Mennonite Historian -- Volume XIX, No. 2, June, 1993

Table of Contents

1. Kanadier and Russländer: Tensions on the Prairies by Ben Doerksen
2. In Search of Wilhelm Schroeder I by William Schroeder
3. Family History and Genealogy by Alf Redekopp
4. Recent Acquisitions - MHC
5. Recent Accessions - CMBS
6. Book Reviews
7. Book Notes

Kanadier and Russländer: Tensions on the Prairies

North American Mennonites are often viewed as a homogeneous group by those not too familiar with them. However, nothing can be further from the truth. Not only did Mennonites have differing European roots, but they also developed distinct life-style differences in their historical pilgrimage. This was especially true of the two large groups of Mennonites migrating from Russia to America in the 1870s and the 1920s. The time lapse between their coming was sufficient to allow for distinct worldview developments. These differences became especially pronounced on the Canadian prairies where most of the second wave immigrants settled. Tension between these two groups soon reached crisis proportions. The earlier arrivals were designated as Kanadier, and the later arrivals were designated as Russländer.

Cultural Differences

It is generally believed that the earlier wave of immigrants consisted primarily of the more conservative Chortitza colonists, who settled in Manitoba, and the somewhat more moderately conservative Molotschna colonists who settled in the U.S. midwest. By and large they were all poor and not really interested in American culture.

The second wave consisted of more culturally progressive Mennonites who chose to remain in Russia and gradually embraced the modernizing trends sweeping Eastern Europe in the late nineteenth century. They actually developed their own sophisticated system of education and wittingly accepted the Russian language into their village schools after 1897. But then came the political, social, and economic upheavals. The Bolshevik Revolution, coming on the heals of World War I, suddenly left these enterprising Mennonites bereft of all material possessions and struggling for survival. Many lost both property and family, and were too emotionally exhausted to attempt another beginning in Communist Russia. Emigration for them became the only hope for survival and 21,000 made their way to the Canadian prairies from 1924 to 1930.

Points of Tension

Despite their abject poverty, the Russländer brought with them a social sophistication that greatly hindered their assimilation into the established Kanadier Mennonite community. The Russländer anxiously pursued all possible educational opportunities in Canada, while the Kanadier continued their apprehension about public education. Consequently, the Kanadier regarded the Russländer as arrogant, worldly, and unwilling to engage in manual labour. Actually many Russländer knew little about farming and the Kanadier had to show them how to saddle and harness their horses. It is therefore not surprising that the Kanadier scorned the new comers as "De domme Russlaenda" (those stupid Russians).

The Russländer, on the other hand, considered the Kanadier as simple-minded, uncultured, afraid of education, and too satisfied with tradition.

A second factor that appears to have alienated the two groups was the large Reiseschuld (debt) incurred by the Russländer. Over half the Russländer held refugee status and came to Canada entirely on credit. When the depression of the early

1930s made payment of the debt impossible for the Russländer, the Kanadier felt obliged to assist them. The Reiseschuld issue was not resolved until the mid 1940s.

A third factor that contributed to Russländer-Kanadier alienation was the Isaac Braun scandal. Braun arrived in Rosthern from Russia with his wife and two children in July 1924. Henry P. Friesen, a Kanadier farmer and businessman, supposedly loaned Braun $5000.00 to get started. Friesen also tried to sell Braun some land, a deal which apparently was never finalized. Braun then moved to British Columbia in August 1924, from where he filed suit against Friesen for the $5000.00 which Friesen allegedly had borrowed from him.

Using false witnesses and trickery, Braun won the first round of a protracted court case in Saskatoon. The witnesses, however, confessed to producing false evidence and were given suspended jail sentences. So Braun fabricated letters as evidence against Friesen. But handwriting experts detected the fabrication and Braun was deported to Russia in 1933 after serving a five-year sentence in the Prince Albert penitentiary. The above episode may have been an isolated case, but nevertheless, added fuel to the ill-will that the Kanadier held towards the Russländer. Braun was declared to be the "gratzta helunk" (biggest scoundrel) that had ever entered Canada.

Impact on the Mennonite Brethren

Since many of the Russländer belonged to the Mennonite Brethren Church, the Mennonite Brethren Conference of North America was seriously affected by their arrival. In Manitoba the Russländer Mennonite Brethren started twelve new congregations. The total membership of the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Church more than doubled during the next six years from 1,763 in 1924 to 3,870 in 1930. The number of trained ministers tripled during that same period, from 31 in 1924 to 97 in 1930.

