Information Needed

Heirloom Data

I am a freelance writer researching an article (for a national magazine) that will focus on especially meaningful family heirlooms. I hope to discover five or six people from across Canada who would be willing to share the story of their artifacts and the family memories/history that go along with them.

As an example - my own great-great grandfather kept a diary on his journey across the Atlantic from Southampton to New York City in 1840. It is this type of heirloom I am looking for - something with rich historical significance that families have treasured for years.

Any help you can give would be very much appreciated. If there are other sources you can recommend that I might investigate, that would be very useful as well. Thank you!

Mary Lynn O'Shea

1120 Windrush Drive

Oakville, Ontario L6M 1S8

oshea@pathcom.com

The Jacob Hoeppner Gun Gifted to Museum

A gun owned in the 1780s by the one-time Prussian Mennonite delegate to New Russia, Jacob Hoeppner, was recently donated to the Mennonite Heritage Village of Steinbach, Manitoba. It had come to Manitoba originally with people of the 1870s migration to Manitoba. Given at that time to another Jacob Hoeppner (1825-1907) of Waldheim (near Morden, MB), Manitoba, it was passed on to Jacob's nephew, Peter A. Hoeppner (1896-1986), also of the village of Waldheim. It then became the property of Peter's son, Anton, of Austin, MB, who donated it to the museum. In the photos we see Anton at the Jacob Hoeppner monument at MHV, and (below) the family of Anton including (l-r): Henry, Tina and Isaac, mother Sara, Anton, Father Peter, Jacob, Annie and Peter. Photos: Courtesy of Frank Froese, Steinbach, Manitoba (statue and gun), and Anton Hoeppner (family group)