Maar (Meer) Family
Otto and May Maar (Meer), along with their children, emigrated to South Dakota from Crimea during the early 20th century. They eventually settled in Southern Alberta in 1909. They shipped their possessions to Canada by train and traveled to Warner, Alberta via a wagon, herding their animals and sleeping in tents. The Meers applied for homesteads and purchased a half section of land in 1910.
Otto and May had four boys and four girls: John, Hans, Martin, Jacob, Anna (Anna stayed behind in Estonia), Eliza, Minnie and Helen. The family engaged in mixed farming consisting of animals and a variety of crops.
May passed away March 29, 1911 at the age of 71. The funeral service was located at the Meer family farm presided by Reverend John Sillak. Otto immediately applied to the provincial government for funding to build a cemetery in the area; three months later a cemetery was built. May's coffin was transferred to the new site, approximately two miles west of their farm. Otto passed away in May of 1915 and was buried next to his wife.
John Meer (1865-1952) arrived in Southern Alberta with his parents and siblings. The Meer family lived in a tent until they could build a home from lumber hauled in from Warner, the nearest town at that time. John and his wife Anna purchased a homestead two miles east of his parents' place; they lived here until 1945 when they eventually moved to Foremost. They had three children: Anna, Carl and Al.
Martin (1877-1968) and Katie (1882-1946) Meer had three children: Lenore, Edward and Ida. The children were all born in Ft. Pierre, South Dakota and made the arduous journey to southern Alberta as young children. Martin and Katie Meer left their homestead in 1926 and relocated to the Pacific Northwest where Martin soon developed into an avid fisherman.
Hans and Pauline Meer also traveled from South Dakota to southern Alberta in 1909. Hans and Pauline left the Foremost area and traveled to Oregon before eventually settling in Simms, Montana. They had three children: Walter, Julia and Bill.
Jacob Meer was born in Crimea, migrated to South Dakota with his parents, Otto and May, and later filed for a homestead near Foremost. Jacob remained a bachelor and engaged in farming until his death in 1944.
