©Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Last updated January 31, 2003)

Peter Toews fonds. -- 1683-1981 ; predominant 1843-1913. -- .5 m of textual records and about 2500 frames of microfilm.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Peter Toews (1841-1922) was born to Johann (1793-1873) and Maria (1811-1895) (Plett) Toews on July 24, 1841 in Fischau, South Russia. In 1861 he was baptized into the Kleine Gemeinde Mennonite church. He married Anna Warkentin (1843-1925), daughter of Johann (1817-1886) and Anna (1819-1874) Loewen on March 24, 1863. Twelve children were born to the couple. Youngest son, Isaac, followed Peter into the ministry. In 1866 Peter Toews was elected as a minister in the church. In the same year the Toews family moved to the Kleine Gemeinde settlement of Markuslandt where they farmed. Around 1869 Peter and his family moved to the village of Blumenhof in the Borosenko Colony. Peter Toews was elected as Aeltester (elder or Bishop) of the Kleine Gemeinde at Rosenfeld, Borosenko.

The Russian government began to make some changes in the way the Mennonites related to the state. Some people felt the changes made it harder for the Mennonites to remain true to their beliefs. In 1872 Peter Toews traveled to St. Petersburg as a part of a delegation of Mennonite leaders who sought to express their concerns to the Czar about the new laws. This attempt proved unsuccessful and so another delegation was sent to see the Czar in the Crimea, but was only able to speak to the governor-general.

Toews and his church felt it was best to move to Canada so they could live according to their conscience. The Toews family arrived in Canada in 1875 and settled on the East Reserve, in the village of Gruenfeld. The following year, in 1876, he began regular correspondence with John Holdeman, leader of the Church of God in Christ (Mennonite), CGCM. In October of 1879, Holdeman made a visit to Manitoba after an invitation from Toews. In June of 1881 Toews and two other ministers went to Kansas to visit Holdeman and the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren churches. Toews came back to Manitoba convinced that, in Holdeman's group, he had found the true church. In the winter of 1881 John Holdeman and Mark Seiler came to Manitoba to conduct revival meetings. About one third (165 people) of the Kleine Gemeinde membership joined the Holdeman church, including Peter Toews and two of five ministers. In 1882 Toews was ordained as a minister in the Holdeman church. He served the church in various ways -- one of which was as assistant editor of Botschafter der Wahrheit. Toews' talents included poetry and music. In1906 he edited the first CGCM hymnal, Unparteiisches Liederbuch, which included about thirty of his own songs. The book was reprinted in a second edition in 1915.

In 1911 the family moved to Swalwell, Albert where he continued to write despite failing eyesight. He died in 1922.

CUSTODIAL HISTORY

Material in this collection has come to the archives from several sources. A microfilm was created by the Mennonite Heritage Centre in the Spring of 1981 from borrowed materials from Mennonite Library and Archives, North Newton, Kansas, Ben D. Penner and Milton and Margaret Toews. (Milton Toews was a great grandson of Peter Toews.) In the fall of 1981 Milton and Margaret Toews donated the material to the archives including papers added to the collection by Isaac Toews, a grandson of Peter Toews and father of Milton. Lawrence Klippenstein made photocopies of some of the material from Bethel College and added them to the collection. Material from Ben Penner was also photocopied and included in the collection. In 1993 Delbert Plett of Steinbach donated a Peter Toews sermon collection to the Mennonite Heritage Centre..

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The Peter Toews collection consists of a variety of materials, both published and unpublished. Among the published materials are a number of items of rare Mennonitica. Most notable among these are such works as:

Johannes Decknatel, ed. Auszug aus den merkwuerdigsten Abhandlungen aus den

Werken Menno Simons. Koenigsberg: D.E. Kanter, 1765.

Peter Toews, ed. Das wachsame Auge Gottes: Aus den hinterlassenen Schriften

Des Johann Toews. Elkhart, IN: Mennonite Publishing Co., 1908.

Most of the other published items are less noteworthy than these three and seem to have been added to the collection by Peter's grandson Isaac Toews at a later date. The latter have some interest regarding subjects such as anti-Semitism, popular American theology, and historical theology of the Mennonites.

The collection contains considerable diary/memoir material. The "Erfahrungen und Beobachtungen" are essentially letter-books compiled by Peter Toews. This material was largely written and collected in the mid 1890s. He deals with the period ca.1860-1890 in these booklets. The greatest amount of space is given to church issues. The diary material covers the years 1871-1878 and 1910-1914. The earlier diary also focuses heavily on church affairs. The later one is more like a scrapbook, with appended statements of his expenditures. It contains some comments re. Church affairs, copies of letters and documents written in this period, and poems he wrote (as well as some copied from other sources) during these years.

