The Life Story of Ältester (Bishop) Jakob Hoeppner in Manitoba

by Lawrence Klippenstein

Jakob Hoeppner, a future Ältester (bishop) in Manitoba, was the second child (b. 10 August 1850) of Jakob (1822-1885) and Katharina Thiessen (1819-1899). Hoeppner live on the "Kaump", the island of Chortitza off the eastern shore of the Old Colony settlement of Chortitza. The island (Insel Chortitza) was also the site of the first homestead of Jakob Hoeppner, the delegate to New Russia, who travelled from Prussia in 1786-1787, with Johann Bartsch to look over the area for settlement. The deputy was Ältester Hoeppner's great grandfather.

Jakob had five siblings, he being the third of six children. Jakob's siblings were Anna (1846-1897), Katharina (1849-1849), Katharina (1853-1893)m Aganetha (1857- ?), and Heinrich (1861-1896). Jakob married Aganetha (b.19 September 1853), the daughter of Peter and Aganetha (?) Dyck (Dueck), on 24 August 1873. Their following children died in infancy: Agnetha, 1874; Jacob, 1875-6; Katharina, 1881-2; Agnetha, 1885-1887; Heinrich, 1883-1887; Heinrich, 1889. Their other children were: Peter, b.17 April 1887; Jakob, b.26 May 1879; Agnetha, b.24 September 1887; Katharina b.16 November 1890; Anna, b.12 January 1894; Maria, b.2 August 1897; i.e. twelve children in all. It would seem that the family lived at Michaelsburg in Fürstenland for a time before emigrating to Canada.

He married Aganetha (b.19 September 1853), the daughter of Peter and Aganetha (?) Dyck (Dueck), on 24 August 1873. They had twelve children, six of whom survived infancy. It would seem that the family lived at Michaelsburg in Fürstenland for a time before emigrating to Canada.

The family left south Russia on 12 May 1876 and arrived at Fort Dufferin (West Lynn) on 24 July that summer. After two days they took up temporary residence with the Frank Klassens in Blumenfeld south of present-day Winkler. From there they moved to Hochfeld where he was a teacher for a year. Then for a short while they lived at Waldheim, the home village of his parents with three of the Ältester's siblings, Heinrich, Agnetha (listed as servant, hence possibly a foster child), and Anna.

Hoeppner brought new approaches to his teaching in Hochfeld. The children learned songs not found in the old Gesangbuch, but did not have approval of the church authorities for using them. At Schanzenfeld he became active in the organization of Bible study groups, home Sunday school, and more singing of the newer hymns. These new activities, which soon involved Hoffnungsfeld and Burwalde, were not appreciated in the Reinländer Mennonite church.

Hoeppner took an active role in the development of the Bergthaler community of congregations under the leadership of Ältester Johann Funk from 1882 on. Hoeppner was ordained to the ministry of the Bergthaler church in 1887 under the guidance of David Stoesz for the East Reserve. His preaching was much appreciated, and became an important element in the Bergthaler renewal movement of the 1890s.

Hoeppner also became deeply involved in the furtherance of higher education, more specifically the development of the Gretna Normalschule (later Mennonite Educational Institute) which was opened in 1889. The debates leading to a break in the school constituency had him lined up on th side of Heinrich Ewert and the opening of the Mennonite Collegiate Institute after 1908. Some differences with Ältester Funk resulted from these debates on the building of the new schools in Altona and Gretna which occurred during these years.

On 19 March 1903 Jakob Hoeppner was asked to serve as Ältester in the Bergthaler Gemeinde along with Ältester Johann Funk. That gave him major leadership involvements in the creation of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada in 1902-1903, especially it first sessions held at Hochstadt in the summer of 1903.

In 1911, early in the year, Jakob Hoeppner was asked to become the leading Ältester of the Gemeinde, as Johann Funk asked to be relieved of his heavy duties. Hoeppner have a lot of his time to home visitations in the next years. Much attention had to be devoted also to matters of counselling and discipline. In 1920, a year after he and Aganetha had moved to Winkler, Hoeppner asked the church to find a successor for him as Ältester. That did not happen, however, till 5 November 1925 when David Schulz, a well-respected though youthful minister was elected to serve as Ältester. Schulz took over his duties the following year.

Hoeppner had some difficulties with the transition but continued to work with the church as he could till he passed away in 1936 at the age of 86 years. His second wife, Katharina, the former Mrs. Heinrich Harder, had died the year before in Winkler at the age of 72. Two sons, Jacob (d.1929) and Peter (d.1936), and one daughter, Maria, (d.1919) predeceased him. Surviving him in the family were Anna (d. June 1965), m. to Jacob Toews; Katharina (d.28 November 1970); and Agnetha (d.23 August 1971), m. to Frank Peters. Ältester Hoeppner lies buried in the cemetery at Winkler.

Sources

Dyck, John, ed. Bergthal Gemeinde Buch (Steinbach: Hanover Steinbach Historical Society, 1993).

Dyck, John, and Harms, William, eds. 1880 Village Census of the Mennonite West Reserve (Winnipeg: Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society, 1998).

Gerbrandt, Henry J. Adventure in Faith (Altona: Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Manitoba, 1970).

Heppner, Bertha Pauline, comp. and ed. The Heppners' in Prussia, Russia and America (Sardis, B.C.: the author, 2000).

Elmer Heinrichs, Martha Martens, Otto Hamm, Henry Ens (MMHS News & Notes, 125^th Manitoba Mennonite Anniversary), Bruce Wiebe, Abe Rempel (West Reserve Gemeinde histories), Conrad Stoesz (Book Reviews & Notes)

Ed Hoeppner (chair), Irene Kroeker, Elmer Heinrichs

The Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society Newsletter, Heritage Posting, welcomes letters and reports pertaining to the historical interests of society members. Correspondence can be mailed to Bert Friesen, 169 Riverton Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2L 2E5, or e-mailed to the editor at editor@mmhs.org