View source for Toews, David (1870-1947)

[[File:ToewsDavid.JPG|300px|thumb|right|''David Toews (1870-1947)'']]

David Toews: known generally as Bishop Toews in Canadian government and railway circles but he was also an elder and leader in the [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite Church]]. David was born 9 February 1870 at Lysanderhöh near the Volga in [[Russia|Russia]], one of the eight children of [[Toews, Jacob (1838-1922)|Jacob Toews]] (26 June 1838, [[Wotzlaff (Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland)|Wotzlaff]], Danzig, Prussia - 2 January 1922, [[Aberdeen (Idaho, USA)|Aberdeen]], Idaho, USA), a minister, who had come to Russia in 1869, and Maria (Wiebe) Toews (16 June 1838, Neuendorf, Gross Werder, Prussia - 16 April 1924, Aberdeen, Idaho, USA). On 20 September 1900, David married Margaretha Friesen (24 July 1881, Laird, Saskatchewan, Canada - 11 July 1941). She was the daughter of Abraham Friesen (1849-1901) and Margaretha Regier (1859-1912); Margaretha was the daughter of Elder [[Regier, Peter (1825-1897)|Peter Regier]] and sister of Elder [[Regier, Peter (1851-1925)|Peter Regier]] of the [[Rosenort Mennonite Church Group (Saskatchewan, Canada)|Rosenort Mennonite Church]], Saskatchewan). David and Margaretha were married 20 September 1900 in Tiefengrund, Saskatchewan, Canada. David and Margaret had nine children: Marie, Benno, Margaretha, Elsie, Dora, Louise, Elma, Anna, and Irene. On 25 February 1947, David Toews died, and was buried in the Rosthern [[Cemeteries|cemetery]].

When David was 10 years old he accompanied his parents on the ill-fated trek to [[Turkestan|Turkestan]] experiencing hardships so severe that he later hesitated to talk about them. After four years of disappointment in Turkestan, the Toews family immigrated to [[Newton (Kansas, USA)|Newton]], [[Kansas (USA)|Kansas]], where Jacob Toews served the Mennonite church as elder for about 30 years. David attended the public school to learn English, and the Zentralschule at [[Halstead (Kansas, USA)|Halstead]] in preparation to teach. He then taught school at [[Whitewater (Kansas, USA)|Whitewater]], [[Elbing (Kansas, USA)|Elbing]], and Newton, Kansas. On 20 May 1888 his father baptized him at Newton.

[[Ewert, Henry H. (1855-1934)|H. H. Ewert]], who had been the principal of the [[Halstead Seminary (Halstead, Kansas, USA)|Halstead school]] while Toews attended it, persuaded Toews to accompany him to [[Gretna (Manitoba, Canada)|Gretna]], Manitoba to teach there. Between 1895-1897 Toews attended school at [[Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada)|Winnipeg]]. He taught for one year in the village of Burwalde near [[Winkler (Manitoba, Canada)|Winkler]], and then went to Tiefengrund, Saskatchewan, where he worked at a homestead and taught school. On 18 August 1901, he was ordained as a minister. He had married Margaret in 1900.

In 1901-1904 Toews taught school at Eigenheim, Saskatchewan, and then at the [[Rosthern Junior College (Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada) |German-English Academy]] at Rosthern, which he had helped to establish. He served as principal until 1917, and also as president of the school corporation, a position which he held until late in life. In 1913 he was ordained elder of the large [[Rosenort Mennonite Church Group (Saskatchewan, Canada)|Rosenort church]]. This position, together with the chairmanship of the [[Conference of Mennonites in Canada|Conference of Mennonites in Canada]] between 1914-1940, required a great deal of time and energy, particularly during [[World War (1914-1918)|World War I]]. For many years David Toews was a member of the [[Home Mission Board (General Conference Mennonite Church)|Home Mission Board]] of the General Conference. In this capacity he was a real assistance particularly to the Mennonite immigrants who came to [[Canada|Canada]] after 1923.

As chairman of the [[Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization|Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization]] 1922-1946, David Toews was keenly interested in the well-being of the Mennonites in Russia, who suffered great hardships during the revolution following World War I, and worked unstintingly to aid the Mennonite immigration to Canada. In 1923-1930 over 20,000 Mennonites were brought to Canada from Russia under the auspices of the Board.
= Bibliography =
GRANDMA (The <strong>G</strong>enealogical <strong>R</strong>egistry <strong>an</strong>d <strong>D</strong>atabase of <strong>M</strong>ennonite <strong>A</strong>ncestry) Database, 5.00 ed. Fresno, CA: [http://calmenno.org/index.htm California Mennonite Historical Society], 2006: #4996.

Harder, Helmut. <em>David Toews Was Here, 1870-1947. </em>Winnipeg, MB: CMBC Publications, 2002.
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[[Category:Persons]]