Mennonite Church in the United States

United States  Church Records   Mennonite Church Records

Online Records

 * Mennonite Immigrants, 1872-1904 The Index provides the following information:

• Individual RIN • Spouse RIN • Parent RIN • Ship Name • Ship Code
 * • Surname • Given Name • Sex • Estimated Birth Date • Arrival Age • Stated Occupation
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 * Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-2014, ($), index, at Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com can be searched free of charge at a local Family History Center.
 * MennObits Link: A research site for those interested in Amish and Mennonite families. This site contains obituaries from the Herald of Truth (1864-1908), the Gospel Witness (1905-1908), and the Gospel Herald (1908-1998), the weekly newspapers of the Mennonite Church (MC) in North America. In addition, obituaries from The Mennonite (1998- ) have been added, as well as a few from the Mennonite Weekly Review (MWR).
 * Swiss Anabaptist Genealogical Association Databases
 * Mennonite Library and Archives Databases
 * Mennonitische Rundschau Obituaries Index: 1930-2001
 * GRanDMA's Window
 * Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
 * Mennonite Heritage Center Online Collections Database
 * Menno Simons Historical Library Online Databases

History in the United States

 * The name of Mennonite came from followers of the former Catholic Priest, Menno Simons, who, during the 16th century, embraced the Anabaptist beliefs and became a religious leader.
 * Because of persecution, many fled to America in the late 1600's and settled in Pennsylvania.
 * Among the Mennonites emerged a group who followed a Swiss Mennonite Bishop named Jakob Amman; these became known as the Amish or Amish Mennonites.
 * Eventually more variations of the European Mennonites began immigrating to the United States. In the early 1800’s Mennonites settled in Ohio and Missouri with Mennonites from Russia settling in Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota in the 1870's.
 * The Amish Mennonites settled mainly inOhio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, with some groups in Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota.
 * For a time there were two main Mennonite groups in North America; the Mennonite Church, with roots in Pennsylvania, and the General Conference Mennonite Church which was began in Iowa in 1860 and included many of the Russian immigrants.
 * Eventually, these two groups united in 2002 and became the Mennonite Church USA.

Archives and Libraries
Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies Tabor College 400 South Jefferson Hillsboro, KS 67063 Phone:(620) 947-3121 ext. 1211 or ext. 1212
 * Website
 * Resources

Mennonite Church USA Archives 3145 Benham Ave, Suite 1 Elkhart, IN 46517 Telephone: 574-523-3080
 * Website

Menno Simons Historical Library Eastern Mennonite University 1200 Park Road Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802

Phone: 540-432-4178 E-mail: simone.horst@emu.edu
 * Website Has several online collections

Mennonite Heritage Center Historical Library and Archives 565 Yoder Road Harleysville, PA 19438-1020

Phone: 215-256-3020 E-mail: info@mhep.org
 * Website
 * Genealogy Resources
 * Cemetery Database
 * Online Collections Database

Mennonite Historical Library at Gishen College
 * Website

Genealogical and Historical Societies

 * Swiss Anabaptist Genealogical Association is dedicated to compiling and digitizing genealogical records of Swiss, German, French, Austrian and Eastern Immigrant families with Anabaptist roots, begun by families in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.
 * Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society
 * Mennonite Historical Society at Goshen College

Writing for Records

 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * For a directory of Congregations, see the Mennonite Church USA Find a Church.

Websites

 * Cyndi's List - Mennonite