Pièce UF1994.023.c219 - Interview with Mr. George Webber and Mrs. Henny Webber

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2 audio files, mp3, duration: 1:02:09 hr. and 1:02:52 hr.

This item contains an interview recorded with George Webber and Mrs. Henny Webber on October 15, 1976 in Stoney Plain, AB. George came to Canada in 1898 to Stoney Plain. Came over with his parents by boat (boarded in Riga). His family was German, lived in Saratov on Volga River. 40 miles west of Saratov, place [Norka] – all German settlers. The family decided to come to Canada. Catherine II brought Germans to Russia and gave them 100 years of relief from military service. In 1882/3 Russian-Turkish was broke out and his dad had to go to that war, but he did not want to. A relative was at Duma, came to [Norka] and advised them to leave. The family then went to Lincoln, Nebraska. His father and 2 uncles worked together, had mills and farmed at the same time. They did not like it in the USA. So they came to Canada in 1898, when land was $3 an acre. His wife came after him, in 1910, with one of his cousins. He knew his wife’s mother but not Henny. Problems with settling in Stony Plain: clearing land, WWI broke out. People were nice to them and helpful.

Henny was born in [Norka], Russia. Came to Canada in 1925 with her husband. Came to Stony Plain because had friends over there. Did not speak English when arrived. Early life in Canada was difficult. Had sisters in the Old Country, in the Siberia. Some relatives went back to Russia in few years. Speaking German in Russia, attending a Russian school – she understood Russian. She had 7 children; they spoke German at home.
Life in Stony Plain during WWII was not easy – Germans were suspects.