Lehrerleut
The Lehrerleut, also Lehrerleit, are a branch of the Hutterites that emerged in 1877. They are the most traditional branch of the Hutterites.
History[edit]
Thirteen Hutterite families under the leadership of Jacob Wipf (1835–1896) emigrated from Johannesruh, Ukraine, to South Dakota in 1877. After their arrival, they formed the Lehrerleut by establishing a community of goods at Elmspring Colony near Parkston, South Dakota, thus following the example of the Schmiedeleut and the Dariusleut.[1] The group's leader was a teacher (German: Lehrer), hence their name Lehrerleut ("teacher people").[2]
Shortly after World War I, two Hutterite conscientious objectors from the Lehrerleut branch, Joseph and Michael Hofer, died in an American prison. This and growing anti-German sentiment caused the emigration of all four Lehrerleut colonies to Alberta, Canada, in the following years.[3] In 1945, the Lehrerleut started to form new colonies in Montana, thus returning to the United States.
Demography[edit]
In 1957 there were 20 Lehrerleut colonies in Alberta, 3 in Saskatchewan and 8 in Montana. In 1973 the total number of Lehrerleut colonies was 61.[4] According to the "2004 Hutterite Phone Book" there were 69 Lehrerleut colonies in Alberta and 30 in Saskatchewan. An additional 44 colonies were in Montana, all together 143.[5] Rod Janzen and Max Stanton report in their book of 2010 that there were 139 Lehrerleut colonies, 72 in Alberta, 32 Saskatchewan and 35 in Montana.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ John A. Hostetler: Hutterite Society, Baltimore, MD, 1974, page 111, 115.
- ^ "Origins of Leut". Hutterites. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
- ^ "World War 1". Hutterites.org. Decker Colony School.
- ^ John A. Hostetler: Hutterite Society, Baltimore, MD, 1974, page 366.
- ^ The 2004 Hutterite Phone Book, Canadian Edition, James Valley Colony of Hutterian Brethren: Elie, Manitoba.
- ^ Rod Janzen and Max Stanton: The Hutterites in North America, Baltimore, MD, 2010, page 55.
Further reading[edit]
- John A. Hostetler: Hutterite Society, Baltimore, MD, 1974.
- Rod Janzen and Max Stanton: The Hutterites in North America, Baltimore, MD, 2010.
- John Lehr and Yosef Kats: Inside the Ark: The Hutterites in Canada and the United States, Regina 2012.
External links[edit]
- hutterites.org, the website of the Hutterian Brethren (Schmiedeleut 1)