MENNONITE HISTORIANPublished by the Mennonite Heritage Centre and the Centre for MB Studies in Canada Volume XVI, No.1, March 1990

Elizabeth Dueck Janzen with husband, Peter Janzen, and son, John. They lived onthe San Juan ranch at Irapuato. Photo: Courtesy of Marianne Janzen. Winnipeg. Manitoba

Notes on the Emigration of RussianMennonites to Mexico, 1924-1929

by MarianneJanzen

My husband was born in Mexico to RussianMennonite parents. While writing short bio·graphical sketches ofour grandparents, manyquestions arose about their trip from Russiaand their stay in Mexico. Were there otherswho made such a trip? What kind of difficul·ties did they encounter? Why did they emi·grate to Mexico, and what made them go onto Canada?

I put these questions into a questionnaire,printed it in Der Bote and some Bote readersresponded. The following story is based onthe information submitted to me in the let·ters, and also on personal interviews.

Why did the Russian Mennonites choose togo to Mexico? One reason, it seems, had to dowith the fact that the Mexican governmenthad no medical restrictions for the immi·grants. Even persons with trachoma, 1 or vis·ible effects of poliol (such as a limp) werewelcomed. Canada's doors were closed sinceits immigrant quota was full. South Americaand Mexico still had their doors open, there·fore desperate immigrants could still opt forMexico.3

Another factor in the decision had to do

with monetary considerations. Immigrantfamilies knew what the cost of the trip wouldbe while still in Moscow. If the family went toCanada on CPR credit, it would arrive in astrange country owing $200.00. On the otherhand, in going to Mexico, the family couldarrive with $I ,000.00 in hand - an obviousbenefit, and one can understand that Mexicomight then be chosen.4 The fourth factor wasthe climactic one. Canada was labelled as a"cold" place to go; Mexico was muchwarmer.S

The Russian Mennonites who wanted to goto Mexico usually boarded a ship in Rotter·dam, Holland. Sometimes only one familywas bound for Mexico, often there weremore. The journey, aboard a freight ship,lasted about a month, for the ship stopped atvarious ports along the way. One usual stopwas Cuba6 From there the ship would dock ateither Vera Cruz or Tampico, Mexico, to letthe new immigrants disembark. They wouldthen board a train which would take them totheir destination.

The plan to bring 10,000 people to Mexicodid not materialize.7 In total, 124 families

comprised of 600 persons ultimately came toMexic08 between 1924 and 1929. Here is thestory of some of their experiences.

RosarioThe Giesbrecht family arrived in Rosario,

Chihuahua, about 300 miles south ofEI Paso,Texas, in July, 1924. An Old Colony Menno·nite fami1y9 was returning to Canada at thetime, so horses, cattle, wagons and imple·ments were purchased from them. Theirhouse was an adobe hut with no windows.After six months of digging wells but findingno water, this family decided to go south tolrapuato, Guanajuto, inJanuary, 1925. 10

The Heinrich Dueckman family also arrivedin July, 1924. They brought sufficient moneyfrom Russia to pay all travel expenses. Theybought a wagon and horse with money sentby relatives who had emigrated to the UnitedStates in 1875. living conditions were verypoor. They were housed in a donkey barnbehind the Rosario train station together withthe Heinrich Goossen family, using blanketsfor interior walls. A garden which came withtwo mules was rented. They rented 60 acres ofland and grew beans, com and potatoes. Thecorn froze. This family left for Canada inJanu·ary, 1926. 11

One train left its passengers, whichincluded the Gerhard Goertzen and DavidRedekop families, at Paromo, one stationaway from Rosario. They did not want toremain there, so they looked for an alternatesettlement, on the Sanjuan ranch at Irapuatoin the state of Guanajuato, 550 miles south ofRosario. A freight train transported them andall their belongings to their new destination. 12

SanjuanSome families had arrived earlier at this San

Juan ranch. Each family lived in one room.Other families lived in the big bam and sec·tioned each family's quarters with blanketsfor more privacy.

Both joy and sorrow found the familieshere at Sanjuan. Henryand Katie Regehr, whohad just arrived in November, had a little son,John, arrive on December 29, 1925. Peter andElisabeth Janzen lost a 23·month old son,Peter, on December 9, 1925. Another son,Peter, was born to them on March 5, 1926, buthe died soon after birth. In 1930 they lostthree other children within a week, andanother one in 1933.

The living conditions were very inadequateat first. There were rats in the homes. It wasnot uncommon to be awakened by a rat onthe blanket, or to find a rat chewing on asleeping child's hair. 13

The families soon built their own houses

(cont'd on p. 2)

Page 2

(cont'd from p. 1)

out ofadooe orick, and root<; out of red tiles. 14

Each family was given land according to howmany people could work the land. IS Everyonehad to dig his own well, for irrigation of thecrops was needed during the dry season iftwo crops a year were to be raised. Electricpumps were donated oy the Mennonites fromNeWlon, Kansas. 16

Aschool was established as well. KorneliusSiemens and then Henry Regehr served asteachers. 17

The Russian Mennonites could not toleratethe Mexican climate very well. The high alti·tude and the sun directly overhead causedmany to hecome ill with fever. Some died as aresult. 18

A lot of stealing t(x)k place at the ranch byMexicans from lrapuato and the surroundingarea. The chickens were made to lay theireggs in the house so they wouldn't be stolen.This lasted until a chicken house was com­pleted. The oxen were locked hy the horns atnight so that they would be there in the morn­ing. Mules were taken from in front of thehouse. When they were returned, the ownerhad to pay a 20 peso ransom fee to the thiefwho had taken them in the first place. TheMennonites resorted to keeping a nightwatchman, since stealing seemed to be worsein Mexico than it had heen in Russia. '9

In 1926 the rainy season set i'n a monthearly. The crops, consisting mostly of cate­lope, watermelon and tomatoes, rotted in thefield. The harvest had just begun when therain came and destroyed it all. 20

The Roman Catholic priests exploited thisdisaster, attributing it to God's judgement onthe land because the German-speaking peo­ple in san Juan did not attend their church.The Mennonites were labelled "godlessones," and were blamed for God's punish­ment of early rain21

In 1926 a revolution began.22 The govern­ment felt that the poor people were beingexploited, and they closed the Catholicchurches. Many Mexicans blamed the Pro­testants for closure ofthe churches and a mobwas ready to come and stone the Mennonitesat the San Juan ranch. The Mennonites wereasked to put a black ribbon around theirdoors to show that they, too, were in mourn·ing that the churches were closed. The govern­ment sent troops to stop the mob, but theMennonites were so afraid after what theyexperienced in Russia, that by August, 1926,they sold their few possessions, left theirorchards, and headed for the border at EI Pasoto make preparations to emigrate to the Uni­ted States or Canada.23 Some people still hadsome money, others had to borrow.24