Assimilation Problems

Since there were only two Mennonite Brethren congregations in Manitoba when the Russländer arrived (i.e., Winkler and Winnipeg), the latter often organized new congregations and functioned more or less independently. In Saskatchewan, however, the majority of the Russländer settled in existing Mennonite communities. Mennonite Brethren first settled at Brotherfield in 1898 and at Main Centre in 1904. Most of these homesteaders had developed their own distinct regional traditions and class distinctions during three decades of pioneering in the United States. But assimilation of the Russländer added a whole new dimension to church and conference activity. The Main Centre Mennonite Brethren Church accepted 78 immigrant members from 1924 to 1926. But by 1927, 32 of them had left again to start a new congregation.

The Brotherfield congregation, after intensive efforts to accommodate the new arrivals, envisioned better church relations between Kanadier and Russländer if the two groups lived and worshipped separately. Consequently, local church leaders transported several Russländer to Glenbush by Model T Ford and assisted them in starting a new congregation.

Educational Emphases

The Mennonite Brethren had started a Bible School in Herbert, Saskatchewan, by 1913, but with the coming of the Russländer similar institutions soon sprang up across western Canada.

By 1947 the Canadian Mennonite Brethren were sponsoring thirteen Bible Schools and five private high schools. Most of these schools were originally staffed by Russländer and challenged the Kanadier to become more culturally advanced. The most striking example of Russländer educational effort was evidenced by the founding of the Pniel Bible School in Winkler, Manitoba, in 1925. Pniel actually represented a relocation of the Tschongrow Bible School from Russia to Canada together with teachers and students.

The Hepburn Bible School, although also staffed primarily by Russländer, held strong Kanadier ties. Directors of the Western Children's Mission, founded by the school, hesitated appointing Russländer to teach in their Vacation Bible Schools. Russländer communities in Alberta and British Columbia held the school suspect for several decades. Young people from the Russländer community of Glenbush by-passed Hepburn to attend the Russländer school at Coaldale as late as the mid 1950s.

Conference Tensions

The tensions generated by the coming of the Russländer, actually extended far beyond the Canadian prairies. Their presence soon precipitated a north-south polarization as well. For more than a decade after their arrival in Canada, the Russländer were denied representation on the Board of Missions and their young people were not accepted for cross-cultural ministries.

Henry Bartsch, for example, joined his Kanadier relatives in Dalmeny, Saskatchewan, upon arrival in Canada. An uncle promptly offered him partnership in a farming operation which guaranteed a good livelihood and held the promise of prosperity. But when Bartsch determined to pursue a cross-cultural ministry, both church and relatives abandoned him. And when the Bartsches finally left Dalmeny for Africa independently, they did so without financial or moral support. There was no farewell for them.

In 1935, while on furlough, Bartsch personally visited Hillsboro to seek acceptance and support for his cause. But to no avail. Therefore, partly out of necessity, but probably more out of defiance, Winkler friends officially incorporated as the "Afrika Missions Verein," a rival missions board. Seven months later they launched Der Kleine Afrika Bote, a monthly periodical which continued circulation until the Board of Foreign Missions took full responsibility of the Bartsch ministry in July of 1943.

The Canada-U.S. polarization at times became so intense that it threatened the very unity of the North American Mennonite Brethren Conference. The legacy of those differences still survives to the present day, although the roots are often not recognized.

KEY SOURCES

Doerksen, Ben, "Mennonite Brethren Missions: Historical Development, Philosophy, and Policies," Doctor of Missiology Dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, 1986.

Epp, Frank H. Mennonites in Canada, 1920-1940. Toronto, ON: Macmillan of Canada, 1982.

Francis, E. K. In Search of Utopia. Altona, MB: D. W. Friesen and Sons, 1955.

Lohrenz, J. H. The Mennonite Brethren Church. Hillsboro, KS: The Mennonite Brethren Publishing House, 1950.

Toews, J. A. A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church. Hillsboro, KS: Mennonite Brethren Publishing House, 1975.

Personal Interviews

Ben Doerksen is instructor at Bethany Bible Institute in Hepburn, SK.

