This novel could not have been written without the help of Margaret Kyle, Helena Hiebert, Peter S. Hiebert and Lynda Hiebert. A great deal of research has gone into this book and any errors are mine, so many people have helped bring this story to fruition and it is immensely better for their contributions.
I thought a brief history of the Mennonites and their journey to Manitoba might be helpful here.
In the early-to-mid 16th century Mennonites began to move from the Low Countries, Friesland and Flanders to the Vistula delta regions. They were seeking religious freedom and exemption from military service. At this time they gradually replaced the Dutch and Frisian languages with the Plaudietsch or (Low German) spoken in the area and blended it with their native tongues. Today that language is recognized as the distinct Mennonite language. The difference between Low and High German is that Low German developed in what were referred to as the ‘low countries.”
In 1772 most of the Mennonites’ land in the Vistula region became part of Prussia in the first of the Partitions of Poland. When Frederick William II of Prussia took the throne in 1786 he imposed heavy fees on the Mennonites in exchange for the right to military exemption,
In 1763 Catherine the Great of Russia issued a Manifesto inviting Europeans to settle various parts of Russia, particularly in the Volga River region. For various reasons this appealed to the Mennonites. A delegation from the Vistula delta region of Prussia went to negotiate an extension to her Manifesto. Crown Prince Paul signed a new agreement in 1789. The migration to Russia from Prussia was led by Johann Bartsch and Jacob Hoeppner. They were given land northwest of the Sea of Azov. Most of the Mennonites in Prussia accepted the invitation and established the colony of Chortitsa on the Dnieper River in 1789. A second colony named Molotschna was founded in 1803.
When the Prussian government removed the elimination from military service on religious grounds, the Mennonites remaining there emigrated to Russia and settled along the Volga River in Samara. They were promised an exemption from military service for twenty years, after that they would be required to pay a special tax for the privilege.
Nationalism became stronger in central Europe and the Russian government chose to no longer uphold the special status of the German colonists. In 1870 Russia announced a “Russification plan” that ended all special privileges by 1880. The Mennonites were most upset at the thought of being forced to participate in the military, and losing the right to use German as the language in their schools. Both these things were deemed necessary to maintain their culture and religion.
In 1871 a delegation went to Petersburg to meet with the czar to appeal on religious grounds. They failed and another attempt was made the following year. They weren’t successful, but the Tsar’s brother Grand Duke Konstantin promised them a new law would offer a way to for Mennonites to be only involved in non-combatant military service.
Many conscientious Mennonites refused to accept that. So, 1873 twelve delegates went to North America looking for large tracts of farmland. The group returned with reports of good land available in Manitoba, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.
The more conservative groups from Kleine Gemeinde, Bergthal and Chortitza came to Canada and settled in Manitoba. The more liberal groups chose to go to the United States. Between 1874 and 1880 eight thousand Mennonites moved to Manitoba, while forty-five thousand went to the States.
The Mennonites settled in Manitoba in two Reserves, the East and the West, which fell on the east and west side of the Red River. They formed villages with German names like Blumenort, Steinbach and Gruthal. A more conservative group of the Mennonites who settled in Manitoba near the Landmark, Niverville and Bothwell areas chose to move to Mexico after World War I. This was in protest against their childrens’ compulsory attendance at public schools where English had to be spoken rather than the Mennonite ran ones where German was the first language. There were also anti-German sentiments which played into their decisions. In the 1920s and late 1940s there was also an exodus to South America, Paraguay in particular for much the same reasons. Some emigrants returned to Manitoba after finding the new lands they had chosen didn’t live up to their expectations.
There are different groups under the Mennonite umbrella, some more conservative and some more liberal than others. The group I have chosen for this story are more liberal, dressing in a mainstream style and not shunning mechanical means of farming or transportation.
With regards to the Blizzard of 1947, this was a real event that paralyzed the prairie provinces for well over two weeks, the storm itself lasting ten days. There are many articles and historical accounts and photographs of the event. You can find links to some of them in my Bibliography.
Anna’s death in the blizzard is a purely fictional event, but based on facts. Some people did become lost in the storm and perished. It is further recorded that during the first winter the Mennonites were in Manitoba and living in semlins, one of the leader’s young children passed away from a fever. It was impossible to go out and bury her, so they swaddled her and placed her in a cradle which they hung from the rood of the semlin until the storm passed and they could clear the snow and hack a grave out of the frozen prairie. I had this example in mind when I put Anna’s body in her cold bedroom until the storm passed and there could be a funeral and burial.
I hope you have enjoyed this story. If you find you are interested in learning more about the Manitoba Mennonites, please visit Steinbach, Manitoba where the Mennonite Heritage Village is located. It is a wonderful place full of authentic historical artifacts including a semlin which you can enter and admire the ingenious way the walls were made of slabs of sod and the roof attached by poles and covered with more sods.
Canadian Historical Brides Series
His Brother’s Bride ~ Ontario
On a Stormy Primal Shore ~ New Brunswick
Second author with Diane Scott Lewis
Landmark Roses ~ Manitoba
Lead author writing as Marie Rafter with Margaret Kyle
The Cornwall Adventures
Laurel’s Quest ~ Book One
A Step Beyond ~ Book Two
Go Gently ~ Book Three
Romance
Storm’s Refuge A Longview Romance Book One
Come Hell or High Water A Longview Romance Book Two
A Longview Wedding
A Longview Christmas Seasonal Novella
Arabella’s Secret Series
The Selkie’s Song ~ Book One
Arabella Dreams ~ Book Two
Co-Authored with Pat Dale
The Last Cowboy
Henrietta’s Heart
The Teddy Dialogues
She’s Driving Me Crazy
Historical Horror
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No Absolution