EI TrebolSome Mennonites opted to remain in Mex­

ico. They found land they could rent at EITrebol, near the station of Guatemape,Durango. For the first few weeks they Jived ina granary on a nearby ranch until their houses

The premises of Aron Redekop's store inCuauhtemoc, Mexico,

PhotO: Walter Schmiedehaus. D/e Altkoloni8r Mt;mnonitf/nin Mexiko (1982), p. 82. Used by permIssion.

were built. Each family helped the other untilthey all had houses. Adobe bricks were usedfor walls, the roofs were flat. When this wasdone, they made a building to be the church,which also doubled as the schooJ.2s PeterJan­zen, a minister ordained in Russia, and PeterFast, formerly a school teacher on a chutor,both taught here. 26 The settlers pooledresources to purchase horses and ploughs.They rented farmland and had to pay theowner 1/5 of their earnings.27

A Mr. Toews encouraged these settlers toprepare passports for emigration to the Uni­ted States and Canada. Many did as he sug­gested. Two families, the Peter Janzens andthe Peter Fasts left in 1929 and settled inHillsboro, Kansas. The mother, MargarethaIsaak Janzen, did not like her children liVingso far away and asked them to return. Theydid so in september, 1930.28

Margaret Janzen Fast died in 1931 in EITreboJ. Her husband, Franz Fast, remarriedand remained in Durango. The childrenmoved to Cuauhtemoc, two moving on toCanada eventually (one as late as 1985).

By 1934 most families had left. The PeterFasts had built a straw shed to house tools andother items. The night before they left EITrebol, they burned this shed. Their children,Anna and Margaret, recall seeing horriblespiders coming from the burning shed. Theywill never forget that Sight. The next day theyleft for Cuauhtemoe. Here they remaineduntil the family emigrated to Canada in 1952,leaving a married son behind. Anna died inWinkler in 1954 and her husband passedaway in 1956.29

TheJohn Baerg family also left EI Trebol in1934, but not until 1938 did they go to Cuauh­temoe. HereJohn worked for David Redekopuntil his death in 1950. In 1952 three of thechildren emigrated to Canada, and in 1953the mother and two daughters followed, leav­ing a married daughter, Anna, behind. Shefinally emigrated, together with her children,

in 1965. Katherine Berg still Jives in Winnipegtoday. 30

The Jacoh Renpenning family also gravi­tated to Cuauhtemoe. The mother, Katherine,became the local midwife and herbal practitioner. Both Jacoh and Katherine are gone;some children remain in Mexico, but sonJohn now lives in B.C.

CuauhtemocMargaretha Isaak Janzen now had three

children liVing in Mexico. They were Margare­tha and Franz Fast, Peter and ElisabethJanzen,and Anna and Peter Fast. She died in Cuauh­temoe in 1942.

The David Redekop family left the lrapuatoarea in 1927 and settled in Cuauhtemoe (thencalled San Antonio de las Arenales).31 Here hestarted peddling goods among the Old Col­ony Mennonites. In 1928 he started a retailstore in town, and soon expanded his enter­prise with a creamery, cheese factory and ele­vator. When other Russian Mennonites madethis town their abode and came looking for ajob, he would hire them.32 His son, William,wanted his children to have a bener educa­tion, so in 1945 they emigrated to Canada.33David passed away in 1953, and son Aron tookover the business.

In 1931 the PeterJanzens moved to Cuauh­temoc. The parents, Peter and Elisabeth, havepassed away (in 1962 and 1983 respectively),but the three children,John, David and Helenmarried and remain there.

Why did the Russian Mennonites leaveMexico in the 1920s? Some intended Mexicoto be a stop-over, on the way to Canada. Thereseemed to be little law and order, and theseMennonites saw no future for themselves insuch an environment. Had they not left Russiaand this type of chaos behind?34 Another rea­son was that the climate was not suitable.3sAnd lastly, some feared that if they stayed,there would be inter-marriage between theMennonites and the Mexicans.36

The story ofthese families in Mexico has, ofcourse, not been fully told. These commentsmay encourage others to gather more informa­tion. It was a short chapter in the Mennoniteexperience, but it deserves to be remembered.

EndnoteslQuestionnaire, HP. Neufeld, Clearbrook, B.C.,

1988. Mr. Neufeld had eye problems yearsbefore and the healing had not been com­plete. He was not assured a pass with theCanadian physicals, therefore opted forMexico.

2Interviewwith OscarWiens, Regina, Saska­tchewan, 1988. Ted Wiens had polio, so hisparents came to Mexico, intending to go toCanada.

3Questionnaire, P. Enns, Winnipeg, Manit­aba, 1988.

4Questionnaire, Abram Reimer, Surrey, B.C.,(cont'd on p_ 7)

MENNONITE 11iSTORIAN is published quanerly loy the IliSloryArchives Committee of the Conference ofMennonites in Canada and the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies (Winnipeg)"fthe C:tnadian Conference ofMB Churches. It is edited by wwrence K1ippenSlein and Ken Reddig All correspondence and unpublished manus<:ripts should be sent to the editorial offices at600 Shaftesbury Blvd. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Canada. R3P OM4 (Phone, 1204J &18-678]) or ]-169 Riverton Ave., Winnipeg. Manitoba. Canada, R2L 2E5 (Phone 12041 669·6575). Subscriptionfee, '6.00 per year. 15.'iN 0700·H066.

FAMILY HISTORYAND GENEALOGY

by AlfRedekopp

Recently PublishedGenealogies

ANDRES - Andres, Otto]. Pioneer Builders.The Story of the Andres Family (Scarbor­ough, ON: Private Publication, 1989). 160 pp.

DEFEHR - The A.A. DeFehr Heritage onthe 200th Anniversary of First Mennoniteincluding Benjamin or Cornelius DeFehrMoving to from Prussia (East Germany) tothe Ukraine, 1789-1989 (Winnipeg, ME: Pri­vate Publication, 1989).

NICKEL - Schmidt, Allan and Louise.Family Register of Peter and Maria Nickel,1854-1985 (Clearbrook, BC: Private Publica­tion, 1985). 334 pp. This book begins withJacob Nickel (1817-1908) andJustina Driedger(1815-1872) who initially lived in NiederChortitz, South Russia, and later settled in theBorsenkovo Mennonite settlement. Specifi­cally this book traces the descendants andtells the story ofJacob Nickel's youngest son,Peter Nickel (1854-1945) who left Russia in1902 and eventually settled in Hepburn,Saskatchewan.

SUDERMAN - Mary Toews and Peter Su­derman. Dietrich and Margaretha Suder­mann. A Family History (Landmark, Man.:Mary Toews and Peter Suderman, 1989). 97pp., hdc., $40.00.

Traces the family of Dietrich (1885-1948)and Margaretha (Leppke) (1888-1971) Su­derman. Dietrich was the son of Aron Suder­mann, and was born in Steinau, S. Russia.

