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Alt POB Waldheim, Molotschna, South Russia His old style birth date was 14 Mar. Barkman, Johann G. (1858-1937) Barkman, Johann G. Johann G. and Margaretha (Friesen) Barkman. Preservings photo. Johann G. Barkman: farmer and civic politician; born 14 March 1858 inWaldheim, Molotschna Colony, Russia. He was the son of Jakob M.(1824-1875) and Elisabeth (Giesbrecht) Barkman (1830-1858). He was thefifth of six children in the family. Johann immigrated to Canada on 20August 1874, landing in Quebec before moving to Manitoba. He wasbaptized on 20 August 1876 in Manitoba and married Margaretha Friesen(1858-1946), daughter of Jakob and Katharina (Schierling) Friesen on 6January 1878. The couple had ten children. Johann died on 20 October1927 in Steinbach, Manitoba. Johann G. Barkman spent his early years in the Molotschna Colony, buthis family moved when he was about nine years old to Friedensfeld, aKleine Gemeinde settlement north of Nikopol. Another move came in 1874when changes to the Russian governments policies towards Mennonitesmade many of them seek a new homeland. Johanns mother had alreadydied, but he and the rest of his family joined 18 other families ontheir move to Canada. They settled in Manitoba, where they bought landand began to farm. Tragedy struck the next year when Johanns fatherand another man, Jakob K. Friesen, drowned while trying to cross theRed River. Three years later, on 6 January 1878, Johann marriedMargaretha, daughter of the other drowning victim. The ceremony tookplace in Grünfeld, and the couple settled on property in Steinbach,Manitoba. Johann and Margaretha were rebaptized in 1882 and joined theHoldeman church. Together with his wife and growing family, Johann G. Barkman settledinto life in Steinbach. Johanns sister and brother-in-law lived nextdoor to the Barkmans, and the families remained neighbors for 35years. Although Johann and Margaretha lived in poor circumstances forthe first years of their marriage, they soon managed to become quitewealthy, with large amounts of land, several buildings, and livestock.Johann bought modern equipment when he could, and in 1905, the familyhad a windmill. Another purchase was a telephone, which Johann andMargaretha installed by 1910. Johann G. Barkman, besides being a successful farmer, was involved incommunity life. Between 1884 and 1912, he served as mayor ofSteinbach, with only one three-year break in his tenure. During histime in office, Johann helped to dissolve the Strassendorf villageplan whereby the town oversaw land ownership and distributed propertyto the farmers in trust. Instead, the farmers adopted a more commonNorth American system of land ownership in which each purchaser wasable to obtain the title for the farmland. Some business owners hadbeen reluctant to establish themselves in the area because of theStrassendorf system, and this change helped to make their enterprisesin Steinbach more viable. The process of changing the land ownershipsystem was long and complicated as each landowner had to negotiateproperty titles with the committee in charge, but no major crisesoccurred. By 28 October 1911, the new survey of land in Steinbach wascompleted and the town soon began to grow. Change came again for Johann G. Barkman and his family. In 1913,Johann and Margaretha sold their property to their son and movedacross the street, but only three years later, they decided to movewith several other Holdeman families to Texas. Johann went ahead toinvestigate the possibilities in Littlefield, and in October 1916, thefamily moved there. However, 1916 was not a good time for pacifists totry to establish themselves in that community, where support forsoldiers fighting in the First World War was high. The Barkmansquickly decided to return to their own community in Manitoba andarrived back in their hometown in August of 1917. Moving to Texas and then leaving again so quickly had drained thefamily savings, but Johann G. Barkman, Margaretha, and their childrensoon started to rebuild their lives. Johann started a feed and flourbusiness, frequently traveling eight miles to the grain elevator inGiroux before returning to Steinbach to sell the bags of flour. Hemade deliveries in the neighborhood using a steel-wheeled wagon.Johanns business was successful despite having to compete with theSteinbach Flour Mills and several other companies. By the time heretired, he had recovered some of the money lost in the Texas ventureand was able to live quite well. He died on 20 October 1927 inSteinbach, Manitoba. Johann G. Barkman's progressive ideas and hard work left a legacy forboth his family and for Steinbach. His dedication and unwillingness tobe crushed by his troubles were exemplary. Bibliography Barkman, Roland. "Johann G. Barkman (1858-1937): Pioneer Mayor."Preservings, No. 12 (June 1998): 50-53. GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry)Database, 5.03 ed. Fresno, CA: California Mennonite HistoricalSociety, 2007: #4039. ©1996-2009 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Allrights reserved. To cite this page: MLA style: Huebert, Susan. "Barkman, Johann G. (1858-1937)." GlobalAnabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2007. GlobalAnabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 July 2009 APA style: Huebert, Susan. (November 2007). "Barkman, Johann G.(1858-1937)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. GlobalAnabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 July 2009
Charles
Hansen
