This is the family history
as related by Peter F. Bergen to his granddaughter Victoria and any information
that may have been gathered from other family members.
The Bergen's come to Canada.
Great, Great Grandfather
Isaac Bergen and Justina Reddekop came with the first Colony of Russian
Mennonites. They landed in Quebec on July 7, 1874 and settled four miles
west of Gretna, Manitoba. My Great Grandpa, Isaac, was 4 years old at the
time.
My Great Grandmother Helena
Freisen came from Russia as well, her family came on a later boat, also
settling around Gretna, Man. in 1891.
Great Grandfather Isaac
and Helena Friesen were married in Gretna, Manitoba on Nov 27, 1892.
They had three children,
1 boy and 2 girls before my Grandfather Peter F. Bergen was born on March
9 1900, in Plume Coulee, Man.
In 1903 my Great Grandparents
moved further west to Aberdeen,SK. My Grandfather was baptized in Aberdeen.
This is where they homestead and had 7 more children, all boys. Their homestead
was located s.w. quarter; section 2; Township 39; West of third.
There Peter watched them
build the railroad across the South Saskatchewan River and the first train
cross it in 1904.
My Great Grandfather had
to go to Osler,SK for a load of lumber so they could build the first store
in Aberdeen in 1904.
In 1920 Peter worked at
different farms around Aberdeen, 1921 found him operating a well-drilling
outfit. By 1922 just about everyone had wells in the area so he went back
to farming.
Peter went to Carrot River
in 1929 where he worked hard farming and had good crops. Wheat sold
for 17 cents a bushel and the oats for 7 cents a bushel. He walked away
from the farm in 1929 because the drought made it impossible for him to
grow a crop.
1929 found Peter and a friend
in Turtle Lake where they started a mink farm. After a few years he sold
his share to his friend and moved on.
Three brothers, George,
Ben and Peter went to Ontario in 1941. Where Peter butchered horses one
winter in the animal food supply and learned some welding.
During World War II Peter
went to the shipyards in Vancouver,BC where he was a welder for the government.
Building ships that were sent out to war.
Takysie Lake, BC was Peter's
next home, here met Margaret Peters and courted her for 3 weeks before
getting married on Oct. 13, 1946 in Cheslatta, BC. Peter built a general
store in Cheslatta, BC they operated the store for four years.
On July 10, 1947 Peter took
Margaret to Burns Lake Union Hospital where a daughter was born, Ruth Lena,
my mother. They made the trip once again on May 21, 1949 when Eva
Edna, my aunt, was born.
A dam, Oosta Dam, was built
in the area flooding about 90% of the land,, one human casualty occured,
the husband of one of Margaret's nieces. The store was on a hilltop and
was only one of a few things to survive. The flooding basically erased
Cheslatta off the map,, all mailing correspondence was changed from Cheslatta
to Takysie Lake. With so much destruction and everyone having to move on
the store was closed.
Peter moved his small family
the short distance to Takysie, BC in 1950 where he started a sawmill with
his brother Ben.
In 1952 Peter sold his
share of the saw mill and moved the family to Southbank, BC building a
house and a garage where did welding and repairs. Peter was the proud owner
of the only garage in the area. Southbank is on Francis Lake which is one
hundred miles long and two miles wide. It is a cold water lake and considered
bottomless. They did not have electricity or indoor bathrooms there at
the time.
My mother went to school
one-half mile up-hill for three years, what we consider a large hill or
even mountain-like they considered just a hill. For two years afterwards
they traveled by bus to Grassy Plains, BC.
They left Southbank, BC
on June 29, 1958 selling all but a few personal possesions and spent about
a month in the Vancouver, BC area where Eva underwent treatment at the
Vancouver General Hospital. At the end of July they packed everything they
had left into a 1956 ford stationwagon and left Vancouver, BC for a one
month side trip to visit his mother and other family members in Abbotsford,
BC before settling in Saskatoon, SK.
They bought a house and
settled down in Saskatoon. Peter worked at welding for three years then
as a caretaker and maintance man at an apartment building for another three
years. After that he was a janitor for another 2 1/2 years. After he retired
he worked as a gas attendant for a few years.
Ruth met Jacob Kasper Wendelin
Elder in 1964. They were married on April 16, 1966.
Eva met Herbert Dignes
and on June 21, 1967 she gave birth to Barbara Lynn.
