Augusta Emma Altwasser and Frank Banmann

Information about Friedrich Altwasser and Wilhelmine Wilde

1912

The Fred Altwasser Family

Second Row left: Frank Banmann.

Front Row left: Emma Banmann.

1902 Wedding Marriage Register No. 43, July 17, 1902 in Neudorf. Franz Banmann, born April 23, 1859 in Russia, widower, living in Wolseley, Assa., son of Cornelius Banmann and Catherina born Suderman, Evangelical religion; to Emma Altwasser, born August 8, 1880 in Draschke, Russia, daughter of Friedrich Altwasser and Wilhelmine geboren Wilde, living in Chickney, P.O. Assa, Evangelical religion; Witnesses: Emilie Altwasser and Theodor Wilde

Children of Emma Altwasser and Franz Banmann Friedrich Johann Banman born August 31, 1903, in Wolseley, Sakatchewan; married Gladys Cowan. Cornelius Wilhelm Banman (twin) born July 26, 1906, died at the age of two years February 11, 1908, in Wolseley, Sakatchewan. Carl Banman (twin) born July 26, 1906. Carl was drowned in a dugout near Lang SK in 1924 at the age of 18. Anne Banman born in March 1910 in Wolseley, Saskatchewan. She married Frederick Picker. Catharine Wilhelmine(Teenie) Banman born April 25, 1912, in Wolseley, Sakatchewan; married Melville Klinck on July 10, 1934 in Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan. Mabel Banman (twin) born May 21, 1914 in Wolseley, Sakatchewan; married Robert Leslie Zotzman; died Jan. 13, 2001 in Regina. Robert passed away in 1984 Myrtle Leda Banman (twin) born May 21, 1914, in Wolseley, Sakatchewan; married Peter Crichton on June 14, 1944. Died September 5, 1995 in Yellow Grass, SK.

Augusta Emma Altwasser and Franz Banman
Extracted from writings by Karl Lenz and Myrtle (Banman) Crichton

Auguste-Emma or Emma was born on August 8, 1880 in the area of Draschke (Derazno), Rowno area, Wohlynia, Russia, fifth daughter to Friedrich W. Altwasser and Wilhelmine Wilde. On the ship's record log, Emma is listed as being nine years old in 1894. Her actual age was fourteen years. On the 1901 census she is recorded at home living with the family and her birth date is given as August 6, 1880.

Emma was married to Franz Banmann on July 17, 1902 at the Zion Lutheran Church south of Neudorf, Saskatchewan. The Zion Church records indicate that Franz was 43 years old, a farmer from Wolseley, Lutheran, and born in the Shitomir Parish, Wolhynia, Russia, of parents Cornelius Banmann and Catherine geboren Sudermann. The records state that Emma was 22 years old, born on August 8, 1880 in Wolhynia, Russia and was the daughter of Lutheran parents Friedrich Altwasser and Wilhelmine geboren Wilde of the Chickney District of Assiniboia. The witnesses at the marriage were Emilie Altwasser and Theodor Wilde. The church records at Neudorf however, did not indicate whether Franz had been married previously.

Franz and Emma lived in the Wolseley area and had a family of six children which included two sets of twins. Tragedy struck the family with the death of Emma on September 20, 1915. Based on recollections obtained from Elsie Lenz Posehn, Emma died of cancer of the breast after surgery in Rochester, USA. Prior to her death, she arranged for her children to be raised by her brother, and sisters in the Yellow Grass area. Fred, Carl and Mabel were raised by their aunt, Flora (Altwasser) Krieger. Anna and Catherine made their home with Fred and Bertha (Heebner) Altwasser. Myrtle was raised by her aunt, Julianna (Altwasser) Domes. Mabel and Myrtle are twins and Carl also had a twin brother who died when he was two years old. In 1924, at the age of 18 years, Carl was drowned in a dugout near Lang, Saskatchewan along with his pal Billy Campbell.

Myrtle indicated she had three step brothers Henry, Gustave and Otto (Gordon) Banman and two step sisters Mrs William (Lucy) Teske and Mrs Ludwig (Emma) Obst. According to Myrtle, the Banmanns were of Mennonite origin. Some of Franz' people settled in Manitoba, coming from Russia. Franz had a sister who lived in Plum Coulee, Manitoba, where he spent the later years of his life. He passed away in 1942 at the age of 83.

