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Wasting Time Online and Genealogy
Oct. 23rd, 2022 11:58 amMy father’s father was born in Achlum, which is a very small village. I’ve visited the burial ground around the church there with family, who pointed out a monument that had our surname. It was not until somewhat later that I worked out the precise relationship.
In any event, Achlum, and larger villages and towns in Friesland are familiar to me from our several visits over the years, first by myself, then with my fiance, and finally with my husband and children. It is clear to me why my father’s father arrived in Skagit valley and decided to settle there.
My mother’s father was born in a Mennonite community in Canada, and I learned as a small child from relatives on that side of the family about the travels of the Mennonites across Europe and eventually to Canada. Much later, I found books that detailed those migrations and of course I’ve spent many enjoyable hours lost in entries in GAMEO. I’ve also read some books specifically about Menno Simons, and I have noticed — more than once — how close Achlum is to Witmarsum (under 5 miles). And before you go, sure, but lots of Mennonites don’t come from Friesland, I’ll just note that it’s quite clear that my ancestors very much did.
Today on twitter, I ran across someone tweeting a link to a TikTok about Blumenau in Brazil, and asking snarkily, “who’s gonna tell her”, with an unambiguous Nazi implication. And I’m like, uh. Blumenau is not Blumenort — it wasn’t founded by Mennonites, but rather by an earlier, _actual_ German arrival in the middle of the 19th century. The Mennonites near Blumenau wouldn’t show up until the 1930s.
https://anabaptistwiki.org/mediawiki/images/1/14/Mar1939jan-Bender%2C_With_the_Mennonite_refugee_colonies_in_Brazil_and_Paraguay-.pdf
Granted, that narrative is from before when Nazis might or might not have fled to Blumenau. But it is pretty clear that at least at that point, the Mennonites in the area maintained their commitment to Not Participating in War.
Also, they’ve got a Witmarsum there, too.
In any event, it was mostly Mennonite Brethren (seems to still be, for that matter). When my ancestors came over in the 1870s, none of the Mennonite Brethren went to Canada, so all those relations would be comparatively distant. Understanding who might be the kirchen gemeinde as the more traditional Mennonites (vs. the Brethren who broke away, as my ancestors’ groups also broke away at various points in time), I think the distance to those folks would be if anything even greater.
In any event, Achlum, and larger villages and towns in Friesland are familiar to me from our several visits over the years, first by myself, then with my fiance, and finally with my husband and children. It is clear to me why my father’s father arrived in Skagit valley and decided to settle there.
My mother’s father was born in a Mennonite community in Canada, and I learned as a small child from relatives on that side of the family about the travels of the Mennonites across Europe and eventually to Canada. Much later, I found books that detailed those migrations and of course I’ve spent many enjoyable hours lost in entries in GAMEO. I’ve also read some books specifically about Menno Simons, and I have noticed — more than once — how close Achlum is to Witmarsum (under 5 miles). And before you go, sure, but lots of Mennonites don’t come from Friesland, I’ll just note that it’s quite clear that my ancestors very much did.
Today on twitter, I ran across someone tweeting a link to a TikTok about Blumenau in Brazil, and asking snarkily, “who’s gonna tell her”, with an unambiguous Nazi implication. And I’m like, uh. Blumenau is not Blumenort — it wasn’t founded by Mennonites, but rather by an earlier, _actual_ German arrival in the middle of the 19th century. The Mennonites near Blumenau wouldn’t show up until the 1930s.
https://anabaptistwiki.org/mediawiki/images/1/14/Mar1939jan-Bender%2C_With_the_Mennonite_refugee_colonies_in_Brazil_and_Paraguay-.pdf
Granted, that narrative is from before when Nazis might or might not have fled to Blumenau. But it is pretty clear that at least at that point, the Mennonites in the area maintained their commitment to Not Participating in War.
Also, they’ve got a Witmarsum there, too.
In any event, it was mostly Mennonite Brethren (seems to still be, for that matter). When my ancestors came over in the 1870s, none of the Mennonite Brethren went to Canada, so all those relations would be comparatively distant. Understanding who might be the kirchen gemeinde as the more traditional Mennonites (vs. the Brethren who broke away, as my ancestors’ groups also broke away at various points in time), I think the distance to those folks would be if anything even greater.