Richert, Heinrich (1831-1895)
Heinrich Richert, an outstanding Mennonite (General Conference Mennonite) teacher, minister, and leader, born 23 May 1831, the oldest son of David Richert, at Deutsch-Kunopath, West Prussia, where he became a member of the Przechovka Mennonite Church. Before he was a year old his parents moved to Russia and settled in the village Alexanderwohl of the Molotschna settlement. He attended the school at Lichtfelde and passed the teacher's examination in 1851, after which he taught in Nikolaidorf. In 1849 he was baptized by Elder Peter Wedel and in 1856 he married Anna Schmidt. In 1859 he was elected minister. Soon his influence in the congregation became noticeable. He favored active participation in mission work and some changes in traditions. The first Mennonite missionary, Heinrich Dirks, came from this church. In 1860 Richert accepted the call to teach in the neighboring school of Gnadenheim where he had from seventy to eighty pupils. In 1869 his wife died, leaving him with eight children. His second wife was Helena Unruh.
In August 1874 Richert joined a group of Alexanderwohl Mennonites who immigrated to Kansas and established the Alexanderwohl or Goessel Mennonite community. Here he continued his work as minister and was particularly active in promoting the educational and missionary efforts of the General Conference Mennonite Church. After attending the General Conference sessions in South Dakota in 1890 he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage which paralyzed him. On 16 October 1895, he died.
Bibliography
Friesen, Peter M. Die Alt-Evangelische Mennonitische Brüderschaft in Russland (1789-1910) im Rahmen der mennonitischen Gesamtgeschichte. Halbstadt: Verlagsgesellschaft "Raduga", 1911: 495 and 1195.
Krahn, Cornelius, ed. From the Steppes to the Prairies. Newton, 1949: 22 ff.
Krehbiel, H. P. The History of the General Conference of the Mennonites of North America I. Newton, 1898: 442.
Wedel, C. H. "Heinrich Richert." Bundesbote-Kalender (1897): 28.
| Author(s) | Cornelius Krahn |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Krahn, Cornelius. "Richert, Heinrich (1831-1895)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 24 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Richert,_Heinrich_(1831-1895)&oldid=96233.
APA style
Krahn, Cornelius. (1959). Richert, Heinrich (1831-1895). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Richert,_Heinrich_(1831-1895)&oldid=96233.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 324-325. All rights reserved.
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