Mennonites in the Vistula valley near Thorn-Torun in Prussia are documented before 1600. Their history has been summarized in Mennonitische Lexikon, Vol. 4: 320-323. The big river (Latin: Vistula, German: Weichsel, Polish: Wisla) had always been fateful in the lives of settlers of the valley who were affected by annual spring floods caused by the melting snow in the south and the blocking ice in the north. The river flowing south to north by periodical flooding provided rich sediments for the soil, but also often placed the lives of farmers and their lifestock in danger. Failure to recognize Mennonite non-violence by the Prussian administration and the peril by the river were the cause of decrease and final doom of Mennonites in the Obernessau region which was also known by its Polish name Niszewke or Nischewken. When engineers finally were able to control the river by dikes during the last decades before 1900, the emigration had run its course, notably under the leadership of Elder Wilhelm Ewert to Bruderthal in Kansas in 1874 (1). The numerical decline of Mennonites is shown by the Prussian census for Kreis Thorn (2) : 1816 - 272; 1840 - 199; 1861 - 130; 1895 - 100; 1910 - 36. Vital statistics records of births-marriages-deaths had been kept by the ministers since 1739, but have not surfaced after 1945 (3) Since Obernessau was not annexed by Prussia during the first partition of Poland in 1772, we do not find the families listed in the Mennonite census of 1776 (4).
Village archives in Archiwum Panstwowe in Torun, Poland may give names of land holders during this time. As an example, the names of families at Korzeniec are listed as follows (* designates names presumably Mennonite) :
1737:
1. Jakuba Brant*; 2.Heinricus Jantz*; 3.Widowa Melerowna;
4.Marcin Polloc; 5.Jedrzi Ewert*; 6.Jacuba Polloc
1766 - 7.August Morgen-Ruten
Abram Jans* 19 32
Krystian Sztefan 14 7
Jan Derks* 18 10
Jan Harm* 24 63
Hynrich Jans* 21 163
Jan Rynwans 8 103
Piotr Szroeder* 14 219
1775, 26 Junius:
Names of "Wirte" 1.Christian Lau; 2.Christian Stefan; 3.Johan Dercks*; 4.Johan Harm*; 5.Heinrich Jants*; 6.Johan Renwans; 7.Jacob Bartel*
signed: Carl Gottlieb Zumpe, Schulmeister.
In 1793 Prussia annexed the Thorn region as part of the newly formed province of South Prussia. The Prussian administration conducted the first complete census of Mennonite families in 1795 (Table 1) according to the same format which is known for the 1776 census of the rest of West Prussia.
Table 1:Mennonite Census in South Prussia in 1795
Verzeichnis saemmtlicher im Radziejewoschen Kreise befindlichen Mennonisten,
aufgenommen und gefertigt im Monath Mart.1795 - Kienast
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(M=Man;W=wife;S=sons;T=daughters;K=Knechte;Mg=maids)
M W S T K Mg Total
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1.Kl.Niszewke
1.Wirt Jacob Adrian 1 1 - 1 - - 3
2.Gaertner Peter Jahns 1 1 - - - 1 3
3.Wirth Heinrich Adrian 1 1 1 2 1 - 6
4.dito Johann Ewert 1 1 - 1 - - 3
5.dito Heinrich Jahns 1 1 2 - - 1 5
6.dito Abraham Nickel, Prediger 1 1 2 2 - - 6
7.dito Abraham Bartel 1 1 3 - - - 5
8.dito Zacharias Bartel, Prediger 1 1 4 1 - - 7
9.dito Abraham Eck 1 1 1 2 - - 5
10.dito Jacob Bartel 1 1 - - - - 2
11.dito Peter Bartel, Prediger 1 - 2 2 - - 5
12.dito Leonhardt Bartel 1 1 2 2 1 - 7
13.dito Jacob Jahns 1 1 1 1 - 1 5
14.dito Johann Schroeter 1 1 1 2 - - 5
15.dito Cornelius Bartel 1 1 - 1 - - 3
16.dito Heinrich Voht 1 1 - 1 - 1 4
17.Gaertner David Kliewer 1 1 - 1 - - 3
18.dito Kuhnert Rosenfeld 1 1 - 1 - - 3
19.Schulz Heinrich Bartel 1 1 2 - - 1 5
