Jacob Froese, born 1926 in
Irapuato, Mexico
My parents were Jacob Froese, born in Grigorevka, Ukraine, and Anna Janzen, born in the Mennonite settlement of New York, Ukraine. When my mother was diagnosed with glaucoma shortly before coming to Canada, my parents needed to stop over in Irapuato, south of Mexico City, where I was born. Here my dad worked for a wealthy Mennonite Rempel family. Mr. Rempel was a carpenter. After living in Mexico for three months we were able to take a train to Gretna, Manitoba. Aeltester Heinrich Hildebrand, grandfather of Peter Hildebrand, sent us money for the travel fare. Dad's sisters Tina and Marie already lived in Gretna. Dad worked on a Hildebrand farm located out of town and only came home on weekends. Dad pitched hay with a beet fork.
When we moved to Ontario in 1929, we first lived at Cooks on concession 3. Dad's sister Agnes Hamm already lived in Ontario. My first memory is of trying to cross a bridge over the creek when a flock of geese came running towards me and scared my away.
After three months' time, we moved east of the Townline to Ortons on concession 6. They had a dairy farm with about 20 Holstein cows and grew three acres of burley tobacco. Oats, wheat, hay and corn were grown for the cattle.
Our family attended worship services upstairs at Dixie's on Erie Street North of Leamington. Ferguson's furniture store was located downstairs. The Mennonite Brethren and United Mennonites, with a total of about 30 families, held services here together. Our Ministers were Rev. Derksen and Rev. Thielman. I remember Sunday School teacher Mr. Reimer. In 1932 the Mennonite church on Oak Street was built; my dad helped with the construction.
I started school on concession 7 near the Olinda Townline. Today this school is a mechanic's garage. It was a ¾ mile walk so I took a short cut – first through a barnyard, then down a lane and then through a bush. I remember sitting in school with John P. Driedger Senior. I attended there six years; Mr. Brown was one of my teachers.
Our family's next move took us west of Cottam on #3 Highway to a Mallott farm. They had a dairy farm and grew grain. I went to the Olinda school, west of Cottam. When we played baseball with the Inman School team we'd yell “Peaches and cream for the Cottam team; barley and oats for the Inman goats!” After a year we moved back to Ruthven near George Hamm's for one year.
After that we moved to Jacob Thiessen's farm on #3 Highway east of Leamington, where they had converted a tobacco kiln into a house behind their greenhouses. I attended the SS #2 School. In 1939 my dad bought a new black Dodge car. We grew cucumbers and tomato plants in the three greenhouses. We lived here about six years and sharecropped one year.
Our next move took us to concession 5 on the second farm from the William's Sideroad. Nick Tiessens lived on Harry Rymal's farm. It was 1942 and we farmed 25 acres of flu tobacco with horses. I lived here until Irene Lehn and I were married in the Leamington United Menoonite Church on Oak Street in 1948; Rev. N, N. Driedger officiated. Irene and I lived with my parents for one year and then moved to Olenickes on Highway 3, which is now a greenhouse farm. We bought a Super A tractor with hydraulic lifts.
Our third place of residence was on #3 Highway near the Williams Sideroad. Here we sharecropped flu tobacco, early tomatoes and hay for the horses. We used a tractor for ploughing. After one year, we moved to Concession 5 on Dolph Brown's son Clare's farm. Two years later, we moved to Glenn Smith's dairy farm on Concession 5. We then moved to Harrow, south of #18 Highway for 10 years. We had a dairy herd and sharecropped burley tobacco, late tomatoes, corn and wheat. While we lived here, we attended the Harrow Mennonite Church where Rev. Herman Lepp was pastor. Our best years were spent here with a group of good friends.
In 1963 we purchased the Harry Driedger and John Rosenfeld farms, 50 acres each on the corner of the 7th concession and Watson Sideroad. We grew late Heinz tomatoes, peppers for Borland's factory near Omsteads in Wheatley and burley tobacco. While we lived on this farm, I spent the fall and winter months working for Ern Driedger for 30 years. He was the best friend I ever had. Ern was in the carpentry business; we built houses, barns and greenhouses.
I enjoyed coaching girl's baseball games at UMEI on Sunday afternoons. During these years, Irene catered at special occasions and weddings at the UMEI, first with her sister Helen Koop, and then on her own. We lived on our farm for 27 years until 1999 when we moved to Coronation Avenue for 10 years. We recently moved to the Gardens Apartments on Pickwick Drive of Leamington. We sold our last tractor to Bill Fehr in April of 2010.
Irene and I enjoy good health. We have eight children, 21 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.