MMHS Publications
Sommerfeld Gemeinde Buch: Registers of the Church at West Lynne 1881-1935 (2004)
Edited by Henry Unger, Martha Martens, and Adolf Ens. This book reproduces the five earliest family registers of the Mennonite pioneers, most of whom uprooted their families twice between 1874 and 1881, first from the Bergthal Colony in Russia and then from the Manitoba East Reserve crossing the Red River to settle on the eastern part of the West Reserve.
Bergthal Gemeinde Book
Edited by John Dyck. (out of print – check for used copies)
Reinlaender Gemeinde Buch
Edited by John Dyck, William Harms; Revised by Martha Martens, John Penner, and Mavis Dyck. Out of print. Check for used copies.
Prosperity Ever — Depression Never: Steinbach in the 1930’s (2024)
By Ralph Friesen
Historical Atlas of the East Reserve (2015)
Edited by Ernest N. Braun and Glen R. Klassen. This well-written and beautifully illustrated historical atlas tells the story of immigration and settlement on the east side of the Red River in Manitoba on the eight townships known as the East Reserve. Through many maps, it tells the stories of the Mennonite settlements, as well as those of other religious and ethnic groups in the area. The introductory chapter provides a richly textured account of the aboriginals and Metis who inhabited the land before European settlers arrived.
This book is a rich resource for doing community, family and genealogical studies. To assist researchers, the book has many detailed and brightly coloured maps, charts, and lists of cemeteries, complete with GPS designations.
A History of the Chortitzer Mennonite Church of Manitoba 1874-1914 (2011)
By Dennis E. Stoesz. (out of print – check for used copies)
Settlers of the East Reserve: Moving in, Moving out, Staying (2009)
Edited by Adolf Ens, Ernie Braun, and Henry Fast. This book is volume 4 in the Mennonite East Reserve Historical Series. It is a research tool par excellence for East Reserve (ER) family history and the settlement of Hanover Municipality.
It features complete homestead application data, the earliest list of ER Bergthal villages (1876), a complete assessment record for 1885, the 1891 Census by village and much more. An additional feature is a detailed map, three village histories and autobiographical material by pioneers. A final section addresses three significant departures from the ER within the first 50 years.
Historical Sketches of the East Reserve 1874-1910 (1994)
Edited by John Dyck. This book is intended for those people interested in the early history of the Mennonite East Reserve, today known as the Rural Municipality of Hanover in Manitoba, Canada. It contains a section of village sketches which portray the commonality and diversity of these people, a section of biographies which depicts the individuality of community leaders, a section containing minister’s journals and sermons, and finally a section of historical sketches on other related themes such as farming, collecting family histories and print culture.
Working Papers of the East Reserve Village Histories 1874-1910 (1990)
Edited by John Dyck. This book is intended for those people interested in the early history of the Mennonite East Reserve, today known as the Rural Municipality of Hanover in Manitoba, Canada.
Prairie Pioneers: Schönthal Revisited (2016)
By Mary Neufeld
The Outsiders’ Gaze: Life And Labour on the Mennonite West Reserve 1874-1922 (2015)
Voice in the Wilderness: Memoirs of Peter A. Elias (1843-1925) (2013)
Translated and edited by Adolf Ens and Henry Unger. Very few Mennonites who settled in the Mennonite West Reserve in southern Manitoba left behind as rich a collection of writings as Peter A. Elias. This book contains his recollections of pioneer life in the church and community.
Church, Family and Village: Essays on Mennonite Life on the West Reserve (2001)
Edited by Adolf Ens, Jake E. Peters, and Otto Hamm. This book is a collection of presentations at local history workshops, individual research projects and original documents placed in the context of their time.
1880 Village Census of the Mennonite West Reserve (1998)
Edited by John Dyck and William Harms. This book features the Mennonite families living in the Manitoba Mennonite West Reserve in 1880 with an anotated list, photographs and cross references to other sources. The book consists of:
- Original 1880 village census of the Mennonite West Reserve 1880-1882
- Individual Tax Records by Village 1880 Census
- Families with Supplementary Data
- Profiles of Reinländer Bishops, Ministers, Deacons
- 1891 Federal Census of the Mennonite West Reserve
- 1900 Passenger List of Mennonite Immigrants landing in Quebec
B.H. Unruh’s Research on Mennonite Migration to Russia, 1787-1895: A Translation (Selbstverlag: Karlruhe, 1955) (2018)
By Edward Enns, Bert Friesen, Marianne Janzen, and Alfred H. Redekopp. A foundational reference work for tracing Mennonite family history has been Benjamin Unruh’s 1955 publication Die Niederlaendisch – Niederdeutschen Hintergrunde Der Mennonitischen Ostwanderungen. It allows researchers to follow families as they migrated from Prussia to Russia 1789-1895. For years Unruh worked at a lengthy contextual portion, part one, and the lists of names divided by year of entry into Russia in part two.
Now, for the first time, part two is available in English entitled B.H. Unruh’s Research on Mennonite Migration to Russia 1787-1895. Thanks to a team of translators, researchers, and genealogists Unruh’s work is more accessible than before.
Mennonite Migration to Russia 1788-1828 (2000, 2007)
By Peter Rempel; edited by Richard D. Thiessen, and Alfred H. Redekopp.
This book contains information acquired recently from documents discovered in Russian and Ukrainian archives focusing on the early years of Mennonite migration from Prussia to New Russia, and the settlement of the Chortitiza and Molotschna colonies.
About the Society
We seek to foster an understanding of and respect for the history and beliefs of the Mennonite people in the past and present, and to challenge them to give new expression to this heritage in the future.
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Help document and celebrate the Mennonite story, ensuring our history is passed on to future generations.