Another significant item in the Peter Toews collection is the first Manitoba church membership register of the Kleine Gemeinde group. The register lists some people who stayed in Russia. For numerous families, the register lists both their Russian and Manitoba places of residence. Frequently, additional comments have been made about a given family, either pertaining to migration to Kansas, Nebraska, or Alberta, or about the circumstances surrounding the death of some family member. The register has not been consistently updated after 1879, which leads one to believe that a new register was begun at that time. For some families Toews made entries until the 1890s.

The collection contains a handwritten volume on the history of the Kleine Gemeinde from its inception to the mid-1870s. (This manuscript has been translated and published in Plett's History and Events.) Much of the material pertains to elections of church officers (and in some cases removal of them), questions of faith and church practice dealt with by the church, and discussions on non-resistance and emigration in the face of the threat of universal military service in Russia.

Peter Toews has also maintained collections of correspondence material. One group of letters dates from the period 1866-1872. The people with whom he corresponded were largely Kleine Gemeinde church members from the Molotschna and Crimean Mennonite settlements. Most of the letters pertain to the church affairs of the community.

In addition to this, he has correspondence which he copied out by hand into a small 17 x 11 cm booklet. The letters deal with a wide variety of subjects, some personal, and some church-related (e.g. discussions of church discipline). There are also a few letters from other time periods. It should be noted that this collection does not contain all of Toews' original correspondence. At least some correspondence is part of the Mennonite Library and Archives collection.

Another significant category of material in this collection includes the manuscripts of a great number of the poems which Toews wrote. His poetry is almost exclusively religious and devotional in nature. One particularly interesting poem, his "Nachklang zum Empire Tag," is a reaction to the exaggerated patriotism which he observed in the Empire Day celebrations. The collection also contains a manuscript copy of Das wachsame Auge Gottes.

A small amount of material relates to World War I. The documents deal with the question of exemption from military service and with the 'Holdeman' people's refusal to contribute the National Patriotic Fund.

Finally there is an assortment of other material in the collection, including a bologna recipe, an arithmetic notebook, a meditation on Psalm 90, a sermon on the reasons for leaving Russia, and several copies of his will (including an addendum regarding his literary estate).

This collection has a substantial number of potential research possibilities. In the first instance it provides much information on the faith and, to a lesser extent, the daily life of Mennonites in Prussia and Russia.

More noteworthy for Canadian studies is the fact that in this collection one can examine the records of a leader involved in the emigration from Russia to Canada. It allows one to examine what motivated him to leave Russia - was it the "push" factor of new laws in Russia or was it the lure of economic opportunity in Canada.

The collection provides considerable scope for a study on the theology of the Kleine Gemeinde and 'Holdeman' churches, as well as Toews' personal theology. The large volume of poetry written by Toews allows one to study theological and other questions from a literary angle.

Peter Toews collected information on the history of the Kleine Gemeinde. These materials all predate the group's arrival in Canada, but they do provide a good insight into the historical evolution (both socially and intellectually) of this Mennonite group. The records further provide some useful materials for studying the CGCM in both the USA and Canada.

The church membership register could provide some possibilities for demographic studies of the Kleine Gemeinde during the early years of settlement in Manitoba. It can be used for reconstructing the statistical data of the original Kleine Gemeinde communities of the East Reserve and for studying migratory patterns during the 1870s. The register is also a valuable resource for genealogy and family history.

Eight series have been identified in this collection. 1) Peter Toews writings 2) Isaac Toews material 4) Church matters 5) Wilhelm Giesbrecht material 6) Books and pamphlets 7) Sermons 8) Microfilm material. The majority of the material is handwritten German gothic script.

NOTES

Accession nos. 81-7; 81-8; 93-077.

Location: 588, 2208, 2781, 4237 Microfilm 223, 224.

Finding aid: Series description and inventory file list.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Peter Toews writings. -- 1843, 1860-1864, 1866-1872, 1875, 1880-1882, 1886, 1891, 1893, 1895-1897, 1903-1913, 1917-1919, [191-?], 1924, 1932, 1933. -- 17 cm of textual records.

This series consists of correspondence to and from Peter Toews, poetry, financial records, and other material copied by Toews from other sources. A large portion of it deals with church and spiritual matters. Toews also wrote some hymns, which have been photocopied in [1981?] from a hymnbook and placed in this series. A few letters are dated after Peter died and may have been collected by son Isaac.

