Hutterite Church in the United States

United States Church Records  Hutterite Church Records

History
Hutterites, also called Hutterian Brethren, are an ethnoreligious group that is a communal branch of Anabaptists who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th century.

The founder of the Hutterites, Jacob Hutter, "established the Hutterite colonies on the basis of the Schleitheim Confession, a classic Anabaptist statement of faith" of 1527, with the first communes being formed in 1528. Since the death of their eponym Jacob Hutter in 1536, the beliefs of the Hutterites, especially living in a community of goods and nonresistance, have resulted in hundreds of years of diaspora in many countries. They embarked on a series of migrations through central and eastern Europe. Nearly extinct by the 18th century, the Hutterites migrated to Russia in 1770, and about a hundred years later to North America. Over the course of 140 years, their population living in community of goods recovered from about 400 to around 50,000 at present. Today, almost all Hutterites live in Western Canada and the upper Great Plains of the United States (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington State). Many believers are of German descent and still use their native tongue at home and in church. "Colonies" share property, practice non-resistance, dress plainly, do not participate in politics, and operate their own schools.Source: Wikipedia

Baptisms
Children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give: {|
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 * the name of the deceased
 * the date and place of death or burial
 * the deceased's age
 * place of residence
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 * cause of death
 * the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower
 * parents' names, or at least the father's name
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Membership Lists

 * names of members, sometimes listed in families
 * date of joining
 * possibly previous residence


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Writing to a Local Church
While Hutterite preachers have been diligent in recording the family histories and vital events of their colonies in church books, to our certain knowledge none have ever been microfilmed nor made generally available. Writing to the local colony could locate records. See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Hutterian Brethren Directory
 * New Hutterite Contact Directory

Archives
Mennonite Historical Library Good Library Goshen College 1700 South Main Street Goshen, Indiana 46526

Phone: (574) 535-7418 Fax: (574) 535-7438 Email: mhl@goshen.edu
 * Website bibliographies, texts and images on topics related to the Radical Reformation, the Anabaptists, Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish and various related groups. Swiss and Amish emphasis.

Websites

 * FEEFHS Hutterite Resources