Menu
Cart

Free Mennonite Family History Articles

Are We . . . Or Aren’t We Married?

Posted by Daniel Mast on

by Mary Louise Uchida       It all began with my driver’s license renewal that year. Hawaii had added a number of required documents in order to renew one’s driver’s license. Those required documents included proof of name change. Since my last name was changed when we got married, I had to come up with an accepted legal document to verify the name change. The best such document would be a copy of the court-recorded marriage certificate.     Although a bit of a hassle, we could foresee no problem acquiring the necessary paperwork from the courthouse in the county where...

Read more →

Discovering Ancestors Through a Photo

Posted by Daniel Mast on

by Willi FreseI was born in a  Mennonite village in Siberia (former colony of Barnaul). Up until attending school, I could only speak Mennonite Low German. I am married and we have two sons.    Our parents and grandparents have spoken very little about the origin of Germans in Russia. They only said that the Mennonites originally came from Holland to Prussia and then emigrated to Russia. This is due to the tragic past of the Germans in Russia, especially from the 1917 Revolution, World Wars I and II, until at least the mid-1950s. My generation has had a good life...

Read more →

Visiting the Archives in Bern, Switzerland

Posted by Lois Ann Mast on

Dr. Barbara Studer Immenhauser, Bern Archivist   The September 2019 “Hostettler Heritage Tour”    svisited the Staatsarchiv in Bern, Switzerland, to view original records pertaining to the Hostettler family. Dr. Barbara Studer Immenhauser, archivist at the  Staatsarchiv Bern, shared informative facts before introducing Hans Hostettler who has retired from serving at the Archives for years. He shared the following.   Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Hans Hostettler and my place of origin is Wahlern/Schwarzenburg. I am happy to tell you a little bit about the Hostettler families and their ancestors, who are very difficult to research. The Hostettler...

Read more →

Mennonites and Amish in the Atlantic Passage

Posted by Daniel Mast on

by Ervin Beck Genealogies often preserve narratives of family history and legends not to be found elsewhere in print.  The compilation presented here is of first immigrant ancestors’ stories of the Atlantic crossing—most of the accounts originating in oral tradition. The 52 short narratives in this article have been gleaned from 45 different genealogies in the Mennonite Historical Library at Goshen College. Hundreds more probably can be found and deserve attention.   Most of the persons cited in this article are Swiss-Alsatian Mennonites or Amish. However, it is often very difficult to know a person’s religious affiliation. But the stories...

Read more →

Serendipity or DNA? A curious Life Path

Posted by Daniel Mast on

by John H. Gindlesberger    This is a story of how the search for my family roots has, in some ways, come full circle. I grew up in Holmes County, Ohio—home to one of the largest Amish and Mennonite communities in America. It is an unusual place, however, in that Holmes County is roughly divided into two parts. The Amish and Mennonites live primarily in the eastern portion of the county, while the western portion, where I grew up, is mainly “English.” The Amish have always been seen in the grocery stores, in buggies on the highways, and in the...

Read more →