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New Treasures: Archives of the Mennonite Church
By Dennis Stoesz, Archivist
What follows is a sampling of personal papers and organizational records that have come into the archives during the last six months of 1996. They are listed alphabetically by the name of the collection.
Beechy, Atlee, Goshen, Indiana. Papers, 1944-1969, which reflect Beechy's involvement in Civilian Public Service, 1944-47; European relief under Mennonite Central Committee, 1946-49; involvement in I-W Coordinating Board, late 1950s and early 1960s; and Beechy's ongoing witness for peace, relief and service during the 1960s, in Biafra, Haiti, Mississippi, Nigeria, and Vietnam. Also includes audio tapes of the commissioning service of Beechy, 1966; interview with Beechy by ABC, 1966; a filmstrip of the work of Vietnam Christian Service, 1966-67; and an interview with Hull, of the Vietnam Christian Service team after the Tet Offensive, 1968. 14 linear inches. Donor: Atlee Beechy.
Fisher, Wayne L., Houston, Texas. Newspaper clippings on Amish, 1937-1993 (bulk, 1948-1974), that he collected since the late 1950s. The clippings focus primarily on the Amish conflicts with the legal system, such as education, social security, highway safety for buggies, etc., and are arranged by state and subject. Includes some actual court cases. Fisher recently published his research in a book entitled The Amish in Court, (New York: Vantage Press, 1996), 200 pages. Fisher was a member of the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom, and helped furnish information to attorneys in preparation for cases regarding Amish society and belief. 13 linear inches. Donor: Wayne L. Fisher.
Historical Committee of the Mennonite Church, 1911- , Oral History Project, Floyd L. Rheinheimer, 1996. Interviews with 15 men who served in the military during World War II, 1939-1945, the Korean War, 1950-1953, and the Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975. Many of these men grew up within the Amish or Mennonite church, and most are still members of these churches. This project also includes interviews with 30 individuals and couples, about their life story. Interviews were conducted by Rheinheimer, a retired doctor from Milford, Indiana, during 1996, with the project being sponsored by the Historical Committee. 6 linear inches. Donor: John E. Sharp, Director.
MennoLink, 1992- , Newark, Delaware. Electronic records, 1992-1996, of correspondence sent between subscribers of this electronic mail system. There were about 29 subscribers in June 1992 and about 620 by January 1996. MennoLink was founded in 1987, with roots in the Mennonite Council of Computer Users. A individual subscription list was developed through the efforts of Jon Harder, Bloomington, Minnesota, in 1992; another contact person is Thomas L. Lapp. 38 High Density Computer Disks. Donor: Ross Lynn Bender, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mennonite Board of Congregational Ministries, 1971- , Elkhart, Indiana. Official records, 1969-1990, including minutes, reports and correspondence of five programs and/or sections of Congregational Ministries: family life, leadership, peace and social concerns, communication, and administration. Persons involved in these programs included Howard J. Zehr, 1971-76; Ross T. Bender, 1972-74; Harold E. Bauman, 1974-88; Gordon Zook, 1978-89; Everett Thomas, 1989- ; John H. Mosemann, 1976-77; Hubert Schwartzentruber, 1972-79; Beulah Kauffman, 1974-80; David Helmuth, 1981-83; Frances Greaser, 1983-86; Clare Schumm, 1987-90; Dan Shenk, 1975-78; and Jon Kauffman-Kennel, 1978-85. 18 linear feet. Donor: Everett Thomas, Executive Secretary, and Rachel S. Fisher.
Mennonite Board of Missions, 1906- , Mennonite Media Ministries, 1954- , Harrisonburg, Virginia. Program Files, 1954-1994, containing reports, official documents, and background information on 16 programs operated by this Media Ministries over 40 years. Includes radio, TV and video programs and projects such as All God's People, In Touch, Encore, The Jesus Connection, Choice, Home Bible Studies, JELAM, Mennonite Hour, Radio Spots, TV Spots, Way to Life, Your Time and non-English language programs, including Russian, German, Italian, Japanese and Navaho. Materials include scripts, a list of the various programs, administrative reports and evaluations, promotional files, and the responses from the various radio and TV stations who aired these programs. 47 linear feet. Donor: Lowell T. Hertzler, Business Manager, Media Ministries, and Ethel Hoffman, Office Services Coordinator, Mennonite Board of Missions.
