John and Anna Kurz's full grave site.1 |
Mother Kurz Father
John Leonhart 31.12.1887 - 3.11.1938 Anna Maria 13.3.1892 At Rest 2.22.1981 |
From Our Harvest of Memories (1983)2 it is learned that John Leonhardta Kurz was born on 31 December 1887 in the farm village of Englhardtshausen, Germany. John was born to a family with five brothers and served in the German army before immigrating to Canada and arrived in Saskatchewan in May 1913. In April 1915 he "filed on homestead at Foxdale at SE 1/4 14-51-3-W3 for the sum of $10.00."2
Anna Maria Kohler was born on 13 March 1892 in the black forest town of Egenhausen, Germany. Anna was introduced to her future husband through one of John's brothers and correspondence.
John and Anna married in 1923 and in 1924 on a "twenty-five below zero December morning"2 their son and only child was born on the farm. In addition to the traditional pioneer farm activities of land clearing, breaking, well digging, grain threshing, and wood sawing "the Kurz' were the first to raise bees for honey."2
John passed away on 3 November 1938 after a lengthy illness at age 50 years, 10 months, and 3 days.
Anna remained on the homestead farm for another fifty years before moving to Port Alberni, British Columbia where her son and his family resided. She suffered a stroke in 1979, passed away on 22 February 1981 at age 88 years, 11 months, and 9 days, and was interred in Foxdale with John.
Source:
[1]Foxdale Cemetery (Foxdale, R.M. of Shellbrook no. 493, Saskatchewan, Canada; in SW Section 26, Township 51, Range 3, West of the 3rd Meridian), John & Anna Kurz grave markers, photographed by Alanna Carswell, September 2009.
[2]Coles, Cathy, ed. "The Kurz Family." Our Harvest of Memories: Foxdale, Sturgeon Valley, Silver Cliff, Three Creeks, Rayside, Rich Valley. Shellbrook: Shell River North Book Committee, 1983. pp. 104-105. Print.