Corney and Margaret's Engagement

March 22, 1936  In the forenoon we all went to church.  In the afternoon we celebrated the engagement party for our son Corney and Margaretha A. Reimer.  The guests were Mrs. K. B. Reimer and children, Jacob F. Isaacs, Jacob A. Reimers, David A. and Cornelius A. Reimers, Peter L. and John L. Classens, and Henry L. Friesens.  Had strong wind with dust.

The Siemens had had a break of four days between Jake’s wedding and Corney’s engagement.  In the brief break, they had cleaned the house after all the wedding guests and made a mountain of tweeback and sugar cookies and other food for the engagement celebration.  Now it was Sunday when the engagement would have been announced at the worship service.  The guests at the Siemens that day and their relationship to the bride Margaret (or “Corney’s Margaret,” as she was called to distinguish her from her mother-in-law) were

Mrs. K. B. Reimer (mother).  The children mentioned are probably the three unmarried siblings of Corney’s Margaret, Elisabeth, Peter, and Helena.

Jacob F. & Katharina Isaac (elder who conducted the engagement)

Jacob A. & Katharina Reimer (brother)

David A. & Elisabeth Reimer (brother)

Cornelius A. & Katharina Reimer (brother)

Peter L. Classen (brother-in-law, his late wife Sara was Margaret’s sister)

John L. & Marie Classen (sister)

Heinrich L. & Aganetha Friesen (sister)

Notice that all the guests were Corney’s Margaret’s relatives, except for the elder who performed the engagement.

And of course, it being the Dirty Thirties, the dust blew that day.