TOEWS - Tina Hoeppner, et al. Abram J.and Maria Toews Family (Winnipeg, MB:Abram]. and Maria. Toews Family HistoryCommittee, 1989). 104 pp_

Recently Received Resources

Bergen, Marvin, and Mario Buscio. Index toObituaries in The Christian Leader 1941­1984 (Fresno, CA: Center for MennoniteBrethren Studies, 1990). The Christian Leaderis the official conference paper of the Men­nonite Brethren in the United States. Althoughthe paper began in 1937 as a response to therising need for an English language paper foryoung people, no obituaries were carrieduntil 1941. The index is inclusive of 1984,after which time the paper began to includeobituaries in its annual index in the final issueof each volume.

Steiner, Sam, and Gord Isaac, compo Con­rad Grebel College Genealogical Resources(Waterloo, ON: Conrad Grebel CollegeLibrary. 1989). 30 pp. Contained in thisresource is an inventory list of book resour­ces, microfilms, periodicals, cemetery records,family Bibles, and compiled genealogieswhich are in the present holdings ofthe Con­rad Grebel College lJbrary.

Address queries, etc., regarding items onthis page to: Alf Redekopp, CMBS, 1-169Riverton Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Can­ada, R2L 2£5.

"With former Directories in the fore-ground, Nancy and Leon Stauffer browsethe newly released sixth edition of theMennonite Your Way VI. HospitalityTravel Directory for 1990-92. It containsan article by Lawrence Klippenstein onthe "Canadian Mennonite Mosaic,"designed for MWC readers. You may getyour copy for $11.00 or two for $20.00(U.S.) from: Mennonite Your Way, Box1525, Salunga, PA, U.S.A., 17538_

Queries

Bartel - Heinrich Bartel, b. Oct. 24, 1834,d_ Apr., 1867 (possibly of unnatural causes).m. Gertrude Warkentin, b. Jan. 11, 1832, d.Nov. 6,1872. Two children: Jacob, b.June 14,1864, and adopted by Gerhard Schellenbergs,Heinrich, b. May 23, 1867, and adopted byIsaac L Warkentin, and came to Canada fromRussia in 1874/75. Who were the parents andsiblings of Heinrich Bartel and Gertrude War­kentin? Contact: Harvey Bartel, Box 260, RR 1,Steinbach, MB, ROA 2A0.

Dick - Johann Dick (d. ca. 1921) ofNeu­kirch, Molot. His wife may have been Katha­rina Barkmann (d. ca. 1925), who was a mid­wife in Neukirch. Their children includeJohann; Anna (ca. 1878-1953), who marriedDietrich]. Thiessen (1880-1948) of Prange­nau; Helena, who married Heinrich Delesky;Isaak; and Abram (b. 1899), who married Eli­zabeth Thiessen. Anyone who has infonna­tion, please write: Richard D. Thiessen, 9623Windsor St., Chilliwack, BC, V2P 6C3.

Klassen - Jacob (?) Klassen (d. ca. 1905)of Schardau, Molot. His wife's name is un­known, and she died before he did. They hadat least six children: three sons, the youngestbeing unable to speak, and three daughters,Maria married Gerhard G. Delesky; Eda (ca.1880-1919) married Abram G. Delesky (ca.1880-1933); and Anna married GerhardThiessen. Anyone who has information pleasewrite: Richard D. Thiessen. 9623 Windsor St.,Chilliwack, BC, V2P 6C3.

Lepki - Johann Lepki (Lepp, Lopp, Loepp)b. Feb. 2, 1804, d. Dec. 10, 1862, m. Oct. 30,1824 to Eva Glokman (probably Klockman),b. Dec. 26, 1803, d. June 14, 1883. Who weretheir parents? Contact: Jack Loeppky, 13778Marine Drive, White Rock, BC, V4B lA4.

Thiessen - Dietrich Thiessen (b. ca. 1830,Tiegenhagen, Molot.) of Gnadental, Molot.,married to Agatha Braun (Nov. 12, 1835 -

Page 3

Periodicals RegisterA complete listing of periodicals held in

the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies isnow available for purchase. Produced oversome ten years by Centre archivists, VelmaMierau, Erica Fehr and A1fRedekopp, the list·ing is exhaustive and contains over SOO titlesin 299 pages.

Cost of a photocopied listing of the "Com­puter Register of Periodical Holdings" is$29.90. For those who have WordPerfect soft­ware OBM-compatible), the listing is avail­able for $5.00 on one 3 1/2" diskette and for$10.00 on two 5 1/4" diskettes.

GERMAN BOOKS

Bought - Sold - Appraised

Latest catalogue. only $5.00, lists over2,000 items. Contact:Ron Lieberman The Family AlbumRD 1, Box 42 Glen Rock, PA u.s.A.17327Phone: (717) 235-2134

Jan. 1. 1905). They had at least two children:Johann (Dec. 17, 1858 - Jan. 24, 1920) ofPrangenau, and Agatha, who married a Fothand lived in Gnadental. Anyone who hasinformation, please write: Richard D. Thiessen,%23 Windsor St., Chilliwack, BC, V2P 6C3

Warkentin - Cornelius Warkentin (1777­1847), settled in Blumstein, Molot. in 1818and had at least 4 children: Arendt (1806),Cornelius (1814), Elizabeth (1819-1905), m.to Gerhard Schellenberg, and Anna (1824­1909), m. to Heinrich Willms. Anyone withfurther infonnation regarding parents, spouse,siblings, or cousins of Cornelius Warkentin,contact: Harvey Bartel, Box 260, RR 1, Stein­bach, MB, ROA 2AO.

Wiebe - Abraham Wiebe, b_ 1754 (Neu­dorf, Prussia), d_ ca. 1796-1800, m. 1790(?) toHelena (?). Anyone with further informationand details, contact: Jack Loeppky, 13778Marine Dr., White Rock, BC, V4B lA4.

Genealogy Workshop

"Tracing Mennonite Rootsin Prussia and EasternEurope"

HearAdalbert Goertz ofWaynesboro,Pennsylvania, on July 21,1990, in Win­nipeg on the topic: "Tracing Menno­nite Roots in Prussia and EasternEurope." Goertz was born in 1928 inWest Prussia, moved to West Germanyin 1945, and emigrated to the U.S.A. in1960. He has authored a number ofarticles on the topic of church recordsfrom Prussia in such journals and peri­odicals as Mennonite Quarterly Reviewand Mennonite Family History.

Page 4

"Peter," a work with pen and ink by NeilKlassen, CMBC student.

5- The Mennonite Heritage Centre andother institutions will be preparing specialexhibits on their own premises. Aspecial tourto visit such locations is being planned.

