Home Town or Home Community:
Melville, Markinch, Mankota, SK
Our Story:
Gebhardt (Gebhard,Gebhart)
Melville, Markinch, and Mankota, Sask.
Georg Gabriel Gebhard b. Dec.22,1822 in Kalusz, Dolina, married on March 5,1862 in Ugarsthal to Franziska Metz b. June 13,1837 in Dolina.
Farnziska Gebhardt-Baron
Children; Elizabeth b. Oct. 8,1863 , d. 1864
Philip b.Feb.27,1866, d. June 5,1931
Heinrich b. Nov.21,1868,d. 1915
Johann b. Jan.8,1871,d. March 10,1962
Children all born in Scholtoi, all emigrated to Canada in the early 1900’s. Franziska and Georg lived in Landestreu, Ugartsthal district of Galicia; later moved to Scholtoi,Bessarabia. Franziska re-married after the death of Georg when Johann was quite young. She married Johann Peter Baron on May 9,1871.Johann Peter Baron had 4 children from a previous marriage to Catherina Geislinger.
Franziska and Johann Baron had 6 children, Rudolf, Friedrich, Wilhelm, Karl, Philippina, and Adolf. Mr. Baron died in 1889. Franziska’s 3 sons from the first marriage and 4 of the Baron siblings came to Canada. She came to Canada later at over 60 years of age and lived with son Philip in Melville where she died at 85 years of age on July 31,1922.
The family occupation in Germany was millers, working in grain mills.
The original name was Gebhard, later some added the”t”. Others kept the “t” and dropped the “d”.
PHILIP married on May 4,1898 in Fundu-Sarazika, Kreis, Bessarabia to Maria Richter b. March 15,1879, d.Aug.15,1932 in Melville Sk. They came to Canada July 1903. He homesteaded SW6-23-6w2M in the Melville, Sask area. He worked as a blacksmith in Grenfell, Sk. before he moved to his land. He was unable to live on the homestead due to sickness in the family so lived in Grenfell after making homestead entry in 1903. He moved to the homestead June 1904. In 1906 he had a sod house and stable, 2 oxen, 2 cows, 2 calves and 2 hogs. On June 24,1906 he had a 24’x 14′ log house valued at $75, a 18 x 24 ft. barn and granary, total cost $130.
Philip & Maria Gebhardt
Place Name: Melville, SK
Children: Wilhelm, Rudolf, Caroline, Jacob, Johann and Maria. First two were born in Russia. Son Johann served in WWII and settled in Dauphin, Man. The other sons farmed in the area before moving to BC. Daughter lived in Sask. All are deceased.
HEINRICH married on May 27,1891 to Eleanora Korfman b. Nov.23,1874. children, Johann, Jacob, Wilhelm, Dorothea, Philippine, Rudolf,
and Karolina. All born in Scholtoi.
Eleanora Gebhardt (Heinrich)
Place Name: Mankota, SK
On Feb.7,1913 they left the train station at Kishinnev, April 2,1913 to the Baltic Sea, by ship to port of Southampton England. They left there on May 29 on steamer Ausonia to port of Quebec City arriving June 10,1913. Heinrich may have been ill in quarantine as his immigration card shows medical stamp July 7,1913 and his wife and son Wilhelm shows June 13,1913.
In Quebec City Inspection card of Wilhelm shows alteration of spelling of name, first written Gebhardt, someone clearly erased the “d” to Gebhart. This family permanently adopted the change.
They arrived in Melville summer of 1913. On April 8,1914 Heinrich applied for homestead rights to NW18-2-8-W3M in Mankota ,Sk. area. He moved there May 6,1914. Heinrich died of TB aged 46 years on Feb.12,1915, 10 months after arriving on
the homestead, 18 months after arriving in Canada. Eleanor and sons farmed the land. In 1920 they had a frame house 18′ x 24′ valued at $500, stable value $200, 2 granaries $150, 2 wells dug $100 and no fencing done.
Children;John,Jacob,William,Dorothea,Phyllis, Roy, Carolyn and Peter.
Eleanor died Feb.5,1962. John, the oldest son homesteaded NW15- 2–8-W3M. He went to Winnipeg to sell cattle. He met Liza(Elisabeth) Foster who was visiting her older half-sister Emily and Bill Stazt. Liza was 18 years old. Bill introduced them and a week later on Feb.12,1925 they married in Winnipeg. They returned to the McEachern district where they lived on John’s homestead there. Most of this family has remained in Saskatchewan.
JOHANN married Anna Maria Kendel on May 1,1894 in Ruschkan. Anna was born Nov. 29,1878 in Konstantinovka, Ukraine, USSR and died Feb.8,1979 at the age of 100 years.
John & Anna Marie Gebhardt
Year: 1944
Place Name: Markinch, SK
They came to Canada in 1906 via England with Adolf, Caroline, Wilhelm and Eleanor. These children were born in Scholtoi,Kreis, Belz, Bessarabia,USSR. Eleanor died enroute and was buried in Brumaud, Leabau , age of 8 months.
The family arrived in Grenfell, Sk. and stayed there for the winter. In spring Johann worked as a hired hand in Neudorf, Sask. In 1907 he filed for homestead north of Cupar,Sk, NW24-24-17 W2M. Philipina, Philip, Elisa, Wilhmelmina,Rudolf,Emma and Marie were born here. Emma died at age of 10 months of flu in 1919 and is buried in Cupar. They moved south of Markinch April 1919 and farmed till 1931.
The drought drove them north to Archerwill and left Adolf on the Cupar farm. They farmed north until Nov.1940 and returned to Markinch. Philip and Elisa had stayed there.
John had TB as a young man and had part of a lung removed as treatment. When they arrived at the homestead. May 9,1908 they lived under a wagon box till the sod house was built. The younger children took the cows out to pasture every day and returned in the evening as there were no fences yet. The older children had very little schooling, English was spoke in the morning and German in the afternoon in school
In 1910 Johann had 3 horses and 8 cattle. They lived in a 16′ x30′ log house valued at $300, a stable 14′ x 40′, one granary, a 14′ x 20′ storehouse valued at $300 and had fenced 10 acres valued at $30.
They lived a simple life, did not have a car and did not speak English. Johann rolled his own cigarettes and smoked till he died , also enjoyed a shot of straight whiskey every morning. John did not relate to new farming methods when his sons tried to describe them. He proclaimed the TV as the work of the devil.
The custom of those years required the oldest child to marry first and then each in order of age to a spouse of their parents choosing. Phyllis , next to William did not marry at all, perhaps because of William not marrying in turn. The other siblings did not follow tradition and married those of their choosing. Of course you were to marry one of the same nationality and religion. Elisa and Philip married Paul and Alma Haki in a joint wedding. Later Rudy married their sister Lizzy which resulted in lots of close cousins.
Anna lived with different family members after John’s death. She moved to the Lutheran home in Regina,Sk. in 1965.
Most of this family remained in Sask. Rudy and Mary are the remaining members of this family.
prepared by:
Ruth Daunheimer/Earl Gebhardt
Melville, Sask.