Becker, Jakob P. (1826-1908)
Jakob Becker (Böcker, Bekker): one of the founders of the Mennonite Brethren in Russia; born 25 July 1828 in Karolswalde, Volhynia, son of Peter and Helena (Schmidt) Becker (see Additional Information for more information regarding Jakob's family).
He signed the charter of 6 January 1860, as well as the Ohrloff declaration of 19 March 1860, and the petition to the Ministry of the Interior of 30 December 1863. He was a member of the Rudnerweide Mennonite Brethren Church and on 30 May 1860 was chosen with Heinrich Hübert as elder of the newly founded Mennonite Brethren, and was ordained 5 June. He was one of the first to be baptized by immersion; on 23 September he and Heinrich Bartel baptized each other in the Molotschna. Becker did not oppose the rising overemotional and libertinistic wing with adequate firmness and was thus partly responsible for its rapid increase and the consequent aberrations. In August 1863 he resigned as elder and was chosen "ruler" (Regierer), no doubt to lead the migration to the Kuban, which was just beginning. He immigrated to Oklahoma in 1875 and died in Fairview, Oklahoma on 12 April 1908.
Bibliography
Bekker, Jacob P. An authentic account of the early history of the Mennonite Brethren Church. Fresno, CA : Mennonite Library and Archives, [195-?].
Friesen, Peter M. The Mennonite Brotherhood in Russia (1789-1910), trans. J. B. Toews and others. Fresno, CA: Board of Christian Literature [M.B.], 1978, rev. ed. 1980.
Friesen, Peter M. Die Alt-Evangelische Mennonitische Brüderschaft in Russland (1789-1910) im Rahmen der mennonitischen Gesamtgeschichte. Halbstadt: Verlagsgesellschaft "Raduga", 1911.
GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 4.23 ed. Fresno, CA: California Mennonite Historical Society, 2006: #2517.
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 240.
Additional Information
Jakob's parents were Peter Becker (ca. 1764-1842) and Helena (Schmidt) Becker (1805-1872).
Jakob's first wife was Anna Goertz (February 1823 - 23 January 1860), whom he married on 15 March 1852. They had four children.
His second wife was Margaretha Wiens (15 December 1838, Elisabeththal, Molotschna, South Russia - 8 December 1925, Fairview, Oklahoma, USA), whom he married on 7 October 1862 in Elisabeththal, Molotschna, South Russia. Margaretha was the daughter of Abraham Abraham Wiens (ca. 1801-1844) and Margaretha (Froese) Wiens (1801-1873).
Jakob and Margaretha had seven children: Margaretha (1863-1863), Jacob (1865-1949), Franz (1867-1941), Helena (1870-1919), Abraham (1872-1953), Margaretha (1875-1968), and Anna (1878-1954).
| Author(s) | Christian, Sam Steiner Neff |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | March 2008 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Neff, Christian, Sam Steiner and Richard D. Thiessen. "Becker, Jakob P. (1826-1908)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2008. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Becker,_Jakob_P._(1826-1908)&oldid=100231.
APA style
Neff, Christian, Sam Steiner and Richard D. Thiessen. (March 2008). Becker, Jakob P. (1826-1908). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Becker,_Jakob_P._(1826-1908)&oldid=100231.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 377. All rights reserved.
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