6. An enlarged MWC issue of MennoniteHistorian will come of the press prior to theConference_

7. Special publications projected for MWCtime include a new addition of the DirectoryofMennonite Libraries and Archives (in theworld) and a tourist booklet edited by KenReddig and lawrence K1ippenstein.

For further information on any of thesefeatures, write to the Mennonite HeritageCentre or the Centre for Mennonite BrethrenStudies, 1-169 Riverton Ave_, Winnipeg, Can­ada, RZG 2E5_

life stories of women are often not consi­dered worthy of historical mention it will gofar in increasing an understanding and aware­ness of that part of our community.

When viewed as a whole, the collectionranges in time from life in Russia, the emigra­tion to Canada, the trek to Mexico and SouthAmerica, the intersection of the lives of Rus­sian Mennonites with the earlier immigrants,to the generation ofwomen now in the child­bearing years. The interviews were geared toexplore the way women feel about their roleas mothers.

@121990 Winnipeg

"And a little child shall lead them..." Isa.11 :6. Print by Terry Widrick, CMBCstudent.Neil Klassen and Terry Widrick have produced a joint exhibit for the MHC Gallery.Their work will be on display until the end of April.

11..1.' ...,,1,,1 ••.111.)."_

The Mennonite World Conference willhave a number of program features for histo­rians and heritage promoters_ The followingitems are expected to appear on the schedulewhen the sessions convene:

MWC Heritage ConcernsAddressed

1. A meeting of Mennonite historians fromaround the world to look at what's beingdone in various countries at the moment.

2_ Persons related to North American Men­nonite Ubrarians and Archivists (NAMAL) willbe meeting_ We hope that persons from non­North American settings will be joining usalso.

3. The Prussian/Polish MennonIte sympo­sium will convene July 21-24. For programswrite to Mennonite Heritage Centre, 600 Shaf­tesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, Canada, R3P OM4.

4. The Mennonite Historical Societies ofManitoba and Canada are preparing a jointexhibit on Mennonites in Canada.

for information on the lives of girls andwomen in the Mennonite community_ Thestudents at the Canadian Mennonite BibleCollege family studies course will have accessto raw material which is rarely found_ Since

Childbirth in the Mennonite Community

by Katherine Martens

In 1988-89 Kathy Martens, Winnipeg,pursued an oral history project on childbirth inthe Mennonite community, sponsored by theProvincial Archives ofManitoba. The collec­tion is composed of53 tapes (most are in Eng­lish, some are in Plautdietsch or German),recording interviews with 42 people, interviewsummaries, biographical sketches and restric­tion arrangements. The following is takenfrom her report on the project.

I feel as if I have been on a journey or aquest. I wanted to hear the story of mothers,mine and others. I began with a few ques­tions, some fear, buried anger and burningcuriosity. In the pursuit ofthis quest Igatheredmuch history which is also part of the lives ofthese women. They gave birth in the contextof events that took place around them.

Childbirth happened in the context of fam­ily and community life and as such it was bestthat women, particularly older ones, told theirwhole story. Indeed the ones who declined totell their childbirth stories often stated that todo so would involve too much pain in dredg­ing up the past.

I tried to include more older than youngerwomen. The oldest interviewee was born in1897, and the youngest was born in 1966.Fourteen were born in the first decade of thiscentury, five in the second decade and four ineach of the next five decades_ Two doctors,both male, and one other male are part of theproject.

About half a dozen people changed theirminds about being interviewed in the intervalbetween the pre-interview and the taping ses­sion. One woman, after a lively pre-interview,had a dream in which her husband appearedand said, "Leave that alone, Tina." Anothersaid, "If I can't tell the whole truth, I wouldrather not tell the story."

I tried to understand each woman withoutjudging her. Keeping in mind that it is oftenpainful, though also therapeutic, to talk aboutthe past, I was open to whatever a womanwanted to talk about, so sometimes westrayed far afield from the subject ofchildbirth.

For many, it was the first time in years thatthey had talked about an experience whichthey still recalled very Vividly. In some casesmemories of childbirth brought the memoryofthe death ofa child, or ofa husband. Some­times it seemed the interviewee was bent ontrying to find out what it was that I wantedrather than concentrating on what it was thatshe had lived through.

One older woman called me to say she hadmore to tell after making two tapes and wewent on to make four tapes in alL She is theone who talks the least about actual child­birth, but her recall and description of life inReinland, Manitoba, in the early 1900s is apriceless addition to oral history.

For the Mennonite Heritage Centre this col­lection oftapes will be an important resource

REFLECTIONS ON COLLECTIONS

Herb Giesbrecht Retiresby Ken Reddig

At the dose of the present 1989-90 aca­demic year, Herbert Giesbrecht, a respectedmember of the Mennonite Library andArchives community in North America willretire from full-time service. For thirty-fiveyears he dedicated his time and talents toserving students, researchers, theologians andhistorians as librarian and also archivist at theMennonite Brethren Bible College in Winni­peg.

Herb was uniquely gifted, and spread histalents beyond the confines of daily librarywork. He taught English literature at the Col­lege, preached often in both German andEnglish in his local congregation, translatedbooks and articles, wrote numerous articlesin such areas as literature, theology and his­tory, and for many years served as the firstarchivist of the Mennonite Brethren in Car­ada. It is the purpose of this brief article tonote just a few of his many contributions tothe archival community in Canada.

Born in Wohldemfuerst, Kuban Colony inRussia, his family immigrated to Canada in1926 when he was 11 months old. At first theylived in Saskatchewan but later, in 1933, theymoved to Yarrow, B.C., and later yet to Van­couver. It was in Vancouver that he receivedhis education and in 1948 graduated from theUniversity of British Columbia with a B.A. inEnglish and Mathematics. He later anendedMBBC where he earned a m.B. in 1955. Hewent on to complete three graduate degrees- an M.A. in Special Education from SanFrancisco State University (1956), an M.L.S. inUbrary Science from the University of Minne­sora (1967), and an MA in English from theUniversity of Manitoba (1978).

In the late 1950s, while teaching Englishand serving as librarian for MBBC, Herb, onhis own, began collecting what was later tobecome the beginning of the archival hold­ings of the Mennonite Brethren in Canada.His early collection consisted of yearbooks,pamphlets, photos and clippings. He notes,"these materials interested me and yet werenot to be catalogued in the usual way and so 1simply put them aside in the anticipation of afuture archive collection."

Encouraging Herb in this effort was Profes­sorJohn A. Toews, who taught Church Historyand Mennonite History at MBBC. He re­quested that Herb look for unpublishedmaterial which could assist him and his stu­dents in the study ofMennonite as well as MBhistory.

Among the many documents collected inthese early years was the first significantlylarge collection, the personal and officialpapers of the Rev. B.B. Janz of Coaldale,Alberta. This collection of papers relatedespecially to Russian emigration and reset­tlement in Canada. It was to become thenucleus, as it were, for the rapidly growingarchives collection Herb had initiated.

