Friesen, Cornelius T. (1860-1929)
Cornelius T. Friesen: third generation Waisenman (Orphan's Officer); born 20 March 1860 in the village of Bergthal which was part of the Bergthal Colony in South Russia. He was the third of ten children, only six of which survived to adulthood. His parents were Kornelius B. Friesen (1833-1909) and Anna (Toews) Friesen (1834-1899), who immigrated with their children to Canada in 1876. They were one of the last families to leave Russia due to his father's responsibilities as one of the Waisenmänner of the colony. In Canada, Cornelius' family settled in Osterwick, Manitoba. Cornelius was baptized 17 May 1880 in the Chortitzer Mennonite Church and the following year married Katharina Friesen (1868-1908). Together they had 12 children, nine survived to adulthood. Katharina died 6 October 1908. The following February Cornelius married Gertrude Dueck Wiebe (1863-?), the widow of Heinrich D. Wiebe (1859-1908). Together they raised their combined family of 11 children, her seven children and his four sons, on the Friesen farm in Osterwick.
Cornelius T. Friesen was first elected to the office of Waisenman in 1905 and re-elected in 1917, to administer the Chortitzer Waisenamt (Orphan's Bureau). Some of his responsibilities included administering funds for orphans and widows, and filing adoption papers. Cornelius possessed the strong math skills and good organizational ability that were essential for this job and like his father before him served faithfully as Waisenman until his death on 2 January 1929.
Bibliography
Wiebe, Katherine Friesen. "Waisenman Cornelius T. Friesen." Preservings No. 8, Part I (June 1996): 36-40.
| Author(s) | Sharon H. H Brown |
|---|---|
| Date Published | April 2006 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Brown, Sharon H. H. "Friesen, Cornelius T. (1860-1929)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2006. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Friesen,_Cornelius_T._(1860-1929)&oldid=91815.
APA style
Brown, Sharon H. H. (April 2006). Friesen, Cornelius T. (1860-1929). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Friesen,_Cornelius_T._(1860-1929)&oldid=91815.
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