Germans of Waterloo Region

The scope of this Oral History Project is to collect the life stories of German-speaking immigrants to Canada by conducting biographic interviews with members of the German-Canadian community (immigrants from German-speaking central Europe as well as their descendants) who have ties to Waterloo Region of south-western Ontario, Canada. The interviews were video-recorded, transcribed, and the information gathered presented in two distinct ways. The initial presentation is a book which would contain individual community members’ recollections of their immigration and settlement experiences. These accounts are embedded within the larger, historical context. The book chapters focus on a variety of migration-related topics, such as life before immigration to Canada, the immigration experience, life after arrival in Canada, work experience, language, and maintaining social and cultural heritage..LCSH: Germans--Ontario--Waterloo (Regional Municipality)--History--1938-2011 | LCSH: Germans--Ontario--Waterloo (Regional Municipality)--Social conditions--1938-2011 | LCSH: Waterloo (Ont. : Regional municipality)--Emigration and immigration--1938-2011 | LCGFT: Oral historiesTable of ContentsPreface: Changing Times!..................................................................................1Walter StechelThe Oral History Project....................................................................................3Elizabeth Wendy Milne and Mathias SchulzeThe History of Waterloo Region........................................................................9Elizabeth Wendy Milne and Mathias SchulzeMennonites......................................................................................................20Christine Kampen Robinson and Nikolai PennerThey Came from South-eastern Europe.........................................................32Lori Straus and Emma BetzThey Came from East-central Europe .............................................................47Stephanie Cooper and Sebastian Siebel-AchenbachThey Came from Germany and Austria ..........................................................58Stefanie Templin and Sebastian Siebel-AchenbachIllustrations......................................................................................................69Arrival in Canada.............................................................................................87Judith Linneweber and Harald BauderEarning a Living ...............................................................................................98Ryan Carroll and Grit LiebscherWho Are We? .................................................................................................110Alissa Melitzer, Nataša Nuhanovič, and Paul MaloneHow to Build a Canadian Bird with Feathers from Across the Sea.............120Melanie WeißConnecting with the Old Country ................................................................134Lisa M. Rosen and James M. SkidmoreSpeaking the Language.................................................................................147Wes Lindinger and Grit LiebscherFamily and Children ......................................................................................156Friederike Schlein and Linda WarleyLooking Ahead...............................................................................................165Elizabeth Milne and Mathias SchulzeBibliography ...................................................................................................168