New Treasures in the 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 past six months. They are listed alphabetically by the name of the collection.

Brandt, Christian, 1782-1866, Wayne County, Ohio. Copybook, January 8, 1852, 198 pages, handwritten, 6 ½ by 7 ¾ inches. Brandt served as minister in the Wayne County (Oak Grove) Amish church from about 1818 to the early 1860s. It was common for nineteenth-century Amish ministers to make copybooks of important documents.

Over eighty percent of the materials copied by Brandt in 1852 are prose and poetry written by George Jutzi. Jutzi served as minister in the Canton Amish church in an adjoining county near Richville, Ohio. Although Jutzi died in 1845, Brand obtained Jutzi's manuscript and made at least two different copies from it. The other copy, undated and slightly different in content from this one, is available at the Mennonite Historical Library, Goshen College. The Jutzi manuscript was published in 1853 in Stark County, Ohio as a book, Ermahnungen von George Jutzi.

Four noteworthy items are included toward the end of the copybook: an August 28, 1751 sermon on Ephesians 2:10, The New Creature by Deknatel, a Mennonite Minister in Amsterdam (pages 163-189); a hymn of ten verses, Mit Gott in einer jeden Sache, 1852, sung to the melody of Psalm 100 (page 190-[191]); a poem, Views of the Poet, Versified (page [193]); and another hymn, O Mensch, wie ist dein Herz bestelt (page [194]).
Credit for information and documentation on this copybook goes to Paton Yoder and Leonard Gross, both of Goshen, Indiana. 1 File. Donor: Margaret Baker, Orrville, Ohio.

Emma Mennonite Church, 1901- , Topeka, Lagrange County, Indiana. Church records, 1967-1989, including church council minutes, 1967-1989; church bulletins, 1984-1989; and the church newsletter, Overview, 1987-1989. 3 linear inches. Donor: Al Yoder, Shipshewana, Indiana.

Goshen College, Women's Studies, 1983- , Goshen, Indiana. Records, 1975-1998, including course outlines, class lists, correspondence, reports and budgets of the program. Faculty involved have included Judith Davis, 1975-1982; Ruth Krall, 1979-1981; Anna Bowman, 1980-1998; and Robert Birky, 1988-1989. Materials also include research and interviews into the history of the program by Goshen College student Janneken Smucker, 1997 and records from the Goshen College Student Women's Association, 1981-1997. 20 linear inches. Donor: Anna Bowman, Goshen, Indiana.

Hernley, Elizabeth (Sieber) and H. Ralph, Goshen, Indiana. Eight 8mm films, 1941-1946, and one VHS video, 1992, of the Hernleys' involvement in Civilian Public Service at four different camps: Camp #22, Henry, Illinois; Camp #40, Howard, Pennsylvania; Camp #20, Sideling Hill, Pennsylvania; and Camp #138, Unit No. 2, Malcolm, Nebraska. Just over two hours in length, it includes mostly black and white footage. Images include such things as life at the camp, Colonel Lewis Kosch inspecting camp, work with soil conservation, disaster relief from the tornado at Lacon, Illinois, and visits to local churches. Elizabeth served as a traveling dietitian out of which grew the CPS Cooking Schools. Ralph served in various roles as Education Director, Assistant Director and Director at the camps. 4 linear inches. Donor: Elizabeth and H. Ralph Hernley.

Koch, Roy S., Goshen, Indiana. Records, 1982-1991, including minutes, correspondence and newsletters from the time when Koch served as Executive Secretary of Mennonite Renewal Services for five years. Also included are materials of his service as overseer of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference, 1986-1988. A fuller story on 50 years of ministry of Roy S. and Martha (Horst) Koch, 1936-1986, is found in the book, I Will Build My Church: A History of St. Jacobs Mennonite Church (Ontario, Canada), 1986. Koch served this church as minister from 1936-1957. Other books by Koch include Zestful Living for Older Adults, My Personal Pentecost (Martha included), and Ten Steps to Your Personal Pentecost. 10 linear inches. Donor: Roy Koch.

Mennonite Association of Retired Persons, 1989- , Elkhart, Indiana. Correspondence of Executive Director Barbara K. Reber and Assistant Director Don D. Reber, 1989-1998. The association provides its 2,000 members with opportunities for mutual sharing, support and Christian service opportunities. Also included are minutes, correspondence, reports and newsletters of the earlier organization, Inter-Mennonite Council on Aging, 1981-1987. Also included is Reber's correspondence when she served as Executive Secretary of the Women's Missionary and Service Commission, 1979-1985. 2.5 linear feet. Donor: Barbara K. and Don D. Reber, Goshen, Indiana.

Mennonite Board of Education, 1905- , Elkhart, Indiana. Official records, 1986-1989, from the central office files, which reflect the work of the Board and staff over this four-year time period. Three of the ten staff members included Albert J. Meyer, Executive Secretary, and Loren E. Swartzendruber and Orville L. Yoder as Associate Executive Secretaries. Also included are Youth Census Records, 1995-1998. 11.25 linear feet. Donor: Sandi Bromley and Ruth Schrock, Administrative Assistants.

