© Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Last updated Jan. 31, 2003)

Abraham A. Friesen fonds. -- 1919-1958. -- 4 reels of 16 mm microfilm and one folder.

 Abraham A. Friesen (1885-1948) was born in Schφnau, Molotschana, South Russia to Abraham Heinrich Friesen (1853-1917) and Aganetha Bergman (1862-1905).  From 1909-1919 he was the instructor of chemistry at the School of Commerce in Halbstadt.  In 1920 he visited America with the Studien-Kommission whose task was to explore emigration options.  By 1922 he had permanent residence in Rosthern, Saskatchewan.

From 1922-1926 he worked with David Toews as the business manager for the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization (CMBoC) which helped bring thousands of Russian Mennonites to Canada from 1923-1964.  In 1923 he married Maria Goossen (1889-1934), the daughter of estate owner Jacob Johann Goossen (1858-1920) and Aganetha Kaethler (1861-1946).   Maria grew up on the Wintergruen estate where she became engaged to Friesen.  Together they had two children Aganetha (1923-1989) who later married John Enns, and Helene (1926-) who married John L. Wieler.  After Abraham ended his employment with the CMBoC in 1926 he became the business manager of the Meilicke Lumber Company in Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan in 1927, which he held until his death.  In 1934 Maria Goossen died and Friesen married her sister Helena Goossen (1895-1985).  Together they has one child Margaret Lousie Friesen (1937-).

 

Scope and Content

 This fonds consists primarily of correspondence, official negotiation, and memoranda of the Study Commission sent to North America by Mennonites in Russia in 1920-1921 to investigate migration to North America.  Also included is similar material for the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization.  Extensive correspondence between Friesen and David Toews, Benjamin H. Unruh, Benjamin B. Janz, Peter H. Unruh, and other Mennonite leaders are included.

 Several files deal with the case of "the 62", sixty two young male Mennonite refugees who left Russia for the United States via Constantinople in the early 1920s.  Folder 124 contains a good photo of the group.

 Some genealogical material for Russian Mennonite emigrants for the 1920s can be found here.  The "notebooks" folder includes Friesen's passport and diaries.

 

Custodial History

 The material was created by Abraham A. Friesen and donated to Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas in 1949 by his widow.  The material was microfilmed in 1999 for the Mennonite Heritage Centre in Winnipeg by, IKON Office Solutions, Wichita, Kansas.  In November 2002 Friesen’s son-in-law, John Enns donated 35 photographs which was processed as the Jacob Goossen family fonds.  With this material was a business card and the sermon preached at his funeral which is placed in this fonds.

 

Notes

Described by Conrad Stoesz, November 8, 2000, updated December 11, 2002.

Accession nos. 2000-151, 2002-155.

Finding aid consists of a file list.

Location: microfilms 781-784.

Language: German, English

Related material: Jacob Goossen family fonds.

 

Inventory file list for the Abraham A. Friesen fonds:

 

Volume 4870

File 11.  A.A. Friesen business card . – [191-].

            Sermon preached at A.A. Friesen’s funeral. -- September 24, 1948 .

 

 

Microfilm #781

General Correspondence

1  1919

2  January-June. – 1920

3  July-August. – 1920

4  September-October. – 1920

5  November. – 1920

6  December. – 1920

7  January-February. – 1920

8  February. – 1921

9  March-April. – 1921

10  April. – 1921

11  May-June. – 1921

12  July-August. – 1921

13  September-October. – 1921

14  November-December. – 1921

15  January. – 1922

16  February. – 1922

17  March. – 1922

18  April. – 1922

19  May. – 1922

20  June. – 1922

21  July. – 1922

22  August. – 1922

23  September. – 1922

24  October. – 1922

25  November. – 1922

26  December. – 1922

27  January-March. – 1923

28  April-June. – 1923

29  July-September. – 1923

30  October-December. – 1923

31  January-March. – 1924

32  April-June. – 1924

33  July-September. – 1924

34  October-December. – 1924

35  January-March. – 1925

36  April-June. – 1925

37  July-September. – 1925

 

Microfilm # 782

38  October-December. – 1925

39  1926

40  1927-1928

41  1929-1931

42  1932-1934

43  1935-1937

44  1938-1940

45  1938-1940

46  1944-1945

47  1946

48  1947-1948

Benjamin B. Janz correspondence

49  1921

50  January-February. – 1922

51  March-April. – 1922

52  May-June. – 1922 

53  July-August. – 1922

54  September – October. – 1922

55  November-December. – 1922

56  January-April. – 1923

57  May-August. – 1923

58  September-December. – 1923

59  January-April. – 1924

60  May-August. – 1924

61  September-December. – 1924

62  1925-1926

Benjamin H. Unruh correspondence

63  1920

64  January-February. – 1921

65  March-April. – 1921

66  May-June. – 1921

67  July-August. – 1921

68  September-October. – 1921

69  November-December. – 1921

70  January-February. – 1922

71  March-April. – 1922

Microfilm #783

72  May-June. – 1922

73  July-August. – 1922

74  September-October. – 1922

75  November-December. – 1922

76  January-March. – 1923

77  April-July. – 1923

78  August-December. – 1923

79  January-June. – 1924

80  July-December. – 1924

81  1925

82  1926-1948

83  1948-1958

Benjamin H. Unruh reports

84  1920-1921

85  January-May. – 1922

86  July-December. – 1922

87  1923

88  1924

89  1925-1931

Friesen family correspondence

90  1922-1926

91  1927-1948

MCC and Refugees

92  Orie O. Miller and the “62”

93  Correspondence – the “62”

94  Constantinople – the “62”

95  Batum

96  Emigrant lists

97  Letters of authority

Manuscripts and reports

98  Anonymous

99  A-G

100  H-S

101  T-Z

 

Microfilm # 784

Minutes and resolutions

102  Mennonite organization – Europe

103  Mennonite organization – North America

104  Mennonite organization – Russia – VBHH

105  Mennonite organization – Russia – AMLV

Russia – miscellaneous

106  Church affairs

107  Letters

108  German newspapers in Russia

109  Material in Russian newspapers

110  Russian materials, reports

111  Russian letters, memoranda

Miscellaneous

112  Nonresistance

113  A.A. Friesen and J.J. Janzen patent, 1931-1932

114  Undated material

115  Undated material

Appendix 

116  Reports

117  Miscellaneous notebooks

118  Travel documents

119  Kommission fuer Kirchliche Angelegenheiten

120  Miscellaneous

121  Letters

122  Printed matter

 

Cds.