This post marks a transition point in this web-book. I am not going to put the rest of the chapters online. What has been posted thus far are things I want to be freely available to anyone who happens upon them through online search. It is my contribution to the larger project of Mennonite history … Continue reading Jacob & Agnes
Author: lorettawillems
Chapter 14: Madera County: 1922-1929
Note: To read earlier chapters, click on the desired title in the “Chapters” section of the sidebar on the right or at the bottom of the page. Berenda-Dixieland-Fairmead “You moved to Fairmead after Grandview?” “Well no, see, from Berenda to Dixieland and from Dixieland to Fairmead and from Fairmead back into Dixieland—the Dairyland area. … Continue reading Chapter 14: Madera County: 1922-1929
Chapter 13:California 1919-1922
Note: To read earlier chapters, click on the desired title in the “Chapters” section of the sidebar on the right or at the bottom of the page. “The San Joaquin Valley, 250 miles long and 40 miles wide, comprises the largest continuous block of agricultural land in the state. On the vast plains of the … Continue reading Chapter 13:California 1919-1922
Chapter 12: Reedley
Promised Land Oregon seems to have attracted the first M.B. families moving westward, but California soon became the “promised land” for most Mennonite Brethren. The first church to be organized was the Reedley congregation in 1905. This church, beginning with fourteen charter members, has grown to be not only the largest Mennonite congregation in California, … Continue reading Chapter 12: Reedley
Chapter 11: Lena & Jacob 1909-1919
Note: To read earlier chapters, click on the desired title in the "Chapters" section of the sidebar on the right or at the bottom of the page. “On February 6, 1909, [Jacob C. Willems] was united in holy matrimony to Lena Zimmerman at Rosthern, Saskatchewan by the Rev. Brown. As a young couple they settled … Continue reading Chapter 11: Lena & Jacob 1909-1919
Chapter 10 (con’t): The Zimmermann Clock
Grandma’s Clock The clock in the photo above hung on the wall in the dining room of my grandparents' house on Academy Way in Dinuba, California. Each morning Grandpa Willems would lovingly wind it, pulling each of the brass weights up to the top so they could begin their daily descent, the time weights … Continue reading Chapter 10 (con’t): The Zimmermann Clock
Chapter Ten: Waldheim
Note: To read earlier chapters, click on the desired title in the "Chapters" list in the right sidebar or at the bottom of this chapter. Recreating a sense of the past involves many things: memory, family stories and records as well as much original source material as one can find. This chapter pulls together the … Continue reading Chapter Ten: Waldheim
Chapter 9: The Zimmermanns 1903-1905
Note: This is the second part of the Zimmermann history. The story begins in Chapter 8: Russia 1866-1903. It can be read by clicking on that title in the list of Chapters in the sidebar on the right or bottom of the page. “In the year 1903 [Heinrich H. Zimmermann] emigrated to America with his … Continue reading Chapter 9: The Zimmermanns 1903-1905
Chapter 8: Russia: 1866-1903
Note: To read earlier chapters click on the desired title in the "Chapters" listed in the sidebar on the right or at the bottom of the page. “Mrs. Lena Zimmerman Willems was born in South Russia in the Firstenland in Syejowka on February 6, 1893, to Rev. and Mrs. H. H. Zimmerman, and departed this … Continue reading Chapter 8: Russia: 1866-1903
Chapter Seven: Saskatchewan
Note: To read earlier chapters, click on the desired title in the "Chapters" section of the sidebar on the right or at the bottom of the page. “In 1900, [Jacob C. Willems] moved with his parents from Mountain Lake, to Canada and settled west of Waldheim, Saskatchewan in the Brotherfield area. Jacob C. Willems Obituary … Continue reading Chapter Seven: Saskatchewan
Heritage 