In Search of Wilhelm Schroeder I

In 1830 a 14-year old orphan boy, Wilhelm Schroeder, together with his younger brothers and married sister Helena Fast, migrated from Rosenort, Prussia, to Fuerstenau, Molotschna Colony, in the Ukraine. Before he died at age 88 in nearby Petershagen, Wilhelm had regaled his bright 10-year old grandson and namesake with stories of the great trek and had impressed upon him: "You and your father and grandfather are all called Wilhelm Schroeder. So were my father and grandfather."

In 1927 little Willie became my father in Manitoba, Canada. On the strength of his grandfather's story-telling I have always confidently regarded myself as William Schroeder VI and, based on my father's notes and sporadic further research, I constructed a family-tree in chart-form headed by Wilhelm Schroeder II, 1761- 1827. One Christmas our daughter Sandra presented me and her brother William James with T-shirts respectively imprinted William Schroeder VI and William Schroeder VII. After retirement I finally had time to undertake more concentrated research in an attempt to unearth some formal documentation on Wilhelm Schroeder I to crown my chart. He has proven to be elusive. But even without him I sent excerpts from my chart to a cousin to help her get certain official documentation when she emigrated from the USSR to Germany.

My case has generated some interesting side-stories. Several of them involve being mistaken for "the other Bill Schroeder", author of a history of the Bergthal Colony in Russia, coauthor of a Mennonite historical atlas¹ and guide for a number of tourist groups visiting the former Soviet Union. Sometimes if the other party still knows Low German, I cite the old saying,"Bie de Menniste jefft daut fael bunte Hunj waut Mopps heeti." (With.the Mennonites there are many spotted dogs named Mops). In true Mennonite fashion I am invariably asked, "Are you two related?" And I reply, "Probably seventh cousins, but I cannot yet prove it." Bill's clan of Schroeders also has an extensive family tree. My thesis is that if only I could "find" Wilhelm I, we could combine the two family trees.

There is some almost tangible, if not documentary, evidence for my hunch. Several members of the two clans, both men and women, bear striking physical resemblances. Two Schroeder men in opposite clans have reported being mistaken for each other, before they became acquainted. Having had much exposure to Russian Mennonites of the 1920s immigration and descendants of those from the 1870s, and also to Mennonites in Paraguay and elsewhere, I have developed something of an eye for facial resemblances at first sight. Frequently that has helped to identify or at least remember the names of new students in my classes, to their great surprise. On at least three occasions in Paraguay in the 1950s I correctly guessed the family name of people I met, by their resemblance to someone in Canada, though the ancestors had separated in Russia in the 1870s. Uncannily, in one case even the first name was the same as that of an elderly acquaintance in Canada with the same family name. The Russian Mennonite tradition of perpetuating ancestors' first names here doubled the likelihood of kinship. But I digress; they were not Schroeders.

I recall when I first met the other Bill Schroeder. It was at the Sunday morning service in the Domain (Manitoba) Mennonite Brethren Church in 1959 or 1960. The worship leader had looked in Bill's direction and announced (in German): "Now William Schroeder will bring the message." Bill froze in his seat until the man right behind him (myself) got up and went forward. In my recent search for Wilhelm Schroeder I, I got some promising clues from an article by science professor and amateur genealogist Glenn Penner.² Already as my Grade XI history student Glenn had done an extensive research project on Mennonite genealogy. He is a member of the other Schroeder clan. I couldn't escape the suspicion that one of his motives at the time was the potential joke of being able to announce that he and the teacher were cousins. But he couldn't find our hoped-for common ancestor either. The Mennonite census of 1776 ordered by Frederick II of Prussia, lists 18 Schroeder family-heads, but no Wilhelm, and no Schroeders in Rosenort where Wilhelm Schroeder II died in 1827. The existence of a Wilhelm I is not ruled out however. Born in 1761, Wilhelm II would have been 15 at the time of the census, and therefore not listed. Also he might have been the son of one of the four Schroeder widows listed, whose deceased husband had had the name Wilhelm. But I can't prove that, at least not yet.

