Mennonites were part of the Anabaptist Christian movement that began in the early sixteenth century in Switzerland and what is now Southern Germany. The movement quickly spread to what is now the Netherlands, and it was there that the name, “Mennonite,” first came into use. Menno Simons (1496-1561) was a Dutch Roman Catholic priest who embraced the Protestant Reformist teachings of the Anabaptist movement, leaving the priesthood about 1536 and taking up the Anabaptist cause. The followers of his preaching were first referred to as Menists, then later as Mennonites. A key component of the Menno Simons philosophy was complete pacifism.
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
European Persecution of MennonitesEuropean Persecution of Mennonites
Their beliefs being contrary to the Roman Catholic Church, and even to other protestant groups, Anabaptists, including Mennonites, were persecuted throughout the remainder of the sixteenth century, often in violent and brutal ways. While some remained in place, a great many fled in all directions to other locations throughout Europe. In some places they again met with persecution, as in the case of England, for example, but in others they flourished and to varying degrees integrated with local cultures.
Mennonites in the Seventeenth CenturyMennonites in the Seventeenth Century
The seventeenth century was generally more peaceful, even in the parts of Germany that the Mennonites had previously had to flee in so many numbers. This was largely due to their obvious discipline and industriousness, and to some degree to increased tolerance of minorities in general. But still they were restricted in various ways, were sometimes were required to pay special taxes, and their unwillingness to join in military pursuits was often a point of contention.
Mennonites in North AmericaMennonites in North America
The first to arrive in North America were Dutch (or Northern) Mennonites. New York was a Dutch settlement, and they came as early as 1644 among those early Dutch immigrants. The first settlement led by a Mennonite was in Delaware, in which 41 men, women, and children established a community in near what is now the town of Lewes, located directly across Delaware Bay from Cape May, New Jersey. The year was 1663, which was unfortunate timing, as war broke out between Holland and England, and the colony was destroyed by the British only a little more than a year later.
In North America there was a close association between Mennonites and Quakers almost from the beginning. This was not because they shared common roots, but because their beliefs were largely compatible, most notably pacifism and conscientious objection. Thus William Penn, a Quaker, lured many Mennonites to settle in Pennsylvania. In 1683, a group of 34 Quakers and Mennonites settled in Germantown. These settlers were from northern Germany and were among the beginnings of the ethnic group referred to as the “Pennsylvania Dutch.” In subsequent years more groups came to Pennsylvania, including Swiss-German (or Southern) Mennonites, who settled a little further north, in and around Bucks County.
Mennonites and the Revolutionary WarMennonites and the Revolutionary War
.jpg){kind=link}
By the start of the Revolutionary War there were several thousand Mennonites living in southeast Pennsylvania. For them, the war was a problematic period. William Penn was British, it was King Charles II who had granted the land to Penn, and it was on that land they had made their New World homes. Under British rule they had been able to enjoy more religious freedom than perhaps they had ever experienced before. Consequently there was a certain loyalty, or at least a positive feeling, toward the British. It was also a problem because the Americans were aggressively recruiting every possible soldier among the population of The Colonies, and Mennonites remained steadfast conscientious objectors. Though it was nothing to compare with the persecution their ancestors had experienced in Europe, they were subjected to a certain amount of abuse and harassment both by zealous American patriots and by the policies of newly forming governments.
The First Mennonites in Upper CanadaThe First Mennonites in Upper Canada
The designations, “Upper” and “Lower” Canada refer to each region’s location with respect to the St. Lawrence River. Upper Canada included the upper reaches of the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes region of what is now Ontario. Until 1840, Upper Canada and Lower Canada were separate British Colonies.
Motivated by the prospect of greater religious freedom and the opportunity to acquire prime farmland, many Mennonites began to look toward Upper Canada. There were millions of acres of available virgin land in Canada after the war, offered for sale by British patriots who had received land grants from The Crown. It should be noted that, despite European perceptions this land was not “uninhabited.” Even the peaceful Mennonites played a role, however indirectly, in the displacement of Native Americans from their traditional homelands.
In 1786, a scouting party of five Bucks County men made the trek through New York and across the Niagara River to the Lake Ontario area. Purchasing land along The Twenty (Twenty Mile Creek), just west of St. Catharines, they stayed and ultimately brought their families. The surnames of this group were Kolb (German Kölb, eventually becoming Culp), Albrecht (Albright), and Hahn. Others followed, and by 1802 there were 33 families*(Mennonites in Canada, Page 56). Among those surnames were Eby, Tufford (Döfert), Kunkle (German Kunkel, later becoming Konkle), and Wardell.
By 1825 approximately two thousand Pennsylvania Mennonites had arrived and settled in Upper Canada. The area around what is now Kitchener, Ontario, became another major concentration of Mennonite settlements.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about the Early Mennonite pioneers of Upper CanadaExplore more about the Early Mennonite pioneers of Upper Canada
- History of the Mennonites of Butler County, Ohio (1916) record collection at MyHeritage
- The True to Life Story of the Wiens Family: of the Mennonite Bible Mission, Now Grace Mennonite Church in Chicago record collection at MyHeritage
- Mennonites project dashboard at Geni
- Mennonite Heritage Archives
- Mennonite Heritage Center
- Mennonite Historical Society