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Aron J. Wiebe (1845–1922)

Rev. Aron J. Wiebe

14 Sep 1845 – 11 May 1922, born at Altenau, died at Paso Robles (California)

Christopher’s 2nd great-grandfather · ancestor no. 20 · generation 5
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents documented

Family

Life and evidence

His family in the Ladekopp register

Aron, b. 14.09.1845 (Altenau), baptized 16.05.1864 (the obituary says Pentecost 1864: 16 May 1864 was Whit Monday). Siblings: Catharina (1841, m. Eduard Warkentin 1875), Anna (1843, m. Johann Claassen 1879), Jacob (1848), Heinrich (1850–1915, to Palschau), Maria (1852–1854), Johann (1854), Gertruda Maria (1857–1912), Hermann (1859–1883).

Born at Altenau, Grosses Werder (Reid tree, amtrakt.de), son of Jacob Wiebe and Anna Entz. Married Maria Fieguth 16 July 1872; moved to Am Trakt 1872–73; a preacher in the Am Trakt church. After Maria’s death (1890) married her sister Johanna Fieguth (1893). Sailed 1894 (reportedly on the Trave, Bremen–New York); preacher of the San Marcos Mennonite congregation, Paso Robles, from 1896. Some brothers stayed in West Prussia; brother Jacob also went to Lysanderhöh.

A Jacob Wieb was already farming at Altenau in the 1776 census (Heubuden congregation) — a possible forebear, not proven.

His own obituary ( Christlicher Bundes-Bote, 1922), translated summary

  • Born 14 Sep 1845 at Altenau, West Prussia; parents Jakob and Anna Wiebe, née Entz. This documents the parent link, which until now rested on family trees.
  • School at Prangenau, 1851–61. Baptized Pentecost 1864 by Elder Johann Toews of Ladekopp: the family belonged to the Ladekopp congregation (so look in the Ladekopp registers, not only Heubuden).
  • Left home in June 1869 “for freedom from military service” and went to Russia, near the Volga.
  • Married Maria Fieguth 4 Jul 1872 (old style) = 16 Jul (new style), matching the date already here. Twelve children: six died young and two as adults (Marie, May 1911; Jakob, autumn 1912).
  • Called to preach 8 Feb 1881 (o.s.): about 40 years in all, 15 in Russia, 1 in Nebraska, 24 in California.
  • Maria died 19 Aug 1890 (o.s.). That year brought crop failure and famine, then typhus and the cholera of 1891; he worked hard then because he also served as a [healer/doctor?] with “a large practice”.
  • Married the widow Johanne Bergmann née Fieguth 9 Feb 1893 (o.s.).
  • Came to America “for freedom of conscience” in spring 1896: first Beatrice, then Paso Robles in October 1897.
  • Died of cancer 11 May 1922, aged 76 years 7 months 27 days, survived by his wife, five children and 37 grandchildren; buried 13 May (services by C. Hege in English and J. K. Lichti in German).

In the 1890s he wrote to Mennonitische Blätter from Lysanderhöh: the congregation had about 500 baptized members in 10 villages on 16,500 desyatins, hit by crop failures in 1879, 1880 and 1885 and by members leaving for Turkestan and Khiva. Source: Internet Archive full-text sweep (2026-10-31).

Where they lived

In their lifetime

Pedigree

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flowchart RL
  n76779922["Anna Entz (c.1820)"]
  n54584388["Aron J. Wiebe (1845–1922)"]
  n91399190["Jacob Wiebe (c.1815)"]
  n54584388 --> n91399190
  n54584388 --> n76779922
  class n76779922,n54584388,n91399190 internal-link;

Conflicts

  • Find a Grave: born ‘in Russia’ — Reid tree and amtrakt.de: Altenau, West Prussia

Sources

Arrival in New York, 18 June 1896: SS Trave (Bremen and Southampton) — added 2026-10-31 by Claude

NARA, German, French, and Swiss Passenger Records, ca. 1820–ca. 1912 (AAD), manifest 44088; header: Trave, Bremen & Southampton, arrived New York 06/18/1896. The Wiebe household on it:

NameAgeFits
Aron50, farmerAron J., b. 1845
Johanne44his second wife Johanna Fieguth
Anna21daughter (b. c.1875)
Jacob19son (b. c.1877)
Heinrich11son, later Henry A. Wiebe of Paso Robles
Catharine10daughter
Maria8daughter, probably later Mrs. Erhard H. Schroeder

This confirms the family account (“reportedly on the Trave”) and dates the crossing to 1896, about two years after Gerhard. Indexed as country “Germany”, although they came from Am Trakt. Evidence level: strong inference (index entry; the manifest image was not viewed).

Smith's Story of the Mennonites (1981), pp. 183, 260, 294–299 — added 2026-10-31 by Claude

  • p. 183: an Aron Wiebe, elder of the Fürstenwerder congregation, resigned and left for Russia after 1868 rather than accept noncombatant service. Probably not this Aron (Ladekopp congregation, about 23 in 1868), but possibly a relative. Unresolved.
  • pp. 260–261: Am Trakt (founded 1853 under Claasz Epp; officially Köppenthal; ten villages; settlers “nearly all from West Prussia”).
  • pp. 294–299: the 1880 trek to Central Asia left from Am Trakt while Aron was a preacher there; afterward some of the disillusioned trekkers “settled in the West Prussian Mennonite communities of Beatrice, Nebraska”, where Aron’s son Gerhard went in 1894. See Smith - Smith’s Story of the Mennonites (1981).

Belk (1976): the Trakt during the trek — added 2026-10-31

Lysanderhöh was founded in 1864. A Johann Bergmann there handled relief money for stranded trekkers in 1884, and Beatrice’s committee led the relief, which helps explain why the Wiebes and Bergmanns later went to Beatrice. See Belk - The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia (1976).

Letters from California — added 2026-10-31 by Claude

The Mennonitische Rundschau index lists letters from A. J. Wiebe, Adelaide [Adelaida], California, on 26 Jan and 27 Apr 1898, and a 1903 notice signed “A. J. Wiebe, Paso Robles, 14 Nov 1903, for the business committee” of the Pacific District Conference. (The 1898 issue texts could not be downloaded on this pass.) See Church papers - Christlicher Bundesbote and Mennonitische Rundschau (1880s-1920s).

Narratives and research

Open questions

  • Find a Grave: born ‘in Russia’ — Reid tree, amtrakt.de and his 1922 obituary: Altenau, West Prussia
  • Emigration: 1894 (vault, from family trees) vs spring 1896 to Beatrice, then October 1897 to Paso Robles (1922 obituary; MHB 2007)

Record compiled 31 October 2026.

About this research

Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.

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