Mennonite Baptisms in Baerwalde, West Prussia:
1782-1805

Compiled by Adalbert Goertz

Source: Verzeichniss der Getauften nebst einem Anhang der Lehrer- und Dienerwahl, bedient und beschrieben von Dirck Tiessen, Taufen 1782-1840.
(LDS Film #1344013), Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.
Original at Archiwum Pastwowe, Gdansk, Poland

The Baerwalde Mennonite Church in Prussia was originally part of the Gross-Werder congregation. In 1735, the latter congregation was divided into the four quarters of Orloff (Ladekopp), Tiegenhagen, Rosenort, and Baerwalde (Fuerstenwerder). These four quarters were served by one bishop (Altester) who administered one church book of baptisms.

After all the church books were burned in 1881, an attempt was made to transcribe them from the Lutheran records where Mennonites had to be recorded, sometimes against their will, since 1800.

These Lutheran church records were at: Baarenhof, Bohnsack, Fuerstenwerder, Gross Zuender, Kaesemark, Letzkau, Neuteich, Reichenberg, Schoenbaum, Tiegemort, and the Reformed records of Nassenhuben.

The following excerpts of the Baerwalde baptisms were taken from a microfilm at the Gdansk State Archives in Poland which contains the "Verzeichnia der Getauften Mennoniten, 1782-1840" by Dirk Tiessen of Petershagen (Gdansk call number is Zelichowo 779/1).

Following Dirk Tiessen's death in 1806, Isaac Schulz was elected Aeltester for Baerwalde, although not until 1809. Schulz administered a separate Taufbuch whose whereabouts remains unknown.

The alphabetical order of baptised is by first name. Fathers are marked by ng. = nachgelassener, i.e. surviving, if deceased, in the original record.

Page created 12 October 2003; html by Richard D. Thiessen

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