Location: 2208:4-9; 2781:2-6, 14-23, 25, 28; 588:3-4

Isaac Toews material. -- [19-], 1922, 1933, 1940-1943, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1954. - 2 cm of textual records

This series consists of material collected and written by Isaac Toews. Included are sermons, pamphlets, clippings, and family history material.

Location: 2208:1-3.

Church matters. -- 1871-1872. - 8 cm of textual records.

This series consists of sermons, church history, accounts of negotiations with the Russian Czar, and letters that all pertain to the Kleine Gemeinde.

Location: 2781:7, 24, 26, 27.

Wilhelm Giesbrecht material. - 1873, 1888-1890, 1892, 1893, 1900, 1908, 1909. - - 4 cm of textual records.

The material in this series consists of photocopies of records collected or written by Wilhelm Giesbrecht. Some of the correspondence is unclear if it is to Toews or Giesbrecht but one folder has been included in this series.

Location: 588:1-2.

Books and pamphlets. -- 1683, 1765, 1908, 1915, 1917, 1920, 1924, 1933, 1937, 1942, 1952. - 9 cm of textual records.

This series consists of major published works that Peter and son Isaac Toews collected. Included are books regarding Jews, Mennonite history and faith. Of special interest are three books

Peter Toews ed., Das Waschsame Auge Gottes: Aus den Hinterlassenen Schriften des

Johann Toews, Elkhart, Indiana: Mennonite Publishing Co., 1908.

Johannes Decknatel, ed., Auszug aus den Merkwuerdigsten Abhandlungen aus den

Werken Menno Simons, Koenigsberg: D.E. Kanter, 1765.

Location: 588:5,6; 2781:8-13

Johann Toews material. - 1860. - 2 cm of textual records.

This series contains material written by Johann Toews and was later published by his son Peter in 1908, entitled Das Waschsame Auge Gottes: Aus den Hinterlassenen Schriften des Johann Toews, which is included in this collection.

Location: 2781:1.

Sermons. -- [18-], [186-], 1867-1871, [187]. -- 7 cm of textual records.

The material in this series consists of photocopies made in 1993 of 28 hand written sermons by Peter Toews.

Location: 4237.

Microfilm material. - 1981. - approximately 2500 frames.

This series consists of the Peter Toews collection microfilmed by the Mennonite Heritage Centre in the spring of 1981. Its contents consisted of the writing and publication of Peter Toews borrowed from Ben D. Penner, Mennonite Library and Archives of Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas, and Milton and Margaret Toews. Location: Microfilm 223, 224.

Photocopies of Church of God in Christ Mennonite (Holdeman) materials from the collection of Peter Toews and Wilhelm Giesbrecht donated by Ben D. Penner, Steinbach.

1. Correspondence. - Oct. 1893-Dec. 29, 1909.
2. Giesbrecht manuscripts : hymn books and family histories.
3. Peter Toews - "Köstlicher Weg in Liedern", Konferenzbeschlüsse, 1947, Unparteyisches Gesangbuch.
4. Peter J. Twisk - "Peaceable Kingdom of Christ", "Die Hirten Treue Jesu Christi", "Ueber Bibel Studien", "Das Tanzen"
5. John Holdeman - "Christian Nature of Children"
6. Book: Die Sekten der Gegenwart und neuere Weltanschauungsgebilde / von Paul Scheurlen (Stuttgart, 1930) 437 pp.

1. Miscellaneous items related to the ministry of Isaac Toews ordained in Swalwell, Alberta in 1922.
2. Poems (newspaper clippings and handwritten) collected by Isaac Toews
3. Pamplets, tracts and clippings collected by Isaac Toews

Selected items collected by Lawrence Klippenstein from the Mennonite Library and Archives, Bethel College.

4. Peter Toews correspondence. - 1843, 1866, 1869-1870, 1875, 1880, 1882, 1895-1897, 1903, 1932-1933.
5. Eleven letters and articles copied by Peter Toews, 1843-1848; "Erstens ein Christlicher Sendbrief wider der Hoffart..."
6. Artitcle / letter by Abraham Friesen. - 1882.
7. Notebook entitled "List of ministers of Kleinegemeinde" by Peter Friesen. Dated ca. 1889, includes history of church leaders, articles and letters.
8. Sermon sent to Peter W. Friesen in 1895 entitled "Predigt ueber Lukas Kap. 19, 6 bis 9. Geschrieben anno 1895 im Januar."
9. Fragments. - undated. Includes a hymn and some records keeping.

