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HomeMy WebLinkAbout817"Typewritten article with covering letter, 5 pages; 21.7 x 28 cm; written by Joe Nighswander. February 28, 1998 Isbrand Hiebert, Editor, Der Bote, Conference of Mennonites in Canada, 600 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, Manitoba. R3P 0M4 Dear Mr. Hiebert: You will recall your letter to me of Jan. 23, 1998, requesting me to write an article on the Swiss Mennonites of the Markham area. I have tried to highlight some history, as well as a brief overview of the current scene. Also included are a few photos, and a list of Toronto area Mennonite churches. I trust these submissions will be helpful to you, and are what you need for publication in Der Bote. Should you see fit to use this material, please mail me several copies of the issue in which you use my article. There is, of course, much more which could be written, but i understand there are space limitations. Sincerely, J.M. Nighswander " "SWISS MENNONITES IN THE MARKHAM AREA A well known story in the Markham area is of Pennsylvania farmer emigrant Peter Reesor who, in the late 1790's rode his horse up the Susquehanna trail to the land of his dreams near what is now the Town of Markham. It was well forested land with huge hardwoods and virgin pine trees, where small rivers flowing to nearby Lake Ontario would provide the power for future mills. When Peter purchased his land from the absentee owner, Fredrick Baron deHoen, an ex-army officer, he drove a hard bargain. The understanding was that Peter would trade his horse and saddle for six hundred acres. Following the handshake which sealed the deal, Peter slipped the bridle from the horse, put it over his shoulder, and began his walk back to Pennsylvania. When the vendor objected, Peter reminded him that only the horse and saddle were mentioned in the deal; so he carried the bridle back to Pennsylvania! The Swiss Mennonites Why the term ""Swiss"" Mennonites? To answer that question and to tell a small part of their story, is the purpose of this article. Because of bitter religious persecution, many of the Anabaptists living in Switzerland in the early 1700's, decided to migrate to the ""New World"". It is safe to postulate that the term ""Swiss"" was little used in America until the Anabaptists who had earlier gone to Russia at the invitation of Catherine the Great, moved to America in the 1870's and 1920's. Then it became necessary to find a word to describe the Ontario Mennonites who had emigrated from Pennsylvania in the early 1800's, and who, in some cases, helped the ""Russian Mennonites"" to get settled in various parts of Canada. A major factor in the migration of Swiss Mennonites to America in the 1700's was the invitation of William Penn to the ""Paradise of Pennsylvania"", where Quakers already enjoyed privileges in regard to religious freedoms, as well as reasonably priced, fertile lands and forests. Between 1683 and 1756 some 5,000 Mennonites emigrated from Switzerland and the Palatinate, settling in the Germantown, Franconia and Lancaster districts. My ancestors, the Neuenschwanders, were among them, arriving in the ship Phoenix, in 1754. " "From Pennsylvania to Ontario Why, in the early 1800's, did substantial numbers of Mennonites leave Penn's ""holy experiment"" to pioneer in Ontario? The reasons are quite well known, and are quite similar to the reasons for other Mennonite migrations, and include the following political and economic factors: > a desire to remain under the British Crown, and its special promises to them for exemption from military service, the swearing of oaths; and freedom of religious expression. >the availability of inexpensive, fertile land. >quite likely a sense of adventure! Why to the Markham/York District? Why did some ""Swiss"" Mennonites locate in the Markham area, rather than joining the majority to Waterloo County? Again, there are clear and specific reasons, including the following: >Already in 1786 a group of Mennonites migrated from Bucks County, Pa., to Ontario to the ""Twenty"", a creek 20 miles from Niagara, settling on the extremely fertile land between the escarpment and Lake Ontario. >A few years later, in 1788, another group located in the County of Welland, 15 miles from Lake Erie. No doubt news from these groups filtered back to Pa., and created awareness of Ontario and its attractions. >But a primary reason for settlement in the Markham area arose out of the experience of about 25 families who had moved to Waterloo County in 1803. These families had purchased land from a Richard Beasley. It soon became known that Beasley did not have a clear title to the land which he had ""sold"" to the Mennonites. As can be imagined, this caused great alarm and anxiety, and the movement of Mennonites to the Waterloo district terminated abruptly. Some families who had stopped en route to Waterloo at the Niagara peninsula settlements, changed their plans, and in 1804, and perhaps earlier, settled instead in the Markham area north east of Toronto (then known as Muddy York). Here they found fertile soil, virgin pine and great hardwood trees, and suitable streams for mill sites. They purchased large tracts of land for reasonable prices, and they prospered. So a prime reason for the ""Swiss"" Mennonites to settle in Markham was the troubled land purchase in Waterloo district from Richard Beasley. " "Among the first settlers to Markham/York were preachers Henry Wideman and Peter Musselman; the Christian Reesor family, including Christian's son Peter (referred to earlier) and son-in-law Abraham Stouffer after whom the Town of Stouffville is named. By 1841 a total of 851 Mennonites are listed as having settled in Markham, York, Pickering, Vaughan and Whitchurch. Family names included Reesor, Wideman, Grove, Hoover, Burkholder, Neighswander, Fretz, Schmidt, Barkey, Boyer, Kreider, Moyer, Lehman, Stouffer, Sherk, Raymer, and others. Most of these names are still common in this area. Early church congregations included Wideman, Cedar Grove, Schmitt, Altona, Almira, Huber, Stecklin, Risser. Altona, Schmitt, Almira, Risser are no longer in regular use. Huber and Stecklin no longer exist. Currently active ""Swiss"" Mennonite congregations in Markham/York Region, with current memberships are: Wideman (96); Rouge Valley (105); Hagerman (30); Stouffville Community (30); Markham Chinese (16). In most cases, regular attendance is higher than membership. Toronto churches are not included in this list. While the Markham area church communities are still in a sense ""Swiss Mennonite"" this designation is increasingly a misnomer. Currently members and attendees are from a wide variety of backgrounds. People with names such as Barber; Binks, Broadbent, Neufeldt, Campbell, Driedger; Forrest, Hamilton, Kay, Moyle, etc. etc. (as at Rouge Valley Mennonite) cannot with validity be called ""Swiss"". Is this a positive trend? I have no doubt it is! the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not bound or dependent on geography or countries of origin. Are we not all ""one in Christ""? We can be enriched by racial, geographical and cultural diversity! May God give us the vision, wisdom, and grace to retain what is of value in our heritage and traditions, whatever their origin; while at the same time being open to what we can learn from each other. J.M. Nighswander " "BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Burkholder, L.J. A Brief History of Mennonites in Ontario. Markham, Ont. Mennonite Conference of Ontario, 1935 2. Epp, Frank H. Mennonites in Canada 1786-1920. Macmillian of Canada, 1974 3. The Mennonite Encyclopedia Volume IV O-Z. The Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, 1973. 4. The Reesor Family in Canada, A Trail Through the Centuries. The Reesor Family in Canada, Inc., 1980. "