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People > Stories > Interviews with Katherine Helzer Schnell

Interviews with Katherine Helzer Schnell

Katherine Hölzer (Helzer) was born in Norka on June 12, 1912, the daughter of Georg Conrad Hölzer (born 1885) and Amalia Elisabeth Weidenkeller (born 1883). 

Katherine and her family immigrated to Canada in 1925. They departed from Liverpool, England and arrived in Quebec, Canada. From Quebec they traveled by train to Edmonton where they were met by family and friends and taken to their new home in Burtonsville, near Stony Plain.

A few years later, the Helzer family moved to Castor where Katherine met Emmanuel Schnell. Emmanuel was born in Stony Plain on May 11, 1912. Katherine and Emmanuel were married on December 24, 1933 in Calgary. Emmanuel was the son of Johannes Schnell (1891) and Amelia Sturtz (1892) who were both born in Norka. They departed from Norka in October 1911 and arrived in Quebec, Canada on November 12, 1911.

Katherine and Emmanuel lived in Castor for several years before moving to Ponoka. 

In the two-part audio interview Katherine discusses her life in Norka and the journey to Canada in 1925. 
A transcript of another interview with Katherine, conducted in 1988 by Wayne Schnell, can be read here.
Emmanuel and Katherine Schnell on their wedding day.
Emmanuel and Katherine Schnell on their wedding day. Courtesy of Michelle Monson.
Katherine and Emmanuel Schnell in their later years.
Katherine and Emmanuel Schnell in their later years. Courtesy of Michelle Monson.

Sources

The interview with Katherine Helzer Schnell was conducted in December 1993 by Michelle Monson, a granddaughter of Katherine Helzer Schnell. The recordings and images are used with the permission of Michelle Monson (September 5, 2018).

The interview with Katherine Helzer Schnell in 1988 was conducted by Wayne D. Schnell. The transcript is used with his permission.
Last updated September 5, 2018.
Copyright © 2002-2023 Steven H. Schreiber
  • Home
    • About
    • Reviews
    • Contact
  • People
    • Founders
    • Personal Histories
    • Notable Norkans
    • Stories
    • Photo Identification
    • Photo Gallery
  • Community
    • Village Life
    • Entertainment
    • Agriculture
    • Climate
    • Homesites
    • Geographical Description
    • Government
    • Social Structure
    • Health
    • Education
    • A Land of Ethnic Diversity
    • Cottage Industries >
      • Sarpinka
      • Mills
    • Language
    • Population
    • Military Service
    • Crime and Punishment
  • History
    • Timeline
    • Origins of the Colonists
    • Catherine's Manifesto 1763
    • Why go to Russia?
    • Recruitment 1766
    • Planning 1764-1766
    • Marriages Prior To Emigration 1766
    • Voyage to Russia 1766 >
      • Ship Transport 1766
    • Journey 1766-1767
    • Founding of Norka 1767
    • Early Years 1767-1769
    • Norka 1769
    • Pallas Report 1773
    • Pugachev Raid 1774
    • Norka 1775
    • Norka 1798
    • Norka 1811
    • Napoleons Soldiers
    • Norka 1834
    • Daughter Colonies 1850s >
      • Neu-Norka
      • Oberdorf
      • Brunnental
      • Rosenfeld (am Jeruslan)
      • Neu Hussenbach (Gaschon)
    • Privileges Lost 1871-1874
    • Immigration 1875-1924 >
      • To the United States >
        • Colorado
        • Ft Collins Colorado
        • Globeville Colorado
        • Mason City, Iowa
        • Culbertson, Nebraska
        • Lincoln, Nebraska
        • Sutton, Nebraska
        • Burlington, Oklahoma
        • Weatherford, Oklahoma
        • Canby, Oregon
        • Portland, Oregon
      • To Canada >
        • Duffield, Alberta
        • Ponoka, Alberta
        • Spruce Grove, Alberta
        • Stony Plain, Alberta
        • Vegreville, Alberta
        • Arcola, Saskatchewan
      • To Germany
      • To South America
    • Famine 1891-1892
    • Norka 1898
    • War & Turnoil 1904-1906
    • World War 1914-1918
    • Revolution & War 1917-1922
    • Soviet Rule 1918-1941
    • Famine 1921-1924
    • Famine 1932-1933
    • The Great Terror 1936-1938
    • Deportation 1941
    • Repression 1941-1956
    • Cultural Loss 1957-2006
    • A Culture in Peril
    • Recent Times
  • Traditions
    • Food and Drink
    • Clothing
    • Holidays >
      • New Year
      • Fastnacht
      • Lent
      • Easter
      • Ascension Day
      • Pentecost
      • Founder's Day
      • Harvest Festival
      • Jahrmarkt
      • Christmas
      • Anniversaries & Birthdays
    • Crafts
    • Games
    • Folk Medicine
    • Superstitions
    • Nicknames
    • Folk Music
    • Church Music
    • Prayers
    • Baptism
    • Confirmation
    • Communion
    • Weddings
    • Funerals and Burials
  • Religion
    • Planning and History >
      • Norka Reformed Church 1767-1864
      • 1909 Norka Parish Report
    • Pastors >
      • Johann Heinrich Fuchs
      • Johann Georg Herwig
      • Johannes Baptista Cattaneo
      • Lukas Cattaneo
      • Emanuel Grunauer
      • Friedrich Börner
      • Christian Gottlieb Hegele
      • Christoph H Bonwetsch
      • Gottlieb N Bonwetsch
      • Wilhelm Staerkel
      • Woldemar Sibbul
      • David Weigum
      • Friedrich Alexander Wacker
      • Emil Pfeiffer
    • Church Practices >
      • Parochial Certificates
    • Church Buildings
    • Church Organs
    • Bell Tower
    • Brethren Movement
  • Resources
    • Family Research
    • Research Resources >
      • Arrival Records 1766
      • Descendant Charts
      • German EWZ Records
      • Soviet Gulag Records
    • Maps
    • Glossary
    • Bibliography
    • Periodicals >
      • Die Welt-Post Letters
    • Related Links