История славянских протестантских общин: генеалогические записи и документы

Johann Fast, Sey teacher at Schinau,- Soon after his marriase, Grandfather moved to the village ef Friegensruah, where he teucht the viliass school for eae Yearso Then he moved to the village of Sshinau, where ha taught So Bre fcur years. Nc oe a ak 7 Transplanted to to the Crimeas. By 1850. vepulation pressuse had tecome an eronoemic Erob= len for the Menno nites in Rassia, The rapid incrsasa in popuiaticn and the government prevision that the entire estars must pass intact’ to a singis member of the fanity upon the death of the ore ower, worssd a ata vpon thorja members who did not share the iaxd {nheri tan280 i Grandfather inherited-the estate at Slunstain he would have been the fourth Johann Harier to Lliva thers. ois rae his father wag unable or unwilling to retire, thus forsing Grandfather to make his living elsswneres A soluticn of this protiem was sougat quite early. in the purchase of daughter etlzaies as ean cuties for the surplus populations The firss daughter community was established in <ns Crimea in 1852 by a ercvp of Molotchna landseekers who Tirst becama acquainted with the fields about Simfercpol while enzazed in travvhortiag the wounded from the tattiefields to the:> Moletchna homes during the Urimean Wat 4 In the spring sf i865, Gra andiather moved his crowing. family ‘te ths Crimea where he bought a smail farm. The little villasce of annenfeld tecams his noma for the naxt nines yeargo The first few years were difficult with ths usual probisms confronted in any pioneer sl vua- tion. But after haring tesoms familiar with the climates and soil in the Crimsa, he began to ‘prosper. Nine years later, in 1874, he was abie to eell*vut with considerable profit ani ‘emigrate to America. a _ When Grandfather and Grandmothsr and the two oldest children moved into the Crimsa, they joined a small group of Menncnites that ret in various homes %o giscg, pray, and s@earsn the scriptures for more insight asd understanding of God’s Word. As menvioned earlier in snk biography, this was the tims that the Mennonite Church in Russia had reached a low point i= i% spiritual life. Grandfather, too, was cencsrued with living a mre Christian life. And wita & 8 ‘his friends, ha sought to find it. In 1869, Jacob a§ Wiebs, a formar elder in ths Kisins Gsmainds in the Crimea, invited all those Vhtbreated in greater spiritual life into a maw churen tellowahip. Co nvinced. according to God’s Word that baptism by immersion was most Biblical, ths Grandparents ani seventeen others were retaptized by Wiebs. Then they proceeded to organize a new Menncniss denomination that is stiil known as the Erimmer Mennonite Pretnras ¢ Chumsh. in i871, Grand= father was elected to tha ministry and azeistant to Eider Jaced Ak Wietec Mterstion to go America. Among tha written reccrds that Grandfather laft behind, hiz description of the joursa> to America ia the mst complets, But even here ons icoxs in vain for the reason