Rosenort church records from before 1858 have been destroyed by fire and flood. In any case, by that time my ancestors were already successfully growing wheat on the steppes of Ukraine, not in Prussia. So my next step was to research church records of other congregations in Prussia, in the hope of finding a Wilhelm who might later have moved to Rosenort. I even tried some neighbouring Lutheran and Catholic churches in the vicinity, since for a while it was obligatory for Mennonites to register births with these churches. Many a register, microfilm, document and published list have I pored over at the Mennonite Heritage Centre, M.B. Archives (both in Winnipeg), Bethel College, Newton, Kansas, and in two libraries of the Latter Day Saints. But so far to no avail. Moreover extant Prussian church records are known to be incomplete. My hopes rose recently when I discovered Microfilm # 174 in the Mennonite Heritage Centre, labelled "Grosswerder Baptisms", naming Rosenort, Tiegenhagen, Fuerstenwerder, and Ladekopp, with promising dates.³ The records of the named churches were quite easily, but alas fruitlessly,perused. Schreders, Schroders, Schroeters and Schroeders galore, but nary a Wilhelm. Lots of Simons though. But those four churches comprise only a small fraction of Microfilm #174. There follow voluminous records of dozens of other Prussian Mennonite churches, including, births, marriages, deaths, and family registers, as well as baptisms suggested the title. Some of these records hark back to the early 1600s. A goldmine of information? Perhaps, but unfortunately many entries, especially headings at the edges of pages are blacked out or otherwise illegible. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, parts of which are not accessible. It reminded me of hauling hay during my teens from stacks imbedded in ice and snow.

One day with that microfilm has confirmed that lucky hit-or-miss efforts will probably remain the only hope of ever discovering any documentation for my long-lost ancestor. However, I still believe that when my great-grandfather talked about his grandfather to my late father 90 years ago, he knew what he was talking about. If there ever was a grandfather's clock that ticked for 90 years, I can well understand that my ancestors were unable to lug it along on their migrations. And in my researching I came to appreciate how tenuous the line of succession actually was. Several cousins perished at the hands of Machno bandits in the Russian revolution. One of the Wilhelms was 47 when he got married. Whatever I might otherwise think of his marrying a 19-year old girl, I realize if he had married someone of his age, I might not have made it onto that family tree.

Wm. Schroeder, March, 1993 832

Wicklow St. Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, R3T OH7 Tel. (204) 477-4433

P.S. There are indications that William Schroeder VIII may be on the way. As insurance another grandson with different first and family names has already been given the middle names William Schroeder.

Endnotes

1. The Bergthal Colony William Schroeder,CMBC Publications, Winnipeg,1974 Mennonite Historical Atlas, William Schroeder and Helmut Huebert, Springfield Publishers, Winnipeg, 1990

2. "West Prussian Church Records at the Mennonite Heritage Centre", Glenn Penner, October 1990 Mennonite Family History.

3. Based on the work of Dr.Adalbert Goertz, of Pennsylvania, physics professor, born in Prussia, noted Mennonite genealogist, contributing editor of MFH, publisher of numerous articles; e.g. Menn. Quarterly Review, 1981, pp.372-382, Menn. Geschichtsblätter, 1981, pp.52-65, Menn. Family History, 1986, pp.138-143, and others.

FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY

BOOK NOTES - Family Histories

Derksen, Mary Hiebert and Anne Hiebert Neufeld. A Tribute to Isaak F. and Susanna Doerksen (Winnipeg, MB: Private publication, 1992) 365 pp.

This book begins by tracing the descendants of Isaak Doerksen (1900-1974) and Susana Wiens (1904-1985) of Steinbach, Manitoba. It continues by providing many photographs, biographical articles and maps. It also contains the pedigree charts of Isaak Doerksen and Susana Wiens back to their great-grandparents and includes sections tracing the descendants of these eight ancestral couples, namely the following: Solomon D(o)erksen (1832-1890), Jacob Giesbrecht (1810-1867), Peter Funk (1805-1866), Klaas Krahn (1799-1848), Jacob Wiens (1817-1867), Peter Hoeppner (1827- ), Kornelius (1806-1866) and Dirk Wiebe (1814-1855). Contact: Anne Neufeld, 290 Emerson Ave., Winnipeg, MB R2G 1G4.

Hoeppner, Mary Wiens and Herbert and Justina Peters. Wiens and Enns Genealogies (Saskatoon, SK : Private publication, 1992) 84 pp.

This book is a continuation of the facts in Genealogy of Johann Janzen 1752-1977 compiled by K. Peters for Ernest Klassen in 1977. Specifically it makes significant additions to the sections tracing the descendants of Justina Janzen (1850-1926) who married Peter Johann Wiens (1848-1927) and the descendants of Maria Janzen 1793- ) who married Jacob Enns. Contact: Herbert and Justina Peters, 1420 Faulkner Crescent, Saskatoon, SK S7L 3R4.

