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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 of an (old) Mennonite Church writer and her pastor husband are divided into two series:

(1) Helen Good Brenneman Papers

(2) Virgil J. Brenneman Papers

Papers of a Goshen Academy alumna (1922), long-time member of the Prairie Street Mennonite Church (Elkhart, Ind.), and missionary to Dhamtari, India later in life.  Contains a remarkable run of diaries, nearly unbroken, from 1910 to 1989, in which Smucker provides brief descriptions of her daily activities.  Also includes scrapbooks, postcard albums, her father's autograph book, and miscellaneous materials.

Personal papers of an (old) Mennonite Church pastor and conference minister and his wife.  These papers are divided into two series:

(1) Cleo A. Mann Papers, 1939-1980

(2) Nellie Miller Mann Papers, 1920-2000