1. Peter Toews notebook. - 1860-1861. This item begins "Das wachsame Auge Gottes an die Herzen meiner lieben Kinder von Joh. Toews" and contains words of spiritual advice written by Johann Toews, Fischau and copied by Peter Toews, as well as a section of the Toews family genealogy back to 1766.
2. Peter Toews notebook of poems and letters. - 1860-1864.
3. Erfahrungen und Biobachten (five notebooks)
4. Notebook including calculations.
5. Sermon, 1896.
6. Memoirs of Peter Toews, 1909-1913.
7. Diary. - 1871-1878.
8. Pamphlet: Das wachsame Auge Gottes aus den hinterlassenen Schriften des Johann Toews / gesammelt von Sohn Aelt. Peter Toews, Kleefeld, Manitoba gedruckt von der Mennonite Publishing Co., Elkhart, Indiana, 1908.
9. Book: Johannes Decknatel, ed., Auszug aus den Merkwuerdigsten Abhandlungen aus den Werken Menno Simons, Koenigsberg: D.E. Kanter, 1765
10. Book: Confession oder kurze und einfaeltige Glaubens Bekaentnisse derer Mennoniten in Preussen (Confessio aut Breves ao SimplicesFidei Articuli illorum Mennonistarum in Borusia), Lublin, Poland, n.p., 1683.
11. Book: The kingdom of the Jews or the International Jew, Research Publishing Company, Edmonton, 1933.
12. Book: The International Jew, The Dearborn Publishing Company, 1920.
13. Peter Toews pamphlets and booklets (10 items)
14. Poems: newspaper clippings
15. Poems: newspaper clippings
16. Correspondence. - 1892-1912.
17. Correspondence. - 1866-1868.
18. Correspondence. - 1869.
19. Correspondence. - 1870.
20. Correspondence. - 1871.
21. Correspondence. - 1872.
22. One letter. - 15. July 1869.
23. Copy of John Holdeman's letter to his father. - 1865-1893.
24. Negotiations re. Non-resistance including report on trip to St. Petersburg written by L. Suderman, Berdjansk. - 1870s.
25. Miscellaneous handwritten material of Peter Toews.
26. Manuscript: "Samlung von Briefen und ....zur Historie der Kleine Gemeinde der Mennoniten an der Molotschna: Erstes Buch" / collected by Peter Toews. - 1871.
27. Manitoba Kleinegemeinde Family Membership register / compiled by Peter Toews.
28. Diary / journal containing copies of correspondence, poems, memoirs. - 1910-1911.

Peter Toews - Sermons

1. 5. Untitled sermon
2. 7. Ueber 1. Peter 2. v.1. Das Leben eines Christen
3. 9. Osterpredigt. Text ueber 1ste Thessaloniker 4. v.14.

Microfilm 223 and 224 (microfilmed May 1981)

Table of Contents

I. Milton Toews Collection

1. Correspondence, Peter Toews, 1866-1872

1. Correspondence to Peter Toews, 1866-1872, as found in five packets dated 1866-1868, 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872 respectively.

1. Letters from Heinrich Ens, Fischau; Gerhard Goossen, Lindenau, Molotschna; and Peter Baerg and Jakob Wiebe from Annenfeld. Crimea, and various others from the years 1866, 1867, 1868.
2. Letters from Jakob Wiebe and Peter Baerg from Annenfeld, Crimea; Abraham Friesen, Prangenau; Johann Dueck, Alexanderkron, Molotschna; and many others from the year 1869.
3. Letters from P.Baerg from the Crimea; Abraham Klassen and Johann Dueck, and various others from the year 1870.
4. Letters from Peter Baerg from Annenfeld, Crimea; Abraham Klassen, Prangenau; and Johann Dueck, Alexanderkron, Molotschna; and various others from the year 1871.
5. Letters from Peter Baerg from Annenfeld, Crimea; from Abraham Klassen, Prangenau; and from John F. Funk, North America, from the year 1872.

1. Correspondence from Peter Toews, 1869; one letter to father dated July 15, 1869.

1. Books and Articles, published and unpublished, dated from 1765, 1769, and ca.1860-1900.

1. "Ein Danziger Brief (aus dem vorigen Jahrhundert)," November 30ten, 1769. pp. 73-89 out of larger book.

-As obtained by Peter Toews in 1896.

