Geiger Mennonite Church (New Hamburg, ON)

Title: Geiger Mennonite Church fonds

Dates of Creation: 1828-1976 

Physical description: 60 cm of texual material

Administrative history: Geiger Mennonite Church, located on Bleams Rd. near Wilmot Centre in Wilmot Township, is the oldest Mennonite congregation in Wilmot Township. According to L. J. Burkholder it organized sometime in the 1830s. The location was listing in the Calendar of appointments as early at 1837.

The first building was erected in 1844, with a subsequent building in 1876. In 1913 the the church was lengthened by 12 feet, with some additional renovations. A new structure was built in 1979. Pastors included Abraham Honsberger, Ulrich Geiger, Amos Cressman, Osiah Cressman, Moses H. Roth, Robert Mast, Glen Horst, and Lester Bauman.

When Lester Bauman was pastor in 1966, the Baden congregation invited him to serve there as pastor as well. Many activities were then held jointly between Geiger and Baden. In late 1975 the Geiger building burned, and services were held for a time in the renovated Baden building.

In September 1977 the congregations merged and became the Wilmot Mennonite Church at the Geiger location. In 1979 a new building was erected at the Geiger site.

Custodial history: Accessions from the Geiger congregation have been received at various undocumented times.

Notes:
For photographs related to this congregation search the Mennonite Archival Image Database.

An encyclopedia entry for this congregation may be found in GAMEO

​For further information see L. J. Burkholder, A brief history of the Mennonites in Ontario (1935), and an unpublished paper by Carl Rudy, "History of the Geiger Mennonite Church," 1962.

Original archival description created by Sam Steiner

File list:

Series 1: Formal records

1.    Membership book, 1930-1978
2.    Financial records, 1891-1913, includes annual meeting minutes 1894, 1912
3.    Annual meeting minute book, 1915-1930, also includes church offering record, 1932-1959
4.    Financial record book, 1915-1930; also includes copy of annual meeting minutes, 1916- 1930
5.    Financial record book, 1931-1941; annual meeting minutes, 1931-1940
6.    Annual meeting minutes, 1960-1974 (some years labeled "rough copy")
7.    Annual meeting minutes, 1966-1974
8.    Church Council minutes, 1959-1973
9.    Correspondence, map, deeds related to Geiger property, 1846, 1863, 1958, 1963
10.    Cemetery - rules, bequests, receipts
11.    Recommendation on cooperation between Geiger and Baden, [1966?]
12.    Biehn and Geiger Young People's Bible Meeting minutes and financial records, 1947- 1961
13.    Sunday school record book, 1901-1907
14.    Sunday school record book, 1919-1930
15.    Sunday school record book, 1931-1935
16.    Sunday school record book, 1944-1948, 1949-1951
17.    Congregational receipts and expenditure book, 1972-1973
18.    Building fund bank book and cheques, 1941
19.    Geiger Mennonite Youth Fellowship, 1964-1966

Series 2: Informal records

1.    Carl J. Rudy, "A history of the Geiger Mennonite Church," 1962 (2 copies)
2.    Misc. programs, some from Geiger, 1901- (earliest Geiger program is 1918)
3.    Misc. clippings and notes about congregational members
4.    Church library circulation and record book
5.    Loose-leaf church historian's notebook
6.    Pulpit Bibel, with bookplate, from Geiger meetinghouse, ca. 1860
7.    Neue Testament, with bookplate, from Geiger meetinghouse, 1828
8.    Sunday curriculum for kindergarten and primary children, 1946
9.    Confession of faith and minister's manual (Elkhart : Mennonite Pub. Co., 1890)
10.    Collection of Psalms and hymns (Elkhart : Mennonite Pub. Co., 1884)
11.    Gemeinschaftliche Lieder-Sammlung (Berlin, Ont. : Boedecker & Stuebing, 1883)
12.    Hymns and tunes for private and public worship (Elkhart : Mennonite Pub. Co., 1890)
13.    Halleluia : Liederbuch für Sonntagschulen, ... (Cleveland : Lauer & Mattill, 1887)

Series 3: Bulletins

1.    1962-1963
2.    1964-1965
3.    1966-1967
4.    1968-1969
5.    1970-1971
6.    1972-1973
7.    1974-1976