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Researching Mennonite Genealogy: Vital Records

Birth, Baptism, Marriage and Death Records

When searching for Ontario Mennonite vital records, bear in mind that "dissenting" groups, such as Mennonites, were not allowed to perform marriages until 1831. Beginning in 1831, dissenting ministers were required to register marriages they performed with a Clerk of the Peace. Marriages were later registered with the counties (formed in 1850), and in 1869, civil registration began. If you would like more assistance locating Ontario vital records, the Archives of Ontario has a guide.

Many Ontario vital and census records are available through the FamilySearch Historical Records Search database. You need to create a free account to search this site.

Marriages were performed by Mennonite bishops (not preachers/ministers or deacons). A bishop normally had charge of several congregations. To determine which Mennonite bishop may have solemnized a marriage in Ontario between 1831-1935, and which district (geographical cluster of congregations) he administered, check the list of bishops, ministers and deacons (pdf) on the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario website.

Since Mennonites do not practice infant baptism, infant baptism records are not available.

Vital Records in the Library

Vital records in published books are located in the Milton Good Library. Search the University of Waterloo library catalogue for subjects such as marriage records and death notices. Search also for the published histories of congregations.

Vital Records in the Mennonite Archives of Ontario

In addition to this list, see also congregational collections to check the lists of individual congregations. Additional records not listed below may be found in the Archives collection of microfilmed records of Ontario Mennonite congregations.

