Mennonite Genealogy with Michael Penner

Gerhard S. Friesen Children

Gerhard S. Friesen fathered eight children with his first wife, Maria nee Wiebe.

· Maria W. Friesen (1875-1876) (obit) died in an oxcart accident on Main Street, Winnipeg, at the age of eighteen months.

· Gerhard W. Friesen (1876-1956) (bio, photos) has been described as a hard working man, a lover of horses, and a teamster of reputation. He moved often and proved three homesteads in his lifetime. Gerhard married Anna Wiebe and the couple had six children. He retired from active farming in 1947 and passed away in Alberta shortly before his eightieth birthday.

· Maria W. Friesen (1878-1880) died at two years of age.

· Heinrich W. Friesen (1879-1933) (note, photos) was born near what is now Kleefeld, Manitoba. He grew up in North Dakota, and moved to Sunnyslope, Alberta in 1904. He took a trip to Saskatchewan and there married Anna Giesbrecht. Two months after their wedding,  they returned to Sunnyslope. In 1912, Heinrich and family moved to Winton, California. Heinrich died suddenly of a heart attack in 1933, at the age of 53.

· Maria W. Friesen (1880-1945) was born near what is now Kleefeld, Manitoba. She grew up in North Dakota. She married Peter M. Penner of Prairie Rose, Manitoba on January 16, 1902. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Sunnyslope, where her father had signed paperwork on their behalf to prove a homestead. Maria and Peter moved to Manitoba in 1906 and remained their for the rest of their days. Maria raised nine children, including two adopted daughters. She was greatly saddened when her husband passed away from appendicitis in 1936. Maria died of a heart attack on April 10, 1945, at the age of 64. (Also see her obituary and the biography of her husband.)

· David W. Friesen (1882-1933) (photos) was a businessman. He was married twice. He applied to fight in WWI for the U.S., but was turned down on medical grounds.

· Katharina W. Friesen (1884-1886) passed away as a toddler.

· Eliesabeth W. Friesen (1885-1885) passed away as an infant.

 

Gerhard fathered another nine children with his second wife, Henrietta Koehler: Elizabeth, Susan, John, Ernie (Aaron), Peter, Martha, Tina, Esther, and Jacob.

 

Back to the Friesen page.

David W. Friesen

Source: Dr. Archie Penner, Brandon, Manitoba