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| − | Klaas Klaas Wiens: administrator and first Mennonite estate owner in Russia; born 16 February 1768 in [[Herrenhagen (Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland)|Herrenhagen]], West Prussia, to Klaas Wiens. On 11 March 1788 he married Anna Wiens. The couple had four children. Klaas died | + | Klaas Klaas Wiens: administrator and first Mennonite estate owner in Russia; born 16 February 1768 in [[Herrenhagen (Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland)|Herrenhagen]], West Prussia, to Klaas Wiens. On 11 March 1788 he married Anna Wiens. The couple had four children. Klaas died on 31 December 1820 on the [[Steinbach (Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Steinbach]] estate near the [[Molotschna Mennonite Settlement (Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Molotschna settlement]], South Russia. |
| − | After his marriage, Klaas | + | After his marriage, Klaas and his family continued to live in Prussia for some years, Klaas working as a pin maker and a farmer. In 1803, they joined other Mennonites in migrating to Russia, moving first to the [[Molotschna Mennonite Settlement (Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Molotschna Mennonite Settlement]]. Here Klaas was chosen as the [[Oberschulze|<em>Oberschulze</em>]] and given the task of organizing the new colony planned for the east bank of the Molotschnaya River. His leadership style was progressive, and he was seen as a good administrator. He divided the new settlement into nine village groups, with the site of the colony and the plots for each farmer chosen by lot. |
| − | As <em>Oberschulze</em> of the Molotschna | + | As <em>Oberschulze</em> of the Molotschna settlement, Wiens worked with all aspects of village life, including the distribution of money and equipment from the Russian government, monitoring the village finances, and even naming new villages. Although not all villages fared equally well, especially in agriculture, the settlement was generally prosperous under his leadership. Farming was strong in Altona, where the Wiens family lived, and Klaas owned a large flock of sheep there. He later also developed an estate on the Juschanlee River, [[Steinbach (Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Steinbach]], in the southern part of the Molotschna settlement. |
| − | Troubles came for | + | Troubles came for Wiens when [[Enns, Jakob (1768-1818)|Jakob Enns]] of Tiegenhagen was elected elder of the [[Orloff Mennonite Church (Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Orloff-Petershagen Mennonite Church]]. The hot-tempered new elder’s conservative views combined with indifference towards moral laxness in the congregation soon brought him into conflict with the <em>Oberschulze</em>, and not long afterwards, the situation reached a crisis. |
| − | Despite attempts at intervention by several people in the church, disputes between Jakob Enns and Klaas Wiens over issues such as authority within the | + | Despite attempts at intervention by several people in the church, disputes between Jakob Enns and Klaas Wiens over issues such as authority within the settlement finally led to a decision to place Klaas under a [[Ban|ban]], likely sometime in 1806. He continued as <em>Oberschulze </em>for several years after that, until about 1815. At one point, Klaas was imprisoned for a month on charges of having given false information about a theft of public funds. Another incident left him badly injured when violence broke out in the settlement, and Klaas eventually decided to move to his Juschanlee property. |
| − | + | Wiens settled in Juschanlee in about 1813 and soon expanded on his holdings. He established a sheep ranch, planted trees, and rented additional tracts of land. Tsar [[Alexander I, Emperor of Russia (1777-1825)|Alexander I]] visited the estate in 1818 and was so impressed by what the Wiens family had accomplished that the following year, he granted Klaas about 350 desiatinas of land in perpetuity, establishing the first of many Mennonite estates. Klaas died two years later in 1820. | |
Klaas Klaas Wiens was not only an able administrator and a visionary leader; he also had the distinction of being the first estate owner in the Mennonite colonies of south Russia. In part through his hard work and diligence, and possibly through being in the right place at the right time, he became the first of many Mennonite estate owners in Russia. | Klaas Klaas Wiens was not only an able administrator and a visionary leader; he also had the distinction of being the first estate owner in the Mennonite colonies of south Russia. In part through his hard work and diligence, and possibly through being in the right place at the right time, he became the first of many Mennonite estate owners in Russia. | ||
= Bibliography = | = Bibliography = | ||
| + | '''GRANDMA''' = GRANDMA (The '''G'''enealogical '''R'''egistry '''an'''d '''D'''atabase of '''M'''ennonite '''A'''ncestry) Database, 16-01 ed. Fresno, CA: [http://calmenno.org/index.htm" California Mennonite Historical Society], 2016: #47057. | ||
| + | |||
Huebert, Helmut T. <em>Mennonite Estates in Imperial Russia. </em>Winnipeg: Springfield Publishers, 2005. | Huebert, Helmut T. <em>Mennonite Estates in Imperial Russia. </em>Winnipeg: Springfield Publishers, 2005. | ||
{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=January 2009|a1_last=Huebert|a1_first=Susan|a2_last=|a2_first=}} | {{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=January 2009|a1_last=Huebert|a1_first=Susan|a2_last=|a2_first=}} | ||
| + | [[Category:Persons]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Rulers and Politicians]] | ||
Latest revision as of 21:53, 10 July 2016
Klaas Klaas Wiens: administrator and first Mennonite estate owner in Russia; born 16 February 1768 in Herrenhagen, West Prussia, to Klaas Wiens. On 11 March 1788 he married Anna Wiens. The couple had four children. Klaas died on 31 December 1820 on the Steinbach estate near the Molotschna settlement, South Russia.
