Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1930-1977, 2004 (Creation)
Level of description
Collection
Extent and medium
40 cm of textual records
1 CD
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
-born in Altonau, Sagradovka, Russia; served in the medical corp, 1914-1917
-elected and served as village mayor during the 1920s;
-fled to Moscow with his family 1929 to escape further harassment from the communists
-arrived in Carlyle, Saskatchewan in 1930, moved to Springstein, Manitoba, moved to Carman, Manitoba, moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba
-worked as an orderly at the Winnipeg General Hospital for 22 years
-died in Winnipeg
Name of creator
Biographical history
-born in Russia in 1925 and immigrated to Canada with parents in 1925.
-married Peter F. Bargen in 1945; had 3 children together
-died in Winfield, B.C.
Name of creator
Biographical history
- superintendent of school in Alberta
- born in Tiege, Sagradovka, Russia, as the third child of 5 to Franz and Liese Bargen
- came to Canada in 1930 with parents
- lived in Winfield, BC in 1994; died in Edmonton, Alberta
Name of creator
Repository
Archival history
This letter collection was stored in a cardboard Campbell's Soup box, which was moved from attic to attic until 1989, when Peter Bargen (1922-2004) and his wife Anne (Peters) Bargen (1925-1997) found them and set out to translate and publish them, before depositing them in the archives.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Peter and Anne Bargen, Winfield, B.C. -- self-publish book and accompanying originals (1992)
Neil Bargen, Edmonton, AB -- CD with translations of post-war letters and original travel documents
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The collection consists of letters written by Mennonites in the Soviet Union before and after the Second World War. They were written by family and friends of Franz Bargen (1894-1976) and his wife Liese (Regehr) Bargen (1897-1976), who immigrated to Canada in 1930.
This collection of letters is divided into two sections -- over 500 letters written between 1930-1938 and almost 800 letters written between 1939-1977, the post-World War II period. There is also one file containing the travel documents for Franz and Liese Bargen when they immigrated to Canada in 1930, as well as a Canadian naturalization document from 1945.
The letters written between 1930 and 1938 present the experiences of over 30 families -- relatives of Franz and Liese Bargen. The first letters originate in Sagradovka, the Mennonite settlement in Ukraine from which families were sent into forced labour camps. Letters between family members in exile and those outside the camps were the the lifeline for many prisoners during this time of terror, brought on by Joseph Stalin's policies. The writers of the letters knew the risks of making contact with "the West" -- prison or execution, yet they continued writing, and letters got through in various circuitous and covert ways. The Bargen family responded with letters, money and packages, knowing that much material would not reach its destination.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Each item in the Bargen Letter Collection is numbered for easy reference. The post-war letters are not totally sorted as the earlier ones.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- German
Script of material
- Gothic
Language and script notes
Transcripts and translations for many items.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Inventory file list
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
The "pre-war" letters were scanned to produce digital copies by MHC staff in 2005.
Related units of description
Publication note
"From Russia With Tears: Letters from Home and Exile, 1930-1938" in the Mennonite Historical Library at Canadian Mennonite University.
"Remember Us as We Remember You: Letters from the Gulag" by Ruth Derksen Siemens published in Geist, Volume 12, Number 56, Spring 2005, p. 39-45.
Ruth Derksen Siemens. "Remember us: letters from Stalin's Gulag (1930-37). Kitchener, Ont.: Pandora Press, 2007.