Read more about Abram Epp here.
Abram Jacob Epp, born in 1904 Fischau, Ukraine, boarded the S.S. MONCALM in Liverpool, England on December 31, 1926. He was being sponsored by the Bauman family who lived in Winkler, Manitoba. Abram arrived at Rosthern, Saskatchewan in January 1927 from where he travelled to the Red River Valley. He got there at midnight, and was picked up by Mr. Bauman, whose family he boarded with for the next two years. While he was there he cut wood, using a cross cut saw and an ax, and worked as a farm hand. During this time he had an opportunity to train horses for the task of pulling heavy sleighs which he enjoyed because he liked horses, including race horses.
In 1928, he went on to Port Rowan, Ontario where he moved in with his older brother Jacob, who had who had preceded him along with his sister Katherina (Tina), who married Aaron Doerksen. Abram worked as a general farm laborer in summer and chopped wood in winter, along with Peter Reimer, and John Woelk, who later became his brothers-in-law. They received 50 cents per chord of split wood. It has been told that their feet inside the boots were sometimes wrapped in rags, and their sandwiches were frequently frozen.
Abram met Elizabeth (Liese) Reimer while in Port Rowan and married her on April 7, 1929. Their first child, Jacob, was born on September 15, 1930 and died of spina bifida on October 14 in the same year. Their next two children, also born in Port Rowan, were Jacob Abram–September 14, 1931, and Abram Henry – April 19, 1933. The family moved to Leamington, Point Pelee Apple Orchards, in the fall of 1934, where Mary Grace was born, in 1935, and Freda Margaret in 1936.
Abram and his family then moved to a farm owned by Mrs. Mallot, near Wheatley, Ontario where he share cropped 100 acres for two years, with two horses and a mule. He grew five acres of tomatoes and the rest was put into grain.
The family next moved to the Kingsville area where Betty Lousie, the third daughter, was born – September, 1943. They lived in a small house on Concession Road 3. During this time Abram worked for Ross Bruner growing tomatoes and peaches. In 1947, Ross Bruner put Abram in charge of the entire farm operation. In 1948, Abram share cropped the growing of peaches, yams, tomatoes, and asparagus on the same farm, which turned out to be a very successful venture. It was indeed Abram’s big break because he saved enough money to put down on a 50 acre farm near Leamington.
The farm was purchased in December of 1948. In the first year of operating his own farm Abram grew 5 acres of tomatoes, as well as some wheat, corn, soya beans, and pasture for his cows. He also raised some pigs and chickens. Eventually he had 17 acres of early and late tomatoes. He built a greenhouse in 1935 so that he could start up his own cabbage and tomato plants.
During his years of farming, Abram had to cope with many difficult situations. His land was easily flooded by heavy rains because it wasn’t tiled. Weeds were always plentiful. The price for the early tomatoes was never guaranteed. The Heinz Tomato Factory might always return their load of tomatoes, depending on who the inspector happened to be. Tomato pickers had to be supplied with living quarters, sometimes in costly motels. The work was hard. Tomato hampers were stacked up high on wagons before being taken to the factory (where they might be rejected).
Later when the tomatoes were hauled in bulk wagons things improved. The tomatoes were easier to load and the method of grading became more consistent. Farming methods improved. Weeds were being better controlled with chemical spraying and the use of fertilizer greatly enhanced the crop yield, bring it up to 22 tons per acre. The farm was sold to his son Abe in 1972. Abram died in 1977.
