In George L. Bender’s rather short life (1867-1921)* he was a teacher. postmaster, and MC Mennonite church official at Elkhart Indiana. At that time Mennonite institutions were developing in Elkhart in the wake of John F. Funk’s work; and G. L. Bender served as the first treasurer of the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities and as a deacon at Prairie Street Mennonite Church. Importantly, he was the father and a mentor of H. S. Bender.
{1} G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, September 10, 1916 [stationery of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, G. L. Bender as Treasurer and Financial Agent]: was headed for Young People’s Meeting [note: not to be confused with Young People’s Conference--“Meeting” implied the Sunday evening event at an MC Mennonite congregation]; D. S. Wendy had asked for Harold’s address, and had said Gladys wanted to write to Harold [Gladys Wendy ?]; more, regarding Gladys’ “running away from” Harold and Harold saying she never would get the chance again; family or community news--mention “Ether Murphy and B. S. Ebersole” [Esther Murphy ?]; ... hope things going well [for Harold] at Thornton... [Thornton Indiana, where Harold was a high school teacher].
{2} G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, October 19, 1916 [stationery of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, G. L. Bender as Treasurer and Financial Agent; Harold at Thornton Indiana]: glad for your letter [not extant here]; about dyeing his coat and problem of its shrinking; mentions of Harold’s siblings and some kind of grades they had gotten....
{3} .G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, April 21, 1917 [stationery of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, G. L. Bender as Treasurer and Financial Agent]: Aunt Cinda had left; four Lancaster boys who had stopped; Benders had planted potatoes...; mention of “the Ford”.
{4} .G. L. Bender to “Mr. H. S. Bender”--“Dear Harold”, June 20, 1918 [stationery of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, G. L. Bender as Treasurer and Financial Agent; Harold at Y.M.C.A., Akron Ohio]: personal matters--had received his letter and card [neither extant here]; about his getting a clock; glad Harold had “a position”; advice to be thrifty and pay debt; etc....
{5} .G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, July 12, 1918 [stationery of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, G. L. Bender as Treasurer and Financial Agent]: had Harold’s two letters [not extant here]; about date of Sunday School Conference, Harold to speak on “What I owe to the Young People’s Meeting”; about Florence [Bender, sister of Harold] sending the Hesston catalog [Hesston College and Bible School]...; on money raised for the college’s debt....
{6} .G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, July 19, 1918 [stationery of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, G. L. Bender as Treasurer and Financial Agent; Harold at a street address at Akron Ohio]: writing on Harold’s birthday, sorry he was not home, would have had fried chicken; had sent Harold some church papers; advice on getting a ride with “Bro. Smucker” to Sunday School Conference, saving money; about siblings Violet, John, and Robert having had tonsils removed [Violet Bender (later Violet Turner, Violet Bender Turner), John E. Bender, and Robert L. Bender]....
{7} .G. L. Bender to H. S. Bender--Dear Harold”, December 20, 1918 [stationery of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, G. L. Bender as Treasurer and Financial Agent; Harold now at Hesston Kansas]: on money, checks; on Chemistry books; about who had paid [likely dues of their Goshen College class ??--Harold had not paid]; about money still due on a loan; about some report [re Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities ??] to be considered at the Elida meeting; expected Uncle Dan [likely D. H. Bender, Daniel H. Bender] to attend the Elida meeting; regarding bad state of affairs at Goshen College, confidentially; if you don’t stay at Hesston, G. L. preferred Harold to be [? teaching ?] in Elkhart schools; do not write to “Wiggers” until “after I have my report” from doctors and have met with the Executive Committee [? of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities ?]; the scourge of flu that was about, people dying; Christ Shantz had died of stomach cancer; other names with maladies.
{8} G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, January 16, 1919: about late reply to Harold’s letters; about “Lapp” inviting “Reiff” to come to assist [likely George J. Lapp, George Lapp, in one-year presidency of Goshen College; ?Vernon Reiff ?]; re getting Charles Shoemaker to help out temporarily [help where?]; on Shoemaker’s situation, including Mennonite Publishing House wanting him (? Charles B. Shoemaker, C. B. Shoemaker ?)]; on efforts to do relief work now that the war was over [Mennonite Relief Committee of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities]--mention Armenia, Syria, “Bible Lands”; about finances available for relief; about negotiations with U. S. government... (more on relief situation); “...we made ... selections”--re Aaron Loucks, William Derstine to accompany workers over and organize relief; J. H. Detweiler, J. C. Myer [sic; likely J. C. Meyer, Jacob C. Meyer, Jacob Conrad Meyer], Jesse Smucker, John Werye, “Ori Miller” [sic; Orie Miller, Orie O. Miller], David Zimmerman, Leon Myers, Nolt, Ezra, Deter [sic; Ezra Deter ?]; comments about Deter going to France, perhaps “Graber” going somewhere; mention Silas Hertzler, Asa Hertzler, Willis Baer; had sent $25,000 to ‘the New York office”; letting “Natives” direct the work./ Reference to Harold’s teaching plans--they [apparently Hesston College and Bible School] would like to have him another year, preferable to G.L.; but glad to have Harold at Elkhart./ G. L. mentioned possibly coming to Hesston to talk to Reiff, if Shoemaker not available [? Vernon Reiff ?; likely Charles Shoemaker, Charles B. Shoemaker, C. B. Shoemaker]; by-laws did not provide for an assistant treasurer; on whether “Baumans” would go to South America [Argentina ?]....
