Reimer, Elisabeth Rempel (1814-1893)
Elisabeth Rempel Reimer, Mennonite immigrant woman, was born as a twin in 1814 to Peter and Katerina (Berchen) Rempel in the Molotschna Colony of South Russia. In 1835 she married Abram Reimer (died 1892), who was the son of Bishop Klaas Reimer of the Kleine Gemeinde. Together they had eight children who all lived to adulthood. Unfortunately they did not do well farming and were dependent on the village poor fund to make ends meet. This meant that their children had to leave home at a very young age to work. Elisabeth herself, in addition to managing the house and helping with the farm work, did sewing outside the home. This required being away for long periods, which was especially hard for the younger children in the family. As her children grew and married, Elisabeth was kept busy providing the practical assistance, encouragement and direction which held them together through the joys and sorrows of life. Elisabeth moved with her family as part of the Kleine Gemeinde migration in the 1860s, establishing daughter colonies, first in Marcusland and then in Borozenko. Here she had the opportunity to see her married children prosper, but not for long. In 1874 they sold their farms and immigrated to Canada.
Elisabeth and her family arrived in Manitoba on 13 September 1874 and eventually found their way to the village of Blumenort, where they settled. The first two years in Canada were a struggle. Grasshoppers destroyed their crops and it was due in large part to Elisabeth that the family did not leave that second year. "I have faith in God," she is reported to have said, "that He will bless us and that we will have our bread." The years of prosperity that followed showed that her faith had not been misplaced. Elisabeth Rempel Reimer, a courageous and faithful Mennonite pioneer, died at the age of 79, one year after her husband, in 1892.
Bibliography
Loewen, Royden. "Elisabeth Rempel Reimer--Immigrant Woman." Preservings No.7 (December 1995): 2 ff.
| Author(s) | Sharon H. H Brown |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2006 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Brown, Sharon H. H. "Reimer, Elisabeth Rempel (1814-1893)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2006. Web. 24 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Reimer,_Elisabeth_Rempel_(1814-1893)&oldid=60364.
APA style
Brown, Sharon H. H. (March 2006). Reimer, Elisabeth Rempel (1814-1893). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Reimer,_Elisabeth_Rempel_(1814-1893)&oldid=60364.
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