Family chronicle of the family Van der Smissen (trans. by Christiane Blouw)

This book is an English translation of a book printed for the family members living in Danzig in 1875. The original printing was done by Edwin Groening and a reprinting was done in Hamburg in 1981. This book traces the family ancestors back to about the year 1400, but focuses on the life of Hinrich Van der Smissen and Jacob Gysbert Van der Smissen of the 18th Century. Among the descendants are the Mannhardts of Danzig.

BOOK REVIEW

Hermann Thiessen, Breslauer Str. 3, W-3169 Burgdorf, Germany, has published the following five comprehensive genealogies of Mennonite families in West Prussia, including data on a large number of descendants who migrated to the Russian Empire around 1800 and then to the United States and Canada, mostly in 1874-75:

(1) Martin Thiehsen und seine Nachkommen, 1737-1977, 427 pp. (1977; DM 52)

(2) Bartholomaeus Tiessen -- 350 Jahre Familientradition, 613 pp. (1986; DM 100)

(3) Familiengeschichte der Familie Bench, 48 pp. (1989; DM 22)

(4) Peter Heydebrecht und seine Nachkommen, 426 pp. (1990; DM 60)

(5) Die Familie Mekelburger, 582 pp. (1992; DM 68)

All of these books have some material translated into English, although this is limited to a few abbreviations in the Martin Thiessen book, which also has several photos of the Vistula-Nogat delta, where most of the Mennonite families lived prior to emigration. There is also a Part 2 to this book, which is a box containing a map and 14 genealogical charts (5 of which are actually double charts) for 43 families.

The Heidebrecht and Meckelburger books also have the introductory material translated and contain one or more maps, tracing the migration trails.

The Martin Thiessen book begins with his birth in 1737. The Bartholomaeus Thiessen book was written in the hope of establishing a relationship between the two families, but proof of any connection is still lacking.

The Heidebrecht book records the descendants of Peter Heydebrecht (died 1770) and his second wife, Catharina (1721-1782), who was the widow of Abraham Braun. The introductory material, however, contains references to this name (with various spellings) going back as far as 1385 in Pomerania and 1571 in the Danzig (Gdansk) area. The earliest Prussian Heidebrecht records refer to marriages in the Reformed and Lutheran churches, but it seems probable that these were ancestors, with one or more family members joining the Mennonite church, most likely during the course of the seventeenth century. The Meckelburger genealogy begins with Hans Mekelborger, who was born in West Prussia in 1721. Thiessen's research suggests that the Meckelburgers may have originated in the village of Mecklenburg near Wismar. He suggests that they fled to the Danzig area, and probably became Mennonites in the seventeenth century.

Thiessen also has a card index file containing data on about 35,000 Mennonites who were born in Prussia before 1820 and correspondence in German.

Submitted by Ed Brandt, Minneapolis, MN

Esau - Wanting to know what happened to Johannes Esau b. Feb. 17, 1881 in Hohendorf, Am Trakt and his sister Renate Esau b. Oct. 27, 1882 -- the children of Jacob Esau (b. July 3, 1857 in Broeskerfelde, W. Prussia d. 1933) and Maria Loewen (b. June 26, 1826 in Koeppental, Am Trakt d. ca. 1935). Johannes married Maria Unger (b. June 30, 1886). In 1930 Johannes was exiled for 3 years, first to Ural Oblast, then to Icauckae or Ycacka, and later to Euadunck. In 1933 he was released and he and his wife moved to Neu Hoffnung, Neu Samara. In 1937 the last letter was received by his brother, Edward Esau (b. Nov. 27, 1887) who immigrated to the USA in 1908. Contact: Elma Esau, Apt. 305, 3001 Ivy Drive, North Newton, KS 67117.

Janzen - Seeking information about the parents of Cornelius Jakob Janzen (1864-1942) and his wife Anna Boschmann (1864-1945) who moved to Rueckenau from Rosenort, Molotschna in 1914. Contact: David L. Janzen, 2097 Indlewood Avenue, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1Z5.

Dueck - Seeking information about the Rev. David Dueck, a miller who lived in Davlekenovo, Ufa. He had a daughter Tina Dueck (1895-1983) who married David Janzen (1890-1965). Contact: David L. Janzen, 2097 Indlewood Avenue, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1Z5.

