Waltner, Jacob J. (1858-1941)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1941 Sep 24 p. 1

Birth date: 1858 Jul 16

text of obituary:

Mennonite News of General Interest.

— At Freeman, S. D., Jacob J. Waltner, for many years active in community and church affairs, died don September 16, after a long illness at the age of 83. He was well known in many Mennonite circles in the United States and in Canada.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1941 Sep 24 p. 5

text of obituary:

LOCAL NEWS

. . .

— Miss Lena Waltner, professor of art at Bethel College, has resumed her work here after having returned from Freeman, S. D., where she was called because of the death of her father, Jacob J. Waltner. Mr. Waltner, who reached the ripe old age of 83, was well known in Mennonite circles in Kansas, as well as South Dakota.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1941 Oct 8 p. 5

text of obituary:

Jacob J. Waltner

Jacob J. Waltner, oldest son of John and maria Krehbiel Waltner, was born on July 16, 1858, according to the Gregorian calendar, in the village of Edwardufka in the government Volhynia, Russia.

There he spent his early childhood and attended the village school. He loved to talk about his childhood and the school days spent in Russia. The name Volhynia he often said meant battle ground, for many bloody battles had been fought there in bygone days. Again within the last few weeks Volhynia has been mentioned in press reports as a place where bloody battles have taken place.

In his early youth, while still in Russia, he was baptized and became a member of the Mennonite church with which he remained affiliated until his death. He always took a great interest in the affairs of the church and attended many conferences. He had the welfare of the church at heart. In 1875, when the great Russian emigration took place, he was 17 years of age and with his parents came to America, where they located on a farm nine miles from Yankton, So. Dak. Here he grew to manhood and with his parents and younger members of the family shared the hardships of pioneer life on the Dakota prairies.

In 1879 he entered into the bonds of holy matrimony with Freni Miller, from which union eight children were born. Two of them, one infant boy and one daughter, Anna, at the age of 19 years, preceded him in death. After his marriage he moved to Childstown township, Turner county, where he made his home with his wife's parents, Johna and Mary Miller.

Here he lived continuously for 61 years, until he was called to his heavenly home above. He was one of the founders of Freeman College, one of its charter members and served on the board of directors a number of years. He had much sympathy for the Russian refugees who suffered many hardships and were deprived of their possessions during the late revolution.

The deceased leaves to mourn his death, his wife and 6 children, five sons John, Emil, Ben, Edward, Henry, all living in Turner county, and one daughter Lena, Living at Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas. Sixteen grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, 3 brothers and 2 sisters and many relatives and friends in the states and in Canada.

After a lingering illness of several months, he passed quietly away on September 1`4, at 11 o'clock on the evening, having reached the age of 83 years, 2 months, 8 days.

The Mennonite obituary: 1941 Oct 7 p. 14