Schlabach, Vivian (Johns), 1903-1996. Photographs, circa 1870s-1940s, of Allen (1848- ) and Sarah (Lehman) Rickert (1850- ) Family, Columbiana-Mahoning Counties, Ohio, and of their daughter's family, Elizabeth (Rickert) (1877-1960) and Ira S. Johns (1879-1956), Goshen, Indiana. Also includes photographs of D. J. (1850-1942) and Nancy (Yoder) Johns (1849-1930) Family, and of Vivian Johns when she was a school teacher at Clinton Community School, in the mid-1920s. Photographs show three generations of a family, and also illustrate the movement of Mennonites and Amish Mennonites from a more elaborate and fancy clothing up to the turn of the century, to that of wearing more plain clothing in the early twentieth century. 5 linear inches. Donor: Theron F. Schlabach, Goshen, Indiana.
Shoemaker, Elizabeth (Brubaker), 1856-1931, and J. S. Shoemaker, 1856-1931. Diary, 1877, of Elizabeth (Lizzie) Brubaker, who married J. S. Shoemaker on December 6, 1877. Also includes an autograph book of Elizabeth Shoemaker, December 1877; a 1910 passport for J. S. Shoemaker; and some 1910 certificates issued to J. S. Shoemaker and J. S. Hartzler by the Mennonite Board of Missions, for them to attend the World's Missionary Conference at Edinburgh, Scotland, and to visit Mennonite churches in Europe and Asia, especially India and Indonesia. 1 File. Donor: Elizabeth (Sieber) Hernley, Goshen, Indiana.
Victim Offender Reconciliation Programs (VORP), 1980-1996. Records, 1980-1996, including newsletters and correspondence, which reflect the various VORP programs being run across the United States of America and Canada, as collected by the Office on Crime and Justice, Mennonite Central Committee U.S., Akron, Pennsylvania. The first VORP program began in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1974, and now there are over 70 such programs. 20 linear inches. Donor: Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Howard Zehr.
Wall, Cornelius, 1893-1985, and Agnes (Dueck), 1894-1973. Sound recordings, sound recording equipment, and photographs, 1948-1970, focussing on the Wall's service with Mennonite Central Committee in Europe, 1948-1960. The Walls routinely visited the many refugee camps, and were spiritual counselors for the destitute, refugees, and voluntary workers there. As a long-standing Bible School teacher, Cornelius Wall was also involved in helping the European Mennonite Bible School at Bienenberg, Switzerland, get started, 1953-58, and served as its principal. Collection consists of wire recordings, reel-to-reel tapes, a wire recorder, a reel-to-reel tape recorder, and negatives. 4 linear feet. Donor: Mary (Wall) and Ben Wiens, Hillsboro, Kansas.
Women's Mission and Service Commission, 1915- , Elkhart, Indiana. Official records, 1968-1995, the bulk of which dates from 1987-1993 and reflects the work of Marian Hostetler as Executive Secretary, 1987-1996. Materials include correspondence, minutes, dockets, annual reports, officer lists, slide sets, and dramas. The files also reflect the various conventions, conferences and projects through the years; the work of the Secretaries of Devotional Life, Family Life, Literature, Peace and Social Concerns, and Business and Professional Women; and the work being done at the district conference level. 4.8 linear feet. Donor: Marian Hostetler.
Zimmerly, John, 1816-1894, Early Mennonite Correspondence and Papers, 1708-1901, Collection. Two decorative art pieces, circa 1843-1877, belonging to John Zimmerly, one being a "Family Record of Johann Zimmerly and Elisabeth Boesiger, 1816-1877" who were married in 1856; and the other being an 1843 "Johannes Zimmerle, born December 13, 1816, Chavanot, France" illustrated art piece done by Joseph Beutler, and given in friendship to John Zimmerly. Materials have been placed with the "John Zimmerly, Orrville, Ohio, 1822-1879" file in the Early Mennonite Correspondence and Papers, 1708-1901, Collection. 1 File. Donor: John Zimmerly, Jackson, Ohio.
--Dennis Stoesz has served as archivest at the Archives of the Mennonite Church since 1989.
Mennonite Historical Bulletin, January, 1997
Last updated 7 September 1999