Frank Banman
Written by Joan [Teske] Meyer
August 2010

Frank Banman was married before to Lucinda Kückenmeister. She came from Germany. My great great grand father , Cornelius Banman and Karoline Suderman came with their children from Russia in 1876 in the Mennonite migration to Manitoba. The Mennonites established the East and West Reserves south of Winnipeg. My Banman relatives lived on the West Reserve around Plum Coulee, Winkler and Altona. Frank married Lucinda in Morden, Manitoba and they had 5 children:   Lucinda, Emma, Gustave (Gus), Henry and Otto. These would be half brothers and sisters to Mable, Myrtle, et al. The oldest, Lucinda, was my Grandmother who married William Teske. They homesteaded just north of the farmland Fred Altwasser purchased from the C.P.R. at Yellow Grass. When Frank’s first wife died my grandmother became “Mom” to the family. Frank married Emma Altwasser and when I was doing my research I had great difficulty getting any information from Mable or Tina. They were resentful that they were separated out after their mother passed away.

1901 Census

Manitoba, Winnipeg(City) 12, Ward 6, Sub-District F-2, Page16, Lines 18-24
Microfilm T-6439

The 1901 census shows the Frank Banmann family living in Winnipeg, with correct birth dates and ages for the five children at their last birthday. Frank is shown as coming from Russia in 1884 and his Racial Origin and Nationality are shown as Russian. His occupation is listed as a real estate agent, not as an Agent, Machine (Singer Sewing Machine agent) as in previous and subsequent census data. Lucy (Lucinda) is shown arriving in 1884 from Germany, her Racial Origin and Nationality German. The children's Racial Origin and Nationality entries are illegible and the religion was not entered for this family, reason unknown, as it was the only family on the page without an entry in this column.

Manitoba birth registrations were found on line for Lucinda Banman, born May 18, 1887 in Rural Municipality of Rhineland; Emma Louisa Banmann, born June 26, 1889, in S. Dufferin and Otto Banmann, born June 25,1896, in Winnipeg. In all three registrations, the mother's maiden name and given name, with some variations in spelling, was Lucinda Kuechenmeister. Another Manitoba birth record found on line for a Wilhelm Banman, born February 11, 1898, in Winnipeg, mother Lucinde Kuechenmeister. Since Wilhelm's name did not appear on the 1901 census, it appears he died in infancy. A death for a William Bannman in Winnipeg, age 6 months, dated August 17, 1898, closely fits and Wilhelm's name has been Canadianized to William. Two other births appear for Gustave and Henry Bannman, but the actual registrations must be ordered since the transcription of data appears to be very poorly done.

