Schmidt, Johann (1826-1864)
Johann Schmidt: co-founder of the Gnadenfeld Bruderschule and the Templer Movement and an elder of the Olgino Tempelhof church and settlement; b. 24 May 1826 in Steinbach, Molotschna Settlement, South Russia, the sixth of twelve children of Peter Daniel Schmidt (29 November 1789 – 12 May 1856) and Anna (Wiens) Schmidt (20 March 1796 – 4 November 1870). He was a brother of Nikolai Schmidt, a founder of the Templer movement among the Mennonites. After the death of his first wife, a Miss Harder, Johann married Maria Lange (b. ca. 1827), daughter of Benjamin Lange (6 January 1802 – 10 October 1874) and Maria (Jantz) Lange (14 January 1803 – 1 June 1877). Maria was the sister of Friedrich Lange (1840-1923), elder and teacher in Tempelhof. Johann and Maria had seven children: Johann, Nikolai, Abram, Friedrich, Daniel, Elisabeth, and Sarah. Johann d. 19 July 1864 in Steinbach, Molotschna Settlement.
Johann owned a farm with a water mill on the Kuma River in the northern Caucasus region. It was called Muehlhof, situated halfway between Tempelhof and Orbelianovka. Johann became elder of the Tempelhof church in Olgino, North Caucasus. He worked hard to establish good educational opportunities for the young and insured that his sons received a good education, including advanced training.
Eldest son Johann (1850-1910) immigrated to Palestine in 1874 and settled in Haifa. He was active as a physician and businessman and served as both British and Russian Consul. His son, also named Johann (1882-1950), became an agent for a Russian shipping line and served as treasurer for the Templer group in Haifa and as accountant in the Temple Bank.
Bibliography
Isaac, Franz. Die Molotschnaer Mennoniten. Halbstadt, 1908.
Sawatzky, H. Templer mennonitischer Herkunft. Winnipeg, 1955: 49-51.
| Author(s) | Cornelius Krahn |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | February 2007 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Krahn, Cornelius and Richard D. Thiessen. "Schmidt, Johann (1826-1864)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2007. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Schmidt,_Johann_(1826-1864)&oldid=77553.
APA style
Krahn, Cornelius and Richard D. Thiessen. (February 2007). Schmidt, Johann (1826-1864). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Schmidt,_Johann_(1826-1864)&oldid=77553.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 466. All rights reserved.
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