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, please e-mail us. All prices listed are in Canadian dollars. Payment received from non-Canadian banks must include an additional $5 to cover our costs to cash those payments.
MHSA Publications – Members’ Publications – Genealogy Publications
Other Mennonite Publications – Used Books – Order order_form (PDF) – Membership/info order_form
MHSA Publications
The MHSA has published the following which are available for sale order_form 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
 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
Members’ Publications
 Consider the Threshing Stone
by Jacob J. Rempel (1886-1980), translated by David J. Rempel Smucker and Eleanore (Rempel) Woollard, published 2008 by Pandora Press (Softcover, 196 pp) – $25
The threshing stone fragment found by Woollard is a metaphor for what was a flourishing agricultural and industrial Mennonite society in southern Russia, through its destruction through war, communism, anarchy and famine. It is also the only visible reminder of her grandfather’s farm estate. The story is a very personal, faith-based one, written in the belief that God led (rescued) this family and many, many others through great tribulation to the only possible solution – that of immigration to Canada. It is a stirring account of faith, survival and escape. It takes us from the author’s childhood in Tiegenhof, his marriages to Maria Tiessen and Lena Woelke, his alternative service, experiences of violence at the hands of anarchists, immigration to Ontario, and final settlement in Westbourne, Manitoba. See full review of the book in a past MHSA Newsletter.
 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.
 A Generation of Vigilance: The Lives & Work of Johannes and Tina Harder – NEW in 2009
by T.D. Regehr, published 2009 by Canadian Mennonite University Press (softcover, 334 pp) – $30
Fourth volume in a series initiated by the Yarrow Research Committee, focusing on the Mennonite Brethren in the lower Fraser Valley through the lives of the Harders. Ted Regehr was invited to write the story of the Harders after Jacob Loewen, who had begun the task, passed away.
For several decades, the Harders were the most prominent and influential MB church and conference leaders in British Columbia. Says Regehr, their story illustrates “a process of religious accommodation similar to that experienced by many other immigrant groups and also by others churches when faced with rapid change.” The Harders’ leadership contribution was not without controversy – they held high standards of church discipline and were known to maintain strict codes of Christian conduct. But the context is important – “They provided much appreciated leadership during a time of very rapid change as Mennonite immigrants from the Soviet Union tried to establish themselves in Canada.” With this book, Regehr hopes “to allow those who experienced one style of leadership, in Yarrow and elsewhere, both to appreciate what was good and to understand the significance of changes which seemed better suited to the environment of the new world.”
 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.
 Pushing through invisible barriers
by Tena Friesen, published 2011 (Softcover, 517 pp) – ($30)
An autobiography – at the age of 12 she and her family moved from Sask. to Northern Alberta to face the challenging primitive conditions. Persevering in her pursuit of education she was one of the first students to graduate from high school and became a teacher and librarian. She married and raised a family. This is her first book.
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).
Only the title is in German – contains thousands of family group sheets from the Bergthaler Mennonite (Manitoba) church records that were begun in 1843, Bergthal, Russia. 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. Mennonites found on Quebec passenger lists for 1874-1880 are cross-referenced as are those found in the 1881 Census of Canada for Manitoba Mennonite municipalities (Hanover, Rhineland, Stanley).
 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).
 Grandma 6
compiled by California Mennonite Historical Society, self-published 2009. (Compact Disk) – $35
This is the invaluable compilation that contains information about 1,107,275 persons in a single database. The CD includes an unregistered copy of Brother’s Keeper, instructions on how to search,update and submit your own family history data for a future version. Definitely a bargain for the genealogist!
 Hard Passage. A Mennonite Family’s Long Journey from Russia to Canada
by Arthur Kroeger (1932-2008; G#468796), 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.
 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 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
Volume I: by Helmut T. Huebert, published 2006 by Springfield Publishers (softcover, 456 pp) – $55
Volume II: by Helmut T. Huebert, published 2008 by Springfield Publishers (softcover, 456 pp) – $55
These books cover 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:
Volume I: Barvenkovo, Berdyansk, Melitopol, Millerovo, Orechov, Pologi, Sevastopol, and Simferpol
Volume II: Alexandrovsk, Ekaterinoslav, Kharkov, Moscow, Nikopol, Odessa, Omsk, St. Petersburg, Tokmak.
