Many of what we call 'Mennonite traditions' and 'Mennonite foods' were developed during these years in the Vistula Delta. The Plautdietsch (low German) dialect spoken in the area replaced their Dutch and Frisian languages and became the 'heart language' of our people. Our ancestors were deeply committed to their Mennonite beliefs and traditions and kept them alive through hundreds of years. Even though they were given religious freedom they were not permitted to win new converts, so family names remained the same through the years. These names originated in Holland or Northern Germany and are easily identified by Mennonite people even today some 500 years after the original Mennonites came together. (I assume they were not allowed to proselytize because people would join the Mennonites to avoid being conscripted into the armies.)
More information about Mennonite surnames can be found at http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Names_(Mennonite)
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