{9} G. L. Bender to H. S. Bender--“Dear Harold”, April 24, 1919 [stationery of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, G. L. Bender as Treasurer and Financial Agent; Harold at Hesston Kansas]: on correspondence and accounts; glad about your plans to go to Yoder for the summer [? Yoder Kansas ?]; encouragement to visit a Bishop Beachy there, whom G. L. knew; Cecil’s ear trouble [Cecil Bender, Harold’s brother, later Dr. C. K. Bender]; advice not to overdo in heat of Kansas; wrote as if “Reiff” were in Elkhart [? Vernon Reiff ?]; mention Enos Mumaw and wife; re Goshen College--going quite well, H. F. Reist to be president next year, Christ Blosser dean [H. Frank Reist, Henry Frank Reist; ? Christian Blosser ?]
{10} G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, September 25, 1919: sending notes today; advised that Harold “make no fixed plans just now” but wait to see how G. L.’s “condition” developed [Parkinson’s disease -- see Albert N. Keim, Harold S. Bender, 1897-1952, pages 37-38, 86, 109-111]; had seen another specialist in Chicago, who said G. L. could become “entirely helpless...”; re a letter from “Boyd” [J. Boyd Cressman ?]’ remarks about Boyd’s ridicule of “Loucks” and of Harold’s remarks about Loucks [? likely Aaron Loucks ?]: reference to “the abnormal condition of his mind [whose mind? probably Boyd’s but unclear]; “I am so sorry for him...”; “And Harold I am so very grateful ... [to God] that you did not get to France...” [likely a reference to the French Reconstruction Unit, where its Mennonite young men had held a conference at Clermont-en-Argonne that was very controversial, being quite critical of current (MC) Mennonite Church leadership]: “Say Harold you reputation is good. I trust you will never mar it. Stand loyally by the church” with “confidence in the leaders...”./ Remarks about “the Thut article” and Thut’s apparent premillenialism; “I want you to have my view on this subject. I am neither PRE or POST.” [sic; (what of amillennialism ?); the church had no position on this, and the question was not “essential to salvation”, so neither side should call the other unorthodox, but should speak kindly; comments on Thut as “a deep student” and not “antagonistic”....
{11} G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, October 18, 1919: re correspondence; glad for your rise in salary...; muted financial advice; more this and that; mention Jesse Bechtel--and writing to him c/o his father’s office in Philadelphia... (implied Bechtel was a recent immigrant ?); Goshen College enrollment etc.; Florence was waiting tables for her board, Violet working in the library for her tuition [Florence Bender; Violet later Violet Turner, Violet Bender Turner]; mentioned J. M. Yoder paying for the girls’ expenses; did you get notes I sent?
{12} Another letter, G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, October 18, 1919: thanks for 2 checks; amount of Maple Leaf [college yearbook] debt; mention H. A. Yoder, Jancey Slabaugh, Ora Liechty, Arthur Hartzell, D. E. Lehman; leaving tomorrow morning for Youngstown.
{13} G. L. Bender to Dear Harold”, January 9, 1920 [stationery of Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, G. L. Bender as Treasurer and Financial Agent]: mention Violet [later Violet Turner, Violet Bender Turner]; paid $1.50for tailor work on Harold’s suit; had lent Harold’s $400 to “brother Brunk”..., although had intended to use it to help the girls [likely Violet and Florence Bender]; about sending some money each month; about G. L. trip to Illinois and then [apparently] aborted going to California to a sanitarium upon finding out it did not have the equipment for the treatment he intended; about talking to the doctor at length about plans...; instead going to Battle Creek which had a very excellent sanatorium....
{14} G. L. Bender to “Dear Harold”, Jan 17, 1920 [stationery of The Battle Creek Sanitarium, Battle Creek Michigan; poorly written in pencil (possibly by someone taking informal dictation from G.L.)]: reference to leaving Elkhart; you probably have my letter re not going to California; on your questions-- G. L. had left “the active part of the Relief work... to the rest of the Executive for the times I am away”; for “first information... write to Levi Mumaw”; to work with Russian Mennonites, thought “the Ohio meeting” had wanted to get “several older men with Executive ability“ plus some “boys who are already across the Atlantic”; “of course ... personally we would not prefer your going” but you are of age to make that choice...; G. L. thought that if Harold wanted more schooling, now was the time...; on Goshen not paying much for summer teaching; G. L. would like to see Harold teach in Elkhart schools for a year./ Regarding “Vernon Reiff”, he would be rather expensive help for the Board, and, to G. L., Reiff’s replies indicated disinterest./ [The Battle Creek Sanitarium] was “a great place. Mostly rich people”; G. L. still being examined; yesterday a “fierce” diet of “nut bran”; talked here with all kinds of people, e.g. “a real Suffragette”...; friendly acquaintance with “Judge Lasey of Detroit--he much respected “the plain people” and his wife’s “folks” were River Brethren; G .L. was “the only plain person” among 500 patients [nonconformity, attire] and was called “Rev. right along”....
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cross-references from other files
{16} Delilah Roth (apparently a Goshen College student) to H. S. Bender, May 3, 1937: had finished biography of Bender’s father [G. L. Bender, George L. Bender, George Bender]; implied she wrote the biography under Professor Umble [surely John S. Umble]... [From Box 7 Folder 1, L miscellaneous 1930-1938].
