CONTENTS:
|
Kronsfeld Cemetery
STATUS OF THE MEMORIAL PROJECT
On this page:
 |
UPDATE FOR January 2011 A short movie has been created, portraying the unveiling of the cairn and some of the activities leading up to project completion. It is compatible with iPhone and similar devices and is about a 23 Megabyte download. You can download it here: Kronsfeld_CairnUnveiling_480x360.m4v. The downloadable file is in an off-site storage location that doesn't allow viewing as an embedding video within this page. You will have to download it to your computer and then open it with a movie viewer, such as "QuickTime". |
 |
UPDATE FOR October 2009 The project fund account at Access Credit Union Winkler brand (formerly Heartland Credit Union) has been closed out with the residue of the project funds applied to install a metal rail fence behind the cairn to prevent grazing cattle from rubbing on the memorial. |
|
|
UPDATE FOR 04-Dec-2008 The "sub-project" to place a granite pillow marker at Winkler Cemetery achieved its target: the marker has been completed and installed on site. The marker clarifies the presence of the six gravestones moved to Winkler from the Kronsfeld Village Cemetery. |
|
|
UPDATE FOR OCTOBER 2008
More below.... |
How It Started...
The Kronsfeld Cemetery Project had been in progress since 2002. Current landowners John and Anne Peters realized there was an abandoned cemetery on their property. John posed the question to neighbour Alan Warkentin, "What do you want to do about it?"
Alan's ancestors are among those buried in Kronsfeld cemetery. So Alan recruited cousin Art Warkentine and they hired a grader in 2002 to remove a sufficient amount of accumulated topsoil to positively identify where some of the cemetery graves are located. This was followed by research to find the names of people buried at Kronsfeld:
- RM (rural municipality) records searched;
- Vital statistics records searched;
- Southern Shopper newpaper articles requesting information (twice);
- Mennonite Historian article requesting information;
- CFAM (radio) announcement requesting information;
- Internet article requesting information;
- Questions asked of people knowledgeable with Kronsfeld.
By summer 2007 the list was up to 41 persons buried in the Kronsfeld Cemetery. We located direct descendants for about half of them. These and other interested people were invited to help raise funds for the cost and erection of a memorial plaque recording the names of burials.
News Briefs...
January 2011:A short movie has been created, portraying the unveiling of the cairn and some of the activities leading up to project completion. It is compatible with iPhone and similar devices and is about a 23 Megabyte download. You can download it here:
October 2009: The project fund account has been closed out. Residual funds were applied to install protective steel rail fencing to prevent grazing cattle from rubbing on the cairn.
04-Dec-2008: The "sub-project" to place a granite pillow marker at Winkler Cemetery has achieved its target: the marker has been completed and installed on site. The marker clarifies the presence of the six gravestones moved to Winkler from the Kronsfeld Village Cemetery.
05-Oct-2008: The memorial dedication service took place October 5, 2008 at the site of the actual Kronsfeld Village Cemetery. Despite blustery, chilly weather approximately 100 people arrived for the 2:30 p.m. service at the cemetery site one mile northwest of Haskett on the property of John and Anne Peters, Land No. NW 7-1-4 West (northwest quarter of Section 7, Township 1, Range 4, west of the Prime Meridian).
After the service, a coffee/fellowship/visiting time took place on the yard of Alan and Helen Warkentin, just a half mile west of the cemetery on land no. NE 12-1-4 W. (A sign at the lane identifies their property as a Century Farm site and the home of Wake Robin Bed & Breakfast). This yard is the homestead of one of the original Kronsfeld residents, Jacob Warkentin, son of Jakob and Helena Warkentin, and the Kronsfeld School was also situated on his quarter section before it was relocated to Haskett.
25-Sep-2008: The bronze plaque arrived 25-Sep-2008 and was installed at the cemetery on 27-Sep-2008. More below...
30-Aug-2008:The granite cairn was installed at the cemetery site.
