The John & Hedy Enns Family Lineage

John Abram & Hedwig Catherine Friesen Enns

1929  – 1989 |

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Steinbach, Manitoba
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Goiás, Brazil
Amazonas, Brazil
Volusia, Florida

John was born in 1929 in Steinbach, Manitoba to Abram and Anna Enns. He married Hedwig Catherine Friesen in Virgil, Ontario. In 1958,  John & Hedy moved to Brazil to work as pioneer missionaries  amongst the Yanomami People. Together they worked on the translation of the Bible into the Yanomami language. John was a songwriter, having written and translated many songs, still sung today by many Baptist churches in Brazil. Hedy is considered to be the first “white” woman in a Yanomami village. He compiled a small hymnal called “Cânticos Missionários”.  They had eleven children. John passed away  in Volusia County, Florida in 1989. Hedy continued to work on the Yanomami Bible Translation for many years after. Hedy passed away in 2023.

Abram Johann & Anna Unger Enns

1847 – 1922 (Abram) | 1851 -1908 (Anna)
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Chortitza Colony, South Russia
St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada

Abram was born on the 18th of June 1895 in the Mennonite Nepluyevka Colony, South Russia. He was a doctor who served in the Russian Army. Abram Married Anna Unger with whom he had 11 children. In 1925 Abram and Anna, with their two children Margaret (3 1/2) and Peter (11 Months old) left Russia for Liverpool England, where they boarded the SS Montrose. On December 27th, they arrived in St. John, New Brunswick. He passed away in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1951 and was buried in the Victoria Lawn Cemetery. His tombstone has 1 Cor. 15:22 engraved on it.

Abram & Anna’s Children

Johann Franz & Helena Bargen Ensz
1847 – 1922 | 1851 -1908
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Chortitza Colony, South Russia

Johann was baptized at about 20 years old on 11 Jun 1867. Just over a year later, on 6 Oct 1868 he married 17 year old Helena Bargen, from the Neuendorf village of the Chortitza Colony (modern day Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine). They got married in the village of Schoenhorst. About two years later, they moved to Nepluyevka, a group of five small villages on the Dnieper River where they most likely leased land from the nobleman Nepluyev. During this period many Mennonites from this region began to migrate to Manitoba, Canada, due to rising costs in the leases, leading to a decline in the community. Helena passed away in 1908 leaving Johann.

Abram & Anna’s Children

Franz & Katharina Ensz

1822 – 1907 (Franz) | 1825 – 1907 (Katharina)
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Chortitza Colony, South Russia

Franz was born in 1822 to Isaak & Maria Ens. When he was 21 years old, on November 24th, 1843, he married Katharina. Twenty years later, in 1863 he transferred from Neu Osterwick, Chortitza Colony to Schoenhorst, Chortitza Colony.

Franz & Katharina’s Children

Franz & Katharina Ensz

1793 – 1839 (Isaak)
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Chortitza Colony, South Russia

Isaak was born in Chortitza, South Russia to Isaac & Anganetha in 1793. His father Isaak died when he was 1 year old. He was living in the On May 25th 1815 Isaak made his wedding vows to Maria Lehn.  Isaac was landless when Maria. they had their first child, Anganetha (named after Isaak’s mother) in 1816. Their second child was named Isaak after his own father who he never knew. Their third child, Kornelius is named after Maria’s father, Kornelius Lehn. Together they had 10 children, all in  Chortitza, South Russia.

Isaac & Maria’s Children