Until 1969 the archival work of Herb was

Herb Giesbrecht, MBBC Librarian, 1955-1990_ Photo: Courtosy of Contro for MB Studios

not officially sponsored by the Canadian Con­ference of MB Churches. However, at theconvention held in Winnipeg that year, thiswas changed. A recommendation was ap­proved which both established an archivalcentre as well as appointed Herb on a quarter­time basis. The efforts of Herb, together withthe encouragement of John A. Toews, hadbegun to be noticed. The first step had beenmade towards their ultimate goal to "motivatethe study and appreciation ofMennonite andMennonite Brethren history and heritage."

For the next ten years the "Centre for Men­nonite Brethren Studies," as the archives wasnow named, grew from a few boxes in a smalloffice, into a classroom and finally, in 1979,into a new 1,500 square foot facility withtemperature and humidity control.

Specific contributions of Herb to the archi­val scene are many. Besides being the moti­vating force which eventually prodded the

CENTRE FOR

MENNONITEBRETHRENSTUDIES INCANADA1·169 RIverton Ave. Wlnmpeg.MB R2L 2E5 • (204) 669-6575

Page 5

conference to establish an archives, he alsodeveloped a "classification system" for ar­chives, presently in use at other MB archivesin California and Kansas. He was instrumentalin developing a preliminary "subject head­ing" list which has been used to index theZionsbote, Wahrheitsfreund and the Menno­nitische Rundschau. For genealogists theobituary files which he began, comprise aready source of information for family re­search.

In retirement Herb plans to work onnumerous projects which his daily librarytasks prohibited from the beginning. Some ofthese projects relate to research and writingon Russian Mennonite themes.

For his many contributions the CanadianMennonite Brethren Conference will say a big"ThankYou" in a variety ofways overthe nextfew months. His contributions are significantand long-lasting. The present archives of theMennonite Brethren Churches of Canada,located in Winnipeg, are certainly evidence ofthat.

New Mennonite AtlasComing Soon

The long-awaited Mennonite HistoricalA tlas is about to roll off the presses!

Maps included in this new Atlas are thoseresearched and drawn by William Schroederof Winnipeg over the past twenty years.Through information gleaned from countlessinterviews, and the employment of the latesttechnology such as aerial maps, Schroederhas produced a wide variety of maps pertain­ing to Mennonite History. Helmut Huebert, aWinnipeg surgeon, writer and publisher, hashad these maps redrawn by a professionalcartographer and has included brief writtendescriptions of each map.

The Atlas conrains eighty-seven maps oneighty-five pages. A world map proVidesgeneral orientation. Ten of the maps showvarious European areas, forty-five cover Rus­sia and the Soviet Union,thirteen are fromNorth America, while the other eighteen illus­trate Latin America. An index makes it possi­ble to find any village without difficulty.

The anticipated date of publication is June1,1990. Copies maybe ordered from Spring­field Publishers, 6 Litz Place, Winnipeg,Manitoba, RZG OVl, or from Kindred Press,169 Riverton Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba, RZL2E5.

Videos and FilmsThe film series The Mennonite Brethren

Church: A Missionary Movement is availablefor rental from the Centre on 16 mm. The costis $75.00 for the three-part series. This sameseries is also available on VHS video for renral($15.00 & $2.00 posrage for series) or pur­chase ($60.00).

The newly-released video, "The Birth ofAnabaptism" narrated by Dr. Abe Friesen, isavailable for purchase ($30.00 & $2.00 pos­tage) or renral ($5.00 and $2.00 postage).

Page 6

Vollwerk and ReichenbachbyjobnDyck

The East Reserve (Manitoba) villages ofReichenbach and Vollwerkwere located westof Steinbach and just south of the nearbyvillage ofMitchell- Vollwerk at the junctionof Reichenbach road and Highway 52 andReichenbach a mile further south. Reichen­bach was established as a village upon thearrival of several Peters families in 1875. VolI­werk was never much more than the estate ofOberschulzeJakob Peters and his two marriedsons.

Jakob Peters had served as Oberschulze ofthe Bergthal Colony in Russia for twenty-fiveyears and continued in that capacity in Manito­ba. In 1873 he had been delegated, along withminister Heinrich Wiebe and others, to go toNorth America to evaluate emigration possi­bilities. Together with other delegates hechose Manitoba, rather than an area in theU.s., as the new home forthe Bergthal people.

During his years of residence in Vollwerk,Peters showed his caring for other people invery practical ways. just a few months after hisarrival in Manitoba, the Bergthal Waisenamt(orphan care) recorded the following: "Dec.15, 1876,Jacob Peters and Abraham Funk paidto the account of old widow Peter Sawatzky,191.24." It seems that the two gentlemenwere extending their support to an olderwidow.

Afew years later Peters opened his home toa young man. A record of November, 1882,shows Bernhard Sawatzky, a 17-year-oldyouth living with Peters in Vollwerk. Bern­hard was the son of Peter Sawatzky and hissecond Wife, Margaretha Unger. Even in hisretirement years Oberschulze Peters contin­ued to serve the people ofhis community andto make himselfavailable to meet their needs.

Peters came to Canada in 1876with the lastcontingent of Bergthal immigrants and esta­blished his home in Vollwerk. He served asthe Oberschulze ofthe Mennonite East Reservefor a number ofyears, perhaps until 1880. Inthat year the Rural Municipality of Hanoverwas organized, and Gerhard Kliewer waselected as first reeve. Peters died in 1884 andlies buried on land that was his son's home­stead and is still owned by a direct descen­dant.

The two village names, Reichenbach andVollwerk, are unique in that they do notduplicate names of Mennonites villages inRussia. New villages in Manitoba were gener­ally named by historical precedent or nostal­gic significance. Yet the name Vollwerk doesnot appear anywhere in Mennonite commun­ities prior to this instance, the closest sound­ing name being Vorwerk, an estate east ofChortitza in Russia.

The name Vollwerk consists of two words:vall, meaning "full" or "complete" and Werkmeaning "work" or "task." If the name waschosen by Oberschulze Peters, he may wellhave intended to signifY that his work as col­ony leader in Russia was completed. After all,when he arrived in Manitoba he was almost63 years old and had earned retirement, even

though it seemed to elude him.Vollwerk was also used to designate a

country estate. This seems to be the morelikely origin and intended designation ofthename because the village consisted mainly ofthe homes of Oberschulze Peters and his twosons.

Cornelius Peters and his family, togetherwith the two married sons of his brother,Oberschulze Jakob Peters, arrived on the EastReserve injuly, 1875. On October 31, Corne­lius Peters applied for homestead on the SEquarter of section 31, Township 6, Range 6E,immediately south of the village of Chortitz.That was the beginning of the village ofReichenbach.

