©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2002
Last updated February 20, 2019.
Title: Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1901-1996 , predominant 1925-1996
Extent: 42 cm of textual records and four photographs
The Mennonites from Russia arrived in the Herschel area in the winter of 1924-1925. They organized their congregation in 1925 as the Ebenfeld Mennonite Church and joined the Conference of Mennonites. In 1926 there were 117 members. In 1927 they built a meeting house. In 1936 the membership was 278. A number of different meeting places were begun over the next decades. In 1945 a new meeting house was built in Superb, one of the four meeting houses of this 'Gemeinde'. The other meeting places were Fiske and Glidden, along with Herschel. These were divided into four congregations in 1958 but still of the Ebenfeld 'Gemeinde'. In 1973 these congregations became independent congregations. In 1980 the Ebenfeld congregation changed its name to the current (2001) Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church. The leaders of the congregation were: Jacob Wiens (1925-1939), J. J. Thiessen (1939-1942)[visiting], Cornelius J. Warkentin (1943-1957) [and he remained bishop of the four congregations (1958-1970)]. Of the four congregations then from 1958 on, the leader of Herschel was the bishop Cornelius Warkentin (1958-1964), Arthur Wiens (1965-1985), David Neufeld (1986-1999), Claire and Garth Ewert-Fischer (2000- ). The leader of Fiske was K. Julius Martens (1958-1985). The leader of Glidden was C. J. Fast (1958-1970), when the congregation dissolved. The leader of Superb was P.A. Warkentin (1958-1973). Since 1990 the leader of Herschel has also been the leader in Fiske.
This fonds consist of immigration documents, church membership transfers, congregational bulletins and minutes, financial records, and sermons. These records follow the Mennonites as they immigrated from Russia to Canada, thier transition in Canada from Ontario to Saskatchewan and the formation of a congregation. Once established the church flourished but began to reduce in size along with urbanization of the rural population in the 1960s. In 2019 four photos depicting the building of the church in 1927 were donated (see photo collection 728).
Inventory file list available.
Much German.
No restrictions on access.
Related Materials
Jacob B. Wiens fonds volume 5626:6.
Described by Bert Friesen 8 November 2001, updated by Conrad Stoesz November 2, 2012 and February 20, 2019.
Accession number: 2007-033, 2019-002.
Volume 2306b
Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Cash book. -- 1957-1961.
Volume 5632
1. Small black note book of poetry, Scripture and hymn texts from various sources. -- [191-?].
2. Marriage certificate stubs. -- 1931-1958; predominant 1945-1951.
3. Notebooks of essays on theological themes. -- [19-]. -- Note: the hard cover notebook includes some newspaper clippings.
4. Financial accounting and church minutes. -- 1928-1931.
5. Kassenbuch der Ebenfelder Mennoniten Gemeinde. -- 1940-1958.
6. Congregational meeting minutes of the Ebenfelder Mennoniten Gemeinde. -- 1927-1931.
7. Gemeinde Bestand = Congregational membership of the Ebenfelder Mennoniten Gemeinde. -- 1932. -- Note: this consists of a listing of heads of households, number males and females in the household, number of males and females who were members in the congregation, and where they lived.
8. Verzeichnis der Immigranten aus den Kirchengemeinden an der Molotschna 1924, Petersburg, ON, Can. -- 1924. -- Note: this notebook contains the families and their ages in 1924, who lived in the Molotschna colony, immigrated to Canada in 1924 and were being hosted by Swiss Mennonite families in the Petersburg (Peterborough?) Ontario area.
Volume 5635
1. Three notebooks of financial accounting for farm land purchased, know as the Lamburn farm, by bishop Jacob B. Wiens, Bernhard B. Wiens, A.K. Klassen, G.B. Wiens, M.J. Wiens, J.J. Isaak, P.P. Sawatzky, J.J. Wiens, B.J. Wiens, P.J. Wiens. -- 1925-1929.
2. Notebook of poetry and crochetting instructions. - -[194-?].
3. Annual meeting and board meeting minutes. -- 1969-1972
4. Sermons. -- 1944-1973.
5. Gliederverzeichnis = Membership list der Ebenfelder mennoniten Gemeinde, SK. -- Nov. 10, 1965.
Volume 5642
1. Membership transfer douments (Gemeindeattest) and travel documents originating from congregations in Russia (eg. Chortitzer Mennoniten Gemeinde, and Canada. -- 1917-1965.
Photo Collection 728
Four photos of the building of the church in 1927.
https://archives.mhsc.ca/herschel-ebenfeld-mennonite-church-photograph-collection