Commentary

Franz Banmann was living in Wolseley, Assiniboia, in July 1902 and was listed as being Lutheran (Evangelische) and a widower in Marriage Register No. 43, dated July 17, 1902 in Neudorf. As to when Frank became Lutheran, Joan Meyer believes this happened when he married his first wife, Lucinda. She was Lutheran and came from Germany. His Mennonite family didn't take too kindly to this and he seemed to lose contact with his family over the years. In the Zion Lutheran Death Registry, there was no listing of Lucinda Banmann’s death. The information that Lucinda died in 1899 may be incorrect. Joan Meyer believes that Frank, Lucinda and the children were living in Wolseley in 1902 and was told that her grandmother, being the oldest, became the "mom" in her family when her mother died. Vital Statistics in Saskatchewan does not have a death record for Joan's Great Grandmother Lucinda Banmann or a marriage record for her Wilhelm Teske grandparents. The Lutheran Church in Wolseley, where the original records might have been kept, burned down and the church books were destroyed. Joan writes:   "Some years ago before my Dad passed away I took him to Zion Lutheran Church just south and a little west of Neudorf. A short distance north of the Church is a small cemetery and someone, quite possibly Karl Nickell, told me Lucinda was buried there. I found no marker and many graves there had no markers, so I can't be sure. My grandfather William Teske, married my grandmother, Lucinda, in 1903 (I think) and she would have been 16 years old. My grandfather was living at Yellow Grass and she must have been living in the area, quite possibly Wolseley or Lemberg. " The Plot Thickens. Chapter 1 A Manitoba genealogist wrote "Although your website says that Lucinda didn't die in 1899 and she is shown on the 1901 census, it would be interesting to see the document for the death of Lucinda BANNERMAN on April 11, 1899 in Winnipeg. It is possible that when asked if he had a wife, Franz replied that he did and gave her name. The birth date is a match." Chapter 2 Joan Meyer wrote "Hi Jack, , just wanted to bring you up to date on my research on Lucinda. From the info that you got from Vital Stats we were able to get the name of the funeral home that took care of her funeral. I searched this down and found that it is now under new ownership and they said they didn't have any of the real old records. I thought that these records should be preserved somewhere! So I decided to go to the cemeteries and discovered the oldest cemetery in Winnipeg. Contacting the Brookside Cemetery I was able to find a very helpful individual and the result after some hard looking we found her. Her name was spelled Bur?man Lneinda and was not found in the card file at all but in an index book and section book. We also found her infant son, William, buried there as well. So now to complete this search I will have to apply for a genealogy search and for a small fee I will get any family info they might have. Chapter 3 I have just been in contact with Brookside Cemetery and here is what I have learned. The cost for the genealogy search is $50 plus 5% tax. The rules are that they cannot give the name of the spouse or surviving relatives. This privacy law can sometime be more of a hindrance then a protection. It seems to me when one has been dead for 100 years, their spouse will also have passed on. What is the danger?? All I would learn is what we already know. I am 99% sure this is my Lucinda but would have liked to have known for sure. This summer I plan to visit the cemetery and hope that there might be a tombstone on the grave. Won't hold my breath though!! If there is, the spouse's name may appear. Lucinda Banmann, the daughter, married William Teske in 1903 in Wolseley. They homesteaded just north of the Altwasser homestead at Yellow Grass. Ludwig Obst married another daughter, Emma Banmann, in 1905 and the family lived on their homestead in the Wolseley district until 1918 when they moved to Yellow Grass. Their story is written up in the history book "Yellow Grass Our Prairie Community". 1906 Census Saskatchewan, Qu'Appelle, Distict 15, Sub-District 29, pages 12[a], 13[a] Microfilm T-18360. The three boys from Frank's first marriage, Gustave, Henry and Otto, are still at home with their father in 1906. They have a new brother Fred and a new step-mother, Emma. As a point of interest, two of the Banmann boys, namely, Henry Banmann, age 12 and Otto Banmann, age 10 are also listed on the 1906 census information for the Friedrich Wilhelm Lenz family. Amelia (Altwasser) Lenz is the older sister of Emma (Altwasser) Banmann. It should be noted that the Banmann family was recorded on June 23, 1906 and the Lenzes were recorded several months later on Sept 11, 1906. For details click on the link below. Henry Banmann, age 12 and Otto Banmann, age 10 Qu'Appelle District 15, Sub-District 31, Page 27, lines 30 and 31, Microfilm T-18360 1911 Census Saskatchewan, Qu'Appelle, 213, Wolseley 28, page 2. Microfilm T-20456 The quality of the digital census image on the Collections Canada web site is not good, but the information is legible. On this census, Franz came to Canada in 1876 and was naturalized in 1880. Emma arrived in 1894 and was naturalized in 1897. The image shows two children born in 1894 and 1896 and the chart above is an accurate transcription of that data. The three children were all born in Saskatchewan. The enumerator had arithmetic problems because the birth years are actually 1903 and 1906 for Friedrich and Karl, but he got it right for Anna, born in 1910 and one year old on her last birthday. The church records for these births were destroyed by fire and there are no Provincial vital statistics on file. This record illustrates the discrepencies and genealogy pitfalls for the unwary who use secondary information. The family is living in the Town of Wolseley and Franz is employed as an Agent (Sewing Machines). Joan Meyer wrote: "I remember my Dad, amongst others, saying that while Frank lived in Wolseley he sold Singer sewing machines. He also worked at odd jobs around Wolseley. Around 1922 it is said he ran a pool hall in the Black Block in Regina." Young Karl at four years of age, and Anna at one year, must have been linquistic prodigies with superb literacy skills. According to the enumerator's entries, all family members can read and write, all speak English and German and their citizenship is Canadian. 1915 Tragedy struck the family with the death of Augusta Emma Banmann on September 20, 1915. Emma died of cancer of the breast after surgery in Rochester, USA.