Alma Slagel Eigsti "adopted" a Russian Mennonite refugee named Margareta Unruh through her Sunday school class at Waldo Mennonite Church in Illinois. Unruh and her family were forced to flee Russia in 1943, first staying in Holland and later immigrating to Paraguay. Eigsti and Unruh corresponded with each other from 1946-1981. In this collection are the letters that Eigsti received from Unruh. The letters describe Unruh's domestic life and her personal needs. There is also a small amount of correspondence from Tina Boschmann.

An instrumental humanitarian in the Mennonite Church, Alvin J. Miller engaged in relief work in France, Crimea, and Constantinople with the American Friends Service Committee and the Red Cross. He later served in the American Relief Association and also with the American Mennonite Relief in Russia (1921-1926). Miller also assisted with the colonization committees helping to place Russian Mennonite refugees onto Canadian farms and seeling second mortgage Farm Lien Bonds to American Amish and Mennonite buyers to raise money for this venture (1927-1930). His personal collection includes correspondence, documents and reports documenting these experiences.

This fonds consists of 3 volumes of letters translated into English depicting life in Russia and the Soviet Union 1925-1978. In 1925 Anna Reimer's daughter, Katherina Enns and her husband Wilhelm Enns immigrated to Canada along with Anna's son's family, Johann and Kaethe Reimer. Anna and her other children remained in Russia, hoping also to move later but could not do so. This fonds consists of the letters the family members in Canada received, documenting the situation in the Soviet Union. The letters were translated by Katherina and Wilhelm Enns' children Con Enns and Elizabeth Enns, her husband Edward Enns and daughter Ruth Enns. "Katherina Enns and Johann Reimer left behind in Russia their sisters Anna Epp, Mariechen Reimer, Margareta Enns, Susanna Reimer, Elisabeth Teichroeb, and a brother Dietrich Reimer and their mother Anna (Peters) Riemer."

Cornelius C. Penner and Eliesabeth "Liese" (Baergen) Penner were both born in south Russia and immigrated to Canada in 1924. In 1925, he purchased the east half of Lot 7, Concession 3 in the Township of Eilber. Thus the family joined the Mennonite settlement of Reesor, Ontario. The couple had 7 children, 5 of whom survived infancy. In 1927, their son Cornelius Jr. (Neil) secured the adjoining lot (west half of Lot 7, Con. 3). Cornelius Sr. died in 1939; Eliesabeth and her children settled in the Niagara area beginning in 1943. The fonds consists of photographs of family and community life in Reesor, as well as some photographs of the immigration journey in 1924 undertaken by Neufeld relatives.

This file contains the following items:

1) Orie O. Miller "Der erste Versuch der Hungerhilfe in Russland" MCC, Scotsdale Pa., 9 pages, From the book " Feeding the Hungry", P.C. Hiebert & O.O Miller
2) B.B Janz "Die Erste Reise nach Moskau" 1921-1922, 11 pages. Also written with H. Wiebe, P.F. Froese and C.F. Klassen
Zweite Reise nach Moskau
3) Report of Trip to the U.S.S.R. It is the second trip sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee in May 19-June 23,1960. Report written by Henry A. Fast, Chairman of the Tour Group. 50 pages.