Smissen, Hinrich van der (1851-1928)
Hinrich van der Smissen, a German Mennonite leader, was born at Altona, Germany, on 14 December 1851, attended the local Gymnasium, studied at the universities of Halle and Göttingen until the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. As a volunteer in the medical corps of Hamburg he took part in the entire campaign. In September 1872 he was chosen to the ministry by the congregation of Ibersheim, Eppstein, and Friesenheim. For ten years he served the congregation faithfully and was a leader in the work of the conference of the Palatinate and Hesse, the board of the school at Weierhof as secretary (1875-79) and president (1879-85); in 1875-79 he was coeditor of the Mennonitische Blätter with his cousin Johannes van der Smissen and in 1879-1923 he was sole editor. In 1880 it was he who brought about the establishment of the General Central Relief Fund, which later became the Mennonite Relief Treasury (Mennonitische Hilfskasse). In 1882 he became assistant preacher of the Hamburg-Altona congregation and in 1885 the pastor of the same congregation. Here again his service and influence were extensive. For many years he was chairman of the Vereinigung der Mennonitengemeinden im Deutschen Reich, which he helped to found. He made extended journeys, visiting nearly all the Mennonite congregations in Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Russia, and some in America. He died 3 March 1928. His father was Hinrich T. van der Smissen.
Bibliography
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. IV, 190-191.
Neff, Christian. "Hinrich van der Smissen," Mennonitischer Gemeinde-Kalender (formerly Christlicher Gemeinde-Kalender) 1929: 70-99.
| Author(s) | Christian Neff |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Neff, Christian. "Smissen, Hinrich van der (1851-1928)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Smissen,_Hinrich_van_der_(1851-1928)&oldid=112636.
APA style
Neff, Christian. (1959). Smissen, Hinrich van der (1851-1928). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Smissen,_Hinrich_van_der_(1851-1928)&oldid=112636.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vo. 4, p. 551. All rights reserved.
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