The settlers who had arrived the previousyear had already established the villages ofGrunfeld, Chortitz, Bergthal and several oth­ers. Mennonite settlers commonly laid claimto homesteads near places where they mightwant to establish a village. Then they wouldpool their land so that each would work anequal share of the haylands, the bush, and thearable land, not necessarily directly related tothe land to which they held individual title.

The records do not tell us where jacob andPeter, the sons of Oberschulze Peters, stayedduring the first two years they lived in Canada.They may have moved immediately onto theland which they later claimed as homesteads,near their uncle Cornelius. This seems plau­sible as it would place them in the immediateproximity of already settled villages.

It is known that on May 3,1877, a year aftertheir father arrived in Manitoba, the twobrothers laid claim to the north east and thenorth west quarters ofsection 31, Township 6,Range 6E. Peter's application states that helived in the village ofVollwerk and that hishomestead is part of the land considered tobelong to that village ("to which said homes­tead is appurtenanced").

Whether there were other settlers in theVollwerk community is not clear. One indica­tor does appear in an affidavit signed in 1885,in which a certain Wilhelm Giesbrecht andCornelius Schroeder give Vollwerk as theirplace of residence.

The records suggest that Oberschulze Petershomesteaded the nearby SE 36-6-5E, laterpurchased by his two sons, along with theland of SE 1-7-5E. In Vollwerk Peters wouldhave been conveniently close to the centre ofactivity to continue his work as Oberschulzesince the Gebietsamt officials of the settle­ment met here, and the residence of )fltesterGerhard Wiebe, was in the nearby village ofChortitz.

Records indicate that many of the early vil­lagers made frequent moves. In 1881 therewere 13 households listed under Reichen­bach, including Vollwerk, in the Hanover taxrecords. Three families had moved out by1883.

Frequently in the records of the EastReserve we find statistics for Vollwerk in­cluded with those of Reichenbach. Vollwerkusually shows only Oberschulze Peters and histwo sons. The following is a complete list ofthe families with their homestead sites in thetwo villages in 1883:

1. Cornelius and Catharina (Stoesz) Petersand five children (SE 31-6-6E), 2. Franz andHelena (Sawatzky) Sawatzky and seven child­ren (NE 30-6-6E), 3. Peter and Katherina(Hiebert) Peters and two children ( ? ), 4.Peter and Catharina (Froese) Hiebert (SE 25­6-5E), 5. johann and Catharina (Peters) Rem­pel and three children (NE 25-6-5E), 6. jacoband Anna (Falk) Funk and two children (SW30-6-6E), 7. Heinrich and Helena (Reimer)Hiebert and eight children ( ? ), 8. JakobPeters and foster son, Bernhard Sawatzky (SE36-6-6E), 9. Peter and Helena (Wiebe) Petersand six children (NW 31-6-6E), 10. jacob andMaria (Buhr) Peters and six children (NE31-6-6E).

Four of these families (no. 3, 5,9, and 10)were children ofOberschulze Peters (no. 8) orof his brother, Cornelius Peters (no. 1). Withthe exception of Oberschulze Peters, they allcame to Canada in 1875 on the 5.5. Moravian.The church records indicate that the family ofPeter Hiebert came in 1874, except for hiswife, who came in 1876. The Franz Sawatzkyfamily came in 1875 and the jacob Funk fam­ily in 1874.

The municipal records for 1884 show aseparate list for Vollwerk. This was apparentlycompiled after the death ofOberschulze Petersand therefore shows only his two sons asliving in the village. The corresponding listfor Reichenbach shows the remaining sevenfamilies from the 1883 list.

1884 brought a diptheria epidemic toManitoba. Cornelius Epp, the secretary of theRM of Hanover recorded 94 deaths in thatyear. The figures for the following six yearswere 21, 30, 27,10,18, and 23, an average ofless than 22 deaths per year.

For the extended Peters family, 1884 was anespecially tragic year. The family registerrecords the death of 10 children - all underthe age of 10 - between March 5 and April 3.First three children of)acob Peters, son oftheOberschulze, died, then four children ofPeterPeters, the other son ofthe Oberschulze, died,and finally three children of Peter Peters, theson of Cornelius Peters, died. The Menna­nitische Rundschau of May 1, 1884, reportedthat three children of Peter Peters, Vollwerk,had died within eleven hours of each other.

In 1879 Manitoba's Superintendent ofEdu­cation reported that 33 Mennonite teachershad been examined in March of 1879 and hadbeen given one-year temporary teachinglicenses. The 17-man board of examinersincluded J. Friesen and A Isaac. Among theteachers was a jacob Funk. Could the jacobFunk in Reichenbach have been the villageteacher at that time?

In the same year the Superintendent ofEducation reported on the organization of 36Mennonite schools with 750 pupils, 416 boysand 334 girls. A check of the school namesreveals that most, if not all, of the schools,were on the East Reserve_ Not included in thelist were Blumengart, Steinbach, Chortitza,Schanzenfeld, Schonfeld and Felsenthal.

The Superintendent had asked for a countof all children between the ages of 5 and 16.The returns from the Mennonite schools

(cont'd an p. 7)

Emigration to Mexico(cont'd from p. 2)

1988. Some families could not wait for all thered tape to clear and so chose to pay to go toMexico, even though they had very linlemoney left over.

sQuestionnalre, Sara Dueckman Stobbe,Clearbrook, B.C, 1988.

6It was here that the Siemens daughter diedin the Cuban harbor. The ship remained herefor 6 days and no one was permined to dis­embark unless they paid a $5.00 deposit. crHenry Regehr, unpublished diary, p. 34.Questionnaire,John Regehr, Winnipeg, Mani­toba, 198B.

7Frank H. Epp, Mennonite Exodus. TheRescue and Resettlement of Russian Menno­nitesSince the Communist Revolution (Altona,Man.: published for CMRIC by D.W.Friesenand Sons, !..td., 1%2), 164.

8L. Sawatzky. They Sought a Country.Mennonite Colonization in Mexico (Berke­ley, CA: University of California Press, 1971),81. The Mennonite Encyclopedia, III (Scon­dale, PA, Newton, KS, Hillsboro, KS: Menno­nite Publishing House, Mennonite Publica­tion Office, and Mennonite Brethren Pub­lishing House, 1957),618.

90ld Colony Mennonites immigrated toMexico from Canada during the 1920s out ofprotest to the secularization processes, thechief of which was the Canadianization towhich they were being subjected to in thepublic schools. They senled in the Cuauh­temoc region of Mexico and many are stillthere today. Mennonite Encyclopedia, III"Mexico," 664.

lOQuestionnaire, Susie Giesbrecht Derksen,Yarrow, B.C, 1988.

IIQuestionnaire, Sara Dueckman Stobbe.12Interviewwith Adeline Goossen, Morden,

Manitoba, 1988, and Questionnaire, WilliamRedekop, Niverville, Manitoba, 1988.

