Hirsch Post Office

Before fixed Post Office, Railroad Post Office Cars were used (RPO's)

Located in the Store - Sept 1,1953
Sec.3, Twp.3, Rge.5, W2

The Post Office was called Hirsh (without the c)

Federal Electoral District- Moose Mountain (Saskatchewan)

Post Office was established Dec 1, 1893
closed Mar 31, 1970

Some info from Archiva.net

• b- Apr 15, 1868 in Lithuania
  
• d- June 22, 1941 in Victoria BC, age 63
• Married Annie Koslofsky, bet July-Sept 1890
  
• marriage registered in Mile End, Old Town London, before coming to Canada
  
  • b- ca 1871 in Russia (Lithuania?)
    
  • d- before 1906
• May 7, 1899
  
  Marcus and his family arrived in Canada on SS Californian, at Quebec City, from Liverpool England. Marcus and his wife Annie, both shown born in Russia, Marcus age 31, wife shown only as Mrs Berner, age 28, son Barnet Berner age 8, daughter age 4, name unreadable, Crassie? son Isaac, age 2, infant son Israel, 1 mo, all children born in England. Marcus shown as a farmer, all destined for Yorkton, Assiniboia
• Became a Naturalized Canadian Citizen 1902

He eventually became the Rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Victoria BC, the oldest Jewish Congregation west of Toronto. As a young man he went to England, served as a Jewish Minister, to an Orthodox congregation. His ambition was to be a farmer and own his own land. and went to Canada May 7, 1899. Marcus, his wife, and children, took up a homestead of 160 acres in 1899, built a home, and broke the land, near Hirsch NWT, which became Saskatchewan in 1905. He ended up owning 913 acres. Became Chairman of one of the First Rural School Boards in SK. He was Chairman of the Hirsch Public School Board, when they engaged James G. Gardiner, who became Premier of Saskatchewan, and Minister of Agriculture for the Dominion, as the Teacher in Hirsch School.

Marcus was the First Mohel (circumciser), The First Shochet, (performs the ritual slaughter) and the First to perform Jewish Weddings in Saskatchewan.

He lived on his farm for 32 years, His first wife died before 1906, I believe Dec 21, 1904 in Brandon MB, age 32 and he remarried a Yetta Berner after 1911.

In 1906 the neighbour was 2 Koslofsky family members, Joe and Mor.

I found a Marcus Berner married Genka Yamrom Mar 17, 1914 in Winnipeg.

In 1931 he accepted the call from Victoria. Drought at the time, forced him off the farm, and he was to return in a year or two, when the weather changed, but instead he stayed in Victoria. He also had a battle with some other Jewish groups in the area, which didn't help.

Father- Boruch Berner

Western Land Grants:

• SW and SE Sec 10, Tsp 3, Range 5, W2

- ca 1941 when he died.

2 Daughters:

1. Janie Sophia Berner
   
   • b- Sept 1893 Reg in Whitechapel, London, England
     
   • Mrs. I. Brounstein, Smeaton SK.
2. Eva Berner
   
   • b- ca 1899 in England
     
   • d- July 1955 in Hospital, in Regina, age 56, after a long illness.
     
   • Buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Regina.
     
   • 1920 married Charles Mandel,
     
   • they were living in Regina SK, 1941
     
   • see my Elias (Eli) Wolf Mandel Estevan Page

5 sons:

1. Benjamin “Ben” Berner- Carlyle SK
   
   • b- Mar 15, 1892 in London, England
     
   • d- Aug 10, 1970, age 75, in Vancouver BC
     
   • Enlisted in WWI, May 6, 1918, in Regina
     
   • Reg # 2684212, Rank= Corporal, Canadian Calvary
     
   • member of the RNWMP, address Regina SK.
     
   • Stockman and Farmer. not married
     
   • Next of kin, father Marcus in Hirsch
     
   • 1931 Ben Berner and another fellow leased the hotel at Carlyle lake. 1943 he sold it to the town of Carlyle.
2. Meyer Berner, Vancouver BC
   
   • b- Jan 11, 1901, Sec 10, Tsp 3, Rge 5, W2, NWT
     
   • headstone says 1902, birth reg says 1901
     
   • d- June 16, 1989 in LA, CA,
     
   • buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery
     
   • note- I think this guy and William below are the same guy
3. Henry Gudah Berner, Winnipeg MB
   
   • b- Dec 2, 1904, Sec 10, Tsp 3, Rge 5, W2, NWT
     
   • d-
4. Alex Berner, with the British Army in Palestine 1941
   
   • b- ?
     
   • d- ?
     
   • Returned to Canada in 1946, and was living in Toronto.
     
   • He was a Captain in the British army stationed in the middle east in WWII.
     
   • Director of the Jewish National Fund, 1955 in San Francisco area.
     
   • In 1957 I think he was in LA, CA, USA.
5. Major Isaac Elkin (Elkanah?) Berner
   
   • with the Atlantic command Halifax.
     
   • b- Mar 27, 1896, Reg in Whitechapel, London, England
     
   • d- Feb 8, 1991, age 94
     
   • enlisted in WWI, Mar 1917 in Estevan SK
     
   • Living in Hirsch at the time.
     
   • Reg # LC 460285
     
   • next of kin, Marcus his father.
     
   • June 4, 1936 he married Zelda Freedman.
     
     • b- ?
       
     • d- Aug 30, 1970, age 57, in Vancouver BC
       
     • daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S. Freedman.
       
   • at home of his bride's sister, Mr. and Mrs. George Hornstein, at Bengough.
     
   • Isaac was at Kelliher at the time.
6. Israel Berner
   
   • b- Mar 1899, Reg in Whitechapel, London, England
     
   • d- ca 1919, age 20, buried in Hirsch Cemetery
7. Barnett Berner
   
   • b- Mar 1892, Reg in Whitechapel Dist., London
     
   • d- ?
8. William Berner (see Meyer above)
   
   • b- ?
     
   • d- ?
     
   • shown as a brother to Eva, living in San Francisco in 1955 when Eva died.

• info recorded on the Hirsch elevator page
• Frederick (Fred) B. Billington
  
• born Feb 2, 1870, in Minnesota, USA,
  
• d- Jan 20, 1958
  
• wife Ella Giem,
  
• He also operated the Lake of the Woods Elevator in Hirsch, in 1920
  
• Received an email in 2010 from Brenda (King) Kvamme, granddaughter of Fred. She wrote “My mother was Marguerite Billington daughter of Fred and * Ella Billington, and she married William J. King, son of Ed and Dora King.”

Sept 27, 1928 4 armed bandits robbed the Post office in Hirsch after robbing the PO in Steelman. They stole $1,000.00 and fired 2 shots at Post Master John? Billington per article in newspaper at the time.
The armed bandits were in a large automobile.

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