Berliner – Page 2

Homecoming a Success !

Thank you to each and every friend and relative who attended the Berliner Kehler Homecoming and book launch event at the Mennonite Heritage Village on Sunday, July 26, 2009.

Kehler cousins, Syd Reimer, Al Reimer and Glen Kehler were overwhelmed with the response and grateful for the recognition of their three years of work to put the Berliner Kehler story into print.

There were over 175 relatives and friends at the afternoon event which included a reading by author Al Reimer and reminiscing by Glen Kehler. Syd Reimer chaired the program and the Ebenfeldshcha Bosch Brennt Dohl Band (Peter B. Kehler & Friends) provided musical entertainment.

Thanks also to the Kehler cousins who baked and served cookies and coffee to accompany the visiting after the program.

Sales of the book The Berliner Kehler Clan – A History in Portraits were brisk and the first printing was sold out. However, a second printing is underway and will be available shortly.

Photos of this most memorial event can be viewed here.

The Berliner Kehler Clan Released

The Berliner Kehler Clan chronicles the lives of Jacob “Berliner” and Elizabeth Kehler and their eleven children, a pioneering Mennonite family in Ebenfeld, near Steinbach, Manitoba.

The Kehlers living in the wider Steinbach region are a truly remarkable clan. Not only are they as numerous as chokecherries in August, but like chokecherries they grow in dense family clusters in close proximity to each other. There the comparison breaks down. Chokecherries are silent, waiting to be picked. The Kehlers are never silent and anything but passive. They are active, spirited and vocal – if not downright gabby. They never stop talking and when they have nothing more to say they go on talking for the sheer pleasure of it. When Kehlers get together the air turns into a whirlwind of words and laughter. As the Kehlers themselves like to say: ‘Never bury a Kehler until you’ve made sure his mouth is dead too.’ Continue reading “The Berliner Kehler Clan Released”

Peter S. Kehler (1896-1968)

Peter S. Kehler: entrepreneur and minister; born 1 January 1896 in Ebenfeld, Manitoba, to Jacob K. and Elisabeth H. (Schultz) Kehler, as the eighth of 14 children in the family.

On 12 August 1923, he married Katharina Blatz (1900-1991) in Eigengrund (later called Hanover), Manitoba. The couple had 12 children, one of whom died young. Peter died on 11 February 1968 in Mitchell, Manitoba. Because the family was so large, he lived with an aunt and uncle from the age of four until he was ten years old. While he was there, he learned how to play the harmonica, sparking a lifelong interest in music. Later in life, Continue reading “Peter S. Kehler (1896-1968)”

Johann Schultz Kehler (1894-1962)

Johann Schultz Kehler: self-taught veterinarian; born on 5 May 1894 in Steinbach, Manitoba, to Jakob K. “Berliner” and Elizabeth H. (Schutz) Kehler. He was the sixth of 13 children in the family. Johann was baptized on 21 May 1918 in Chortitz, Manitoba. On 20 November 1921, he married Anna U. Wieler (1901-1991). The couple had 11 children, one of whom died young.

Johann grew up with his family in southern Manitoba at a time when agricultural communities were expanding. Contracting typhoid fever, severe arthritis, and sciatica as a young man, during the early 1930s, Continue reading “Johann Schultz Kehler (1894-1962)”

Elisabeth S. Kehler Reimer (1903-1946)

Elisabeth Reimer, beloved wife of Rev. Peter J. B. Reimer, born March 20, 1903 to Jacob “Berliner” & Elisabeth Kehler, passed away on January 13, 1946 in Steinbach, MB.

Continue reading “Elisabeth S. Kehler Reimer (1903-1946)”

Elisabeth Schultz Kehler (1866-1943)

Elisabeth Schultz Kehler, Mennonite pioneer, was born on 30 March 1866 in the Bergthaler Colony, South Russia. She was the fourth of ten children born to Aron K. Schultz (1834-1924) and Maria Harder (1839-1900). As a young adult she was baptized into the membership of the Bergthaler Mennonite Church but later in Canada was a member of the Sommerfelder Mennonite Church. In 1884 she married Jacob K. “Berliner” Kehler (1863-1923). Together they had 13 children (four daughter and nine sons) of which 11 survived to adulthood. Elisabeth Kehler died on 10 February 1943 in Steinbach, Manitoba. Continue reading “Elisabeth Schultz Kehler (1866-1943)”

Jacob “Berliner” Kehler (1863-1923)

Jacob Kehler (known commonly as “Berliner” Kehler): farmer and community leader; born on 11 March 1863 in Russia to Gerhard and Susanna (Ketler) Kehler. He was the 10th of fifteen children in the family.

The family immigrated to Canada in 1875 when Jacob was 12 years old and settled in Hochfeld, a small village near Steinbach, Manitoba.

He was baptized on 2 June 1884, joining the Chortitzer Mennonite Church.

At age 13, Jacob obtained a job helping out with hauling and carrying jobs for Continue reading “Jacob “Berliner” Kehler (1863-1923)”