A Brief History of the Mennonites

Mennonites are a branch of the Christian church, with roots in the radical wing of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Part of the group known as Anabaptists (because they rebaptized adult believers), the Mennonites took their name from Menno Simons (ca. 1496-1561), a Dutch priest who converted to the Anabaptist faith and helped lead it to prominence in Holland by the mid-16th century. His followers became known as Mennonites (Mennisten). He was not, however, as is popularly assumed, the founder of the movement in the Netherlands. He became its leader after it had been in existence in that area for a number of years. Mennonite is the most common designation since the mid-17th century for the largest continuing Christian tradition rooted in 16th century Anabaptism.

The first Mennonites came mainly from Swiss and German roots. To escape persecution, many Mennonites fled Western Europe for the more accommodating religious climate of the Americas or Catherine the Great's Russia, giving these two groups distinctly different cultural heritages. When the Russian Mennonites were eventually forced out of Russia in the last half of the 19th Century and the early 20th Century, many migrated to the western states and provinces, where today there is a large Mennonite population. Many people in the older generation of this group continue to speak a Low German dialect called "Plautdietsch" and eat traditional foods. Swiss German Mennonites migrated to North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, settling first in Pennsylvania, then eventually across the midwestern states. They too brought with them their own traditions, including hearty foods and the German language. Today large Mennonites number almost 1 million worldwide, with churches in North and South America, Africa, and Europe.

The Amish, who separated from the Mennonites in the late 1600's, are widely known for their plain dress and rejection of modern technology and conveniences. Unlike the Mennonites, they form an exclusive and tight-knit community, with the church dictating much of what may or may not be done: for example, each local church district would dictate rules regarding the use of telephones, if indeed they are permitted at all. While certain conservative branches of the Mennonite church still dress simply and require women to wear head coverings, Mennonites generally are not culturally separatist, choosing to embrace the larger communities outside of their church rather than forming a separate community around the church. Where the Amish believe in keeping themselves spiritually focused by limiting their interaction with modern society, Mennonites believe in practicing Jesus' teaching of service to others in a broader context. Mennonites are known for their emphasis on issues such as peace, justice, simplicity, community service and mutual aid.

Enough said of the history, on to the Genealogy.

Once you have established that your ancestors were Mennonite, you then should establish the area which they came from. There are many areas in Russia that the Mennonite settled which I am familiar with. Now that you have established the specific area then you are on your way. There are many sites on the internet that are devoted to the specific areas separately and as a whole. Also there are many books that contain valuable information for the person who is doing Mennonite research. Several mailing lists are also available for the Mennonite researcher.

One of the problems that I found in doing my research was the naming patterns of the Mennonite. So many people with the same name in the same family tends to become confusing. Once you are used to it though it gets much easier. Also, while researching ship lists keep in mind that most Mennonites had Germanic names and that these names were easily misspelled when they landed in a foreign country. An example of this, after exhausting the passenger list for Goertzen, I could find nothing. I was about to give up when the name GIRKEN struck me as funny. After doing further digging I found that this was my Great Grandfather and his family. So keep in mind that not all the names may be spelled properly. Also keep in mind that many changed the spelling once they settled in the country of their choice to make the name more Anglicized. Thus Dueck may become and has become Dyck in some cases.

With all of this in mind you should be able to proceed in the beginnings of your search, although there are still those nasty brick walls that seem to jump out from no where.

Some links that I have found useful in my research Mennonite Genealogy Links

Written by a former chatter Go & previously used in a Looking 4 Kin Newsletter