2. Handwritten book of Peter Toews, 1860-1895. Containing: a) article written by his father "Das Wachsame Auge Gottes an die Herzen meiner lieben Kinder,von J. Toews, geschrieben 1860 Peter Toews," and b) other records from 1793 until 1895. 90 pp.
3. Handwritten book by Peter Toews, 1871-1900. Containing a collection of letters and information for the history of the Kleine Gemeinde, 1812-1900, as compiled by Peter Toews from 1871-1900. 477pp. Also included is transliterated copy of book, as published by Delbert F. Plett, (1981).
4. Notebook containing "Observations and Experiences, by Peter Toews, 1896." 13pp.
5. Miscellaneous article, undated. 2pp.

II. Ben D. Penner Collection, Church of God in Christ Mennonite (Holdeman); (XX-20, Vol.588, CMC Archives).

1. Hymns by Peter Toews, as published between ca.1910-1924.

1. "Wie Gott das Gebet einer Mutter erhoert." Peter Toews, Hochstadt, Manitoba, 1910. 10 pp.
2. Der koestlichere Weg in Liedern, by Peter Toews, Stern, Alberta (Giroux, Manitoba: Der Volks-Bote Druckerei, 1914). 32pp.
3. "Der Vater Erbe" Peter Toews, Stern, Alberta.
4. "Unser Monument" Peter Toews, Swalwell, Alberta.
5. Hymns by Peter Toews, Swalwell, Alberta, as taken from the book Unparteiisches Liederbuch... (1924).

III. Bethel College, Mennonite Library and Archives Collection

1. Peter Toews, MLA MS #77, File numbers 1-23. Containing correspondence, notebooks and writings, 1859-1881.

1. Register
2. Personal: Homestead Entry Receipt
3. Notebook: "A Writing from Peter Toews to the Molotschna Churches on Baptism," 1869.
4. Notebook: Privileges granted by Paul I to the Mennonites in 1800 (copy made in 1859).
5. Notebook: Conference decisions re. Nicolas Schmidt, December 4, 1863.
6. Correspondence :Letters by Isaac Loewen, 1865.
7. Correspondence: H. Ens and J. Wiebe (?), 1866-1867.
8. Correspondence: "Thirty Most Important Letters written..." 1866-1870 (notebook).
9. Correspondence: Various letters, inquiries of U.S. and Canadian govts., etc, 1870-1873 (notebook).
10. Correspondence: Baerg, Klassen, etc. - 1873 (packet).
11. Correspondence: January to June 1873.
12. Correspondence: July to December 1873.
13. Correspondence: 1874 (string-bound) letters and papers.
14. Correspondence. re. Emigration, etc., - January-June 1874.
15. Correspondence: with immigrants to Canada - July-December 1874.
16. Correspondence: to Toews - January-April 1875.
17. Correspondence: Letters to Russia and to Canadians - 1876-1877.
18. Ship Lists - June to August 1874.
19. Visit of the Queen of England and the Canadian Governor General:

Mennonite Privileges - 1877 (notebook).

20. Writings by A. Friesen - 1881.
21. Writing by B. Harder, "Words of Truth in Love" - 1871.
22. Writing by Abr. Klassen on repentance, etc. - 1871.
23. Miscellaneous.

1. John Holdeman, MLA MS #92, File numbers 17-20. Containing correspondence of Peter Toews in the years -1875-1876, 1880-1883, 1886-1887, 1902, 1910.

1. #92 John (Johann) Holdeman; Peter Toews correspondence: Brother Cornelius Toews (JIP collection ) - 1875.
2. #92 John (Johann) Holdeman; Peter Toews correspondence: various persons (JIP collection).
3. #92 John (Johann) Holdeman; Peter Toews correspondence: miscellaneous (IT collection).

1. Miscellaneous - as collected by Lawrence Klippenstein. Mennonite lIbrary and Archives, Bethel College.

1. Correspondence, Peter Toews - 1843, 1866, 1869-1870, 1875, 1880, 1882, 1895-1897, 1903, 1932-1933.
2. Books

1. Eleven letters and articles copied by Peter Toews - 1843-1948; "erstens ein Christlicher Sendbrief wider die Hoffart...." 54 pp.
2. Article/letter by Abraham Friesen, 1882.
3. Notebook entitled "List of Ministers of Kleine Gemeinde" by Peter Friesen. Dated ca. 1889, includes history of church leaders, articles and letters.
4. Sermon sent to Peter W. Friesen - 1895. "Predigt ueber Lukas Kap. 19, 6 bis 9. Geschrieben anno 1895 in Januar."

1. Fragments, undated. Includes a hymn and some record keeping.