I3Questionnaires, William Redekop, andAnna Wall Goertzen, Winkler, Manitoba, 1988.

14Questionnaire, Susie Giesbrecht Derksen,and Adeline Goossen interview.

ISThe Goertzens got 15 hectares of landbecause they had three people to work it.Interview with Adeline Goossen.

16Interview with Adeline Goossen.17Regehr,op. cit., 34.18Questionnaire, John Regehr.19Interview with Adeline Goossen.2ORegehr,op. cit., 35·36.2JRegehr,op. cit., 36.22Problems with the church developed

when President Calles instituted vigorousanti-clerical measures. Because the Catholicclergy refused to comply with the constitu­tion, the government closed the Catholicschools. The church retaliated by suspendingreligious services. For three years, between1926 and 1929, supporters of the churchknown as "Cristeros" staged an armed rebel­lion, killing supporters of the governmentand burning schools until the army finallysucceeded in supressing the revolt. Collier'sEncyclopedia (1987), "Mexico," 99.

23Questionnaire, Susie Giesbrecht Derksen.

24Questionnaire, P. Enns; Regehr, op. cit.,36.

2SToday there are no original buildings lefton this location. Only a few trees which theyplanted remain. Anna Baerg Janzen, 1977.

26Margaret Fast Nadler interview, Winnipeg,Manitoba, 1990.

27Interviewwith Margaret Baerg, Winnipeg,Manitoba.

28Interview with Margaret Fast Nadler.Daughter Aganetha and husband Abram Rei­mer also emigrated to Mexico. They quicklymoved on to Saskatchewan, Canada. Elisa­beth feared that her other two children, inKansas, might remain there. She was con­vinced that many other Mennonites wouldcome to Mexico and a new Mennonite utopiawould be created. She begged the children toreturn to help in this reconstruction.

29Interviews with Anna Wall Goertzen, andMargaret Fast Nadler, 1990.

30Interview with Margaret Baerg.31Questionnaire, William Redekop.32Questionnaire, Abe Goerzen, Reedley,

California, U.sA., 1988, and Anna BergJanzeninterview, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1976.

33Questionnaire, William Redekop.34Questionnaires, H]. Unger, Kingsville,

Ont., Melita Wedel, Clearbrook, B.C, AnnColert, Kelowna, B.C., P. Enns, H.P. Neufeld,all in 1988.

3sQuestionnaire, Sara Dueckman Stobbe.36Regehr, op. cit., 36.

Mariannejanzen is afree lance researcheron Mennonite themes. She has completed anextensive study on the first uillagers ofRussia, and has prepared an annotated listof Mennonite uillages in Russia (emigrantsfrom Poland/Prussia).

Book Notes

The Saskatchewan German Council haspublished a helpful compilation by Alan B.Anderson, German, Mennonite andHut­terlte Communities in Saskatchewan:An Inventory of Sources. In addition tobooks, it lists research reports, graduate theses,government documents, archival files, jour­nal and newspaper articles, etc. At $5.00, the11 pages of Mennonite sources and 4 of Hut­terite materials is a bargain.

"Mennonite Mutual Aid and the Concept ofSocial Welfare: ACase Study ofthe BergthalerWaisenamt and the Co-operative Movementin the Rhineland Municipality, 1874-1945," isthe self-explanatory title of Hilda Anne Hil­debrand's M.S.W. thesis, completed at theUniversity of Manitoba in 1989. A copy isavailable at the CMBC library.

Michael M. Miller, compo Researching theGermans from Russia. Annotated Biblio­graphy Of the Germans from Russia Heri­tage Collection at the North Dakota Insti­tute for Regional Studies, North DakotaState UniversityLibrary, with a listing Ofthelibrary materials at the Germansfrom Rus­sia Heritage Society (Fargo, NO: North DakotaInstitute for Regional Studies, 1987). 224 pp.,pb., $20.00.

Page 7

Vollwerk and Reichenbach(cont'd from p. 6)

indicate that they had all reported only thosechildren who were between the ages of6 and14, the accepted ages for school anendance inthe Mennonite communiry. The highestenrollments were: Rosenthal - 35 children,Bergthal- 31 children, and Reichenbach ­27 children. The size of that enrollment isclear evidence that although Reichenbachmay have been a small village, its schoolanendance was high in relation to otherVillages.

SourcesRecord collection ofthe Rural Municipality ofHanover

Documents from the Waisenamt record" ofthe Chortitzer Mennonite Church

sessional papers of the Manitoba Legislature

Quebec Passenger Manifests, 1874-1880(MHCA Vol. 989)

Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vols. 1-4

Rempel, John, and William Harms. Atlas ofOriginal Mennonite Villages and Home­steaders of the East Reserve, Manitoba(Altona, Man.: by the authors, 1989), 15·16.

john Dyck is a freelance researcher in Men­nonite History and genealogy. He is theauthor of Oberscbulze Jakob Peters,1813-1884. Manitoba Pioneer Leader,published by the Hanover SteinbachHistorical Society Inc., Steinbach, earlierthis year.

Books Received

John Rempel and William Harms, Atlas ofOriginal Mennonite Villages, Home­steaders and Some Burial Plots of theMennonite West Reserve, Manitoba(Altona, Man.: by the authors, 1990), 190 pp.,pb., $26.00.

John Dyck, OberschulzeJakob Peters,1813-1884: Manitoba Pioneer Leader(Steinbach: Hanover-Steinbach HistoricalSociety, 1990), 138 pp., pb., $10.00.

Leo Driedger, Mennonites in Winnipeg(Winnipeg: Kindred Press, 1990),95 pp., pb_,$5.95.

springsteinMennonite ChurchMemo­ries, 1938-1988 (Springstein, Man.: Spring­$tein Mennonite Church, 1989). 144 pp., hdc.,$35.00.

Order from: Springstein Mennonite Church,c/o Book Committee, Box 38, Springstein,Man., Canada, ROG 2NO.

Kampen, H. ed. Heimatbuch der Deut­schen aus Russland, 1985-1989 (Stun­kart: ~dmannschaft der Deutsehen aus Russ­land e.Y., 1990). 221 pp., pb.

Karl Fast, loft dir an me/ner Gnade gena­gen (Winnipeg: Canzona Publishing, 1989).138 pp., pb., $11.00.

Page 8

BOOK REVIEWS

Neufeld, William. From Faith to Faith. TheHistory of the Manitoba MennoniteBrethren Church (Winnipeg: Kindred Press,1989).260 pp., pb., $19.95.

Reviewed by Henry ). Gerbrandt.

I was introduced to Mennonite Brethrenthought and value priorities during my youthyears. [ therefore find Neufeld's From Faith toFaith very enlightening and fascinating. Inreading it [ re·lived numerous Jugendvereinexperiences and my wife's fond memories ofsinging in an MB choir for seven years. I heardonce more Abram Unruh's powerful exposi­tions on Ephesians and 1John.

