MHSA Archival Description Record
Title and Physical Description
Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta fonds. -- 1972-2006. -- 7 cm
of textual records. -- 15 photographs. -- 15 DVDs
Administrative History
The Western Canada Mennonite Historical Society was organized on 24 May 1973 with the goal of collecting and publishing in all areas of Canadian Mennonite life in British columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. This vision was nurtured by three professional historians: John. B. Toews and Henry Klassen teaching at University of Calgary and Theodore Regehr teaching at University of Saskatchewan. The first annual general meeting was held in Saskatoon on 24 November 1973 when the following were elected to the executive: John B. Toews, Chairman; Theodore Regehr, Vice Chairman; Gilbert epp, Treasurer; and Lorne Buhr, Secretary. By October of 1974 it was being known as the Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan and Alberta and it had obtained charitable donation status from the Canadian government.
Because of the difficulties posed by operating in two provinces, the Alberta contingent withdrew and the Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta (MHSA) arose on 12 July 1986. On that date, Bill and Lenora (nee Dyck) Janzen (Calgary), David Wiebe-Neufeldt (Lethbridge), Carl Schlichting (Edmonton), Henry Goerzen & Erna (nee Warkentin) Goerzen (Didsbury), Harry & Gladys Stauffer (Tofield), Marvin Schmidt, Mary Epp, Eric & Anne (nee Klassen) Harder, Irene (nee Epp) Klassen, Anne Falk, and Helen Brown. A Steering Committee was formed, consisting of Henry Goerzen, Harry Stauffer, and Jean Penner (Edmonton), with the first general meeting held on 1 November 1986 in Red Deer. Henry Goerzen wrote the editorial for the first newsletter in November 1986, noting the focus of the society would be to "collect and encourage writing of history, identify and inventory artifacts, genealogy and publish". The administration of the MHSA was held in the home and later grainary of Henry Goerzen in Didsbury. The chairmen of the board have been: Henry Goerzen (Didsbury), Jake Harder (Edmonton), Colin Neufeldt (Edmonton, 2002-2006), and Vince Friesen (Edmonton, 2006- ). In 2002 the operation moved to the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) building (Skyline Drive, Calgary), in 2003 to the MCC Thrift Store Mezzanine (Calgary), and in 2004 to the 2nd floor of the MCC Tower (Calgary). At that time, an environmentally-controlled vault was constructed. It is a member of the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada and the Alberta Society of Archivists. Independently a Mennonite genealogy group had been gathering monthly in the home of Judith Rempel from, under the auspices of the Alberta Family Histories Society. In the mid 1990s, it chose to aligned itself with the MHSA.
Scope & Content
The fonds consist of A) Correspondence and Minutes, B) Mennonite Central Committee Book, C) Mennonite Historical Society Events
Source of Supplied Title
Title based on the contents of the fonds
Source of Acquisition
Gifts by Henry Goerzen, Lynnette Toews-Neufeldt, and Colin Neufeldt
Access Restrictions
None
Finding Aids
See Files Inventory
Related Materials
For publications related to the fonds, see:
- A Celebration of Service: The Story of MCC Alberta, 1965-1991 (available in the MHSA Library and for sale from the MHSA)
- Alternative Service for Peace in Canada during World War II, 1941-46
- Knowing and Interpreting our Past: Alberta's Mennonite History (2000)
- MHSA newsletters
Accruals
Expected
Notes
Accession 2002.020, 2002.031, 2003.048, 2004.046, 2004.059, 2005.062, 2005.063, 2006.025, 2007.024
Thumbnails of photos - Contact us specifying the image number if you'd like a copy of the image for a small fee.
Last updated 07 Jan 2010 - Judith Rempel
Files Inventory
A. Correspondence and Minutes. -- 1972-1996, 2003.
-- 5 cm textual records
The series consists of correspondence regarding the formation and administration of the MHSA, including the buildout in 2003.
Arranged by date
1-1 Western Canada Mennonite Historical Society - 1972-1974
1-2 Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan and Alberta - 1973-1984
1-3 Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan and Alberta - 1975-1976
1-4 Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan and Alberta - 1977
1-5
Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan and Alberta - 1978-1984
1-26 MCC Alberta Office Building Addition architectural drawings book - 2003 [separated - oversize]
B. Mennonite Central Committee Book. -- 1985-1991.
-- 2 cm textual records
The series consists of correspondence, minutes and research notes
used to write the history of the Mennonite Central Committee (Alberta).
Arranged by date
1-6 Mennonite Central Committee Archives Holdings at Mennonite Heritage
Centre - n.d.
1-7 Mennonite Central Committee (Canada) Minutes and Reports - 1985-1986
1-8 Mennonite Central Committee (Alberta) Correspondence, Notes regarding
Workshop on Christian Faith and Farming - 1986
1-9 Mennonite Central Committee (Alberta) Celebrates - Correspondence
and Selected Drafts - 1991
C. Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta Events. -- 2003-2006. -- 15 photographs. -- 15 DVDs
The series consists of video recordings and photographs of MHSA organized events.
Arranged by date
1-25 Conscientious Objector Celebration - 1995 [separated to photo boxes; see onscreen thumbnails]
.001 WWII trees planted, Elk Falls, Campbell River, BC - 1995
.002 [participants of celebratrion in front of signage] - 1995
.003 Erna (Warkentin) Goerzen - 1995
.004 "50 Years of Forest Management" sign - 1995
.005 Elk Falls [man in front of tree] - 1995
.006 [trees] - 1995
.007 COs at dedication of plaque at Campbell River, BC - 1995
.008 COs at celebration - WWII Forestry Service Group - 1995
.009 Elk Falls, Campbell River, BC - 1995
.010 Tree planting during WW II, Elk Falls, Campbell River, BC [Erna (Warkentin) Goerzen in foreground] - 1995
.011 Saving the log at celebration of CO WW II forestry service - 1995
.012 Tree planted in 1938-1944 by Cos, Elk Falls, Campbell River, BC - 1995
.013 COs at dedication of plaque, 1995 celebration of WWII service - 1995
.014 COs planted forest - 1995 - Elk Falls, Campbell River, BC - 1995
.015 COs at celebration of WW II service - site orf plaque - 1995
1-10 LaCrete Tour [copy 1] - September 2003
1-11 LaCrete Tour [copy 2] - September 2003
1-12 LaCrete Tour [copy 3] - September 2003
1-13 Spring Conference, Lendrum & First Mennonite Churches, Edmonton (a) - 2004
1-14 Spring Conference, Lendrum & First Mennonite Churches, Edmonton (b) - 2004
1-15 Family History Conference (a) [copy 1] - September 2004
1-16 Family History Conference (b) [copy 1] - September 2004
1-17 Family History Conference (a) [copy 2] - September 2004
1-18 Family History Conference (b) [copy 2] - September 2004
1-19 Viking Hutterite Colony Tour [copy 1] - April 2005
1-20 Viking Hutterite Colony Tour [copy 2] - April 2005
1-21 Spring Conference (a) [copy 1] - June 2006
1-22 Spring Conference (b) [copy 2] - June 2006
1-23 Spring Conference (a) [copy 1] - June 2006
1-24 Spring Conference (b) [copy 2] - June 2006
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