Mennonites and Amish in Canada Church Records

Canada Canada Church Records

Mennonites follow the teachings of Menno Simons, after whom the religion is named. He was part of the Anabaptist movement in Germany and Switzerland; his followers could first be found there along the Rhine River and later in Russia, where they were invited to settle in religious freedom by Catherine the Great.

Mennonites have only two sacraments, believers’ baptism and a communion service. Their beliefs encompass a whole way of life which separates them from the world around them. The freedom to practice this non-violent and separate life is of the greatest importance, and is one reason why so many emigrated to Pennsylvania in the 18th century, where the British government had promised religious tolerance. Following the American revolution numbers of these Pennsylvania Germans (as they were known) came to Upper Canada beginning in 1786. This was partly to escape the new American government’s insistence that they bear arms in defense of the country and partly in protest against new taxation.

There was also the pressure of population growth which put land at a premium. The British government offered them continued religious tolerance in Canada. The largest settlements were in south-central Ontario (Lincoln, Waterloo and York counties) in the 19th century. After the Russian revolution, the toleration promised by Catherine the Great was revoked by the new government, and many Russian Germans emigrated, some to Ontario, but many to western Canada, particularly Manitoba. Families there have been well documented by local histories, often organized by family name, whose thoroughness makes up for the deficiencies of Mennonite church records. There are many sources for background information on the Mennonites.

Mennonite pastors are called bishops and their records are known as "bishops’ books". These are regarded as the personal property of the bishop; they go with him as he moves around and follow him into retirement. What happens to them once he dies is a matter for his family to decide.

The result of this is that few 19th century records have survived. Most of those that have consist of baptismal records (not infants) and membership lists, with some marriage records.

Enquiries about Mennonite records should be made to:

Conrad Grebel University College University of Waterloo 140 Westmount Rd. North Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G6 Canada Telephone: (519) 885 0220 ext. 238
 * Mennonite Archives of Ontario

600 Shaftesbury Boulevard Winnipeg, Manitoba R3P 0M4 Canada Telephone: (204)669-6575
 * Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society

223-2946 32 Street NE Calgary, AB T1Y 6J7 Canada E-mail:receptionmhsa@gmail.com Phone:(403) 250-1121
 * Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta Archives
 * Congregations Scroll down to list of links.

Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia 1818 Clearbrook Road Abbotsford BC V2T 5X4 Canada Phone: (604) 853-6177 Fax: (604) 853-6246
 * Email questions regarding genealogy to: genealogy@mhsbc.com.
 * Genealogical Resources
 * Major Holdings
 * Family Histories