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Waterloo County: Anthes Family Letters

This photograph of the Jacob and Magdalena Anthes family was probably taken shortly before their 1867 move from Waterloo County to Carrick Township, possibly as a remembrance for family members. The children are, left to right, Martin, Catharine, Mary and Sarah.

Included in the Rieder Anthes family fonds is a unique group of letters. Within the Anthes archives are 28 letters in German, totalling over 78 pages, which were written between 1867 and 1872 primarily from the Carrick and Port Elgin Ontario areas to family members in Baden and New Hamburg in Waterloo County. The letters were found in the donation still tied with decorative ribbons and one can assume had probably not been looked at for over a century. These letters, along with those of the Breithaupt family, are among the earliest extant documents of local German families.

The Anthes family became one of the very important local families in Waterloo County and the surrounding areas in the field of business and manufacturing as well as in local Evangelical churches.

The writer of most of these letters is the Rev. Jacob Anthes (1836-1874), second son of Martin and Catharine Anthes. Martin Anthes is listed in the 1871 census as a farmer in Wilmot Township. Jacob married Magdalena Stricker (1840-1914) ca. 1857. The 1861 census lists Jacob as a farmer, religion as Methodist, located on land close to his father's. By 1871, his occupation is listed as "preacher" and his religion as "Evangelical Association." In 1867 Jacob Anthes and his family travelled through raw April weather to Carrick Township, near Mildmay, where Jacob was to preach for the Evangelical Association. He had a local congregation but also rode far and wide across the countryside through all weathers to preach to widely scattered congregations. He and his family moved again in 1868 to Port Elgin where Jacob helped to build the Evangelical Association Church. In 1873 Jacob relocated to Berlin, Ontario, now Kitchener, as pastor of Zion Evangelical Church. He died unexpectedly in 1874 at the age of only 38 of what is described as "brain fever."

Jacob and Magdalena were to have six children, five girls and one boy. At least one daughter died in infancy. The letters Jacob wrote home to his family recount with humour and kindness the challenges faced by their family in the wilds of Ontario.

Funded jointly by grants from the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation and UW's Waterloo Centre for German Studies, the letters were transcribed and translated by Dr. Susan Thorne whose special skill is in reading handwriting from the 17th century to the present.

List of Anthes Letters

Letters dated only with a year are placed in order with others from that year based on relevant information they may provide: allusions to the season, for example. Failing such information, they have been listed last among letters for that year.

Date	Description of Letter	Comments
January 2, 1865	Shoe Repair Bill
May 3, 1867	Without A Home
June 7, 1867	A Long-Awaited Letter
August 30, 1867	Leaving a Child Behind
November 19, 1867	Many Meetings
December 7, 1867	Financial Concerns
February 27, 1868	A Letter Concerning a Sick Child
1868	Sad News	Letter is dated 5th day, without a month
September 8, 1868	Household Economics and Building a Church
1868	A New Daughter	Letter is dated 16th day, without a month
1868	Assemblies and Conversions	Letter is dated 27th day, without a month
December 15, 1868	A Sick Wife
1869	Several Mennonites Converted	Written early in the year: Ewald's note refers to a meeting coming up in April
March 1869	Ewald and Anthes Letters	Probably later than "Several Mennonites Converted" since the number of conversions has climbed to 50
July 13, 1869	A New Assignment
July 27, 1869	Toothache
August 26, 1869	A Fatal Accident
1869	Autumn Apples
November 17, 1869	Religious Fervour and Financial Worries
January 5, 1870	Religious Rivalry
March 10, 1870	Theobald Anthes Letter
June 10, 1870	Request For a Loan
November 10, 1870	Sebringville Letter
June 12, 1871	A Death and Burial
December 1871	Boots and Shoes Repaired
October 2, 1872	Plans for a Visit
none	Take The Money Straight To Breithaupt	Undated
none	I Will See that the Cow is Fetched	Undated