren, Friesland, Netherlands
d. 1733 Marienburg (Danzig area), Prussia (now Poland)
m. 1698 (second marriage after being widowed)
7i. Agatha Reimer
b. 1676
d. 1748 Marienburg, Prussia
Notes: They had 4 children: Wilhelmina (1701-1710), Franz (1705-1776),
Johan (1708-1778), and Agatha (1712-1748). At this time the family name
changed from van Dycke to Dick.
8a. David Dircks (much info from Grandma database; alternate birth year and occupation from fifth cousin J.S.)
b. circa 1699 (Grandma database)/1700 (cousin J.S.), Prussia
d. ?, Prussia
Note: shoemaker.
m. Klein Konopat, Prussia
8b. Sarcke Schmidt (number of children from fifth cousin J.S.)
b. May 29, 1701, Prussia
d. ?, Prussia
Note: 1 child.
8c. Gottlieb Schmidt (all info from Grandma database)
b. ?
d. ?, Przechowka, Schwetz, Prussia
8d. Jeorgen Ratzlaff (all info from Grandma database)
b. September 6, 1693
d. ?
m. Jeziorka, Schwetz, Prussia
8e. Trincke Schmidt
b. circa 1693
8f. Berent Ratzlaff (all info from Grandma database)
b. 1660, Beckersitz, Schwetz, Prussia
d. circa 1717, Przechowka, Schwetz, Prussia
m.
8g. Lysabet Onrow
b. ?
d. ?
8h. Steffer Funck (all info from Grandma database)
b. ?
d. ?
m.
8i. Trincke Swelers
b. circa 1673
d. April 4, 1733
8j. Peter van Dycke
b. 1632 Stavoren, Friesland, Netherlands
d. November 1696 Ziegenord, on the Bay of Stettin, Pomerania, Germany (month from Grandma database)
m. 1656
Notes: In the lumber business; 6 children, only two known of: a daughter who married a Meeboer and a son, Cornelius
8k. Anna Snyder
b. circa 1635 (according to Ancestry.com and Grandma database), Stavoren, Friesland, Netherlands
d. 1692 Ziegenord, on the Bay of Stettin, Pomerania, Germany (Grandma database lists Prussia instead of Pomerania)
9a. Kasper Schmidt (all info from Grandma database)
b. 1664, Deutsch Konopat, Schwetz, Prussia
d. beg. 1719, Deutsch Konopat, Schwetz, Prussia
m. circa 1690, Deutsch Konopat, Schwetz, Prussia
9b. ? Thoms
9c. Hans Ratzlaff (all info from Grandma database)
b. January 1, 1661, Prussia
d. ?
m.
9d. ?
10a. Hans Ratzlaff (all info from Grandma database)
b. circa 1630
d. circa 1689
m. circa 1660
10b. ?
b. circa 1604
d. circa 1658, Netherlands
10c. ? Schmidt (all info from Grandma database)
b. circa 1640
d. ?
m. circa 1669, Deutsch Konopat, Schwetz, Prussia
10d. ?
10e. Jacob Thoms (all info from Grandma database)
b. ?, Dorposch, Culm, Prussia
m.
10f. ?
11a. Hans Ratzlaff (all info from Grandma database)
b. circa 1590, Stettin, Pomerania
d. circa 1704, Przechowka, Schwetz, Prussia
m. circa 1611 [makes no sense; spouse born 1611], Culm, Prussia
11b. ? Voth
b. circa 1611, Culm, Prussia
d. ?
12a. ? Voht
b. circa 1586
d. ?
Many details gleaned from The Dueck Family Genealogy, compiled by J.P. Dick, 1979, Waterloo, Ontario (Note: Jacob P. Dick died in 2000).
As did the Janzen branch, this Low German speaking branch derived from the Netherlands,
migrated to Prussia (now Poland), and moved to colonies
in the Ukraine in the early 19th century.
Considering an ancestor named Willems (6 f.), meditate upon the following link from the Martyr’s Mirror regarding Dirk Willems, illustrating just a glimpse of the travails of our ancestors: http://www.homecomers.org/mirror/dirk-willems.htm.
