How to Trace Mennonite Family History

Research Resources for Mennonite Genealogy

Feb 2, 2009

Despite the many migrations of Anabaptists, genealogy records for Mennonites are plentiful. Here are several resources for researching Mennonite ancestry.

Mennonites originated in Northern Europe. Over several centuries, many moved to different countries in Europe, including Russia, and many finally immigrated to North America. A family historian can begin with the North American location of known Mennonite ancestors. Many provinces and states in North America with large Mennonite communities have established historical centers with genealogical resources.

Mennonite Genealogy Resources in the United States

Many Mennonites from Europe settled in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Washington, among others. Resources for Mennonite family history in the United States can be found at the following locations:

GRANDMA: The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry

GRANDMA is a database containing the combined research of many Mennonite genealogists. “Not merely a list of individual people,” explains the CMHS, “entries in GRANDMA are linked by relationship (to the extent we can determine this). Various reports can be generated from the data, including ancestry, descendancy, and relationship calculations.” Most of the database information represents “Low German” Mennonites, those who emigrated from West Prussia/Russia. The database can be ordered on CD-ROM from the CMHS, or accessed at the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies in Fresno, CA.

Mennonite Genealogy Resources in Canada

Mennonite communities arriving from Europe or the United States in the 18th 19th and 20th centuries settled in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The following groups provide genealogy resources for Canadian Mennonite ancestry.

Genealogy Resources for International Mennonite Ancestry

In the first few centuries of Mennonite existence, communities could be found in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Prussia and Russia/Ukraine. These communities often relocated due to religious persecution, but many records can be found through the North American Mennonite genealogical resources listed above.

In the 20th century, some European and North American Mennonites made their way to Mexico and South America, specifically Paraguay and Uruguay. Smaller numbers made their way to Argentina and Brazil. A North American researching family history can locate many of these records, including passenger lists, through North American Mennonite genealogy resources as well.

Sharing Mennonite Family History Resources

Cooperation is a strong Mennonite value. This extends to family history research as well. The large amount of genealogy resources available to a family historian comes from the contributions of many Mennonites and those with Mennonite ancestry or connections. Tim Janzen, a noted Mennonite historian, advises on his website that there are a number of ways for genealogists with Mennonite family history to make their own valuable contribution:

The copyright of the article How to Trace Mennonite Family History in Genealogical Research Methods is owned by Rita Marshall. Permission to republish How to Trace Mennonite Family History in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.