View source for Tiessen, Peter (1739-1825)

Peter Tiessen, Sr.: a minister and elder of the [[Danzig Mennonite Church (Gdansk, Poland)|Danzig Mennonite Church]] during the time of transition from the lay to the salaried ministry; born 18 December 1739 in Petershagen, West Prussia, the eldest of five children of Peter Tiessen (24 September 1716, Stolzenberg, West Prussia - 3 June 1789, Danzig-Stadtgebiet, West Prussia) and Magdalena "Leencke" (Jacobsen) Berentz Tiessen (6 August 1707, Stolzenberg, West Prussia - 14 April 1771, Stolzenberg, West Prussia). Peter married Elisabeth "Liescke" (Wilcke) Von Steen (15 June 1737, Schoenfeld, West Prussia - 5 December 1814, Danzig-Schidlitz, West Prussia), daughter of Dirck Woelcke (1693-1737) and Maria (Kempner) Wilcke (1712-1748), on 23 August 1761 in Danzig-Schidlitz, West Prussia. Peter and Elisabeth had six children, of which four lived to adulthood: Peter, Dirck, Johann, and Maria. Peter died on 17 March 1825 in Danzig-Schidlitz, West Prussia.

Peter was a minister in the Danzig Mennonite Church in 1774 and was elected elder on 4 May 1808 along with Jacob Kliewer. His son [[Tiessen, Peter (1765-1826)|Peter Tiessen Jr.]], was elected minister at the age of thirty-six, 17 August 1800, to help his father. It was during their ministry that the [[Frisian Mennonites|Frisian]] and the [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]] churches were united in 1808. When Peter, Sr. died in 1825, the son was elected elder. He died 1 October 1826, and was succeeded by [[Smissen, Jacob II van der (1785-1846)|Jacob van der Smissen]], the first theologically trained minister of Danzig.
= Bibliography =
GRANDMA (The '''G'''enealogical '''R'''egistry '''an'''d '''D'''atabase of '''M'''ennonite '''A'''ncestry) Database, 16-11 ed. Fresno, CA: [http://calmenno.org/index.htm" California Mennonite Historical Society], 2016: #15560.

Mannhardt, Herman Gottlieb. <em>Die Danziger Mennonitengemeinde: ihre Entstehung und ihre Geschichte von 1569-1919 : Denkschrift zur Erinnerung an das 350 jährigie Bestehen der Gemeinde und an die Jahrhundertfeier unseres Kirchenbaus am 14. September 1919</em>. Danzig: Danziger Mennonitengemeinde, 1919: 134-135, 151-157.
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[[Category:Persons]]
[[Category:Ministers]]
[[Category:Elders]]