Reimer - Seeking information about Heinrich and Elisabeth Reimer of Rueckenau, Molotschna who had a daughter Katharina Reimer (d. 19 Sept. 1922) who was married to David Janzen (1890-1965). Contact: David L. Janzen, 2097 Indlewood Avenue, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1Z5.

Neufeld - Seeking information about the ancestry of Katherine Neufeld born in Waldheim, Molotschna, moved to Crimea in 1862, possibly lived in Johannesruh and Marianruh, and left for America from Karazan in June 1874 with her husband Johann Goertz (b. Aug. 22, 1826 in Obergruppe) and 6 children. She died aboard the Silesia on July 3, 1874. Her brother Diedrich Neufeld migrated to Dakota aboard the S.S. Hammonia on Aug. 15, 1873. His wife was a Marie Nickel. Diedrich and Marie Neufeld joined the Seventh Day Adventists and eventually settled near Waldheim, Saskatchewan. Contact: Reuben Goertz, Box 129, Freeman, SD 57029.

Recent Acquisitions - MHC

92-188 Mennonite World Conference - Assembly 12 radio reports (1989-1990) by Robb Nickel (Winnipeg, MB)

92-195 Helen Janzen (Winnipeg, MB) - Photographs and diary - from Nettie Neufeld (Winnipeg, MB) and MCC Canada

92-205 Peter Regier (Saskatchewan) - Sermons - from Bernice Regier, (Rosthern, SK)

93-3 Nikolai Bahnman - Diary (transcript) from Marvin Bahnman (Fort Worth, Texas)

93-5 Katherina Regier (nee Wiens) - Memoirs from Kimberley Epp (Saskatoon, SK

93-16 William Falk, (EMMC) - Sermons from Elisabeth Falk, (Winnipeg, MB)

93-18 Schoental School District (MB) - Registers, cash book, minute books from Jacob Heppner (Altona, MB)

93-33 Abraham Enns - Letters in Mennonitische Rundschau (1893-1911) translated by Ed Enns, (Winnipeg, MB)

93-37 Jakob Dyck (Kronsgarten, Chortitza) - Memoirs translated by Ernst Dyck, (Saskatoon, SK)

93-38 History of Russian Mennonites (in Russian) typescript by Johann Reger, (Fulda, Germany)

93-62 Abraham Stobbe - Autobiography from Anne Schmidt, (Winnipeg, MB)

93-65 Chortitzer Mennonite Church - Register (1887) (photocopy) via Hanover Steinbach Historical Society

93-66 Martin Klaassen - Diary (1852-1882) translated by Esther Bergen, (Winnipeg, MB)

93-68 Gerhard Schroeder - Memoirs as teacher on Bergmann estate (1907-1912) translated by Irmie Wiebe, (Winnipeg, MB)

93-70 Menno Klassen (Winnipeg, MB) - Memoirs

93-71 Sommerfelder Mennonite Church -Church register (photocopy) from Peter Bergen (Winnipeg, MB)

93-72 Abraham Wiebe (Reinlaender Church elder) - Autobiography from

Eva Dyck (Swift Current, SK)

93-74 Klaassen Family - Stories for children by Esther Bergen (Winnipeg, MB)

93-75 Der Bote (Winnipeg, MB) - Photographs (1980-1990)

93-76 David Schulz (Bergthaler Church) - Sermons from Linda Neufeld and Menno Schulz (Winnipeg, MB)

93-77 Peter Toews (Kleinegemeinde) - Sermons (1850-1900) (photocopies) via Delbert Plett, (Steinbach, MB)

93-79 Velikokamisk Forestry (Ukraine) - Photograph of servicemen (1905) from Elsa Krahn (Winnipeg, MB)

93-80 Johann Mueller (Neuendorf, Chortitza) - Manuscript copy of Heinrich Donner's history of Hutterites (1783) from Elaine Harder, (Saskatoon, SK)

93-81 Franz Letkemann (Graysville/ Winkler, MB) - Sermons from Jacob Letkemann, (Winnipeg, MB)

93-82 I.I. Friesen (Winnipeg, MB) - Papers and photographs from Elsie Friesen (Winnipeg, MB)

93-85 Native Ministries, Conference of Mennonites in Canada (Winnipeg, MB) - Executive Secretary's files (1990)