  • Baden Mennonite Church, "Marriage register," 1951-1974, III-2.1
  • Bender, Jacob M. "Bishop's Book of Ordinations, Marriages and Baptisms." Unpublished manuscript, 1871-1914. n.p. : Hist. Mss. V-1.1.1.1.
  • Bender, Jacob M. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1896-1927. n.p. : Hist. Mss. V-l.l.l.2.
  • Bethel Mennonite Church “Marriage Register.” Unpublished bound register, 1951-1997. III-4.1, folder 4. Bethel Mennonite Church collection. Includes marriages related to this church in Elora, Ontario; members are mostly from Waterloo and Wellington counties.
  • Biehn Mennonite Church membership records, 1874-. III-5.1/1.
  • Bowman, Moses S. "Account book." Hist.Mss.1.11.3
    • Baptisms - Latschar meetinghouse (Mannheim Mennonite Church), 1871
    • Baptisms - Christian Eby's (First Mennonite, Kitchener), 1871
  • Burkholder, Lewis J. "Lists of Families in Mennonite Congregations." Lists include: Sherkston, [1920?]; Detweiler, [1934?]; Berne, Michigan, 1908; Breslau, 1913; Weber (Pioneer Park), 1916; Blenheim, 1912; Biehn, 1912, 1918; Latschar (Mannheim), 1913; Geiger, 1931; Zurich, 1932; Markham district, South Cayuga and Rainham, [19--].
  • Cressman, Amos and Manassah Hallman. "Bishop's Book of Conference Minutes, Ordinations, Baptisms, Excommunications." Unpublished manuscript, 1874-1932. n.p. : Hist. Mss. III-16.1.4.3.
  • Derstine, C.F. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1925-1949. n.p. : Hist. Mss. III-12.1.3.18.
  • Derstine, C.F. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1940-1957. n.p. : Hist. Mss. III-12.1.3.19.
  • East Zorra Mennonite Church membership book, 1889-. V-1.1/4; marriage register, 1896-. V-1.1/2
  • Epp, Frank H. "Marriage register." Unpublished book, 1963-1984. S.l. : Hist.Mss. 1.26.15
  • Floradale Mennonite Church membership book, 1897-. III.13.1/10.
  • Gascho, John. "Bishop's Book of Marriages and Baptisms." Unpublished manuscript, 1876-1907. n.p. : Hist. Mss. IV-6.1.1.
  • "A General Return of the Militia in Upper Canada, 1825 (includes a number of Quakers, Tunkers, etc.)". Photocopies from National Archives of Canada R.G.S., A1, Volume 73, Reel C-4615, 1985. Hist.Mss. 5C.2
  • Glen Allan Mennonite Church, “Marriage Register,” 1956-1990. Bound register. Most entries would be for marriages associated with the Glen Allan Mennonite Church (Wellington County, Ontario). Used by all pastors of the congregation.III-33.1/3.
  • Good, Howard L. “Marriage Register.”  Bound volume, 1962-1996. Hist.Mss.1.182, folder 2. Many of the marriages were performed after Good was a pastor at the Rockway Mennonite Church (Kitchener).
  • Hagey, Joseph and Manassah Hallman. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1858-1913. n.p. : Hist. Mss. III-18.1/1.
  • Hallman, E. S. "Bishop's Book of Sermons, Confessions, Baptisms and Funerals," 1897-1954. 392 p. : Hist. Mss. III-12.13.24.
  • Hallman, Manassah. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1942-49. 100 p. : Hist. Mss. III-16.1.4.2.
  • Hallman, Manassah. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1914-36. 96 p. : Hist. Mss. III-16.1.4.1.
  • Jantzi, Johannes. A Record Book of the Wellesley-Wilmot Congregation." Unpublished manuscript, 1861-1921, transcribed and translated by Lorraine Roth, 1977. 22 p. : Hist. Mss. IV-10.1.4.
  • Jutzi, Daniel S. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1927-1941. n.p. : Hist. Mss. V-1.1.1.3.
  • Laurence, Hugh. "Census records - Mennonites and Amish in Wilmot and Wellesley Townships, Waterloo County, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881." Unpublished typescript, 1979. ca. 100 p. : Hist.Mss. 5C.1 (Cemetery and miscellaneous records). Listing, by family name, of all persons identified as Amish or Mennonite in the four census years indicated. Also indicates district, page and line number in the original. An index is also included.
  • Litwiller, Peter, John Gascho and Daniel Steinmann. "Bishop's Books of Marriages, Baptisms and Sermons." Unpublished typescript, 1855-1940, transcribed and translated by Lorraine Roth, 2002. 39 p. : IV-6.1, folder 3. (Western Ontario Mennonite Conference Historical Amish Records) Transcriptions and translations of “bishop books” where the originals are listed separately, i.e. John Gascho & Daniel Steinmann.
    • Marriage records – Peter Litwiller (1855, 1858-1868) transcribed from a microfilm held at the Ontario Provincial Archives in Toronto.
    • Birth records – Peter Litwiller (1860)
    • Marriage records – John Gascho (1876-1907)
    • Baptisms – John Gascho (1877-1902)
    • Marriage records – Daniel Steinmann (1902-1930)
    • Baptisms – Daniel Steinmann (1899-1934)
    • Baptisms – Moses O. Jantzi (1937-1940)
  • Martin, Abraham W. "Marriage register of Bishop Abraham W. Martin, 28 November 1867-2 February 1902" (reduced photocopy of original) and transcription of marriage register of Bishop Paul Martin (1902-1914) in one bound volume. Hist.Mss.1.187.8, folder 16 Eldon Weber collection. Abraham Martin was the first Old Order Mennonite bishop, beginning in 1889. Most marriages would have been in Woolwich Township, Waterloo County, but would have included all of Waterloo County.