After his marriage, Klaas and his family continued to live in Prussia for some years, Klaas working as a pin maker and a farmer. In 1803, they joined other Mennonites in migrating to Russia, moving first to the Molotschna Mennonite Settlement. Here Klaas was chosen as the Oberschulze and given the task of organizing the new colony planned for the east bank of the Molotschnaya River. His leadership style was progressive, and he was seen as a good administrator. He divided the new settlement into nine village groups, with the site of the colony and the plots for each farmer chosen by lot.
As Oberschulze of the Molotschna settlement, Wiens worked with all aspects of village life, including the distribution of money and equipment from the Russian government, monitoring the village finances, and even naming new villages. Although not all villages fared equally well, especially in agriculture, the settlement was generally prosperous under his leadership. Farming was strong in Altona, where the Wiens family lived, and Klaas owned a large flock of sheep there. He later also developed an estate on the Juschanlee River, Steinbach, in the southern part of the Molotschna settlement.
Troubles came for Wiens when Jakob Enns of Tiegenhagen was elected elder of the Orloff-Petershagen Mennonite Church. The hot-tempered new elder’s conservative views combined with indifference towards moral laxness in the congregation soon brought him into conflict with the Oberschulze, and not long afterwards, the situation reached a crisis.
Despite attempts at intervention by several people in the church, disputes between Jakob Enns and Klaas Wiens over issues such as authority within the settlement finally led to a decision to place Klaas under a ban, likely sometime in 1806. He continued as Oberschulze for several years after that, until about 1815. At one point, Klaas was imprisoned for a month on charges of having given false information about a theft of public funds. Another incident left him badly injured when violence broke out in the settlement, and Klaas eventually decided to move to his Juschanlee property.
Wiens settled in Juschanlee in about 1813 and soon expanded on his holdings. He established a sheep ranch, planted trees, and rented additional tracts of land. Tsar Alexander I visited the estate in 1818 and was so impressed by what the Wiens family had accomplished that the following year, he granted Klaas about 350 desiatinas of land in perpetuity, establishing the first of many Mennonite estates. Klaas died two years later in 1820.
Klaas Klaas Wiens was not only an able administrator and a visionary leader; he also had the distinction of being the first estate owner in the Mennonite colonies of south Russia. In part through his hard work and diligence, and possibly through being in the right place at the right time, he became the first of many Mennonite estate owners in Russia.
Bibliography
GRANDMA = GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 16-01 ed. Fresno, CA: " California Mennonite Historical Society, 2016: #47057.
Huebert, Helmut T. Mennonite Estates in Imperial Russia. Winnipeg: Springfield Publishers, 2005.
| Author(s) | Susan Huebert |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2009 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Huebert, Susan. "Wiens, Klaas Klaas (1768-1820)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2009. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Wiens,_Klaas_Klaas_(1768-1820)&oldid=134910.
APA style
Huebert, Susan. (January 2009). Wiens, Klaas Klaas (1768-1820). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Wiens,_Klaas_Klaas_(1768-1820)&oldid=134910.
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