Harder, Gerhard (1857-1931)
Gerhard Harder: evangelist and minister of the Halbstadt congregation, Molotschna, Taurida, Russia; born in 1857 as fourth child of Bernhard Harder (1832-1884), well-known minister, teacher, and poet of Halbstadt.
Gerhard was educated at the Halbstadt Zentralschule and pedagogical classes and—after teaching in an elementary school until 1883—at St. Chrischona near Basel, Switzerland. Harder then took a private course in Russian and became a teacher of the Halbstadt Musterschule connected with the pedagogical classes of the Halbstadt Zentralschule, serving here for five years (1885-90). He then became a minister of the Ohrloff-Halbstadt congregation and was appointed evangelist (Reiseprediger) by the Mennonite General Conference (Bundeskonferenz). He wrote a biography of his father Bernhard Harder in the volume Geistliche Lieder und Gelegenheitsgedichte (Hamburg, 1888).
Gerhard Harder was married to Justina Peters Harder; they had four sons. His son Johannes graduated from the Teachers' Institute at St. Petersburg and taught at the Halbstadt Zentralschule from 1909 until his death during the Revolution.
Harder was arrested in January 1931 together with Elder A. Klassen, spent several months in jail at Halbstadt, was sentenced to banishment to Siberia but fell ill and died at the Muntau hospital the day before the execution of the sentence. Earnestness and at the same time a great kindliness were outstanding features of his character and work.
Bibliography
Friesen, Peter M. Die Alt-Evangelische Mennonitische Brüderschaft in Russland (1789-1910) im Rahmen der mennonitischen Gesamtgeschichte. Halbstadt: Verlagsgesellschaft "Raduga", 1911.
| Author(s) | Heinrich Goerz |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Goerz, Heinrich. "Harder, Gerhard (1857-1931)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 20 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Harder,_Gerhard_(1857-1931)&oldid=114096.
APA style
Goerz, Heinrich. (1956). Harder, Gerhard (1857-1931). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 20 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Harder,_Gerhard_(1857-1931)&oldid=114096.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 660. All rights reserved.
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