Publications

The MHSA has published several books, publishes a regular newsletter, and has other Mennonite (including family history) books (new and used) for sale. To inquire about a used book (for instance, we have a used copy of BH Unruh's Die niederlaendisch-niederdeutschen Hintergruende der mennonitischen Ostwanderunen im 16., 18. und Jahrhundert), please e-mail us. All prices listed are in Canadian dollars.

MHSA Publications - Members' Publications - Genealogy Publications
Other Mennonite Publications - Order Form (pdf) - Membership Info/Form

MHSA Publications

The MHSA has published the following which are available for sale from the MHSA:

Alternative Service for Peace in Canada during World War II, 1941-46
by A.J. Klassen (Softcover) - $25 (member pricing: $23)

A Celebration of Service: The Story of MCC Alberta, 1965-1991
edited by John J. Bergen, ed., published 1991 (Softcover) - ($10) (member pricing: $9)

Knowing and Interpeting Our Past: Alberta's Mennonite History
edited by Judith Rempel, published 2000 by Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta (coil bound, 60 pp) - $12 (member pricing: $11)
This is a collection of talks presented to the June 2000 workshop in Edmonton by: Wesley Berg (Professor of Music), Roger Epp (Associate Professor of Political Studies), Michael Gourlie (Archives Advisor to the Archives Society of Alberta), Colin Neufeldt (Doctoral Student of History) & Ted D. Regehr (Professor Emeritus of History) ... more

Namaka 1925-2000: Celebrating God's Faithfulness from Generation to Generation
by Henry D. Goerzen - $8 (member pricing: $7)
Includes map, cemetery records and reminiscences

Their Mark: Their Legacy
by Irene Klassen (with Linda Neufeld Buhr, Frieda Dick, Alan D. Friesen, Anne Harder, Jake Harder, Peter Janzen, Dick Neufeld, John Schellenberg), published 2006 by Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta (soft, 260 pp) - $24 (member pricing: $22).
The Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta (MHSA) undertook to publish the stories of a number of people, both men and women, who have served significantly in providing leadership for our people. Some played a very important role in church work, while others served in the wider conferences and committees. In many cases, it was the spouses and children of these leaders who were the mortar that held the family and church together.This book focuses by and large on the men and women who were an integral part of the development of the “General Conference of Mennonites” in Alberta to complement the efforts to document Mennonite Brethren and Northwest Mennonite Conference Mennonites.... (list of those featured by GRANDMA #) more

The Vauxhall Mennonite Church
by Anne Harder (Coilbound, 44 pp) ... more - $8 (member pricing: $7)
Harder has captured the essence of the struggles and the determination of this small congregation to maintain a program of worship and instruction for its membership - young and old. The Vauxhall church was in existence for 62 years.

MHSA Newsletter
free with membership. Some back issues available online for free:

• Newsletter, Vol. X, No. 2 (2007)
• Newsletter, Vol. IX, No. 2 (2006)
• Newsletter, Vol. VIII, No. 2 (2005)
• Newsletter, Vol. VIII, No. 1 (2005)
• Newsletter, Vol. VII, No. 2 (2004)
• Newsletter, Vol. VII, No. 1 (2004)
• Newsletter, Vol. VI, No. 2 (2003)
• Newsletter, Vol. VI, No. 1 (2003)
• Newsletter, Vol. V, No. 2 (2002)
• Newsletter, Vol. V, No. 1 (2002)
• Newsletter, Vol. IV, No. 3 (2001)

Members' Publications

Faith, Life and Witness in the Northwest, 1903-2003: Centennial History of the Northwest Mennonite Conference
by T.D. Regehr, published 2003 by Pandora Press & Herald Press (Softcover, 524 pp) - $50
The Northwest Mennonite Conference (NWC), formerly the Alberta-Saskatchewan Mennonite Conference, has had member congregations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana and Alaska. It was organized by three small Alberta congregations in 1903. It has grown by adding new congregations of Mennonite settlers and initiatives in northern missions, voluntary service, and church planting. It now finds itself in a period of transition as it assesses new challenges and the impact of a major reorganization of the parent national and international conferences with which it is no longer affiliated.

Mennonites in Canada, 1939-1970: A People Transformed
by Ted Regehr
This is the last volume of the Mennonites in Canada trilogy started by Frank H. Epp ... more - $35

Pieces and Patches of My Crazy Quilt
by Irene Klassen, published 2000 by Essence Publishing (Softcover, 248 pp) - $20
Memories of a lifetime tempered by God’s love and grace. To smooth the rough edges, to mellow the harshness, to enrich the hues, to harmonize the colors, stitched together into a lovely patchwork... a CRAZY QUILT.

