A monument in Riverside in the Rural Municipality of Morris marks the site of a former cemetery, established in 1874 and used until around 1907. There are 22 unmarked graves (of which only eight are identified) in the cemetery, the first burial site for Mennonite settlers to the Rosenhoff area.
David Klassen (1813-1900) was one of the Mennonite delegates from Russia who came to North America to investigate resettlement possibilities. He was a farmer and minister born in Pietzkendorf, Prussia who emigrated from the Borosenko Colony and represented the Heuboden village of the Kleine Gemeinde. He landed in New York harbour on 20 May 1873 and, while a small number from the Heubodener group chose Jefferson County, Nebraska as their new home, Klassen chose the Scratching River (Morris) area of Manitoba. Thirty-five families settled in the Rosenhoff area while the other Mennonite groups moving into Manitoba settled in the East Reserve.
Rosenhoff Pioneer Cemetery monument (March 2012)
Source: Lorne Thompson, RM of Morris
Rosenhoff Pioneer Cemetery plaque (November 2019)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.41403, W97.41379
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Rosenhoff Evangelical Mennonite Cemetery (RM of Morris)
A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society, including a searchable online database available to members at the MGS Manitoba Name Index (MANI). Some additional information is contained in the 1996 MGS publication Carved in Stone: Manitoba Cemeteries and Burial Sites, revised edition, Special Projects Publication, 106 pages.
Reinland: An Experience in Community by Peter D. Zacharias, Reinland Centennial Committee, 1976.
We thank the Rural Municipality of Morris for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Rose Kuzina.
Page revised: 18 September 2023
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