93-86 Agatha Dyck (nee Froese) (Kronsgarten) - Memoirs (1918-1923) from Ernest Dyck (Saskatoon, SK)

93-87 Bethesda Mennonite Church (Langham, SK) - Ledgers, minute books (1908-1947) from Henry Peters, (Saskatoon, SK)

93-91 Faith and Life Communications, (Winnipeg, MB) - Program Recordings (1988-1991)

93-95 Canadian Women in Mission -Minutes, reports, correspondence (1978-1990)

Recent Accessions - CMBS

2. 8 coloured photo prints (15cm X 10cm) and 5 black & white prints (15cm X 10cm) taken at the Mennonite World Conference Assembly 12 in Winnipeg in July 1990. Received courtesy of Harold Jantz.

3. 16 books pertaining to Mennonite life and history. Received courtesy of John

Rademaker.

4. 6 files of the secretary of the Manitoba M.B. Conference executive (3 cm); Correspondence (1987-88), Centennial Committee minutes (1986-88). Dropped off at the Centre.

5. One CD recording of 24 hymns sung by The Riverton Singers, a select choral group in Winnipeg under the direction of William Baerg, accompanied by Reg Kliewer (organ) and Irmgard Baerg (piano), recorded in the Gordon King Memorial United Church. Received courtesy of M.B. Communications.

6. Files related to Higher Education Task Force and the Higher Education Commission of the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conference, 1985-90. (7 linear cm.) Received courtesy of Dr. Abe Konrad.

7. Twelve items (books and pamphlets) related to Mennonite life and history. Received courtesy of Anne Schmidt.

8. Twelve music books received courtesy of Olga Dueck.

9. Records of the Brandon Mennonite Brethren Church from the period 1973-1993. (14 cm textual records) Received via Shirley Bergen.

10. Personal effects, correspondence and memorabilia of Miss Susan B. Peters (1899-1992) of Linden, Alberta. (10 cm textual records) Received courtesy of Arnie Neufeld and Dorothy Ratzlaff.

11. One folder of textual records (2.5 cm) related to the activities of the Board of Publication of the Canadian MB Conference, 1962-64. Received courtesy of Vic Schmidt.

12. Additional personal papers of Franz C. Thiessen, Heinrich F. Klassen and Catherine Klassen. Received from the family via Leonard Neufeldt.

BOOK REVIEWS

This volume is a genealogical gold mine for descendants of the ca. 7,000 Mennonites who immigrated to Manitoba from southern Russia in the years 1874 to 1880. Family lists from three independent, overlapping sources enable Bergthal descendants to trace their ancestors from the colony in Russia, en route to Canada and in their new location at the time of the 1881 Canadian census. For descendants from other Russian Mennonite colonies the coverage is not quite as complete, but nevertheless substantial.

The largest section of the book, approximately 200 pages, consists of a reproduction of the 3-volume Church Register of the Bergthal Church in Russia (1843-1876) with data on almost 700 families. Most of these settled in Manitoba. For many of the older families John Dyck has added quite extensive annotations, providing valuable leads for genealogical research. The index to this section supplements the usual alphabetical listing by name and surname of male "head of household" with their date of birth as well as full maiden name and birth date of spouse. This is a very helpful feature, especially if your ancestor is one of the 15 Johan Funks or 11 Gerhard Dycks.

Most of the Bergthal Church members who settled in Canada appear in one or more of the early Church registers in Manitoba. Indexes for the earliest three Chortitzer Church registers (1878, 1887, 1907) make up the second section of this book. To consult the actual registers one must visit an archive. However, like the Bergthal Register index, these include birth date and full name of spouse and are thus very helpful.

Ever since Rita Penner in 1973 identified the Quebec passenger ship lists which contained the names of Mennonite immigrants, genealogists have used microfilm and photocopy versions of them in their research-and have been frustrated. The spelling of many names on those lists was so mangled by scribes who did not understand German that intelligible transcription was often impossible. In the third section of this book Cathy Friesen Barkman provides us not only with a clear list but with helpful annotations on many of the entries. "Sweleman" is now seen to be "Sudermann" and "Grestriche" in fact ""Giesbrecht." Barkman accomplished this with the help of the much clearer, but not identical, Hamburg passenger lists and by much cross-checking with Bergthal and Kleinegemeinde church registers.