Summa:.................................. 19 18 21 20 2 5 85
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2.Gr.Niszewke
1.Wirth Gerhard Bartel 1 1 1 2 - 1 6
2.Wirth Jacob Jahns 1 1 1 1 - - 4
3.Einlieger Leinweber Hein Casper 1 1 2 2 - - 6
4.Wirth Hein Schroeder 1 1 1 - - - 3
5.Wirth Andr.Jahns 1 1 1 3 - - 6
6.Wirth Johann Hermann 1 1 - 2 - - 4
7.Gaertner Jacob Bartel 1 1 1 1 - - 4
8.dito Cornel. Kliewer 1 - - 1 - - 2
9.dito Heinr.Schroeder 1 1 2 3 - - 7
Summa:................................... 9 8 9 15 - 1 42
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3.Dulinow
1.Einlieger Jacob Bartel 1 1 - - - - 2
2.Gaertner Franz Bartel 1 1 3 1 - - 6
3.Gaertner Jacob Eck 1 1 - - - - 2
4.Wirth Andr.Bartel 1 1 - 1 - - 3
5.Gaertner Joh.Kerber 1 1 - 1 - - 3
Summa:................................... 5 5 3 3 - - 16
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4.Kozibor
1.Wirth Andr.Ewert 1 1 2 - - - 4
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5.Kozienic Kemp
1.Gaertner Joh.Dirks 1 1 - 1 - - 3
2.Wirth Cornel.Balzer 1 1 1 - - - 3
3.dito Cornel.Bartel 1 1 - - 1 - 3
4.dito Jacob Bartel, Prediger 1 1 - - 1 - 3
Summa:................................... 4 4 1 1 2 - 12
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6.Stronsker Kemp:
1.Wirth Peter Bartel - 1 2 2 - - 5
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Recapitulation:
1.Kl.Niszewke 19 18 21 20 2 5 85
2.Gr.Niszewke 9 8 9 15 - 1 42
3.Dulinow 5 5 3 3 - - 16
4.Kozibor 1 1 2 - - - 4
5.Kozienicer Kaempe 4 4 1 1 2 - 12
6.Stronsker Kaempe - 1 2 2 - - 5
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Summa Summarum:................... 38 37 38 41 4 6 164
Between 1806 and 1815 the Thorn region with Obernessau became part of the Duchy
of Warsaw, a creation of Napoleon Bonaparte during his European wars. The Code
Napoleon was introduced in 1808, and civil registration of
births-marriages-deaths would be very detailed, if they can be located in
archives today (5).In 1815 the new Prussian administration incorporated the Thorn region in the West Prussian district of Marienwerder. Land reform changed the ownership structure of the rural populace which is reflected in the records of the General-Komission set up for this purpose and a prime genealogical source available in the archives at Bydgoszcz. Additional untapped genealogical sources are the Grundakten, Erbrezesse, Erbvergleiche(probates) and Pupillenakten (orphan records) of Amtsgericht Thorn (and Dybow) since 1793, which usually start with a land title history (=tituli possessionis) going back 50 or more years from its beginning.
The restriction of Mennonite landholding explains why separate lists of Mennonite farmers were kept in Prussian state archives. Tables 2 and 3 give these lists for 1824 and 1839 from the Berlin-Dahlem archives (6).
============================================================================= Table 2: Mennonite possesions in Kreis Thorn in 1824 M - R M=Morgen=300 Quadrat-Ruten; R=Quadrat-Ruten ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.Klein Nieszewken, Int.Amt Dybow 1.Jahnsche Erben 2 - 183 2.Heinrich Adrian 161 - 146 3.Heinr.Bartel sen. 83 - 157 4.Heinrich Bartel jun. 140 - 96 5.Jacob Funck 87 - 180 6.Joh.Nickel 61 - 81 7.Peter Ewert 100 - 149 8.Corn.Janz 98 - 123 9.David Bartel 146 - 197 10.Gerhard Bartel 73 - 160 11.David Bartel 181 - 178 12.Heinrich Goertz 139 - 88 13.Heinrich Nickel 53 - 103 14.Zachar.Bartel 53 - 172 15.Heinr.Guhr 36 - 175 16.Heinr.Foth 56 - 197 17.Peter Eckert 46 - 290 18.David Klewer 13 - 140 19.Konrath Rosenfeld 6 - 176 