c.1815 – ?
Christopher’s 3rd great-grandfather · ancestor no. 40 · generation 6
Evidence: identity documented (named as parent in Aron’s 1922 obituary)
Family
- Spouse: Anna Entz (c.1820)
- Family notes: Jacob Wiebe + Anna Entz (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Aron J. Wiebe (1845–1922)
Life and evidence
Found in the Ladekopp family register (2026-10-31)
“Jacob Wiebe … 15.05.1813 … [died] 04.1872 … [father] Jacob Wiebe, Schlablau … Geb. in Simonsdorf” (Ladekopp Familienbuch KB LA 0.3, Prangenau/Altenau section). Wife Anna geb. Enz; nine children 1841–1859, the first two born at Altenau. Full entry: Ladekopp church books (KB LA 0.1 and 0.3) and Heubuden church book (transcriptions).
Aron’s father (Reid tree). The furthest-back Wiebe in the male line so far. All Mennonite Wiebes descend from one founding Wiebe (Y-DNA) — see Where the Wiebes came from.
2026-10-31 correction — ChatGPT
The study supports common paternal ancestry among its tested lines, not a documented founder for Jacob. His parents remain unidentified. See Wiebe before Prussia - names and faith networks; no parent link or evidence level has been changed.
Named in their son's obituary
Aron J. Wiebe’s 1922 obituary (Christlicher Bundes-Bote) names his parents as “Jakob und Anna Wiebe, geb. Entz”, of Altenau; Aron went to school at Prangenau and was baptized (1864) by the elder of Ladekopp. So the family were Ladekopp congregation members in the 1850s–60s: the Ladekopp church records are the next place to find Jacob’s and Anna’s own parents. Source: Internet Archive full-text sweep (2026-10-31).
Where they lived
- 1845 — Altenau
In their lifetime
- 1833 — 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio
- 1835 — 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond
- 1852 — 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana
- 1869 — 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt
- 1874 — 1874 Military service ends the exemptions
Research tasks
- Search the Ladekopp (and Heubuden) registers for Jacob Wiebe of Altenau (born c.1815), Anna Entz, and their parents — mennonitegenealogy.com, GRANDMA task/ai
Sources
- Reid-Schroeder family tree (reidgen.com)
- 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia (Penner transcription)
- Penner - Adam Wiebe and the Early Mennonite Wiebes (2023)
Narratives and research
- Stories: The Wiebe faith trail - Friesland to the Vistula, Where the Wiebes came from
- History: 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio, 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond, 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana, 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt, 1874 Military service ends the exemptions, Faith traditions
- Research: How far back each line goes, Wiebe before Prussia - names and faith networks
- Congregations: Ladekopp Mennonite congregation
- Sources: 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia (Penner transcription), Penner - Adam Wiebe and the Early Mennonite Wiebes (2023), Reid-Schroeder family tree (reidgen.com)
Open questions
- No documentary or tested DNA link from Jacob to a named early Wiebe founder has been established.
Research log
- 2026-10-31: Ladekopp KB LA 0.3 read: born 15 May 1813 at Simonsdorf, father ‘Jacob Wiebe, Schlablau’; mother not named
- 2026-10-31 (from Wiebe before Prussia - names and faith networks): The earlier claim that DNA is the only route beyond the known Prussian line is too restrictive. We now have specific documentary targets. The oldest male-line Wiebe currently identified in the vault remains Jacob Wiebe (c.1815), a
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.