Genealogy Publications

1880 Village Census of the Mennonite West Reserve
edited by John Dyck and William Harms, published 1998 by Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society (Softcover, 500 pp) - $30
The heart of this book is the listing of family groups as found in the 1880 census that was conducted in 37 Mennonite villages. It's strong value is the material that has been compiled and included for those families: passenger list information, published family histories, material housed in archives, church registers, and contributed photographs. The family groups are listed alphabetically according to the household head and an index is included according to the wife's maiden name.

Bergthal Gemeinde Buch - Back in Print!
Subtitled: consisting of: Bergthal Gemeinde Buch 1843-1876 with annotations by John Dyck; Chortitzer Gemeinde Buch indexes for volumes started in 1878, 1887 and 1907; Passenger lists 1874-1880 of Mennonite immigrants to Manitoba with annotations by Cathy Barkman; The 1881 federal census data on residents in Manitoba Mennonite communities
edited by John Dyck, published 1993 by Hanover Steinbach Historical Society (Softcover, 439 pp).  - $30

Sorry - Out of print (Feb 2005)
Chortitza Colony Atlas: Altkolonie, Mennonite Old Colony
edited by Heinrich Bergen published 2004 by Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan (coilbound, 130 pp) - $35
Contains replicas of a map recently uncovered in Russia. Originally drawn in 1967, now available to us all and with a number of supplementary maps and comments.

Chortitza Family Registers
by California Mennonite Historical Society, self published (Compact Disk - pdf files) - $39
Scans of 600 pages found in the only two known surviving volumes of family registers for the Chortitza Mennonite Church in Ukraine. Accompanying the scans is a careful English translation of the original records, which were written primarily in Russian. Also included on the CD are an introduction to the family registers, and index to the 7,640 people found in the registers for whom birth dates are given and a document guide explaining various elements of the registers.

Church, Family and Village: Essays on Mennonite Life on the West Reserve
by Adolf Ens, Jacob E. Peters & Otto Hamm, published 2001 Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society (Softcover, 310 pp.) - $25
Collection of essays gathered by the Research and Scholarship Committee of the Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society. Some appearing for the first time in English. Articles on Russia & West Reserve Beginnings (Fuerstenland, Pukhtin, Aeltester Johann Wiebe, Obervorsteher Isaak Mueller, The Post Road), Sommerfeld Mennonite Church history (nine essays, including ones on Mexico), Renewal Movements (Hoffnungsfeld, Aeltester Johann Funk, Rudnerweider Mennonite Church, and Manitoba Old Colony Mennonite Church), and local histories (Neuenburg, Edenburg and Altbergthal).

Eby Family History
by Ezra Eby, first published 1895. (Softcover) - $10
Story of the Eby family roots in the United States and Canada; descendants live in Alberta.

Grandma 5
compiled by California Mennonite Historical Society, self-published 2006. (Compact Disk) - $45
This is the invaluable compilation that contains information about over 941,000 persons in a single database into Brothers Keeper (BK) v. 6 and Legacy formats (zipped to fit onto CD); includes those listed in volumes 1-4 and unregistered copy of BK6. Definitely a bargain.

Hard Passage. A Mennonite Family's Long Journey from Russia to Canada
by Arthur Kroeger, published 2006 by University of Alberta Press (Soft cover, 369 pp) - $35
In the 1920s, 20,000 Mennonites left the newly formed Soviet Union and emigrated to Canada. Among them were Heinrich and Helena Kroeger and their five children. After living for 120 years in the comfortable surroundings of a Russian Mennonite community, the Kroeger family experienced war, revolution, a typhus epidemic, and hyper-inflation in quick succession. In 1926, they left their homeland to settle in an arid region of Western Canada. Based on Heinrich’s diaries and letters, Hard Passage speaks to the indomitable spirit of Mennonite immigrants to the Canadian West.

History of the Sommerfeld Mennonite Church
compiled by Peter Bergen, published 2001 by Friesens (Hard cover, 308 pp) - $42
Subtitled Background and First Hundred Years of the Sommerfelder Mennonite Church, this represents the first dedicated work to the Sommerfelder Church. Access to administrative, historical and archival records has been difficult for researchers so this work is of significant value. Chapters include: West Lynne Bergthal Congregation, 6 chapters devoted to early Bishops, Ministerial Organization, Churches, Divisions and Departures from the Congregation, and over a hundred pages of baptismal, church and other church data of significant interest to family historians.