Information on the Frisian tribe from way back: http://www.i-friesland.com/history.html
Plattdeutsch (Low German) terms handed down in the Dirks family lexicon:
Abromtje: n. heart of a watermelon
Dumheit: n. lit. “dumbness”; silly carryings-on or conversation
Faspa: n. lit. “vespers”; early Sunday supper of rolls, butter, jam, cheese, cold meats, pickles, coffee
Knacksot: n. sunflower seeds (popular snack)
putz: v. putter; do a little work here, a little work there (following is the definition of the same term in Yiddish by The Free Dictionary by Farlex, a language closely related to Low German, indicating a somewhat vulgar word origin)
1. n. Slang A fool; an idiot.
2. intr.v. Vulgar Slang A *CENSORED* (male organ).
To behave in an idle manner; putter.
sparsam: adj. (related to “sparse”) thrifty to the point of ascetic; a culturally defining concept
Schput: n. a joke, fun, e.g., “Don’t take it seriously, I’m just making Schput.”
Toot: small paper bag of goodies given to children at Christmas with nuts, candy, and an orange
verrücht em Kopf crazy in the head (accompanied by circular motion over head)
Culinary traditions handed down:
borscht: cabbage soup (Russian)
jreena Shaubelsupp: green bean soup we jokingly call shovel soup
Papakrut: herb known to the “English” world as summer savory and to Germans as Bohnenkraut, important ingredient in jreena Shaubelsupp
paska: (related to “paschal”) Easter bread (Russian)
perieschkje: small fruit pastries/tarts (Russian — pirozhki)
Pfeffernüssen: spiced baked treat for Christmas
Pflintzen: thin pancakes like crepes rolled up with fruit filling
Platz: thin coffee cake with fruit topping
Plumamoos: prunes or other dried fruits, such as cherries, in a sweet, creamy sauce (I never liked this!)
Portselkje: spherical doughnut with raisins deep-fat fried, then rolled in sugar, served at New Year’s; also known as New Year’s cookies
Rollkuchen: deep-fat fried, twisted, not-sweet doughnut served with watermelon slices as a meal outdoors during the summer
Schnetke: leftover pastry dough left after making a pie crust cut into small pieces, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and baked for a snack
verenike: boiled dumplings filled with cottage cheese (Russian)
Zweibach: medium-sized roll topped by a smaller roll attached by poking the forefinger through both
Note: See Mennonite Foods & Folkways from South Russia Vol I by Norma Jost Voth for actual quotes from my Oma, Mary Dirks Janzen, regarding traditional foods.
Idle linguistic musings:
The Dutch term for Mennonites is “Doopsgezinde” (‘baptist persuasion‘).
The word origin for the “dope” I put on my ice cream as a youngster in
northeast Ohio is the Dutch word for ‘sauce.’ Could there be a
historical word relationship? And before anyone makes a crack, I’m
talking about chocolate or butterscotch, not hash. Hmm, wonder if these
are both related to English “dip.” I love investigating this kind of
stuff! (Did I mention I have a degree in linguistics? We’re a rare
breed.)
Traditions
of fun stuff for children handed down, with that Germanic sense of
appropriateness of material for healthy child development, a la the brothers Grimm (see also note at bottom of Janzen-Reimer page):
Bounce child on knee while chanting (view image in Oma’s handwriting):
Hoppa, hoppa Reiter,
Fällt er hin so schreit er,
Fällt er in den Graben,
Fressen ihn die Raben,
Fällt er in den Sumf,
Macht er einen Plumms!
(at which time, drop child to the floor)
Translation:
Giddyup, giddyup rider,
When he falls he shrieks,
When he falls into the ditch,
The ravens will eat him,
If he falls in the swamp,
He will go splash! (lit. “make a splash”)
(Thanks to my friend Natascha for this translation. She says “This nursery rhyme/song is VERY popular and well-known in Germany.”)
family janzen 
