I always knew that history is much more than just “years”, “names”, “battles”, “art” etc., it is more like the uninterrupted life upon life upon life – the continuum of life in other words. The Hutterite people’s past is such a history starting around 1520 AD, from the Anabaptist, the very first reform after Luther. There are several names of the originators of this religious movement, but one name – Jacob Hutter (1500 – 6 December 1536) – is the very name by which the “Hutterites” (H.) are known. After Hutter was executed, the H. moved and colonized to Moravia region of Czech Republic.
In 1621 Prince Gabriel Bethlen of Transylvania (after 1526 at Mohács, when Suleiman the Magnificent was victorious against Louis II, the Hungarian empire stopped existing until 1918) ‘invited’ the Hutterites – in fact by force – to come (in the year 1622) to the Transylvanian village of Vințu de Jos (in German Unter-Wintz, in Hungarian Alvinc). Gabriel Bethlen (a Calvinist) wanted to have good craftsmen and agricultural workers and so he brought the 186 Hutterites to colonize the village.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutterites
In 1767, Empress Maria Theresa forced Hutterites to either become Catholics or to be imprisoned. As a result of this persecution, 67 Hutterites remain in Transylvania but they decide to leave to Wallachia (Muntenia) because religion was free for everyone there. However it was very difficult to go from Vințu de Jos to Wallachia, especially because they had wagons with them, and the few checkpoints (between Transylvania and Wallachia) and their border guards were very strict. In Romania, the Carpathian Mountains are in the middle (of Romania) and there is only one river – Olt – that crosses from Transylvania to Wallachia. Hutterites decided to go from Vințu de Jos to Brașov (Kronstadt in German) – ≈ 180 km – and then risk to take the mountain pass by foot and only at night, using mountain guides. Some Romanian people were hired to go with the wagons to Wallachia. The whole journey is recounted in the book “The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren” (n.d.). In short the H. started from Brașov to Săcele, Cheia (Wallachia) and Vălenii de Munte and eventually settled in Ciorogârla (Kräbach in German), close to Bucharest.
The Hutterites increased in numbers quite quickly but very soon they had a big problem: mosquitoes! At Ciorogârla village, there was and still is a serious and endemic problem with mosquito overpopulation. Many of the H.’s died of fever caused by the mosquitoes, until General-Mayor Aleksandr Gavrilovitch Zamyatin (Russia) who occupied the Romanian capital of Bucharest in 1769, proposed to them to emigrate to Russia and sure enough, 60 Hutterites chose to leave (1770). After this exodus, the remaining population again quickly multiplied until a 100 years later, in the year 1871, a law introduced compulsory military service which led the Mennonites and Hutterites to make plans for emigration in US and Canada. As a result there are now dozens of Hutterite colonies in Canada.
At this point, you might say: “well, OK, but really that’s in Transylvania and more then 200 years ago! Why is it relevant?”
In 2006 I traveled to Salem Acres Bible Camp in Alberta (52º01’37.23” N, 112º57’12.45” W) for a week as a speaker & fossil “hunter”. After few days we went to see a Huxley Hutterite Colony (for the first time for me and Flory). Completely by chance, I spoke with a Minister, named John Stahl (quite old) and during our conversation I mentioned I’m originally from Transylvania. He was excited because his ancestors were from Unter-Wintz, namely Vințu de Jos! And when I told him this village is very close to Aiud – my birthplace – he was very moved. Also, he wanted to find some photos of some sort, depicting the Hutterite journey (from Vințu de Jos to through the Carpathian Mountains). Unfortunately, there was no internet at the Huxley Hutterite Colony and at that time (2006), also no internet at Salem Acres Bible Camp (SABC), so I promised I’ll have some photos for him next year when I’ll be back.
Indeed, next year I returned and I had some photos with me but by this time there was actually internet at the SABC! I called John and I asked him to come to SABC because I had a special surprise waiting for him… As he arrived, I pulled out my MacBookPro & opened Google Earth and I took him on the “journey” from Vințu de Jos to the Carpathian Mountains. He was hooked immediately and for a hour he was absolutely mesmerized to see the 3D maps Google Earth create. After we finished he said: “How much would the computer & internet cost?” Now, that is PROGRESS! I do not know if there is a computer or internet now at the Huxley Hutterite Colony; John Stahl senior died in 2010 and now his son, John Stahl junior is the Minister, and as for me I never returned to SABC after 2007.
Yet, what incredible Transylvanian – Canadian connection and how serendipitous it all happened … or maybe there was someone overseeing it?
Emil Silvestru
Dr.Silvestru 