Hours
Generally 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday to Friday. An appointment in advance is recommended.
Contact
Mennonite Archives of OntarioConrad Grebel University College
140 Westmount Road North
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G6
Phone: 519-885-0220 x24238
Title: Wideman Mennonite Church fonds
Dates of creation: 1816-2002
Physical description: 60 cm of textual records
Administrative history: Located on the west side of Highway 48, south of 18th Avenue in Markham, Ontario, the congregation has been affiliated with the Mennonite Conference of Ontario since 1820, the Mennonite Church since 1898, the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada since 1988, and Mennonite Church Canada since 1995. The congregation also participated in the Markham Mennonite Council.
The language of worship is English; the transition from German occurred in the 1880s. The first building was occupied in 1817 with subsequent building programs in 1857 and 1928. Henry Wideman is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through immigration from Pennsylvania.
Sunday school began about 1876, closed in the 1880s, and reopened in 1892. Wideman's was the largest of the early Mennonite churches in the Markham area. A substantial portion of the congregation followed its bishop, Christian Reesor, into the Old Order Mennonite movement. The Mennonite Brethren in Christ also attracted a number of members.
Custodial history: The Wideman congregation has made periodic donations to the Mennonite Archives of Ontario. Items traced to John D. Grove, a former deacon, were donated by his son, Joseph H. Grove in 2004; copies of some books were donated by Len Friesen in 2008.
Notes: Original archival description created March 2001 by Sam Steiner.
For photographs related to this congregation search the Mennonite Archival Image Database.
For sound recordings related to this congregation, see Hist.Mss.9.25.
Further materials related to this congregation may be found by searching the Archives.
An encyclopedia entry for this congregation may be found in GAMEO.
File list:
1957-1964 (incomplete), 1966-1977 (incomplete), 1979-1993, 1995-2019
Generally 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday to Friday. An appointment in advance is recommended.
Phone: 519-885-0220 x24238
Conrad Grebel University College
140 Westmount Road North
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G6
519-885-0220
All information on this website is copyright by the Mennonite Archives of Ontario, Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Permission is granted to include URL references to this information for noncommercial purposes, provided that proper attribution is given.
Conrad Grebel University College is situated on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Read Grebel's full territorial acknowledgement.