I. J. Neufeld & Co. (Waldheim, Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)
J. J. Neufeld & Co. was a manufacturer of farm machinery in the Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, South Russia. It was established in 1890 in Waldheim, Ukraine, with a founding capital of 250,000 Rubles and was incorporated as a public company in 1900. By 1908, J. J. Neufeld & Co. was the fourth largest manufacturer in Russia, with an annual production of 350,000 Rubles and with 200 employees working in the factory. In 1911-1912, the company employed 250 people.
J. J. Neufeld & Co. was established at a time of increased demand for farm machinery after 1860, when additional farmland became available for residents of the Mennonite settlements. At the same time, the transportation of farm goods became easier with an increase in rail links and the development of the steam engine for river travel. The production of inexpensive iron and steel made it possible to produce farm implements more readily than ever before. These factors prompted growth in the manufacturing industries, especially in the Molotschna and Chortitza Mennonite Settlements of south Russia.
The first Mennonite factory built during this time of expansion was Lepp and Wallmann, owned by Peter Lepp and his son-in-law, Andreas Wallmann. Other manufacturers soon followed with their own factories, including J. J. Neufeld & Co. Altogether, the eight largest factories in the Mennonite settlements produced 6.2% percent of Russia’s total industrial output at a value of over three million Rubles, manufacturing agricultural implements such as winnowers, reapers, threshers, and plows.
Although J. J. Neufeld & Co. was not the largest of the agricultural companies, its production of farm machinery made a significant contribution to the economic output of the south Russian Mennonite settlements.
Bibliography
Krahn, Cornelius. "Agriculture Among the Mennonites of Russia." Mennonite Life (January 1955). Web. 13 March 2013. http://tools.bethelks.edu/mennonitelife/pre2000/1955jan.pdf.
Mennonitische Geschichte und Ahnenforschung Chortitza. "Einige Personen aus der Industrie, Handel und Gewerbe." Web. 13 March 2013. http://chortiza.heimat.eu/UntU.htm.
Rempel, David G. "The Mennonite Colonies in New Russia: A Study of their Settlement and Economic Development from 1789 to 1914." Ph. D. dissertation, Stanford University, 1933: 275-289.
Urry, James. "Growing up with Cities: The Mennonite Experience in Imperial Russia and the Early Soviet Union." Journal of Mennonite Studies 20 (2002). http://jms.uwinnipeg.ca/index.php/jms/article/viewFile/1089/1088.
Urry, James. "Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth and the Mennonite Experience in Imperial Russia." Journal of Mennonite Studies 3 (1985). http://jms.uwinnipeg.ca/index.php/jms/article/viewFile/42/42.
| Author(s) | Susan Huebert |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2013 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Huebert, Susan. "I. J. Neufeld & Co. (Waldheim, Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2013. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=I._J._Neufeld_%26_Co._(Waldheim,_Molotschna_Mennonite_Settlement,_Zaporizhia_Oblast,_Ukraine)&oldid=82407.
APA style
Huebert, Susan. (March 2013). I. J. Neufeld & Co. (Waldheim, Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=I._J._Neufeld_%26_Co._(Waldheim,_Molotschna_Mennonite_Settlement,_Zaporizhia_Oblast,_Ukraine)&oldid=82407.
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