Papers collected by Jeff A. Steely, for a Bethel College history seminary paper in spring 1988. Includes sermons, correspondence, diary (photocopy), and a cassette tape of an interview with Loris Habegger.
The papers were in jumbled condition when they came to the MLA. Some items were in a self-adhesive photo album dating possibly from the early 1970s. These items were removed and the album discarded. The papers are divided into several series: business papers, personal financial papers, community organizations, school papers, miscellaneous. Unfortunately there is little correspondence. The business papers are very fragmentary but could shed some light on Rapp’s business activities and on early Hesston businesses. The personal financial papers are also fragmentary but offer a little information on the family’s business in Hesston and Tuleta. The community organizations series relates to the beginnings of the Hesston Cemetery Association and the school that became Hesston College. The school papers offer some insight into classroom life at Hesston College in its early years. The miscellaneous series includes a Maple Grove Sunday School record book 1883-1886 and unidentified photos among its more interesting holdings.
This is an artificial collection that includes notes and research from: Cornelius Krahn while researching 1969 Mennonite Life article; James C. Juhnke while researching People of Two Kingdoms; a letter in 1873 from ? to Bernhard Warkentin about Thiessen; documents on Abraham Thiessen collected by David G. Rempel (photostatic copies); and some notes sent by James Urry in 2015.