Anna Pankratz
Married Name:
Anna Pankratz Hiebert
Born: March 8, 1823
Place: Freidensdorf, Molotschna, Ukraine, South Russia
Died: November 17, 1886
Place: Marion County, Kansas
MOTHER:
Eva Becker
FATHER:
Heinrich Pankratz (approx. 1795 - 1856)
Son of Andreas Pankratz (8/14/1750 - ?)
and Maricke Funcken (2/1/1757 - ?)
SIBLINGS:
Andreas Pankratz (born approx. 1816)
Heinrich Pankratz (born approx. 1820)
Peter Pankratz (born between 1823 & 1825)
David Pankratz (born approx. 1827)
SPOUSE:
Peter Hiebert
Married: February 17, 1842
Place: Alexanderwohl, Molotschna, South Russia
CHILDREN:
Elisabet(h) Hiebert (6/24/1843 - 12/4/1863)
Peter P. Hiebert (8/12/1845 - 10/21/1915)
Heinrich P. Hiebert (10/27/1847 - 2/14/1923)
Franz Hiebert (1/13/1850 - 12/31/1855)
Anna Hiebert (12/31/1851 - 10/10/1935)
Helena Hiebert (5/19/1854 - 5/10/1855)
Jacob P. Hiebert (3/29/1856 - 4/6/1911)
David P. Hiebert (11/15/1858 - 5/26/1933)
Susanna Hiebert (1/2/1861 - 10/24/1961)
Susana Banman [adopted] (1/6/1861 - 11/11/1941)
Johann P. Hiebert (3/22/1863 - 9/19/1915)
Franz Hiebert (5/11/1866 - 5/?/1886)
STEP-CHILDREN:
Katherina Voth (4/2/1825 - Unknown)
Jakob Voth (12/12/1826 - 11/27/1826)
Maria Voth (9/3/1829 - Unknown)
David Voth (2/25/1832 - Unknown)
Johann Voth (12/13/1834 - Unknown)
Susanna Voth (9/15/1837 - Unknown)
(these children were born to Katherina Nachital
[Peter's 1st wife] and her husband, Peter Voth)
Maria Hiebert (3/22/1841 - 2/12/1902)
(born to Peter Hiebert and Katherina Nachtigal)
Widowed: December 26, 1880
BIOGRAPHY
Anna Pankratz was born on March 8, 1823 in Friedensdorf to Heinrich Pankratz and Eva Becker. Anna married Peter Hiebert on February 17, 1842. She immediately became stepmother to 7 children, from age 11 months up to 17 years. She bore him 11 children of which 7 survived far enough into adulthood to bear their own children:
~ Elisabet(h), Peter, Heinrich, Franz, Anna, Helena, Jacob P., David P., Susanna, Johann P., and Franz Hiebert.
Later they adopted a baby girl Susana Banman (born January 6, 1861) about the same age as their youngest daughter (only 4 days difference). Susana Banman's biological parents were Heinrich Banman and Anna Hiebert Banman. It appears that Anna died as a result of complications in childbirth. The situation of adoption indicates that Susana was so young at her mother's death that she required breast milk to survive. Perhaps the two sisters-in-law (because both their names were Anna) decided to name both their daughters Susanna. Since Anna Pankratz Hiebert had just born her own Susanna Hiebert just 4 days before, she was the obvious choice, especially since the descendant mother was her husband's youngest sister. Those two girls must have had a delightful time enjoying life together, having been together from their mother's breast, perhaps, as would fraternal twins. That Susana Banman was loved by her new family is shown by the affectionate designations given her such as "little Susanna", persisting even into the next generation.
At some point in time, the Heinrich Goertz family moved into the house next door. These two families became very well acquainted with each other. Four of their children married four children of the Peter Hiebert family.
Because the Russian government threatened to remove their privileges of religious freedom, in particular their right to abstain from participation in war, the vast majority of Alexanderwohl residents decided to migrate to the United States. Nearly 2,000 persons migrated in 1874. Peter Hiebert and family left the Molotschna in mid-July, boarding the train at Halbstadt and heading for Hamburg, Northern Germany. En route they lost 12 days in shifting from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. He and his family boarded the S.S. Cimbria August 12, 1874 and disembarked New York harbor August 27, 1874.
The next day they went through customs. Their baggage was hauled across the Hudson to Castle Gardens where several days later they boarded trains leaving for Lincoln, Nebraska. From there they took trains to Peabody, Kansas where they disembarked, taking wagons to the settlement houses near the present location of Goessel, Kansas.
From here the settlers would look around in the surrounding countryside for property that was appealing to them. On one such trip at age 60, Peter Hiebert was caught in a sudden Kansas blizzard. He died December 26, 1880. His wife Anna died 6 years later on November 17, 1886.