Mennonite Board of Missions, 1882- , Home Missions, Elkhart, Indiana. Records, 1970-1980, reflecting the program of this Home Missions Department during this ten-year period. Directors were Nelson E. Kauffman ( -1971), Simon Gingerich (1971-1977) and Lupe De Leon (1977- ). 3.75 linear feet. Donor: Ethel Hoffman, Coordinator of Office Services.

Mennonite World Conference, 1925- . Four reel-to-reel tape recordings of several sessions at the Seventh Mennonite World Conference held at Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, 1962. Persons recorded include Harold S. Bender, Carl F. Brusewitz, Peter J. Dyck, Nelson Litwiller, Hendrik W. Meihuizen, A. J. Metzler and Erland Waltner. The recording was done by Alfred Dietzel, Pigeon, Michigan, who then made copies available for purchase to the delegate body. 3 linear inches. Donor: C. J. Dyck, Former Secretary of Mennonite World Conference, Elkhart, Indiana.

Oyer, Esther R. ( -1998). School-Girl Days Book, 1919-1931, used by Esther Oyer, while she attended Metamora High School (Illinois), 1919-1921; Hesston College and Bible School (Kansas), 1921-1922; Clinton County Normal School (Michigan), 1922-1923; and Goshen College (Indiana), 1929-1931. Included are autographs, photographs, poems, diary entries, programs and notes of her involvement at the different schools. Esther Oyer married Cyril Smith from Michigan. 1 File. Donor: Lois L. Yoder, Goshen, Indiana.

Powell, John, Elkhart, Indiana. Papers, 1969-1978, on Powell's involvement in the African Afro-American Inter-Mennonite Unity Conferences (AFRAM) held from 1973-1978. Included are minutes, correspondence, reports, budgets, news releases, programs and speeches from the conferences, lists of delegates, and some photographs. The first meeting was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1973. The purpose of the organization was to bridge gaps between black groups in the Mennonite Church. Papers also include a file on Powell's involvement in Minority Ministries Council, 1969-1972; a Soul and Spirit Retreat, 1970; and the Cross-Cultural Convention, 1972. 1 linear foot. Donor: John Powell.

Smucker, Ralph R., 1894-1975. Three 16mm films taken by Smucker of the Mennonite Church in India and Africa, as part of Smucker's Missionary Film Service, Elkhart, Indiana, 1947-1950, 1961-1962. Film titles include Christ's Continuing Church in India, God's Messengers in Foreign Lands - India Missions, Part II, and Who Will Go For Me? (African Missions). Films are 900, 700 and 900 feet in length, respectively. Images include churches, schools, ceremonies, gatherings, social life, ministers and missionaries in India and Africa. Art Smucker has completed a log of the images on each film. 1.25 linear feet. Donor: Arthur A. Smucker, Goshen, Indiana.

 

Dennis Stoesz serves as archivist for the Archives of the Mennonite Church.

 

Photos and Illustrations:

Photo #A: Administrative staff at opening of the soil conservation CPS Camp #22, Henry, Illinois, in December 1941. (L-R): H. Ralph Hernley, Educational Director; Elizabeth Hernley, Dietitian; Leland A. Bachman, Director; Elsie Bachman, Matron; and Cornelius P. Lohrenz, Business Manager. H. Ralph and Elizabeth Hernley, who served at this camp, recently donated film footage of this camp to the Archives. Source: Mennonite Central Committee Photograph Collection

Photo #B: CPS men helping clean up after the tornado at Lacon, Illinois, March 1942. These men came from the nearby soil conservation CPS Camp #22 at Henry, Illinois. (L-R): Floyd F. Yoder, Kalona, Iowa; Orville C. Smith, Sumner, Iowa; ???. H. Ralph and Elizabeth Hernley, who served at Camp #22, recently donated film footage of the cleanup of this tornado to the Archives. Source: Mennonite Central Committee Photograph Collection

Photo #C: CPS men weeding the 13,000,000 seedlings being raised in the nursery at CPS Camp #40, at Howard, Pennsylvania, 1942-1943. This nursery was administered under the Soil Conservation Service. H. Ralph and Elizabeth Hernley, who served at this camp, recently donated film footage of this camp to the Archives. Source: Mennonite Central Committee Photograph Collection

Photo #D: Director Lupe De Leon, Jr., in 1978, portraying a renewed thrust by the Home Missions department to plant new churches in urban areas. The 1970-1980 records of this department were recently deposited into the Archives. Source: Mennonite Board of Missions Collection.

Photo #E: Sunday meeting at the 1962 Mennonite World Conference held at the Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The theme was "The Lordship of Christ." Several tape recordings of this conference were recently deposited into the Archives. Source: Mennonite Central Committee Photograph Collection.

Photo #F: Paul Peachey interprets for a French delegate at the 1962 Mennonite World Conference held at the Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The theme was "The Lordship of Christ." Several tape recordings of this conference were recently deposited into the Archives. Source: Mennonite Central Committee Photograph Collection.

Photo #G: AFRAM meeting at Mennonite World Conference, Wichita, Kansas, July 1978. The purpose of these African Afro-American Inter-Mennonite Unity Conferences was to bridge gaps between black people in the Mennonite Church. Source: John Powell Collection.

Mennonite Historical Bulletin, July 1999