The final section consists of a transcript of the Manitoba Mennonite parts of the more recently available 1881 federal census data. For many genealogists this represents a new source. Jacob Doerksen is to be commended for initiating this work and for the painstaking labour he put into the project. The editors have added useful information not in the actual census data.

Perhaps the most helpful part of the entire volume is the integrated index at the end of the book. In it the "heads of household" appearing on the Quebec Passenger Lists (together with birth date and full name of spouse) are listed and cross-referenced with the 1881 census and with the various church registers in which they appear.

Genealogists will be grateful to John Dyck and his host of collaborators for a very fine piece of work. Of course, they had the benefit of computers without which the task would have been even more daunting.

Reviewed by Adolf Ens, Associate Professor of History and Theology, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, Winnipeg.

Jean Janzen, The Upside Down Tree (Winnipeg: Henderson Books, 1992). 77 pp.

Audrey Poetker-Thiessen, standing all the night through (Winnipeg: Turnstone Press, 1992). 94 pp.

These two poetry collections invite the Mennonite reader back to "the road/ we travelled on" (Poetker-Thiessen, p. 3), a road where "something still waits to be found" (Janzen, p. 66).

Jean Janzen's retracing of the journey is undergirded with faith and love and illustrated with images gleaned on travels through Holland, Switzerland and places in the former USSR where Mennonites have prospered and suffered, died or fled from. Her images shimmer and sing in poems that mourn suffering and loss or celebrate the miracle of survival. The poems are organic and, like apples, "each bite holds its histories, both/ sweet and bitter" (p. 56). They are like freshly unearthed potatoes "begging for their stories to be told" (p. 13), or like onions,

"that we peel, layer after layer, our eyes smarting with the earthy fragrance, the tang of mystery" (p. 43).

Much of Audrey Poetker-Thiessen's imagery comes from poring over Thielman J. v. Braght's The Martyr's Mirror, Gerhard Lohrenz's Heritage Remembered and the Bible. The poet searches for home, searches for her own place in the story and when she catches a glimpse of it she cries out "I have found a poetker/ I have found my name" (p. 6). Like Janzen, she insists on writing the women back into that story, and, even more than Janzen, she includes Menno's uglier side, the side that's often left out of the official record. She startles the reader by juxtaposing the language of the Bible with "the language of men" (p. 28). She is torn between longing for Menno the lover to come home and denouncing Menno the "car-dealer" Christian, the "samurai," the "tribe without samaritans/ that devours its people/ a wilderness without poets" (pp. 28, 18, 26).

Janzen's mature grace is a foil to Poetker-Thiessen's anger and passion. As tour guides, these two poets complement each other and, together, offer clear-sighted, lyric guidance in the quest for who and where we are on this "journey to another world,/ a different glory" (Janzen, p.19)

Reviewed by Sarah Klassen, retired high school teacher and poet, Winnipeg.

Book Notes

A recent publication is James R. Coggins' John Smyth's Congregation: English Separatism, Mennonite Influence, and the Elect Nation, Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History, no. 32 (Waterloo and Scottdale: Herald Press, 1991). This English congregation in Amsterdam played a significant role in giving birth to the Congregational and Baptist denominations. Coggins, well known to Canadian Mennonites through his editing work with the Mennonite Brethren Herald, provides some particularly valuable new information in the appendixes of this book.

Two recent booklets relate to Mennonite experience in Prussia and Russia. Genealogy addict Edward Reimer Brandt's Where Once They Toiled (Mennonite Family History, 1992), is an interesting and informative tour report of a 1991 visit to Poland under the leadership of Professor Peter J. Klassen of Fresno.

Any Byers' Suzanna is an interesting and well-written "true story of a teenage girl in troubled times." Suzanna is the daughter of general store owners Jacob and Maria (Friesen) Wiens of Millerowo, Russia, and the "troubled times" are the decade of World War I, revolution, and famine up to the emigration to Canada in 1924. (The book is available at 870 E. 58 Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5X 1W5)

The doctoral dissertation (Göttingen, 1959) of Victor Peters was recently published under the title Die Hutterischen Brüder 1528 - 1992 (Marburg: Elwert, 1992), 223 pages, paperback. Peters, of Moorhead State University, is well known in Canada for his earlier study of Hutterites, published as All Things Common in 1965 by the University of Minnesota Press in 1965. The present volume, translated from the English original by Jack Thiessen, gives much more attention to the early development of the Hutterian communities in Europe (almost half of the book) than the format of All Things Common allowed.