30-Jul-2008:The final production draft of the bronze plaque was approved, and order deposits submitted for both the plaque and the granite cairn.
June 14, 2008: we received the final confirmation data for which we were waiting to hear from Vital Statistics Manitoba.
Please contact the Kronsfeld Cemetery Committee (see contact page) if you are interested in more information or if you are able to contribute further information or photos. Thank you!
| PLEASE NOTE: If you are planning to visit the cemetery and view the cairn, please contact property owners John and Anne Peters ahead of time and make arrangements to come. They welcome visitors, but the site is on private property and your courtesy on their behalf is appreciated. Their phone number can be found in the Winkler directory. The property is situated at NW 7-1-4 W, approximately 1 mile northwest of Haskett. |
Directions: From Winkler at junction of Highway #32 and #14, go 10 miles (16 km) south. Go west on Road 3 North for two miles (3.2 km). Go one mile (1.6 km) south. Go 1/2 mile (.8 km) west, and then 1/2 mile south into John and Anne Peters yard and cemetery site.
|
| Alternate route: From Winkler at the junction of Highway #14 and #32, take Highway #32 south for 12 miles (19.3 km), then at the curve in the highway turn west on the grid road to Haskett. Go west 3 miles (4.8 km), then north 1 mile (1.6 km) (this takes you past Alan and Helen Warkentin's farmyard, which is on the west side of the road on the N.E. quarter of section 12). At the mile section-line (Mile 2) turn east, and not quite at the mid-section line turn south onto the farmyard lane. It's a long lane, over 1/4 mile (>0.4 km), into the farmyard (the lane is the former main street of the Kronsfeld village). |
With the property owner's consent we have taken steps to have a caveat placed on the property. That caveat is now in place. The purpose of such a document is so that the cemetery site will have some legal protection and help ensure that future landowners are made aware of the cemetery existence. Some cost was incurred for legal fees to have this document drawn up.
Memorial...
The following are the components and dimensions for the cairn and plaque installation. Actual photos of the installed monument are also below (click on the images for a larger view):
|
|
The last week of August 2008 saw the granite cairn installed at the cemetery site. On 25-Sep-2008 we were notified that the bronze plaque had arrived, and it was installed on the cairn that same weekend. On Oct. 5 the memorial dedication service was held. Click on the photos for a larger view! The two unveiling photos at left are courtesy of Albert Warkentin of Morden. Thanks Albert!
CONTRIBUTIONS...
The donations tally as of Oct. 4, 2008 stood at $5290.88 for this cemetery plaque project, less the amount withdrawn for payment on the cairn, order deposit on the plaque and related expenses to date. NOTE: This figure did not include contributions made at the memorial service. A big "thank you" to those donors who generously took the time to contribute!
A separate bank account (now closed out) was formed to collect funds for the plaque. Having a dedicated account allowed donors to contribute directly the project by making contributions payable to Kronsfeld Cemetery.
The Next Level...
We are grateful for those who rallied to support this historic project. Any contributors interested in a financial report are welcome to contact the secretary/treasurer.
Excess funds over the immediate project costs and expenses of the Oct. 5/08 memorial dedication were directed toward costs of bringing the project to a close with respect to: a)cover the costs of miscellaneous expenses; b)submitting documention of this project and our research to the Mennonite Historical Archives; c)make available video recordings and other presentation material from the dedication event for those who could not attend; d)place a small marker at Winkler Cemetery to indicate the original location of the headstones that originally came from Kronsfeld Cemetery. We have no plans to return those headstones to Kronsfeld because we cannot identify the correct grave locations, the headstones have declined in readability, and we do not want the responsibility of upkeep around random headstones.
As of Dec 3, 2008 the pillowmarker noted in item "d" was completed and installed on site at the Winkler Cemetery (see photos opposite; click images for larger view).
If you should be able to supply missing information or can assist in any way our efforts to enhance the presentation of this project, we would welcome you to contact us!