Mennonite Historical Atlas, 2nd Ed.
by William Schroeder and Helmut Huebert, published 1996 by Springfield Publishers (Softcover, 183 pp) - $30
A collection of 128 maps showing past and present locations of Mennonites in Europe, Russia, North America, and Latin America. Includes many pages of thumbnail geo-historical text, a bibliography, and an index.

Mennonite Migration to Russia, 1788-1828 - sorry - out of print
compiled by Peter Rempel and edited by Alfred H. Redekopp and Richard D. Thiessen, published 2000 by Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society (Coil bound, 250 pp) - $35
This is the first in the Russian Mennonite Genealogy Series produced by the Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society. The volume includes sections on Mennonite households in Chortitza Colony, immigration lists of Mennonites moving from Prussia to Russia (1803-10), Mennonite households established in Russia (1815-1828), and visas for immigration to Russia issued by the Russian General Consulate in Danzig (1819-1828). This is seen as a complement to the work by B.H. Unruh and published in 1955.

Mennonite Migrations (and the Old Colony)
by Henry Schapansky, 2006, self published (Softcover, 800pp) - $40
This is a second edition of the important work Henry has done on assembling details about the Mennonites who established the first villages in the Russian colony of Chortitza in the late 1700s. Updated with a 15-page index.

Mennonites in the Cities of Imperial Russia, Vol. 1
by Helmut T. Huebert, published 2006 by Springfield Publishers (softcover, 456 pp) - $55
This book covers unusual territory - virtually all Mennonites who lived in Russian cities whether they were there to build factories or attend school/university. The cities covered are: Barvenkovo, Berdyansk, Melitopol, Millerovo, Orechov, Pologi, Sevastopol, and Simferpol.

Molotschna Historical Atlas
by Helmut T. Huebert published 2003 by Kindred Productions (Softcover, 222 pp) - $36
Same excellent quality as the Mennonite Historical Atlas, 2nd ed.. Amazing assembly of whole-colony and individual village maps. As with the Mennonite Historical Atlas, 2nd ed., this has extensive tightly written historical notes associated with the maps.

Reinländer Gemeinde Buch: 1880-1903 - Back in print!!!
edited by John Dyck and William Harms, 2nd ed. published 2006 by Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society (Softcover, 525 pp) - $30
Only the title is in German - contains thousands of family group sheets from the Reinländer Mennonite (Manitoba) church records. Generally birth, and baptismal dates are provided. Often death dates are also recorded. Families are cross-referenced with older and younger generations. A household head index is included. 2006 edition also cross referenced with GRANDMA #s and 1880 West Reserve Census.

Sommerfeld Gemeinde Buch: Registers of the Church at West Lynne, 1881-1935
edited by Henry Unger, Martha Martens and Adolf Ens, published 2004 by Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society (Softcover, 530 pp) - $30
Only the title is in German - contains thousands of family group sheets from the Sommerfeld Mennonite church records (Volumes I A/B, II A/B, & the so-called "untitled" volume). Generally birth, and baptismal dates are provided. Often death dates are also recorded. Families are cross-referenced with older and younger generations. Male and Female indexes are included.

Thicker than Water
by Henrijk Klippenstein, published 2004. (Softcover) - $16.

Other Mennonite Publications

Building on the Past: Mennonite Architecture: Landscape and Settlements in Russia/Ukraine
by Rudy P. Friesen with Edith Elisabeth Friesen, published 2004 by Raduga Press (Softcover, 752 pp) - $45
This beautifully illustrated book reviews the architectural contributions and remains from 13 Mennonite colonies/settlements in Russia. It is a substantially expanded version of Into the Past published in 1996.Apart from gaining an appreciation of the "material culture" contribution that Mennonites made, the genealogist will find a comprehensive list of current tombstone inscriptions for these settlements as well as photographs of many tombstones. This version includes chapters on the Estates, Forestry Camps and Urban Centres where Mennonites lived as well. It's a must-have reference book.

Constantinoplers: Escape from Bolshevism
by Irmgard Epp, published 2006 by Trafford Publishing (Softcover, 365 pp) - $35
This is the story of the 62 Mennonites who escaped from the White Army through to New York, New York (Ellis Island).

In Defense of Privilege: Russian Mennonites and the State Before and During World War I
by Abraham Friesen, published 2006 by Kindred Productions (522 pp., Softcover - $40). The transition from being a persecuted religious minority during the Reformation to becoming a privileged minority in 19th-century Russia makes the Dutch-Polish-Russian Mennonite story an intriguing one. Privileges granted these Mennonites by Russia in 1800 came under attack under the russification policies of the 1860's. Mennonites resisted the government's attempt to assimilate them and to restrict their religious freedom.