20.Andr.Knels 2 - 148 21.Peter Goertz 70 - 131 2.Stronsker Kaempe, Int.Amt Dybow 1.Widow Bartel 35 - 65 3.Grosz Niszewken, Int.Amt Dybow 1.Heinr.Janz 7 - 95 2.Joh.Balzer 105 - 137 3.David Balzer 58 - 154 4.Corn.Janz 89 - 178 4.Korzinicier Kaempe,Int.Amt Dybow 1.Heinr.Adrian 31 - 124 2.Corn.Bartel jun. 43 - 137 3.Corn.Bartel sen. 66 - 38 4.Jacob Nickel 36 - 101 5.Duliniewo, Int.Amt Dybow 1.Jacob Schroeder 5 - 24 2.Jacob Adrian 27 - 36 3.Heinr.Janz 40 - 4.David Adrian 8 - 10 5.Corn.Janz 6 - 90 6.Heinr.Bartel sen. 17 - 30 7.Heinr.Bartel jun. 5 - 15 8.Peter Ewert 18 - 20 9.Peter Goertz ? - 6.Kozibor, Int.Amt Dybow 2.Peter Gertz 7.Jesuitengrund, Int.Amt Dybow 1.Isaac Adrian ============================================================================= Table 3: Mennonite land holders in 1839 Kreis Thorn Bezirk Dybow ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Klein Niszewken Land contract 1763 - 1803 1. Jacob Bartel 2.Heinrich Bartel 3. Jacob Bartel 4.Cornelius Goertz 5.Cornel.Bartel senior 6.Cornelius Bartel junior 7.Cornelius Jantz 8.Johann Schmidt 9.Cornel. Bartel junior 10.Jacob Goertz 11.Cornelius Schroeder 12.Heinrich Nickel 13.Johann Goertz 14.Abraham Guhr 15.Andreas Knels 16.Peter Bartel in Kozibor 2.Gross Niszewken Land contract 1763 - 1803 1.Heinrich Jantz 2.Johann Balzer 3.David Balzer 4.Cornelius Jantz 3.Korzenitz Land contract 1784 - 1824 1.Heinrich Adrian 2.Peter Ewert 3.David Adrian 4.Jacob Nickel 4.Stronsker Kaempe 1.Peter Ewert, Grosz Stronsk 2.Peter Ewert, Klein Stronsk 5.Dulienewo Land contract 1780 - 1820 1.Jacob Adrian 2.Abraham Bartel 3.David Adrian 4.Cornelius Jantz 5.Jacob Bartel 6.Heinrich Bartel,Kl.Niszewken 6.Kozibor, Schloszgrund Land contract 1784 - 1834 1.Cornelius Bartel junior The decrease of Mennonite possessions sold to non-Mennonnites between 1803 - 1856 is given in Table 4 (5). ============================================================================= Table 4: Mennonite possessions sold in Kreis Thorn, West Prussia ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- cf. GStA PK Berlin-Dahlem, Rep.181 Nr.31520,fol.144 H= Hufe= 30 Morgen; M= Morgen= 300 R= ca.0.56 acres; H M R Year Rtr Year of sale; Rtr= price in Prussian Reichsthaler ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.Jacob Adrian Kl.Niszewken 1 1 8 1816 2300 2.Peter Janz Kl.Niszewken 4 2 1825 250 3.Cornelius Eck Kl.Niszewken 6 1 4 1838 2333 4.Gerhard Bartel Kl.Niszewken 18 1 2 1830 1733 5.Jacob Bartel Kl.Niszewken 20 18 150 1823 1333 6.Dietrich Gerbrandt Kl.Niszewken 27 16 1834 775 7.Heinrich Kliewer Kl.Niszewken 28 16 1839 950 7a.Heinrich Voth Kl.Niszewken 2 112 1839 300 8.Johann Gerbrandt Kl.Niszewken 30 14 1837 750 9.Abraham Guhr Kl.Niszewken 31 5 1838 400 10.Johann Balzer Gr.Niszewken 7 1 19 1848 5000 11.Jacob Bartel Gr.Niszewken 24 1 3 1811 2166 12.Gerhard Block Duliniewo 3 2 1834 333 13.Johann Nickel Duliniewo 5 5 1816 350 14.Heinrich Janz Duliniewo 7 10 1834 700 ============================================================================= ------------ footnotes: (1) A.Goertz:Westpreuszische Mennoniten in Bruderthal,Kansas,in:Ostdeutsche Familienkunde 1979, 277-278. (2) Menn.Lexikon,Bd.4,p.322; Mennonite Life,April 1969,pp.83-86. (3) The Menn. Quart. Rev. 1981, p.379. (4) 1776 Census of West Prussian Mennonites, cf. (2), p. 373 (K.H.Ludwig; G.E.Reimer) (5) A.Goertz: Geographical Primer of Prussia,in:Mennonite Family History, lverson PA, 1984, 58-61. (6) LDS Film #529615, Family History Library, Salt Lake City,UT. H= Hufe= 41.5 acres; M= Culm.Morgen= 300R
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