Source: Wikipedia Commons

Tragheimerweide (now Barcice), a former Mennonite congregation and settlement in West Prussia, Germany, located between Marienburg (now Malbork, Poland) and Marienwerder (now Kwidzyn, Poland), (coordinates: 53° 52′ 53″ N, 18° 56′ 21″ E). The last great settlement of Mennonites in West Prussia was made in the Stuhm marshes in 1724. The land was chiefly meadow, which the Mennonites now began to cultivate and on which they lived on their scattered individual farms, with cattle and provisions under one roof with the residence. The occasion for the settlement of these marshes was the return of the Mennonites from Lithuania, who had lived there since 1713, but had to leave the Memel Lowlands in 1724 on account of military service.

On 10 November 1724 representatives of the Grosswerder sold two thirds of Tragheimerweide to Salomon Becher and Jacob Jantzen for 2,200 Prussian guilders for the refugees. In the same year 14 hides of Rudnerweide were transferred to Mennonites coming from the Tilsit marshes who were trying to evade Friedrich Wilhelm’s recruiters for the “regiment of giants.” Other meadow lands (Schweingrube, Zwanzigerweide, Montauerweide, Zieglershuben, Klein-Schardau, and Gross-Schardau) were sold to Mennonites in these years, with the result that in the second quarter of the 18th century a closed Mennonite settlement came into being. The settlers for the most part came from the Montau and Schönsee congregations. In 1728 the Bishop of Culm permitted them to build a meetinghouse. This chapel was enlarged in 1763 and a cemetery laid out. Whereas this church was built in the style of Mennonite frame churches, the new church, built in 1866 on the site of the old one, was built on a Gothic plan in brick. In 1892 the church acquired a good organ. From 1762 the congregation kept records.

The young congregation, belonging to the Frisian branch (called Waterlander in the Dutch Naamlijst) and called the Stuhm Lowlands congregation or Schweingrube, went through a severe crisis in its first years (1733-1779). When the Frisian congregations in West Prussia at that time wanted to abolish marriages with Catholics and Lutherans, three members of Tragheimerweide living at Rosenkranz set up violent opposition, and with their followers proceeded to choose their own ministers. A conference of Frisian elders meeting at Schweingrube in 1779 prevented a schism. The Rosenkranz group won; mixed marriages were again tolerated in all the Frisian congregations. The village of Tragheimerweide in 1744 was exclusively Mennonite; by 1772, when less farm lands were obtainable, a number of Mennonites earned their living as weavers. This shortage of farm lands also caused a considerable emigration to South Russia in the early 19th century.

The congregation had two subsidiaries—Marienwerder and Zandersfelde. About 1820 the old name of the congregation was gradually replaced by “Tragheimerweide.” In 1892-1929 it was called Zwanzigerweide because in 1892 the villages of Tragheimerweide and Zwanzigerweide were merged under the name of the latter; in 1929 the name Tragheimerweide was resumed, when for the purposes of incorporation it was necessary to define the geographic limits of the congregation.

In 1807-1808 the Tragheimerweide congregation suffered losses by the emigration of several families to South Russia. In 1852 it had a baptized membership of 336; in 1888, 357; 1928, 550 souls; in 1940, 510 souls. The members, mostly farmers, were scattered over 27 villages and two towns in the areas of Stuhm, Marienwerder, and Mewe. It was served by an elder and five preachers and was a member of the Conference of the Mennonites of East and West Prussia. In 1945, as a result of the flight and expulsion of the Germans from this area, the congregation came to an end.

The Dutch Naamlijst records the following elders: Peter Tjart before 1740-ca. 1755, Hans Ewert 1750-1756, Marten Albrecht 1776-ca. 1782, Jakob Ewert, preacher 1776, elder 1800-1843. In the last 150 years the elders were Jonas Quiring, preacher 1808, elder 1843-1860, David Ewert, preacher 1840, elder 1860-1903, David Pauls 1903-1909, Franz Ewert of Gr. Schardau 1913-1939, Albert Bartel of Unterberg near Rehof 1940-1945. Albert Bartel was in 1958 the elder of the refugee congregation at Bremen, but lived at Espelkamp.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 741-742. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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