⛪ Researching Mennonite Regions of Damals Preußen (Former Prussia)

For those researching the Mennonite areas of what was once Westpreußen (West Prussia) and Ostpreußen (East Prussia), the work can be challenging. This guide outlines a thorough, exhaustive, and disciplined approach to conducting Mennonite research, emphasizing the identification of original source materials over secondary sources.

Do not confuse this approach with being easy; it is, rather, focused and rigorous.

1. Primary Research Materials

The following major genealogical resources are used for obtaining Mennonite source material, listed in order of the author's preference. This preference is based on which sources offer the most readable, clean, and original source documentation, as transcribed information is often inaccurate or incomplete.

Rank Resource Access Key Features
1. Archion Non-Free Records are generally beautifully photographed and represent a complete collection of Eastern German Mennonite materials. Records are NOT digitally searchable, so researchers must read every record. Mennonite records found within non-Mennonite church records are often labeled Sonstiges (other or misc.).
2. GrandMa Online (GRanDMA) Non-Free Contains vetted genealogical information on Mennonite and Hutterite individuals, traceable to communities in Prussia (now Poland) and South Russia (now Ukraine). Offers numerous data mining tools, but moving data to a personal tree is labor-intensive.
3. FamilySearch Free Offers decent albeit rough 'digital searching' facilities, but results are not guaranteed to be either accurate or thorough. The service has numerous transcription errors. Digitally sourced information does not always provide usable links to the original source, and group trees are inherently inaccurate.
4. Mennonitica Free May be the most complete set of available records, covering Eastern Prussian provinces and Poland (predominantly Dutch-descent Mennonites) and Galicia and Poland (mainly Swiss-descent Mennonites). Records are multiply imaged but not digitally searchable, requiring the researcher to read every record.
5. Danzig Church Records Free Specifically contains Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths in the Danzig Church from 1665–1943, transliterated and digitized by Ernest H. Baergen.
6. Ancestry.com Non-Free The source images, when provided, are often of the poorest image quality. Digital results frequently point to FamilySearch records that may be unavailable or incorrectly keyed. Group trees, image hints, and automated Birth, Marriage, and Death suggestions are frequently inaccurate or useless.

2. Supporting Research Materials and Gazetteers

These support websites are crucial for gaining insights into locations, distances between churches, and potential ecclesiastical search areas.

  1. Meyers Gazetteer: Considered the most important German gazetteer, as its goal was to list every place name in the German Empire (1871–1918). It provides the location, state, and other jurisdictions, including where the civil registry office and parishes were. The main limitation is that it does not provide the corresponding parish location if a town did not have one.
  2. Kartenmeister: Offers a comprehensive database of locations East of the Oder and Neisse rivers, based on the borders of the eastern provinces in Spring 1918. It contains over 108,600 locations and tracks over 45,000 name changes.
  3. Mennonite Genealogical Resources: An excellent place to acquaint yourself with all Mennonite regions, offering extensive data links. Much of the material is available in transcribed, typed, and PDF formats (often digitally searchable), though original source material is less accessible here than on Archion or Mennonitica.
  4. Additional Resources: For a more exhaustive set of resources:

3. Where to Hunt: Specific Regions and Congregations

To research Mennonites from the specific regions of the Vistula Delta (Weichsel-Nogat-Delta), researchers must investigate all Mennonite Gemeinden (Community) records as well as Evangelical Church materials, as Mennonite records may appear in one or both locations.

The following list comprises places within the former German Kreisen (counties) of Elbing, Marienburg, and Riesenburg, as well as Mennonite areas around Königsberg, where records should be sought:

Kreis Marienburg, Riesenburg, Königsberg & Elbing (Mennonite & Evangelische Churches)

  1. Altfelde
  2. Altmünsterberg
  3. Baarenhof
  4. Barendt
  5. Danzig
  6. Elbing
  7. Elbing-Ellerwald
  8. Elbing, St. Annen > Sonstige Verzeichnisse
  9. Elbing, St. Marien > Sonstige Verzeichnisse
  10. Fischau
  11. Fürstenau
  12. Fürstenwerder
  13. Gnojau
  14. Gross Lesewitz
  15. Gross Lichtenau
  16. Groß Mausdorf
  17. Gross Rohdau
  18. Heubuden
  19. Jungfer
  20. Katznase
  21. Königsberg
  22. Kunzendorf
  23. Ladekopp
  24. Lemberg
  25. Liessau
  26. Lindenau
  27. Marienau
  28. Marienburg
  29. Mennoniten Gemeinde Elbing
  30. Montau
  31. Neukirch und Prangenau
  32. Neuheide
  33. Neuteich
  34. Neuteich, Landgemeinde
  35. Neuteich, Mennoniten
  36. Neuteich, Stadtgemeinde
  37. Neuwied
  38. Orlofferfelde
  39. Palschau
  40. Petershagen
  41. Plauschwarren
  42. Pomehrendorf
  43. Preußisch Mark
  44. Reisenberg
  45. Riesenburg, 1. Pfarrstelle
  46. Riesenburg, 2. Pfarrstelle
  47. Riesenburg, 2. Pfarrstelle Land
  48. Riesenburg, 2. Pfarrstelle Stadt
  49. Rosenort
  50. Schadwalde
  51. Schöneberg an der Weichsel
  52. Schönsee
  53. Stalle
  54. Stalle, Stuhmer Kreis
  55. Tannsee
  56. Tannsee und Lindenau
  57. Thiensdorf
  58. Thiensdorf-Marcushof
  59. Tiegenhagen
  60. Tiegenhof
  61. Tiegenort
  62. Tragheimerweide
  63. Trunz
  64. Weierhof
  65. Wernersdorf
  66. Westpreußisches Geimeinde
  67. Zeyer
  68. Zweibrücken

Credits and Licensing

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa and Professional Genealogist.

All materials licensed: Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License by eirenicon limited liability company.