Although Russian Mennonites were predominately of Dutch ancestry, they had become germanized while in Poland/Prussia and now came to be considered part of the internal "German" threat. The third section deals with the Mennonite attempts to secure exemption from laws such as the land liquidation laws on the basis of their Dutch ethnicity.

Dit un Jant opp Plautdietsch
by Reuben Epp, self-published 2006 (CD - $18) – This is not a data CD – it’s a CD that you can pop into your CD player and hear Reuben Epp reading from some of his many stores. Here’s what Reuben has told us about it:

”In October of 2000, I was invited to render a number of spoken items in a Plautdietsch (Mennonite Low German) program in a public hall in Lage/Lippe,  Germany. The program was organized and convened by the Plautdietsch Freunde Society of Detmold and carried out and recorded under direction of Peter Wiens of Oerlinghausen. The quality of the recording is good, as is that of the resultant CD. Each CD contains 17 all-in-Plautdietsch items spoken by me (as listed), stories and poems, humorous and serious, for a total time of about 72 minutes. The CD, is titled Dit un Jant opp Plautdietsch (This and That in Mennonite Low German).

The “titles” on the CD are: Plautdietsch (von JH Janzen), Un Best et uk Nich (von Wilhelmine Siefkes), Oole Schuld (von Frieda Jung), De scheenste Dag (von Fritz Reuter), De Bua aun siene Fruu (von JA Lehmann), Mien Plautz ver’e Daea (Klaus Groth), Wuarom? (von R Epp), Edison un daut Elektrische Licht (von R Epp), Biem Easchte Mol Koafoahre (von R Epp), Biem Kjleedkjeepe (von R Epp), De Laump em Fensta (E Epp), Bua, Waut Sul Dan? (von Elly Wuebbeler), De Erschaufungsjeschicht (von Johannes Gossell), De Owend ver Wiehnachte (VON c c Moore), Hoadasche Stoawt – Aul Wada! (von R Epp), Woone Schmauntkaun? (von R Epp), and Plautdietsche Ente (von R Epp).

An Introduction to Russian Mennonites
by Wally Kroeker, published 2005
- $12

Jacob and Justina: Pilgrims - Odessy of a Family
by Carl Edward Hansen, self-published, 1998 (Softcover, 200pp) - $15
The story of Jacob Johan Friesen Justina Aaron Warkentin (m. 1919 Samara, Russia) and their journey to Duchess, Alberta.

Journey into Freedom - Edith Friesen
by Edith Elisabeth Friesen, published 2003 by Raduga Publications (Hardcover, 242 pp) - $35
Portrait of a Mennonite family caught in world events 1930s 1940s and into the present. It moves from being a personal narrative to contextual comments. This is a story of faith, family, forgiveness, freedom.

Kjenn Jie Noch Plautdietsch
by Herman Rempel, published 1995 by PrairieView Press (softcover, 365 pp) - $18
Now in it's second edition, Rempel's Plautdietsch-English work is an easy to use wordbook - handy for those who are trying to read Armin Wiebe's works, recall a word, or make sense of a Plautdietsch conversation.

Memories of an Old Colony Weisenamt Manager
by Abram Janzen, 2005 self-published (stapled) - $6
Detailed descriptions of the workings of the Weisenamt in Canada - with all the good that it intended and the problems that it experienced in attempting to meet its mandate.

Mennonites in Canada, 1876-1920: The History of a Separate People
by Frank H. Epp
Volume I of the trllogy published 1974 by Macmillan of Canada (Hardcover, 480 pp) - $30

Mennonites in Canada, 1920-1940: A People's Struggle for Survival
by Frank H. Epp
Volume II of the trllogy published 1982 by Macmillan of Canada (Hardcover, 640 pp) - $30

Mennonite Estates in Imperial Russia
by Helmut T. Huebert (author & cartographer) - published 2005 by Springfield Publishers (Softcover, 415 pp) - $45
Huebert's reputation for geographic precision and synthetic summaries is complemented in this work by the term "comprehensive". Who would have known that we had over 400 pages of information available to us on Mennonite estates in Russia? While maps are featured in about 60 pages, the focus of this book is on the lengthy annotated lists of Mennonite Estates in Imperial Russia (this covers over 200 pages). There are also lists of Mennonite Estate Owners (30+ pages), Mennonite Estate Managers, Teachers on Mennonite Estates, Biographies of a select number of owners, photographs of estates (30 pages), and assorted reference pages (weights & measures, tsars, wars, dates/calendars).

