The Janz / Toews family is a family of teachers, healers, and leaders. These pages tell their story–past, present, and future.
We begin with four siblings, all born in Konteniusfeld, Molotschna, then South Russia:
- Benjamin B. Janz, born 1877-09-25;
- Margaretha Janz, born 1880-07-06;
- Jacob B. Janz, born 1884-06-03;
- Helena Janz, born 1894-12-31.
These four had two brothers who died in childhood (both named Heinrich) and a sister, Maria (b. 1888-07-11), who stayed in Russia.
The Toews connection comes through a pair of weddings. The two Janz sisters (Margaretha and Helena) married two Toews brothers:
- Johann Aron Toews (b. 1880-07-06) married Margaretha on 1903-09-28, and
- Abram Aron Toews (b. 1894-12-31) married Helena on 1921-05-01.
Before emigrating to Canada, B.B. Janz, J.B. Janz and John A. Toews were teachers in the Molotschna Mennonite community in what is now Ukraine. Abram A. Toews was a farmer; his wife Helena (Janz) Toews was a nurse, trained by Dr. Tavonius in Russia.
As the dates and places above suggest, these people lived through dramatic and testing times. The Great War and the Russian Revolution had profound effects on their experiences and choices. Some of the detailed stories of the Janz / Toews family can be found on this site.
The materials gathered here are of current as well as historical interest; many of them are dramatic, evocative, and personal. For this reason, the volunteers behind the site have opted to put all content after this page behind a password. To learn the password and see what your second cousins are so enthusiastic about (!), email philip@tidepool.ca.