Kronsfeld Cemetery Project Donor List...
| NAME: | PLACE: | NOTES: |
|---|---|---|
| Baer, Alice & Max | Surrey BC | |
| Benjamin, Viola (Harold); Stobbe, Ken | Saskatoon SK | |
| Black, Leona & Neil | Comox BC | Donated in memory of and in honor of Cornelius & Agnes (nee Knelsen) Unrau and their four children: Eldon, Norman, Gordon and Leona. |
| Braun, Carl & Evelyn | Calgary AB | |
| Braun, Norman & Johanna | Winkler MB | |
| Brown, Elsie | Winkler MB | |
| Dyck, Bob & Carol | Neustadt ON | |
| Dyck, Gregory | Winnipeg MB | |
| Dyck, John A. & Betty L. | Winnipeg MB | |
| Elias, George B | Winnipeg MB | |
| Elias, John & Dorothy | Winkler MB | |
| Fehr, Bill & Susan | Zhoda MB | |
| Fehr, Peter & Mary | Sanford MB | |
| Giesbrecht, Edna | Langley BC | |
| Heinrichs, Delbert & Inez | Henderson NE | |
| Heinrichs, Elvis & Nancy | Omaha NE | |
| Kehler, Irene & Frank | Altona MB | |
| Klassen, Peter & Linda; Klassen, George & Anne | Haskett MB | |
| Peters, Isaac I. | Winkler MB | |
| Reddekopp, Dennis | Saskatoon SK | |
| Reddekopp, Dennis | Saskatoon SK | |
| Reed, Doris | Waterloo, ON | |
| Rodgers, Almeda & John | MacGregor MB | |
| Stobbe, A.V. | Rabbit Lake SK | |
| Thiessen (Sawatzky) Family | Manitoba | Donated in memory of Jacob and Agatha (Sawatzky) Thiessen |
| Unrau - Ernest, Wayne, Debbie Panchuk, Lorraine Carpenter, Mark | Manitoba | Children of Clive and Margaret, respectively of Morden, MacGregor, Killarney, Winnipeg, and Pratt district (Austin/MacGregor area). |
| Unrau, Clive & Margaret | Austin MB | |
| Unrau, Gary & Linda | Nanoose Bay BC | |
| Unrau, Helen | MacGregor MB | |
| Warkentin, Alan & Helen | Morden MB (Kronsfeld/Haskett district) | |
| Warkentin, Alan & Helen | Winkler MB (Kronsfeld/Haskett district) | |
| Warkentin, Conn & Gertie | Scarborough ON | |
| Warkentin, John C. & Jacqueline | Halifax, Nova Scotia | |
| Warkentin, John H. & Germaine / Warkentin, Juliet | Toronto ON / London, England | |
| Warkentin, Ken & Linda | Morden MB | |
| Warkentin, Richard & Agnes | Winkler MB | |
| Warkentin, Ron | Morden MB | |
| Warkentin, Tina | Morden MB | |
| Warkentin, Walter & Doris | Morden MB | |
| Warkentin, Winnifred | Winnipeg | |
| Warkentine, Art & Mary | Winkler MB | |
| Warkentine, Randy & Nancy; Warkentine, Kevin & Colleen | Maple Creek Dairy, Winkler MB | |
| Unknown contributors (Cash contributions) | Kronsfeld Memorial Dedication | (Contributions made at the fellowship time following the memorial service) |
Meetings...
A meeting of the Kronsfeld Cemetery Committee was held on March 3, at which a general information meeting was set for March 29. Click the following links to read the proceedings of those meetings:
- Minutes of March 3, 2008 - a committee meeting to review progress and plan a general information meeting.
- Minutes of March 29, 2008, a general information meeting to update interested people on the background and status of the project.
A couple of committee meetings were held since the above dates for the purpose of organizing and validating cemetery research findings.
Please click on the content links at upper left to browse the information available.