Giesbrecht divides Manitoba MennoniteBrethren experiences into seven sections,from the arrival of two white-shirted evange­lists from Minnesota to the present seculariza­tion and integration resistance struggle. I findit most intriguing to see, as this story unfolds,how the rypical earlier MB position changesfrom viewing all other people, includingother Mennonites, as sinners to be converted,to the present, newer MB who shares thisresponSibility with other Mennonites andother Christians.

The author portrays earlier Mennonite Breth­ren thought as a product of European evan­gelical pietism, Moody revivalism and BaptistTheological Seminary (Rochester, New York)theology. This placed the Scoffield ReferenceBible into many homes, and created the set­ting for a wide· spread acceptance of dispen­sationalist/fundamentalist interpretation ofScripture. Later however, thanks to expositorslike Abram H. Unruh and other teachers, amore Anabaptist view emerged.

As an insider the author seeks to dampen agenerally-held conception that MennoniteBrethren are more sophisticated than otherMennonites. As an outsider my impressionsof MBs during my youth years led me tobelieve they were in fact just that. The MBswho came to speak at our Kronsweide Ju­gendverein (a Sommerfelder district) wereobviously very different. They wore black ordark blue suits, neatly ironed white shirts andconservative dark ties, uniquely tied. Most ofour fathers wore plaid shirts and seldom hadties.

A related question has to do with why thesouthern Manitoba MB stronghold of Win­kler-Kronsgard-Grossweide-Melba-Homdean,that was so influential during the first half ofthis century, has been reduced to its presentminority status, whereas the growing MBoases have moved to city suburbs and BritishColumbia. In spite of]]. Neufeld's consistentand invitational "Licht des Evangeliums"preaching, well received by most southernManitoba Mennonites, the MB membershiphas not increased. In his doctoral dissertationFrank C. Peters found that Mennonite Brethrenconsistently scored higher in economic andpolitical issues than did other Mennonites.Has this stance been responsible for drawingthem to areas that offer more?

Throughout the book Neufeld draws atten­tion to evangelism, outreach and churchplanting. The evangelism motif permeates allMennonite Brethren doctrine and teachingand is integrated into all faith and missionstatements of its institutions. The author treatschurch planting failures and successes mostdelicately and is also very careful to shieldpeople who may have failed and does notoverrate those who have apparently succeededwell.

From Faith to Faith should be welcomedby all Mennonite Brethren people. TIle bookshould also find wide acceptance in otherMennonite and non-Mennonite circles. Men­nonite Brethren struggles, some with success­ful endings, others less so, speak to otherMennonites as well. It is also our story, thestory of God's people who attempt to retainand/or recapture the valuable heritage ofbib­lical faith and discipleship. I am thankful toBrother William Neufeld for giving us thistestimony of a church that has tried to befaithful to its beliefs.

Henry j. Gerbrandt is General SecretaryEmeritus of the Conference of Mennonites inCanada.

Urry, James, None But Saints. The Trans­formation ofMennonite Life in Russia,1789-1889 (Winnipeg: Hyperion Press,1989). 322 pp., pb., $24.95.

Reviewed by Abe Dueck.

The publication of Urry's book marks awatershed in Russian Mennonite historio­graphy. It is the most significant book onMennonite life in Russia to appear in the pastseveral generations and is the most significantin the English language. The book is a con­siderable improvement and refinement ofUrry's dissertation, which has been availablefor over a decade. Appropriately the book wasreleased during the bicentennial celebrationof the Mennonite experience in Russia andthe Soviet Union.

The Foreword, by David G. Rempel, forwhom Urry has very high regard and whoseinsights inform much ofthe book, introduces'a strong polemical note which might lead thereader to anticipate the S3I11e tone to pervadethe entire book. In fact, this is not the case.While the overall impact of the book may beseen as strongly revisionist, there are very fewdirect challenges to other interpretationsexcept for relatively brief comments in theintroductory historiographical survey. It isRempel who charges, for example, that theministers were responsible for the majorweaknesses of previous Mennonite historio­graphy with its preoccupation with religiousissues, its tendency to evade difficult issues,and its parochial and simplistic idealization ofthe Mennonite experience in Russia.

Urry's statements are generally less sweep­ing and mere are no lengthy excursions deal­ing with other scholarly interpretations. He iscautious and moderate in his conclusions. Attimes the reader might wish that Urry had

engaged in more direct dialogue with otherscholars. Nevertheless, the subtitle of thebook, The Transformation ofMennonite Lifein Russia, points to the radical nature of thegeneral thesis of the book.

Perhaps the most significant contributionofUrry's work is its insistence on placing theMennonite experience into the larger contextof Russian and European social, economicand political transformation. "Mennonites,"he states, "provide a special view ofthe largertransformation of European society"(23).Nevertheless, Urry does not argue that Men­nonite transformation was similar to the trans­formations ofother European societies. Rather,Mennonites maintained a distinctive identityas a "commonwealth" while permitting muchvariation within and while adapting to forcesof change.

The book is about a people whose faithformed the primary basis for self-definition.And yet the nature of their religious faith isnot a prominent theme in the book. In fact,many Mennonites might be offended at thismore "secular" approach to understandingthe nature of a religious community. Eco­nomic and social factors are seen as very sig­nificant in shaping the community and deter­mining its actions. Mennonite life is examinedin its very mundane aspects and all is not"saintly." In this regard the book goes farbeyond earlier "insider" interpretations. Thealmost exclusive preoccupation with religiouscauses for migrations and divisions, forexample, is rigorously counteracted.

The extensive documentation reveals tre­mendous depth and breadth of research,even though Urry laments his lack of know­ledge of the Russian language. Despite this,however, many Russian sources are cited.Urry regards his work as only the beginning ofa huge task which must be done as morearchival sources and Russian-language mate·rials become available. It is interesting tonote, however, that despite the repeated callsby Urry (and Rempel) to move beyond thenarrow base of interpretation represented byP.M. Friesen, the abundance of references to "Friesen are still a credit to the enduring signif- "icance of that work. .

Very noteworthy also are the various tables,maps, several appendices (including one onMennonite population growth), extensivebibliography and a number of reproductionsof the paintings of Henry Pauls, which arescanered throughout the book. Many will alsowelcome the easy access to footnotes at thebottom of the pages rather than endnotesafter each chapter or at the end of the book.

Urry's book is a "must" for everyone inter­ested in the Russian phase of Mennoniteexperience and its formative influence onmany Mennonites in North and South Amer­ica in particular.Abe Dueck is Associate Professor ofHistoricalTheolo?y and Academic Dean at MennoniteBrethren Bible College, Winnipeg, Man.An inquiries about book reviews,notes, and books researched, may besent to the Mennonite Heritage Centre,600 Sbaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB,R3P OM4.