Emanuel Kirschenman was born July 6, 1895 on a homestead farm in Yankton County, South Dakota (located about 12 miles southeast of Menno). He was the son of Magdalena (Schneider) and Jakob Kirschenmann and a twin to Emil Kirschenman. Magdalena & Jakob were part of the thousands of Germans who migrated from South Russia.

Emanuel registered for the World War I Draft on June 5, 1917. He entered the United States Army during World War I.

Emanuel married Emma Rempfer (daughter of Katharina (Schwendt) & Johann Georg Rempfer) on August 31, 1919 in Yankton County, South Dakota. He was 24 and she was 19. Fourteen children were born to this union. It was not uncommon in those days for babies to be stillborn or die in infancy. Three sons - twins Erhardt & Garrett and Milton - were stillborn. Their daughter Dora Mae was born December 4, 1944 and died December 27, 1946.

When Emanuel married Emma, he built the house on the farm 1/4 mile east of the original homestead where he was born and raised. This land was known as a Government Tree Claim. They were required to clear the land and break the soil to prepare it for farming as well as plant trees for shelter belts and to help hold the moisture in the ground. After five years if all requirements were met, they were able to buy the land for just a few dollars.

Emanuel seemed to have a great knowledge in farming and farm management. He was able to increase his farm land from the original 160 acres to over 2000 acres by the time he died. Most of this was bought after he became disabled as a result of a severe stroke at the age of 47. He managed to supervise the farm from his car or chair for about 12 years. This was a very admirable task considering his hardships with ill health and difficulty in speaking and walking. Certain cafes in each of the surrounding towns knew what he would order and would have it ready by the time he got himself out of the car and into the cafe. On the highway he was known by other motorists since they seemed to watch out for him. Although he was partially disabled, Emanuel was known to pick up hitchhikers on a regular basis. Many of them were brought home for a hot meal and for a half day's work for pocket money.

He must have been known as a progressive farmer as he usually had modern machinery as a result of the expanding Industrial Revolution. While many farmers were forced to leave their farms and banks went broke during the Great Depression in the 1930s, Emanuel was able to continue farming. Because they owned some land, Emma and Emanuel were never eligible to any of the "free" food that was given out by the government. Since gardens didn't grow without moisture and animals couldn't graze without grass, meals were very skimpy; yet somehow they managed to survive. It is unknown how many meals Emma skipped so their children could have something to eat.

During a time when many others may have still been using kerosene lanterns, the Kirschenmans had the use of the Wind Charger for 32 volts for lights in the house. Kerosene lanterns were always kept on hand in case of a power outage (no wind power). They even had an electric freezer before the Rural Electric Association wired the house for electricity, which was in 1949! Even though they had an icebox, their children remember lowering a bucket down into the cistern to keep milk, cream and butter cool in the summertime.

It was so rare when Emanuel laughed that they would talk about it for several days. Work was the most important thing. He made sure every one of them stayed busy. If he had to be gone for a couple hours he'd make sure they had something to do. Taking a day off was unheard of - unless it was Sunday! Sundays in the Kirschenman home had a routine where everyone went to church regardless of the weather, and a big dinner was always prepared. Often guests were invited over, or the family was invited to someone else's place for dinner.

Emanuel and Emma were both raised in the same neighborhood church. In the early 1930s they both became dissatisfied with the church's teachings so they stopped attending. For about a year they prayed for guidance to raise their children in whatever was the right way. Then two preachers, Charlie Mitchell and Robert McCorkell, came and held gospel services in the schoolhouse. They didn't use any other literature, didn't read their prayers, and never passed the collection plate; they just preached out of the Bible. Emanuel and Emma could see that this was exactly like Jesus taught in the New Testament. In 1939 they gave their lives to Jesus and made a commitment to follow in the way that Jesus taught.

Emanuel had a severe stroke at the age of 56 which left him paralyzed on his right side for the rest of his life. For a long time he was unable to speak. When he did regain his speech it was not as clear as it may have been before. He did learn to walk with a cane after much therapy and chiropractic care. He really enjoyed it when the little grandchildren came to visit. He would use his cane to flip off hats or pull the grandchildren closer to him.

Emanuel died October 11, 1966 at the age of 71 after a series of light strokes. He is buried in Menno Cemetery.