On Sept. 3, 1967 Ruth gave
birth to Deborah Lynn at Saskatoon City Hospital.
Ruth and Jacob had another
daughter, Victoria Marie on Sept. 12, 1968.
Eva then met Brian Durham
and they were married on June 28, 1969. Eva gave birth to another daughter,
Brenda Joanne on March 8, 1971.
After a difficult pregnancy
Ruth and Jake had another daughter, Judy Yvonne on March 31, 1972. Margaret
nicknamed her Tootsie,, always saying 'Unsa Tootsie' , in english it means
'pretty little girl or special one' .
Eva and Brian decided to
divorce.
Then on January 22, 1978
Ruth and Jake had another bundle of joy, Janice Noelle made her appearance.
In 1978 Jake and Ruth moved
from Saskatoon, SK to Prince Albert, SK to raise their children.
With the house empty Peter
and Margaret decided to take in many foster children, each with one difficulty
or another and loved them like their own children.
Tragedy struck the family
on August 12, 1985, Margaret passed away. She had been the rock that the
family leaned on, an eye operation in March turned the tables and her health
steadily faltered. She is buried in her family cemetery in Blumenthal,SK
just a short ways from where she was born.
After Margaret's untimely
passing, Peter decided it was time once again to sell everything and retire
to a nursing home.
Brenda met Roy Adams ABT 1988.
On March 2, 1989 she gave birth to their daughter Saphire Lynn. Peter was
thrilled,, calling her his little Maggie (his nickname for Margaret).
Deborah moved back and
forth between Saskatoon and Prince Albert until she met William John Halcro
in 1986. They were married in a small family ceremony on January 2, 1987.
They divorced only a few months later.
Victoria met Shawn in 1985.
Shortly after Shawn graduated they moved in together and lived common-law
until 1992.
In ABT 1989 Barbara met
Joel and moved in with him. On November 19, 1990 she gave birth to their
son Jeremy Joel Peter, Peter's first grandson.
After months of attempted
wooing in 1990 Daniel Anthony Pilon started dating Judy, they became engaged
on Sept. 25, 1990. On June 27, 1991 Judy gave birth to a daughter, Angelia
Michelle Pilon at the Holy family Hospital in Prince Albert, SK.
In ABT 1990 Brenda met
David and moved in with him. They moved from Saskatoon to Prince Albert,
SK in the spring of 1991. On Dec. 8, 1991 Brenda gave birth to Jory Roger
David at the Holy Family Hospital in Prince Albert,SK. Brenda and David
moved back to Saskatoon, SK in 1992, breaking up shortly afterwards.
On August 15, 1992 Daniel and
Judy were married with one year old Angelia as the flowergirl.
Barbara and Joel had another
son, Christopher Leonard Jacob on November 16, 1992 in Saskatoon, SK.
Victoria gave birth to
Brady Alan Jacob on March 27, 1993 at the Holy Family Hospital in Prince
Albert, SK.
After a troublesome pregnancy
Judy gave birth to their second child Anthony Bryce Maverick on January
29, 1994 at Victoria Union Hospital, Prince Albert, SK.
Eva met Michael Jones in
1994 and they were married on November 11, 1995 in Spiritwood, SK.
During the summer of 1994
Victoria met Timothy and he moved in with her and her son. They added to
the little family on June 22, 1995 with Bryton Lee Joesph he was born at
Victoria Union Hospital, Prince Albert,SK.
Timothy and Victoria added
another bundle of great joy on December 5, 1996 when Jurnee Megan Lee was
born at the Victoria Union Hospital,Prince Albert,SK.
In the summer of 1997 Brenda
met Darin and Nichol Ruth made her appearance on March 17, 1998.
Peter spent the last thirteen
years of his life living at the Eventide Nursing Home in Saskatoon. He
passed away on April 3, 1998. The whole family (Ruth,Jake,Vickie,Janice,Judy,Daniel,
and Barbara) made one final trip from Prince Albert, SK to Saskatoon, SK
to see him the evening before his passing,, picking up Brenda on their
way through Saskatoon where she lives. The family quietly said their goodbyes
and had to return to Prince Albert early in the morning on the 3rd because
Jake and Daniel had to work the next day. Shortly after they reached home they recieved
the call that he had passed away just minutes before.
The family cemetery in
Aberdeen, Sk is his final resting place, resting among his family.