Mennonites, Politics, and Peoplehood
by James Urry, 2006, University of Manitoba Press (Softcover, 400 pp) - $30
Most people think that Mennonites have little or no involvement in organized politics. However, James Urry dispels this myth in his detailed and scholarly exploration of the subject. It shows Mennonites involved in constitutional reform through to party politics. Urry ably demonstrates the polarization of Mennonites' political views from conservatism to liberalism and even revolutionary activities.

The Molotschna Settlement
originally written in German by Heinrich Goerz; translated by Al Reimer & John B. Toews, published 1993 by Canadian Mennonite Bible College & Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society (Softcover, 252 pp) - $20
The story of the Molotschna Colony as originally published in the Echo Verlag series. Numerous photographs have been incorporated into the text. The 12 chapters cover: Immigration, Settlement, Johann Cornies, Economic Development, Church Life, Formation of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Founding of the Temple Church [Church of the Firends of Jerusalem], Development of the School System, The landless Controvers6y and Establishment of the Daughter Colonies, Emigration to America and Introduction of the Forest Service, At the Zenith, and Decline and Fall.

NEW - 2007
One Body - Many Parts: The Mennonite Churches in Paraguay
by Gerhard Ratzlaff; translated into English by Jake K. Balzer (Softcover) - $20
"One Body" was commissioned by the Gemeindekomitee of Paraguayan Mennonites to focus on missions and charities regarding and for the churches - including the Spanish-speaking ones. He reports that there were 25,000 Mennonites in Paraguay in 1998, one for every 200 residents. "Characteristic of the Mennonites in Paraguay is a bewildering diversity, which is scarcely outstripped in any other country on earth where Mennonites exist." "In a few cases, Mennonite diversity within the churches of the country-wide Mennonite brotherhood is greater than between single Mennonite churches and churches of other evangelical denominations... The Spanish-speaking and Indian churches are the product of the missionary activity of the German-speaking churches and cooperate with them on various projects:  Bible schools, radio programs, missions, etc.  In recent decades, the common baptistic heritage is being ever more strongly emphasized, which ties all the Mennonite churches together, whether German-speaking, Latin Paraguayan or Indian. In future, emphasis of the common baptistic heritage will be promoted, which will increasingly strengthen the unity in diversity: One body – many parts."

NEW - 2008
Remember Us: Letters from Stalin's Gulag (1930-37) - Volume One: The Regehr Family
by Ruth Derksen Siemens, published 2008 by Pandora Press (Softcover, 407 pp) - $40
Story of the letters of Jasch and Maria (Goosen) Regehr and their children regarding their arrest, imprisonment, and exile (see www.gulagletters.com).

Road to Freedom: Mennonites Escape the Land of Suffering
edited by Harry Loewen, published 2000 by Pandora Press/Herald Press (hardcover, 302pp) - $55
Victor Doerksen writes on the back cover: "Road to Freedom tells authentic stories of tribulation and liberation. Each tells its own pain and occasional joy, and at the same time participates in the larger narrative: the hard road to freedom shared by a people of faith during and after the Second World War."

Shepherds, Servants and Prophets
edited by Harry Loewen, published 2003 by Pandora Press (Softcover, 440 pp) - $45
A collection of 24 biographies of Mennonite leaders late 19th century and into 20th. Written by 19 different writers. There are theologians and teachers, poets and artists, printers and publishers - a diverse array. They all had a passion for education and self expression, and spanned the spectrum from religious evangelism to communism.

The Spelling of Low German and Plautdietsch
by Reuben Epp, published 1996 by Reader's Press (Softcover, 167 pp - $16
This book is a consolidation of orthographic principles and application of generally accepted spelling of the Low German language.

The Story of Low German and Plautdietsch
by Reuben Epp, published 1993 by Reader's Press (Softcover, 123 pp) - $16
This book is a history of the Low German language and its relationship to English.

Trail of the Conestoga
by Mabel Dunham - published 1990 by McClelland & Stewart (Softcover, 342 pp) - $20
Mabel Dunham is the great granddaughter of Sam Bricker & former librarian of Kitchener Public Library. First published in 1942, the story of Sam & Beccy Bricker who took part in the Mennonite migration from Pennsylvania to Waterloo County at the beginning of the 19th century. Travelling in a conestoga, or covered wagon, they suffered many hardships on their journey north. Through courage and endurance, they found a new life in Canada.

Windows on the West Reserve
A free online newsletter edited by Dr. Lawrence Klippenstein, former Director of the Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg.

Last Updated 4 Sep 2008