Speedwell Mennonite Brethren Church – Fairholme, SK
Proper Title
Speedwell Mennonte Brethren Church fonds
Dates of Creation
1926–1948, 1979
Physical Description
8 cm of textual records and one microfilm reel
Administrative History
The Speedwell Mennonite Brethren Church (also known as the Fairholme MB Church), located in northern Saskatchewan 3 miles east and 8 miles north of Fairholme, was a member of the Canadian Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches, Rosthern District. The church was organized in 1926 under the leadership of John Kliewer with a membership of 13.
In 1932, a church building was erected. The membership increased steadily to 117 by 1935. Many people came from Hepburn during the early 1930s. Because of heavy emigration to Ontario and British Columbia, and because of local farming difficulties, the membership decreased so that by 1948, when J.A. Enns, who had been leader since 1937, moved away with his family, the few remaining members transferred their membership to a small local EMB group (taken from the Mennonite Encyclopedia).
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of the following series: Speedwell MB church minutes, membership and family register; and history. The books are in the German Gothic script, while the historical materials are in the English language.
Custodial History
When the Speedwell MB Church closed the records reportedly were taken to Glenbush. Many of the records were microfilmed in 1978 through the work of the Historical Commission of the Mennonite Brethren Conference. The textual records came to the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies in 1996 from the Bethany Bible School in Saskatchewan, where they had been housed, probably since the microfilming was done in 1978. A Speedwell history book written by Mary Loewen Fehr came to CMBS in 1996.
Notes
- Volume 637.
- Formerly classified under the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches inventory BF533.
- Finding aid consists of a series description and a file list.
- Finding aid for microfilm: R13, pp. 371–569.
- Accession number for book: 1996–047.
- Microfilm file list adapted from a previous finding aid by Leslie Wiebe June 2003.
Series Descriptions
I. Speedwell Mennonite Brethren Church minutes.
1926–1935.
2 cm of textual records.
- This series includes two books of minutes in the German Gothic script.
- Finding aid: Speedwell Mennonite Brethren Church list 1–2.
II. Speedwell Mennonite Brethren Church membership and family register.
1926–1943.
4 cm of textual records.
- This series consists of two bound volumes containing birth, baptism, and parental information.
- Finding aid: Speedwell Mennonite Brethren Church list 3–4.
III. Speedwell Mennonite Brethren Church history.
1978–1979.
2 cm of textual records.
- This series consists of a file of historical materials and a community history book of the Speedwell district by Mary Loewen Fehr.
- Finding aid: Speedwell Mennonite Brethren Church list 5–6.
File List
Volume 637
Series I: Minutes of meetings
1. Book I: Minutes of meetings. -- March 1926–March 1935.
2. Book II: Minutes of meetings.-- June 1935–May 1948.
Series II: Membership and family records
3. Book III: Membership and family register. -- 1926–1945.
4. Book IV: Membership and family register. -- 1926–1947.
Series III: Historical records
5. Historical material. -- 1978–1979.
6. My youth my school our farm our church in Speedwell, Saskatchewan / by Mary Loewen Fehr. -- 1979.
Microfilm file list
Reel 13
- Factual History of the Fairholm Church, membership and family records (Book II). – ca.1935–1948. – p.422–481 (57). – Note: It is unclear what this number represents, but is included because it was in a previous finding aid.
- Membership Records (Book III). – [192-]–[193-]. – p.482–545.
- Membership Records (Book IV). – [19--]–1968. – p.546–569 (+23). – Note: It is unclear what this number represents, but is included because it was in a previous finding aid.
- Congregational Meeting Minutes (Book I). – 1926–1935. – p.371–421.