Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives: Episode 33
Maria Kroeker (1870-1950) as a young woman, taken when she was approximately 18 years old. MHA 031-05.
In 1926, Maria Kroeker Neufeld (1870-1950) and her husband Johann Neufeld (1869-1950), along with three of her seven children, were part of a group of Mennonites that moved from Saskatchewan and Manitoba to Paraguay. Prompted by a desire for greater autonomy from provincial education legislation and fears of integration, their story is one of a family divided by continents and conviction. In this episode, host Dan Dyck reviews the correspondence between Maria and her family members that is housed at the Mennonite Heritage Archives. The letters illustrate the challenges of creating a new life in Paraguay and the sense of loss that was experienced by Maria, while pointing to the deeper convictions that prompted the move.
View a letter sent by Maria’s youngest son Nikolas to family in Canada here. Nikolas was 14 years old at the time of writing.
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Podcast Series: Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives
Episode 33: Maria Kroeker Neufeld: Letters Across a Divide
Date: June 15, 2025
Host: Dan Dyck
Published by The Mennonite Heritage Archives
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