This story of the Grapentines, who live in the municipality of Springfield, will be told as I remember hearing it as a young boy. The dates and facts may not be accurate. 

My mother, Rosalia Mackus, was born in East Prussia in March of 1875 (Rosie was likely actually born in Russian Poland).  She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1890.  Rudolph Grapentine, my father, who was born in Russia in August 1870, came to Canada alone in 1891 (in the 1911 Canadian census Rudolph states he was born in Germany).  (For more detail on Grapentine roots see Diana's tree walkthru: View )

My father lived in Morris, Manitoba for a year where he was care-taker of a school.   It was there that he learned to read and write English, attending classes during the day and cleaning the school at night.  He was 21 years old at the time but his desire to learn English overcame the embarrassment of sitting in a classroom of young children. 

As a teenager my mother contracted typhoid fever during an epidemic in Winnipeg and spent several weeks in the General Hospital. 

Both of my parents were brought to this country under the auspices of the Baptist Church.   In those days the church was the centre of attraction and so it was there that my parents met.  They were married in Winnipeg on April 1st 1893. 

My father teamed in Winnipeg for 16 years, but, as he was raised on a farm, his greatest desire was to get out of the city and onto a farm.  My parents first came to Oak Bank in the spring of 1908 to operate the Rippstein farm, north of the railway tracks.  In the fall of 1909 the moved back to the city where they lived on Elgin Avenue for four years.  When they returned to Oak Bank in November 1913, they moved into the house that they both lived in for the remainder of their lives. 

My maternal grandparents, Fredrick and Louise Mackus, came to the R.M. of Springfield in 1895 and lived in several different places in North Springfield and Dugald.  In 1908 they came to Oak Bank and my grandfather built my parent’s log house on Main Street.  When my family moved back to Oak Bank he built a house for himself west of our house. 

The farm land my father purchased was on the east side of Main Street.  He eventually owned a quarter section there.  Two of his sons bought his farm when he retired. 

Because my father was a teamster for so many years, he got a contract to haul dynamite from Oak Bank to Winnipeg.  He did this with horses from 1916 till 1920 when his sons took over the job with a truck till 1937.  The dynamite was shipped from the east and stored in four magazines south of the village.  It was stored here for safety reasons.  Once a week a load of dynamite was taken to Winnipeg.  From there it was mainly sent to the mines.  During World War 1 the dynamite magazines were carefully guarded. 

Pa hauled stones from the Grason Quarries to the Hudson’s bay store on Main Street in Winnipeg, when it was being built. 

Ma worked very hard, too.  She not only performed her many house-hold tasks, but worked in the fields as well.  I remember her driving a team of horses at harvest time. 

My parents had one daughter and seven sons, all of whom were born at home.  They are --- 

Margaret (Mrs. Arthur Kruger)                                 Born December 1898

Walter                                                                         February 1900

Percy                                                                          May 1902

Wilfred                                                                        November 1908

Herbert                                                                       October  1910

John                                                                            October  1912

Lawrence                                                                   May 1914

Nelson                                                                        December 1916 

They had 22 grandchildren. 

During the early days of Oak Bank my parent’s piano was used at many concerts and dances.  We boys would move the piano to the old hall, near where the Credit Union stands today, on the day of the entertainment and then bring it back home the next day.   A special dolly was built to make the piano less difficult to move. 

As the baseball field was just across the road all us boys were attracted to it.  We loved the sport and it took up a great deal of our time.  My folks didn’t object even when a game took precedence over farm work. 

My brothers Percy and Herb and I formed a business in 1935.  Under the name of Grapentine Bros. we sold farm machinery, cars and fuel.  In 1938 we built the garage that is now Oak Bank Motors. 

Rudolph Grapentine died in July 1951 and Rozalia Grapentine died in February 1965.  The are both at their final resting place Sunnyside Cemetery.

Grapentine Family -- Wilfred's Letter