Andreyevka (also called Gnadental), was a village in the Mennonite colony of Nikolaipol near Aulie-Ata, Russia (now Taraz, Zhambyl Province, Kazakhstan), at the foot of the northwest spur of the Tianshan range in Turkestan, about 5,000 feet above sea level. It was established in 1882 by Mennonites, chiefly from the Molotschna colony under the leadership of A. Peters, who hoped to acquire there complete exemption from military service. The village had about 30 families of farmers. The soil was loamy, mixed with stones, and was irrigated with water from the mountain brooks. At first the colonists lived in poverty, but gradually became prosperous. Most of them belonged to the Nikolaipol Mennonite Brethren Church. The ultimate fate of this settlement was unknown in the 1950s.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 121. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.