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The bulk of the materials in this collection consist of sermons, poems, songs, and catechisms, a church register, and other religious writings documenting Mennonite church and community life in Balk, Friesland (The Netherlands) during the first part of nineteenth century, 1786-1850. The papers also include sermons, poems, correspondence, and other miscellaneous records pertaining to Balk Mennonite life in New Paris, Indiana.

Most materials are in Dutch. Available English translations are noted in the detailed collection description.

The collection is organized into series, most of which are groups of documents associated with the Smid Family siblings and the wife of R. J. Smid. Series include:

(1) Background Articles and Information on Balk Mennonites, 1948-2006

(2) Early Materials, 1786, undated

(3) Obe Johannes Smid, 1815-1849

(4) Akke Johannes Smid, 1820-1828

(5) Jacobjen Johannes Smid, 1822-1836

(6) Ruurd Johannes Smid (R. J. Smith), 1822-1893

(7) Grietje Jacobs Symensma (Margaret J. Smid), 1845-1895

These papers primarily document the life and work of Silas Hertzler, but includes some material pertinent to his wife, Anna Weaver Hertzler.  The papers are divided into seven series:

(1) Diaries, 1904-1974

(2) American Committee for Relief in the Near East Materials, 1919

(3) Correspondence, 1909-1975

(4) Articles and Writing, 1917-1967

(5) Photographs, 1909-1970

(6) Miscellaneous, 1905-1975

(7) Genealogical Research Files, 1813-1988

Miscellaneous documents accumulated by Harry Symensma, a Mennonite immigrant from Balk (Friesland, Netherlands) and member of the Mennonite (Dunkard) church in Union Township (presumably Elkhart County), Indiana, and his son, Henry Symensma, of New Paris, Indiana.  Materials include property tax and other reciepts, real estate assessments, a letter from John F. Funk offering condolences to Henry Symensma, and Dutch militia documents.

Papers of a prominent Mennonite family in Elkhart, Ind.  G. L. Bender was a teacher and postmaster.  He served as the first treasurer of the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities and as a deacon at Prairie Street Mennonite Church.  Elsie Kolb Bender was a homemaker and mother of seven children, including Harold Stauffer Bender.

The papers consist primarily of correspondence to and from various members of the Bender family and are divided into the following series:

(1) G. L. Bender Correspondence (2) Harold Stauffer Bender Correspondence (3) Cecil and Alice Bender Correspondence (4) Florence E. Bender Correspondence (5) John Bender Correspondence (6) Robert Bender Correspondence (7) Violent Bender Turner Correspondence (8) Wilbur Bender Correspondence (9) Elsie Kolb Bender Correspondence (10) Miscellaneous (11) Photographs

These personal papers of a late 19th century Mennonite evangelist are divided into five series:

(1) Diaries, 1871-1899

(2) Correspondence, 1866-1901

(3) Notebooks and Financial Records, 1861-1880

(4) Miscellaneous Materials, 1865-1905

(5) Barbara F. Coffman Material for John S. Coffman Biography, 1949-1963

(6) Bishop Samuel Coffman Materials, 1861-1893

This collection documents Newcomer's experiences in Civilian Public Service camps as a conscientious objector during World War II. Materials include ration books, camp rosters, photographs, miscellaneous correspondence, and a memoir of his experiences.

The collection also documents Newcomer's interest in the history of Mennonites in northern Indiana, specifically the Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. They include photographs, estate sale bills, and photocopied documents related to Yellow Creek members who were conscientious objectors during World War I.

This series includes the constitutions of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of the (old) Mennonite Church / Mennonite Church USA and minutes of annual conferences dating back to the 19th century and including both the minutes of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference, the Indiana Amish-Mennonite Conference, and the Indiana-Michigan Amish-Mennonite Conference.  From 1922 to 1947, executive committee minutes are interfiled with the annual conference minutes. In more recent years, reports include the minutes from the previous year's conference.

Also found in this series are materials pertaining to a conference-wide study of divorce and remarriage, minutes and correspondence related to the possibility of an independent Michigan Mennonite conference, and annual conference-related correspondence.

Papers of a friend and associate of John F. Funk who served as assistant editor / editor in chief of the Herald of Truthfrom 1886 to 1904.  Kolb edited a number of other Mennonite periodicals, was active in the Sunday school movement, and served as president of the Mennonite Evangelizing and Benevolent Board.  He married John F. Funk's daughter, Phoebe, in 1893.

Kolb's papers are divided into two series:

(1) Correspondence, 1866-1923

(2) Miscellaneous, circa 1853 - 1965

Daniel H. Coffman served as a deacon at Prairie Street Mennonite Church (1893-1899), Olive Mennonite Church (1899-1904), and Clinton Brick Mennonite Church (1904 - 1941). This collection consists primarily of Coffman's correspondence to his brother and sister in Virginia as well as his daughter in Indiana, and contains information regarding church conflicts from 1898 to 1903.  Also in this collection are histories of the Daniel H. Coffman family and the Samuel H. Eldridge family, as well as a photograph of the Eldridge family circa 1890.

The David A. Yoder Papers are divided into the following series:

(1) Diaries and Datebooks, 1920-1976

(2) Correspondence, 1903-1975

(3) Subject Files, 1909-1970

(4) Manuscripts, 1949-1976

(5) Sermon Notes, 1907-1966

(6) Photographs, 1885-1980

(7) Miscellaneous, 1897-1983

A hodgepodge of material created and collected by an Indiana Mennonite farmer and his wife. The bulk of the materials in the collection are clippings of W. W. Oesch's "Ramblings" column from a New Paris (Ind.) newspaper, The Farmer's Exchange (1948-1970). Materials also include a scrapbook with correspondence, journal entries, and clippings by and about Sarah Alice Troyer Young, a mission worker killed in the Boxer Rebellion.  Three photographs of Young and the China Inland Mission may also be found in this collection.  FInally, researchers may find correspondence and congregational records in this collection regarding the doctrinal difficulties of the Indiana-Michigan Conference of the (old) Mennonite Church in the 1920s.

The papers of Vernon and Evangeline Matthies Neuschwander primarily document relief and service work to Russian Mennonite refugees after World War II.  Materials include correspondence, poems, testimonies, and songs by Russian Mennonite refugees, reports and correspondence pertaining to Mennonite Central Committee relief work in the Netherlands and Paraguay, a diary kept by Evangeline Matthies Neuschwander during her Europen relief work, correspondence between Vernon and Evangeline Matthies Neuschwander, and a well-labeled photograph album documenting Evangeline Matthies Neuschwander's relief and service work.  Other materials include records of Vernon Neuschwander's Civilian Public Service work, family and genealogical materials, Evangeline's writing and reminiscences, and miscellaneous materials.

These papers are divided into three series:

(1) Documents, 1923-1980

(2) Photographs, 1900-1970

(3) Sound Recordings, circa 1937-1950

These papers are divided into three series:

(1) Correpondence

(2) Notes and Teaching Materials

(3) Miscellaneous

A small set of personal papers created by a Mennonite composer, arranger, and professor of music at Goshen College.  Materials include a number of original musical compositions and arrangements, an autobiographical sketch, correspondence, conference programs and notes, various writings, and miscellaneous materials.