    • Marriage records – Abraham Martin (1867-1902)
    • Baptisms – Abraham Martin (1865-1901)(German)
    • Marriage records – Paul M. Martin (1902-1914)
  • Martin, Ezra L. Marriage register of Old Order Bishop Ezra L. Martin, 1914-1926 (transcription from original) in one bound volume. Hist.Mss. 187.8, folder 17. Eldon Weber collection.
  • Martin, Jesse B. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1931-1968. n.p. : Hist. Mss. 1.34.1, folder 10.1. Most ceremonies would be connected to the Erb Street Mennonite Church, Waterloo, Ontario.
  • Reesor, Benjamin B. Baptisms in York County churches extracted from Benjamin B. Reesor's diaries. III-28.1, folder 8. Wideman Mennonite Church collection. This is part of a ledger maintained by John D. Grove that includes financial records, and transcriptions by Grove of Young People's Bible Meeting Topics in the 1910s; transcriptions from Semi-annual meeting of York County Ministerial, 1894-1928; historical notes; Baptisms in York County Churches copied from Benjamin B. Reesor's diaries; list of ordained persons in York County, 1808-1929; baptisms, 1892-1913; Samuel Wideman's membership list, and subsequent lists, 1862-1987; lists of Bible conferences at Wideman and Almira, 1935-1977; Evangelistic meetings, 1936-1986 and other special meetings and speakers.
    • Baptisms – in York County (Markham district) (1861-1913)
    • Ordinations – in York County (1803-1962)
  • Saunders, Thomas. Waterloo County marriages, births and burials, 1840-1849, as recorded in Wellington District. Kitchener, Ont. : Waterloo-Wellington Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, 1992, 30 p. ; Hist.Mss. 5A.4. This includes marriages performed by Bishop Benjamin Eby (Mennonite) and Bishop John Oesch (Amish Mennonite) from 1840-1849. As only bishops performed marriages, this would have included all of Waterloo County.
  • Shantz, Henry. Bishop's Book [extracts], 1842-1872. Hist. Mss. 1.4.1.1/21 Lewis J. Burkholder collection. These are transcriptions by L.J. Burkholder from Henry Shantz’s records. The location of the original is unknown. Shantz was bishop in the Wilmot – North Dumfries township area, though as bishop he did baptisms throughout Ontario.
    • Baptisms – Henry Shantz, 1842-1872
    • Ordinations – by Henry Shantz, 1859-1872
    • Marriages – Henry Shantz, 1852-1859
  • Steinmann, Daniel. "Bishop's Book of Sermons, Baptisms and Marriages." Unpublished manuscript, 1899-1930. n.p. : Hist. Mss. IV-6.1.2.
  • Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church (Kitchener). “Marriage Register.”  Bound register, 1942-1960. XIII-2.15.1.7, folder 4 (Stirling Ave. Mennonite Church collection). Includes weddings performed at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church by pastors Andrew Shelly and Wilfred Ulrich.
  • "Russian Mennonite" or "Russlaender" vital records. Digitized early lists and registers of Russlaender families compiled by church leaders in the Waterloo-Kitchener, Vineland, Leamington and Reesor areas have been compiled onto a single website by the Mennonite Archives of Ontario. The time period is generally 1924 to the early 1930s, except for the Reesor congregation which includes lists until the late 1940s.
  • Vineland United Mennonite Church (Vineland, Ont.). " Familienverzeichnis" [family registers], 1920s-1960s. XIII-2-2.3/5 (Vineland United Mennonite Church fonds). Marriage, baptism, birth, death and immigration data, arranged by head of household.
  • Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church (Waterloo, Ont.). "Familienverzeichnis" [family registers], 1920s-1940s, XIII-2-1.1/8 (Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church fonds). Marriage, baptism, birth, death and immigration data, arranged by head of household.
  • Weber, Eldon D. Waterloo County Births as Recorded in 1872 and 1873. n.p. : Waterloo-Wellington Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, 1974, 16 p. ; Hist. Mss. 5A.1
  • Weber, Eldon D. Waterloo County Deaths as Recorded in 1870[-1872]. n.p. : Waterloo-Wellington Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, 1973, 18 p. ; Hist. Mss. 5A.2
  • Weber, Elias and Jonas Snider. "Bishop's Book of Baptisms and Marriages." Unpublished manuscript, 1879-1942. 296 p. : Hist. Mss. III-10.1 (Breslau Church collection). Church membership and baptismal records for 1879-1919; marriage records for 1879-1942.
  • Weber, Joseph B. "Births, Marriages and Deaths in Waterloo County, Ontario and Allegan County, Michigan." Unpublished manuscript, c.1863-1894, n.p. ; Hist. Mss. 5A.3
  • Wideman, Samuel. "Bishop's Book of Baptisms and Marriages." Unpublished manuscript, 1896-1918, photocopied 1993. n.p. : Hist. Mss. 1.142 s.c.
  • Williams, Michael, et al. "Index to 1881 Census of Warwick Township, Lambton County (includes Mennonites) Hist.Mss. 5C.4
  • Yantzi, Henry. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1948-1958. n.p. : Hist. Mss. V-1 (East Zorra Collection)
  • Yantzi, Henry. "Marriage Register." Unpublished manuscript, 1958-1976. n.p. : Hist. Mss. V-1 (East Zorra collection)