 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.
 Settlers of the East Reserve NEW – 2009
edited by Adolf Ens, Ernest Braun and Henry Fast as Volume Four in the East Reserve Historical Series, published 2009 by Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society. (328 pp, softcover) – $30 (optional full-text searchable CD, additional $10) plus s/h.
It is about the original Mennonite Settlement of the ER (East Reserve (Hanover Municipality), and features: complete ER homestead application data, the earliest list of Bergthal villagers (1876), a complete assessment record for 1885, the 1891 census, a detailed map of the ER, three new village histories and autobiographical material by pioneers. The final section also addresses significant departures of Mennonites from the East Reserve.
 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, amp; 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.
Other Mennonite Publications
 The 1920s Migration of Old Colony Mennonites from the Hague-Osler Area of Saskatchewan to Mexico
by William Janzen, 2006 self-published (stapled) – $6
Paper presented to the mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan at Hague,
 The Ben Horch Story
by Peter Letkemann, published 2008 by Old Oak Press (Softcover, 470 pp) – $25
Potential buyers are encouraged to read Peter Penner’s full review of Letkemann’s book in in the MHSA newsletter (Volume X, No. 2). (Ben Horch 1907-1992; G#20710)
 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).
 Diary of Anna Baerg: 1916-1924
edited by Gerald Peters, published 1985 by CMU Press (soft, 158 pp) – $5
The life and work of Anna Baerg as a young woman at a time of great change in South Russia.
 I am Hutterite
by Mary-Ann Kirkby, 2007 ($22) –
A fascinating true story of one woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage. In 1969, Mary-Ann Kirkby’s parents did the unthinkable. They left a Hutterite colony near Portagela Prairie, Manitoba with seven children and little else, to start a new life. Overnight, the family was thrust into a society they did not understand and which knew little of their unique culture. Thetransition was overwhelming.
 Alfalfa to Ivy: Memoir of a Harvard Medical School Dean
by Joseph B. Martin, MD, PhD, published 2011 by University of Alberta Press (soft, 392 pp) – $35
“The last forty years have seen seismic changes in the functions and missions of medical research, medicine, and medical schools in the US. There is no book that describes this range of cosmic changes more clearly or dramatically than Joe Martin’s excellent memoir: Alfalfa to Ivy. Martin describes the revolution in American medicine first, from a bottom-up view as a participant; but, perhaps even more important, Martin can describe these changes from a top-down view since he has been the leader of academic medicine during this period. In this book we learn about the evolution of modern medicine from one of the people who participated in shaping it and who did so with the attempt not to lose sight of the patient, the physician, and the science that drives it all.”
– Dr. Eric Kandel, 2000 Nobel Laureate in Physiology & Medicine
 Innings
Dennis Penner with Elsie Loewen Peters, self-published 2006 (soft, 306 pp) – $22
This book features the life of Dennis Penner who was adopted into a family and community which had a strong foundation of faith. His successes in sport and business were not enough to silence the struggle with a sense of rejection. He sought out information about his birth mother and examine his strengths and weaknesses.Searching those out he found his identity in his faith.
 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 (1915-2009; G#147228), 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 G. 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 (1929-1986; G#422519)
Volume I of the trilogy 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 (1929-1986; G#422519)
Volume II of the trilogy 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.
 Neu Samara: A Mennonite Settlement East of the Volga
originally written in German; translated by John Isaak, edited and epilogue by Tena Wiebe, published 2002 by Jackpine House (Softcover, 196 pp) – $22
The first part has been written by Neu-Samarians who emigrated in the 1920s to Canada . It was originally published in German in 1964. This new edition was completed for the years after 1930. This work has been done by a committee in Warendorf.
 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.
 Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History
by Harry Loewen and Steven M. Nolt, revised ed. by Steven M. Nolt and published 2010 by Herald Press (soft, 335 pp) – $20
The authors present the Mennonite faith story within the context of church history. It uses stories of men and women, peasants and pastors, heroes and rascals, to trace the radical Reformation from 16th Century Europe to the global Anabaptist family of the 21st Century. It is a highly readable account of Mennonite history.
 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 1924, 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 01 Apr 2011 |
