CA MHCA Vol. 2138:12-16; Vol. 5479-5480; Photo Coll. 589.
Fonds
1923-2000
This fonds contains a transcript of an interview with Jacob Bergen, Jacob Bergen correspondence with the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization regarding immigration, payment of travel debt and the sponsorship of relatives coming to Canada after the Second World War and correspondence with the Oak Lake Mennonite church (part of the Schoenwieser Mennonite Church in Manitoba). The fonds also includes the letters written by Margaret Bergen (1928-) to her parents, Jacob and Maria Bergen, and the letters received by Margaret from her parents, while attending the Mennonite Collegiate Institute boarding school from 1941-1945, while attending Normal School in Winnipeg 1945-1946, and while teaching in various schools in Manitoba and on an exchange program in Coventry, England in 1961-1962.
This material shows the difficult situation some Mennonites experienced in Russia after the First World War, how one family coped and immigrated to Canada where they started a new life with their children. They letters show the high value that this family placed on education and staying in touch with each other when transportation, travel and communication was quite limited.
This fonds consists primarily of letters addressed to Jacob Buhr (1833-1908), Johann Buhr (1858-1942) and Jacob Buhr (1870-1951) received from close relatives in Russia. The earliest letters deal with questions of inheritance resulting from the death of Jacob Buhr's mother (who remained in Russia). Letters at the turn of the century give the reader a picture of conditions in the Mennonite colonies at that time. Letters from 1920-1929 addressed to Johann Buhr (1858-1942) and Jacob Buhr (1870-1951) deal with economic conditions in the Mennonite colonies in Russia after the Civil War and questions of emigration. Some letters from the 1970s are addressed to Helen Buhr from her father Jacob H. Buhr of Altona, Manitoba. Items of special interest include a list of wheat sales from 1883, a letter from P. & K. Friesen of Rosthern, Saskatchewan dated 1911 and a small family register kept by Johann Buhr (1858-1942).
This collection consists of photocopies of letters from Jacob Fehr Jr., a journal of Jacob Fehr Jr. recounting the immigration to Canada, a brief account of the immigration by Helena Fehr, and a register of letters that includes authors such as Aeltester Gerhard Dyck of Chrotitza, South Russia. It also includes a notebook of sermons. In addition to these primary documents there are copies of published translation and transcription of the journal of Jacob Fehr.
This fonds consists primarily of correspondence relating to personal and political matters, including education, alternative service, settlement and genealogy. There are also excerpts and transcripts from various historical writings, materials written by others that Hildebrand accumulated, and original documents relating to Mennonites in Canada and Hildebrand's political interests. Finally, the collection includes some maps of various parts of Canada and Russia, and several photographs.
This fonds contains 18 individual sermons which were preached on a variety of occasions between June 1949 and June 1954. Also included is a journel record of the 1952 Mennonite Conference meetings in Ontario.
This fonds contains a 57 page commentary on the book of Ephesians and a folder containing a selection of Nikkel's notes and sermons including his last sermon which he preached at the funeral of a friend just minutes before his own death.
CA MHCA Photo collection 649 and 650; Volume 5346; Map nos. 1229, 1230.
Fonds
1889-1978, predominant 1889-1924
This fonds consists of photographs of the Tokmak railroad, the Wall estates, and the extended Wall family. Maps showing the railroad including a Russian map of the Crimea and southern Ukraine and a memoir by George Wall recounting the family's experiences in Russia and early life in Canada. This fonds uniquely highlights the life and times of a wealthy Mennonite family involved in the transportation and farming industries and how that changed with the Russian Revolution forcing the family to emigrate.
This fonds consists of 1) diaries, 2) correspondence, 3) poetry collection, 4) A Pilgrim People research files and 5) several artifacts. The fonds includes the diary of Johannes D. Dyck (1826-1898) kept from 1871-1898, the diary of Johannes J. Dyck ( 1860-1920) kept from 1907-1908, the diary of Renate Dyck (1885-1963) kept from 1909-1927, and the diary Johannes J. Dyck (1885-1948) kept from 1922, 1937-1938. The correspondence is primarily letters from the friends and family of Johannes and Renate Dyck from the United States, Russia, and Canada as well as correspondence with the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization. The collection does include one letter written by Helene Janzen in 1851 to Johannes D. Dyck, the gold miner in California. The poetry is a collection of newspaper clippings and hand copied poems which were used to include in correspondence to give encouragement to family members left in the USSR who were living under very difficult circumstances. This fonds also includes the files created while preparing the family history books published in 1987 and 1994 entitled, A Pilgrim People and, A Pilgrim People Volume II.
This fond contains a collection of sermon notes in which Braun looks at a wide variety of New Testament scripture passages. It also contains a book entitled "Teile das Wort der Wahrheit recht" in which Braun wrote some notes.