‘Koop’ Clock

Kroeger Clock no. 1936, ca. 1895 (MC0206)

The clock was a gift for Abram Koop (1863–1938) and Katherina Niebuhr (1869–1962) on the occasion of their wedding in 1886. The family residence was in Schoenwiese, Chortitza Colony, Russian Empire (now Ukraine).

(Note: the serial number dates the clock to ca. 1895, so the Koops likely received it a few years after their marriage.)

In 1938 Abram Koop was jailed as a result of the Stalinist purges. He died in jail after repeated beatings. His wife Katherina brought the clock with her when she moved into her daughter’s home bringing the family clock with her.

The daughter, Margarete (1901–1995), was married to Franz Peters (1894–1966). Margarete and Franz had a son Rudi (1928–). Katherina Koop and the Peters family fled Schoenwiese in 1943.They arrived in Celle, Germany, in the autumn of 1943. The clock survived the journey, likely because the family had been fortunate to be able to travel on a troop train rather than by horse and wagon. In Celle they lived in barracks built to house workers for the adjacent factories. Here Margarete worked spinning silk for parachute manufacture and Franz was employed as a bookkeeper.

The family was resettled to a refugee camp on the Dutch border at the end of the war. The clock remained with Katherina Koop and the Peters family.

In the summer of 1948, Katherina Koop and Franz and Margarete Peters with their son Rudi immigrated to Canada arriving at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

The Peters family and Katherina Koop had been sponsored to live and work in British Columbia. On their journey there they made a stop in southern Ontario to visit Katherina Koop’s son who had immigrated to Canada in 1926. The family received word as they were visiting that severe flooding in the Fraser Valley would prevent them from having any work or lodging in British Columbia. As a result the family remained in southern Ontario and settled in St. Catharines. The Peters family built a home in St. Catharines after several years. The clock hung in the Peters dining room for more than 65 years. Family members say they do not believe it ever stopped chiming in those years!

Several years ago, Rudi Peters gave the clock to the current owner's family to continue its journey.

The clock is now 130 years old.

• Description Thirty-hour wall clock with pendulum and weight-driven movement, made by Kroeger Clockmakers in Rosenthal, Russian Empire (now Ukraine), ca. 1895, serial number 1936. Arched dial with a raised chapter ring is light-coloured with a single black border around the perimeter. Arch has a decal of a spray of flowers including a rose, lily of the valley, a bird, and a butterfly. Spandrels are gold scroll decals. Chapter ring is white with black Roman numerals; white outer rings mark the minutes and quarter hours. Two hands; bell function; chain drive; four weights.

• Mennonite Clock Number MC0206

• Object Name Kroeger Clock

• Serial Number 1936

• Date Created ca. 1895

• Maker Kroeger Clockmakers

• Location Made Rosenthal, Chortitza Colony, Russian Empire (now Ukraine)

• Other Markings No. 1936 (stamped on hour wheel); 7 (stamped on iron plate)

• Movement Type Iron plate

• Functions Bell

• Owner Private Owner