Diaries, Wünsche, David Unrau family photo

The collection contains Abram Penner’s personal diaries from 1904 to 1940, the time of his death.  Entries are mostly daily events and weather data.  Other records include his travel diary from his trip to Russia, family records, and letters.  There is also an account ledger from the general store in Mountain Lake.

A small set of congregational records consisting primarily of bulletins.

The papers consist entirely of Epp’s general subject files. Scattered through it is much material related to the various churches he served, especially First Mennonite in Newton. A folder labeled “Universalism” has much material related to the controversy over that subject in Meno during the time Epp was there. Also prominent in the papers are materials relating to the various committees and boards on which he served (usually filed under the name of the committee). Included are Commission on Overseas Missions, Western District Home Missions Committee, Mennonite Biblical Seminary Board of Trustees, General Conference Committee on Church Unity, and Newton Ministerial Alliance, among others.

The Arnold Schultz papers are in a rather jumbled condition, but have been kept in their original order and with the original folder labels.  Some folders were unlabelled.  Others had only partially legible labels; these are marked with a (?).  A few folders contain material other than what is mentioned on the label.  The papers consist primarily of material on the history of the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren and on the family history of Arnold Schultz's ancestors.  The most significant part of the EMB material relates to the settlement and early church disputes of Henderson, Nebraska, and Mountain Lake, Minnesota.  There are a good number of original documents, including papers relating to the H. C. Bartel mission in China, the memoirs of Gerhard Klassen (born in Prussia and died in the United States), papers relating to Isaac Peters (an early leader at Henderson, Nebraska), and a set of "German documents from Culm" (probably relating to Schultz genealogy).

The papers were processed by Eleonore Aarsen in the Spring of 1998.  Much of the content was in no discernible order, so I rearranged those items.  This includes mostly the church records and sermons.  They are now organized by church employment eras (time periods spent pastoring a certain church), meaning that all items from any given church are together.  The whole collection is divided mainly into personal and professional.  That is why pastoral correspondence and personal correspondence are in their respective categories and not together.  Anything that was in folders, envelopes and bundles upon arrival has been kept together.  The result is that some things seem out of place.  This is especially true in the genealogy collection. Many sermons were used several times.  As a general MLA rule, miscellaneous materials are filed according to last place used (or most recent date).  This means that many sermons written in the 1940s are actually filed in the Emmanuel Mennonite Church era. Items without numbers are not in folders, but filed loosely in the order as listed.

Includes correspondence between Agatha Hiebert and David Goerz; other correspondence, David Hiebert correspondence and business records, scattered photos, family history information (Hiebert, Balzer), school papers, Christmas Wünsche, autobiographical material (Frank), financial records books from lumber business. clippings

Tapes of interview with Helen Janzen Hirschler conducted by Leland and Bertha Harder and Mariam Penner Schmidt, Aug. 21, 1985, about her early life in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, her student years at Bethel College, and later life in Emporia. (Not clear if there was just one interview or a series of them. There are 3 tapes. All have been copied to DVD.)

Consists of two volumes of diaries 1914-1920.

Includes a scrapbook or notebook containing handwritten music in numerical notation, family history notes, and clippings. Also a German Bible.

Mostly correspondence. Some financial items and other materials.

Box 3: family history materials